“Mon, how come you do not put another spoon of sugar in your coffee anymore? You always put three but now you only put two.” Sam suddenly pointed out one Sunday morning. They were still in bed, both having their backs resting on the headboard, hair still unkempt, lower bodies hidden under the covers. It was cold, the freezing air swirling inside the closed room even though the heater was on and all of the windows were closed. So they find their warmth by sitting side by side on the bed, arm pressed on arm, a hand holding the handle while the other warmed itself on the side of the mug, legs tangled together.

The younger woman turned to the older as she calculated her answer, a soft smile gracing her face as she took a sip before answering her lover’s question. “Because I realized that three spoons of sugar are too sweet.” She shrugged. “I do not know. I just woke up one day, made myself a coffee, took a sip, and then sensed that it was too much even though I have grown accustomed to the three spoons of sugar.” She hummed as she took another sip. “Maybe that is how life is. It changes one day. Nothing ever stays the same.”

“Does it?” The question was left in the air for some time.

“Does what what?” Mon asked back, a bit of a giggle slipping out of when she saw Sam being burned by the coffee, the girl sticking out her tongue as a consequence.

“Does everything change?” Sam turned her head with her scrunched-up face and stared at Mon, waiting for an answer from the clever girl.

Mon pressed her lips into a thin line, thinking hard. “I guess.”

Sam turned and put her gaze towards the girl she had met in 3rd grade, the girl who stole her burger with a defiant smile, the girl who managed to make her heart beat faster than a spider could. “Then that means our love can change too?”

Mon let out a sigh and shrugged. “Probably.” She turned her head towards her girlfriend and smiled before pressing a kiss on Sam’s forehead. “But I know, it will change for the better. I just know it.” She grabbed Sam’s coffee and put it on the bedside table along with her own before turning back around and engulfing the older woman in an embrace. “You are stuck with me forever.” Sam answered this by giving Mon a peck on her cheek and snuggling her close.

“We should do something.” Sam suggested as she lied beside the bunny, an arm draped over Mon’s shoulder. The woman chuckled at the older woman’s idea, quite amused at Sam’s brazenness.

“Sam, you do know it is cold outside.”

“I did not mean outside. We can do something here, inside the house! I am bored.” It was a good thing Mon didn’t get to see Sam’s pout or else she would’ve succumbed to any idea the older woman might blurt out.

“Let’s build a fort?” That pulled out the bunny from being eaten by the covers, nodding her head enthusiastically. Sam knew Mon loved that kind of stuff and sometimes she uses it to her advantage

“I want lots of pillows in it! And you because you are my favorite puppy to cuddle to sleep!”

Sam wished for Mon to never lose that smile. Nor her bubbly personality. Sam wished Mon would keep being herself all the time. Whatever it costs.

And they both went to work. Well mostly, that work was done by the older woman, she didn’t want the bunny to tire herself out since Mon always tends to get tired very easily when it’s too cold that’s why she prefers summer than winter. The older woman worked on the fort, while the bunny prepared the foods, frying up chicken as she knew that it was Sam’s favorite food.

They soon spend their entire day inside the fort, cuddling each other, food all eaten up, smiles and teases thrown back and forth, unaware of the future waiting ahead.

A fake rose stayed still on top of a drawer not too far from the cuddling couple.

“It was not even real! She was just being friendly! It did not mean anything!” Loud clattering resounded throughout the whole room, and instead of having a peaceful and easy aura inside, it was chaos. It screamed tension, it was not what they were used to. They were not used to being apart, Sam and Mon had always been stuck to each other like glue but for now, they cannot do anything about it since they are both mad. They were not used to screaming at each other but this time, they thought it was the only way to understand each other’s side, but did not realize it was doing the opposite. They were not used to feeling the green pretentious monster slowly crawling up from the bottom of wherever it came from up to their intoxicated minds.

They were not used to change.

But it seemed like they have to.

“She was all over you, and you did not even do anything about it!” The screaming got louder and the thought of their neighbors hearing their argument never crossed their minds.

Because they were sad, jealous, and angry.

Betrayal is such a snake.

“Come on, let’s just go to sleep.”

They know better than to sleep their fight away. They know. But somehow, it was the only thing that can save them from each other.

From themselves.

So they slept with pains in their hearts, promising themselves to talk the next day when they are both okay.

But that talk never came, for the only thing that they did when they opened their eyes was to turn a blind eye away.

The pain started etching gruesome marks on their untainted hearts, the impending start of the end booming in the back.

Smiles were set upon, as if nothing ever happened, conscience knocking on the door of their minds yet love the visitor, never let it in.

It didn’t have the power to.

Not when the other’s smile is the other’s weakness.

Love sometimes plays the role of a healer, yet sometimes it also plays the role of a killer.

With set aside fights and barricade smiles, the rose stayed still on top of the drawer.

The rose was not settled on the top of the drawer anymore. This time, it was held softly by wet hands, red and heavy eyes were set upon it.

How time passed too quickly, Sam