--- (memory) ---

Before she had opened her eyes, Mina just thought about how strong the younger’s perfume was in the room, but then she realized her breathing felt weird, like she had been inhaling the same air many times and it was now warm.

Mina opened her eyes carefully, almost afraid. Her nose was about to touch the younger’s neck and she could feel Chaeyoung’s hands loosely wrapped around her body to keep her close, making her skin ignite with a combination of desire and confusion. She suddenly was hyper-aware of Chaeyoung’s breathing, and if she focused hard enough, she was almost sure she could hear the younger’s heartbeat. It felt weird, but good weird, the kind of weird Mina wouldn’t mind repeating every day. 

Her pulse was thumping so loud Mina was sure it could wake Chaeyoung up, her veins filled with satisfaction and if she had the option, she would stay in this position for the rest of her life just because of how intimate and warm it was.

As softly as possible, she looked up to the window that was over Chaeyoung’s bed; the blinds were closed so she couldn’t see much, but judging by the lack of lighting, it had to be around midnight. 

The debate in her head lasted for what felt like hours, one side of her - the one dominated by her heart - begged Mina to stay there and go back to sleep in the security of Chaeyoung’s arms; but the other side also had a point. What if things were weird between them the next morning? But at the same time, if she moved, Chaeyoung would probably ask why tomorrow. 

Wasn’t it normal for friends to sleep in the same bed? Mina convinced herself it was, but she couldn’t say the same about cuddling and hugging. 

Using all her willpower, Mina swiftly untangled herself from Chaeyoung’s limbs and watched how the younger’s nose wrinkled as she grabbed a nearby pillow to replace Mina’s absence in her sleep. 

Never in her life had Mina wished to be a pillow so bad.

Walking to her side of the room, Mina lifted the sheets and slid into her own bed. It was cold, empty, and uncomfortable, but that might just be because it wasn’t Chaeyoung’s.

The following morning, no one mentioned anything. Mina could see how Chaeyoung would constantly bite her bottom lip as if she were holding herself back from saying something, but she refrained from asking about it in case it wasn’t about her.

They were making pancakes for breakfast, Mina pouring the batter onto the pan while Chaeyoung made coffee, and it was more silent than usual.

“Mina.” Chaeyoung called while trying her best to form a heart with the foam of the coffee. Receiving a short hum from Mina, she continued. “Why did you leave last night?”

She knew it was coming sooner or later, they both did, but that didn’t make it one tiny bit more comfortable. “Well, you seemed uncomfortable so I moved so you’d have more space.”

If there was one thing Chaeyoung knew for sure now, it was that Mina was a really ing bad liar. She had a double bed, Mina could’ve moved to the other side if she wanted, but she went to her own instead. 

‘Maybe I overstepped a boundary and she doesn’t like sleeping with other people.’ Chaeyoung thought to herself and giggled at the double meaning. “Alright then, sorry if I woke you up or something. I can be a when I sleep.”

Mina gave her a gummy smile, thinking she had smoothly covered up her lie. If only Chaeyoung knew how much Mina regretted leaving.

--- (present) ---

“ing car that broke down.” Chaeyoung hissed as she tried to cover the sun's rays by putting her hand over her forehead. Although the summer was almost over, there were still some days (like this one) when the hot weather was unbearable. “It better be fixed by Wednesday, I swear.”

“Stop acting like a spoiled brat.” Nayeon lightly hit the younger’s nape. “So, I’ve been thinking…”

“Weird, that never happens.” 

“Chaeyoung! I swear to ing god, you’re walking to school from now on.” 

“You would never do that to me. I’m sorry,” she placed a short kiss on Nayeon’s shoulder, “please continue.”

“You know how the competition is next week?” Nayeon looked to her side to see if her friend knew where this was going.

Chaeyoung nodded. “Kinda hard to forget when we practice every breathable moment. Go on.”

“Well, Jeongyeon’s birthday is the next day so maybe we could throw a party that night or something.”

It had almost slipped past her mind. Chaeyoung and Jeongyeon had pretty much known each other their whole lives and almost considered themselves sisters. They didn’t have the type of friendship that needed constant communication to remember how close they were, but they both knew that they could confide in the other whenever something important happened.

Chaeyoung stopped in her tracks to consider it because she knew damn well she would be in charge of everything if she accepted. “What does she think?” 

