"you know if i could i'll give you the moon." you spoke out into the softness of the night. staring up at the pitch black sky littered with stars and the bright moon shining down on the both of you.

 

the girl beside you chuckled. you keep staring at the sky, though. the sound of waves crashing keeps your beating heart at bay. feeling the soft sand, you curl your toes a little bit.

 

you feel her looking at you, still a little taken aback. "you're so random sometimes, you know?"

 

you grin a little, still refusing to look at her. "i know." you whisper, lightly touching the rings on your fingers. "but my statement still stands. if i could i'll give you the moon, yerim."

 

she was still staring at you. because of your refusal to look at her, you didn't see the way her amused smile slowly fading. her eyes turning somber and a little serious.

 

"why are you telling me this?" she whispers, her voice softer than before.

 

why am i telling you this? you question yourself. you don't know if you're being honest. there was something different in the way the calmness of the night affected you. the moon was shining brightly and the stars felt like they multiplied. there was something different with the scenery, the atmosphere. maybe that's why you're telling her this. 

 

or maybe because it was already half past 3 in the morning and you're getting delirious.

 

"i don't know." you answer truthfully. "i just wanted to let you know." you dodge the conversation of talking about your feelings.

 

you mean, you really weren't the type to just showcase your emotions to everyone. hell, you can't even show the girl beside you how much you're in love with her. you'll never show her nor will you ever tell her. too risky, too scary.

 

if yerim could read your mind right now, she would beg to differ. because unbeknownst to you, you still show your feelings by the little things you do. the seemingly normal things you say. like this one; your confession of giving her the moon.

 

but what yerim doesn't know is how deep your feelings go, and she's also too scared to know.

 

"whatever you say." yerim mumbled, feeling a little defeated as she knew you won't bulge. looking back at the sea, she tries to shrug off the overwhelming feeling the statement gave.

 

you sigh. feeling a bit sorry for the brunette. in all honesty, you don't mind telling her your feelings and emotions. you don't mind being unfiltered around her. you tell her almost everything, but these are one of the things you wouldn't dare to bring up.

 

but like you've said before, there was something different about the air today. you were feeling a little too impulsive. a little too brave to tell her some of the things you think of in late nights.

 

"you know, i wouldn't just give you the moon." you start, breaking the silence that engulfed the both of you. yerim slowly looks away from the sea to stare back at your side profile. "it's not enough. if i could i'll give you the stars too. the sun, the whole world. the universe." you list down, and yerim does not know what to do when she felt her heart picking up its pace.

 

"but you know. i'd rather give you only the moon. she's special to me." you continue, your voice lowering in volume as you say your next set of words. "just like you are to me."

 

yerim was still confused as to why you're telling this to her. you mean, you don't know either. your mouth is moving against your will, moving against everything you fear. it's like they're moving on their own. and you don't know whether that's a good idea or a bad one.

 

silence was your guest once again. you really didn't expect yerim to give a reply. you guess the silence isn't that bad, so you just let it eat the atmosphere surrounding the both of you.

 

beside you, yerim was actually contemplating what to say. the meaning behind your words felt heavy to her. the way you delivered it and the feelings you conveyed. she knows there's something more than what you are trying to show. the nonchalance in your tone was just a facade that she can see right through. the fumbling of fingers and your slight change in demeanor.

 

she knows you're trying to say something.

 

but what is it? she doesn't know. she hopes it's what she thinks it is.

 

"if i could i'd give you the moon too, yeojin." yerim whispers, her eyes focused on yours. your head slowly turning to face her, finally. you felt the air got knocked out of your lungs when you looked at her.

 

there was something tender in her eyes, dare you say- affection. a lot of it. her eyes were shining under the night sky, pretty and staring at you. you notice her hair is a bit tousled because of the beach side wind, but you tell yourself that she looks softer than she usually do.

 

she's so breathtaking.

 

you held your breath as you feel the air shift again. the tender (and slightly awkward) atmosphere transitioned to something more- intimate. the tension suddenly rose and you think she's a little closer to you than you let on. 

 

there was still affection in her eyes. it was shinning brightly towards you that if it comes down to it you'll become blind. you still don't know what it means. it feels like a neon light sign is glaring at you, telling you what it actually means. but you push the thought away, keeping it in the deep recesses of your mind. you say it's probably a friendly thing, the affection. you mean, you are best friends.

 

you slowly release the breath your holding. your heart was still racing and you're getting scared that she might hear it. she still feels so close and your previous conclusion feels wrong as the air begs to differ. the tension was still high and it really feel intimate. you swear you were hallucinating when you saw her briefly look down to your lips.

 

you're best friends. nothing more, nothing less. you repeat that in your mind as you didn't want to assume and set yourself up for disappointment. you gulp the lump formed in your throat and smiled softly at her. your pearly whites showcased as you try to calm your nerves.

 

of course you wouldn't know what she feels. that's why the way yerim's heart bursted into small little butterflies becomes unknown to you. the smile made her poor little heart soft. the feelings she has for you got worse as she kept her eyes only focused on you.

 

you wanted to make a move if you're being honest. you've wanted to make a move for so long now. but the fear was still there. invading your thoughts and crawling through your chest. 

 

what if it ruins our friendship? you're too scared to lose her. so you tell yourself you're better of as friends. you don't like being away from her and if it means not moving another step to be something more, then so be it.

