heekkie: you home? 

aeongie: eh? why? does lady absentee need anything

heekkie: my fuel's running low D: im wearing vanilla chapstick today btw ;)

aeongie: be there at ur place after class xx

heekkie: yay see u

Hyunjin shuts her phone with a wide smile plastered on her face as she tries to focus on her professor blabbering about limits, calculus. Now that she knows she has important business to take care of after school, she can't really remove the thought of having to kiss Heejin again albeit her lips still swollen after kissing her all day yesterday.

Kissing each other became their agreed arrangement. Just one day, the two best friends were too bored of their own lives to the point that Hyunjin felt like kissing Heejin that one summer. 

Wearing watermelon chapstick during that day, she dives into the inevitable abyss of the addicting kisses from Heejin and since then, Heejin and her came to agreement which Hyunjin didn't think of even disagreeing because of the trance she was currently having because of Heejin's kisses. All she did was agree, not knowing the possible gravity that may occur on their current status, which is to fall in love unknowingly.

Eager to get the taste of Heejin's lips on hers, she still goes for it anyways. Heejin seemed unbothered by what they were doing so who was Hyunjin to get bothered by? Besides, they never went beyond the line of 'just kissing' anyways. That would be absurd(ly petrifying considering Hyunjin's feelings).

Finally getting dismissed after the long, dull Calculus class, she fixes her things, but she was suddenly invited by Hyeju to go to this bread shop near their school which she reluctantly agrees on, saying sorry to Heejin at the back of her mind already for being tardy.

So she pedalled with Hyeju and bought her true love, (Next to Heejin, of course) the cream bread, and she didn't forget to buy one for Heejin. Maybe it will be something that might come in handy later as an 'Sorry for being late for our kissing session' apology gift.

As soon as they both finished purchasing their desired bread, (Turns out Hyeju was just going to ask Hyunjin about courting a girl, which of course, Hyunjin is no expert on) Hyunjin bids her goodbye and pedals as quickly as ever before.

Finally arriving Heejin's humble abode while panting for air, she was greeted by none other than Mrs. Jeon herself. Then, she asks for Heejin, and eventually get invited in by Mrs. Jeon and walking her to Heejin's all too familiar room with her cute pink door that she had painted when they were twelve (Hyunjin helped Heejin do so). 

"Heejin didn't feel like going to school today. I'm sorry, Hyunjin. She's caused quite a nuisance asking you to come over."

"It's no problem, Mrs. Jeon." Hyunjin chuckles breathily as she looks around the corridor, family pictures and even pictures of Heejin through the years framed and put up on the walls. 

"Seriously, you should start calling me Mom too! I watched you grow with my daughter."

Hyunjin chuckles at the sudden passing memory of Mrs. Jeon first offering her to eat dinner, then Heejin. (Which Heejin sulked at for a whole week, shouting at her everyday that Hyunjin was now the favorite daughter.)

"It's okay. I got used to calling you Mrs. Jeon already." Hyunjin scratches the back of her head as they finally make it in front of Heejin's room.

Hyunjin takes a deep breath and knocks at Heejin's door before opening it, but much to Mrs. Jeon's surprise, Hyunjin gets pulled by her school jacket into her room then Heejin shuts the door quickly and thanks her mom through her pink door before she could even speak.

Hyunjin sees Heejin's eyes grow fierce and bore holes through her very soul before pushing Hyunjin down her bed then roughly kissing her, not even letting Hyunjin say hi.

Hyunjin feels the frustration on Heejin's kiss as she still helplessly gets pinned down the bed while she has bread she bought for Heejin  on hand, trying hard not to clench it and ruin it with her own fists. Hyunjin smiles at their kiss when she tastes the vanilla chapstick Heejin was indeed wearing, a taste she knows because it tastes like her favorite cream bread.

Hyunjin breaks away for air and places the bread on top of her now-swollen lips to block Heejin's advances.

"I bought bread. Sorry, I'm late." Hyunjin's voice muffled through the bread's wrapper, and the once fierce Heejin was now replaced by a pouting one, who now just straddles and sits on top of Hyunjin's legs.

"You're late because of that?" Heejin crosses her arms.

"Hyeju asked me to go with her." Hyunjin purposely left the explanation hanging to see Heejin's reaction, which she regrets as she sees Heejin remove herself from their position, and lay down beside Hyunjin.

"You've been spending time with Hyeju too often at school these days. What's up?" Hyunjin can't help but notice a tiny tinge of jealousy in Heejin's tone but she doesn't really hope. She knows it's just Heejin being a concerned best friend.

