It was late at night. The only sound heard was that of crickets. If Sana had an option, she would not want to leave as much tranquility creeped over her. She could only sigh at the prospect of allowing her emotions to sweep her away. If Sana had been a little more egotistic, she wouldn't have felt the need to attend tonight's event. Regrettably, the mere mention of Coleen's name was enough to set her off.

Sana had no idea Nayeon was waiting outside her house. The woman sat in the passenger seat, the door to which was open. Her feet were both on the ground, tapping, making little sounds that entertained her.

That night was cooler than normal, making Nayeon want to just sit in the car and wait, but she was afraid Sana might not spot her. Especially considering she drove a different car, a white Mercedes Benz SL 63. She had never used it before, even on special occasions, but tonight is different. I'd say remarkable, but even that is an understatement in comparison to Nayeon's style of describing certain things.

This was the first time she had gone out on a date in many years, which she feared would never happen again following the breakup. But destiny is certainly unpredictable. Never in her wildest dreams could Nayeon see herself waiting for a lady, the same lady she had loved her entire life, for the last time, just in case it would be. Nothing on this damned earth is certain, anyway.

Despite this, Nayeon feels grateful – nervously grateful.

 

 

"What are you doing here?"

Sana's voice quickly drew Nayeon's full attention. After spotting the lady's sequined champagne gown and high heels of the same color, the latter woman stepped out of her seat, intending to at least guide Sana.

 

Sana looked stunning tonight, especially with her hair in a loose braided bun. Furthermore, her lengthy earrings, bracelets, and choker necklace from a designer brand made her shoulder and neck more exposed and eye-catching, if I may describe it. It would cause literally anyone, not just Nayeon, to stare for a longer period of time than expected.

But it wasn't only Nayeon who was captivated by someone's elegance tonight. Sana was the same, and while she tried not to make it abundantly clear, it was.

I wouldn't blame her for that.

Nayeon was dressed in a dark beige designer coat with a unique button arrangement. It was donned with black cuffed straight-cut pants and a basic black turtleneck underneath. She wore white and brown patchwork leather shoes to match her attire. The short chain necklace around the shirt's neck, an expensive gold-plated watch, a single diamond ear cuff on one side only, possibly for fashion purposes, and fashionable light brown tinted eyeglasses made the simple look classy and exquisite enough to capture anyone's interest.

"I'm picking you up," Nayeon stated, offering her hand, which Sana reluctantly accepted after being persuaded to. I mean, who would want to walk that many steps slightly downhill in such high heels? She's hardly too insane to not have considered it.

"I can drive myself there," Sana murmured quietly, refusing to glance at Nayeon even though her eyes were continuously tempted to gaze upon the woman's side profile.

"I know, missy," Nayeon acknowledged. She was well aware that Sana could do a lot of things without anyone's assistance, but helping wasn't why Nayeon was there. Well, she thinks so. "Even so, every other couple would arrive at the venue together," she noted.

"Why is that important to you?" Sana questioned. Perhaps she had something she wanted Nayeon to reveal. "I'd be there as your date, but only for tonight," she emphasized. "And the pairs you're referring to are most likely lovers or married couples." "We're nothing like that."

"I invited you to this event," Nayeon stated plainly. "That means, missy, that you should follow my lead. We'll go together as I want us to."

"Wow," Sana could only mutter, immediately followed by a forced chuckle.

"Besides, don't we look like one?" Nayeon smirked as she cast a look in Sana's direction. "Like couples," she made clear. "Look at how we're dressed; we look like lovers, married ones even."

"You joke around so well," Sana later commented, rolling her eyes. "You definitely copied me."

"Copied you?" Nayeon chuckled, realizing the other woman was being childish. "I got here early," she said, reasoning that she needed to play along rather than cause a dispute. "You must have looked out the window, spotted me here dressed like this, then picked a gown that would match me." "You wanted us to match. This is probably how you really feel about me," Nayeon hypothesized, her face smug throughout her introspection.

"Ah, look at you with your big head," Sana could only mutter, giggling and later sighing deeply. "I would've gotten irritated, but the moon is looking at me beautifully," she said quietly, only for Nayeon to concur and smile. She had seen it earlier as well, and it was certainly captivating.

"This way, missy," Nayeon replied as she led Sana to her parked car. Sana lifted her eyebrows at Nayeon for a little while. She must have been taken aback by the beauty in front of her. "Yep, new car," Nayeon said, despite the fact that Sana said nothing. "I mean, it's not exactly new, but I've never used it before," she explained as she opened the door for the other woman.

"And why is that?" Sana inquired.

