“Taengoo-ah”

“Sica, come here!” Taeyeon shouted while gesturing Jessica with her hand to join her. The spaces in between Taeyeon’s finger that sits atop the ground is filled because of the fluffy grass that covers it.

 She sat on the greens and patted the space beside her so Jessica could sit down. The girl sporting a lighter hair ran down, her hands parted as she holds a piece of cloth on her back, acting like she is flying with the wind gushing opposite of her. The cloth gliding to the air.

Jessica sat beside Taeyeon, shoulders bumping and her gummy smile reciprocating Taeyeon’s dimpled one. “Taengoo-ah we’re out here to have fun. Why are you just lazing around on the grass?”

Jessica whined but Taeyeon just laughed at her. The latter had put both her hands at the back of her head as she lays down, her knees bended but her right leg crossed, indicating that she doesn’t have plans on getting up anytime sooner.

Taeyeon looked at Jessica, lips jutted as if pointing the ground below the girl. Jessica took it as an invitation to lay down, copying Taeyeon’s position. “So, are we just gonna sleep here?”

“Who said anything about sleeping?” Taeyeon answered and Jessica rolled her eyes at her.

They stayed for a moment of silence until Jessica stomped her feet on the air, making Taeyeon chuckle at the apparent display of dissatisfaction on what they are currently doing, or the lack of. “This is boring Taeyeon, why can’t we just play with the girls?” Jessica said whining.

“We are here to do things we cannot do. To have a break!” The shorter one said with a tinge of carefreeness on her voice.

“Exactly, that’s why you have to get up and not waste this precious time. Let us play with the girls!” Jessica complained but still she is rooted down looking like she isn’t gonna move on her place anytime soon.

“But all of us always play together, whether it be in a concert, or at the dorm during our game nights.”

“Or on variety shows.” Jessica deadpanned while she added and Taeyeon nodded in agreement.

“Exactly!”

Taeyeon sniffed a bit of the fresh air around her and closed her eyes to savour the feeling. “But this, Jessica.”

She paused while her eyes are still closed. Jessica just managed to look at her while raising her eyebrows waiting for her to continue.

“This is what I just need. This is what I missed.”

“The what exactly?” Jessica asked.

“The peace. Haven’t had one in a while.” Taeyeon said. For the first time today, Jessica didn’t feel like arguing with the girl for she too, must have felt deprived of peace from time to time. Being idols meant that their life would be pried by the public, chaos, and blinding flashes and it no matter how extravagant the life they might be living now, the only luxury they consider to have is the brief moments of peace.

“I did not ask you to be here though, you followed me.” Taeyeon said and stucked her tongue on Jessica who was quite offended. The girl glared at her and soon after, she got up, and dusted her sides indicating that she is leaving.

Before she can do so, Taeyeon held her hand and pulled her back on the ground again. “Oh, didn’t you said you didn’t ask me to be here?”

“I did.” Taeyeon said while sporting her innocent puppy eyes look.

“So now I’m taking my leave.” Jessica rolled her eyes.

“Stop Sica” Jessica narrowed her eyes and now Taeyeon was sitted up, still holding her wrist tightly. She isn’t going to struggle on the grip anyway.

“I want you here though.” Taeyeon said while cupping Jessica’s cheeks. A blush formed on the girl’s face but soon realized that Taeyeon’s hands are dirty and she just put a prank on her.

“Yah Kim Taeyeon get you filthy hands off me!” Jessica swatted Taeyeon’s hands away and acted disgusted while Taeyeon is holding her stomach, slapping the ground, while laughing like an ahjumma. Jessica on the other hand struggles to avoid laughing and still acted like she is pissed off. But her soft chuckle betrayed her.

Soon after, they laughed like two maniacs alone in the vast field.

Taeyeon dusted her hands and wiped it with a handkerchief. “My hands are clean can I hold you now?” She said and without permission she held Jessica’s face with noticeable care and the two stared at each other’s eyes for a while.

