I woke up groggily, searching for the body beside me when I slept. The sound of wheels rolling on the floor further pulled me out of unconsciousness. Through my half-lidded-eyes I caught a glimpse of Chaeyoung taking our suitcases out of the room. Peering at the floor-to-ceiling window I noticed the sun hasn’t come up yet. The soft glow of the full moon streamed into the dark quiet room.

“I’m sorry,” Chaeyoung startled me as she spoke, barely a whisper, but it sent chills down my spine. “did I wake you?”

I shook my head and patted the space beside me in the big queen-sized bed. A heavy moment passed before Chaeyoung crawled in under the covers and into my open arms. Her hair smelled of fresh picked oranges, the slight citrus and sweet scent filling my head.

How long has she been awake?

Slowly caressing her hair, I hummed a random tune to try and ease her rapidly beating heart. Chaeyoung has her arm wrapped around my waist, gripping the loose shirt I chose to wear. The bed began to shake as Chaeyoung’s breathing quickened. Underneath the duvet covering our bodies, a small bump near the foot of the bed frantically moved.

“Chaeyoung?”

Her reply only came through a strangled moan. I urged to move her head to face me by placing my left hand on her cheek. My palm instantly became wet from the fast rolling tears from Chaeyoung’s round eyes. I failed to notice her crying that evidently left a patch on my shirt.

“What’s wrong Chaengie?”

Chaeyoung didn’t respond but rather studied my face, her gaze falling from my eyes, down to my lips, and finally stopped at my neck. My body stilled from Chaeyoung’s intense stare, neither of us dared to move. Her eyes went back up to my eyes, the tears have stopped falling leaving her face plump and red. Chaeyoung said nothing and returned back with her head against my chest. I let her, deciding not to push on the matter further.

She’ll come around.

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

“Can’t you just stay here? Get into NAS instead, their old looking buildings suit your taste. Make you feel like a princess in those shabby castles.”

Tzuyu’s comment earned her a nice hard shove away from me. The tall model never failed to lighten my mood, no matter how down I would get Tzuyu knew exactly what to say.
Early morning busy rush filled Sydney Airport, families, business people, and any other in between that flew in for a short trip to this city hurried off to counters and gates before hopping on a plane. We’re just waiting for the Japanese girls to finish checking in before we leave Tzuyu behind.

“As much as I like to, I can’t just leave in the middle of the semester.”

“Then finish this year and take your last here!”

“That’s the thing, I only have a year left. Besides, you fly around the world in most day.”

Tzuyu sighed before hugging again. “I’ll miss you.” I laughed at Tzuyu’s unusual display of ~ “and you’re being clingy.”

I noticed that Mina and Sana already finished checking in so I pushed the giant towards the red head’s direction making her land against Sana’s front to which the latter wrapped her waist around the former to keep her from falling.

“I’m so sorry”

Tzuyu hurriedly pried herself off of Sana’s grasp and moving far from her, even avoiding her gaze. I turned to Mina as if asking ‘what was that?’, to which she merely shrugged. Brooding silence loomed over the four of us, it was deafening, more so than the loud chatter resonating in the busy establishment. A burly man shoving Mina aside urged us to move from our spot by the counters.

“You guys should go now. It was nice seeing you Chaeng, and uhm-it was nice to meet you, both of you, Mina… Sana”

Mina gave Tzuyu a hug but Sana on the other hand only kept her head down low, curtly nodding at Tzuyu. The tall brunette sighed, defeated. I pulled her into an embrace once again, “I’ll call you when I get home. You have some explaining to do.” With one last squeeze, Tzuyu let go of me.

Security was quick and we also didn’t have much time to stay and eat so it only took a few minutes before we boarded the plane headed back home. In about an hour or so we were back in Melbourne and it is starting to get hot. We arrived during the afternoon with the blazing sun well up in the sky. Mina and Sana took a different cab ride home since we lived in opposite directions. I bid them goodbye and went in to my own cab heading home.

Instead of looking out the window, I decided to call Tzuyu as I grew impatient by the minute we were help up in the sky. Luckily, she picked up after three rings,

“You got home alright?”

“Splendidly darling, thank you.” I know how hard Tzuyu rolled her eyes at the awful posh accent I did, but you gotta loosen up the prey they say.

“So, you called…”

“I did say I would. The two aren’t with me anymore so don’t worry. I’m all ears with what you’re about to say, and you can’t hang up without telling me every detail.”
A pause lingered between the line.

