“Do you perhaps remember me?”

She gives her a look.

A look that speaks a thousand different meaning.

There are sadness, hate, doubt, and maybe perhaps, a hint of happiness.

Silence fills in the air between them.

For a while that seems too long, way too long for her.

Before the other finally gives her the answer...

“Of course I do. I remember you”

*****

It’s christmas eve yet it doesn’t feels like one for Bona. Having to celebrate it away from her hometown, with her friends, who happens to be facing the same situation as her, is kinda, I don’t know how to say, sad and happy both at the same time? 

Growing up in a business oriented family, is not easy. Her parents will always go out of the house at early hours and only came home when Bona has fallen asleep, ever since she was a kid, it has always been that way. She wouldn’t want to say that her parents have been neglecting her, well, maybe in terms of longing for a hug, a goodnight kiss, even having a meal together as a family, perhaps they did neglect her a bit but aside from that, she’s living a life that others can only dream of. 

Bona always celebrates christmas with her grandparents ever since she’s little, she can count how many years does she celebrate it together with her parents just by using her fingers. And today would be her first time having to spend her christmas away, now that both her grandparents passed away, and her parents as always, celebrating it with their business partners. Come to think about it, perhaps, her parents are really at it. But she’s not the type to say it out loud to her parents, not that they even care. How sometimes she wishes she has a sibling to celebrate her christmas with. 

It all started when Exy decided to dare Bona and the rest to a bet. Whoever loses, well, what else is fun to do on christmas eve, other than standing underneath the mistletoe and kiss the first person who walks under it. And as always, being in games, Bona lost the bet. She bravely agreed because she assumed that no one will walk underneath it, and plus, there are not a lot of people around. Kinda make sense since it’s a campus town and most students have already went back to their home town, leaving just a few of them around. 

Bona pretends to play with her phone as she waited under the mistletoe, her friends watching her from the cafe they hangout at, all couldn’t hide their nervousness. When Sojung texted telling her that someone is walking towards her, Bona lifts her face a bit. That’s when her eyes got glued to the person who is coming closer and closer to her. How she wishes, at that time, the latter will change her direction. 

“Please. Turn around. Turn left or right or wherever but not to me” 

Yet the girl doesn’t hear her, well of course, how would she be able to hear her talking to her inner self. And it seems like the girl doesn’t even realize that she’s walking towards the mistletoe either, perhaps, focusing too much on the novel she’s reading. 

Wanna know why Bona wishes the girl walks to different direction? 

Yeah, you guess it right.

Bona has a crush on her.

The moment the girl walks under the mistletoe, Bona gracefully grabs the latter’s wrist, whispers to her ear before she quickly steals a peck against the latter’s lips. When the latter open her eyes, still confused with what just happened, Bona points towards the mistletoe and then, Bona walks away. Just like that...

*****

“I just wanna say sorry for what I did the other day, Luda” Bona grabs Luda’s wrist, preventing the latter from going away

“Forgiven. Now can you please let me go” Luda answers short, not wanting to be alone with Bona any further. And as requested, Bona takes her hand off. 

“Can I treat you to a drink or something then?” Bona blocks Luda’s way, still feeling guilty for suddenly kissing the latter the other day.

“I’m not interested, Kim Bona. I don’t have time to entertain you any further, now if you please, I have class to attend” Knowing that there’s no way Luda will agree no matter how many times Bona asks, she finally surrenders and makes way for Luda to walk away. 

“I’m not some kind of girl you can randomly kiss just because of a bet you made with your friends” Luda gives her final say before leaving Bona alone at the empty hallway.

Bona doesn’t stop there. The following night, she decides to stop by at the library to see if Luda is at her usual place. And as she expected, of course Luda will be there. Often, Bona will hides in between the shelves, rows of books, pretending to read a book when the truth is, she’s there to check on Luda. Sometimes Bona even refuses to hangout with Exy and Sojung at night so that she can come to the library. The other two find it amusing at first, seeing Bona being a complete opposite of herself that others perceived her as, but as time goes by, the jokes died out and is replaced with her friends stupid random plan to let Luda knows about Bona’s existence. 

“Thought you might need some drinks to freshen yourself up a bit” Bona puts the hot chocolate she bought at the library cafe in front of Luda that gets the latter startled. Luda lands her gaze to Bona briefly before resuming her revision, doesn’t even bother to say thank you. 

Expecting the response that she just gotten from Luda, Bona decides to take a sit opposite of her. She casually pulls out the chair, sit down on it, and she takes out her mac which causes the latter to release a deep sigh before she finally opens .

