Here's a playlist of all the songs mentioned 

 

 

(“The Millennial Club - feel the same”)

 

Dahyun’s phone vibrated in her hands, notifying her of a new message as it popped onto her screen. 

 

She turned to look at the tall girl practically on top of her, cuddling into her arms, a hint of a smile playing at her lips. “Did you just text me while lying right next to me?”

 

Tzuyu hummed sleepily, huddling further into Dahyun’s warmth under the blanket they were sharing. “Maybe.”

 

Before Dahyun could open to reply, she jolted when freezing cold hands made contact with her exposed waist, yelping at the startling touch. Dahyun shot a glare at Tzuyu that only proved to be ineffective as Tzuyu only grinned sheepishly. “Sorry,” she mumbled in an unapologetic tone, not bothering to move her hands from their position. 

 

Dahyun squirmed in place, clenching her jaw at the contrasting temperature. It didn’t help that Tzuyu was restricting her movements with where she was laying half on her. She could only flail her limbs around wildly in an attempt to free herself from the clinging tall, cuddly girl.  

 

“Tzuyu,” Dahyun whined, trying to shuffle away, but the younger wouldn’t let her. 

 

“I need to warm my hands up, they’re cold,” Tzuyu tried to reason, pouting.

 

Dahyun struggled to move even an inch, shuddering at the soft hands grasping onto her. “That’s exactly the reason why–” She slumped down, giving up the fight when Tzuyu was refusing to let up. It was useless, especially with the way that Tzuyu was looking at her, dark puppy brown eyes wide and pleading. 

 

“Remind me to tell Sana to stop teaching you these things,” Dahyun grumbled lowly, trying her best to appear serious and unamused, and failing horribly.

 

Tzuyu huffed out a laugh in response, wrapping her arms tighter around Dahyun and resting her head against the latter’s shoulder. “I should definitely thank her.”

 

The weekends meant having lazy stress-free days with Tzuyu, where all they did was cuddle to fight the cold and binge-watch their favorite movies and television show series long past midnight together. It always felt as though Dahyun and Tzuyu were roommates with the amount of times the younger had stayed over, despite Tzuyu having an apartment not too far from Dahyun’s. 

 

It wouldn’t be that far of a stretch to say Tzuyu did practically live there, however, with the majority of her things sprawled haphazardly around Dahyun’s place, and Dahyun would bet on Tzuyu having more of her wardrobe in Dahyun’s room than in her own apartment. 

 

Dahyun wouldn’t even be surprised at this point to wake up and see Tzuyu standing in her kitchen making toast for them, two steaming hot mugs of coffee already sitting on the countertop.

 

For Tzuyu to look up at her entrance and grin, saying a soft, “Good morning,” to her. 

 

It was just a normal occurrence, one that Dahyun personally loved and would never get tired of. They were precious moments that Dahyun would catalog into her memories to look back on and smile fondly. 

 

And today was a simple relaxing Saturday, Tzuyu having randomly barged into the apartment without warning, turned to see Dahyun on the couch and dove under the warm blanket to sidle up next to her. The couch was barely enough to fit two people, especially with Tzuyu’s stature, so it could be an awkward and tight squeeze but they made it work perfectly. Fully pressed up against her, Dahyun found herself with little to no space left to do anything except tightly hug Tzuyu back, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. 

 

Dahyun carefully lifted her arm up to hover over Tzuyu, who was dozing off silently, peering over the girl’s shoulder with a squint at the brightly lit screen. She swore if she happened to accidentally drop her phone onto the both of them, she was blaming Tzuyu. 

 

Dahyun clicked open her chat with Tzuyu to find a new song link waiting for her to open, smiling lightly at the sight. 

 

Getting song links from Tzuyu wasn’t unusual for Dahyun, as Tzuyu had been doing so for the past month. Every day, the older girl wouldn’t forget to give her a new song to listen to and enjoy. Dahyun doesn’t quite remember how it all started, she only knows that she absolutely loves Tzuyu’s music taste. Every song she received and listened to was quick to become her favorite until the time another was sent. 

 

Dahyun pressed on the link and upon opening it, the first few seconds of the sound bellowed out to replace the silence before the Taiwanese suddenly snatched her phone, every sign of weariness gone in an instant, and surprised Dahyun to send her heart rapidly beating at the scare. Tzuyu ignored Dahyun’s immediate protesting as she turned off the music and exited from the app.

 

“Listen to it later,” Tzuyu cut off Dahyun and told her with a glance, turning off the phone and tossing it to the side, out of reach.

