As in every art school which had the aim not only of instructing students in the various fields on which the art itself was based, an exhibition had been organized to highlight the talent of the students of each course, using the structure to the lessons to exhibit every single work created in those months.

On that occasion, in addition to being able to earn the esteem of friends and loved ones, it was also possible to get noticed by the directors of the most renowned universities in that field, as beautiful as it is insidious and this was a great cause for anxiety.

Tzuyu had no purpose that day, her only wish was to be able to see her sister at that event which became important for her when she had decided to dedicate a work to the most important person in her life.

"You're enchanted again, are you sure you're okay?" Sana had crouched down to be able to look into her eyes, as the taller girl was sitting on one of the stools in their classroom.

"It's the first time in a long time that I hope to share my achievement with Sally and I'm afraid she won't be able to free herself from her work commitments"

The redhead had pulled her into a tender hug to comfort her as best she could, resting her chin on her head and leaning back "she will be there, even I could see her enthusiasm when you told her about the exhibition"

"Did you get this impression? To me she seemed serious as usual" she closed her eyes to enjoy the warmth of that embrace, which she had deeply missed until a few days before "if she doesn't come to see my painting would you like to come with me?"

"I would go there anyway, since you didn't want me to see it, I have such curiosity that my stomach is devouring. I'm more excited about that canvas than the one we did together" Sana was excited and was secretly crossing her fingers: she wanted seeing happiness in her girlfriend's eyes, she hoped so much.

Their instructor interrupted that moment of pampering, who for the occasion had chosen to wear contact lenses instead of his enormous glasses "girls, some people are starting to arrive and we have to go. Today is have a great day, I've already seen some noteworthy people and we absolutely have to make a good impression. I'll wait for you on the third floor, don't be late!"

After seeing him go with the elegance of an elephant they had both laughed, breaking away from each other and holding hands in order to encourage each other.

Tzuyu had a straight back and a little irregular breathing "shall we go?"

"As long as you don't pass out on the stairs, you're taller than me and I don't think I can hold you" the redhead joked to lighten the mood.

"I'll do my best, but I can't promise anything" she squeezed her hand tighter, intertwining her fingers with hers for further confirmation of her presence, after which they walked briskly to the floor where their works were.

No sooner had Nayeon set foot outside the house than a sports car pulled up next to her, almost frightening her with surprise. She didn't think twice before grabbing the handle to open the door, entering the car with a small leap "you are more punctual than a Swiss watch, you scare me"

"I would have liked to pick you up earlier, but the office urgently needed me for a last-minute meeting" Sally didn't waste a second, pushing the accelerator with moderate force.

"I'm not surprised, you are the only one who always manages to solve the problems caused by your colleagues"

"To avoid further disturbances I turned off my cell phone, the only one who will have my attention is Tzuyu" she was excited, so much that her hands slightly trembled.

That detail hadn't gone unnoticed by the attentive eyes of the brunette, but she decided not to say anything for fear of making her uncomfortable "Tzutzu will be delighted to see you and I bet she's devastated by anxiety"

"She's not the only one to be particularly excited, I feel my bones trembling" Sally had never been honest about her state of mind, but at that moment she exposed herself with such naturalness as to be reassuring "and I'm sure she will jump for joy when she sees us coming together"

"You had a fantastic idea and I admit I'm excited to be part of it" she was smiling sincerely "you look like a different person to me, you've come a long way since you started going to the psychologist"

The blonde had stopped at a red light, tapping the steering wheel with her fingers "I guess Jeongyeon told you that"

"I'm sorry, maybe I shouldn't have said that"

"No reason to apologize Nay, I would have told you myself and I sincerely thank Jeong for doing it for me, she avoided making our conversation ambiguous"

Nayeon was a little confused "why ambiguous?"

The car was speeding along the asphalt again "because you could have thought of an attempt to get you back, considering the story of my change due to the sessions with the psychologist, instead thanks to her I don't feel I have to put my hands forward and I feel at my ease"

"So I'm glad I brought up the topic, I admit I feel calm too. I was afraid there might be some embarrassment given everything we've been through and being able to talk to you like this is a pleasant surprise"

"Actually, there's an awkward conversation I'd like to make you.. Can I?"

"I'm listening" her anxiety was already taking hold of her, leading her to take deep breaths.

Sally was tense too, but she absolutely wanted to do the right thing "I would like to know what is stopping you from being with Jihyo, it is clear that your distance is hurting both of you and I find it silly of you. I have heard her reasons and I am sure that you know them too, but I would like to know what you think about this situation"

Silence had fallen, during which it was almost possible to hear the gears moving in Nayeon's brain "do you want an honest answer?"

"The most sincere you can give me"

"I'm afraid I'm going to hurt her in some way and I couldn't bear it"

The braking made by the blonde was a bit abrupt, but fortunately for the stomach of the one sitting in the passenger seat they had reached their destination "do you think that making her believe you're still in love with me could be less painful than your possible mistake? Open your eyes Nay, you're not a fool who can't think. In case you were afraid that the opposite could happen, I guarantee you that Jihyo would never behave like I did, she wouldn't do it even if threatened"

The conversation continued until they entered the art school, stopping as quickly as it began and leaving plenty of thought for Nayeon. Indeed, being grateful for the things that had been said to her, she had thanked her ex by offering her a coffee.

