The first few weeks of class went by and needless to say, the three were still getting used to life at the dorm. They’ve already bickered about the distribution of responsibilities in the dorm a handful of times, but they’ve managed to resolve it each time. Well, somewhat resolve it. Tzuyu still gets pretty salty when Dahyun and Chaeyoung team up on her.

 

However, there was something they all wholeheartedly agreed on: grocery day. Although their schedules did vary, they were all free on Saturdays. So, they agreed that they would do the groceries on Saturdays, and that day did come soon enough 

 

“Alright, I’m gonna go head off on my own.” Chaeyoung said as they entered the supermarket. “I’ll see you two at the checkout-”

 

“Just where do you think you’re going?” Dahyun said as she grabbed Chaeyoung by the arm. “We’re all gonna go through the aisles together.”

 

“Aww, come on, why?” Chaeyoung whined.

 

“Because you might end up going on another spending spree.” Tzuyu answered in a deadpan manner. 

 

“Don’t you remember the last time we did the groceries? When you bought yourself some acrylic paint?” Dahyun reminded her.

 

“Yeah, but-”

 

“In bulk?” Tzuyu added.

 

Chaeyoung stood there, scratching her head as Tzuyu and Dahyun kept their eyes on her, with Dahyun still not letting go of her. “Ehh, okay fine. But to be fair, that’s a long term investment for me. I wouldn’t be running out of paint any time soon.” She continued.

 

“Pfft, whatever you say, Chae.” Tzuyu remarked as she took a shopping cart. “Let’s get going then.”

 

“And just to be safe, I’m not letting go of you.” Dahyun said as she proceeded to interlock her arm with Chaeyoung’s.

 

“Fine by me.” Chaeyoung said as she intertwined her fingers with Dahyun's. “You’re like half of my self control anyway.”

 

"Hmph, you're lucky I love you." Dahyun muttered.

 

"Oh? What was that?" Chaeyoung asked, pretending she didn't hear her.

 

"I said, you're lucky I love you." Dahyun repeated in a slightly louder voice.

 

"Aww, I know, you do." Chaeyoung said as she pinched Dahyun's cheek. "I love you too."

 

“Should I go on ahead? Seems like you two are pretty busy.” Tzuyu asked while the two were in the middle of being all cute and sweet.

 

“Okay, okay, we’re coming.” Dahyun said as they headed over to Tzuyu.

 

And so the girls proceeded to go through the aisles, filling their cart with the things they needed, and things they didn’t quite need. Sure, they didn’t really need those extra packs of Coke Zero, but they were well aware of their budget. They all had their own individual allowances and budgets, but they agreed that they would collectively spend for the groceries since they were living under the same roof.

 

“Are we out of milk?” Tzuyu asked as they were walking through the dairy section.

 

“Yep. Just ran out.” Dahyun said as she and Chaeyoung still walked arm in arm. “I had to eat half soggy-half crunchy cereal yesterday morning because of it.”

 

“That doesn’t sound too bad.” Chaeyoung remarked.

 

“Oh it’s real bad.” Dahyun confirmed. “Eating dry cereal is just weird.”

 

“No it’s not!” Tzuyu said as they stopped to place several milk cartons in their cart.

 

“Yeah, don’t you just snack on cereal on its own?” Chaeyoung asked.

 

Dahyun slowly looked at Chaeyoung, then at Tzuyu before facepalming. “Jesus Christ, I’m living with a bunch of weirdos” 

 

“Well boo hoo, you’re stuck with us for the next four years.” Tzuyu teased.

 

“And you’re unfortunate enough to be stuck with one of those weirdos for the rest of your life.” Chaeyoung added.

 

Dahyun just sighed as they continued walking and left the dairy section.

 

They continued on with completing their grocery list, and soon they found themselves at the toiletries section.

 

“Hey Tzuyu, mind lending me a hand?” Chaeyoung said as she tried (and failed) to reach for the toothpaste on the highest shelf.

 

“Chae, you know there’s toothpaste literally at your eye level, right?” Tzuyu pointed out. 

 

“Yeah, but they’re not the brand I like. The one I like is really minty.” Chaeyoung reasoned as she pointed to the toothpaste she was reaching for. 

 

“But-” Tzuyu was about to ask why, but then she decided not to continue. Who am I to judge a person’s toothpaste preference, right? She thought as she reached for the box of toothpaste.

 

“Thanks bud!” Chaeyoung remarked as Tzuyu placed the toothpaste in their cart. “You know, before classes began, I was considering buying a small stool for reaching high places, but then I remembered you exist.”