 

Tzuyu ducked down at that moment, preventing Dahyun from seeing her face. Returning her arms to Dahyun, the younger girl snuggled in. 

 

“Huh?” Dahyun questioned, confused at what had just transpired in the last minute. “Why not now?”

 

At their proximity, Dahyun could feel the little puffs of air Tzuyu was letting out on her warmed skin and the steady drum of a heart. 

 

“Because I’m here,” Tzuyu mumbled into Dahyun’s neck where she hid, tickling Dahyun. “And it’s kind of embarrassing.” 

 

The last part was said so quietly, Dahyun had to strain her ears to be able to hear. 

 

Dahyun couldn’t help the smile that broke out onto her face. “Embarrassing? It’s just a song, though,” she tried to reassure, but the other stayed oddly mum. Dahyun poked Tzuyu’s sides to get her attention, the only response being arms tightening closer. 

 

Tzuyu was being way too adorable right now for her to not give in to the request.

 

“Okay,” she drawled, drawing her arms around the taller’s frame. Dahyun drew random imaginary figures and shapes on Tzuyu’s clothed back in a soothing manner while she let herself sink further into the couch. 

 

Dahyun closed her eyes, relaxing in the bliss of the coziness of just the two of them. “I’ll listen to it later, Tzu.”

 

 

(“BOL4 - Some”)

 

“You totally lost that on purpose,” Dahyun accused Tzuyu, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. 

 

Said girl blinked back at her innocently. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

The big screen in front of them repeatedly flashed, signifying of Dahyun’s win against Tzuyu. 

 

The two of them had been playing some random fighting game for the past hour and Tzuyu had been winning only half of the fights, though Dahyun was starting to suspect the younger was purposefully losing to let her win. The way Tzuyu smiled fondly at her everytime she cheered and did a little happy dance at her win was seared into Dahyun’s memory. 

 

Dahyun rolled her eyes, and Tzuyu stuck her tongue at her. 

 

They continued to play an assortment of video games together, drifting from player versus player to calm creative type of games like Minecraft. 

 

(“Oh my god, Tzuyu, did you just see that huge explosion over there?”

 

“Dahyun, that was our house.”

 

“Oh.”)

 

It was way past noon when they decided to stop after their bodies were starting to cramp up from sitting in the same position for hours, eyes and arms burning from the hours of exertion. 

 

Tzuyu yawned, stretching her arms out above her. She winced at the sound of cracks. Following suit, Dahyun paused the screen, leaning back onto the floor and groaned. 

 

Tzuyu gingerly got up to her feet, wobbling a bit causing Dahyun to snicker, and grabbed both of their controllers, placing them on the table nearby with a clatter. Dahyun crossed her arms over her stomach, choosing to stay and let her line of sight follow Tzuyu while she stretched some more. 

 

Tzuyu gazed curiously down at her, dropping a hand down to prompt Dahyun to grab it. 

 

“Nah,” Dahyun spread her limbs starfish-style with a tilt of her lips. “I’ll get up in a bit.”

 

Tzuyu wiggled her fingers at Dahyun for a moment, which Dahyun did return the action, and then retracted her arm. 

 

“Okay, well I’m gonna go take a quick shower,” the Taiwanese said, and padded over down the small hallway of Dahyun’s apartment. 

 

Dahyun closed her eyes, noting the soft click of her room’s door, presumably Tzuyu going to steal some of her clothes to wear. 

 

In their long years of friendship, Dahyun had learned of Tzuyu’s love to steal her clothes and had gone out of her way to purchase some that were a bigger size so they could fit her taller frame, not that a lot of hers weren’t already large enough from her love of oversized everything. It was a fair trade in the end, since Dahyun would stealthily (but not really) snatch from Tzuyu’s drawers. 

 

Another click, this time in the bathroom’s direction, and Dahyun fought back a rising yawn. Even after hours of gaming with Tzuyu, she was still bored out of her mind, left wondering what else she could do today to pass the time. Dahyun lay on her worn-out fuzzy carpet and stared at the ceiling, no new fun ideas coming to her, her brain seemingly only useful in conjuring thoughts of Tzuyu looking soft and adorable in her hoodie. She swatted at the air, as if that would do anything to rid the images.

 

Dahyun rolled onto her stomach, almost bumping into her coffee table. She peeked up, her hand scrabbling around the top of the table trying to find the familiar cool feel of her phone. When she eventually got a hold of it, she brought it down and propped her elbows up on her carpet to look properly at the screen. 

