CHAPTER 14

            In the morning, Dahyun woke up to a distant shuffling from the living room. She shifted her body on the bed, attempting to get more sleep, yet the noise never subsided. It sounded like hard plastic hitting against the tiled floor of the living room. Eventually, Dahyun sat up and palmed her face.

            The poor girl barely got sleep due to the anxiety and tension the situation brought her. Everything went better, but she still couldn’t get over her own guilt. Waking up to an empty and lonely bed, the thought of Momo crossed Dahyun’s mind.

            It was almost bizarre to think that she wouldn’t be waking up next to the girl anymore. No morning hugs or gentle kisses on her shoulder. It’s okay, the girl thought to herself. She couldn’t deny that it was better than constantly pretending and lying to the innocent woman. Not that she was lying, just that she was unsure. She didn’t want to take any further steps into anything until her heart finally agrees with her brain.

            Dahyun crossed her legs over the edge of the bed and felt for her slippers, which she found after repeatedly tapping the floor with her feet. She put them on before she went outside, sunlight greeting her and blasting her eyes. As a response, she squinted and attempted to adjust to the change in lighting.

            “Good morning, sleepy head!” A familiar voice came from the origin of the noises. Once Dahyun’s eyesight cleared up, she was greeted by Momo on the floor packing clothes back into her suitcase. Somehow, this pulled a feeling of melancholy over Dahyun. Her feet were planted on the ground, her expression frozen and confused. She had to choose whether to frown or to smile, eventually arriving at the conclusion that the latter would be better.

            “Good morning.” Dahyun smiled, scratching the back of her head. A yawn formed the ‘o’ of as she stretched her arms up and bent her back. “Sleepless?” Momo looked up from her bag, her eyes directed to the younger girl’s. Dahyun took a glance and attempted to keep the eye contact without the awkward tension, but she had to look away when she saw how sincere and bustling with emotion her ex-fiance’s eyes were.

            Momo noticed this, but only smiled to not let the tension develop even further. The last thing she wanted to do was make things awkward between them.

            “A bit, but I got enough rest.” Dahyun walked into the kitchen area, looking into the fridge and seeing that all of the groceries from yesterday was already sorted. She froze and closed it, checking the pantry as well. Much to her surprise, all of the items were sorted neatly into the cupboards. “I sorted them earlier this morning.” Dahyun looked over at Momo in playful disbelief. “Momo Hirai being neat and organized? Never thought I’d see the day!”

            Momo giggled and proceeded to fold her clothes and put them into the bag. “I could be if I wanted to be, you know. I’m not a good-for-nothing!” She laughed, but Dahyun pouted in response to her statement. “You’re not a good-for-nothing.”

            Momo froze. In a way, it comforted her that the girl never saw her that way. Dahyun still believed in her and still sincerely cared for her, even when the situation was complicated. This is going to be hard, Momo thought to herself. How could she even resist Dahyun? She didn’t reply directly, but Momo hid her face with a shy flush.

            Grroooowl…

            The room grew silent following the silent growl. Dahyun giggled soon after, Momo following and standing up. “I’ll cook. Will you eat?” The younger girl asks as she brings a pack of sausages out from the fridge. “I’ll head out shortly, you don’t have to cook for me.” Momo sighed as she zipped her luggage close, taking it in hand and extending the handle.

            Dahyun nodded and started to cut the sausages, before she heated the pan and fried them. An alluring aroma filled the dining area as Dahyun sautéed onions aside the sausages. It wasn’t all; she made egg fried rice, too. Momo observed the girl as she cooked, thinking about how much she’ll miss this cooking. As much as she loved her mother’s cooking, Dahyun’s would always be unmatched.

            I’ll miss you. Momo’s mind echoed, but it never made it past her lips. Her subconscious blocked herself from saying such thing, as she knows this would put a damper on Dahyun’s head. She had the greatest desire to say it, to just blurt it out. To say I love you, come back. She wanted to, so bad; but she knows she can’t say that. It won’t bode well for their relationship. It would be selfish of her to express her words, when Dahyun was already being consumed by her own guilt.

            All Momo could do was smile at Dahyun’s back and think about how different it could’ve been. How they could’ve been planning the engagement party, picking out dresses. How beautiful Dahyun could’ve been in a wedding dress, and how emotional she could’ve been waiting for her bride at the altar.

            It was to no avail, now. It was what could’ve been.

            “Have you talked to Chaeyoung? They’re arriving this weekend.” Instead, Momo diverted the topic to keep her mind from losing itself in false memories. Dahyun hummed and took the egg off of the pan, placing it on her plate of rice alongside the toasted sausages. “I’ll talk to her later.” Having thought of the topic, a deeper guilt was punching Dahyun in the gut, and it showed. The older girl could see how bad the former felt since she bought them the trip and paid for their accommodation.

            “Hmm.” Momo hummed, observing Dahyun’s expression. “Are you okay?”

            “I am, don’t worry, Momo.” Dahyun grinned at the woman. You’re lying, the older girl thought. This itched on her mind, knowing that Dahyun wasn’t doing well in the situation. She wanted to make it so much better, but she still respects the girl’s boundaries and this is the best she could do, for now.

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            In an empty walk-in closet, a mess of clothes was spread across the bench that was in the middle of the room. Suits, blouses, shirts, and different pairs of pants were in a pile. Just a few steps away from the mess, a tall Sana Minatozaki was standing in front of a full-length mirror and putting over clothes on her body and trying them on.

            She switched constantly between a crème sweater and a white blouse. Eventually, she groaned in defeat and threw both hangers to the already messy pile of clothes. “Why am I even overthinking this…”

            Defeated, she grabs her phone from her pocket. Unlocking it, a conversation was already opened. It seems that it’s the only window that was open since this morning, except for her e-mail. The text conversation was between her and Dahyun.

            She’s been trying to compose a message since this morning, for some reason. She could never bring herself to hit send, even when she was just going to ask whether or not she’s safe at home. It didn’t help her confusion when she recalled her encounter with Momo last night, as well.

            “Goodluck, Sana.”

            Goodluck with what, exactly?

            Bringing her palm to her face, she sighed out of frustration. She needed to come up to a decision, soon.

            Staring at herself in the mirror, she breathed out and stood up, grabbing a black suit and slack