Nayeon needed to get something from the rear seat first. "I prepared the masquerade masks for us," she stated before handing one to Sana. "I know you don't want anyone knowing you're with me tonight, so I got the full-faced ones."

"Yeah," Sana answered, bobbing her head and smiling quietly. "Very thoughtful of you, Lim Nayeon," she said softly.

"You were wondering why I brought this car?" Nayeon eventually returned to Sana's query. "I'm not sure why either," she admitted before leaving the door open, only to wait for Sana to enter. "I just felt the desire to impress," she quipped. But then, who knows if she was, as a matter of fact, kidding?

"You're insane," Sana said, shaking her head before entering the vehicle. Her gaze followed Nayeon as she shut the door. And, for some reason, their gazes locked when it was entirely closed. "What?" Sana found herself wanting to ask.

"I'm not sure," Nayeon replied. "I guess I just want to say that you look lovely tonight, Sana," she ventured sincerely. Sana's pupils widened upon hearing those words, indicating that she enjoyed the heartfelt sentiments of the other.

Nayeon cleared as she realized how awkward it was to suddenly say something like that. "Do you want the roof dropped?" "You might want to look at the night sky while we're cruising to the venue," she muttered, tapping her index finger anxiously on the side of the vehicle.

Sana couldn't help but giggle in response to Nayeon's reaction. "If it will not bother you," she continued, "I'd take the opportunity to admire the skies."

"Everything that you wish, missy."

 

Sana's heart practically beat out of her chest as she arrived at the venue. She was concerned about having to interact with all of these blatantly high-net worth individuals. The last time she saw these people together was at Mina and Momo's wedding. And, considering how everything went from good to bad with a single mistake Sana made, she'd probably just pass.

"Are you okay?" Nayeon inquired, noticing Sana's unusual breathing pattern as she glanced out the window. 

As they approached the venue, they both agreed to reinstall the convertible's soft top. It was to ensure that no one saw Sana, as the woman had requested.

"I can sense you're nervous," Nayeon observed as she lifted Sana's mask from the latter woman's lap. "I'll stay with you all night; there's nothing to be afraid of," she tried to reassure the other. It might or might not have helped, which worried Nayeon, but they couldn't just decide to leave now that they had arrived.

"I'm not expected to do or say anything, am I?" Sana inquired, finally addressing Nayeon's gaze to seek comfort. The woman's warm smile sure helped to soothe her nerves at that exact second.

"Don't do anything you don't want to do," Nayeon said, resting a hand on Sana's cheek. She then slipped the missing hair strand behind Sana's ear slowly and delicately. "Can I help you put this on?" Nayeon offered, referring to the mask with her other hand.

"It's not like you'd consider it if I refused," Sana quipped, and she was right. "I expect you to look after your date tonight, Lim Nayeon," Sana said, almost demandingly. That's how she hoped it sounded too.

"You may put your trust in me," Nayeon stated as she carefully lifted the mask and put it closer to Sana's face. Nayeon had to get relatively close, since the string needed to go around her head. Perhaps it was a good thing she couldn't see how Sana's face usually went red beneath the hard shell.

"How's that?" Nayeon questioned, finally breaking away. "Do you feel comfortable?" she asked, her forehead wrinkled as she fretted about the knot being far too tight.

"With you? Of course not," Sana had to jest, simply to relieve the tension, which did not go away, unfortunately.

Nayeon could only roll her eyes before settling into a comfortable position in her seat. "Well, that's good," she replied briskly, catching Sana's attention. "I love how you're tense around me," Nayeon said boldly, striking Sana in the eyes at once.

Sana, of course, was rendered speechless upon hearing those words. First, she didn't know what to say, and second, she had conflicting thoughts about it. What bothered her was that she wasn't sure whether it was a good thing or not.

"You're really..." Sana said, sighing and shaking her head. But despite knowing that Nayeon was anticipating what was to come, she couldn't find the perfect words to proceed.

"Charismatic? Attractive? Unbelievably enchanting? Are you slowly over time becoming tempted?" Nayeon questioned, deliberately baiting Sana.

"Dangerous, Nayeon," Sana replied sternly. She opened her side of the door immediately, eager to get away from the intensity of the discourse.

Nayeon was then left inside her car, wondering to herself, "Is that a good thing?"

 

 

"Glad to see you here," a voice said as Nayeon and Sana proceeded down the aisle to all of the tables. They were looking for the one that belonged to them, which they assumed was someplace nearby. Unfortunately, they were interrupted in their search for it.

When they turned around, they noticed an acquainted woman, which caused Sana's heartbeat to instantly accelerate. She swallowed hard, unsure what to do, and gripped Nayeon's arm tightly. The latter woman sensed this and used her other hand to keep Sana's hand on her arm. Nayeon lightly squeezed it, as if to try to convince Sana to calm down.

