Time is running out and Nayeon just wants to spend every second with Jihyo.

 

-

 

Nayeon feels a little bit out of place. She’s in a new university with new sets of people she doesn’t completely know. Interacting is okay for her, but usually, she doesn’t make the first move.

 

It was difficult for her because of her growing trust issues and the baggage she has been carrying around. The pain and suffering is still haunting her and she can’t stop thinking. Thinking and thinking until her thoughts eat her and she has nobody else around.

 

If Nayeon is good, she’s incredibly good at isolating herself from everyone. Even those who are the closest to her.

 

That alone scares her, because one day, she’ll wind up alone. No one likes staying for people who push them away when all they want to do is to help her. Then again, that’s what she thinks, but no person is a rehabilitation center.

 

She knows she needs to deal with some things alone.

 

The other problem for Nayeon is, when she’s attached to a person, she becomes too dependent. She doesn’t want that, so that’s another reason why she doesn’t like it when people get too close. She likes keeping them at a certain distance.

 

With that, she asks, why the hell is she chasing after Park Jihyo?

 

Well, not literally, it’s just that when Nayeon found out that the woman she loved in secret is leaving soon. There’s not much time, because she’s afraid that once Jihyo sets foot on another country, all the memories of the two of them will start to fade.

 

Nayeon doesn’t want that.

 

She wants to spend every single moment with her, she wants to let Jihyo feel that she’s loved and that she truly loves her.

 

Even if Jihyo doesn’t.

 

-

 

It was Nayeon’s first day. She was terrified to say the least, hoping that nothing goes wrong in a new environment. Her previous school has contained so many memories that it hurt her. She wanted to get away from there for a while.

 

Sure, there were a lot of amazing memories as well. However, things started to fall apart when she was in her senior year.

 

Four years in that school, she met the most amazing people ever, but eventually, Nayeon kept her distance. Not wanting to get too close to them, that’s why she transferred.

 

Walking down the unfamiliar hallways, there were a lot of people staring. She didn’t like it one bit. Nayeon wasn’t the only transferee here, right?

 

She then bumped into someone while spacing out. “I’m sorry!”

 

The two of them bent down to get Nayeon’s book. “No, I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking.”

 

“It’s okay. I kind of spaced out there,” Nayeon scratches her head, and the blonde woman hands her the book. “I’m Nayeon.”

 

“Jeongyeon, new here?” she smiles, receiving a nod from the other girl. “Which class?”

 

“Room 187,” Nayeon says. “You?”

 

“Hey, me too! Shall I tour you?” Nayeon nods, and the two of them walk side-by-side.

 

Nayeon does her best to push out some thoughts. Jeongyeon was her first friend, and she didn’t want to ruin it immediately. She, however, keeps in mind that she wouldn’t get too close.

 

The two of them arrive at their classroom after a short tour, sitting together in the back row because why not? Who likes sitting up in front?

 

“...Wait, you came from that prestigious school? Why move here?”

 

Nayeon smiles. “Well, the people there I guess? Gives me bad flashbacks. I miss the ambience of the school, though.”

 

“Yeah, I heard that there’s a home-y feel every time you go there,” Jeongyeon replies. “I’ve been wanting to go there for a long time now, but I never got the chance.”

 

“We could go there sometimes. I’ll tour you like you toured me.”

 

“Hey, that’s not a bad idea, but won’t you bump into the people you’re running away from?”

 

Nayeon shrugs. “Whatever. We’re going there for the serenity, not the people anyway.”

 

“True,” Is all Jeongyeon says, because their professor stepped in. “Let’s discuss more later at lunch. I’m with a couple of friends, if that’s okay with you?”

 

“No problem. I’d love to meet them,” Nayeon smiles.

 

-

 

To be honest, Nayeon didn’t really expect that she’d gain friends at this school so easily. She wanted to put up with being unnoticed, being invisible to everyone, but with that pretty face of hers and her charming bunny teeth, she wouldn’t go unnoticed.

 

Currently, she is sitting with Jeongyeon’s friend, Sana. “Hi, new girl!”

 

“Sana, she has a name, you know,” Jeongyeon smacks her head.

 

“Ow!” Sana grunts and steals her sandwich. Nayeon watches them, amused.

 

Suddenly, she recalls her old friends that she left. Somehow, feeling guilty now that she thinks of it. But, then again, it wasn’t her fault that she went away. It was never her fault.

 

Jeongyeon and Sana’s bickering went on, then after a few minutes, another woman sits down at their table. “Jihyo!”

 

Nayeon looks at her, and boy, her heart skipped a beat. She was gorgeous. “Meet Nayeon. She’s new here, be nice or else.”

 

“Or else what?” Jihyo puts on a serious face and then later on smiles. “Kidding. Hey, nice to meet you. I hope these two didn’t embarrass you on your first day.”

