Moments
HERSHE"Are you done yet?" asked Irene while she grooms herself in front of the mirror.
"Two more minutes, okay?" said Seulgi from the bathroom.
"Ugh! You're so slow."
The bathroom door creaked open. Seulgi stepped out. "Slow? You're the one who woke me up late, like five minutes ago, asking me to get ready right away."
"Well, I never knew that it would take me a lot of effort to wake you up, honey."
Seulgi approached her. "Are you done yourself?"
"Yes, I'm ready. Hey, what's that!" Irene was surprised to see Seulgi's face still drenched in water, having an I-just-woke-up hairdo.
"What? I washed my face."
"And you're going out like that?" Irene grabbed a towel to dry Seulgi's face. "Tsk. You're such a kid, Kang."
"Mmm... I wasn't planning going out like this, f-y-i," said Seulgi, her voice muffled against the towel.
"Whatever." Irene dropped the towel and stared at Seulgi's hair. "What are you gonna do with that?"
"This?" Seulgi brushed her fingers through her hair while peeking in the mirror. "Let's just leave it like this."
"Tsk. No!" Irene cupped Seulgi's shoulder and turned the latter to face her. "It's better this way." She fixed Seulgi's hair.
"Now how do I look, honey?" asked Seulgi, her thumb, and forefinger against her chin.
Irene couldn't help but admire her hair art. Seulgi has changed into a new pair of a button-down shirt and baggy pants for dinner. The funny thing about it is the simpler she looked the more her charm shows up.
"You're okay."
Seulgi pursed her lips. "Just okay?"
"Yeah. What were you expecting me to say?"
"Anything but okay, you know."
"Ahm. Okay. Then what adjective would you like me to use?"
"I don't know. Maybe striking would do." Seulgi beamed, causing Irene to roll her eyes. "Or maybe attractive, gorgeous, stylish, or dazzling."
Irene cocked her head to one side. "I didn't know you were conceited, honey."
"Why, thank you, honey." Seulgi bowed. Suddenly, the door buzzed. "I guess that's our call."
Irene went to get her sling bag while Seulgi opens the door.
"Hi, bear!"
"Hey, chick! Looking pretty tonight, huh? Where's Sungjae?"
"He's almost done retouching his makeup," said Joy. Seulgi laughed. "Well, you look charming yourself. That shirt looks perfect on you."
"Charming your face," Irene muttered when she finally found her cell phone on the couch.
"Yeah? You're the one who gave this shirt, remember?" asked Seulgi.
"I know. I know. See? I always choose what's best for you."
Irene made a face before approaching and looping her arm through Seulgi's. "Honey, I'm ready."
Seulgi turned to her and touched the tip of her nose. "Hey there, beautiful." She went back to Joy. "Okay. Shall we?"
"Wait. Let's fix this first." Joy stopped them to fix Seulgi's collar. Seulgi stayed still.
Irene rolled her eyes.
Just in time, Sungjae stepped out of their room and locked the door. "Where do you want to eat guys?"
"Let's go to Flames." Joy turned around. "Seulgi loved the barbecue there."
"Ugh. I was already imagining and drooling over barbecue since last night," said Seulgi.
"I knew it. Are you going to order the usual?" asked Joy.
"Yeah!" Seulgi grinned widely. "I haven't eaten there since you left, chick. I will order that same old meal. I missed that."
"Me too, bear. I miss the same old meal." Joy grabbed Sungjae's hand and started walking ahead of them.
Irene flexed her jaw.
This girl is really ing her.
---
Sungjae had picked a private room for dinner.
Their setup tonight was like a déjà vu of their last dinner together. Although it's not obvious to Sungjae and Seulgi, Irene feels Joy is silently attacking her from time to time.
If it wasn't for Seulgi's unconscious support, Irene knows she'd been long defeated. She isn't doing anything to counter-attack but Seulgi has been treating her like a princess the entire evening, making Irene think it's pissing Joy off.
Whatever sweetness Seulgi is showing her, Irene completely knows that it's only a part of their acting. However, the more she's exposed to it the more she feels like she's getting used to it. Seulgi has her own unique ways of showing sweetness without making Irene feel awkward about it. She just enjoys how Seulgi pampers her.
"Baby, try this one..." Seulgi used the fork to hold the meat in place while slicing it with a knife. She planted the fork held it towards Irene. "Ahh..."
Irene took a bite. "Mmm." Seulgi waited for her response with a curious look on her face. "It's delicious!"
Seulgi's face brightened. "You like it?"
"Yeah, it's flavorful. I want more, honey."
Seulgi turned to her plate. "Sure. Sure. I'll slice more for you."
"I think I'm gonna have diabetes just by staring at you two," said Sungjae, pointing his fork at them. "How long have you been together again?"
"They've only been together for a few weeks. It's normal for new couples to be that sweet when the relationship is fresh and young," said Joy.
Seulgi and Irene looked at each other.
"Oh really? But you weren't that sweet to me when we started," said Sungjae.
A smile drew on Irene's face. She tried not to make it obvious.
Joy snorted. "Well, just your luck. I'm not the clingy type of girlfriend."
