The awkward silence didn’t stop, not even when they reached the bedroom, she had still Taeyeon’s jacket on her shoulder and handed it to the owner, aware of the unwillingness from the other to look at her.

She was little shocked too, she didn’t pull away immediately. That wasn’t even a habit because she’d do anything to not kiss her clients if she could. But this one was different, she didn’t look at her like a thing, she is considerate, sweet and tormented.

Sunny sighed changing into her pjs, that were just a t-shirt and a pair of comfy hot pants, in the bathroom.

And this was only day one.

Taeyeon looked unapproachable from her seated position on the couch, a hand deep into her hair, her eyes staring into the void. So she decided just to hide under the fluffy covers of the bed, watching from behind.

She didn’t like at all that kind of atmosphere, it felt tense and her heart couldn’t stop beating like a crazy. Feeling tiny wasn’t her favorite thing, it was actually the worst feeling. Feeling tiny and being so far from home was even worst.

“People are going to think that we had a bad fight, you know.” She tried to at least start a conversation.

The blond head turned toward her. “I beg you pardon?” The diplomatic tone put goosebumps all over her skin.

“If you continue to not talk or even look at me, people are going to think that we are fighting, just saying.” Taeyeon blinked a few times and then took the lower lip between her teeth.

“I… I am sorry about before. I shouldn’t have…” She could sense the pain behind those words and tried to smile.

“But you did pay me.” The angry look she got in response made her jump a little.

“Not for that!” Her voice got a bit too high and she cleared . “Never for that.”

Sunny felt something crawl on her skin, maybe it was shame or warmth, she couldn’t really understand. The black of those alluring eyes kept her from looking away and she was stuck. They remained linked for long moments until Taeyeon broke it, her hands felt sweaty when she passed them on her reddish neck. “Can we forget it happened?”

She wasn’t used to sincere question, to people that sincerely wanted her opinion, that asked her what she wanted to do. Sunny felt displaced, what she wanted to do? A part of her wanted to ask so many thing, to put a bit of her soul in the game, to try and embrace these new things that her heart was telling her.

But in the end the bigger part, the rational one, won. “Nothing happened, in the end, so…” She almost felt on her the sigh of relief that Taeyeon let out.

“Th-thank you. I think I am going to sleep now ok? Goodnight.” The blond threw her a few glances, at least, before shutting the lights out and covering herself with the blankets.

Sunny felt impossible cold inside her bones and crawled into a ball, forcing her eyes to shut and go to sleep.

It was already mid-morning, the Sun illuminated the whole room, when she woke up to her stomach grumbling. Her head pulsated a bit and the lights weren’t helping her. In the end her eyes adjusted and looked right where she didn’t want to, to the girl still asleep in her bed.

She was curved into a ball, the covers up till her cheeks. Her heart missed a beat at the serenity it brought her. Flashes from the night before interrupted the moment and she went right into the shower, trying to erase everything with hot boiling water.

It wasn’t a success.

Sunny was still sleeping and she was divided if to wake her or not, in the end she got near the bed, taking in the twitch of the nose and the eyelids moving under the sunlight, her hair was ruffled and everywhere. Smiling unconsciously at the sight Taeyeon whispered her name, trying to wake her, and it had no feedback. She tried again, but nothing.

Shallowing loudly she brushed lightly her fingers on a chubby cheek, feeling it smoothness, how her lips twitched at the touch. She repressed the improvise want to spread kisses all over, wake her how she was supposed to, with sweetness and care.

But that wasn’t her place and she was probably switching people into her head, even if the imagine of her ex wasn’t inside her eyes at the moment.

In the end she shacked a covered shoulder and called the girl again, faking nonchalance when deep brown eyes opened slowly and adjusted to the light. The pout that formed immediately almost broke her wall of reservation but she held on. “Hi, I am going to get some breakfast, I’ll wait for you downstairs ok?” She used the most formal voice she could.

Sunny squinted her eyes and stretched her arms, while Taeyeon get away from the bed and tried to ignore everything she shouldn’t see.

