When Jeongyeon stepped out of the Uber that took them to the place, she felt a tug at her heartstrings. Out of all the places Dahyun and Chaeyoung looked up on the internet, they just had to go to the one place that held so many memories dear to her.

 

Little Paradise… man, it’s been a while. Last time I was here, Jihyo basically had to drag me out of the bakery. Things never really were the same after the breakup, but that’s just how it goes, I guess. At least we’re both still friends with Jihyo, even though the three of us probably won’t be all together again.

 

“Hey, is everything okay?” Dahyun asked as she placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, bringing her out of her trip down memory lane.

 

“Yeah, I’m okay. I just have a lot of history with this place.” She answered as she crossed her arms.

 

“Ooohh, what kind of history?” Chaeyoung butted in (literally. She squeezed between the little space between Jeongyeon and Dahyun). “Got a little too wild one night? Went on a questionable blind date?”

 

“Heh, no, I umm, used to go here with my ex.” Jeongyeon answered, and Chaeyoung wished she could sink into the ground. 

 

“But that’s a story for another time, or a story for tonight if you can get me drunk enough.” She continued.

 

“Is that a challenge?” Chaeyoung asked, perking up again.

 

“It certainly is.” Jeongyeon answered as she gave Chaeyoung a solid pat on the back. “Now let’s go. I know the magic words to get us drinks from their secret menu.”

 

“Ooohh, now that’s what I’m talking about.” Chaeyoung said as they all entered the bar.

 

I guess this isn’t too bad. Jeongyeon thought as they crossed the threshold leading to the bar’s main area. Maybe it’s time I make some new memories with new people.

---------------------

Little Paradise was a quaint little open-air restobar with a nice ambiance, bolstered by the numerous trees that made the place feel open and alive even in the middle of an urban area. With tables spaced enough apart to give patrons a sense of freedom and hanging lights that heightened the mood, the place was the perfect little spot for people who just want to unwind after a long day, or for friends who want to spend a great night together.

 

Tonight was a night for the latter as Jeongyeon looked around and found that her favorite spot-- a table underneath the shade of the biggest tree-- was empty, and led her three companions there.

 

“Alright, how about we start with a couple of beers?” Jeongyeon suggested as the three took their seats while she remained standing. “Just a little warm-up before we get to the good stuff.”

 

Dahyun and Chaeyoung nodded in agreement, but Tzuyu didn’t respond as she was captivated by the sight around her. Jeongyeon just smiled at the way Tzuyu was dazzled by the place.

 

“It’s pretty here, right?” Jeongyeon asked to get Tzuyu’s attention.

 

“Yeah...” Tzuyu could only answer without looking towards Jeongyeon.

 

“Oookay...well then, I’ll be right back with the drinks.” Jeongyeon said before turning around and leaving.

 

Tzuyu spent a few more moments taking in the atmosphere before Chaeyoung reached across the table to snap in her face to get her attention.

 

“Hey, Earth to Tzuyu, you good?” Chaeyoung asked.

 

“W-what?” Tzuyu responded, blinking as she finally turned her attention to Chaeyoung.

 

“You seem kinda out of it tonight. Did something happen earlier?” Chaeyoung asked.

 

“N-no! Everything’s fine. I’m just umm, keeping things cool, you know?” Tzuyu answered as she straightened her posture.

 

“Doesn’t really seem like it’s working though.” Dahyun remarked as she leaned her elbows on the table. “But what for?”

 

“I was thinking of what you told me back at Rosie’s, about not overthinking things. I’m just trying to follow your advice.” Tzuyu responded.

 

“Well, it’s good you took my advice, but I think you’re going a little too far. Don’t think too much, but don’t not think, if that makes sense.” Dahyun added. “Just keep things cool, you know? Easy breezy.”

 

“Wow, I think that’s the first time I’ve heard you say that.” Chaeyoung remarked. “I really have rubbed off on you, huh?”

 

Dahyun blushed at the remark, making her turn away from Chaeyoung. “I’m uhh, I’m not answering that question.”

 

“It wasn’t a question, Dahyun.” Chaeyoung prodded as she began to poke Dahyun’s side. “Admit it and I’ll stop.”

