Chaeyoung's face slumped on her desk crammed with open books with pages bleeding in neon green. She's been reading all the goddamn books for the past three days but she remembered nothing. The nuts she's been eating didn't help her at all but gave her pimple on the tip of her nose instead.

"What's ing wrong with you?" She growled in a cry of growing frustration hitting her head with her physics book.

Chaeyoung's patience snapped when her phone vibrated wildly under the stack of books and notes.

"Not at this goddamn midnight!" she hissed before answering the phone, "Lisa?"

The silence and soft sniffling from the other line were enough for Chaeyoung to shoot up straight from her seat and steal Alice's car keys for the second time this month.

~~

"What the hell happened? Do you know what time it is?" Chaeyoung chastised as she stomped towards Lisa who was sitting alone on the swing at the dark and empty park.

She's not angry though but was disappointed that Lisa is in the same situation she promised not to be in for the third time of the year.

"Hey, you came," Lisa sniffed and wiped her puffy eyes. "I thought you wouldn't. You just dropped the call." She forced a laugh.

"Yes, I'm here." She stood in front of Lisa with both hands on her waist. However, her stance softened after seeing how miserable Lisa looked from crying despite her utmost effort to smile. "It's past midnight, Lisa. It's unsafe, I'll drive you home."

She offered Lisa a hand which the latter gladly took. "Chaeng, it's not like we did not sneak out at midnight to go here before." Lisa snickered as she stood up. Despite the four boxes of chocolate milk she chugged earlier, her Chaeyoung will always be her best happy pill. "Come on, let's see the moon."

Lisa headed towards the fence near the neglected bushy part of the park. Chaeyoung did not follow and remained still on her spot instead.

"Lisa," Chaeyoung called. Lisa turned to see her. She could see the hesitation on Chaeyoung's face as the older girl struggled to find the right words.

"I can't." Chaeyoung finally said.

Lisa was silent, waiting for her explanation. Chaeyoung wanted to take back the words she just spat as an ongoing debate was boiling inside her. She tried to make reasonable decisions and put her priorities first. But no matter how much she tried to deny it, she wanted to stay with Lisa tonight.

"I... The university entrance exam is in three days," Chaeyoung mumbled almost to herself, "I need to review."

"Oh, of course." Under the moonlight, Chaeyoung saw the hint of disappointment on Lisa's face which was quickly replaced with an understanding smile. "Yeah, I forgot about that. It's fine, you should go now." She gave Chaeyoung assurance. "Though I hate your miss-know-it-all , Chaeng, I have to say you need to ace that exam, you know." Lisa still managed to .

"Lisa." Chaeyoung almost begged. She could see the misery Lisa was trying to hide behind her goofy mask.

"Don't worry about me, Chaeng. I'll message you if anything happens to me or when I arrive home safely." Lisa beamed. "Besides, we don't want Alice to know that her sister's driving her car around the town at midnight without a license." She winked which earned an amused chortle from her best friend.

"You're an idiot, Lisa." Chaeyoung finally giggled into surrender. She hated to admit but Lisa will always win her over anything.

Lisa helped Chaeyoung climb over the fence that keeps park-goers away from the danger of the riverbank. Both ladies finally made it to the other side, they headed to their spot which they claimed as theirs: an oak tree.

"It must be here." Lisa rummaged the hollow part of the tree, digging out dried leaves and twigs.

"Lisa, that must be a squirrel house you are destroying," Chaeyoung said peeking from behind.

"I didn't know you live here, Chaeng." Lisa caught Chaeyoung rolling her eyes at the comment.

" Lisa, you know exactly where I live." Chaeyoung huffed.

"Yeah. In a squirrel house." Lisa grinned.

"Shut up."

"Aha!" Lisa pulled out a muddy plastic bag, "still here." She beamed waving the bag in front of Chaeyoung's face. Lisa took out a neatly folded black blanket from the bag and gave it a sniff, "smells earthy, but still clean."

After setting the blanket on the grass under the tree, both ladies sat and laid their backs on Ol' Oaky (the name they gave to the tree)

The night was peaceful, the sound of the river streaming softly filled their ears. There were crickets singing and Ol' Oaky's leaves rustling. Both ladies were embraced by the silent night with a clear view of the full moon above them.