“Every detail, you say?”

“Yes Chou, all the details.”

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

“I take it back! Too much detail, Sana-chan!”

The moment we got to our apartment, I cornered Sana into spilling what happened between her and Tzuyu. I didn’t expect her to tell me everything! I’d have to warn Momo about the stairs the next time she plans to visit the model’s home.

“I haven’t even gotten to the part where I met her parents.”

Oh right, the actual reason why I sat her down for.

“Just, no more extra-curricular activities please.”

“Don’t worry, there won’t be anymore.”

“Come with me.”

“Where are we going?"

“Just next door, don’t worry.”

Tzuyu led Sana out of Chaeyoung’s childhood home and into the streets outside. Situated just beside the Son’s residence is another marvelously made house, a structure that would be more appropriately addressed as a mansion, but unlike the former with its modern design this appeared to be more classical and vintage. Brick walls obscuring the onlookers from peering inside the grandeur estate made up its façade.

The two women walked the concrete path and up the platform where a good 9-foot platinum door stood. Even Tzuyu was suddenly dwarfed by the massive thing. Tzuyu punched in a code into the screen to the left. A sounding beep was heard as Tzuyu reached out to push the door that Sana failed to notice lacked a knob.

Nothing prepared the Japanese from what lay inside the walls. Every surface, every corner, even the marble floor they stood on screamed expensive. Sana felt afraid to even make a single step with how fragile and untouchable everything looked. She opted to look around instead, turning her head every which way. There stood two porcelain vases beside the staircase, a Baroque painting hung on the wall above the fire place, classical music resonated throughout, a beautiful woman appeared from our right greeting Tzuyu with a tight embrace.

“Mum”

Oh, it’s her mom… IT’S HER MOM?

“Sana”

Sana jumped from surprise, immediately reaching her hand out to the breathtaking woman (not as much as Tzuyu tbh) in front of her. Tzuyu’s mother took Sana’s hand in hers, but rather than shaking it, she pulled Sana into a hug of her own and whispered “Thank you” before letting go.

“Have you two eaten anything yet?”

Tzuyu replied saying that Chaeyoung’s mom prepared a feast for them, so much so that most of the food were left untouched. Mrs. Chou directed the two into their living room, plush Victorian couches filled the room, more paintings and more expensive looking vases. Tzuyu chatted with her mother, catching her up on how her modeling gigs are going, they’d pull her in to the conversation in passing, the older female Chou asking Sana questions, but Sana preferred to stay silent for once.

She chose to admire the close bond between the two women. It seemed like Tzuyu could talk to her mother about anything, and Sana feels the same way about her own. Growing up as an only child, she only had her parents to lean on to. She had friends of course, but her best friends would definitely be her mom and dad. She suddenly realized how she’s missed them these past few months, the longest that Sana’s been away from home.

“Honey! Look who’s here.”

Mrs. Chou’s chirpy voice made Sana turn her head where the lady’s eyes are directed, from the entry way of the living room walked in a tall handsome man possibly in his mid-late 40s. His suit, his hair, his aura all exuded authority and confidence. Especially the hair, it’s style reminiscent that of Clark Kent.

Tzuyu bounced off her seat and ran to the arms of, most probably, her father. He picked her up and spun her around eliciting a giggle from the girl. A smile unknowingly spread across Sana’s face from the heartwarming display of affection she’s witnessing. Sana has seen Tzuyu joke around with Chaeyoung, but here, with her parents it’s evident that she’s the darling of the family; the baby.

Mr. Chou placed Tzuyu back down and looked down to where Sana sat. She hurriedly stood up to offer her hand and introduce herself.

“Minatozaki Sana”

Unlike Tzuyu’s mother, he shook Sana’s hand nice and form with a gentle squeeze before letting go. He sat down on a chair opposite the couch the women were occupying while Tzuyu sat back down beside Sana situating herself between her mother and the Japanese.

A second round of “how are yous” and “I miss yous” filled the conversation. Tzuyu’s father however, payed more attention to asking Sana questions rather than asking her daughter of the things she’s been up to. The usual, “where did you grow up?” “what does your family do?” “what did you study?” and “what are you doing here?’ was thrown at her. Sana answered them all of course, no intention of lying or hiding anything really.

One question stood out from the rest though, one that Sana would ponder on for a while, even long after they left the Chou residence.

“Why Tzuyu?"