Tiffany was lying on her bed, the once bright and colorful room was pitch-black, and the only source of light was the dimly lit phone in Tiffany’s hands. She was staring at a picture of herself with Taeyeon, and tears began streaming down her face. “Tae, I miss you.” She released her phone and let it drop beside her head. She then sat up, burying her face in her hands. “God, I am such an idiot!” she shouted.

“Tiff, is everything all right?” she heard Jessica’s voice ask from outside her room.

“Y—yeah,” she said. “I’m fine, Jess.”

“Are you sure? I heard you shouting.” There was a short pause. “Can I come in?”

“Of course you can. This is your apartment too. It’s not like you need permission.”

“I know,” she said as she entered the room. “But I just wanted to be sure because sometimes you want to be alone.”

Tiffany chuckled slightly. “Jess, to be completely honest, I don’t think I could stand being alone anymore. I feel as if I’m about to lose my sanity.”

“Oh, so you mean you’re almost back to normal,” Jessica teased.

Tiffany smiled. “Very funny, Jessi.”

“Hey,” she said, bumping shoulders with Tiffany. “I was only trying to diffuse the tension.” She paused to look at Tiffany’s smiling face. “It worked, didn’t it? You’re smiling again.”

“I know,” she replied. “Thank you for that.”

“Don’t mention it. What are friends for?”

“They’re there to slap and smack some sense into you when you’re about to do something stupid,” she replied.

“Oh, so you are still bitter about that. Do you blame us for what happened?”

There was a short pause. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t.”

Jessica sighed. “I guess that’s fair. But before you go ballistic on me, can I explain my side of the story?”

“Go ahead, Jess. I’m all ears.”

“The reason Soo and I started this bet was because we knew you had hidden feelings for the danshin. Although you didn’t notice it right away, we did. We noticed it from the very first moment you talked about her.”

“When did I first talk about her? Was it after the locker room incident?”

Jessica shook her head. “No, Tiff. It was from two years ago.”

“Two years ago?” she asked.

“You don’t remember? You first mentioned her to us when you talked to her by the pond.”

“I did?”

“Yeah, I think it was the first party of our freshman year. You brought her with you, and when we asked you who she was, you introduced her as none other than, ‘Kim Taeyeon.’”

Tiffany gasped. “Now I remember! I brought her there because I saw her sitting on the bench looking lonely and defeated. I hated seeing people depressed, so I decided to take her with me so she could take her mind off her problems.” There was a pause. “I can’t believe I forgot about that.”

Jessica chuckled. “I’m not surprised. Your memory has always been pretty bad.”

Tiffany smiled. “I guess so.” She looked at Jessica. “But I try not to think about freshman year anymore. It was the worst time of my life.”

Jessica looked away. “Oh, that’s right. That was the year THAT happened.”

‘You don’t have any idea,’ Tiffany thought to herself. ‘That was not only the year you rejected me, but also the year that wretched man ruined my life.’

“Tiff,” Jessica began. “I’m sorry if I’m making you remember, but why did you fall for me?”

Tiffany sighed. “I was vulnerable that year. I needed someone to be there for me, and you were the one who always was. I fell for you because you had no obligation to me, yet you took me in regardless of that. You loved and cared for me during the time I needed you most, and I was forever grateful to you. Then, it just happened. Without any rhyme or reason, I just fell in love with you.”

“What else happened to you though? All I know is something happened between your parents, but you never told me.”

Tiffany shook her head. “I’m sorry, Jess. There was a reason I never told you because as I have said before. There are just certain things that I need to keep to myself.”

“But Tiff, maybe if you tell me I’d be able to help you.”

Tiffany smiled slightly. “I appreciate the gesture, Jess, but honestly there is nothing you could do for me.”

“I guess so,” she replied. “But I can be here for you like I’ve always been. If ever you need someone to talk to, I’m always here for you, Fany-ah.”

“I know. But Jess, don’t be too nice to me. I’m not used to it because if you get too close again, I don’t know what I’d do.”

“Why? You don’t want to fall in love with me again?”

“Jess, do you really think this is the appropriate time for that?” she snapped. “I just got my heart broken. I don’t need it broken again.”

“Who said I would break your heart this time? Besides, there’s no wrong time to confess your feelings, remember? You’re the one who told me that after all.”

Tiffany chuckled bitterly. “That’s right. Always confess to someone when they’re heartbroken because maybe they would be desperate enough to fall in love with you.” There was a short pause. “I tried that, but it didn’t work, remember?”

“Maybe your timing was just off. Maybe th