“What do you want, Bona?” She whispers but loud enough for Bona to hear

“You” Luda frowns when she heard Bona’s answer “I wanted to get to know you better” Her frowns turn into a smirk as soon as Bona’s completes her sentence.

“Tsk... What makes you thing that I’m interested in that request?”

Bona chuckles “I know you won’t. But with you, it’s worth trying”

And yeah, starting from that day, Bona has been coming to the library at night and keep Luda accompanied (although not invited). They rarely speak to one another, Luda, particularly, will only say a few words if Bona does something that annoys her which leads to much more teases from the latter. 

“I know you will get annoyed with me today too, so here’s a chocolate bar for you” Bona slides the chocolate bar towards Luda who as always, will get startled by her sudden greetings.

“What else do you want from me...” Luda puts down her pen and closes her lab notebook 

“I’ve told you that I wanted to get to know you better” Bona answers as she takes out her project files from her bag

“If I agree, will you leave me alone then?” 

Bona lands a gaze towards Luda, couldn’t believe what she just heard. Luda finally agreed? 

“Maybe I will, maybe I won’t. Worth trying?”

Here’s the thing, Bona wanted to get to know Luda better but leaving is not a part of her plan at all. 

“Hmm... I’m the one who’s at loss here, am I?” There’s no guarantees that Bona will stop disturbing her in the future.

“Like I said, worth trying?” 

Luda releases a deep sigh again “Alright... But let’s make a deal shall we?”

“Go ahead”

“You have 1 week to get to know me, 1 week. After that will you stop with all this thing already? People are talking about us for no reasons and it’s suffocating me” 

There, she’s hurting again. Good job, Bona, a freakin good job.

“And if I found out that this is one of your bet again, our deal is off, Bona”

“This time, it’s all on me, Luda...”

*****

Luda doesn’t even know why she suddenly comes up with such suggestions. She covers her face with a pillow and lets out a scream. It all started with that one kiss. What makes it even better - no, scratch that - worst, it’s from the person she has a crush on. Like who wouldn’t? It’s Kim Bona we are talking about. Almost everyone at the university knows her, being a top baseball player, have won awards in the major league, not to mention at the same time, she’s an entrepreneur too, a well known one as well. Guess that’s a plus for being the daughter of one of the top business couple in the country. Perhaps, she’s perfect in almost all aspects except one thing, her attitude that is. Thinking that she can do whatever she wanted too, anywhere, anytime, to anyone.

And out of everyone, why the hell it must be her.

You see, unlike Bona, Luda is much more lowkey than her. Only certain people know who she really is, which family she comes from, how her life isn’t really that different compared to Bona’s. Perhaps that’s why people have been talking behind her back whenever they saw the two together. To them, Luda doesn’t suits to be with Bona because their status are so different like the sky and the earth. Well, at least, that’s what they think. They will be surprised once they know that Luda also comes from a wealthy business family, pharmaceutical company, to be exact. But oh well, Luda doesn’t even care if people know or not, it’s better if they don’t anyway. 

Ahh, before I forgot, here’s another reason why Luda suddenly agrees to let Bona to know her better. 

One would expect Bona is the type to flirt or entertain all of those people who adores her, but yeahh, you guess it right, she’s not that kind of person. Seeing how the latter isn’t giving up even after  2 weeks of getting cold response from her, Luda have the sudden thought that maybe the latter is actually genuine in wanting to get to know her. 

Like Bona said, it’s worth trying, isn’t it?

*****

“Croissants or doughnut?” Bona asks as their turns to order is getting closer. It’s Day 1 out of 7 days she has. 

“Croissants please” 

Standing not far from the barista counter, waiting for their morning drinks, Bona suddenly asks something unexpected.

“What happened to your black white outfits?” 

Has she been keeping an eyes on Luda all this time? Because as far as Luda could remember, ever since the day Bona started to disturb her at the library, she has been wearing pastel colored clothes instead of her normal black or white outfits.

“Just wanna try something new. Why?” 

“Nothing. Feels like asking” Bona’s face suddenly comes closer to Luda “You look lovely as always” The latter whispers with a smile blooms on her lips. 

**

There’s also a day when Luda becomes her usual sloppy self, as always, reading her book while walking, she has not learnt the lesson from the last incident it seems. Luckily this time, it doesn’t involve the latter, only a trip with her own shoelace that causes the files she’s holding to scatter on the pathway. While she’s collecting her files, someone comes to help her. Not having to lift her face up, she knows who the other person is just by hearing her nagging

“You should stop reading your book while you’re walking Luda” Bona says as she passes the files “Sloppy as always” She lets out a grin and gets a glare in return 

“I’m not sloppy”

“Ahh, really?” Bona’s smile turns goofy “Gu