 

A tickle fight soon ensued as Dahyun and Chaeyoung went for each other’s weak spots while covering up their own, making Tzuyu remember what happened between her and Jeongyeon just a few hours ago. 

 

No Tzuyu, don’t worry about it. Like what Dahyun said, keep it cool. Tzuyu said as she took a deep breath through her nose. We’re just a bunch of friends having drinks. What could go wrong?

 

(“What could go wrong”, you ask? A lot, actually.)

Meanwhile, at the bar counter…

“Jeongyeon? Is that you?” The bartender said as he saw Jeongyeon approach.

 

“The one and only.” She answered with a wide smile and open arms.

 

“Yo! It’s been a while!” He said as they shook hands. “How are you holding up?”

 

“Eh, could be worse, but I’m not complaining.” Jeongyeon answered as they let go. “Man, it’s been a while, huh?”

 

“Certainly has. Last time I saw you, you were down in the dumps. Like, waaaay down in the dumps.” He recalled. “But hey, looks like you’ve done good for yourself now.”

 

“Well, it is what it is. And it’s all in the past now, so, gotta keep it up somehow.” Jeongyeon responded.

 

“Heh, yeah. Anyway, you on your own tonight?” He inquired.

 

“Uhh no, I actually have a few friends with me.” She replied as she gestured towards where Tzuyu and the others were seated.

 

“Ooohhh, so which one’s your new girlfriend?” He said with a playful nudge of the elbow.

 

“Hey, don’t make things weird. None of them are, okay?” Jeongyeon clarified. “The two sitting next to each other are in a relationship, and the one on her own is their friend.”

 

“Yeah, okay, sure, a friend.” He responded in a teasing manner.

 

“Oh shut up, I’ve had enough sarcasm for one night. Just get me four beers, please.” Jeongyeon said as she waved him off. A few moments later, he came back with four opened bottles and handed them over to her.

 

“Much appreciated dude.” She said as she took the beers and headed off.

 

“Go get her, tiger.” He teased one last time, earning him an eye-roll from her.

 

She made her way back to the table and placed the beers in the middle of the table as she sat down.

 

“Alright. let’s get the night started!” Jeongyeon said as she sat down. “So, what have you all been up to lately?”

 

“Well to be honest, not much, really.” Dahyun replied as she took a bottle for herself. “It’s been a hell of a week because of exams, so… yeah.”

 

“On the other hand, I’ve finally managed to keep my sourdough starter alive! All that’s left for me to do is bake it, but I haven’t really had the time to do it.”  Chaeyoung interjected as she took a bottle for herself as well

 

“Oh and speaking of baking, isn’t Tzuyu gonna help you with baking something?” She continued.

 

“Ah, right, the event. Yeah, she is. I hope you two don’t mind if I borrow her next weekend.” Jeongyeon answered.

 

“Oh sure! We definitely don’t mind at all!” Dahyun said as she shot a teasing look towards Tzuyu. “She really needs to get out more anyway.”

 

Tzuyu scoffed at the comment as she took a bottle for herself. “Excuse me? I do go out often. Jeongyeon, back me up here and tell my wonderful friends that I do indeed go out enough.”

 

“Sure. Though I guess because of the tests, you haven’t really been coming over recently. Mom’s been asking about you a lot, you know.” Jeongyeon said, making Tzuyu look over to her with wide eyes.

 

“Really? Damn Tzuyu, I didn’t think things were going that fast between you two.” Chaeyoung remarked. 

 

“W-what do you mean?” Tzuyu asked, feeling her cheeks heat up already. “I-i just happen to be Jeongyeon’s friend and a regular customer. Nothing more, nothing less.”

 

“Are you sure you don’t want something more-- ow!” Chaeyoung said, but stopped mid-sentence after feeling two simultaneous kicks to her shins from under the table. ”What is it with you two and hitting me?” She said to Tzuyu and Dahyun. 

 

“Because you talk too much.” They said in unison. Dahyun gave Tzuyu a slight nod, knowing that they don’t want to make things weird between her and Jeongyeon.