 

It was already 3:58 in the afternoon, prompting Dahyun to wince at how long they had been cooped up at her place playing around.

 

She turned her phone off and tossed it back next to her, successfully rolling onto her back once again. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast this morning, which was hours ago and now she was craving for something. 

 

Perhaps something sweet.

 

A creak from behind her and Dahyun naturally turned to the noise to see Tzuyu walking out while drying her freshly-washed hair with a towel. Tzuyu was dressed in a simple oversized hoodie and grey sweatpants, such a simple outfit making Tzuyu fluffy and adorable that she just wanted to squeeze into a hug. 

 

She sat up, gesturing for Tzuyu to come over and sit in front of her. Tzuyu happily walked over and automatically gave Dahyun her towel, crossing her legs as she sat down. 

 

Dahyun doesn’t know when it became a thing for her to dry Tzuyu’s hair for her, but it did and it was a part of their routine. She wasn’t complaining and neither was Tzuyu.

 

Tzuyu slightly bowed down as Dahyun gently toweled the younger’s hair. Tzuyu let her eyelids fall to a close, puffing out a giggle at the feeling. She often found herself being lulled to sleep with Dahyun’s motions of going through the locks of her hair, leading her head to dip down until Dahyun laughed and tapped her cheek softly. It was calming. 

 

Dahyun cut into the silence, wondering. “Got any ideas on what to do?”

 

Tzuyu cracked open an eyelid, taking a few seconds to process the question before her eyes were practically shining and Dahyun took that as a yes, tilting her head.

 

The former’s eyes gleamed, peeking from the edges of the towel. Tzuyu blew a stray strand of hair getting in front of her face, only making it lift and float back to tickle her cheek. Dahyun carefully tucked it behind the girl’s ear without a second thought.

 

Tzuyu cleared . “Do you want to go out for ice cream?” The clear, visible child-like glee had Dahyun laughing.

 

It sounded perfect in their own way.

 

Dahyun grinned widely. “How do you always manage to read my mind, Ms. Chou?” 

 

Dahyun pulled the towel away, satisfied with how Tzuyu’s hair was mostly dry compared to earlier when drops of water dripped onto her shirt. 

 

Tzuyu just hummed, patting Dahyun’s head as she got to her feet, taking the towel along with her. Tzuyu walked off to toss the towel and Dahyun did a little dorky, happy dance at the thought of getting ice cream. Just because it was cold outside, didn’t mean that ice cream couldn’t be eaten. 

 

Dahyun figured she’d need to change her clothes too if they were going out since she was still in her pajamas, however, before she could lift herself up, a hand materialized in front of her. 

 

For the second time that day, Tzuyu reached down and offered a hand to the older girl. This time, Dahyun grabbed it firmly, thankful, letting herself be pulled up. She accidentally stumbled forward from the force, but was quickly steadied by Tzuyu’s other hand on her waist. 

 

“So clumsy,” Tzuyu teased and Dahyun huffed, taking a step to distance herself. They were too close to each other and Dahyun would die of embarrassment if Tzuyu noticed the way her gaze had immediately fallen on her lips. She didn’t fail to notice their hands were still interlaced, though. 

 

“Be glad I didn’t drag you down with me to the floor,” Dahyun bit back lightheartedly. 

 

Tzuyu pouted, her bottom lip jutting out. “Wow, and you’re mean,” she whined.

 

“It’s not too late to run, you know.”

 

Tzuyu threw her head back and laughed at the poor warning, and Dahyun simply stood there in adoration. Tzuyu lazily smiled at Dahyun once she managed to quiet down her chuckles.

 

“Well I guess I’m stuck with the clumsy, mean Kim Dahyun for life.” Tzuyu softly squeezed Dahyun’s hand. 

 

“Because I’m not going anywhere.”

 

Dahyun’s heart thrummed, filling her ears with its loud sound. 

 

“Good, since I was ready to chase after you.”

 

Tzuyu rolled her eyes at the squint directed her way, masking how happy she was at Dahyun’s remark. 

 

She nudged Dahyun, nodding over at the latter’s room. “Okay, now hurry up and change already.”

 

By the time Dahyun had finished changing and they got out of the apartment complex onto the sidewalk, over a half hour had passed; however, it was the perfect weather to be out as it wasn’t too cold that it was unbearable. They casually talked about random things, stories, and whatever it was that they wanted to talk about. Their arms brushed up against each other as they walked, making their way over to the small ice cream shop nearby. 