 

“Hey!” they said in unison.

 

“What!” Jihyo matches their energy, then they laugh. “Remember when the both of you decided it was okay to embarrass me in front of my crush?”

 

Sana laughs. “She still found you cute though.”

 

“Yeah, I know,” Jihyo blushes then smiles. “So, Nayeon, why did you move here?”

 

Nayeon was munching on her food, not really paying attention, but when she heard that Jihyo was somehow taken, she somehow felt bad yet relieved. Bad because she was really, really, pretty, and relieved because at least now in her new school, she wasn’t going to become attached and chase after a person who literally doesn’t care about her.

 

After chewing, she answered Jihyo’s question the same way she did with Sana and Jeongyeon earlier. She wasn’t really trying to open up to them because again, she doesn’t want whatever happened to happen again.

 

-

 

Honestly, it was a long story.

 

In Nayeon’s previous school, she was somehow popular. She had a circle of amazing friends that she wouldn’t trade for with anyone else in the world. Her grades were outstanding, and she was part of the school’s softball team.

 

That is where she met Mina.

 

Mina was in the lower batch, so technically, Nayeon was her senior and her mentor in softball. Mina was new to the sport, however, she really wanted to play and try it out, so she did. The coach didn’t approve of her, but Nayeon saw potential, and basically, the majority of the softball team were seniors and were either moving to another country or to another school.

 

Their school wasn’t exactly that great. Sure, the education was of average quality, but the administration was too strict and conservative.

 

As Nayeon trained her, she picked up pretty quickly which Nayeon truly admired. Since they train until 9PM usually, the two of them would always eat dinner together; that’s where feelings got involved.

 

Eventually, the two of them got together and dated each other for almost half of the school year. Nayeon was the one courting her and Mina was getting fond of her more and more each day. Once Nayeon decided that she was ready for a relationship and ready to ask Mina to be her girlfriend, her heart was shattered into pieces when she saw Mina kissing another girl at practice. As it turned out, Mina was also into this girl from the cheerleading squad.

 

Embarrassed and heartbroken, Nayeon immediately went to the coach and excused herself from training, which he allowed. She went home, crying, not even having the energy to do anything. She had a load of requirements to be done, but she simply stared at it and sulked. Nayeon didn’t even eat anything.

 

It was the first time she finally loved someone and didn’t get tired of it. It was the first time she was willing to risk it all. It was the first time that someone actually rejected her, but found out in the most hurtful possible way.

 

Her friends, Yeri, Jisoo, and Irene were all concerned that she didn’t go out of her dorm for the past few days. No texts, no calls, not even a single tweet in any of her twitter accounts, so the three decided to pay her a visit.

 

After a couple of knocks, Nayeon decided to open the door only to be met by three pairs of arms hugging her. “What the hell happened to you?”

 

After letting them in and taking out the food the three brought from the plastic bag, Nayeon proceeded to tell them the story.

 

“...I don’t know her side yet though. I don’t really want to face her. I should just quit the team.”

 

“Are you crazy? You’re the star player, and you’re going to quit because of some girl?” Irene almost yells.

 

Nayeon sighs. “She’s not just some girl.”

 

“Girl… if she did you dirty like that after mentoring her and , then yes, she is just some girl,” Yeri butts in and the two girls nod in agreement. “You better get your head straight. Our finals and your big game is next week.”

 

“But if you’re not ready yet, take your time. Our teachers would understand, I think your coach will too,” Jisoo says, reassuringly.

 

“Thank you, girls. I appreciate the visit. I might go back to school on Monday,” Nayeon plops down on her bed. “I need time for myself, I guess.”

 

“Aw, you don’t want us to visit?” Yeri pouts.

 

“Stop being a clingy !” Yeri yelps when a pillow gets thrown to her.

 

“ you!”

 

-

 

Nayeon smiles at the memory. Although, that was her worst month of the year, it was also her best because it allowed her to remember that all she needed was herself and of course, her friends who got her back.

 

She misses them a lot.

 

“So! Classes done, what will you be doing?” Jeongyeon puts her arm around Nayeon’s shoulders. “Is it alright if I do this? I know we just met.”

 

Nayeon nods. “Yeah, it’s okay, also I won’t be doing anything, so I might go straight home.”

 

“Wanna hang out with Jihyo, Sana and I?” the blonde girl asks.

 

“Uh, would that be alright?”

 

“Yeah, of course. Sana loves you already, and I must say, she’s really clingy, so beware,” they both laugh.

 

“Well, you both are clingy,” she says.

 

Jeongyeon’s expression changed for a moment. “Is that bad?”

 

“Oh, wait no. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that,” Nayeon says. “I like it because we all met today and we’re comfortable with each other already. It feels nice that you don’t exclude anyone.”