 

“No I don’t! I just say what’s on my mind, that’s all.” Chaeyoung fired back.

 

“And you do that all the time, so yes it’s too much.” Tzuyu said before taking a sip.

 

Jeongyeon chuckled as she took a bottle for herself and took a sip, watching her three companions bicker among themselves. “Damn, you three are a handful.”

 

“Eh, this is normal. Usually it’s a lot worse when it’s just the three of us.” Dahyun added. “But don’t worry, this is all just friendly banter and teasing. We never actually mean the things we say to each other.”

 

“Except when I tell Chae to shut up. I mean that all the time.” Tzuyu teased.

 

“And when I tell Dahyun I love her. Which is all the time too.” Chaeyoung said as she wrapped her arms around Dahyun, making Tzuyu simply sigh before taking a big swig.

 

Soon enough, Jeongyeon found herself looking at Tzuyu while the couple in front of them were being all sweet and sappy to each other. She noticed that Tzuyu’s cheeks had gotten considerably red, either from the alcohol or from embarrassment. 

 

“I can’t imagine dealing with that all the time.” Jeongyeon said as she returned to looking at Dahyun and Chaeyoung. 

 

“I’m used to it. The three of us have been friends since we were kids, and these two have been official since like, tenth grade.” Tzuyu added.

 

“Eleventh grade.” Chaeyoung corrected in the middle of her talk with Dahyun. “And let the records show that I did indeed make her fall in love with me.”

 

“No you didn’t! I already liked you from the start, so no. You didn’t make me fall in love with you.” Dahyun retorted.

 

“Still counts.” Chaeyoung said with a shrug, earning her an eye-roll from Dahyun.

 

Tzuyu simply shook her head. “Trust me, it’s only gonna get worse from here.” She said as she faced Jeongyeon. “I hope you’re ready to help me deal with the lovebirds when they’re drunk.”

 

“Don’t worry, I think I can take it. I’ve got a few notches on my belt when it comes to caring for drunk friends.” Jeongyeon said with confidence, smiling smugly.

 

Alright, let’s see where the night takes us!

---------------------------------------------------

A few fun-filled hours and a few rounds of drinks passed as Jeongyeon slowly got more comfortable with the girls, finding herself feeling like a freshman again.

 

She, Dahyun, and Tzuyu were intently listening to Chaeyoung tell a tall tale about that one time she “beat up a mugger” and “saved Dahyun from certain doom” (which actually happened, except she may have exaggerated a lot of details). 

 

“...then I told the guy “you’re not ready for these hands”, then I went in with a right hook and knocked him out. The rest of his buddies ran off like the cowards that they are!” She said with the accompanying punching motion.

 

“That’s not what happened! It was only one guy and you didn’t even punch him.” Dahyun clarified, making Chaeyoung put a finger to her lips to shush her.

 

“Shh, let me have my moment.” Chaeyoung muttered audibly. Her little moment was interrupted, however, when a low rumble emerged from her stomach.

 

“Really, Chae. You’re hungry again?” Tzuyu asked.

 

“I guess I am.” Chaeyoung answered as she settled back into her seat. The fact that Chaeyoung was hungry lit up a lightbulb in Tzuyu’s head, wanting to get back at her for earlier.

 

“Well you’re in luck. I’ve got some chicken wings right here.” Tzuyu said as she opened up the box of nuclear chicken wings they had for take-out and set it at the center of the table.

 

“How’d you sneak that in?” Chaeyoung asked.

 

“It’s thanks to Jeongyeon. I didn’t know she had connections here.” Tzuyu said as she gave Jeongyeon a light nudge with her elbow. “Now we don’t need to spend on snacks for the night.”

 

“No thanks needed. I do take bribes though.” Jeongyeon joked, earning her a variety of reactions from the group. Dahyun and Tzuyu laughed, but Chaeyoung found it exceptionally hilarious. 

 

“You, you’re funny! I like you!” She said in the middle of laughing. “And I know someone else who--”

 

“Just eat your damn chicken wings.” Dahyun interrupted before she could finish her sentence. They all laughed as they took a wing each and began munching. They were a little too caught up in the moment and forgot that they had no plates to put their finished wings on to, but then they remembered the plastic bag. Things got relatively messy, but it was manageable.

