Yoohyeon didn't even know when or where it particularly started. It just happened without notice.

 

She and Bora has been friends ever since the other girl started punching kids for fun and making their noses bleed for just literally sitting next to her. The other girl was clumsy that way and she still is. Kindergarten was a blur but there were existing pictures for proof and there were also several instances taken where she fell victim to Bora and her deadly elbow.

 

Maybe that did it. She doesn't really know. 

 

To her eyes, all these years, Bora looked exactly just like any other normal girl- nothing extraordinary, small bean with a pretty face. That's what she always thought of her. 

 

She couldn't exactly trace when the change occured because these days, she couldn't help but just stare at the other girl. 

 

Like right now, they're hanging out at their favourite coffee shop and there she finds herself staring at Bora. The other girl was talking about how her day went and she can remember hearing up until 'the guy who had the audacity to ask her out' and then nada. 

 

She was just lost, lost in her eyes- bewitched rather. She noticed features she hasn't seen before. The way her eyes sparkled and how animated she becomes as she spoke of the things she's experienced for the day. The way her nose crunches up in perhaps a way that's a bit too cute for her to take and she wants nothing but to just pinch it herself 'til she heard her seemingly irritated grunt which is a warning before the attack on her armpit starts and yes, the way she laughs and how her voice seems to capture every inch of her attention, holding her grounded within her grasp without her knowing.

 

Perhaps, she's been staring for too long that she didn't notice the other girl doing what she's best at. Surprising her.

 

Bora, who's now sitting in front of her, stood up for a bit and bent down her body, leaning dangerously close to her face which inevitably woke her up from her daze. "Did you just-?"

 

A loud laugh was then heard around the coffee shop, it's a good thing there weren't that much customers around. "Why? You were daydreaming, loser and you know damn well how I dislike it when people ignore me. What were you even thinking?" Bora went back on her sitting position, with her arms crossed and her back touching the back of the seat. The other girl's looking at her with a pout on her face and one thing's for sure, she thinks Bora's too cute that it hurts. 

 

Still lost in the moment, she tried to regain her composure. Yoohyeon, clearing , said the most likely thing for her to say, "You. I'm thinking about you." which earned a chuckle from the other girl. Bora leaned close to her, body bending forward as she placed both her hands on the table and supported her face with it, still looking at her with a playful glint in her eyes.

 

"Why? Fallen for me yet, pup?"

 

"Says the one who's obviously head over heels for me." Yoohyeon leaned in as well, copying Bora's gesture before giving the other girl a wink which earned a loud screaming from the other girl, her eyebrows furrowed and her lips curled in a way which Yoohyeon think is funny and cute. She can only laugh as she felt Bora hitting her arm non-stop. 

 

They have always been like this, casually flirting knowing there's no feelings behind it, no need to probe deeper. It's all for fun and games. Apparently, a game Yoohyeon thinks she doesn't like playing anymore but she won't dare and tell Bora that. 

 

It's just weird how she's feeling all this crap for Bora now. She grew up with the other girl, both have at some point showered together and have seen each other's female parts (during grade school), confessed secrets to one another like what sisters do, went through hell with the other and survived. Best friends, that's what they are and that shouldn't change, should it? The lines between what friends do and what lovers do weren't really crossed, were it? 

 

"Are you really just best friends? I thought you guys were already dating." She remembers Siyeon telling her during Sophomore year. Looking back, all they did was hangout and it doesn't really matter where. There were also days where Bora would just persuade her to skip classes for a road trip and sing-along to their favourite songs. 

 

Some days, the other girl would just drag her to the places she'd like to eat and rate the place as if she's a professional food critic (she remembers how she'd jot down the names of the restaurants they've been and putting weird golden stars beside it like how Rachel Berry from Glee does it with her name). During the nights, since middle school, the other girl would just crash to her place as if she owned the house herself to the point that she's bossing her around and she doesn't really know why she follows anyway. Watching films 'til they fall asleep is their thing but that's pretty normal for friends to do right? 

 

She remembers one instance where she thought she heard Bora whisper something in her ear during their movie nights. 

 

They were watching some romantic comedy from the 60's which, as usual, was Bora's choice. The title, as far as she can remember was Breakfast at Tiffany's. She doesn't even know why Bora likes those kinds of film. The girl has been single since forever, as far as she know of. They're very transparent with one another and its highly unlikely that Bora will lie and date someone without her knowing. The girl is a blabber mouth. 

