“Siyeon wants to go out.” Yubin says, stretching out next to her wife on the couch, her body feeling worn from the week. This couch was the first thing they bought together as a couple, and despite it being a bit worn on the edges and the red wine stain that they hid under a decorative pillow, they had kept it when they had moved into their first house. They would get a new couch eventually, but Yubin thought they might keep it, maybe move it to the basement if they ever got around to finishing it.

 

“So does Bora.” Yoohyeon says, her free hand going immediately to Yubin’s hair, massaging her scalp absentmindedly as she scrolls on her phone. She notices the grimace on Yubin’s face. She knows why it’s there, but it still makes her worry.

 

“So Siyeon’s, beers, and then maybe some karaoke?” Yubin says, ignoring the invitation from Bora completely. 

 

Yubin blames Bora for the state of their friendships. It was her bomb that had gone off right in the middle of all their lives. They used to be a group, Siyeon, Bora, Yubin and herself. Now she rarely saw Siyeon and likewise with Yubin and Bora. Her wife couldn’t escape the fact that Bora broke her best friend's heart, and then rebroke it a few months later with a loneliness driven relapse. Yoohyeon blamed her too in some ways, but her wife could be brutal in her distaste for the other woman. 

 

Sometimes people didn’t work. Even after years, relationships got messy and one sided. Her normally calm and contemplative wife turned into a fierce protector when it came to Siyeon, oftentimes not caring about any sort of nuance. That was usually Yoohyeon’s natural state, but it seems that they switched roles recently.

 

“Do you think you’ll ever forgive her?” Yoohyeon asks, not really expecting an answer.

 

“Do you think she’ll ever apologize to Siyeon?” Yubin answers coolly. 

 

The look her wife gave her was a mixture of exhaustion and annoyance. It had been so long since they just did something for themselves. They had been so wrapped up in the dissolution of their best friend's relationship that they barely had time for them.

 

“Screw it… let’s ditch them both.” Yoohyeon says, her eyes filled with mischief.

 

“I can’t just ditch her…. The flowers,” Yubin says, pouting slightly. She could be so cute like that.

 

“The damn flowers again. I’ll plant you flowers if you’ll shut up about the flowers.” Yoohyeon says pinching her hand, watching her squirm away.

 

“You’re just mad your ward never planted a rose bush for you.” Yoohyeon can't help but laugh at  the idea that Bora would plant anything for her. Bora didn't like dirt, or plants. The apartment she moved into after the break up was completely devoid of any plant life. 

 

“Just one night. We go out to have dinner, maybe see a movie. Let’s be us again.” Yoohyeon grabs her hands, pouting slightly as Yubin growns. There are protests, Yubin is tired, she just wants to stay in and watch movies. But all her protestations stops when Yoohyeon puts on her favorite black backless dress and saunters out in front of her. She sighs, changing into jeans, a button down and a blazer.

 

It is exactly what they need, she is sure of it. Dressing up, going to dinner, normal couple stuff. They find themselves at a bar, a bit more crowded and grungier than they would normally frequent. A band was playing, and they didn’t absolutely , so they decided to stay a while.

 

Yoohyeon pulls her wife onto the dance floor, a small smile growing on her face despite her protests. The way yoohyeon looked at her in those moments are enough to get her to try anything. It is like she is reflecting the best parts of her right back at her. She always shines for her. All her rough edges feel smoothed out whenever her hand was in hers. Her best friend. Her soulmate. 

 

Yoohyeon couldn’t help but get extra courageous and spin her wife, the lights playing off her eyes, making Yoohyeon’s heart do a little leap. Even after all these years, a smile from her could stop her in tracks. The music seemed to swell as they continued to dance, like somehow the universe knew they need this break from life. A tiny enchanted place where friends, family, work and heartbreak didn’t exist, just them, dancing to a bad cover band in a dingy bar under the mirrorball that was likely older than them. It was perfect.

 

—

 

“Owwww” Yoohyeon hisses sometime later on their walk home. Her feet are throbbing. Her heels are a perfect complement to her favorite dress, but they are definitely shoes meant for sitting, not dancing around for hours, missing their movie and making out in the bathroom stalls like teenage delinquents..

 

“I told you about the shoes.” Yubin says clicking her tongue like her mom used to do to her when she would come home with grass stained knees. She let Yoohyeon lean on her until she could find a place for her to sit. 

 

Yoohyeon whines, looking at the big blister that was growing on under the strap of her shoe. Yubin kneels down, tenderly taking her foot in her hands, surveying the injury.

