Chapter 13 – The Short End

The conversation is going well. Tiffany is smiling at what Taeyeon just said and I’m thinking perhaps things are going better than I thought they would. But Tiffany pops the subtle rejection just as I think there’s hope.

“And no offence to you, Taeyeon, but my ideal girl should be taller than me. I’ve always had a thing for reaching up on tip toe for a kiss.”

Much to Taeyeon’s credit, and perhaps thanks to my forewarning, she manages to remain seemingly stoic as she responds.

“Have you never wondered what it would be like to have the upper hand in a kiss?”

“Upper hand?” Tiffany is slightly intrigued, I think. The tone of her voice definitely gives me that impression.

“If you’re taller, you can control the kiss better. Get more out of it.”

“Hmm, I’ve never considered that point.”

“Then again, it wouldn’t really matter if we were both lying on a bed, would it?”

Wow! My mind is blown. Taeyeon is coming out strong here! It looks like my little tipoff is being put to great use here by this DJ. Tiffany is noticeably stunned by Taeyeon’s comeback and perspective of the whole thing. And what Taeyeon said is truth. Which makes me wonder…how experienced is this DJ in kissing?

“That much is true…but what about kisses while standing? Backed up against a wall? I think it’s so romantic if a girl could just sweep down and kiss me hard.”

Tiffany’s face is reddening as the conversation progresses and I have to take my hat off to Taeyeon for managing to steer the conversation in the direction of ideal girls and what not. Such a brilliant move!

“So you’d like to be kissed hard from above. What if you were kissed hard from below? Don’t you think it might be a worthwhile experience to try?”

Tiffany’s eyelids flutter like the wings of a butterfly and it’s clear that she’s feeling the heat from Taeyeon. Wow. For a short girl, she sure packs a punch!

“Jessi, what do you think?” Tiffany tries to throw the ball into my court. I have to stifle a giggle. Little does she know that I’m backing Taeyeon up fully on this.

“I think there are merits to being the taller kisser. I’m pretty short so I definitely wouldn’t mind having the height advantage for once.”

Tiffany glares fiercely at me. My answer definitely isn’t what she wants to hear from me but I’m not afraid. Not in the least. Her glare isn’t even half of Sica’s intensity. I guess I have Sica to thank for this one. It’s all thanks to her that I’m a lot braver now.

“Jessica agrees,” Taeyeon states happily and flashes a charming grin. “I think you should give shorter girls a chance, Tiffany. You never know if you might actually end up preferring shorter girlfriends one day. Short girls can kiss pretty well, you know.”

Tiffany looks Taeyeon over with an appraising eye for a moment.

“Are you trying to say you’re a great bottom kisser?”

“I’m only trying to say that you should give shorter girls a chance too.”

“What if I decide to give a shorter girl a chance and she turns out to be a really bad kisser?”

“Then you can return to your preference for taller girls who aren’t necessarily good kissers.”

“You are a very persuasive negotiator, Taeyeon.”

“I’m not only good at negotiating, Tiffany.”

Holy mickey. The tension in the air is thick. There is chemistry between them. I just know it. It’s sizzling hot, just like how it was for Sica and I during that dinner and I know that Taeyeon is going to get her chance. I’m certainly rooting for her!

“What else are you good at then?”

“Kissing.”

Oh. My. Mouse. Did Taeyeon just say that?

“How would I know if you’re telling the truth?”

“Try me.”

“Try you?”

“Mhm.”

“I don’t think it works this way.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m not going to kiss you just to find out if you’re good or not!”

“Well, maybe we could go out on a real date first and you can decide if you want to find out after that.”

Suddenly, I feel as though I shouldn’t be here, but Taeyeon and Tiffany don’t seem to even notice my presence anymore.

“You’re asking me out on a real date.”

“Yes. Will you turn up? By yourself?”

Tiffany purses her lips for a moment. Then, she nods. “Okay, I will.”

Oh my mouse! I almost whoop for joy but I manage to hold it in as does Taeyeon. But her eyes are shimmering splendid as she smiles and I know that the glee in her heart definitely far exceeds mine.

