"Hyun, could you let go of your cell phone for a few minutes and give me some of your attention? They will soon be playing music to make us dance and I absolutely want to go wild with you until my legs give out"

"I beg your pardon, I'm just trying not to make Tzuyu fall into despair by asking her to make me guess some quotes from the TV series or movies we saw together. It seems to be working, she is working hard and she seems determined to win"

Sana had rested her head on her girlfriend's shoulder, settling herself comfortably in the chair they were sharing. "I'm so sorry for her and I would like to see her well"

"That's what I would like too, but at the moment we have to make some effort to establish the balance" despite the countless attempts of her best friend there was no quote that Dahyun's memory did not remember perfectly, leading her to guess every single one in a few seconds "she's an amateur, she'll never be able to beat me"

"You should help her improve her mood and instead you are thinking of winning a stupid game, what patience" the auburn wanted to give her a light shove, but the awareness of not having to exaggerate had managed to make her give up.

Dahyun had moved away a little to be able to look into her eyes "did I already tell you that you are gorgeous? I don't regret buying that dress at all, it looks great on you" she was smiling, a gesture she had learned to do often in the last period.

"I love it when you compliment me, you make me feel the most beautiful in the world" she was blushing as usual, but she was no longer ashamed of having the girl's eyes on her. In fact, she loved the way Dahyun's gaze slid slowly over her body to watch her closely, it made her get butterflies in her stomach.

"You are, with or without clothes on" kissing her on the lips had become one of her favorite activities, but the noise caused by the loud music had bothered her to the point of making a face "the best part of the party it's over"

"Instead it has just begun, let's go dancing!" Sana stood up with extreme enthusiasm and a smile so bright that it made it impossible for the brunette to refuse that request.

Jihyo was lying comfortably on the lawn, her eyes fixed on the countless stars and a sense of unbridgeable loneliness to hold her heart. She had moved away from the guests to the party to enjoy a few moments of peace and tranquility, which, however, was interrupted when a huge glass containing a red liquid had eclipsed the vision of the night sky.

"I could never leave such a beautiful girl alone, would you like to have a drink together? This is a very high quality wine and I assure you it goes down beautifully" the unknown woman, a woman in her thirties with an elegant bearing but not too much, sat next to her, showing her the still full bottle and another empty glass.

"Thank you very much for joining me, I was bored to death" accepting the glass had been simple and natural, just as it had been to make a quick toast before starting to drink.

"I guess I have to introduce myself so I'll tell you right away that my name is Haeun, I'm a video game enthusiast and I have an incredible attraction for your red hair. Can I touch it?"

The redhead just nodded, shuddering when the stranger's hand played with the ends of her hair, a gesture she was no longer used to and which, regardless of who did, she liked very much. It was her weak point.

"Can I know your name?" Haeun had spoken softly so as not to spoil the moment, letting the distant background of the music be the only noise.

"My name is Jihyo"

"Jihyo. What a delightful name"

"I don't want to seem like the kind of person who thinks to be the center of the world but.. Are you flirting with me?"

Haeun gave her a mischievous smile "who knows, maybe I'm doing it. If it bothers you or makes you feel uncomfortable just say it and I'll stop immediately, even if it would be a real shame to deprive my eyes of such a beautiful vision"

To manage the embarrassment Jihyo had made the mistake of emptying the glass she had in her hands in a very short time, feeling immediately hot "if you continue to compliment me I could end up believing your words"

"You should do it because you are a unique beauty, do you ever look in the mirror? You don't even have a flaw and I have to admit that, as much as your red hair can attract attention, it wasn't the first thing I looked at" she was no longer playing with the ends of her hair, but that didn't stop her hand from landing on the younger girl's leg "don't tell me you're already drunk, the bottle of wine is still halfway"

"I'm not much of a drinker, but I guess it was obvious. I want to look at the stars" she threw herself back to lie down again to look at the sky "it is rumored that the star that is brighter in the eyes of the beholder belongs in some way to that person, but why can't I ever find mine?"

"Maybe because you don't have to look for it or maybe you have already found it and you are not yet aware of it. As I see it, our star is able to manifest itself in many ways, whether it is in a flower or in a person makes no difference"

"Did you manage to find yours?"

"I think so, but I won't tell you anything else until you ask me to take some pictures together to remember this special night"

Jihyo had pulled up to be next to her, making the sign of victory with her fingers and leaning on her "if I'm not at least nice don't post them or you will make me even more disfigured"

"You just told me I'm beautiful, it's a progress" Haeun had taken her cell phone and had spent several minutes choosing the best photos to post on their Instagram profiles. Soon after they were flirting with each other again, enjoying each other's company.