 

“Ha ha, very funny, shorty.” Tzuyu fired back. “You’re lucky I can still hear you all the way from up here.”

 

“But will you still hear me when I come for your kneecaps?” Chaeyoung retorted.

 

“Only if you can catch up with those short legs of yours.” Tzuyu said.

 

They looked each other in the eye, trying their best to keep a straight face, but eventually they gave in and burst into laughter.

 

“Oh quit it you two. You might knock something off the shelves.” Dahyun said as she approached from behind them, holding on to a pack of toilet paper. 

 

“Don’t worry, we’re careful.” Tzuyu reassured her as she placed the pack of toilet paper in their cart.

 

“Okay, so what’s left on our list…” Dahyun mumbled to herself as she opened the notes app on her phone. “Huh, looks like we’re done.”

 

They did a quick visual inspection of the contents of their cart to make sure that they did get all they needed, until Dahyun noticed the toothpaste Chaeyoung asked Tzuyu to reach for.

 

“Chaeyoung, you didn’t get enough toothpaste!” Dahyun pointed out. “The list says four boxes of toothpaste and you only got one.”

 

“Oh, pfft. Sorry, my bad.” Chaeyoung said before looking at Tzuyu with a cheeky grin. “Hehe, Tzuyu, do you mind…?”

 

“Seriously? Ugh, okay, now I wish you actually did buy that stool.” Tzuyu said as she headed to where the toothpaste was. She absentmindedly reached for the boxes of toothpaste, not noticing the person next to her who was reaching for the same thing as well.

 

Wait, that’s not a box… Tzuyu thought as she held onto something soft, until she realized what she was holding as she looked to her left.

 

Out of all people it could have been, it just had to be her.

 

The baker girl.

 

“Umm, Miss, that’s my hand…” She pointed out, snapping Tzuyu out of her shock and making her let go. 

 

“O-oh, s-sorry.” Tzuyu stuttered, feeling her cheeks turn hot. “I was just reaching for the uhm…”

 

“Heh, it’s fine.” The girl said as she handed Tzuyu the boxes of toothpaste she was reaching for. “I couldn’t help but overhear your friend talking. Three boxes, right?”

 

“Y-yeah, t-thanks.” Tzuyu said as she shakily took the boxes from the girl. Oh my God, what is wrong with me? I held her hand for God’s sake! 

 

“No problem!” The girl said, flashing a megawatt smile and making Tzuyu’s heart jump. “Umm, are you okay? Your face is red as a tomato.”

 

“Huh?” Tzuyu wondered, until she realized she had been blushing the whole time. “Oh! Yeah, I-i’m fine! I uhh, I have to go now. Bye!” She said before returning to Dahyun and Chaeyoung with the toothpaste.

 

Upon getting back to them, Dahyun and Chaeyoung were smiling and raising their eyebrows at her in a teasing manner.

 

“What?” Tzuyu asked as she placed the boxes in the cart and began pushing. “L-let’s go, I’m itching to head back to the dorm.”

 

“Yeah, sure, so were you okay?” Chaeyoung asked. “Looks like you had a bit of trouble there.”

 

“S-shut up, Chae.” Tzuyu said, knowing they had seen all that transpired in that moment.

 

“It’s okay, Tzu.” Dahyun said as she pat Tzuyu on the back. “It happens! You accidentally hold a beautiful stranger’s hand, then all of a sudden you begin to see your future with them.”

 

“Well, that’s if you get to see her again.” Chaeyoung added. “I feel like I’ve watched this in a drama before-”

 

“Look, if I tell you two what’s going on, will you stop?” Tzuyu interrupted.

 

“Maybe?” Dahyun responded.

 

“I’ll tell you two everything when we get back to the dorm.” Tzuyu continued as they approached the checkout counter.

 

Unfortunately, deciding to tell her friends everything was probably not the wisest decision she could’ve made. 

 

--

 

Upon arriving at the dorm, they sorted out the stuff they had bought and organized them in their respective places, which Dahyun and Chaeyoung did hurriedly in anticipation of what Tzuyu had to say. They had gathered up in the living room as Tzuyu collected herself to explain everything.

 

“Before I begin, you two have to promise me that you won’t tell anybody about this.” Tzuyu said as they were all seated. Dahyun and Chaeyoung simply nodded in agreement to her request.

 

Tzuyu took a deep breath before speaking. “Okay, so, let’s just say that I may have an itty-bitty, teeny tiny crush-”

 

“A crush?” Dahyun interrupted.

 

“Shh! Let Tzuyu speak.” Chaeyoung said as she pulled Dahyun back down. 