"She's just asking me about courting a girl." Hyunjin shrugs as she rolls over, now facing Heejin while lying on her stomach.

"You? Know how to court a girl?" Heejin's pout was suddenly nowhere to be found as she was now laughing jokingly at Hyunjin, which sent her heart skipping a beat. To be able to see Heejin's beauty this close is a great honor already. Hyunjin knows Heejin has too many suitors at school but she never saw her date one which was a bit peculiar. She pays no mind to it though, because her lips weren't going to be all hers if Heejin dates.

When Heejin finished laughing, Hyunjin just rolls her eyes then lunges forward to get another kiss from Heejin's addicting vanilla lips, Hyunjin trying to savor it before it runs out but then she breaks away again, throwing the bread she bought on Heejin's stomach which earned a pained grunt from her.

"I bought it for you. You should eat."

"But what about kisses?" Heejin asks, with a teasing pleading look which was just shaken off by Hyunjin.

"Laters, baby." Hyunjin whispers but Heejin just slams a pillow on her face while laughing loudly.

"You did not just slip that Fifty Shades reference." Heejin just chuckles then takes a bite on the bread, testing it first before she dives it for another bite.

"I just did." 

While she waited for Heejin to finish the bread, she kept on her lip in an attempt to taste the vanilla left on her lips which was already running out and Hyunjin felt like a kid wanting candy. She was already itching to kiss Heejin again and it was killing her inside, her conscience now chagrined for doing so.

"Seriously though. I haven't really seen you court anyone. Why is that?" Heejin asks, still full of the bread she's currently munching on. Hyunjin just smiles, realizing her two favorite things in the world are now in front of her and it just made her want to stop this moment. Not minding the question, Hyunjin just stares at her best friend, whose cheeks got all suddenly warm and red. (Heejin did remind her that she doesn't like anyone staring at her; it makes her so shy)

"Deadass. Stop staring at me." Heejin slaps Hyunjin's face jokingly, before stuffing the rest of the bread to her cheeks.

"I won't, if it weren't for the bread you just devoured in whole." 

"Well then, come and get it from me." Heejin smirks and the next thing Hyunjin knew was she was now inching closer again to the beauty of Heejin's mischievous facade then she claims her lips again but this time, it was a lot slower and weirdly, with a bit more passion.

The reason why Hyunjin didn't really even bother answering is she really didn't know what to say. All she knows is one wrong answer may lead her to a thousand possibilities and she doesn't want to ruin what's in front of her right now.

"Enough kissing, I want cuddles." Heejin says just after she pulls away from Hyunjin then she lays her head against Hyunjin's chest. Hyunjin on the other hand, hopes Heejin doesn't hear her heart beat fast.

Hyunjin wonders what could've happened if she didn't kiss Heejin in the first place. Would she still find herself here with Heejin just cuddling? Would she still be just as smitten as she is with her? Would she still end up kissing Heejin?

Hyunjin's reverie was interrupted when Heejin suddenly grabbed her arm to wrap around her waist.

"I can't believe I got a dumb one for a bestfriend." Heejin chuckles as she closes her eyes while she savors Hyunjin's arms around her. 

Hyunjin wasn't speaking simply because Heejin said it herself, she is dumb and she is her bestfriend. This is wrong, she thinks. What they're doing is wrong. Best friends don't do that.

However, Hyunjin likes— loves the feeling so much, she can't even let go of Heejin who's currently nuzzled on her neck, her lips grazing against her school uniform, even though she knows it is wrong.

Hyunjin knows this will all change once she cracks and tells Heejin what she really feels, so she keeps mum. After all, this was all just physical.

Hyunjin's now locking these unsaid feelings in a safe, far from Heejin's reach. This was to save both of them from the misery of having to separate.

So, Hyunjin just tightens her arms around Heejin, then she hears the latter hum in a bright tone. 

They finally cuddle in silence, only the soft noises of their steady breaths fill the room.

Hyunjin was never a fan of silence but this silence with Heejin was new to her, and it makes her feel safe with the cream white colored walls, and Heejin's limited posters of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon and Mayday Parade's self-titled album adjacent to it, sticking out the clean paint. (Heejin was a big fan of rock music, after all, so she got her those posters for Christmas and she even had to punch someone for stealing the last ones of the posters.)

Hyunjin suddenly thinks twice about their agreement.

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

Heejin suddenly has Hyunjin pushed against the 'safely' locked cubicle, as Heejin would put it, as they make out intensely, their free period almost fifteen minutes near its end but Hyunjin takes her time as she relearns Heejin's mouth against hers albeit she was the one protesting a while ago. (Hyunjin said she wanted to be the 'role model' bestfriend, until Heejin said that.

