chaptertwo

When they got home from the first counseling session, Seulgi threw the keys on the kitchen counter and shrugged off her leather jacket.

Not bothering to scold her for leaving her stuff around, Irene yanked open the fridge and pulled out a variety of vegetables, along with an assortment spices and sauces. “What are you making for dinner?” she asked, leaning against the granite countertop.

“I don’t know—vegetarian shabu?” she replied, grabbing chicken stock from the pantry.

Deciding that she didn’t need her help, Seulgi nodded and waltzed into the living room, collapsing onto the sofa with a loud sigh and flipping on the TV to watch soccer. Irene watched her walk away and rolled her eyes. “Useless oaf,” she muttered, slicing up cabbage and other greens.

Her wife didn’t hear her remark over the noise of the cheering crowd on TV.

###

One virtually silent dinner later, Seulgi wandered into the office den, needing to go over some work. Irene had just finished washing the dishes and tidying herself up for the night. Pushing her thick-rimmed glasses over her nose, she peeked into her office briefly.

“I’m going to sleep.”

Not even looking up from the computer screen, she gave her a short nod and replied, “Okay. Good night.”

“…Night.”

By the time she had finished answering emails and dealing with long-distance conference calls with executives in foreign countries, it was slightly past midnight. Seulgi stood from her desk and trudged towards the master bedroom, disappearing into the closet and emerging in her sleepwear. She was about to head into the bathroom when she realized something was … missing.

Marching back outside, she strode into the living room and found Irene beginning to doze off on the couch, a mountain of spare pillows and blankets with her.

“Why aren’t you sleeping on the bed?” she demanded.

Irene looked up from her slouched position on the sofa. “Because we’re getting divorced.”

Seulgi raised an eyebrow. “You’re being ridiculous. Come to bed.”

“No!” she refused, hiding behind a wall of pillows and blankets. Seulgi crossed her arms over her chest amusedly, finding her stubbornness a bit cute. “Come on. I won’t touch you. We can just sleep on completely opposite sides of the bed, if that’s what you want.”

Her wife peeked through the wall of pillows shyly and pursed her lips. “Can you put on a shirt?”

Glancing down at her sleepwear, which consisted of nothing but nighties she replied, “But I always wear this to bed. Otherwise, it’s suffocating.”

“It’s distracting,” she mumbled, rising from her seat. Her eyes widened exponentially when she realized what she had said and clapped a hand over . She glanced back at Seulgi nervously, hoping she didn’t hear her. The smug look on her face said it all. “Seulgi, you better shut up about it, or I’m not going to sleep in that bed at all tonight—!”

“Don’t worry, Rene,” she purred, wrapping her arms around Irene's waist sensually. “Your outfit is way more distracting,” replied Seulgi, tugging on the thin straps of her camisole. She quickly danced out of her arms, displeased with the way her body was reacting to her hold. “You said you wouldn’t touch me,” she whined, her feet padding gently against the hardwood floors of their penthouse apartment.

Seulgi chuckled and shut off the lights in the living room, following Irene into the master bedroom. She had already settled into bed, with the sheets pulled up to her chin. A large body pillow was stuffed in the middle of the bed, creating a clear dividing line between their bodies. ‘We’ll see about that,’ thought Seulgi, a mischievous smirk on her face.

After washing her face and brushing her teeth, Seulgi wiped her face dry with a hand towel and crossed over to the bedroom, climbing into bed beside of Irene. Grabbing the body pillow, she threw it across the room and slipped her arms around Irene’s supple body. She gave a loud moan of protest, but Seulgi dropped gentle kisses on the back of her head and told her to hush.

“Just for tonight,” Seulgi murmured sleepily. Irene, far too tired to argue, simply settled into her arms and drifted into dreamland. ‘When was the last time she’s held me like this?’ was the last conscious thought that ran through her mind.

‘I missed this.’

###

Not much had changed a week later.

Seulgi pulled off the massive headphones from her ears and set it on the soundboard. None of the tracks she’d come up with last week were sounding any good to her.

She was distracted; she couldn’t figure out why Irene was so adamant about ending their marriage immediately. She knew they were going through marriage counseling, but their counselor seemed a little bit weird and eccentric. At least the process would be delayed for another six months. That’s what she kept telling himself.

‘At least I can hold her in my arms for six more months.’

Truth be told, she couldn’t remember the last time she really held her. Standing, she paced the room quietly, wondering where the rift began to form in their relationship.

A knock on the