 

“Thanks, Chae. So, as I was saying, I miiight have a crush on someone…” Tzuyu said before pausing for a brief moment. “God, I feel like I’m in high-school again.”

 

“That’s okay, Tzu. It’s actually kinda cute.” Chaeyoung remarked. “Like, after seeing you deal with being super homesick, it’s nice that you’re developing feelings for somebody.”

 

“Yeah but, you know how I deal with feelings, right? I get really really nervous.” Tzuyu said. “Anyway, remember a few weeks ago when we went out to get lunch?” 

 

“The one where Chaeyoung treated us?” Dahyun answered.

 

“Right. I went to the bakery to let you tour Chae around because it was a bit early for lunch.” Tzuyu continued. “The shopkeeper lady wasn’t there at the counter so I waited a bit, but then she came out from the back.”

 

“I remember being stunned, watching her approach the counter, still covered in flour, but God, she was pretty.” Tzuyu said before burying her face in her hands after remembering what followed. “Then I got nervous and accidentally asked for bagels instead of brioche buns.”

 

“Ohh, so that’s why you had bagels that day.” Dahyun concluded. “I knew you weren’t too big on bagels so I was curious why you bought them in the first place.”

 

“Yeah, which leads us to a few hours ago.” Tzuyu said as she lifted her head. “Ugh, it was basically like the first time we met.”

 

“Except now you held her hand.” Dahyun added.

 

“Accidentally.” Tzuyu stressed. “I was lucky she didn’t recognize me!”

 

Tzuyu sighed as she laid her head back on the couch. “Man, this is why I’m single. I can’t keep myself together around people I like.”

 

“Hmm, I see...” Chaeyoung mused. “Okay, tell you what, the next time you go to that bakery, I’ll come with you.”

 

“What? Why?” Tzuyu said, immediately sitting up straight again. “Chae, I hope you’re not planning anything stupid.”

 

“It’s not gonna be!” Chaeyoung said as she left Dahyun and sat next to Tzuyu. “I’ll just be your wingman! Wingwoman...whatever. You get the idea.”

 

“I’m not so sure I can trust you on that.” Tzuyu said.

 

“Sure you can! If I managed to get Dahyun to fall in love with me, I’m sure I know what I’m doing.” Chaeyoung responded. 

 

“Well, you’re lucky we’ve been friends since we were kids.” Dahyun said. “That and the fact that I already liked you from the start, but you were just too dense to realize it so I ended up letting go until you made me fall in love again.” 

 

“Hey, this isn’t about me. This is about Tzuyu now. The past is in the past.” Chaeyoung said to redirect the topic of conversation. “So, whaddya’ say, Tzu? I promise I can be a big help.”

 

Tzuyu took a moment to think about it as Chaeyoung looked at her eagerly. A solid minute passed before Tzuyu finally decided.

 

“Alright, fine.” Tzuyu answered. “But, if you screw things up, I’ll act like I don’t know you. Deal?”

 

“Eh, fair enough.” Chaeyoung responded, grinning from ear to ear and rubbing her hands together. “Ohoho, this is gonna be fun.”

 

“Wait, hang on, you haven’t told us her name yet.” Dahyun said.

 

“Her...name…?” Tzuyu said, only then realizing that she didn’t know the girl’s name.

 

“Oh dear, off to a great start now, aren’t we?” Dahyun remarked as she chuckled. “Well, I’d say good luck, but I’m afraid you’re gonna need nothing short of a miracle.”

 

“Ugh, what did I get myself into…” Tzuyu said as she laid on the couch and covered her eyes with her arm.

 

“We’re gonna work on your feelings!” Chaeyoung said, sounding a little too pumped up about the situation than Tzuyu would like. “Who knows? If this all works out, you might not have to be bitter all the time anymore.”

 

“Hey, for the record, I’m not bitter.” Tzuyu said as she uncovered her eyes.. “Well, maybe I do get bitter from time to time.”

 

“How about we leave this for another day?” Tzuyu continued. “So uhh, what do you guys wanna eat for dinner?”

 

“Hmm, I want dumplings.” Dahyun asked as she headed over to the kitchen. “We did buy frozen dumplings, right?” 

 

“Oh yeah, we did. Good idea. I’ll go get the dipping sauce ready.” Chaeyoung said as she left for the kitchen as well.

 

Now alone on the couch, Tzuyu realized that maybe Chaeyoung was right. She still does get bitter when the two get all sweet in front of her. Maybe she was right that she needed to take this chance. 

 

Besides, there was nothing to lose, right?