 

"Stop being such a baby." Bora said, threatening her to stop talking as directed her focus from the other girl to the movie they're watching. 

 

Bora's sitting crossed-legged on the couch with Yoohyeon's head on her lap. Apparently, the younger girl was bored out of her mind and is just staring at Bora's rather funny looking face, from the way 's slightly agape and her eyes dilated, obviously focused on the movie. With a sudden thought in her head, she decided to take a handful of popcorn from the the box she's handling and shove it without warning to Bora's slightly agape mouth.

 

"Mmsmmsggghsusk." Yoohyeon, now laughing at Bora and the inaudible sounds the girl is creating as the number of popcorn in is forbidding her from speaking clearly, clapped her hands at the sight. Bora, trying her best to chew the remaining popcorn in , tried to strangle the other girl but Yoohyeon was quick. She immediately got off the couch and ran to the direction of the kitchen. And there the cat and mouse chase happened, the movie long-forgotten as they ran around the room. 

 

Yoohyeon's parents wasn't home which is a good thing because loud laughters and clanging of equipments filled the house, and it's always like that whenever Bora's around. With Bora, there's never a dull moment in Yoohyeon's life. 

 

The both of them got tired eventually and crashed on the couch, with Yoohyeon sprawled underneath Bora who's now lying on top of her, the other girl's back facing her front body. 

 

"Was this a part of your plan?" Bora asked in intervals as she tried to catch her breath. 

 

"What plan?" Bora smiled wryly as a reaction which because of their position, Yoohyeon didn't notice. 

 

"Were you planning to distract me from the movie by exhausting me and as a result, have me on top of you like right now? 

 

"Oh please, it was your choice to suffocate me with your teeny tiny body." 

 

"You like it, don't you?" She can hear the teasing tone from Bora's voice and she can't just back off and say nothing. 

 

"And what if I do?" 

 

"What do you say if we kiss right now?" Yoohyeon can feel her head heating up with the other girl's proposal. Bora was wearing a small pair of blue cotton shorts and a loose tank top and the thought of them kissing made her sweat even more. 

 

Yoohyeon pushed Bora off of her and sat up straight, dusting off the black shorts she's wearing to divert her attention somewhere else. She can hear Bora chuckling beside her. The girl was now sitting on the couch with her legs crossed once again. "You know, you've been watching way too much romantic movies. If you wanna kiss someone, of course that person should be your girlfriend first." Yoohyeon knows she's rambling but she realised that it's a little too late to take it back. 

 

"So, you want to be my girlfriend is that it?" 

 

They've been flirting for a long time now that sometimes, she can't even tell the difference if the girl is still teasing or being truthful. To be sure, a playful remark is what she retorted. 

 

"Girlfriends are for girls and boys, I want you to be my wife." This time she heard no screaming, nor was the other girl's face contorted in such a funny way like it used to before. Instead, she was greeted with a smile and a mouthed and silent 'I love you' from the girl. Yoohyeon knows better its not 'that' kind of I love you that she's thinking about- romantic and for the ones in love. 

 

"Come here." Bora murmured softly. 

 

And she did. 

 

They went back to their position earlier, with her head resting on Bora's lap which felt more cozy and warmer than it has been earlier that its almost lulling her to asleep. She can feel Bora's hand running through her hair and she thought it was the best feeling ever. 

 

Maybe there were lines that were crossed at some point but if it's Bora, Yoohyeon thinks it's alright. 

 

Minutes has passed and Yoohyeon felt herself dozing off but before she can fully take off to dreamland, Bora said something which didn't immediately registered in her head. Bora leaned in closer to her ear, tucking the strands of her hair behind it before murmuring the words the girl's been dying to say since high school. "I really love you. And no, not just as a friend, dummy. Sleepwell." 

 

"I love you too."

 

Yoohyeon furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and shock as she realised what she just said and with the girl in front of her now looking as bewildered as her was like a cold water being splashed right in her face, bringing her back to the reality in a cruel manner. 

 

They're still in the coffee shop and taking a trip to the memory lane with the person involved present right in front of you is not really a good idea. 

 

"H-huh?" Bora said with a hint of confusion in her voice. 

 

Yoohyeon went silent for a while. After all these years, that memory came back with a big roar and out of all the times she will remember, of course it has to be now. The world is just cruel.