Mina and Chaeyoung had stayed together to help dispel the boredom and, much to the surprise of the first, there had been no attempt to seduce any woman present at that event.

"Isn't there even a girl you like? I see some noteworthy ones, even I like them"

"You say?" Chaeyoung was looking around in a distracted and disinterested way "I don't feel affected by any of them"

"Since when do you have any pretensions about women? You have always claimed to take things lightly and enjoy hours of unbridled to the fullest"

"What I'm about to say might shock you, but these things don't interest me anymore and I don't even miss them. I would like to find a person who can upset my every day and make me feel alive, someone suitable for me who can really get out the best I can offer. Maybe you attacked me your sweetness because I would like to meet my soul mate, like those two idiots over there" she was pointing in Sana and Dahyun's direction, they were looking into each other's eyes with all the love in the world "I want what they have and I'm willing to wait for a long time to be happy next to the right person"

"Now you can understand what I feel, you know I want the same things"

Chaeyoung had taken a glass that was offered to her by one of the waiters, taking a small sip before looking at the girl in the red dress "Minari, you've already found your person and I'm sorry to sound insistent but you should seriously open your eyes and take the happiness you deserve. You both deserve it"

Mina had also taken something else to drink to keep herself busy "I don't know, I feel like I lived in a dream and woke up after a sudden fall out of bed. It was good while it lasted, but it is necessary to live in reality"

"You've endured a relationship for years that didn't make you feel good, pretending every single day that you didn't suffer"

"What's that got to do with it now?"

"I said it to make you realize the difference between the bond you had with me and the one that still binds you to Tzuyu. She loves you and you know it very well, I'm sure of that. I know it will be difficult to trust her again, but is a special relationship like yours really worth throwing away because of a bet proposed by an immature ?"

Mina's eyes were bright and not because of alcohol "I don't know, I'm not sure of anything anymore and maybe it was this that made me close like a hedgehog. I'm afraid of making mistakes again, of being hurt to the point of changing really what I am and permanently"

"It won't happen, I trust Tzuyu. You know, we've talked a lot lately and she even offered me to take care of her hair. Just me and her went out like we never did before and one night she collapsed in my arms after talking with an open heart and crying. It was in that moment that I really understood her feelings for you and I swear to you on what you want that a love like this is not even seen in the books you love so much"

When she was about to answer her phone had vibrated, signaling a notification that caused her to panic "she wants to kill herself"

"Who?"

"Tzuyu, she wrote me that she is going to kill herself" her hands were shaking and, as she reread that short message, the words contained in it were always the same.

"Let's go stop her now" Chaeyoung grabbed her bag and started running with Mina following her. The drive had been hectic and rather dangerous, but the fear of high speed had not affected either of them in the slightest.

"Momo, could you walk more calmly? I have heels and I can't keep up with you!" Nayeon was having an incredible effort walking across the lawn because of her stiletto heels "Jeong, tell her to stop or she'll do something stupid as usual"

"If she wants to make a fool of herself let her do it, I prefer to avoid going to the hospital because of you" the blonde immediately tried to pick her up "I don't understand why sissies like you put on heels when they have to go out, how annoying"

"I would not like to specify the situation, but you are a female too"

"I do not dress up as a wedding favor and I dress in an impeccable way to say the least"

Nayeon had rolled her eyes, exalted at the sight of two familiar faces "but those are Dahyun and Sana! Let's go to them, we're here now and we might as well have some fun. Luckily you and Momo know Chae's cousin or we wouldn't have been able to cross the gate"

After putting down her girlfriend Jeongyeon had a mischievous smile "a beauty like mine cannot go unnoticed and it is obvious that she wanted me in her circle of guests"

"You are unbearable when you behave like this" the older had moved away as quickly as possible, throwing herself on the two sweethearts "good evening, splendours, you look like you came out of a magazine"

"And where did you come from?" Dahyun still had her eyes fixed on her cell phone, worried.

Jeongyeon had greeted Sana giving her a nudge on her forehead "we were in a club with Momo, but that fool dragged us here all of a sudden"

"You hurt me, you're the usual y " the auburn was rubbing her sore spot, realizing only afterwards what was going on "Momo is here for Jihyo?"

"Most likely yes" Nayeon had already had a drink "Hyun, is something wrong?"

"Tzuyu left me with the visual, but Chae just wrote me not to worry"

While they were busy talking the girl with the bangs had managed to reach the most isolated point of the party "Haeun, stay away from her"

"Momo, we haven't seen each other in a century!" she was particularly excited "do you know Jihyo?"

"Of course I know her and I'm here to prevent her from repenting her actions" she lowered herself to match them "how much did you drink?"

