“So who is she with this time?” Winter asked her best friend coyly before opening up her can of coke.

“What?” Aeri tried to play dumb by pretending that she didn’t catch what her friend just said as she continued to look at the screen even though she couldn’t understand what was going on with the plot because all that she could think about was her.

“I know you heard me.” Winter paused the movie this time as she faced Aeri who was sitting on the other end of the couch. Her teasing tone didn’t miss her girlfriend’s ear earning her a playful slap on the thighs.

“Babe, give Aeri a break will you?” Karina who was sitting between Winter and Aeri answered for their mum friend who was obviously deep in her thoughts.

“I mean they could be kissing right now for all we know.” Says Winter with a shrug of her shoulders before finishing her drink.

“Winter shut up.” Karina warned her girlfriend as she turn to her right to face Aeri. But before she could even speak any words of comfort the latter let out a heavy sigh then said, “She might be right, Karina.”

“What?” Winter uttered not quite believing that her friend is actually agreeing with her because she would normally bicker with her whenever she teases her about this topic.

“She’s out with Liam tonight.” Aeri was looking at the window now and Winter might not see her face but she knew, she just knew that Aeri’s heart was breaking right at that moment as her words left .

“Liam?” Karina asked again just to make sure if she heard her right. She was answered by a series of deep breaths and a sad smile when Aeri finally turned her head to face Karina and Winter. A confused look was etched on Karina’s features as she tried to make sense of Aeri’s answer. “Babe, she said Liam.” Winter uttered slowly trying to girlfriend. She was about to more when something suddenly dawned on her. She looked at her girlfriend this time and saw that her eyes reflected her curiosity. They stayed like that for a few more seconds until they simultaneously exclaimed an “OH MY GOD!” when they were finally sure that they were thinking of the same thing.

“Liam Jung?!” Winter voiced out when the thought finally sinked in. Aeri could only nod when she saw the expression on her friends’ faces. “But she never go out with the same guy twice right?” She asked this time as she sat on the floor to get a clear view of Aeri.

“I guess he’s different then.” Aeri’s voice was defeated which mirrored her smile and body language.

“And you are too. You’re–“

“Her bestfriend.” Aeri finished Karina’s sentence for her and sealed it by finishing her beer in one go.

“Hey, Karina and I, we were bestfriends too before..” Winter pointed at her girlfriend then back at her “this happened. Before we happened.” She then looked lovingly at the raven haired girl and tried to reach for her hand but was met with the rebut, “We all know that I did all the work, Winter. If I didn’t initiate the first move then we would still be stuck in the bestfriends phase right now.” Poor Winter failed at her attempt to woo her girlfriend and that gained a laugh from Aeri and suddenly the atmosphere felt a little bit lighter.

Winter grabbed a throw pillow from the couch and made herself comfortable on the floor before continuing, “Then be like Karina.” Sitting up straight, Winter looked proudly at her girlfriend then at Aeri, “Make the first move. We have been pushing you since forever but you are too dense–“

“They both are, babe.” Karina corrected her girlfriend.

“As she said, you’re both dense” Winter then looked at Karina for her approval and she got it in the form of a nod before resuming her thoughts, “So here you are being her chauffeur every single freaking date and Ningning on a dating spree trying to find the right one.”

“She doesn’t swing that way–“ Aeri exclaimed. She have told them this before. What’s so hard to understand. Ningning is straight as hell, there’s no way she’d bend for her.

“Did she ever told you that?” Winter interrupted her words which she thought were just mere excuses.
Aeri is tapping her foot against the floor now as she thinks of another reason as to how she and Ningning could never happen. “All she ever dated are guys. And the last time I check I don’t have that part hanging between my legs.” She mentioned standing up as she pointed at the part just below her belly.

Winter could just shake her head at her friend’s actions. Looking up at her Japanese friend, a smile grazed her lips as she said the words, “Take the shot, Aeri.” She doesn’t know where the courage to say such words sprung out because it was no secret that she was a wuss as much as Aeri was but she felt that she needed to say that to her friend.

She couldn’t imagine a scenario where Karina is dating another person other than her. Even the thought alone is making her stomach churn in the nastiest ways. How much worse was it for Aeri? Winter thought as she stared at her friend who was currently speechless. How? She wanted to ask her. How can you not run over her date whenever you drive her to and fro on a date where it was not you that was sitting on the opposite side of her table?

Another sad smile went up Aeri’s features when she finally had the courage to speak, “Then what, lose her?”

You are brave and scared at the same time. She wanted to tell her that but she knew she didn’t have the right because in that moment, she and Aeri were the same. That was her exact reason why she didn’t made a move on Karina. The fear of losing what they have was stronger than the desire to have more. And that was where she went wron