 

“Well that won’t do.” Yubin pokes at the blister making Yoohyeon hiss in pain. 

 

“It’s bad, isn’t it doctor.” Yoohyeon says dramatically, her hands covering her face in faux anguish. 

 

“I’ve got good news and bad news.” Yubin remained crouched looking up at her, a serious look on her face. 

 

“Bad news first.” Yoohyeon replies, still hiding her face with her hands.

 

“You aren’t walking home in those shoes.” Yubin says solemnly, tapping the heel of the offending shoe.

 

“Oh what a tragedy. What’s the good news doc?” 

 

“Your chariot awaits.” Yubin says, standing up and turning her back towards her motioning for her to jump aboard.

 

“It’s five blocks.” Yoohyeon says with a disbelieving smile on her face. Yubin often overestimated her strength. There was that one time when they went bowling and in a futile bid to show up Siyeon she had almost thrown her shoulder out with the heaviest ball they offered.

 

“I can handle it, now get on princess.” She says, sensing her wariness.

 

Yoohyeon giggles and obliges, gingerly hopping on her back and wrapping her arms around her neck, feeling like she had the first time they had done this. Junior prom. Back before the wedding and the house. Back before everything, when they were just two best friends, desperately trying to hide from each other how madly in love with each other they were. Yoohyeon had asked her to prom as a bit of a joke, not thinking she would take it seriously. But she showed up at her house that day with a corsage that matched her dress, wearing a suit that complemented perfectly. That night felt like a fairytale.

 

“Do you remember?” Yoohyeon whispers in Yubin’s ear. She knows she’s thinking about that night too. Much like tonight, Yoohyeon had worn ridiculously high heels meant for aesthetics and not usefulness, and just like tonight Yubin had carried her home on her back.

 

“Of course I remember.” Yubin replies. Yoohyeon can’t see her face, but she imagines she’s smiling, her nose scrunching up just a little.

 

“I was so nervous I would fall and embarrass myself.”

 

“You did fall.” Yubin says dryly, causing Yoohyeon to pinch her rib. 

 

“Yeah but you caught me.” 

 

“Like always.” Yoohyeon does not miss the hint of sarcasm. She’s about to pinch her side again when they are at the door. Yubin carries her inside, sitting her at the kitchen table and leaving for a second. She returns with the first aid kit they keep under the sink in the bathroom.

 

“Let's clean up your battle wound, soldier.” Yubin says, kneeling in front of her, grabbing something to clean the wound with out of the kit.

 

“Yes sir,” Yoohyeon watches carefully as Yubin looks for the best way to extract her foot from this medieval torture device that makes her legs look amazing.

 

“Why did you wear those things anyway? They always give you blisters,” Yubin asks while helping her take off the very pretty but also very dangerous shoes.

 

“No reason,”  Yoohyeon lies. She has a reason, but she is sort of embarrassed by it.

 

“I know that look. There’s a reason.” Yubin always sees through her little white lies. She’s sure she has some sort of tell but Yubin wouldn’t divulge that information to her.

 

“I wanted you looking at me all night.” Yoohyeon says, looking down at her hands. She had been terrified of losing Yubin since Siyeon and Bora broke up. It had never crossed her mind that the four of them were not those cheesy “endgame best friends”, the type whose kids grow up together and become best friends too. It felt like they had a plan and then life just ed it right up. It scared her more than she likes to admit, especially to Yubin. 

 

“You don’t have to do that babe. My eyes will always be glued on you.” Yubin says, taking her hand, interlacing their fingers with a small sure smile on her face. She was alway so sure. Her certainty had weathered them through so many storms.

 

“You promise.” Yoohyeon asks, not wanting to show how much this matters to her. She didn’t want her to think she doubted anything about them. 

 

“I promise.” A promise from Yubin was a promise kept.

 

Yubin massages her feet absentmindedly, eliciting moans from Yoohyeon

 

“You're making it weird,” Yubin says, her smirk saying the opposite.

 

“It’s not my fault that you are so good at this.” Yoohyeon whines, hitting her hands away in protest.

 

“Now to bed, doctor's orders.” Yubin stands, reaching a hand out to Yoohyeon, helping her up.

 

“This doctor seems a little self serving.” Yoohyeon pinches Yubin’s rib again

 

“Never. Hippocratic oath or whatever.” Yubin smirked, dodging another pinch, using the couch as a barrier between them. 

 

“Kiss me you idiot.” 

 

And she does.