 

“Yeah, it feels like to be excluded to be honest,” Jeongyeon sighs. “I hate how some students here on transferees already without even getting to know them.”

 

“Jeongyeonnie! Nayeonnie!” Sana screams from a distance.

 

“Here we go,” Jeongyeon groans and immediately Sana is throwing her arms at her and does the same to Nayeon.

 

“So, are we going to my place or the mall near here to eat?” Sana asks, clinging onto Nayeon.

 

“How about the mall? So we could show Nayeon our favorite restaurants,” Jeongyeon suggested and Sana agrees. “It’s settled then. Let’s wait for Jihyo so she can decide where.”

 

“Sorry, Nayeon. We’re really indecisive,” they laugh. “But maybe, you could pick? What are you craving for right now?”

 

“I’m down for anything, honestly,” Nayeon answers. “Pizza?”

 

“Oh god, Papa Louie’s place serves the absolute best pizzas. You need to try it,” Jeongyeon jumps in excitement. “I haven’t eaten pizza in forever!”

 

Jihyo joins the group and chimes in. “Oh please, you had pizza last Friday.”

 

“Shut up,” Jeongyeon grunts and everyone laughs.

 

-

Hanging out with the three of them has been great for Nayeon. The negative thoughts and memories from her past haven't caught up on her once again. Unlike this summer, she had to deal with a lot of overwhelming thoughts and emotions, and she felt like she wasn’t going to survive.

 

Right now, she feels lightheaded and free. However, being with the three of them reminded her of her three best friends back in high school, and remembering them made her remember what happened to her and Mina.

 

Mina.

 

She was the reason why she didn’t want to get attached and be in love again. The first person she thought she could trust her heart with, broke it, and she never wanted that ever again.

 

“So, did you have fun last night?” Jihyo asked, while Nayeon sat on their table.

 

Jeongyeon was still not around and Sana had to pick something up from the library, so it was just the two of them. Nayeon’s heart raced at the sight of Jihyo, and she didn’t know why.

 

“Yeah, I did. Thank you for being nice and welcoming,” she smiles as she chews on her food.

 

Jihyo reciprocated her smile, but wider. Nayeon melted on the spot. “That’s good to hear. Hey, by the way, could you accompany me next week?”

 

“Sure, where though?” Nayeon asks, and then the two girls arrive with their lunches.

 

“What are y’all talking about?” Sana asks, cutely.

 

“Talking behind our backs, huh,” Jeongyeon says playfully, and Jihyo smacks her head.

 

“Yeah, what about it?” Jihyo plays along then they all laugh. “No, but I was asking Nayeon if she could accompany me to her school.”

 

“My school?” Nayeon asks, confused.

 

“No no, I get what she means,” Jeongyeon says. “Tell her, Jihyo.”

 

Then Jihyo proceeds to talk about her past and opening up to Nayeon. She tells her how she still loves her ex and she wants to get back together. She was the one who ended things, not Jihyo. Jihyo gave her almost everything, she loved her but eventually she got tired of her and left without even explaining why. Jihyo just wanted an explanation.

 

“Honestly, you’re dumb if you’ll tell her that you still love her,” Nayeon says, which catches the three other girls off guard. “But, yeah, I do believe that you still deserve an explanation. She owes you one.”

 

“Woah there,” Jeongyeon says. “I like you, Nayeon. Straightforward, but that’s dumb that you’re going to accompany Jihyo. I mean, I wouldn’t. I hate that girl.”

 

“Shut up,” Jihyo rolls her eyes at her. “So, will you go with me?”

 

“What choice do I have? You might do something stupid,” Nayeon jokes, and Jeongyeon high-fives her.

 

“Exactly!”

 

Sana laughs at them and shakes her head. “I swear, Jihyo. Sometimes, no explanation is an explanation. You just gotta live with it.”

 

“But, Jihyo does deserve an explanation. Feelings were involved and it’s the least that the girl could do is tell her why, even if it was years ago, she deserves to know,” Nayeon chimes in. “It would make her mind at peace. She deserves that.”

 

She does deserve that, Nayeon knows because Mina never gave her an explanation. Mina never even talked to her or said sorry. All of that hurt, but eventually, she used all that hurt to aim higher. Nayeon never got her peace of mind, so somehow, Sana was right.

 

No explanation is an explanation.

 

Sometimes, when you finally become face-to-face with that person who broke you, you suddenly don’t want that explanation anymore. For a short moment, merely seeing them takes you back to whatever hurt you felt, then it finally fades.

 

Sana sighs. “Alright, but don’t tell her that you love her, please. That’s really stupid of you.”

 

“Top of the class, but dumb as hell in the love department,” Jeongyeon laughs, and Jihyo smacks her once again.

 

“I’ll think about it, okay? When I see her and I feel like telling her, I would, then if I don’t, I won’t,” Jihyo tells them.

