Inspired by 'lowkey' by Niki.

    Heejin first sees Jungeun around campus at their university. They share the same dance class in the department of practical dance and literature period, but that’s it. Despite their mutual classes, they do not, however, ever cross paths. 

    Their friends are wildly crossing paths every other minute though. Jiwoo knows Jungeun through what sounds like the sweetest, most wonderful childhood. They unfortunately don’t have as much time to hang out with how different their schedules are. But when Jiwoo comes to pick Heejin up for lunch, she typically races to hug Jungeun who returns the affection with a fond look.   

   Jiwoo also likes Sooyoung, another student in their class that Jungeun hangs out with. Jiwoo had animatedly talked over one of their lunch sessions about how Jungeun is going to help set them up. They were to go on a few hang-out dates with Jungeun and someone else and Jiwoo was recommending that Heejin come too.

    “Heekki, please!” 

   “Ah, Jiwoo, please no. I have better things to do than go on a double date with you and them.” Heejin rolled her eyes and taking a hefty bite off her turkey sandwich before humming with satisfaction.

     The taller girl hits her in her side and screaming,”I bought you that sandwich! You owe me!”

    “No, you bought that to break even for the coffees I bought you. Find someone else to do it, I have to prepare for an econ test that day anyways.” Heejin huffs and continues to chew with content. 

     “Heejin,” Jiwoo sighs. “You’re such a heathen, when was the last time you got laid?—“

     The shorter shoots back. “Oh so you want me and Jungeun to hook up?”

      “Hey!” Jiwoo frowns adorably. “I mean sure, if you’re both feeling it, sure. But I’m just saying you should get laid to be less tense. You should also be way more excited about hooking up with Jungeun anyways.”

     Heejin heaves a sigh. “I don’t care about any relationships right now. Besides, Jungeun probably isn’t my type.”

     Her friend an eyebrow at that. “Excuse me? What do you actually know about Jungeun?”

     “I-I-uhm, she’s blonde-ish-not my type.”

     “So maybe her hair is kinda blonde-ish brown and definitely not bubble gum pink, but she’s athletic, a good dancer, and on the swim team. She’s taller than you, smart enough, but humble.” Jiwoo narrows her eyes in annoyance. “Please Heekki! It’s not even a date for you two!”

     “Dude, no. Get someone else please. I’ve got to do.”

     That was the end of the conversation. Declined double date and so forth.

      There’s also a certain Hyejoo that is apparently dating a certain Chaewon. Hyejoo was another place for Jiwoo to get set up with Sooyoung, but was obviously not a go to, even if she was desperate. Hyejoo had this mysterious and off attitude not to be touched except for Chaewon.

     And now Heejin is here in a party and Jungeun is here too. There’s people and way too much alcohol for any reasonable person’s liking. Of course they aren’t reasonable, they’re college students where the furthest one will look ahead is tomorrow’s hang over, who to smash, and finals. 

    Jiwoo is kind of tipsy and following Sooyoung with the most desperate look Heejin has ever seen. She just wants to drink and hook up, it’s kind of been a while for her.     

    She wanders through the crowd, everybody is kind of just college average attractive, spare a few here and there. They’re even less attractive with the sweat coating them as the ride to the harsh rhythm that tries to drown out the heavy pelting rain. 

     Heejin is tipsy and has questionable sobriety as she feels herself loosen and get lost in the crowd, swaying with the rest of the world. Maybe it’s the weed in the air. She swings herself towards the drink bar-table in one corner of the room and sees ing Kim Jungeun talking to a blonde upperclassmen, something Jinsoul who has her arm touching her bicep. Heejin stumbles her way over to Jiwoo’s best friend when Jinsoul leaves with a flirty eyebrow which Jungeun gives a slightly annoyed look to…? Heejin is either too excited, drunk, high, or any combination of insanity to care. 

    Jungeun is going edgy and looks pretty hot right now. She’s got a short sleeve button down that crops to her toned stomach along with torn up, way too, like—illegally tight skinny jeans, her brown hair in a messed up ponytail. The two buttons undone at the top of the shirt letting her collar slide open to let her collarbones breathe is ing attractive. There’s also goddamn suspenders hanging at her waist, suspenders. It’s ing hot. Heejin can totally see why Jiwoo thought Jungeun was a prince when she first saw her. 

    “Jungeun,” Heejin smirks into place next to her target. She sits on a bar stool by where Jungeun had suddenly moved. 

     The fine prince turned her head to her left to see who called her. “Heejin?”

     “Yeah, Jiwoo’s friend.” The shorter one reaches her hand out. “I see you now and then, but I don’t think we’ve met formally.”

    Jungeun gives a fond smile,” You think a party like this is formal?”

     “Well, maybe that wasn’t the best way to phrase it.” Heejin quips with a dangerously playful edge. “I mean, we’ve never had a proper conversation beyond hello.”

