hey everyone, thanks for all the support for this story. Hope you all are well. I'm attending a virtual program for the next two weeks so I'm gonna be busy. I'll be updating this one because i have the skeleton all set up, but for the other stories, they're still being worked on. 

Thanks again. :)

--

Wendy crouched beside her car, trying to nurse her various cuts with her jacket to no avail. She was leaving splotches everywhere, making it look a lot like a murder scene.

She could only blame it on herself for letting Irene do this to her heart, her mind. 

Irene could keep meeting people, dragging her around, acting all sweet and stuff with her. Wendy would still follow her and say 'yes' if she knew she could do it. She wouldn't let anything bad happen to Irene if she could help it.

That's when she realized Joy was right. Wendy was so willing to follow Irene anywhere, she might even walk off the end of the earth if she had to.

"Wendy!" 

"I'm ok."

"No, you're not. Look at you!" Irene snapped. "You're bleeding everywhere!" 

The younger girl flinched at her harsh tone. Irene hardly displayed a temper at her. Usually, she gave Wendy the silent treatment or spoke very shortly to express that she was unhappy about something. However, tonight, she was clearly (and loudly) upset. "Idiot, you should have listened to me," Irene grumbled while she examined Wendy's streaming cuts.

"I want to make sure you're safe," Wendy replied. "There's a first aid kid in the trunk."

Irene took her car keys and went to retrieve the kit so she could dress her wounds. They sat quietly in the car together while Irene carefully opened up an alochol wipe to disinfect the cuts. Wendy hissed the moment the cool wipe touched her, but Irene didn't hold back from her task. It just kept bleeding.

Irene cleaned the best she could, and wrapped her arm and palm with the bandaged and gauze wrap securely. "It's the best I could do."

"Thank you. Sorry for interrupting your date."

"I don't care about the date," Irene told her. "Let's go home."

"Mine or yours?"

"I'm driving." Irene told her and held up the car keys.

"Ok." She knew better than to argue with Irene right now.

By the time they returned to Irene's apartment, the bandages had been soaked through, but the bleeding subsided somewhat. "My poor Seungwannie," Irene cooed when she redressed the bandages after the girl struggled taking a hot shower. 

Wendy could already imagine Joy smirking and teasing her again about her weird relationship with Irene. 

"Are you going to be able to work?" Irene fretted over her hands.

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry, Seungwan. I shouldn't have made us go." 

The younger girl frowned and lay back on the bed. "I thought you were interested in him? You looked like you were having a time."

Irene did not react to the comment, but sat down beside her while checking her email. "He wants to meet again."

"Ok."

"I'm not going to."

"It's your choice." Wendy tried to remain indifferent to the news because she didn't want Irene to know she might still be upset. 

--

"You live alone?" Irene asked Wendy when they were out for an ice cream. It was a few months since they started getting to know each other after all the cold treatment from Irene.

"Yep."

"What about your family?"

"They're back in Canada. I got tired of living under their shadow." Wendy took a bit of her choco ice cream. "What about your family?"

 "They come around every Christmas," Irene replied like it didn't matter.

"That sounds nice." 

The latter chuckled though the smile did not met her eyes. "No, they're just reminding me I need to get married. "

"I'm sure there's someone out there for you," Wendy tried to lighten the mood a little. 

"Sure, sure. I'm just trying to find a decent person. No drama. No romance." 

Wendy wasn't sure what Irene meant by that, but she did not press the topic further because Irene's mood had dampened. "It's too sweet," Irene told her and got up to dump the rest. "Remind me to get dark chocolate like you next time."

"Damn, I didn't know you're a brawler, Wen," Joy commented when they ran into at each other on lunch break.

"I'm not." Wendy scrolled through her phone to find a place close enough to get lunch and come back quickly bbefore she had to meet with her supervisor.

"geez, why so grumpy today? Something happen to you and Irene?"

Speak of the devil, a text message from Irene popped up on her screen and Joy seemed to notice the expression change on Wendy's face. "Ah, so 'tis," her colleague concluded. "I'll leave you to work out your Irene-complex, boo."

Are you on lunch? -JH

Yeah. Wendy started walking towards the exit once she found a decent place for food that was only walking distance.

Good, meet me at the front. - JH

Usually, Irene coming to her internship on short notice meant something really important, like bribing her with gifts and food to get Wendy to accompany her on a date.

Or, asking for forgiveness because Wendy got abducted by a random stranger or almost attacked by drunken people while accompanying Irene on a previous date.

Wendy waved at her as she approached the woman, who was definitely loaded with snacks for her. 

