~~~

     As always, true to her word. Sana shows up the next morning at the crack of dawn to scold a very annoyed Nayeon. 
     Still, she is nothing compared to an insomniac, aggrieved Jihyo, who yells at Nayeon more than Sana does. But she is more upset about having been woken up just two hours after finally falling asleep. Though she doesn't blame the hyperactive and particularly nosy blonde for the rude awakening. 
     Of course not. Nayeon's problem was the reason for the disturbance, therefore the whole thing is her fault.
     So she is scolded for freezing out Momo and has to promise to apologize on that front. Which she does. Between classes, Sana provides her a location, and Nayeon surprises Momo. 
     It's no wonder, they never saw each other. Momo is getting her degree in dance, and the practice rooms, where Momo spent all her time, are on the opposite side of campus where Nayeon has all of her lectures. 
     As promised, Nayeon apologizes to Momo but keeps it brief. This time, she makes sure to be less apathetic about her "feelings." And as soon as she makes it clear that she would still be scaling back their interactions, she leaves before Momo can say anything. 
     And somehow, from that point on, Momo seems to be everywhere. Which makes the declaration Nayeon had stated null. 
     Through the futility of it all, she tries her hardest not to be in the same place as Momo. But it is like greater forces are working against her.
     More like Jihyo's forces. Everything Sana was invited to, so was Momo. And the dancer starts making frequent trips to the political science building. The times she does catch Nayeon, she always claims she is just passing through to get to the English department, which is across the lawn, out of Momo's path. Nayeon isn't sure Momo even knows where it was actually, but she never tells Momo that.
      The more Nayeon tries to avoid her, the more Momo pops up. And when Nayeon has no choice but to talk to her, she keeps her answers short and asks no questions. 
     Yet despite Nayeon's best efforts, she slowly gets to know Momo. 
     It is all through their short interactions, but Nayeon can fairly claim that Momo is clumsy. Not as bad as Sana-- literally no one could compete there. But for someone who's supposed to have the coordination and grace of a dancer, Momo loses her footing more than she should. 
     One of the times when they "bumped into each other," they were walking towards each other outside of the P.S. building and Momo stopped in front of Nayeon to say something. Well, she tried to stop, that is. What she actually did was trip over her own feet, forcing Nayeon to either catch her or watch her kiss the pavement. She chose the former, which led to an awkward moment of embrace, that Nayeon guiltily saved to her vault.
     Nayeon also learns that Momo is kind, undoubtedly so. Nayeon saw her from the window of the library, stopping to help three different people back to back. Like the universe was finally giving Nayeon a break by keeping Momo distracted. Except, Nayeon was the one distracted by how considerate and generous Momo could be. As far as Nayeon could tell, they were strangers to her, but she helped them out all the same. That kind of generosity is something Nayeon didn't display or believe could be genuine, but something about the way Momo did it got Nayeon's attention. 
     So Nayeon gets to know Momo. Slowly and steadily. And again, it becomes consuming. Instead of really trying to get to know Momo, Nayeon decides to amp up her attempts at distance. She stops hanging out with Jihyo and Sana, and whenever they go to the apartment, she finds other places to be. 
     Sure her social life takes a hit. But she's doing it for her mental. 
     Never mind that Momo is still living there rent-free.
     Regardless, Nayeon can only go so far on this path. That fact is proven on a hump day in late October. Nayeon pops by the apartment since she has a three-hour break before her next class. Since it's the middle of the day, she doesn't expect anyone to be there. Making it the perfect time to unwind before her next session.
     Of course, she's not that lucky.
     Nayeon walks up the stairs to her door and is greeted by a dozing Momo, sitting on her welcome mat. Nayeon stands in front of her and watches as Momo's head droops before popping back up, then doing it again. 
     Nayeon shifts uncomfortably in place, thinking she should use this opportunity to get away. But she is so set on having a nap, the idea of leaving is contentious. 
Momo decides for her. The next time her head pops up, she regains consciousness and is surprised to see Nayeon standing in front of her.
     "You're here," Momo says, rubbing her eyes and yawning. She gets to her feet groggily and moves aside for Nayeon to unlock the door.
     "Um… Sana's not here," Nayeon says, moving in front of her. 
     "I know," Momo says, then pauses. Only when Nayeon looks back at her does she ask, "Can we talk?"
     "Now's not really a…" Nayeon rushes to get the key in. Rushes to get away. She tries to think up a good excuse. 
     "Please Nayeon," Momo begs, and Nayeon has enough sense to know not to look into her eyes, but still...
     No fair. How come she can say my name like that? Nayeon thinks to herself.
     She opens the door and motions for Momo to enter first. 
     Nayeon closes the door behind them and makes her way to the kitchenette. She offers Momo a drink and makes a pot of fresh tea. When it's ready, they sit at the dining table in awkward silence for a good minute, sipping their drinks.