In addition to the students, many directors of the most prestigious schools had stopped in front of the latest work painted by Tzuyu, but she didn't care at all because there was only one person she wanted to show it to and the worry of not being able to do so had gave her a stomach ache.

She did nothing but look around for a yellow head, deluding herself whenever she happened to see blond hair. She was resigning every minute more "she won't come"

The instructor, having stopped to talk to an art critic right next to her, had noticed something her student would surely appreciate "raise your head and look to the right"

The little girl did as she was told, immediately bursting into tears and covering her face at the sight of the smiling faces of those who had raised her. Her heart seemed to want to fly away from how hard it was pounding and her legs were shaking so much it was hard for her to stand.

Sally had rushed to her, worried to the point of having stopped smiling "little monster, why are you crying? Did something happen?"

"You're here, you really come" she was clinging to her jacket, crying against her shoulder like she did when she was little "you remembered that"

"I wouldn't have missed this event for any reason at all, I'm so curious to admire your work" she was holding her with all the love she had to offer, kissing her head every now and then.

Nayeon only joined them after capturing the moment on her cell phone, having no problem hugging both "our precious little girl"

The blonde had been the only one who hadn't shed a single tear, as she had stopped crying after their parents' abandonment, yet at the sight of the painting that depicted her she hadn't been able to hold back a moderate sob.

"This is the representation of how I see you, you are a flower that has just blossomed from rotten roots that are now healing. I was inspired by a photo I took of you while you were sleeping because I wanted to represent your vulnerable part that you never show to anyone, that's why your face looks a little different than you usually see it in front of the mirror. The flower on your cheek is a lotus flower, I chose it because it grows despite its roots being stuck in the mud and because symbolizes rebirth"

Sally's tears, after all those years of absence, were streaming down her face nonstop "you couldn't have given me a better gift than this and I'm blown away. You are also incredibly talented and I'm glad I let you go to class since you were little, one of the few right choices I made in my life"

The satisfaction in Tzuyu's eyes was so great that it overwhelmed all the visitors who stopped in front of her work, but the highlight had been the continuous pampering and compliments of the two older women.

"Did you really throw a jealous scene because you caught her looking at another woman's picture? You're out like a balcony" Katarina didn't want to stop teasing her twin, backed up by her girlfriend and Momo.

"It's not my fault that it bothered me and I simply expressed my disappointment" she had pouted like a child and, unable to help it, she had leaned on Mina to seek comfort.

However none of those present, including her lover, had any intention of stopping teasing her and when Sally arrived she immediately felt better "use your authority to make them stop, I can't stand them anymore" she was whimpering.

The blonde had slightly puffy eyes and a toothy smile, she really didn't have anything authoritative at that moment "leave the little girl alone, come on"

Chaeyoung was immediately indignant "I can't believe it, you're a too!"

"Why did you arrive so late? We expected you at nine" Jeongyeon was intent on uncorking the bottle of wine that the latest arrival had brought.

"I had to take three women to dinner who are rather slow when it comes to eating, they get slowed down by chatter"

Momo looked at her immediately, feeling an annoyance she would never admit she could feel at the thought of Sally courting other people.

The others, on the other hand, were so excited that they showered her with questions, not even giving her time to realize that she had said something misunderstood and forcing her to wait for them to stop.

"It wasn't a double date, I wasn't trying to steal someone's girlfriend and I'm not even into getting engaged to multiple people at once. I just took Tzuyu, Sana, and Nayeon out for a bite to celebrate how successful the babes were at the exhibition"

There were sighs of relief that preceded the general dismay, which had given rise to other more serious and cautious questions, to which Sally had answered very calmly, proudly showing the photos of Tzuyu and Sana's works.

Mina had smiled all the time, infected by the general happiness "how about making a toast?"

"What would you like to toast to?" Katarina was still shocked that Sally and Nayeon had managed to spend all those hours together.

"To all of us, I love the people we are becoming"

They banged the glasses against each other, chatting non-stop about everything. At that point Sally, finally free from everyone's attention, stopped to look at the girl sitting next to her "glad to see the dress I bought you"

Momo gave herself an attitude, managing to avoid feeling embarrassed "be quick to say you're happy to see me"

"Maybe I really am, who knows"

They looked at each other briefly, feeling a tension never felt before and allowing themselves to study each other, at least until Katarina's attentive eye had noticed that exchange of glances and she had started making jokes about it.

"You saw wrong, I was looking at her with disgust because I just realized how ugly her face is" the brunette had rolled her eyes, showing annoyance.

"Silly of you to think you can offend me with so little, Momoring" she swallowed the contents of her glass in a few sips, smiling relaxed for the first time since they've known her "today I'm really happy"