"Hey,' Irene replied, and handed her a bag of food = fresh take out. "You left before I woke up so I bought you something to eat."

"Are you blackmailing me?" Wendy tried to joke. She just wanted them to go back to normal now.

Irene gave her an unimpressed look. "Let's go for drinks tonight."

"Another date?"

"No. Just me and you. We haven't spent enough time together."

It sounded strangely ominonus, and Wendy felt uneasiness prickling along her spine as she gazed at the woman she was hopelessly in love with. 

Wendy got there a little too early as usual because she never wanted to keep Irene waiting. She sat at her usual spot at the counter and requested Irene's favorite drink from teh bartender as well as something mild for herself. She wasn't sure how drunk irene was going to get tonight, so she needed to be the sober one. 

Wendy didn't want to imagine how Irene was going to act after tonight, although she liked how Irene clung onto her and showered her with affection - only because she could live the fantasy for a little bit.

"Did you wait long?" Irene asked when she finally arrived. She was dressed in jeans and a lavender shirt, a blazer draped over her arm. 

"No. I ordered your drink so you won't wait long," Wendy replied.

The older woman's eyes shone with appreciation. "Thanks, Seungwan."

For once, Wendy thought they could enjoy time together like before. Before she started falling in love with this crazy beautiful woman, who was strangely obsessed with her company. Irene seemed to be giving her all the attention, making her do all the talking about what she was up to at work, which was the only thing she coudl talk about these days.

"You have no life," IRene told her. "Maybe I should find you a date."

"No thank you."

IRene smirked. "I'm sure there's someone out there waiting for you too, Wendy. You just work too much."

"Well, why should I when I have you?" Wendy retorted. "I like spending time with you."

That seemed to catch the older woman off guard, and her eyes seemed to darken as she looked away while sipping her drink. "Oh? There's Junmyeon," Irene seemed to be talking to herself. "I'll be back. Can you hold on to my jacket?" Irene asked and handed teh blazer over before Wendy could even respond.

Disappointment filled Wendy's whole being as she watched Irene greet teh man who had just walked in. Looks like everyone comes here on a weekend night, she thought miserably. 

Junmyeon was all smiles, and even wrapped an arm around Irene's waist as if they were already dating. Then, they headed off to a table somewhere near the dimmed out lights and Wendy lost sight of them.

"," she cursed and glancwed at Irene's drink. The older woman barely even got through half. "Me and my stupid brain..." Wendy downed her own drink and the bartender returned looking very sympathetic. 

"Want another one?" he asked.

"Yes, please. Just keep going." Wendy pushed her cup towards him. She took one more glance at teh spot she last saw the stupid couple, wishing she hadn't because she saw how close Irene and Junmyeon were sitting beside each other. They were enjoying the live performance like they were on a stupid date.

Irene said it wasn't another date. What a liar...

"I knew you'd come back, babe," Chaeyoung appeared as if she had been waiting for her all this time. "I searched every bar around, and I finally find you back here."

"I'm here with someone," Wendy told her firmly.

"Oh? That woman?" Chaeyoung nodded at Irene who was obviously with someone else. The time that Wendy thought she would spend with Irene had already jumped off the microwave.

"Yeah, I'm her bodyguard." Wendy replied and absently took the drink teh bartender gave back to her. "So when things get too deep, I pull her outta there."

"Wow, that's..."

"Weird? Yeah?" Wendy took a long drag on her drink again, wondering if this was probably a bad idea because she was going to get drunk now.

Chaeyoung studied the Irene-Junmyeon duo, while Wendy completely ignored everything around her. "Well, yes, I suppose. I mean, does she make you do this all the tiem?"

"Yep."

"And you let her?"

"Yep."

"Why?"

"What's with all the questions?" Wendy said instead. "I'm her friend, and I don't want anything bad to happen to her." She finished her second drink and glanced at her watch. They hadn't even been here for more than an hour. Curse that Junmyeon fool, she thought glumly. 

"Wanna cool off?" Chaeyoung suggested when Wendy took one more glance at the pair that was enjoying themselves. 

"No. Leave me alone."

But instead of heeding her suggestion, Chaeyoung pulled out a cigarette, and held it between her lips as she pulled otu a lighter. "Light it for me?"

Wendy's face showed horror and disgust att the idea, leading Chaeyoung to laugh aloud and do it herself. "You really are too vanilla." Chaeyoung on the cigarette and lew it in her face, making her cough.

"You're gonna make everyone second hand smoke," WEndy choked.

"Precious." Chaeyoung put it out in a nearby ashtray. "So tell me about yourself now that we're alone. Looks like she's not gonna bother us."