It was cut off when Taeyeon let out a nervous cough, seemingly not entirely aware of what she is doing. So, she lifted Jessica’s face upward and looked up, making Jessica look up too.

Sunlight drifts on the little slits of the sheltered ground where Taeyeon and Jessica sits. They can the sun peeking above, while hidden on the large leaves of trees, and soon the light reflected their faces, their skin, making both of them beautifully glow.

To beautifully glow on each other’s eyes.

“Look above, Sica. Isn’t it wonderful?”

“What is?” Jessica asked because all she can see are trees hanging above them. But Taeyeon pointed it out for her. “The spaces Jessica, the trees are crowded here. But their leaves, they do not touch.”

Taeyeon said and Jessica realized that it is truly amazing. The edges of leaves above forms gaps, like lines of light, because they avoid touching, creating boundaries between each other.

“It’s beautiful Taengoo! I’ve never noticed something like this before on other trees.” Jessica said amused.
 

“It’s because it doesn’t always happen. But when they do, it’s pretty unique right?”

Jessica looked at her and smiled, then looked back above while holding her hands up in the air as if she’s drawing something.

 As if she’s tracing the lines formed above and etched it into Taeyeon’s mind just how magnificent the feeling is, of looking by the side of her face now.

“Yeah, just like a puzzle.” Jessica said, looking above the sky

“Just like a puzzle.” Taeyeon said, looking at her.

“You too Taengoo are unique, and the two of us, we look like a puzzle.”

“Like the trees?” Taeyeon snickered and furrowed her brows

“Yes, the trees.” Taeyeon snickered and furrowed her brows. She grimaced and Jessica slapped her shoulder for being such a dork while she is saying sweet things. “No way!”

“What the hell is your problem, you’re ruining the moment.” She complained. Taeyeon just shrugged her shoulders.

“They are beautiful. But their leaves, no matter how close they are to each other, they do not touch.” Taeyeon said with a glow of slight remorse on her hand that Jessica doesn’t know she had in herself. “If we’re like them then we won’t meet.”

Taeyeon said with an adorable pout and fake sadness, but Jessica was damned because she had taken it by heart. “You want us to meet?”

“I want us to meet always.” Taeyeon said while smiling at Jessica. She took the girl’s hand atop of her and held on it tightly. Jessica succumbed on the warmth and stared at Taeyeon’s lips. For a moment, Jessica was tempted to be drawn in Taeyeon’s brown eyes, reflecting pretty much her own. Jessica was almost tempted. Almost.

She almost closed the gap, but then she remembered how they should have some boundary between them like the leaves hanging above their heads. Never touching. Never meeting.

“Taengoo we should probably head back.”

Taeyeon nodded completely understanding all the implications. “Yeah, we probably should.”

--

“Taeyeon.”

“Jessica, what took you so long?” Taeyeon swinged the backpack on her back as she stands up, left hand reaching out to hold Kyungsan and asked him to follow. Kyungsan opened his eyes, sleepily, and yawned but a smile still broke from his lips when she saw her Jessica-eomma struggling to hold their breakfast for the day.

Yesterday was well spent. Dinner was the usual take outs by Taeyeon, Chinese food as what Jessica requested, with cheese pizza as their midnight snack. They watched movies that are not too matured, nor too childish because Kyungsan is there, although Kyungsan insists he prefers movies that has an adult themed touch.

Taeyeon and Jessica sat by the couch but settled on the floor so they can stretch their legs more, of course with Kyungsan on the middle. Kyungsan, (un)intentionally leaves them on some occasions to pee or do whatever God-knows-what he insists he really is doing. When they are left alone, Taeyeon would steal glances on her right, saying to herself that she needs to check if Jessica haven’t dozed off yet. On her defense, it is just proper to do so.

On those stolen moments, she would sometimes catch Jessica stealing glances at her too. But she thinks maybe because Jessica is being weirded out on her stares that’s why. Jessica would also think that Taeyeon is weirded out on her stares as well.

When the silence wrapped them though it is a very comfortable