 

But now, looking back, Siyeon was right afterall. They weren't just friends. 

 

Bora always looked at her like that, with such intensity and longing. Like she's in love with her. After all these times, she thought the other girl was too good that she of auditioning as an actress because her acting is superb that it looks real. All the bickering and fighting of who's gonna back down this time? She thought it's because of the girl's habit of always wanting to win, that it's all because of her ego. She's so stupid because it was just real. The looks, the gestures, the way the other girl stayed single after all these years.

 

And it was also dumb of her to think that all she felt for the other girl was just how you're supposed to feel for your friend. Hell, would you want to just pin your friend down and kiss the daylights out of them because you thought they have such great lips and beautiful eyes and because you just really want to raise a child with them and grow old together?

 

Maybe her blurting out a confession at this point isn't that bad. It's like bottling up a bunch of feelings and its utterly inevitable for you to just keep them for life. It will all eventually explode so why not take the risk now, while it's not too late? 

 

"I love you." Yoohyeon said with such clarity. 

 

Bora, on the other hand raised her eyebrows and titled her head in confusion but decided to just play it cool, since she thought this was just the usual thing for them to do. "Of course you do and I-"

 

"No, not just like what you think. I love you, Bora." Yoohyeon kept her eyes focused on Bora's. The other girl's face is now obviously showing the shock it couldn't hide no more. But Yoohyeon kept going. 

 

"To be honest, I didn't realise this until now. Of course, these days I have noticed myself staring at you for too long or pretending to listen to the things you say without really absorbing anything because I just really want to listen to your voice." Yoohyeon paused for a moment, testing the waters as she observed Bora's reaction before continuing. "I never thought this day would come but accidentally, because of my clumsiness, it arrived with no warning at all. I know it's weird but I just... love you. All of you. I love how you get so excited when you're talking about the things you love, the way the tone of your voice changes when you're telling a story, the way you crunch up your nose when you smell cheese from afar, the way you laugh with all the noises of small a's reverberating after laughing so hard that you make it too hard for me not to laugh with you at all. You bring out the best in me and here I thought all along, you were just this good friend of mine, always by my side, looking over for me."

 

"You know how you always joked that I'm your endgame?" Yoohyeon took a deep breath before proceeding to hold the other girl's hand, squeezing her thumb and caressing it with an utmost care. 

 

"Can we make it come true?" 

 

"I thought you'd never ask." 

 

Then, almost in slow motion, Yoohyeon reached up to the other girl's face, leaving a trail on the side of Bora's cheeks. The touch was as warm and tender as the other girl's hold on her hand, and it sent chills down Bora's spine. The blonde-haired girl moved to trace her upper lip which evoked something from Bora's chest, a sigh coming from . She just hopes this moment won't end soon. 

 

 

She's been waiting for this moment to happen, all her life. And Yoohyeon's just right in front of her, her heart within the other girl's grasp. 

 

The coffee shop is still as empty as ever which is quite unusual but she can never be thankful enough for this moment only them can cherish forever. 

 

Yoohyeon then slipped her hand to the back of Bora's neck and leaned in to press their lips together. The kiss was soft and light, it was something close to a first love's kiss- tender and fleeting. The other girl pulled back as she looked at Bora for permission which the other girl in response gave a shy nod and a smile. 

 

Their second kiss started slowly as the first one, it was sweet and yet somehow with longing, nervous but perfect. Their lips parted and gently explored each other, a new territory, another wonderful moment to cherish that contributes to a fresh beginning of their road to a lifetime of sweet kisses and murmurs of love gently breezing in their hearts. 

 

Bora shivered as Yoohyeon drags her fingertips at the back of her neck to her jawline in a gentle and yet teasing manner. Feeling brave, Bora reached up to cup Yoohyeon's cheek and ran her thumb back and forth across the soft skin. 

 

After a few more seconds of bliss and sweet- sounding sighs, they broke apart, their foreheads resting together as they caught their breath. Warmth spread through both of their cheeks as their gazes met each other and Yoohyeon thinks Bora is just so pretty and amazing. 

 

"You're so beautiful. I feel like an idiot for not noticing sooner."

 

"And you're adorable when you're frazzled earlier, you know?" 

 

Yoohyeon chuckled at her probably now girlfriend's remark. This is just wonderful and she couldn't ask for more.