 

It was a cozy place, one that they had accidentally found a while ago when they'd just been walking and exploring the area. The moment the two of them had walked through the entrance door, they knew it was going to be another of their places and it only confirmed their thoughts when they discovered the vast flavors and the cold, sweet goodness that came from the taste. 

 

Dahyun returned to her thought when Tzuyu had first suggested the idea of getting ice cream, speaking it aloud. “That’s kind of crazy though, since I was craving for something sweet earlier.” 

 

Tzuyu really did know her too well, but it shouldn’t have come to be a big surprise from the long years they’ve known each other and how often they hang together. 

 

“I guess it means we’re meant to be.” Tzuyu turned and teasingly winked at the older girl to which she chuckled in amusement. 

 

Dahyun was about to reply when they reached the corner shop, and Tzuyu opened the door for her with a sweep of her hand. The bell on the door rang and she whispered a thanks to the taller girl, stepping in to be greeted by the workers behind the glass showcasing the different flavors of the ice cream.

 

Tzuyu followed her in, behind, and shuffled past to speak to the waiting worker.

 

“Um,” Tzuyu cleared and glanced at her. “Can I get one large chocolatey-chocolate ice cream in a sugar waffle cone with caramel and fudge drizzled over it and extra, extra rainbow sprinkles on top…”

 

Dahyun looked down at her shoes, fighting back her smile while hearing Tzuyu order for her. It was absolutely ridiculous, yet endearing to hear.

 

They didn’t really go out for ice cream that often, but the way that Tzuyu had memorized her exact ‘asking-for-a-heart-attack’ ice cream cone order the first time she had heard it, had her heart aching. It was the little things, or moments, when Tzuyu picked up on her subtle habits or remembered overlooked details about her like this, that made it hard for Dahyun to stop herself. To stop herself from doing something she might come to regret later on and to save her feelings from getting hurt. 

 

The risk was too great, one that could leave her ruined.

 

Yet, Tzuyu made it so difficult every time with how easy she made things look, as if she didn’t have Dahyun wrapped around her finger. 

 

Tzuyu tilted her head and smiled at Dahyun, all the while she stood silently with her swirling thoughts and fragile heart. Nonetheless, she returned the smile with one of hers, hoping Tzuyu couldn’t see the longing in them. 

 

Dahyun tried her best to dispel the thoughts, and suddenly surged forward to pay for their cones. Tzuyu’s eyes widened as she understood what she was trying to do and stepped to block her path. Dahyun pursed her lips into a firm line and the workers watched in amusement. 

 

“Tzuyu,” she warned, taking another step.

 

Tzuyu straightened up, rising to her full height to use against Dahyun. “Dahyun,” Tzuyu said in a sing-song voice. 

 

Dahyun couldn’t help herself and cracked a smile, that’s until she saw Tzuyu’s hand stealthily inching towards her wallet to pay for their cones. Dahyun took another slow step forward, and immediately it turned to chaos with Dahyun yelling and trying to shove past Tzuyu’s long limbs to throw her money into the owner’s face while Tzuyu backed up against her and swatted her hands away, trying to pull out her own money at the same time. 

 

Long story short yet embarrassing, Tzuyu had successfully used her height advantage and managed to slide her money across the counter before Dahyun could. The spectacle had the owner laughing aloud heartily for a moment, and he had bid them a farewell when they had made their way to the door, telling them to come back next time. 

 

Tzuyu handed Dahyun her cone as they walked towards the open table right outside the shop and took a seat. 

 

Dahyun pulled out a chair, grumbling under her breath how it was unfair and she swore she’d pay for the two of them next time. Tzuyu only peeked over her ice cream, liquid pools of dark brown warm with mirth. 

 

A comfortable silence fell over them while they ate their cold snack, leaned back in their chairs looking at the scenery around them. A couple cars passed by them, picking up a slight breeze that carried over to them. 

 

Dahyun buried herself further into her sweatshirt to fight the cool breeze, her shoulders coming up as she clenched her teeth together. Once the breeze passed, she went back munching on her ice cream cone. 

 

Most people found it strange and almost crazy to eat something that was cold in such cold weather, and to be honest, they had a point. But Dahyun couldn’t help her cravings and it was nice that she didn’t need to wait in a line or anything since no one else was there getting ice cream aside from her, and Tzuyu if she tagged along, which was all the time. Dahyun couldn’t pass up an opportunity to eat some chocolate or cookies and cream flavored sweets, add onto that she could get additional toppings of whatever she wanted. In short, the coldness of the snack biting at her teeth was worthwhile. 

