“Do you know that I like midnights?”

Sana, out of the blue, stated rather than ask, that made the other just stare at her with tranquility instead of a confused face.

“I can imagine myself out for a long ride and admiring the city lights while listening to some relaxing music. You know, driving on the expressway, but doesn’t really have an exact destination.”

Jeongyeon just chuckled at her, doesn’t know what to respond, so she just listens to the girl’s random thoughts. It happens almost every single time, and she’s not complaining though, rather, she’s all ears for the girl, always.

“It gives me chills every single time.”

Sana really, really likes everything about midnights. She likes the darkness, the serene feeling it gives, the peace of mind she gets when the clock strikes 12 and everything around her is just so quiet and she doesn’t have any disturbance. She loves it when her mind goes off wandering about many other things she doesn’t know she’s capable of imagining in the day. She’s totally a wanderlust and a er for midnights. She loves the breeze, she loves the way it gives chills to her skin when she decides to stay at their balcony and just be there, staring at the whole calm city with minimal lights from the buildings and the shining stars and bright moon above them. She likes to write all of her thoughts at midnight the most. She loves the productivity she has when she finally sense that the night goes deeper and composed. She surely knows it’s really not healthy to stay late up all night, but she can’t help it, she loves midnight so much and the comfort it brings.

Besides that, she has one midnight experience that she will not and cannot forget her whole life. That one midnight when Jeongyeon decided to sneak out of their house and go to Minatozaki’s humble home at exactly 1am having an “I’ll just throw the house trash outside” as an excuse (that definitely did not work out because who the hell throws the house trash at 1am?!) that made Sana chuckle. They’re both up that night, waiting for the clock to strike half past 12 before Jeongyeon finally let herself be inside Sana’s home.

They just stayed there in their living room. It was awkward at first because who would have thought that they will really take the “let’s stay up all night and do the things we need to do, at the same time” seriously? But they are both there at the moment and so they decided to let it happen. Nothing was done, though. They did not bring any school works and stuff with them that time and they just have their gadgets (Jeongyeon’s phone was low battery, by the way, so she charged it there) and so they decided to just watch some music videos of idol performances and dance practice that made the both of them giggly while dancing with the video playing.

That one midnight was almost perfect, if only they have their respective favorite coffee that time, then it would be perfect, but Sana forgot to stir some for the both of them. But, “it’s okay, I’m still here with you,” said Jeongyeon and Sana never felt so in love, so comfortable in her whole life not until that midnight happened.

It lasted just for an hour when they spent it with just watching videos and preventing them from squealing when their favorites was shown on the screen and also because Jeongyeon likes to suddenly whisper sweet nothings into Sana’s ears that made the latter already melting inside. They talked about anything and everything under the sun, anything that just comes out into their mouths that will lead to deep talks, one that Sana treasures the most because she likes that kind of conversation the most and Jeongyeon is pretty much aware of it. She loves listening to the girl’s unending, interesting stories mainly because of that, she can meet the different sides of Minatozaki Sana that she had learned to love all through the years since she have known the girl. Wait, she had just come to a realization that it has been 6 years already. Six years already since she laid her eyes on Sana and yet she still feels the butterflies in her stomach when Sana giggles, when she scrunches her nose, when she pleads her eyes, when she laugh about little, shallow things, when she’s just so adorable doing every little thing even if it’s just breathing. Six years already has passed but she’s still the Minatozaki Sana that Yoo Jeongyeon has fallen in love with.

Sana’s so certain that she’s in love with midnights, especially that one, when she feels just the right amount of temperature from the midnight breeze. However, that night, the one she likes the most was the warmth Jeongyeon gave. The warmth everytime their arm touches, their hands makes contacts, when Jeongyeon decided to wrap her arms around Sana’s shoulder and half-hug her, when she sometimes play with her hair, when she sometimes pinch her cheeks because “it’s cute, I can’t help it” that will earn her a light punch from the girl.

“Thank you for keeping me warm”

Sana said in her soft voice while leaning her head on Jeongyeon’s shoulder, her iPad then turned off because they decided to stop watching videos and just feel the moment instead. Jeongyeon just hugged the girl tighter, kissing her temple and reaching for her hand to intertwine it with hers. That moment, they both feel they are each other’s and nothing else matters.

She definitely likes the warmth that Jeongyeon has—it can lead her to feeling and thinking that her arms felt like home. And indeed, it is, she is. (it was, she was)

“You are my home”, Sana once said to Jeongyeon (not anymore). Her arms felt like home— like her warm blanket, like her soft pillows, like her favorite food, like her coffee, like her favorite song, like her journal, like the midnight breeze, like the shining stars and the bright moon. Jeongyeon’s arms felt like home that Sana does not want to let go that time, but they both needed to (or their parents will get mad because apparently, besides staying up late at night, Jeongyeon sneaked out). Just by the memory of her stepping inside their humble home at 1 in the morning feels like home, the way she sacrifices walking from their home to Sana’s (some few streets away, five to be exact), despite the lack of street lights and people. She managed still. And they were both the happiest at that moment, knowing that the world is asleep for it to judge them and prevent them from seeing each other and feel that they are, for once, are each other’s home. They were both the happiest because they know that they can do things they want to at that moment, without any restrictions, without any nagging, without the split screen, without the responsibilities, without the negativity and what if’s and maybe’s and overthinking. They were both the happiest because they can be just Yoo Jeongyeon and Minatozaki Sana that time.

And that night, for Sana, it really feels like home. Up until now, going back to that moment and remembering every little detail about it still gives chills in her whole being. That midnight was special, a one-of-a-kind that she knows will be her first and last, that she knows will never happen again.

Jeongyeon was once Sana’s own home. Sana just suddenly misses the warmth that encircles not just in her arms, but her whole being that can only be brought by the girl. She misses those moments when her eyes sparkle when Jeongyeon does some overwhelming things like holding her hand, hugging her so tight, when her cheeks blushes because the girl will suddenly just kiss her on the cheeks or say cheesy things like “you’re the prettiest flower I saw in my whole life” or “you’re the best thing that ever happened to me”, when her heart flutters when Jeongyeon’s there, assuring her that she will always be there, will stay with her through thick and thin, will not let go of her hand, will just hug her tight, will support her and cheer for her, will appreciate her in everything she does, will always be proud of her, will always make her feel comfortable and always home, and when she feels so madly, deeply, in love with Yoo Jeongyeon and everything about her. She misses every single thing about the girl.

She loves tracing all the memories she has with the girl that time. The way they both scream (without sound, of course, or they will both be perished) because of their favorite singers, the way they sing along to their favorite mellow songs, the way they dance along to the rhythm of the song, the way they both crave for coffee but was actually afraid to turn on the stove for some hot water because Sana’s parents might suddenly wake up, the way they giggle because of some corny jokes, but they still laugh anyway, the way they feel each other’s presence, the way they hear each other’s heartbeat, the way they hold each other close, so close that they just want to stay there forever.

Sana loves midnights, the breeze it has, the warmth it gives, and how that all felt like Jeongyeon. She loves her that time.