 

you don't know what she feels. and that's exactly why you're not gonna do anything. you're better of as friends.

 

yerim saw the way your eyes change. becoming darker and something bittersweet. worried filled her body as she watched you slowly look down, moving your head to the direction of the sea.

 

"i think i should go back home." you say, a forlorn look in your face.

 

yerim's mind went on autopilot. thoughts like:

 

is she okay? 

 

did i say something wrong? 

 

was my assumption a mistake?

 

does she not feel the same?

 

invaded her mind. she still didn't want to leave the beach. , she didn't want you to leave in such a moment. words of love confessions were already on the tip of her tongue, then suddenly it felt like she was submerged into the ocean of fear. the subtle change in your eyes and the sudden want to go home irked her.

 

she doesn't want this random night hangout to end so abruptly. she doesn't want you to leave with that look in your eyes. she doesn't want you to leave 'till she finally tells you what she feels.

 

fear was still in yerim's system but worry was there too. the feeling of disappointment was the strongest as she watched you take your shoes. she looks away, shaking her head. 

 

maybe next time i'll tell her.

 

but that doesn't sit right with her. she kept telling herself that. next time, but that time never came. clenching her jaw, she was reminded of what your good friend, hyejoo, told her.

(

"honestly, you guys look like ing fools." hyejoo suddenly said as the both them watched you walk away. yerim's head snapped towards the taller girl, her eyebrows knitting in confusion.

 

"what does that supposed to mean?" hyejoo looked at yerim with squinted eyes. sighing shortly after as she explained what she actually means.

 

"i told chaewon i won't… intervene in your budding 'relationship' but christ, this is taking so long." stuffing her hands in her jacket, hyejoo huffed as she pictured her small girlfriend hitting her when she gets knowledge of this. "it's so obvious the both of you like each other. or in love-" she puts her hands up to make air quotations. yerim's eyes becoming wider by the moment.

 

"look, i don't know how deep you guys are in it for each other- but it's obvious you like one another. it's like someone covered both of your eyes or something. both of you are so ing oblivious it's driving me insane." yerim only managed to stare at hyejoo as she looked like a frustrated puppy. "i'm the one getting frustrated because the way you both stare at each other…" hyejoo's face contorted in disgust. saying her next set of words with a frown.

 

"disgusting. ing do something about it."

)

with this in yerim's mind, she ultimately said it. snapping her head towards you, she saw you already putting your shoes on. tying your shoelaces as you felt her warm hand suddenly place on your neck. it made you look up at her confused.

 

"yerim- ?" you didn't manage to finish your question as suddenly you felt her press her lips against yours. your eyes widen as you felt your heart stop for a second.

 

what the !? your mind screamed. the thought was immediately thrown away the second you feel yerim's lips move against yours. your body slowly relaxing and your eyes fluttered shut. you kiss her back, making the other girl feel relieved.

 

warmth raids your body. the black ink of fear and longing suddenly disappeared the moment you take a fistful of yerim's hoodie. pulling her closer as the kiss becomes deeper.

 

you felt your heart burst. the cold night air was brushing against your skin, but you didn't exactly feel it as the girl your kissing radiates warmth. her right hand on your neck and her left hand holding the side of your face.

 

she tastes like candy. sweet and your new found favorite taste in the world. you expected her to taste like cherry because that's the flavor of her favorite chapstick. you bought it for her once, but maybe she changed it to something sweeter.

 

you smile into the kiss as it dawns on you that you're kissing the girl you love. the both of you pulled away. unfortunately, air was a hindrance and you both needed to breathe. resting your forehead on hers, you felt like your on cloud nine.

 

you opened your eyes, looking at her calm features. her eyes were still closed and a grin was plastered on her face. the sun was slowly rising on your right, you didn't even realize that the time you both spent together passed so quickly. 

 

"i like the way that you confess." she whispered to you with a smile breaking onto her face. you giggle a bit as you remembered your words.

 

"'i'll give you the moon', seriously? i think i got too cheesy." yerim laughed as she rubbed her thumb across your cheek.

 

"i don't care if it's too cheesy. i love it." she said with a giddy tone. honestly, you're giddy too. earlier, you were just mopping about the fact that the both of you are just gonna be friends. you guess you're wrong. and oblivious.

 

"i love you." she said with such tenderness. her eyes are now open and is staring back at you. the glint of affection was back. and now you're glad you know what it means. smiling softly, you gave her a peck on the lips.

 

"i love you too." the sun is fully up now and the both of you have officially gone on a day without sleeping. you don't mind, though. the moon pushed you to tell her your feelings. it did the same for her too. now, you're smiling like an idiot as she kissed your nose.

 

"i'm hungry, let's go grab some quick breakfast?" she said, breaking the sweet moment. you roll your eyes as you pulled away from her, continuing to tie your shoelace.

 

"as long as it's your treat."

 

"fine, fine. anything for my small princess." 

 

you glare at her. everything was now back to normal, but the both of you are no longer best friends. the both of you are something more and that made you grateful for this night.

 

you swear to the stars that you'll do everything to take care of your own little ball of sunshine. you thank the moon as she helped you tell the girl beside you your feelings.

 

no matter how rough it may get, i'd still give her the moon. 

because the moon is special to me and so is choi yerim.