 

Though, the Korean kind of wished she had worn her glasses instead of her contact lenses, so it could provide some semblance of a barrier from the whipping wind getting into her face.

 

Dahyun heard a hissing noise and turned to the girl sitting in front of her, seeing how Tzuyu shrinked in on herself from the cold, though Dahyun’s focus wasn’t on that when her gaze fell on a specific point that had her almost snorting in laughter, snickering at the sight. Tzuyu perked up at the noise, offering a questioning glance at Dahyun who seemed to be laughing at her. 

 

.Dahyun could only shake her head, her giggles turning into wheezes at the innocent look in Tzuyu’s expression, blissfully unaware of the smear of ice cream above her lip. She looked comical, but then Tzuyu’s face twisted in suspicion and she lowered her cone. 

 

“What? Do I have something on my face?” Tzuyu pointed at herself, asking Dahyun. She her lips and just barely missed the spot, sending Dahyun into more giggles. 

 

Dahyun teased, holding the situation over Tzuyu. “I don’t know, do you?”

 

Tzuyu pouted and her brows furrowed cutely, “Do I, or not?”

 

Even with the white remnants of the dessert appearing out of place on Tzuyu’s face, she managed to look even cuter and Dahyun had herself rolling her eyes internally at the thought. 

 

Dahyun offered her no response and instead leaned across the table and gently swiped her thumb over above Tzuyu’s lips softly. She dared not to breathe as she did so, not missing the way Tzuyu’s breath quietly hitched at the action. 

 

Just as silently as she had leaned forward, Dahyun leaned back into her seat. She grabbed a napkin and cleaned her thumb with it, the absurd drama-like thought of her the drop instead, leaving her mind as soon as it had appeared. Dahyun faked nonchalance when in fact she was screaming inside, scared to see the face Tzuyu was making, but she could only stare at the table for so long until it became glaring obvious of her avoidance. So, she looked up and the sight sent a surge of warmth rushing to her face. 

 

Tzuyu stared at her wide-eyed and there was undeniably a scattering of light pink decorating her cheeks, mouth left gaping in clear surprise. Realizing that Dahyun was staring back at her with a similar appearance, Tzuyu’s cheeks flushed an even darker red and she coughed, before ducking her head to hide behind her hair.

 

Dahyun averted away from the sight, too embarrassed of what she had just done to meet Tzuyu’s stare again, lest she collapse on the spot right then and there. The image of Tzuyu blushing and shocked was burning in her mind. 

 

They finished their cones in silence, with Tzuyu’s cheeks only having cooled down slightly and Dahyun occasionally stealing glances over at her, which Tzuyu never once returned, keeping her sights straight down. 

 

The previously comfortable silence now became an awkward, thickening tense atmosphere that Dahyun was sure she was going to choke in if she stayed in it for too long. She brushed her hands free from any remaining crumbs, wiping her hands on a spare napkin. At the same moment, Tzuyu pushed herself up from her chair, the noise screeching a bit causing the both of them to wince. Dahyun followed suit, moving to stand up and balled up her napkins, tossing them into the trash can right in front of the shop, next to a tree. She turned to find Tzuyu waiting for her, for them to walk together back to her place. 

 

They walked side-by-side, unconsciously matching footsteps. Dahyun was hyper aware of everytime that her shoulder happened to brush against the taller’s, due to the closeness to each other. Thankful of the chilling weather, Dahyun would have surely combusted if their skin had touched each time. She vaguely wondered if Tzuyu was aware of it as much as she was, but doubted it because why would Tzuyu care how many times their shoulders bumped. 

 

Dahyun’s raging thoughts halted at the feel of Tzuyu slipping her hand into hers. Tzuyu’s thumb rubbed circles into the back of her hand, going back and forth, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. 

 

Dahyun looked down at their interlaced hands, noticing how Tzuyu’s hand seemed to be just the right size to fit hers. Not that she had never noticed it before, because she certainly has, it was just something that had always fascinated her. Dahyun shook her head at the observation. 

 

A glance up at Tzuyu, but the girl only stared ahead to the point where it seemed as though she was trying not to look at the girl next to her. Either that, or Tzuyu was really focused on walking back to the complex. 

 

Dahyun told herself that it was normal for friends to do that, to hold hands, because what else would it be ?

 

Maybe it was, or maybe it wasn’t. All Dahyun knew was that the feelings that arose from the action were not in any way normal for just a friend to have. 

 

And she was starting to hate the love her brain was deluding herself into thinking Tzuyu was giving to her, feeling for her. Because she knew she would always be drowning in something unrequited, hoping for anything to happen while hoping for nothing to happen. 