    “Let’s go beyond hello then, and Jiwoo and our venn diagram of friends for that matter.” Jungeun gives this crazy curious and tempting look. “We’re a blank canvas.”

    Heejin nods,”Alright then...Then let’s paint.”

    Their cups bash into each other as they cheer to a new greetings and drink.

    The taller starts them off in a ping pong match of questions and conversations. Who’s older, birthday’s included. They’re favorite colors, Heejin likes pink, Jungeun likes red. Favorite animal, a bunny and an owl. They both agree that their dance instructor is cool as hell and their literature teacher is vastly reminiscent of an ugly hippo. Jungeun thinks sports are about the experience and growth, Heejin likes winning. Heejin’s dad is a cop, Jungeun’s dad is in jail (a large ‘oh’ came from the shorter girl and a shrug from the other). One likes caligraphy while the other has handwriting best described as “sophisticated chicken scratch”.

   Time is passing quickly as they pass back and forth their little bits and pieces of their lives. It could be a transaction of information if it weren’t for their chemistry. Something between genuine care or curiosity, flirting, or provocation. It was startlingly natural for them, especially the flirty comments they’ve been making.

    “What’re you thinking about?” Jungeun asks in a sultry voice when her partner stares off. 

    “Wonder what I’ll do when the cops come through.” The shorter chirps. The party was definitely getting worse, people are screaming and passing out, there’s noises from the pool outside, footsteps from the roof...

    “What about when the whiskey runs out?” The older the looks away with a chuckle.     “Oh, honestly… ” The younger drawls. “Well, I’ve been looking at you since half past two, you wanna take this downtown?” She gives a hard stare before adding,” Sorry, liquid courage makes me a little too honest.”

     Jungeun’s phone pings with a picture of the previously mentioned blonde smiling in a mirror selfie along with a slu of texts. She heaves a sigh before sliding them away. 

    Heejin continues,”Put your phone on vibrate, you’re killing the vibe. We can catch a better one with it off and the sun down.”

    “Really? You’ve got that much of a ‘vibe’?” Jungeun challenges.

    “Hell yeah.”

    That’s all it takes for Heejin to sloppily surge forward from her bar stool to crush her lips into the taller girl. Her right hand finds purchase in Jungeun’s hair and the other on her suspenders. 

    They’re making out. Heejin is ing making the shots tonight. Jungeun seems here for the ride. 

    Electric like the lightning and thunder outside. The way they move with and for each other, it’s a little drunk, a little crazy and impulsive and the perpetrator loves every ing second of this. So does the victim, especially when the shorter girl bites her lip until it bleeds while simultaneously bringing the hand on her suspenders to along her stomach. This is so ing—

   Jungeun pulls back, not at the bite (that was hella amazing), but when she hears familiar laughter of Jiwoo—

    Heejin, shocked at the lessened support tilts (falls) forward into her y prince of the night and wraps her arms around the broad swimmer’s shoulders. She whispers at the shell of her ear,“ Why’d you stop?” 

    When she gains no reply she asks again because where they were was just so ing good. “Jungeun?” Her hand the bare skin of her stomach again.

     Jungeun responds to the touches, though she tries to hide the shiver. “Yeah, sorry. We’re a little too ed up to stay still.”

    “Do you want to stay still?” The younger asks, pinching skin in challenge.

    The taller yelps out and has an arm looped at Heejin’s waist to keep them from toppling over. “No, just be quiet, if a drunk Jiwoo or Sooyoung sees—“

    “They’re just gonna blow up.” They say at the same time. 

     The two simper to each other. Now Heejin truly does not ing care if Jinsol and Jungeun are a thing or if the swimmer is taken at all. She mumbles hotly,” I just thought I’d let you know the bedroom at my place is vacant.”

    “Oh, hell yeah.” The swimmer echoes, no one has got to know. “Just us until the sun starts wa—“

    Heejin grabs her wrist and yanks her out into the cold night on their way to her apartment. 

   ...

    Neither of them brought a ing car and it’s ing raining. The taller forcefully shrugs the shorter girl into her jacket for the sake of kindness. It makes Heejin laugh at how dramatic they are, whipping their hair around as they run through the empty streets.

    They make out when cars pass, loud honks come for them to pay attention when they have the right away. Heejin’s hands never leave the swimmer’s body, clinging to her waist, her arms, her neck to pull further in.

    Jungeun keeps contact too, gripping onto Heejin’s sleeve causing her arm to follow and contort wherever the other girl’s spontaneous hands choose. It makes them chuckle and smile into toothy, hilariously drunk kisses. 

    Heejin thinks if she saw them right bow she would think them a drunk in love couple, but they barely know each other. They only know baseline facts to have enough trust to go and screw each other, and maybe enough chemistry or decency to keep in contact afterwards. 

    The alcohol wasn’t actually as strong