Hyunjin groans silently against Heejin's mouth then pushes her away from her, making her back hit against the other side of the cubicle.

"We're gonna be late for the last period, you er." Hyunjin pats her swollen lips dry with the sleeve of her blazer, not even daring to wipe off the flavor of strawberry chapstick laid upon it.

Heejin didn't mind, she instead leaned in and decreased their proximity again, just to plant a long kiss on Hyunjin's lips, which she has never experienced with her before. To think of it, all that they ever did was kiss roughly. She never even thought that a gentle kiss was allowed and possible.

"Kiss you later." Heejin giggles and winks as she unlatches the lock of the cubicle and luckily, the restroom was empty. Heejin didn't pick the farthest restroom from the corridors for nothing.

After retouching their lip tints and smoothing out their once disheveled clothes, (Even arguing which shade of tint fit the both of them) they finally walk to class like nothing happened, but the only difference was Hyunjin looked flushed, probably because of the feelings pooling at the pit of her stomach.

So her good friend Hyeju shoots her a 'what-the--did-you-two-do' look at her, her arm draped over Hyunjin's chair, apparently asserting dominance against her older friend but Hyunjin just pushes her arm away from her chair, and sat down just in front of Heejin who was now laughing along Chaewon, like nothing ever happened.

Feeling like she was about to explode any minute within a close distance from Heejin, Hyunjin pushes herself and chair as much as possible to her desk, avoiding the strong aura Heejin was exuding at the back of her head and she feels it. She does feel her cheeks burn again at the thought of having to kiss Heejin again.

"Hyunnie." She suddenly hears Heejin whisper from behind, which she suddenly jumps on, her knees hitting her desk, a way to embarrass herself.

"Jeez. Why so jumpy?" Heejin slaps Hyunjin's trembling arm gently. "Anyways, I'm gonna pass later, by the way. Jiwoo invited me over with Chaewon, she said something about helping her with something. Is it okay?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?" Hyujin put out a thumbs up, faking her attention on an empty page of her notebook.

"Awesomesauce. Kiss you later." 

Hyunjin then asks Hyeju if they could hang out later.

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

In the absence of Heejin's pair of lips on her own, Hyunjin takes this opportunity to breathe from the suffocating air of the arrangement that currently clouds her mind. 

So she hangs out with Hyeju in the comfort of her own room, the dim one that only has one window because she really dislikes light, (She often just tucks herself and rolls herself into a burrito in the dark, until Heejin) while they both lie carelessly on the floor, playing Scrabble with Hyeju surprisingly leading.

Hyunjin picks another letter from the bag, getting a V from it and she groans in frustration. She literally just picked one of the hardest letters.

"! Why are you good at Scrabble and I'm not?" Hyunjin places the letter on the letter stand as Hyeju forms a word on the board yet again, the word 'Hygge' that is.

"That's not even in the dictionary yet!"

"Just admit it. I'm better than you in all aspects." Hyeju clicks her tongue in a teasing manner but instead of interjecting, Hyunjin just rolls her eyes and pays no mind to it.

Trying to focus her mind on the game, she furrowed her eyebrows while she focused hard on the letters before her.

A G E U H I V

'Age'? Nah, that would be too short of points. Why must the word be with the letter G?

"So, how are you doing these days?" Hyeju asks, while Hyunjin's attention is still fixated on her set of letters.

'Hug'? Again, too short. "I'm good." Hyunjin answers half-heartedly, her focus still on forming a word.

"How are you doing with Heejin?"

'Huge'? 'Give'? God, why am I so bad at this? "Good." Hyunjin replies absentmindedly.

"And the bread you bought for her yesterday? Did you give it?"

'Gae'? Damn it, is that even a word? "Sure." She answers distractedly.

"And how's Heejin as a kisser?"

'Geu' What even... "Really great." Hyunjin answers absentmindedly again. Aha! 'Vague' should do the tri—

The look of horror washes over her face as Hyeju smiles at her with a teasing one again, as she just dropped a huge secret accidentally while she was too focused on winning, her soul leaving her body as she looks at Hyeju's victory -eating grin.

"Oh my god. It's not what you think." Hyunjin tried to defend herself but was too late since Hyeju was already laughing her heart out on Hyunjin's clumsy confession.

"I knew something was up when you two walked in after free period! Damn, you're easy to read as !" Hyeju lets out breathily as she struggles to breathe for air while Hyunjin's face becomes pale.

"Language! And for the record, nothing is up, I swear." Hyunjin finally gives up and returns the letters in the bag pile before she lays her head down the floor.