     Momo breaks the tension. "You really stopped coming by the store," she states, staring into her cup.
     "Uh… yeah…" is all Nayeon can think to say.
     "And you don't hang out with Sana anymore." 
     "Mm," Nayeon hums.
     "We don't really see each other on campus either." 
     These are the facts and choices she made of her own volition, but hearing Momo sound so solemn about them, hurts her heart. It kills her to make Momo sad like this.
     "Do you really hate me that much?"
     That's shocking. "What, no!" Nayeon shouts and cringes at the volume.
     "It's okay," Momo says before she can continue. "I get it, you can't expect everyone to like you. I know that… but I don't know what I did wrong,"
     "No… no, it's not you… it's me," Nayeon says reluctantly. But it's the truth.
     Momo chuckles, but it's the saddest thing Nayeon's ever heard. "Isn't that a break-up line?" Momo asks with a sad smile. 
     "I'm serious," Nayeon says earnestly. "I just…" She cuts herself off and sighs. "It's hard to explain."
     "Please try," Momo says, leaning in. "I want to understand why--"
     Nayeon cuts her off. "You're just so…" She starts, but she really can't put it into words. "... and I've never been in love before…" She stops again, phased by her own confession, but pushes through. 
     "I mean that's not to say I'm in love now. I just meant that if I were in love, maybe it would feel like this. And if it did, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. I mean now that I get to actually talk to you, I feel… Well, I don't really know how to describe it, but since I met you, ignoring you makes me feel like I'm losing something important, but it's something that I never had to begin with. So I can't say what it is or why I need it. But I've never had it before so I can't help thinking I'm better off without it, and if I stay away from you, eventually, I'll go back to not knowing I need it. You know what I mean?"
     Momo looks at her in confusion but doesn't say anything.
     "Okay, let me start over," Nayeon says. "I like you."
     "Oh," Momo perks up at this unexpected admission.
     "I like you a lot," Nayeon continues, so Momo can't say anything. "And being around you feels like my head's underwater and everything gets all jumbled up and compressed like if I don't say the right thing, I'll drown."
     "Uh…" Momo is back to being lost, and Nayeon grunts out in frustration. 
     But Nayeon doesn't lose hope. She takes a deep breath and gives it one more try. "I don't know how to talk to you."
     That, Momo understands, it's just that she disagrees with it. "But you talked to me that time at karaoke and you're talking now," she points out.
     "That time I just put on a brave front to get through the night," Nayeon explains. "As for right now, I'm still messing it up. And in both cases, I still feel that pressure."
     "You feel like you're drowning?" Momo asks.
     "Mmhm."
     "Right now?" She asks, leaning closer to the older girl.
     Nayeon nods. 
     Momo moves around the table to stand closer to Nayeon. "And now?" She asks.
     "Y-yeah," Nayeon sits up straight, she's starting to worry about where this is going. "Momo I--"
     All of Nayeon's functions grind to a halt when Momo sits in her lap and wraps her arms around her shoulders.
     "What about now?" Momo whispers, lips brushing the shell of Nayeon's ear.
     Nayeon squeezes her eyes shut, and Momo pulls back, giggling.
     "Just breathe, Nayeon," she says as if she isn't directly responsible for Nayeon's struggles.
     "I am breathing," Nayeon squeaks out.
     After a while, she opens her eyes to find Momo smiling knowingly at her. It's almost annoying, but it's mostly cute and kinda y. 
     "See you're okay," Momo says after a while. Then she looks down at Nayeon's chest. "But your heart really is pounding,'' she says, slightly concerned. 
     "Yeah," Nayeon whispers, looking away from her.
     "Nayeon," Momo calls softly, directing her attention back.
     "Hm?"
     "Can I kiss you?"
     Nayeon jolts, physically moving Momo. "Um…" Her eyes shift back and forth, searching for an escape.
     "You can say no," Momo offers, resting her palm gently on Nayeon's cheeks. Somehow, this calms her. 
     "No. I-I mean yes," Nayeon stutters. "Yes, you can kiss me."
     Momo gives her a butterfly kiss on the corner of her lips, and Nayeon can't help but lean into its fleeting grace as Momo pulls away. 
     "Was that okay?" Momo asks.
     "Mmhm," Nayeon mumbles, stunned.
     Momo kisses her again directly on the lips and with more pressure, but it's still tentative, testing, unsure. 
     "What about that?"
     "Mm," Nayeon barely registers the question. 
     Momo deepens the kiss this time and she doesn't pull back right away. She slides her hand behind Nayeon's neck and Nayeon grips the side of her shirt, desperate for more contact. 
     When Momo pulls away, her breaths are heavy, but she composes herself to say, "Nayeon,"
     "Yes," Nayeon is panting herself, trying to catch a breath. She breathes out, fighting to get more air in. 
     "I like you too."