 

The wings themselves were surprisingly not too spicy, owing to the fact that they’ve cooled significantly, but it was still enough to make Tzuyu sweat a little.

 

“You okay Tzu?” Chaeyoung asked as she noticed how Tzuyu was dealing with the spiciness.

 

“Yeah, I’m good.” She said as she took a sip from her drink, trying to hide the fact that it was still pretty spicy for her and the fact that her little attempt at revenge backfired.

 

“You sure? You look like you need to cool off a little.” Chaeyoung teased.

 

“No no, I’m fine!” Tzuyu replied as she wiped the sweat off her brow.

 

It was then that Tzuyu realized why the flavor was called “Nuclear”. It didn’t hit right away, but the moment it did, the spiciness exploded like a bomb in .

 

She steeled herself through it and went on like nothing was wrong, but her resilience could only go so far. They continued on with what they were doing: eating, chatting, drinking, all the while Tzuyu was holding back the effect of the nuclear spiciness in her body. Soon enough though, she got used to the heat.

 

But then the heartburn kicked in.

 

Earlier in the evening, Tzuyu was worried that alcohol and emotions were a bad combo, but so far, she was doing well with dealing with her emotions despite how drunk she was already. What she didn’t consider was that alcohol and spicy food was a bad combo too.

 

And she had a bad feeling about what was coming next.

 

She didn’t think twice and stood up too quickly, almost tipping her seat over if Jeongyeon hadn’t caught it. 

 

“Woah! What’s wrong?” Jeongyeon asked, her tone laced with thorough concern.

 

“Restroom..” Tzuyu could only mutter as she staved off what was about to come.

 

“Oh crap, I know what this is.” Jeongyeon said as she moved to stand up as well. “Now if you’ll excuse us.” She said to Dahyun and Chaeyoung before wrapping her arm around Tzuyu’s waist to keep her steady and leading her to the restroom.

 

The walk to the restroom felt agonizingly long, but eventually, Tzuyu found relief in a restroom cubicle as Jeongyeon helped her let it all out (literally).

 

“Hey, you feeling better?” Jeongyeon asked as she rubbed Tzuyu’s back to sooth her.

 

“Y-yeah, I-i think I’m better now.” Tzuyu said before losing her balance and landing on her on the floor. “Whoa! Hehe, thanks, Jeongie.” She said as she looked up at her and held tight on her wrist.

 

The nickname struck Jeongyeon with surprise as she got dragged down to the floor behind Tzuyu and knocked the cubicle door open. She knew Tzuyu was just drunk, that was certain enough, but the last person to call her “Jeongie” was Nayeon.

 

She decided that it would be the last thing on her mind for the moment, not while Tzuyu was inching her way up to rest in her arms. Knowing that they might be there for some time, she rested her back on the cubicle’s wall and let Tzuyu get comfortable. 

 

Good thing they always keep the restrooms clean and shiny. Always loved them for that. Jeongyeon thought as Tzuyu finally settled in her arms.

 

“Thank you, Jeongie.” Tzuyu muttered. “This is why I like you. You’re sooooo nice and soooo caring, and you’re soooo soft too…”

 

Jeongyeon chuckled as she moved the hair away from Tzuyu’s face. “You flatter me, but thank you anyway.”

 

“I mean it, Jeongie.” Tzuyu said as she shifted to look up at her. “I like you, dummy. Like, really like you. Really really like you.”

 

And in that moment, Jeongyeon felt like she was going to burst as well. She considered herself to be ready for anything, but this? She’d never have seen this coming. 

 

She knew Tzuyu had a crush on her, and it was okay. It was just a simple crush after all, and somehow, it also helped bloom their friendship. But now, it seemed like things were more complicated than she thought.

 

She didn’t feel anything like that towards her. She was sure of it. They were just friends, right? Really good friends. Really, really good friends. She didn’t feel the same way, right? It was unlikely! 

 

That’s what she wanted to believe, but now that she was sitting on the restroom floor with an emotional Tzuyu in her arms, she suddenly doesn’t know what to think.