Although it was obvious to Chaeyoung what the reason was, she still asked: "why were you crying?"

"Jennie and I broke up," Lisa started. Her voice was heavy as if a sack of cement was on her chest. Even without looking, Chaeyoung could see Lisa's pain, "She was cheating on me. She was cheating on me with Jisoo."

"What?" Chaeyoung coughed.

Lisa was both crying and laughing at Chaeyoung's reaction at the same time, she could be mistaken for a loony.

"So, you broke up with her?"

"No, she broke up with me," Lisa said matter-of-factly.

"What the ," Lisa swore to gods if she could only capture Chaeyoung's face at the moment. She always finds Chaeyoung's reaction adorable and priceless especially when it is because of her idiocy.

After a minute of cackling and crying, mixing of tears and nasal fluids, and a few hits from Chaeyoung for laughing at her, she continued her story.

"I found out about it a month ago, I confronted her. She already wanted to break up with me since then, but I begged for another chance which she granted out of pity."

"You are an idiot, Lisa!" Chaeyoung scolded, "I know you're pretty dumb but I never expected you to reach that level of idiocy!"

Lisa looked at Chaeyoung in the eye, and Chaeyoung could see in those doe orbs a real deal of sadness and pain. She could see as clear as diamond that Lisa was ing hurting.

"Chaeng, I did everything. I gave her gifts, took her to dates, everything, Chaeng," Lisa chocked out. "I gave her my ing everything to win her back. But she still ditched me and treats me like we never happened." Lisa did not hold back anymore, she burst into tears.

Chaeyoung did not respond but instead let Lisa cry. She rubbed Lisa's back, tracing circles to calm her down, hushing lullabies into her ears. When her wailings subsided into soft weeps, Chaeyoung put Lisa's head on her chest and embraced her as tight as she could, protecting her from any harm the world pose.

Chaeyoung held Lisa like her dear life. She planted feathery kisses on her head as if Lisa was a dandelion, that if she's not careful enough she would blow the fragile girl away. Chaeyoung hummed Lisa's tears away, soothed her breathing, took her grief.

Several minutes of silence, Lisa was as peaceful as the river. Her breathing slowed down and tears dried up. Eyes closed, Lisa listened to Chaeyoung's heartbeat next to her ear, the comforting melodies escaping from her best friend's lips. Lisa curled her body as small as possible, fitting it to Chaeyoung like a missing puzzle piece. She needed her closer, she wanted Chaeyoung not to let go of her. Forever. Let alone people abandon her, but if Chaeyoung let goes, Lisa would crumble.

"Promise me not to leave me, Chaeng," Lisa whispered.

Chaeyoung's breath hitched, a lump formed in , her heart was beating madly in her chest. When she got no reply, Lisa lifted her head to see Chaeyoung's face.

"Will you stay with me, Chaeng?" Lisa repeated. Their faces were dangerously close. Lisa's warm breath hit Chaeyoung's lips with noses almost colliding.

Chaeyoung saw it coming. She was at the edge, ready to jump and drown in Lisa's pleading eyes. Chaeyoung never thought love could taste this bitter. She cursed the gods and goddess for pitting her and Lisa's lonely hearts against each other. Dancing around their feelings, playing with fire.

Both girls swam in the tingling sensation growing between them. They wanted it, they craved for it, but both of them were holding back. If only one of them was brave enough to gamble, to break the wall, to cross the line.

Little did they know it would only take just one kiss to draw all the answers to the millions of questions they had in their heads. If only one of them was bold enough to risk that kiss.

Heartbeat ringing in her ears, Chaeyoung decided to let go of everything she's holding back, to jump off the cliff to the sea of uncertainty, to place the bet to the dangerous game she, Lisa and the gods above were playing.

Chaeyoung kissed Lisa's lips. Lisa kissed her back. The butterflies in their stomachs broke free turning into white doves. Chills ran to the tip of their spines but it was the heat that radiated from their skin. Their minds were clouded by explosions of unfamiliar yet entrancing sensations. Their lips burned against each other, their lungs gasped for air. They tasted their salty tears, the bitter lies, the sweetness of unspoken feelings for each other that aged like wine.

Through the kiss, Chaeyoung answered Lisa's question. And through the kiss, Lisa begged for more.