rain and chocotea
INEVITABLE (KRYBER)it was raining hard when they stepped out of the mall.
amber looks up at the night sky, seeing the rain reflecting from the lamp post.
it's beautiful, she thinks. she finds it surprising she's not in a bad mood even if she doesn't have an umbrella with her, and her car is parked in the open parking space, a few feet away from where she's standing.
if she had been with suzy tonight, she's sure she'll get scolded for not parking in the basement.
'it's always safe to park in the basement, boo,' she hears her wife's voice in her ears.
she smiles at the thought but forgets it the moment she feels the presence next to her.
"do you have an umbrella with you?" krystal asks, rubbing her hands along her arms to create warmth.
"i don't."
it's weird; amber feels calm even with the bad weather. she's trying her best to fight the urge of wrapping her arms around krystal.
no. it's not proper. she's already done a bold move in the cinema earlier. holding her soulmate like that isn't something she should be comfortable doing.
"i'm sorry. i should have parked at the basement," she says instead.
"hey. don't be. it's not your fault. rains are simply unpredictable at times." krystal raises her hand and opens her palm, catching raindrops. "but they are pretty."
unpredictable and pretty. amber looks away and smiles, smelling the scent of the rain in the air. she sees some people walking along the parking space.
the wind blows hard, causing some umbrellas to turn. krystal instinctively hides behind her.
"you okay there?" amber looks over her shoulders.
"yeah... just... just a little cold..." krystal clutches her coat tighter.
amber looks ahead, eyes zoning on her car. she pulls her coat over her head.
"wait here." she readies the car key in her hand.
"where are you going?"
amber nods her head towards her car's direction. "i'll make a run for it."
and before krystal can even protest, amber's already dashing through the rain.
---
"tsk. you're soaked, amber."
"i'm not," amber says, wiping her face and hair with a small towel.
"but your clothes are wet. tsk." krystal leans over her seat to grab the towel from amber's hand and wipe her back with it.
"hey. it's okay. i'll take a shower once i'm home."
"then you can drop me off in the nearest station so you can drive straight home."
"no. i'll drive you home, okay?"
"but amber--"
"end of discussion, missy." amber pats krystal's head.
"if you really want to drive me home, then you will take a shower at my place so i can dry your clothes before you go home."
amber blinks at krystal. "y-your place?"
"yes. i have a huge dryer there. i won't let you go home like that. you might catch a cold."
"but it'll take--"
"end of discussion, missy." krystal playfully throws the towel on amber's face. "either you drop me off to the nearest station or dry your clothes at my place."
amber chuckles, shaking her head. "fine. you win."
krystal smirks. "i always win."
---
amber can't stop her mind from thinking of inappropriate things.
inappropriate things like imagining how the bathrobe she's wearing now is the one krystal uses to cover up her body.
her body.
she wonders how krystal's--
amber shut her eyes tight and grunts.
"get a hold of yourself, amber liu!" she lightly smacks her head, glaring at her reflection on the bathroom mirror. "you are a married person. you shouldn't have these thoughts towards another woman!"
she breathes in and breathes out.
she blows air from and composes herself.
---
"hey," krystal greets her when she steps out of the bathroom. "refreshed?"
"hey. yeah." amber clears , admiring the sight of krystal in her casual home attire.
she's used to seeing the woman in either pantsuit or suit skirt as they always meet up after office hours. but seeing krystal in sweatpants, an oversized tee, thick socks, and a pair of indoor clogs, just hits amber differently.
and amber thinks she's getting fonder of the smaller woman each day.
but she's got to stop staring and start saying something.
"your bathroom is awesome," she quips, and she internally scolds herself for saying something like that.
krystal chuckles. "wow. it's not everyday people appreciate my bathroom. but thanks."
when the shared chuckle dies, the mood becomes awkward. they were silent for seconds, the sound of the running tumble dryer serves as white noise.
"um. you want something warm to drink?" krystal finally asks. she gestures a thumb towards her laundry area. "it may take about thirty to forty-five minutes to finish."
"yeah. sure. what do you have?"
krystal walks to her cupboard to inspect. "i'm not a coffee drinker so i only have these." she turns to amber, showing a box of tea bag and choco powder. "feel free to pick which you like."
amber squints her eyes, trying to make out whatever she can from where she's standing. she gives up and waves a hand. "i'll go for whatever you'll have."
"hmm. are you okay with mixing these two? that's how i usually do it."
"mix? like mix them together?"
"yeah. i use the tea as the water for my choco drink. it tastes nice." krystal raises the teabag. "and this one is only available in the states. i am just lucky to have my aunty mimi living there so i can have her buy it and ship it for me."
amber shifts her weight on one leg, resting her hands on her hips. "wow. i didn't know my soulmate's a chemist."
krystal chuckles before turning to the counter to prepare the cups. "i just hope you'll like it. my cousin and seulgi get excited whenever i prepare this for them."
amber presses her lips together. that name. seulgi. it always has a different ring in her ears.
"i'm sure i'll love it," she says with conviction. she turns away to look around the apartment, trying to distract herself from thinking of anything seulgi-related.
she remembers her conversation with yuri a few days ago, when her friend says a casual relationship always involves .
she looks at the couch, thinking if seulgi and krystal could have done it there.
of course, they sure did! they used to be together!
she was about to curse the innocent couch until something on the shelves catches her attention.
"wow. you framed this?" she asks, showing krystal the frame of the red rope bracelet that was given to them before.
krystal looks up from preparing the drinks and smiles. "ah. that. yep. i wanted to preserve that. it's the only memory i have of you from before."
amber looks at the frame with a big smile on her face. all thoughts about seulgi getting pushed out of her brain by her giddiness.
"that comics you made. that manhwa," krystal says, stirring the drink on one mug. "you titled it red rope, right?"
humming, amber looks back at the frame in her hand. "that story was especially made for you. it was the result of my pent up emotions. it's hard to put in words the struggle i experienced, my longing to see you again. that was the only way i could let it out of my system."
"i see. the main characters tho, xiujing and yiyun, they seem to resemble... us."
"they are actually our representations." amber puts the frame down. "their first meeting was carved out from when we first met."
"yeah. i kind of noticed that." smiling, krystal looks down again to stir the other cup. "i asked because i find yiyun's character interesting."
"how so?"
"well, in the story, she seems to have liked xiujing since they first met at the resort."
"well, i wouldn't blame yiyun. xiujing's a catch."
krystal looks up at amber, smirking. "is that true?"
amber raises an eyebrow, knowing krystal is asking about the reality, not the manhwa.
but krystal didn't wait for her to speak up. the woman carries the mug in her hands and approaches amber. "i didn't know yiyun sees her like that. as far as i can remember, in the story," she emphasizes the last three words, "yiyun was busy thinking about her girlfriend when she first met xiujing."
amber receives the mug with both hands. "ah, well, she was indeed thinking about her girlfriend, but she finds xiujing cute too. that's the reason she asked her out for breakfast."
"i see. a player, huh."
"i am not a player!" amber scowls.
they shared another round of laughter before they turn to the window while sipping their mugs.
"this is absolutely wonderful." amber pulls the mug away from her lips, looking at the content. "damn. i'm already falling in love with this chocotea."
"chocotea?" krystal laughs. "i can make some more if you want."
"but how about in some days, if i'm missing this?"
"then you can drop by here so i can make one for you."
amber beams at krystal. "that's a great idea."
krystal raises her mug in the air. "to more chocotea?"
amber toast their mugs together. "to more chocotea."
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