But yes! Taeyeon has succeeded in getting a date with Tiffany and I’m rooting for her to go all the way.

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Sica is rolling around on the couch, laughing with Yoona, Seohyun and Hyoyeon when I step into my place. I don’t know what made her laugh like that but I’m glad to see that she isn’t in a foul mood. It gives me hope that she isn’t angry with me for being dense. I suppose it could be the relaxed mood she’s in, since she has nothing to hide in front of Hyoyeon and my friends. It’s certainly very challenging to keep our secret from others and our stress levels are high in that state.

For a while, it’s pretty fun to be able to be myself around Yoona and Seohyun again. They aren’t quite used to it, however, as they constantly look at Sica when they want to talk to me until they recall that I’m no longer the owner of my body. I’ll bet it’s a strange experience to talk to someone who doesn’t look like your friend either. And maybe that’s why they seem to have taken to Sica really quickly.

We put on a DVD and settle down to watch a movie together. I do this very frequently with Yoona and Seohyun so we’re used to splitting up the work among three but with the addition of Sica and Hyoyeon to our group, we decide to do it a little differently.

It’s decided that two of us will have to take care of the cleanup and as nobody really likes to do it, we will draw lots for it. Five pieces of string are held by Hyoyeon and the shortest ends drawn mean the cleanup. It’s simple. It’s fair. And quick too.

Yoona goes first. She draws a pretty long piece of string and I know that she’s safe. Next is me and when the end of my string pops out from Hyoyeon’s fist with just a short tug, I know that I’ve gotten the shortest end out of the five. Sica is next and she draws another short end. Oh gosh. It looks like we’re the two ‘lucky’ girls who will have to cleanup. The other three girls whoop and cheer and set about preparing the snacks for the movie.

Laden with snacks, the coffee table before us is filled to the brim. We eat, talk and watch the movie and basically have a jolly good time. There are moments during the movie where I can feel eyes on me but when I turn and look at Sica, she’d be staring at the television. I don’t get to catch her looking at me or not but I’m quite certain that she is sneaking peeks at me. But why?

The movie is entertaining and soon, I’m into it and as with all good times, we soon find ourselves at the end of the rom com flick. Like good girls, Sica and I pick up the plates and bowls and head to the kitchen to wash the dishes. We dunk them under water, douse them with detergent and rinse it off before wiping them dry.

For a while, we do it silently. Simply methodically working our way through the dishes as the fairy and two humans in the living room talk and laugh. Our fingers brush as I pass the dishes to her to be wiped dry and little sparks go off in my hand when we touch.

I don’t know if it’s all the kissing talk during dinner with Taeyeon and Tiffany or the romantic kissing scenes in the rom com I just watch but I find myself wondering what it would be like to kiss Sica. It wouldn’t be the first time our lips touch but a CPR is hardly the same as a kiss and I’m curious to find out.

Subtly, I inch closer to Sica and soon, the length of our arms are brushing more frequently and I think she’s beginning to feel it too because her body sort of tenses up a little. Ah, the perks of being a lifeguard. I’m so attuned to the physique that such things don’t slip past me.

Anyhow, I take it as encouragement to roll out my plan.

“Sica,” I start.

“Hmm?” she responds and turns to look at me innocently.

“Close your eyes,” I say softly and the look in her eyes changes immediately. She looks around nervously but there is nobody in the kitchen and we are safely hidden from view. It’s just us. The two of us. The time is now or never.

“Close your eyes,” I repeat gently and Sica finally closes her eyes. The plan unfolds in my mind and I smile as I say, “Picture me on the night of our dinner date.”

Sica’s brows furrow and I assume that she’s trying to picture the real me from that night. Yuri as Yuri. I lean towards Sica and close my eyes as well, picturing the real her in my mind as I inch closer and closer. I know I’m almost there. My heart quickens and my breathing thins. This is what I want to do. This would have been what I would have done had we remained as ourselves and gone on a second date. This is it.

My lips are slightly parted when they find hers. I press gently and I’m elated when I feel her responding to me. She’s pushing back and I push in return and before I know it, my hands are wrapping around her waist, pulling her closer to me.