"What do you mean 'nothing's up'? Christ, your face was so red when you entered the room." 

"It's just," Hyunjin sighs before continuing. "It's my fault. This whole thing."

"Enlighten me." It was Hyeju's turn now to lay on the floor just beside her, their game of Scrabble now discontinued as the letters on the board shuffled in a disorganized way.

So Hyunjin does tell Hyeju what was really happening. She knows there's no harm in telling Hyeju. Hyunjin did earn a bunch of oohs and ahhs from the younger one but nevertheless listened intently. (Of course, Hyunjin had to resist the pain of Hyeju's deadly jabs and pinches on her side for being too stupid.)

"So, adding it all up. You made the first move then agreed to this stupid deal and now you're suffering the consequences... which is the L-word?" 

"You don't have to shove it on my face. Plus, I wouldn't call it the L-word yet." Hyunjin sighs before lurching up and looking over where a photo of Heejin stands on her bed stand, which Heejin placed because she 'did the same thing' to Hyunjin's photo which she first thought of it as platonically sweet but now, she's suddenly thinking twice about the truth.

"You're bad at lying to yourself, Hyunjin. You know well you lo—" Hyunjin shoots up a dagger stare on the supine Hyeju, deadpanning her before she continues the L-word, love, coming out from because it was still too early for that . "—st a flipflop. Lost a flipflop for Heejin." 

"I don't know." Hyunjin now turns her attention to Heejin's framed photo again, feeling her stomach knot in ways unknown and she was now indeed more confused than ever. 

Hyunjin shouldn't feel this way because she knows damn well nothing was really up between the both of them. Nothing special, just a no-strings attached agreement (Which she never believed in, at first) that Hyunjin now disagrees with.

Hyunjin now really does have to admit, 

Between Heejin and her, she's the one who already lost long before the agreement even started.

"Okay enough of this sappy love story. Wanna get slushies while the sun's still up?" Hyeju finally gets up and smoothens her skirt up, then offers a hand for the distressed Hyunjin to hold.

"Lost a flipflo— love to. I'd love to." Hyeju rolls her eyes at Hyunjin's little tease before pulling her up.

Hyunjin is now stripped of her problems once she gets the taste of the cherry slushy, getting a brain freezed while she sips on it.

It just made the pain on her head even worse though.

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

These days, school has been hectic for all of them. Hyunjin needed her best friend to just hang around and take a break, not just to make out with, (Maybe.) but time wasn't really on their side. Heejin is still her best friend after all, and she does miss those days when Heejin wasn't still part of the student council rejects club where students organize events with the student council themselves.

The school was to hold their annual field day and Heejin was called to arms, making her time in class and time for Hyunjin less than usual. Nowadays, Hyunjin just helplessly watches Heejin just walk around the hallways, carrying tons of paperwork and she can't help but feel gloomy. However, Heejin does not forget to text Hyunjin or even shoot her a smile and a wave of hand, making Hyunjin's agony a bit lighter.

Hyunjin does try to invite Hyeju to hang with her while Heejin's too busy but Hyeju just declines, saying that she has matters to attend to, which Hyunjin just shrugs off.

(Later in the afternoon, Hyunjin saw Hyeju walk around the streets going home, holding hands with Chaewon while cones of ice cream hang around their unoccupied hands.)

Hyunjin felt alone for the first time in her life. She doesn't even know what to do anymore and she admits, she misses the way Heejin sinks to her embrace every after school, the routine they religiously follow everyday, long before Heejin got recruited for the event club.

Maybe this was fate's way of letting her find answers to what she was feeling towards her best friend right now, but why does she feel heavier than before?

Hyunjin was just sitting beside Hyeju at the cafeteria during lunch, her Monte Cristo sandwich (Which Hyeju made for her, eager to cheer her 'lost flipflop' stricken friend) untouched at Hyunjin's side, as Hyeju eats her lunch casually beside her, looking on her phone from time to time, probably waiting for Chaewon to bother her and all.

Hyunjin was surprised that it wasn't Hyeju's phone that buzzed this time. It was her own, and she immediately opens it, her eyes now lighting up as she reads who the message was from.

heekkie: hey there hotshot

Hyunjin rolls her eyes as she tries to contain her smile from showing. 

aeongie: hi student council reject 

heekkie: ha ha. im famished. here @ the forbidden wing. craved for bread and remembered u

aeongie: craving for me?

heekkie: well duh who else u're the only one who loves bread more than her bestfriend 

Hyunjin laughs bitterly because she knows indeed it was false.

aeongie: omw 

heekkie: awesomesauce. also! bring legit bread im seriously famished ok 

Hyunjin then excused herself from Hyeju, saying she has matters to attend to, as she would say it, earning a brief nag and whine for being too unoriginal and for successfully  attempting to leave her alone to return to class like a loser. Hyunjin just waves her hand to Hyeju and thanks her for the sandwich before hastily walking along the corridors with the uneaten sandwich on hand.