"No." Wendy paid the tab and hopped off her chair. She briskly walked towards Irene and Junmyeon, who were deep in conversation so neither noticed her until she was practicaly standing between and over them since they were sitting.

"Yes?" Junmyeon looked puzzled. "Can we help you?"

"Yeah. I'm supposed to take Irene home."

Junmyeon frowned while Irene avoided Wendy's eyes. "Who the hell are you?"

"Nobody. Irene, let's go."

To Wendy's dismay and shock, irene acted like this was such an inconvenience. "Alright. Sorry, Junmyeon." She snatched her blazer from Wendy and started stalking towards the door.

Wendy turned to Junmyeon who looked visibly upset and concerned for the woman. "Don't fall in love with her. She's not looking for it."

"I know." he smirked and placed his hands on the table, fingers crossed over each other. "We've made a deal."

"D-deal?" Wendy had to swallow down her suspiciouns of what this could mean.

"Don't get me wrong, I think Irene is gorgeous, smart, and amazing. I know what she wants - to settle down and have that family her parents want ever so much for her. Well, to assure you, I want it too. We can be "in love" later if it happens, but I have everything she needs." He held his fingers up one by one as he listed them. "Money, security, a house, a comfortable lifestyle, and I can make her pregnant with children."

The more he spoke, the more depressed Wendy became. 

I am everything Irene doesn't want...

Rather one thing Irene didn't want, and she had nothing that Irene wanted.

I love her.

"You're young," Junmyeon said as if forgiving her. "You can have all these fantasies, but reality remains the same. Love is a weird thing. Peopel say they fall in love then they get so fed up with each other. When you're more practical about things, everything makes more sense and nothing falls apart."

Wendy's mouth had gone dry and she didn't know what to tell this guy because she knew he was probably right. She wanted to say something bad to him, but she coudlnt' find it in herself to do it, especially if Irene really did want to settle for this guy.

She didn't want to hurt Irene.

"Well, don't hurt her," Wendy growled and spun on her heel to the exit.

The ride home was quiet, and Wendy tried not to feel guilty for interrupting what would have been an ok night if she did not act so rashly. Her finger tapped the wheel nervously as she waited for the light to turn green again. The radio wasn't doing anything to curb her anxiety.

Irene was obivously angry at her, her arms crossed over her chest the whole ride.

It's not my fault, Wend tried to reassure herself. She really wasn't sure now. This night was supposed to be their night for once in a million years.

Finally, Wendy arrived in front of Irene's apartment complex, but Irene didn't move.

"What was that?" Irene finally demanded.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Bull. You know what I'm talking about. I was just talking to Junmyeon."

Wendy squeezed the driver's wheel in her hands to release some anger instead of crying out in frustration. "I'm gonna get ticketed if you don't get out of my car."

"Are you serious?" Irene snapped. "Nothing was going on, Son Seungwan! I just wanted to talk with him, and you made the wrong call!" She was seething now. "I'm allowed to have friends, aren't I? You're not the only one in my life, so don't expect my world to revolve around yours!" Irene left the car and slammed it shut.

"You're ing welcome," Wendy grumbled and wiped her tears before getting back on the road. 

After that argument, Wendy did not hear from Irene for several days. She was worried and wanted to call her, but decided that with how angry she made Irene, the woman probably was done with her by now.

Wendy tried asking Seulgi, who simply stated she should ask herself. "Besides, you and her are always together. Why are you coming to me?"

She didn't want to tell Seulgi the whole ordeal because then she'd have to admit that she was really falling too hard for Irene.

"What's up, doc?" Joy popped into the studio, where Wendy had been blasting a new project she was helping to master. 

"..."

You say love is messed up
You say that it don't work
You don't wanna try, no, no...

"Uh, Wendy?"

And baby, I'm no stranger
To heartbreak and the pain of
Always being let go...

"Weeeenddddyyyyyyyy!" Joy wailed off tune with the music to make it clash.

And I know there's no making this right, this right

And I know there's no changing your mind, your mind

But we both found each other tonight, tonight

So if love is nothing more than just a waste of your time

Waste it on - 

"WENDY FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!" Joy pulled the lever she thought was for decreasing teh volume, and sure enough it was thank good ness. She could only imagine what would have happened to their ears in this sound proofed palce. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU FOR TEH LAST WEEK?" Joy practically roared in Wendy's face like a dinosaur.

Wendy didn't even look at her as she turned the lever back to a more bearable volume. "I'm ed up, Joy."

"What? No you're not."

Waste it on me, waste it on me 

"Wendy, seriously, stop - "

Tell me, why not waste it on me?