 

Later that night, Dahyun got a song from Tzuyu and she stared at the ceiling wondering what she was going to do. 

 

 

(“lost spaces, JAIE - discohaze”)

 

“A party?”

 

A sudden surprise call and Dahyun and Tzuyu found that they were invited to Im Nayeon’s mansion party, a close friend of theirs who happened to be very well-known by many. 

 

“Wait, what about Tzuyu?” Dahyun asked, interrupting Nayeon in the middle of asking if she could come. She never heard Nayeon mention inviting Tzuyu as well, and she couldn’t help but ask.

 

Dahyun could imagine Nayeon rolling her eyes at her as she snarkily said, “You both are always glued by the hip,” Dahyun couldn’t make out the next muffled words Nayeon muttered under her breath. 

 

“What?”

 

Nayeon ignored her. “Anyways, it’s a given that if you go, then Tzuyu does too. Do I really have to ask?” 

 

Dahyun opened . “Well–”

 

“Tzuyu, you know you’re welcome to come.” Nayeon cut Dahyun off.

 

Tzuyu chuckled at their interaction, never not finding it amusing to watch whenever it occurred. 

 

All three of them met during their freshmen years in university, Nayeon being there to help guide them around campus and inform them of the do's and don’ts as the oldest and most experienced. Unsurprisingly enough, Nayeon and Dahyun got along incredibly well within just a single week of talking, the two often bantering and playfully teasing one another. They constantly acted as though they almost couldn’t stand the other’s presence, but Tzuyu knew they always had each other’s backs and would be there as a true friend whenever, wherever. 

 

“Yeah, of course,” Tzuyu pursed her lips. “But actually, I don’t think I can go.”

 

Dahyun raised her brows at Tzuyu, catching her attention. Tzuyu only waved her off, mouthing she’ll tell her later as Dahyun tilted her head in confusion. 

 

“You’re busy? Well,” Nayeon sighed. “Promise me you’ll come next time.”

 

Tzuyu leaned in towards the phone, grinning, deep brown locks falling down off her shoulder in its waves and her eyes crinkling at the corners in amusement, while Dahyun silently sat there peering at the younger. “Promise.”

 

“Okay, I’ll see you later, Dahyun.” 

 

Dahyun snapped her gaze back to her phone and nodded, momentarily forgetting Nayeon couldn’t see her. “Yeah, see you then.”

 

The moment Nayeon hung up, Dahyun turned around to look at Tzuyu, her question written over her face. 

 

Tzuyu’s expression was sheepish. “I had already made plans beforehand with someone.”

 

Dahyun made a noise in thought.

 

“If I had known, then I probably wouldn’t have made them in the first place...” 

 

Dahyun quickly shook her head, not wanting the girl to be upset, “No no, don’t worry, it’s fine. You can make it up by coming to the next party anyway.” 

 

Tzuyu nodded in relief, though still feeling badly guilty that she couldn’t come. 

 

Dahyun reached over to her nightstand to charge her phone, setting it down. The cold weather still persisted where they lived, leading Dahyun to tug up the comforter that lay bunched up at the foot of her bed. All the while, Tzuyu was sitting next to her, just watching. Dahyun side-eyed Tzuyu, knowing her tendencies.

 

And of course she was right when Tzuyu suddenly grinned and dove at her, Dahyun shrieking but laughing at the same time as Tzuyu grabbed the comforter from her and let herself into the space around Dahyun, the comforter smoothly falling back down onto both of them. Their legs tangled with one another, bodies pressed against each other that Tzuyu was practically on top of Dahyun. 

 

From any point of view it may have looked uncomfortable to be in that position, especially with the way Dahyun was shifting because Tzuyu’s hair was tickling her neck, sending her into giggles. But to be frank, it had to be one of the most comfortable times for the older girl and she was sure that Tzuyu felt the same as she did, considering Tzuyu’s arms were pulling her even closer. 

 

It was still light outside, only having been in the afternoon, but Dahyun felt herself being lulled to sleep despite it, letting her eyelids fall and close shut, already drifting off. Right beside her, Tzuyu’s breaths evened out, already following Dahyun to a dreamland.

 

The next few days were uneventful, the two just offering to stay in and chill with whatever, so by the time the day of the party came, Dahyun was frantically scrambling around, having lost track of the time when she had hung out with Tzuyu and now she was an hour late. 

