conversations in a car

nayeon's grip on the steering wheel tightens.

"are you lying to me?" her voice is quiet, snaking into her old sedan that feels too small and too musty right now.

tzuyu's not an idiot. she knows to tread her steps lightly in the face of a heated nayeon, looking as if steam might blow out of her ears any second now.

"no." tzuyu is quiet, too. but tzuyu is always quiet, in a different way. in full control of her emotions. meanwhile, nayeon teeters to and fro and tzuyu is never sure what nayeon she's going to get. fuming nayeon that lets her anger overtake her or the nayeon who takes a deep breath, who tries to understand.

"so, you're just stupid, then."

looks like it's the former. nayeon's not facing her, which tzuyu decides is a good thing, as the stop light ahead turns green.

tzuyu sighs. she knows it's no use when nayeon's like this. instead, she stares out of the window, focuses on the crusty bird that'd somehow lodged itself on the corner of the side mirror.

four stops away

"look at me."

tzuyu does. nayeon looks even angrier than before. her teeth grit as the rusty brake screeches.

"god ing damnit," nayeon curses the car in front, "can't people learn how to ing drive?!"

"please calm down," tzuyu tries to ration, "you're going to get us killed."

nayeon shrugs, spitting out, "doesn't seem that bad, seeing as how my girlfriend is dating some guy behind my back."

"i'm not dating him."

"i saw you at the restaurant last night!"

"that was a dinner with my family and his family. our parents are just friends."

nayeon scoffs. "more like matchmakers. your mom should learn to wipe the drool off her face, fawning all over him like that," her voice laces a stretch higher, "oh what a perfect son-in-law you'd be!"

tzuyu sighs.

three stops away

tzuyu takes advantage of the red light. she places a warm hand atop nayeon's. "baby," attempts to unfurl its strong grip, "please. we've gone over this. i love you."

"you could've said no," nayeon seethes.

well, that didn't work. "you know i can't."

"do i? do i really know? because it seems to me you were all giggly, too."

"he's nice."

"you two should get married," nayeon sneers.

"we just have to wait until graduation- "

"i'm tired of wait