“I thought-.” She cleared , her neck completely red. “I thought we could go around a little bit, since you never come to Korea and anything…”

“Sure… why not.” Her usually high-pitched voice was still hoarse from sleep, but it didn’t take the sweet out of it.

Taeyeon just nodded and power walked downstairs to have her first Korean breakfast in a while.

“You are a surprisingly good guide, you know? I didn’t expect it.” Sunny had still her big sunglasses on, enveloped in a long black coat with dark jeans peeking from it.

It was quite a cold day in Seoul, but Taeyeon made sure to make the most of it, processing a sightseeing tour of the city. “Ah I am touched that you had such high expectation of me.” The giggle she heard made already up for the burn received.

“Well you seem rather cold, I am sorry.” Taeyeon felt something insinuate between her arm and her own pastel blue coat, and it was Sunny’s hand that embraced it, getting closer. “And it’s rather cold here in general.” The blond felt the brush of hair against her cheek and the intake of breath she was forced to take froze her lungs. She felt impossibly warmth on that now occupied side, the light candy like perfume overcoming the cacophony of the streets.

“I-I get that a lot, don’t worry about it.” Blood pumped into her ears, her own voice seemed muffled.

Brown eyes were staring at her from so close, too close for her liking. “Maybe I should just get to know you more.” Sunny tightened the connection between their arms. It could seem like a simple gesture, a normal one but Taeyeon felt it like a block of cement falling inside her stomach.

She had to blink several times to stop her eyes from watering. It hurt so deeply to feel a caress on her petrified heart, it was like applying sanitizer on an infected wound. “I don’t think you’d like it.” Her voice actually cracked a little, that what does to you not feeling so vulnerable for a long time.

The brunette shacked her head, watching ahead, taking in the city. “I am going to be with you for a less than a week, make me decide if I’ll like it or not.” There was that thick layer of sincerity, of honesty and bluntness that made everything less awkward, it was like a balsam for someone surrounded with lies and double-faced people.

Taeyeon snorted and the hand inside the pocket of her coat twitched, grabbed the tissue of the pocked harder. “Well I can’t stop you.”

“That’s right.” It was said in an airy tone, almost snobby but said with that voice she could accept it, maybe she could accept anything.

They were having an early supper in the fanciest steak house she remembered, because she promised herself that she’d have Sunny try the best Korean beef there was. And she was inhaling anything with a velocity of a vacuum cleaner.

“So you like it?” It was a rhetorical question really but she couldn’t stop asking.

The girl just smiled with all her teeth, her eyes turning into tiny crescents and she found herself grinning too. “I think I could live from this only.” Was the only answer in between munching.

Taeyeon snorted and grinned harder, if it was possible. “I don’t think so, but I am glad you are enjoying yourself.”

“Ah, are you challenging me? Eh?” Brown eyes stared up from her plate, a glint making them shine under the neon’s light.

She raised her arms, accepting the ideal defeat. “No, no I believe you.” The satisfied look on the other girl made the grin shift into a soft smile, something she didn’t know she still had in her.

Making someone happy with simple things for just the sake of seeing them being happy, she missed it so much and she was only realizing it now.

“So, if I want to get to know you what I should do?” Sunny stare was fixed on the food she was eating but all the attention was on her.

Taeyeon sipped the wine faster that she should, feeling drying at the question. “Well why don’t you start talking about yourself, I’ll follow.” She got a dubious gaze in return. “I promise, I want to get to know you too. I think it’s only fair.” She finished her second glass of wine, maybe she should stop, it was already getting to her head.

“Then we’ll play a game, 21 questions. You know it right?” She was confident about it, she played it a lot with her roommates, back then when the agency didn’t give her a single apartment.

The blond felt a bit insecure but figured why not, she wanted the bike…

“Then can I start?” Sunny nodded, her eyes fixed on her every movement, they were distracting. So she watched elsewhere to concentrate. “Alright, so… is Sunny your real name?” She snorted and eyerolled.

“You are still fixed on that huh? Fine, no it isn’t. But I am not telling the real one.” The blonde opened but was stopped immediately. “Ah ah, now it’s my turn. Why you live in New York while your whole family is here?”