Hyunjin hates how she immediately responded to Heejin without even thinking twice, her thoughts of being glad to have avoided the busy Heejin suddenly goes back to square one because of one text from her.

Hyunjin makes her way to the forbidden wing of their school, where most of the student council members and unknown clubs and gatherings gather. (mostly to do semi-illegal activities)

Hyunjin easily spots the room where Heejin was looking over a window, her black locks cascading through her white polo, her blazer nowhere to be found in the chilly weather.

"Knock knock." Hyunjin says before Heejin looks back, her hair flipping elegantly in the process which made her breath hitch silently.

The first thing Heejin does is run to her then embrace Hyunjin by the waist, letting herself sink and nuzzle on her neck. Hyunjin felt the frustration and longing as Heejin tightened her hug around her waist and it suddenly hit Hyunjin, like a bucket of water splashed on her unconscious self, that she did miss Heejin, even more than she missed Hyunjin.

"Oh god. Stop being a clingy little ." Heejin curses at herself as she tightens her hold on Hyunjin in a more gentle way, and Hyunjin just prays Heejin doesn't hear her heart beat a mile.

"God, you're such a hypocrite." Hyunjin breathily chuckles as she lets Heejin sink even deeper on their hug.

"I missed you, you know?" Heejin releases Hyunjin from her touch and peculiarly, she already longs for it even more.

"What are you talking about? You still message me just as much as random cat videos."

"Not as much as I really miss you, though." 

With that, Hyunjin just rolls her eyes and shoves the sandwich on Heejin's stomach then walks to the window, eager to hide the blush now spreading across her face.

"Hyeju made that for me but you might as well eat it before I do."

She hears Heejin walk beside her, overlooking the window while she takes a bite of the sandwich, but just as Hyunjin had the blush fade away, she looks over Heejin, whose face was suddenly sour.

"I can make a sandwich just as tasty. Tell Hyeju to stop snatching my bestfriend spot." Heejin huffs in frustration as she chews at the remnants angrily which Hyunjin just chuckles at, finding Heejin cute. She does want to brush off the sudden mention of them just being best friends, but it was the truth she can't escape from.

"She's not. Oh how I wish you could see her be cheesy around Chaewon." If you weren't too busy to spend time with me. Heejin stopped chewing for a moment to process all the information she was currently receiving.

"Wait, Chaewon and her? She's the one Hyeju is courting?" Heejin's eyebrows furrowed while Hyunjin just nods, letting out a vocal imitation of a bomb exploding while she gestures one on her head because Heejin was seriously looking mind blown.

"Damn, I missed out on a lot." Heejin chuckles while she shifts closer to Hyunjin.

Hyunjin doesn't even move at all. As much as she wanted Heejin to stop, she wanted this too. The unsaid feelings don't really even help her move away from the dangers of Heejin. No matter how long they've been away from each other, it's like Hyunjin still finds her way back to Heejin, who doesn't even see her just the same.

Hyunjin knows this push and pull is bound to end anyways. Hyunjin just needs to steer her own fate in the right direction for her not to get hurt but the more Heejin just pulls her, the more the probability of her getting hurt increases. 

This all-physical arrangement was getting her mind messed up and she's going to start going crazy once the unsaid feelings bottle up on her until it explodes.

Hyunjin suddenly finds herself pinned against the windowsill after Heejin pulls her to face her, pressing her petite frame against Hyunjin, her eyes surprisingly staring softly against Hyunjin's confused ones.

"Heekkie, what if someone sees us?"

"I doubt someone will. You're only for me to see." Heejin whispers before leaning in, letting their lips meet halfway and Hyunjin again lets her guard down, sinking herself deep again the trance of Heejin's lips and all the walls she built was taken down in a flash as soon as their lips met and all Hyunjin, who was holding back, finally lets go and let Heejin's pair of lips play along with her. This time, Heejin was kissing her as gently as she could and Hyunjin was indeed surprised.

Just as Hyunjin was about to just tell Heejin to stop whatever's going on, here she was, her words getting shoved to the back of again. All the courage she mustered up to finally confront Heejin about the feelings pooling up in her stomach was stuck again and she's not gonna lie, kissing Heejin suddenly tasted a little bi