“She said she wanted something small, but I think this could be a lot better if you- we plan it.” Nayeon and Jeongyeon had talked about it a few days prior, but Nayeon wanted to make something unforgettable for her new girlfriend.

“Nayeon…” Chaeyoung knew how this would end up, but she also didn’t want to meddle in a relationship that wasn’t her own. “I know you love that you two are together, but I also think you should respect her wishes and do something small.”

“Please.” The older pouted, something she did a lot for being the oldest in the group. “Please, Chae. My parents are going to be out of town that weekend so we can do it at my place, I just need you to make the calls and get everything ready.”

She found herself in a dilemma. It was always an option to ask Jeongyeon her opinion, but that would ruin the surprise. The only comfort was that if she didn’t like the party, she could always cross the street and be in the safety of her own home.

Ever since Mina had started living with her, Chaeyoung was a lot more at home. So far, she had rejected multiple invitations to parties, mostly because of two reasons: first, she was comfortable being with her roommate, and second, the idea that someone like Bambam could approach Mina again scared her. 

Chaeyoung knew she was being selfish, and that Mina deserved to live the full experience in Seoul, but she wanted to keep her safe, and for some unknown reason, she was sure the only one that could do so was herself. 

“Fine, but if she hates it then it’s on you.” The pair were turning to their street, leading to their conversation ending. 

Nayeon stopped the younger by raising her voice, “I think you should try dying your hair pink, it would look cute.”

Chaeyoung smiled and leaned on Nayeon’s broken-down car, she thought it would definitely be something interesting. “What about the school dress code?” 

“No one our age gives a flying about the dress code.” She started pumping her hands up and quietly encouraged. “Do it! Do it!”

“Maybe this weekend, it’s about time I touch up my roots too.” Chaeyoung loved the idea of having pink hair, but she would have to ask Mina first. The older’s opinion mattered a lot more than she would like to admit.

“Goodbye Chae.” Nayeon spoke as she took her keys out of her bag and walked towards her door.

---

Nayeon’s car had surprisingly gotten fixed by the next morning, which was a huge relief to them because they only had one more week to practice for the show, and walking everywhere was a lot more time-consuming than it seemed.

Mina walked to the entrance with Chaeyoung and Nayeon next to her, listening to the younger complain about how she would have to stay after school to practice when a tall frame suddenly stood in front of her.

She looked up to find BamBam with a grin on his face, but what worried her more was how she could see in the corner of her eye how Chaeyoung’s throat moved as she gulped. 

“Hi, Mina.” The morning sun hit his face, making his eyes even more charming than usual. He was very good-looking, Mina had to give him that.

Seeing how Chaeyoung and Nayeon walked away made her feel both relief and worriedness; the former because no argument would happen, but she knew the moment she and Chaeyoung were home, things would be different. It had happened a few times now: Chaeyoung’s guard would go back up after seeing Mina interact with the guy, and it would take a lot of sweet-talking to convince her nothing was going on between her and BamBam.

Mina still wondered why she had to explain her (non-existent) relationship with BamBam to her roommate, but it also gave her a glimmer of hope that maybe it wouldn’t be that way between them forever.

“What’s up?” 

He stuck his thumbs under his backpack’s straps and swallowed. “I was wondering if you wanted to do something one of these days.”

‘Holy ing .’ Mina was one to never curse, but no one could censor the words in her head. To say she was surprised would be an understatement, but it would also be an understatement to say Chaeyoung would be pissed if she were to accept the proposition. “Oh.”

“We could go for ice cream or coffee, it doesn’t have to be that serious.” BamBam ran his finger through his hair backward to keep it in place.

“Well,” Mina looked down, her decision was made the second the words left his lips. “I’m just really busy right now, trying to balance my studies and the dancing competition. I’m sorry.” She wasn’t sorry at all.

“I didn’t know you were going to compete, I guess I’ll see you then. I’ll be cheering for you.” He looked back, obviously a bit disappointed. With a quick goodbye, he slid his hands in his pockets and walked away.

A smile plastered on her face because there was one less problem she had to deal with for now, but she suddenly stopped. There was a recognizable sharp pain in her lower abdomen and she didn’t even have to look at the calendar to confirm her suspicions were right. ‘.’

What was initially supposed to be the best day of the week quickly became the worst.

---

Nayeon could almost hear Chaeyoung’s