“Gigi, what’s up with you?” 

Jimin yelled in her ear, the loud music making it almost impossible to communicate.

“U-uh, nothing Jimin, don’t worry.”

Oh but there is one thing going on, Ning Ning is in the middle of the dance floor dancing with none other than Chenle, Chenle who Giselle knows has been Ning Ning’s crush for a few months now. 

So to answer Karina’s question, yes there is definitely something up, but she’d rather die than to confess such a thing. 

Giselle and Ning Ning’s story started when they both moved to Korea for their last few years of high school. Ning Ning not knowing any korean and Giselle being too shy to actually talk to anyone made them become instant best friends.

Giselle always thought the protectiveness she felt for the younger girl was simply because she wanted what was best for her, meaning no person was worthy of Ning Yizhuo. 

That is until Chenle came along. 

Both being chinese people living in Korea didn’t help Giselle’s case, they naturally had lots of things to talk about and became fast friends. Giselle tried everything on the guy, tried to look for dirt anywhere where she could find it but to her demise, he could easily be just as perfect as her best friend. 

So, why would she not want Ning Ning to pursue her feelings? Deep inside she knows the answer but admitting it to herself implies being aware of how Ning Ning makes her feel and most probably acting on it. Giselle is such a coward.

That’s why when she and Ning Ning arrived hand in hand at the welcoming party she started pondering on the question. She was so deep in thought she missed the moment her best friend left her side to go dance with her crush.

His hands were too close for comfort and Ning Ning’s way of smiling at him made her dizzy. That should be her next to Ning Ning, not Chenle. And maybe Giselle is too stubborn and dumb cause she had yet to be able to connect the dots.

She had no choice but to third wheel Jimin and Minjeong, her other two close friends apart from Ning Ning. She hardly knew anyone at this party and the only reason she had come was because her three friends insisted it would be a nice way to meet new people. 

“Giselle, stop sulking. We’re in a party for christ’s sake, go dance with someone.”

Minjeong was right but at the moment dancing with someone that wasn’t Ning Ning felt wrong, and so, she decided to stick around the make shift bar, maybe hope enough alcohol would help her take her eyes away from the sight of Ning Ning and Chenle whispering into each other’s ears. 

//

“Hey, there! I’m Yeji.”

Giselle turned around to find a beautiful girl talking to her. In normal circumstances it would make her giddy and excited, but these were no normal circumstances, she was a mess on the inside but she managed to answer with a shy smile on her face.

“Hey, I’m Giselle. You can call me Gigi.”

The feeling of talking to someone outside of her very reduced friend group felt refreshing, and Yeji’s cute smile made it all the way more pleasant. Not as pleasant as how looking at Ning Ning felt though.

“So, what are you doing here? Specially all alone by the bar,” Yeji asked curiously.

“Well, I’m having trouble figuring something out, figured alcohol would help,” 

Giselle replied honestly, she was not in the mood to flirt or fake a story so she could entertain the other girl.

“That’s such a coincidence! I just came by to try and do the same.”

Now that was an interesting answer, Giselle figured the honesty in Yeji’s words could only signal to a possible conversation about what was bothering them both.

“Seems like too much of a coincidence huh, why don’t you tell me what’s bugging you?”

Giselle tried, if Yeji were to open up to her she could do the same, maybe get someone else’s insight on what she was feeling, or rather, avoiding.

“Long story short, I’m in love with my best friend and I don’t know how to go about it. We’re very flirty with each other but we’ve always been like that, you know. I don’t wanna ruin our friendship but I know my heart won’t resist a few more days if I keep this going.”

By now Yeji was rambling, could you blame her though? Jisu complemented her so perfectly it had to be a crime that they weren’t together. 

“Is your best friend here? I want some context.”

Giselle said, brightening the mood in the slightest. Maybe helping someone else might help her as well.

“Yeah, she’s right there by the corner. She’s talking with Yu Jimin right now. I kinda asked Jimin to help me with things, I just, my best friend wanted to dance and I normally would say yes but I feel like if we danced right now I’d probably want to kiss her.”

Yeji rubbed her neck in shyness, Choi Jisu was just an angel on earth, she was someone Yeji could not afford to lose.

“Wait, you’re best friends with Julia? Oh my god, Julia was my choir co-captain in high school! She always talked about her beautiful and kind best friend but she never mentioned a name!” 

Giselle was amazed at the situation, the world seemed so small at times. She recalled Julia telling her once about liking her best friend but being too afraid to confront her about it. Feelings could really be such a messy thing.

“Oh, you’re Aeri? I’m sorry it’s just that Jisu knows I have a really hard time with those foreigner names.”

Yeji wasn’t the best at english, Jisu was the one in charge of that. Another reason why Yeji needed her in her life.

“Yes, my name is Aeri but I prefer Giselle. Anyway, you should definitely go for it! I may or may not be 100% sure she’d kiss you back.”