“Oh you don’t play easy, do you? God straight to the point.” She caressed her reddish neck while watching Sunny chuckle. “Fine… My parents made me study in the USA and then when I graduated they trusted me with their study of lawyers in New York, and I take care of ours possessions here too.”

The brunette was shocked, her brown eyes opened wide, the lights shining in them. Taeyeon felt her cheeks turn red. “Yes the study is mine, I am not just an associate.” Observing the girl in front of her take the news in she thought of her second question. “You are not going to tell me your real name, right?”

Sunny mouthed no. “And that’s was your second question, my turn again.” She laughed hard when the blonde crisped her eyebrows and protested.

“Oh come on! It was an affirmation! You are really cunning even looking that innocent!” She munched harder on her meat.

Only making the other girl laugh harder. “I am sorry if you don’t know how to play. And I don’t look innocent!” Taeyeon squinted her eyes and nodded, still angry eating. Sunny felt a blush incoming. “For that only I won’t go easy on you.” She promised with a high voice, the girl in front of her sighed out loud. “What is it… your favorite color?”

Taeyeon almost choked on her steak, her eyes teary with disbelieve.

“What? That is a very difficult question and you can understand a lot of a person knowing her favorite color, I sincerely hope yours isn’t orange, for an example.” She sipped her red rich wine and kept looking ahead, a serious shade on her face.

She raised an eyebrow, mirth crippling on her lips. “I can very much assure you that is not orange, I like light blues, a lot of shades of blues and purple.” The blonde watched the other nod slowly as if to weigh her with precision. “This is not a question for the game, don’t you dare, but it is a good one?”

“Well, I usually can trust people liking purple so I think you’re okay, for now.” Taeyeon chuckled at the severity of the comment.

Her cheeks almost hurt from smiling too much, that didn’t happen in a while. And all it took was that girl asking questions while looking into her eyes, apparently.

“Alright finally my turn again, at what house of Hogwarts would you fit in?” At first she got an eyeroll, then a giggle and finally a very serious gaze.

“This is a very trick question I know it, I think I could fit in either Ravenclaw or maybe Gryffindor. But I see myself as a Ravenclaw member. Now you made me too curious, and I am going to waste my question, but what about you?” Her chin was on her hand, her stare deep as they were discussion high finance.

Taeyeon absorbed the news and nodded, pleased, she could see that in her. “I may appear otherwise but I am a Slytherin all the way.” And in fact brown eyes flashed in surprise. “I am very focused and very ambitious when I want too.” She motivated.

“I think I can see it, deep down. Come on it’s your turn again.” She went on finishing her meat and gulping the rest of the wine.

“Let’s see… what you wanted to do when you were little? Like your dream job?” She knew immediately that she touched a sore spot when a shade passed on the eyes in front of her, it was a fog of melancholy and sadness. She wanted to change question right away but Sunny was already answering, a sorrowful smile on plump lips.

“I wanted to be a pre-school teacher, I always liked kids and I am very good with them. I think it’s because they see me as one of their own.” She pouted a bit and then scrunched her nose in embarrassment, looking away, maybe lost in memories of her childhood.

Taeyeon felt a veil of insecurity engulf her and shallowed the rest of her wine. “I think you could be a great teacher.” At the scoff she received she passed an hand throw her hair, smiling awkwardly. “What do you think about a dessert?”

It broke the tension a bit and she found out that sugar was a way to Sunny’s heart, she never saw her eyes shine so bright as in that moment, in front of a triple layer chocolate cake.

Apparently the game was suspended, the mood had shifted a bit and the way home was covered with Taeyeon humming at the radio, thinking about the last time that she felt so much in so little, the skin on her arms formed goosebumps answering unconsciously.

It started to rain a bit more and she slowed down, making sure her companion was comfortable at her side. Sneaking a look she found Sunny with her head resting on the widow, slightly open and her eyes closed. Her heart warmed a bit at the sight and her gaze found the streets once again, it felt all surreal, all unscripted and uncertain.

It felt a lot like a new beginning, but a one she couldn’t have or couldn’t allow herself to think about.

The rain accompanied them till home and with it all her worries all mixed in a mess.

Only day two.