 

Dahyun had settled with a simple outfit of a plain white off-the-shoulder with a pair of jeans that she had found in the back of her closet last minute for the party, Tzuyu assuring her that it looked good, rushing at her to hurry before she got yelled at by Nayeon. They both knew of the wrath of the older girl, having seen it previously, and neither wanted to be on the receiving end of it. 

 

“Please, Nayeon treats you like her own child or something, it’s so unfair,” Dahyun pointed out with an obvious pout, knowing Tzuyu was fully aware of this fact and could get away with practically anything.

 

“Dahyun,” Tzuyu laughed, shaking her head. “Just go!”

 

Tzuyu and her ended up parting just outside the apartment complex, Dahyun waving goodbye to Tzuyu with a smile, making her way in the direction to Nayeon’s place. 

 

Upon arriving at the gigantic house, Dahyun rang the bell, and it wasn’t even a second later that the door swung open and out came Im Nayeon dressed in a crop top and high-waisted shorts, hair let loose at her shoulders, grinning at her. She opened to say something but couldn’t get a word in before she was yanked in by the arm and ruthlessly thrown into the crowd after a quick once-over by Nayeon, a red solo cup suddenly appearing in her hand without any prompt. 

 

Nayeon shouted to her with an expression that could only be described as mischievous, trying to be heard over the booming music. “You can thank me later!” 

 

Dahyun laughed loudly and nodded. “Whatever you say!”

 

“Now let loose and have some fun, Dahyun!”

 

Nayeon took her leave then, expertly weaving into the crowd of people and disappearing out onto the other side. Dahyun’s mouth hung open and she let out another laugh at the older girl.

 

She wasn’t surprised Nayeon had all but just dropped her right in the middle of the chaos and left, it was something she would do without a doubt. 

 

Dahyun looked around at the people surrounding her, able to recognize a couple faces here and there, and even went up to some to greet them. Dahyun considered herself to be fairly popular, not so much so as Nayeon was of course, but on a more casual side. 

 

She saw her two other close friends, Sana and Momo, casually talking by the countertop, and walked up to say hello to them, both of them quickly recognizing her and shocked that she was there. 

 

“Dahyun!” Sana locked her arm with Dahyun’s, her face lighting up in excitement. The two girls had always been super touchy with her, she swore it was a part of them, moreso applying to Sana the most. 

 

Dahyun beamed, leaning into Sana. She had missed them a lot, and she made a mental note to find time in her schedule so that they could all hang out. 

 

“How have you been?” Momo asked, looking at her with a smile. 

 

”I’ve been good! I mean it's been a little stressful with school but it’s the usual, so what can you expect?” She said and shrugged, to which Sana and Momo nodded solemnly in unison. “What about you two?” 

 

Momo sighed, “Pretty much the same as you.”

 

“It ,” Sana spoke up from next to Dahyun, causing the shorter to chuckle at the blunt words, relating to them. 

 

“But anyways,” Momo looked around Dahyun before looking at her in confusion and mild curiosity, “did Tzuyu not come with you?” 

 

While Dahyun knew Sana and Momo, Tzuyu didn’t as much, only having a connection with them through Dahyun, though they all became friends. If Dahyun had to admit, there seemed to be a strange tense atmosphere half the time Tzuyu and the two girls were together that always left Dahyun holding her breath. 

 

On multiple occasions, Sana and Momo had told her that Tzuyu was terrifying and Dahyun had laughed at them in disbelief, because how was Tzuyu, a big baby, in any shape or form scary. They constantly argued against it, claiming that the Taiwanese girl glared at them like she was about to commit murder. Apparently, Tzuyu was all nice and smiles with Dahyun, but turned into a scary glaring devil to the Japanese women. 

 

Dahyun had tried to tell them that maybe Tzuyu just needed to warm up to them, the words falling on deaf ears. It came to a time that Dahyun ended up trapping them, but not really, into a room so that they could settle whatever was going on amongst the three of them. And by the time Dahyun had come by to check on them, they were all laughing and acting super buddy-buddy. 

 

Dahyun frowned. “Ah, no, she couldn’t make it.” 

 

It was at this moment that Sana and Momo shared a knowing look and Sana knew it was her cue, speaking up. Or so she thought was the perfect time to ask.

 

“Are you two dating, yet?” 

 

Dahyun immediately coughed, choking on air, and looked away from the peering girl. 

 

It was so unexpectedly sudden and out there, but the thought of the word ‘yet’ echoed in Dahyun’s mind, bouncing around for her to acknowledge. That one word implied as though there would eventually come a time when it would happen, as if Sana had expected it to have already happened when she had asked. 