JOy pushed the volumb back down to argue, but Wendy turned it back up. 

Baby, why not waste it on me?

Everytime, Joy tried to get to the root of the problem, Wendy just kept interrupting her with the song. It was a battle of increasing and decreasing the volume, which was probably going to break at some point.

So before they got in trouble, Joy just stopped her with her hands. "No work until you talk, big shot."

"Shut up. I'm supposed to be working."

Joy paused and then galnced at Wendy's phone which was usually blowing up with Irene all over it. "Irene on your mind?"

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No, dammit! She wants nothing to do with me!" Wendy snapped. "Leave me alone."

Joy was saddened at the sharp words, but she did as Wendy asked. 

--

Wendy went to the same bar by herself this time for no particular reason. She tried convincing herself it wasn't because she was hoping to run into Irene by chance since they hadn't seen each other in two weeks by now.

Maybe she and Junmyeon levled up to romantic dinners - oh wait, she doesn't do romance. Wendy took a seat at her usual spot at the counter. The bartender recognized her and made the drink without even asking her. 

But in the end, she didn't feel like drinking and left before the bartender could even give it to her. She remembered to leave some tips behind though.

Wendy drove anywhere, just following where her hands moved the steering wheel. That's when her car made a funky noise to tell her, "! out of gas?" She coudln't believe she forgot that was what she needed to do.

She parked on the side street where there was one conveniently there for her, and there were no restrictions.

Grumbling to herself, she shut the door and locked the door before beginning her trip.

This place seemed familiar. Wendy looked around like she was starnded in an unknown city, and realized she was in front of - Irene's apartment? Wendy looked down at her hands, cursing them too for bringing her here. 

Was she even home? 

Wendy shook her head and tried not to think about their argument. Why did I have to be so stupid? She walked towards the front and punched in the code Irene told her to use whenever she wanted.

The girl climbed the stairwell until she made it to irene's floor, and blood thrashed in her ears as she drew nearer to the familiar door.

Knock....knock, knock...

Wendy suddenly realized where she was and what she was doing - in real time- and she started to back away from the door.

But no one answered. 

What a relief..

"Seungwan?"

The girl jumped at the sound of things falling to the floor, and she wihrled around to find Irene standing in the middle of the hallway in all her glory.

"Uh...um...hi - "

Irene grabbed her in a tight hug and buried her face in her shoulder. "I missed you so much, Seungwan. I'm so sorry..."

The woman continued murmuring apologies into her neck, and all Wendy could do was bask in her warmth she missed so much too.

They made up by sitting together on the sofa and watching the news, which was chockful of horrific things to be thinking of now. 

Irene shut it off and lay her head in Wendy's lap with a contented sigh. "How's the internship?" she asked.

"Good. Keeping me busy."

"Oh." Irene reached for Wendy's hand and absently played with her fingers. "That's good then."

"How about you?" Wendy asked instead.

"Same. There's some last minute wedding clients before the end of this good weather. I'm completely booked."

"You get paid more," Wendy remarked.

"Yes, I've been thinking about upgrading my studio." Irene sat up slowly and went to pull down the curtains where teh sun was trying to heat up the table. She seemed a little distracted now, and Wendy could only imagine what this could mean.

more bad news?

"I've known Junmyeon only a few weeks," Irene told her. "I met up with him more when..."

When I wasn't with you...Wendy finished internally, but didn't show any emotion to let Irene continue.

"I thought it was a little too soon, but, he proposed to me last night," Irene continued. 

"..."

"I said yes."

It was quiet and Wendy realized Irene was waiting for her to say something. "Well, is it what you want?" she said instead. 

"We're on the same page with settling down and starting a family," Irene replied. "And our parents will be happy to know our minds are made up."

Wendy turned away from her and sighed heavily. "Do you love him?"

To that question, Irene simply laughed. It was light this time and Wendy knew Irene wasn't amused, but she had no other reaction to run by.

"There's no such thing as love, Seungwan. And even if there were, it goes away with time. The only thing keeping families together is money, security, and children."

Wendy felt a weight in her chest as if this were already Irene rejecting her. She felt her whole world, her heart drop into the depths of a bottomless ocean, and maybe some megalodon shark come to eat it whole. 

Those words, for verbatim, Junmyeon's words as well.

"Then...what is love?" Wendy asked nervously.

"Open the dictionary," Irene replied nonchalantly. "But if you want my answer, I don't know it. Love is just some silly thing your heart believes in until it decieves you."

Wendy was left cold and almost out of breath because she didn't want Irene to be right. Irene would never be in love with her, and maybe she never was the best for Irene. 

--