Joohyun knows she should be in bed right now. It is the weekend after all and last night’s events should be enough to make her feel tired. But it seems her body and her mind have other plans for her, waking her up after just three hours of sleep and urging her to head to the apartment complex 30 minutes away from her own.

 

With a takeout breakfast in hand, Joohyun makes her way inside the building and up to the third floor. She knocks on one of the apartment doors and sees the groggy face of her friend.

 

“Joohyun? What are you doing here so early?” Wendy asks, stifling a yawn as Joohyun steps inside the apartment.

 

“Woke up too early today,” she says as she hands Wendy the food she bought.

 

“Thanks. You should’ve stayed the night.”

 

“I didn’t want to intrude.”

 

Wendy scoffs.

 

“Anyway, where is she?” Joohyun asks.

 

“In her room. She’s still asleep. I could hear her snoring all night.”

 

And as if on cue, a loud snore was heard from one of the rooms deeper in the apartment.

 

“You go and wake her up. I’ll set up the food,” Wendy says, carefully taking out containers from the plastic bags Irene handed to her.

 

“Thanks, Wan. Oh, and help yourself. I think I bought too much.”

 

“Nah. Joy and Yeri are still here anyway. They’ll finish whatever’s left.”

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

In her mind, Joohyun wanted to surprise her girlfriend by cuddling into her and waiting until she wakes up. But there’s a problem: the person she’s looking for isn’t on her bed.

 

Joohyun finds this odd. They did hear a snore coming from this room earlier, right?

 

She was about to head to the bathroom but stops when she hears a groan coming from the other side of the bed.

 

Sure enough, she finds Seulgi lying spread-eagle on the floor.

 

“Seul? What are you doing there?” knitted eyebrows show the confusion and worry on Joohyun’s face.

 

“Fell off,” the other girl groans as Joohyun helps her up.

 

“Then why didn’t you get back on the bed?”

 

“Too tired. Head hurts,” Seulgi whines as she lies down on her bed. Her head starts to throb and she groans when she feels her muscles sore from lying on the floor all night.

 

“I told you not to drink too much last night,” Joohyun says but Seulgi only responds with another whine.

 

As much as she wants Seulgi to go back to sleep, Joohyun knows her girlfriend needs to eat and probably take something to ease the hangover.

 

“Come on, Seul. You need to eat.”

 

“Just five more minutes.”

 

“You can go back to sleep after eating. Come on.”

 

Seulgi sighs. “Fine.”

 

The two of them ate in silence, mostly because Seulgi’s throat feels too dry to speak.

 

“Feeling better?” Joohyun asks.

 

“Yeah, but my head still hurts.”

 

Joohyun was about to get up when she feels a pair of arms wound around her waist and Seulgi leaning her head on her back. She smiles at the gesture.

 

“Seul, let go. I need to bring this outside,” she says, gesturing to the dishes on the breakfast tray Wendy brought in for them earlier.

 

Seulgi shakes her head and tightens her hold.

 

“You can do that later. Let’s just cuddle.”

 

Joohyun’s smile grows wider. She wants to say yes but she doesn’t like the idea of having used dishes in their presence.

 

Seulgi whines as Joohyun her arms away. “I’ll be back.”

 

She comes back with a glass of water and medicine for Seulgi’s headache.

 

“What’s that?” Seulgi asked as she eyes the tablet in Joohyun’s hand.

 

“For your headache.’

 

“Nooooo. I don’t want that. Let’s just cuddle,” the younger girl continues to whine and Joohyun finds this amusing.

 

“We will, but you need to take this first.”

 

“Tsk. Fine.”

 

Seulgi tackles her girlfriend to the bed as soon she set down the glass on her nightstand, eliciting a giggle from Joohyun. They move closer until Seulgi’s head rested on Joohyun’s chest.

 

Then, everything slowed down. Joohyun runs her fingers through Seulgi’s hair while the latter rubs slow circles on her stomach. It was silent and peaceful. The peace that surrounded them reminded Joohyun of the calm Seulgi makes her feel. Everything was serene when they are together.

 

“You should’ve stayed last night,” Seulgi says quietly.

 

Joohyun chuckles, “That’s what Wendy told me.”

 

Seulgi hums, allowing the silence to fall over them once more. She enjoys quiet moments like this with Joohyun.

 

But she breaks the silence again.

 

“Maybe you should just move in here.”

 

“There are only two rooms here, Seul, and I don’t think Wendy would like the idea of being the third wheel in her apartment,” her girlfriend reasons, remembering how annoyed their friend would sometimes be whenever she sees the couple being lovey-dovey.

 

While Wendy is supportive of their relationship, which she is, but “sometimes you guys get so sweet it’s disgusting,” Wendy’s words.

 

“Well, I think she doesn’t like the idea of leaving me alone either,” Seulgi answers, adding “She’s moving in with Joy.”

 

Well, that was unexpected.

 

This isn’t the first time Seulgi asked Joohyun to move in with her, but this time it felt more…real.

 

They’ve spent most of their lives together and have known each other longer than anyone. They even once shared a room when they were still friends. But the idea of living together as a couple is a huge step in their relationship.

 

Despite knowing each other for such a long time, there are things they have yet to discover about each other, and Joohyun fears these unknown flaws will make Seulgi love her a little less.

 

“You don’t have to say yes if you don’t want to, or if you’re not ready,” Seulgi says, looking lovingly at the girl in her arms.

 

She continues, “But I want to be with you, even more than this. I want to wake up with you by my side and come home to you. Every day. Take care of you when you’re tired or sick or hangover. Be there when you need me, though I am always here when you need me, but just closer, you know?”

 

“But if you need time to think about it, then that’s okay with me. If you don’t like the idea, then that’s fine with me too. I just don’t want you to make any decision that you would regret, especially when it comes to us.”

 

“I love you and I know that you feel the same too. And we’re together and that’s all that matters.”

 

“I’m rambling, aren’t I?” Seulgi laughs, and Joohyun laughs with her.

 

Joohyun thinks Seulgi is right. They both love each other and that’s all that matters. But it would be better, would it not, if she were to wake up with Seulgi by her side and kiss her good morning? To take care of Seulgi when she had too many drinks the night before? To welcome Seulgi home or come home to her?

 

Joohyun believes that is better, and that’s all she wants: to be with Seulgi by the end of the day.

 

She tilts Seulgi’s head up to face her, planting a chaste kiss on her girlfriend’s lips as a smile spreads on hers.

 

Joohyun looks into Seulgi’s eyes, “Yes.”

 

“Yes? Yes as in…?”

 

“Yes as in yes, I want to move in with you,” and Joohyun leans in to kiss Seulgi again.

 

This was certainly a turn of events, but Joohyun doesn’t mind it. Not at all. Not when it comes to Seulgi.

 

End.