Giselle winked. Well, at least someone was getting their happy ending today and she wouldn’t feel like an absolute loser after helping a friend out.

“You really think so? Then I guess I’ll go try. Minjeong looks like she wants to kill Jisu, that’s my cue to go,” Yeji said while waving at Giselle a quick goodbye. 

Minjeong could be very possessive of her girlfriend at times but who wouldn’t be when Jimin looked like a model straight out of a magazine, the older girl is a people magnet. But what Minjeong failed to realize was Jimin had only ever had eyes for her, since she first laid eyes on the shorter girl she knew she had to have in her life. It took Jimin three years for Minjeong to start noticing her, then three more to get her to fall in love but as Jimin tells Giselle, she doesn’t regret it one bit and if she had to do it again she most definitely would.

A few minutes later she noticed Yeji and Jisu in the middle of the dance floor, right next to Ning Ning and Chenle, giving each other soft pecks. Her work there was done. Sadly she remembered why she had been drinking so much in the first place.

It was going to be a long night. 

//

Four songs had passed by and Ning Ning seemed to be having the time of her life, not like Giselle was watching her or anything. At least she had parted ways with Chenle and was singing karaoke with Minjeong, sending a few smiles her way. 

Her heart might’ve skipped a few beats and to calm her breathing she went outside to the pool. God, whoever was hosting this party was rich as hell.

Right after she sat by the pool Kim Hyunjin approached her. Hyunjin who Giselle hadn’t talked to since they graduated and who she had no idea would be attending her same university. Okay, maybe she wasn’t as alone as she had painted herself to be.

“Gigi, wassup?” Hyunjin had that smooth way of approaching people. It was as if they had never stopped talking to each other, she loved their friendship.

“Nothing much, just dealing with some stuff. What about you? Confessed to Heejin yet?” She joked.

Hyunjin had been pining after her best friend the entirety of time they had known each other, it was sad. But what was even sadder was Hyunjin’s oblivious not catching Heejin’s obvious signals. 

Giselle wasn’t as hopeless, at least she was aware her best friend was straight... or was she? 

“Yah, stop teasing me! I’ve seen you sulk all night while looking at Ning Ning, you’re not as good at pretending as you think you are. And for your information, Heejin and I came to the party as more than best friends.”

And there was the Hyunjin she knew and loved, so blunt and direct, always pointing out things Giselle wanted to keep shut in the back of her mind. Just like that one time in High School Giselle wanted to invite Ning Ning to prom (as best friends of course) but had been to much of a coward to try. 

Hyunjin, with the help of Heejin, Minjeong and Jimin, had taken it into their own hands and locked them up in the arts room after school had ended. To her surprise Ning Ning smiled her beautiful smile, while yelling a loud yes, and gave her the warmest and tightest hug she had ever received.

“Well, congrats I guess,” why was everyone in love and together, it was not fair.

“That’s right, mf. Now get out of here and go talk to Ning Ning.”

“What are you talking about? I have nothing to talk about with anyone,” Giselle, of course, lied.

“Suit yourself. See you in a few days, bye Uchinaga.” Hyunjin slowly retreated, now she was the one to pity Giselle.

Yeji’s situation hit too close to home, then Hyunjin came in showing off her progress with her own best friend, that definitely had to be a sign from above. But then again, Giselle’s stubbornness was more powerful than any sign the universe was wanting to give her. 

//

Giselle had gotten tired of thinking so much and decided to follow Minjeong’s advice, it was about damn time she had some fun, with or without the subject of her thoughts. She approached the bar once again and was met with a beautiful girl looking her way.

“Hey there. I’m Gigi, you are?” 

Maybe she was outdoing it but to be fair she needed some sort of release from beating her brain up because of Ning Ning.

“Hi, I’m Sieun.”

Giselle glanced over to the dance floor, in hopes of finding a reason to keep herself from dancing with the beautiful girl in front of her, but to her displeasure, she caught Ning Ning’s eye while she, once again, danced with Chenle.  it.

“Beautiful name. Do you happen to want to dance? I love this song and it would be a pity to let it pass by without properly enjoying it,” She could be smooth at times, and the rush of jealousy she felt made it easier.

“When you put it that way, who am I to deny?”

Sieun joined in the fun and Giselle noticed she had one of those million dollar smiles people always talked about, she hardly knew the girl but was sure Sieun had many broken hearts under her belt, and in another life she easily could have been one of those. 

Just not this time around, Giselle would be busy focusing on taking care of Ning Ning for the rest of her life to even notice anyone else, worst case scenario Giselle would have a new friend by the end of the night. 

As they made their way to the dance floor Giselle failed to notice Ning Ning’s eyes on Sieun, her red hair matching the color her face was currently sporting. 

The song came to an awfully slow part and Giselle was left with no choice but to pull Sieun closer to her, and she was met with anything but refusal. Their faces were inches apart, Giselle forgetting for once about what had been bothering her that night (maybe even last few weeks.)