"Go away, don't ruin our evening" Jihyo's words did not coincide with her behavior as she immediately clung to the brunette "your presence bothers me"

"The photos you posted bothered me too, but neither is in a position to tell the other what she can or can't do"

Haeun was looking at them amused and got up immediately after "now I understand why she refrained from flirting properly, I guess I have to step aside and wish you a good continuation of the evening. Have fun"

Once they were alone, Momo's gaze had softened and her arms were wrapping the redhead with extreme delicacy "can I take you home? I'll leave immediately after putting you to sleep"

"I don't want to sleep alone"

"I'll wait for you to fall asleep"

Jihyo shook her head like a child "you stay with me, I'll leave in a few days and I want to take advantage of the time I have left"

"Will you go back to New York?"

"Exactly, it's up to you to make me leave with a good memory of the two of us together or with a broken heart. Choose the option you prefer"

Momo seemed torn "we both drank and I don't think we should take advantage of the situation"

"As if this was the first time we did this while drunk, did you forget about the night where the drinks were free for the people who won the games in pairs? We were totally out of it"

"It was a few years ago" she had opened her eyes wide in surprise "have you recovered your memory?"

"No, I only remembered that night and I would like to recreate it"

The thrill of having a shared memory had driven out everything else, causing the brunette to get up with Jihyo in her arms "my house or your house?"

"Your house, it seems obvious to me"

Hurrying into Tzuyu's apartment with worst-case scenarios in mind to find Tzuyu on the couch watching TV had been a relief to the two girls who had rushed to the first hint of danger.

"You moron, does it seem normal to you to write to people that you are going to kill yourself?" Chaeyoung had gone near her to take the beer out of her hands "do you have any idea of ​​the fright you made us take?"

"Dahyun knew very well about the quotes I was sending her, she was worried because she didn't remember the last one I wrote to her and this makes me the winner of the evening"

"Tzu, you sent that message in the wrong chat" she pointed to the entrance "you wrote it to her"

The taller girl froze on the spot at the sight of Mina "I'm sorry for the fright, I must be confused because I tend to reread the messages while I wait for someone to answer me. I beg your pardon"

Silence fell and it was Chaeyoung who interrupted it ", I forgot my keys in the car. I hope they didn't steal it!" she had started running to leave the apartment, closing the door before Mina could even propose to go with her "don't waste this opportunity, please" she had crossed her fingers.

"Don't stand there and take off your shoes, they must hurt a lot"

"They are actually quite comfortable" she slowly removed them, determined to waste as much time as possible waiting for Chaeyoung's return.

It seemed that Tzuyu had read her thoughts "she won't come back, she lied about the keys" she got up from the couch to approach her, staying at a safe distance "this is the dress you told me about? It fits you better than I imagined. You are gorgeous"

Mina was blushing, but not only because of the compliments "instead you cut and dyed your hair. Blond suits you"

"Chae wanted to dye them with the colors of the rainbow and this was the only option we agreed on; we talked for a whole afternoon before deciding"

"You have chosen well, I guess it was worth discussing"

"I think so"

There had never been all that awkwardness between them and the silence that was created again was hurting both of them, to the point of preventing them from looking into each other's eyes. It had been a while since they had last seen each other and their stiff posture, accompanied by the fact that they were standing in the same spots as that day, was very reminiscent of those last painful moments in which they ended their relationship.

"Now that I am sure that you are not in danger I better go and call a taxi or it will be impossible to go home"

"You don't have to leave, you know. You can stay as long as you want and if it's my presence that bothers you then I'll make sure you don't see me. I'll be like a ninja hiding in the shadows"

"I'd rather go back to my house, but thanks anyway for the offer" she turned away, ready to leave.

"Do you despise me so much that you can't greet me while you look me in the face?"

The sadness with which the taller had uttered those words was like a blow of unprecedented power for Mina's heart "I don't despise you, I feel so many things about you but not this"

Tzuyu had gotten close enough to make her feel the breath in her hair when she spoke "how do you feel about me? I want to know if our feelings still match"

"I don't have to answer"

"Right now, as much as I care to respect your will on every occasion, I don't think I would be able to let you go. Having you here with me, with this dress on and everything we've shared in my mind is making me feel selfish" she was moving her hair to free her bare shoulders and pass her fingertips "stay with me, I know you want it"

That simple touch was enough to make Mina shiver "I'm torn"

"Just think about what you want and put everything else aside. I will respect your every choice, although I would be very sad to see you leave again"

In response, Mina turned quickly to look at her with her eyes full of tears "I love you and I don't want to spend another night imagining you next to me"

"You won't have to, I'm here"

No one added a single word, they let their desperate kisses do the talking for them.

~~~

I came back and during the holiday I had a lot of ideas for new stories, so I hope to be able to write a lot. I also hope you're all well, that's what matters the most to me💚