 

“Sana!” Momo face-palmed, exasperated at the blunt question. There went their subtle ask. 

 

The two Japanese girls knew that while Dahyun and Tzuyu had a close bond and friendship, they also knew something lay lingering underneath all of that, something that they may have been too afraid to address. It was easy to notice such things, even an outsider looking at their interactions could spot it and would spark suspicion, asking that one single question: ‘Are you two dating?’

 

And each time, Tzuyu and Dahyun both flushed red and distanced themselves from one another, as if doing so could prevent and show the person that they were clearly not, an awkward silence quick to settle down around them. 

 

Dahyun cleared , laughing at the two, trying to cool her cheeks. 

 

“Um, we’re not dating.” Dahyun bit her lip, that same word still occupying her thoughts, almost begging her to attach it to the end of her sentence. She couldn’t do it, for obvious reasons and then some.

 

Dahyun couldn’t discern the looks she got from Momo and Sana at that, like they were in on a joke that she was clueless on. She wasn’t sure if she liked that. 

 

Momo, thankfully, diverted the conversation to a different subject and the three continued to catch up on all the time they hadn’t been together. 

 

Half an hour later, the couple hugged her, saying their byes and promises to meet up when they had time, waving at her right before they fell into the crowd, disappearing from sight. 

 

Dahyun sighed, her body relaxing; don’t get her wrong, she absolutely loved them, but something with the way that they asked questions about Tzuyu had her mind spinning.

 

With that in her thoughts, she turned to set her empty cup onto the counter. It had been kind of a hassle carrying it around with her the whole time. Pulling out her phone, Dahyun noticed that she had been at the party just talking to people for quite some time already. 

 

There were no new messages from Tzuyu, making her wonder if Tzuyu was still out. 

 

Dahyun pocketed her phone again, fighting the urge to call the younger, and turned back to the crowd. 

 

She spotted Nayeon for a quick second, with her girlfriend by her side, Myoui Mina. She smiled at the sight, she had to admit that they were too cute together. 

 

Mina had known Dahyun and Tzuyu before Nayeon did, from the time when Mina had first come abroad and often struggled with the Korean language. Tzuyu and Mina would learn new words from each other, slowly improving with the help of each other, while Dahyun was always there as a friend but also acted similar to a teacher for them. The bond quickly, though not unsurprisingly, grew and the three of them became close friends, often hanging out with each other on free days whenever they could. 

 

The day Nayeon had laid sight on Mina, she had fallen head over heels in love with the girl, pestering and practically begging Dahyun for the Japanese girl’s number that same day of meeting, while Dahyun permanently saved that moment as a memory as she couldn’t help herself from teasing Nayeon. 

 

Now they would all share a laugh, except maybe Nayeon who would often stay mum in embarrassment whenever the memory was brought up with the four of them together, and Dahyun would just blatantly ignore the pointed look Nayeon would give to her, glancing at a certain tall Taiwainese girl next to her already knowing what the older girl was trying to say to her. 

 

Dahyun shook her head at the thought. She wandered around Nayeon’s house, constantly having to move past people to walk forward, frustratingly so. 

 

The loud music was pulsating through Dahyun’s entire body, wildly rattling around and giving her a slight headache. The illuminating lights definitely weren’t helping her either. 

 

Unable to stay there for any longer and deciding she needed a breath of fresh air, away from the loudness, Dahyun slowly pushed her way through the heavy crowd of people surrounding her out to the backyard. 

 

At the sight in front of her, Dahyun’s jaw dropped. Considering how Nayeon lived in a literal mansion, it shouldn’t have been a surprise that her backyard was abnormally spacious. 

 

The whole back was beautifully covered in perfectly trimmed trees and some assortments of blue, purple, white flowers and vines decorated at the sides, with a giant lit up pool in the center. But what Dahyun noticed is that at a first glance, a person may miss the almost hidden long brick pathway right off to the side.

 

Curious, Dahyun followed the path that trailed past the trees and bushes, getting farther and farther from the party music and deeper into the nature and greenlife. It eventually led her to a clear cut opening, leaving Dahyun even more speechless at how nice the stars looked above as they shined down at her. There was a little white bench placed in the front, and as Dahyun walked towards it, she realized she could spend the entire night and longer looking at the sky. 

 

Taking a seat, Dahyun heard a chime sound from her phone. 

 

Not knowing how Tzuyu constantly had such perfect timing, Dahyun softly smiled down at her phone, where the song notification was seen in their chat.