Then suddenly she was pulled away from Sieun, by none other than the small looking girl she was all too familiar with, everything happened so fast that by the time Giselle was back from her confusion she had been thrown into the pool. 

“Yah, why would you push me into the pool?” Giselle yelled at the culprit, Ning Ning.

“I don’t know, unnie. Maybe to help you cool off your ! You were all over that girl there!” Ning Ning refused to look Giselle in the eyes. Thankfully no one had noticed their little quarrel and Sieun decided it was best to let go of her dance partner.

“And why do you care? As far as I know you have been all over Chenle all night!” 

Giselle hadn’t meant for it to sound so aggressive, but she was frustrated at Ning Ning’s confusing behavior. She had been feeling like second best all night, not even worthy of a dance in her best friend’s eyes and suddenly she was here being yelled at for wanting get our of her pityful state.

“Excuse me? If you were smart enough to analyze things you’d realize I was only doing so when you were looking! I couldn’t care less about Chenle,” Ning Ning was livid, she knew her best friend was oblivious but this had to be a joke. 

And maybe she should’ve known from the way Ning Ning sang to her every night (sometimes over the phone, sometimes while they shared a bed) or how she fit so perfectly in Ning Ning’s family dinners, or how Ning Ning would always make sure to leave her house after taking all her gloominess away.

But to her those were ordinary best friend things, it’s all she’s ever known, because being next to Ning Ning for the past four years is all she’s ever known, all she ever wants to remember. And it hits her then, this is not just jealousy, it’s utter fear. 

Utter fear that Ning Ning won’t need her in her life anymore, fear that she’ll never get to properly show her how much she means to her, fear that during the next four years in college Ning Ning will slowly slip away from her. Because she knows that if that were to happen she’d never be able to continue living the same way she has.

Because she needs Ning Ning for her life to feel complete, she wants Ning Ning to accompany her for the rest of her life and most of all, she loves Ning Ning and she would do anything for her to feel the same way. 

“Aren’t you gonna say anything?” Ning Ning was crying and Giselle’s heart was slowly breaking from looking at her beautiful face filled with tears.

“Come here.”

Giselle ushered her over to where she was in the pool, Ning Ning was hesitant at first but ultimately complied and sat on the pool’s edge, her feet dangling in the water. Giselle came closer to her, putting a hand to either side of Ning Ning, the shorter girl gasping at the position they were currently in.

“If you couldn’t care less about Chenle, why dance with him?” Giselle said with a smirk on her face. 

“I- uh, well Chenle was trying to make someone jealous, I was just helping him out-“ 

Ning Ning’s breath hitched because of how close Giselle had come to her.

“Are you sure that is the only reason why? We could’ve been dancing all night like we always do, yet you decided to stay with him and other people the whole night.” 

The hurt Giselle was feeling was evident in her face, her and Ning Ning were always together, it was the absence of the younger girl in the past few days that made her realize how much she loves her and she needs to know why Ning Ning was straying away in the first place.

“I was waiting for you to come to me and ask me to dance, I’m tired of you taking care of me like a little sister! Giselle, I want you to look at me differently, I want you to see me as someone you’d date, as someone you’d kis-“

Suddenly Giselle’s lips were on Ning Ning’s, in the softest and purest way possible, it lasted only a few seconds but it was enough for Ning Ning to realize what it meant.

“Like this?” 

Ning Ning could only nod in response, too dazed to put what she was feeling into words.

“Ning, I- I don’t see you as a little sister. I take care of you because you’re the most important person to me, I’m possessive because I want all your attention on me and only me, I’m always with you because that’s exactly where I wanna be, and I just kissed you because I’m in love with you.”

Giselle’s heart was pounding in her ears, she had just confessed to her best friend and there was only ways this would play out. A few seconds passed and Ning Ning had yet to react, she seemed lost and Giselle was starting to get scared.

“I- Ah, if you don’t feel the same way you can just tell me, don’t feel pressure-“

Now Ning Ning was the one to shut Giselle up with a kiss. Ning Ning wrapped her arms around Giselle’s neck and deepened the kiss, Giselle was close to losing it. Ning Ning’s lips were so soft and delicate, everything she expected them to be. She got impossibly closer and wrapped her arms around Ning Ning’s waist bringing her into the pool, they broke the kiss when Ning Ning felt the cold water hit her back. 

They started laughing while looking into each other’s eyes, Ning Ning smiled at Giselle and gave her a small peck then wrapping her arms around Giselle’s torso and hiding her red face on Giselle’s neck.

“I’m in love with you too.” She said in a very low voice, Giselle only caught the words because she had whispered them in her ear.

//

“Sieun-Ah, come here! You did a great job, thank you so much,” Minjeong called out to her friend and giving her a thankful smile.

“Yeah, those two would have taken years to realize their obliviousness,” Jimin smiled at Sieun while hugging her girlfriend from behind and putting her head on her shoulder.

“It’s no problem, I’m happy to help! I just hope I’ll find someone to share something like all of you do. 

FIN