Irene doesn't mind getting attacked again. She grabbed her fork to get some food on her plate and gave it to Seulgi. "Try this one, honey."
Seulgi opened to take in the food. "The barbecue here is one of the best," she said in between bites.
"But honestly, your cooking is much better than this, Seulgi," said Joy.
Irene looked at Seulgi. "Really? You can cook this?"
"Uh-uh." Seulgi nods as she scoops another food into Irene's mouth. "Want me to cook for you?"
That was the question Irene has been waiting for. She agreed. "Joy told me last time you're great at it."
"She did?" Seulgi glanced at Joy who confirmed the statement by nodding. "Okay. Let's plan that for next week."
Irene tugged Seulgi's sleeve who went back to slicing the meat. "Can I sleepover?"
Clank!
"Oops! Slippery. Sorry," said Seulgi, grinning. She looked at Irene. "Y-you want to?"
"I want to. I haven't slept in your apartment yet after we got official," said Irene.
"Uh... sure. Let's do that next Friday so we could stay up all night watching movies. Sounds good?"
"Sounds great!"
---
After finishing their food, Sungjae started telling stories about their Singapore experience. Irene was comfortably resting her head on Seulgi's shoulder with their arms linked.
Seulgi's mind isn't focused on Sungjae. She's more like savoring the moment while it lasts. She's not sure if it'll be the last time she can hold Irene like that freely. Once they go back to their room, everything will be normal again.
Seulgi d for Irene's hand under the table. Unexpectedly, Irene opened her hand to let Seulgi hold it. Seulgi can't hold off her smile.
She partly turned her head aside to discreetly smell Irene's hair. She wants to memorize the moment in her mind--or freeze it if she can. Irene's scent, weight, and warmth are giving her contentment. Seulgi knows she can stay still for hours as long as Irene is leaning on her that way.
Seulgi lightly squeezed Irene's hand. She knows Irene wouldn't mind it because the latter is seriously listening to Sungjae, even throwing in some questions from time to time. Seulgi's heart skipped a beat when Irene squeezed her hand back.
She massaged Irene's thumb between her fingers. For the third time that night, she felt happy when Irene returned the favor by squeezing her hand back. It was like two lovers playing each other's hands.
Seulgi was on cloud nine. She can't explain it, but she has a feeling that Irene enjoys whatever she's doing. She held Irene's hand tight between hers and went back listening to Sungjae.
---
They decided to call it a day after dinner. The couples went back to their respective rooms and wished each other good night.
Irene stepped out of the bathroom and noticed Seulgi arranging the pillows on their bed. She shook her head.
"So, you're really putting pillows in between us, huh?"
Seulgi looked at her. "I thought you were serious about this?"
"Seulgi, I'm not afraid of you, okay?"
"I know. But I am afraid of you."
Irene grabbed the nearest pillow in her reach and threw it to Seulgi. "Crazy!"
Seulgi watched the pillow and laughed. "Let's sleep now, baby. I'm tired."
"Baby your face." Irene snorted. She can't deny though that it sounded sweeter now that they are alone.
"You don't like it when I call you baby?"
"You can call me anything you like." Irene climbed on the bed and lay on the other side.
"Okay." Seulgi smiled like an innocent child. She readied herself to sleep. "Good night, baby."
Irene chuckled as she turns to the other side. She has to admit, she liked it more than honey.
After surrendering her weight to the bed, Irene sighed as a wave of tiredness hit her. It has been a long day. As the bed gives her the comfort she needs for a good night snooze, Irene knew it wouldn't take long before she falls asleep.
Irene shifted her body to check on the other woman.
"Seulgi?"
Seulgi partly turned her head aside. "Yeah?"
"You tired?"
Seulgi turned around slowly. "Yeah. Ain't sleepy yet?"
"Sleepy. I just want to say that I had a great day. Thanks."
Seulgi managed to make a smile even though she's sleepy. "I had a good day too. Thanks for the massage earlier."
"Nah. It's payback for picking me up this morning. Did that ease your stress somehow?"
"Yeah. You didn't end up killing me, anyway."
Irene punched Seulgi's arm. "Yah!"
Seulgi laughed, decreasing her sleepiness a bit. "Joy's party tomorrow starts in the evening. What do you want to do in the morning then?"
"Are we on our own?"
"Yeah. Do you want them to come with us?"
"I don't. It's kinda uncomfortable if your chick is around. I have a feeling that she's checking everything that I do."
Seulgi shook her head. "I'm sorry. I told you, Joy is a nosy person."
"Well, she's not just nosy. She's jealous of me."
"It's because your acting is convincing, Ms. Actress."
"Yeah, you seem to be a natural actress yourself there," said Irene. "Why are you laughing?"
"Nothing. I'm just thinking about this crazy stuff that we're doing right now."
"You call this crazy? All of this is because of your Joy."
"Nah. I told you, we're not going here for that. Let's enjoy tomorrow alone. I'm gonna show you around here," said Seulgi.
Irene got excited. "Really?"
Seulgi patted Irene's head. "We better sleep now. I'm dead tired."
"Okay." Irene turned her body against the middle pillow. "Goodnight, honey."
Seulgi smiled. "Goodnight, baby."
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