"You, too, Ms. Son," Nayeon stated flatly. One could tell she wasn't thrilled by the look on her face.

When a woman approached Chaeyoung's back, placing two hands on her latter's shoulder before enveloping both arms around her neck, the pressure soon dissolved. "Hey, sorry, I needed to talk to Jen and Lisa," the woman explained sweetly.

"Ah, right," Chaeyoung replied, gently sliding away the woman's arms from around her neck. She wanted to formally introduce this woman she was coming with tonight. "This is Park Chaeyoung," she introduced to Nayeon, who arched her eyebrows at the mention of the name.

"Chaeyoung?" Nayeon inquired again, hoping for confirmation.

"Yeah," Chaeyoung agreed with a chuckle. "Her name is Chaeyoung as well," she added. "Her English name, though, is Roseanne."

"Rosie is fine," the woman responded before offering Nayeon her hand in a handshake. "Sorry, but you are...?" she asked nicely.

"Nayeon... Lim Nayeon."

"Oh," Rosie muttered, "you are... her," she quietly chuckled. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Really?" Nayeon asked, a small smile on her face. "Were they good things?" she joked, knowing that Chaeyoung had always had a grudge against her.

"Sure," Rosie replied, her smile bright.

"Who are you with?" Chaeyoung inquired, observing Sana, who was wearing a mask, was quiet.

That prompted Nayeon to stumble over her words. She turned to Sana, who looked into her eyes as if attempting to communicate something. "Uh, I'm here with—"

"Excuse me," a man near them said, interrupting their conversation. It was a good thing for Sana because it helped to calm her worries. At the very least, Nayeon wouldn't have to make anything up just to protect her. "Can I take your picture?" the man asked, clutching a camera.

"A picture of us four?" Chaeyoung inquired.

"Yes, if I may," the man replied immediately.

"I'm alright with that," Chaeyoung replied before looking over at Nayeon's face, as if wondering whether it was perfectly alright for the other woman too.

"Sure," Nayeon replied simply.

Just as Sana was beginning to breathe fine again, the man asked, "Is it okay if you took your mask off first, ma'am?" He was referring to Sana, who was the only one wearing a mask.

That drew Chaeyoung and Rosie's attention, which heightened Sana's uneasiness for the nth time tonight. She swallowed hard, wondering what should be done. She reasoned that there would be no other option except to put it down. Sana foresaw a huge issue if she did not comply with the request, especially on an occasion like this.

Sana carefully raised one hand close to the mask when she had decided to just go with it. "No," Nayeon said, grasping Sana's wrist in the air.

"No, missy," she muttered calmly to Sana before turning to face the photographer.

Chaeyoung, Rosie, and even Sana, were all waiting for Nayeon's next remarks. "I'd like to keep my fiancée's identity undisclosed to protect her from the media," the woman finally said after a long silence.

Unsurprisingly, the three were rendered speechless.

"Can we do that, sir?" Nayeon asked respectfully, prompting the man to nod his head.

"No worries, ma'am," he said.

 

 

 

Nayeon and Sana had finally found their table. And there was no denying that they sat down awkwardly at the same time, all because of what Nayeon had said just a few moments before.

Sana cleared , taking the initiative to strike up a conversation, while Nayeon's eyes darted around to avoid the other woman's stare. "Why did you say that?" Sana inquired, drawing Nayeon's attention to her.

"What?" Nayeon pretended to be indifferent, lifting her eyebrows as if nothing affected her. "What I had to tell the photographer?" she said, her face innocent. "I think I explained it pretty well to him," Nayeon replied, shrugging her shoulders. "Except the fiancée wasn't true," she noted. "But I do want to protect you from the media, because you know how crazy they can get."

"Protect me or protect your image?" Sana remarked, clearly displeased with everything.

"What are you talking about, Sana?" Nayeon asked quietly, so that no one else could hear. "Why do you always have an issue with my image?" she murmured.

A purportedly brief pause grew longer in ways neither of them expected.

"I won't be able to stay for long tonight," Sana said, leaning back in her seat. "I have somewhere to go to," she explained, "around maybe about five in the morning."

"Yeah, that's early," Nayeon said. "But what's it about?" she inquired; her interest piqued.

"There's something I need to do with... Atty. Kim," Sana said, her voice softening as she reached Dahyun's name. She also looked down at her clasped hand, as if distracted.

Nayeon gave a small, bitter smile as her eyes turned downcast. "With Atty. Kim, hmm..." she continued slowly. "I see."