My breath is shallow when we finally part and my eyes remain closed. In my mind, I can see sweet, gentle Sica, smiling daintily at me. It’s this Sica whom I saved. It’s this Sica who charmed me during that dinner. And it’s this Sica whom I just kissed.

“Sica,” I breathe.

“Yuri,” she breathes, sounding just as breathless as I am. I’ll bet she felt it too—the magical buzz of our kiss.

The sound of chatter approaching makes us leap apart, blushing furiously from the sweet little kiss we shared. It was a kiss that went way beyond the mere touching of lips and I think it shows on our faces because Yoona is sharp enough to sense something going on between us and is sensible enough to turn around immediately, ushering the other two girls out as well.

“Thanks for the movie and snacks! We’ll be going now!” Yoona announces loudly—more for my benefit than anything else—and before I can even say anything, I hear the sound of the door being closed in a hurry.

Then, it’s just the two of us. I look at her and she looks at me. I feel incredibly awkward and it’s obvious that she feels the same way too. But more importantly, where do we go from here?

“Sica,” I start, keeping my eyes on the floor. “If we were ourselves, we’d be dating happily, wouldn’t we.”

Yes is her soft reply and I’m extremely encouraged by it. That means my feelings are reciprocated and I’m not the only oddball who is attracted to another girl who is currently the owner of my body.

“So let’s try really hard to break the spell and go back to being ourselves.”

“But how?”

“We can start but having a heart-to-heart talk.”

“Mmm, it sounds like a good idea.”

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Meanwhile, Hyoyeon is whining. She wants to go back to Yuri and Jessica but Yoona won’t let her.

“If I’m not with Yuri or Jessica, I’ll have to go back and do my English homework,” she groans in utter dejection.

“English homework?” Seohyun speaks up suddenly, making Hyoyeon jump a little. She wasn’t expecting to hear Seohyun speak—the young girl is so quiet.

“Yes, English. It’s so difficult.”

“Well, there’s no use running away from it. You’ll have to face up to it sooner or later,” reasons Seohyun but Hyoyeon is not the sort who subscribes to such logic. In Hyoyeon’s world, the general rule is to take it an escape at a time. She’ll make as many escapes as possible and delay doing the much dreaded work for as long as possible.

“I can help you with it,” Seohyun offers and Hyoyeon perks up immediately.

“Really? You’ll help me?”

“Of course. Bring your books and I’ll teach you what I know.”

It sounds a little dubious so Hyoyeon hesitates a little. “How good are you at English?”

That’s when Yoona speaks up—her pride in Seohyun is evident. “Seohyun is a genius when it comes to languages. And pretty much anything. Seohyun is a genius. Period.”

Hyoyeon notices Seohyun’s intense blush and Yoona’s sense of possessiveness over Seohyun. Ah, something is going on here…maybe? She ought to check the books about their fates too. But in the meantime, Seohyun’s offer sounds too good to pass up on and Yoona’s testament makes it seem like she’s going to have a very good teacher. By the wings of the dragonfly, is the wheel of fortune favouring her at last?

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They are on their merry way back to the training facility to help Hyoyeon with her English when Hyoyeon changes direction and drags them behind a wall with her.

“What’s up?” Yoona asks curiously.

“Shh, my evil cousin is heading towards us. We’d better go another way.”

“Where’s your cousin?” Yoona is curious to know what Hyoyeon’s cousin looks like.

Hyoyeon points at an older lady who is decked out in a midriff baring tank top, showing off a generous amount of cleavage with a low-cut top. Yoona looks and gasps.

“She’s your cousin?!” Yoona is surprised, to say the least. “She’s a fairy like you?”

Hyoyeon nods and tugs at them, trying to get them to move. “Let’s go before she senses that I’m around.”

Yoona finally starts moving and Hyoyeon is only too glad to put more distance between her cousin and herself but it appears that they waited a little too long.

“Hyoyeon, Hyoyeon, what are you up to now?”

Hyoyeon can only groan mentally as she turns around to face her cousin.

“Just hanging out with my friends, Seulji.”

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