 

Soon, the bell rang and they all headed back to their classes.

 

-

 

Today was the day Jihyo decided to go to her ex-girlfriend’s school and try to take her back, and of course, to ask for an explanation.

 

Nayeon was nervous because it would be the first time she’d be alone with Jihyo, and honestly speaking, the two of them were the least close with each other. She had classes with Jeongyeon and Sana so they were closer.

 

“Hey, you good to go?” Jihyo asks, and Nayeon simply nods in response.

 

“Whenever you’re ready.”

 

The ride towards the school was quiet, and there were faint Taylor Swift songs in the background. Nayeon wonders if she should talk, she honestly doesn’t want to ruin the comfortable silence in the air, but she tries to break the ice. “If it’s okay to ask, how long have you been together?”

 

“You can ask,” Jihyo smiles at her, eyes still on the road. “Well, we were together since childhood, and yeah, feelings got involved.”

 

“Who said it first?”

 

“She did,” she replies. “I’ve always wanted to say it. She told me in fourth grade, and she never wanted to lose whatever we had, and I totally felt the same way.”

 

“It was romantic. We just got home from school and we were walking by the beach, the sand was in her hair, the sun matched her eyes, then when I looked at her, I smiled and in that moment I wanted to tell her, but she beat me to it.”

 

“We were kids. We were glued to the hip, but yeah, things got out of control and emotions got in the way and we kind of… fell out. She told me she’s been seeing someone else.”

 

“All the times I wanted to leave, I didn’t. It honestly crossed my mind but I never did it because it took me back to the old days, I loved her and I still do.”

 

Nayeon smiles, and her heart aches for Jihyo. She deserved so much more. “Do you think you can move on if she doesn’t take you back?”

 

“I think so…” Jihyo says unsure, and the car comes to a stop. They were here. “There’s only one way to find out.”

 

“I’m here, okay?” Nayeon reassures her and squeezes her hand. “We can get ice cream no matter what happens.”

 

JIhyo simply smiles at her, and they get out of the car. They were met with a tall woman, wearing jeans, a green coat and a white shirt under it. “Jihyo?”

 

“Hi, Tzuyu,” Jihyo greets her. “So, uh, wanna go over there?”

 

“Yeah, no problem,” she smiles. “Hey friend.”

 

“Oh, right, this is Nayeon,” Jihyo points out. “And this is Tzuyu.”

 

“Hi,” Nayeon says sheepishly. “Go ahead. I’ll wait here.”

 

The two women go to the side, by the grassfields and they sit. Jihyo looks at her and smiles.

 

“So, why did you want to talk?” Tzuyu starts off, and Jihyo takes a deep breath.

 

“At first, I did want to take you back. I came here, and went out of my way to try to get you back. To get us back, but it’s not that easy. And when I saw you once I got out of the car, I realized that I don’t feel the same love I had for you before. I love you, but I know this isn’t going to work anymore,” Jihyo says, almost tearing up. “Right now, I just want an explanation from you. I want to know why you never told me anything. We could’ve still fixed us, you know?”

 

Tzuyu takes in her words, and does her best to come up with an answer. She did deserve an explanation. “Looking back, I did almost everything with you at a young age, and love doesn’t just go away; it changes. My love for you changed and whatever you felt when you saw me again for the first time after a couple of years, that’s what I felt somehow.”

 

“It changed and it , and I was a coward for not telling you. When I met someone else, I felt the same butterflies as I did with you. I know that’s ty as hell, and I should’ve told you, but I got scared. I was so scared of losing you that I ended up losing you.”

 

There were tears in their eyes as they talked. Jihyo squeezed Tzuyu’s hand in hopes of comforting her, and the taller woman reciprocated. After a while, Tzuyu spoke again. “All I wanted to say is I’m really sorry for all the pain that I’ve caused you.”

 

“Honestly, any pain was worth it when it came to you,” Jihyo smiled through her tears. “I hope I can find that again someday.”

 

“I hope you do, Jihyo,” Tzuyu says, wiping her tears. “Do you have any more questions?”

 

Jihyo stays silent for a moment. Thinking if she could ask something, anything, but she settles for silence. She wouldn’t be able to move on if it were asked.

 

“No, I’m good,” she finally says. “Thank you.”

 

“You’re welcome,” Tzuyu says getting up, but Jihyo stops her.

 

“Does she make you happy?”

 

Tzuyu looks back at her, and Jihyo sees her eyes form like crescents as she smiles. She’s happy. “Yeah, they make me happy.”

 

“Good.”

 

Jihyo thought that it would hurt, but Jihyo was okay. She will be.

 

She walks up to her friend who’s currently taking pictures of the sunset. “So, ice cream?”

 

“Heck yes,” Nayeon puts away her phone and looks at Jihyo