“Tae!!!”

“Hey, stop yelling.  My head hurts today.”

“I got us these matching travel books!”

“What for?”

“I figured, since you loved Japan so much, why don’t you write down everything that happens here?  That way, you can reread this later and remember the memories.  Well you can do that, or you can just use it as a diary.”

“Pink, huh?”

“Hehehe…  Yup!”

“Thanks, I’ll use it every day.”

“Let’s keep practicing.  We have a concert today and we should probably go over the dances a couple more times.”

“Good idea.”

All of the girls gathered in the practice room once again after having a short break.  The day continued like any other practice day.  Beep Beep, Oh, Flower Power, Animal…  The list is endless.  After going through the list of songs that they were performing for the night, Taeyeon decided to sit down in the corner.  Sooyoung and Hyoyeon followed while Jessica and Yuri left to get water.  Tiffany, Seohyun, Yoona, and Sunny continued to practice on their own.

“I wish…”  Taeyeon sighed as her eyes automatically shifted in Tiffany’s direction.

“Why don’t you tell her?”  Sooyoung adjusted her position.

“Everything between us right now is almost perfect.  We can share smiles and laughs.  I’m just afraid that once I tell her, she’ll distance herself from me.  That’s the last thing I want.”

“There’s always a risk in these things.  You just have to pick.”  Hyoyeon’s unusual serious tone was present.

“Pick what?”

“Pick to tell her and risk that she’ll distance herself from you, or live the rest of your life wondering if she could’ve ever been yours.”

“Use that travel book that she gave you.  It could help to write your feelings down somewhere.  This way, you can reread it and reflect on it.”  Sooyoung suggested.

“I think I’ll go do that when we finish the practice session for today.  I can’t start writing in it here.  She’ll see me using it and will want to read the first entry.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“I don’t want to tell her just yet.  I think I’ll write it down and then try to solve my feelings.  This is all new to me…”

“You’ve never liked anyone before?”  Hyoyeon looked surprised.

“I have, just not this much.  It’s different with her.  Usually, I would probably just feel happy around my crushes and I’ll smile a little more around them.  But around Tiffany, everything’s different.  When she talks to me, I get nervous.  When she smiles at me, I feel really dizzy.  When she gives me hugs, my heart starts beating so much and I forget how to breathe.”

“Well good luck with that.  Sooyoung and I are done with practicing so we’ll be in the kitchen if you need us.”

Hyoyeon and Sooyoung left Taeyeon in the corner.  Still daydreaming about Tiffany, who was still dancing in the middle of the room, Taeyeon opened up the pink travel book and stared at the blank pages.  No words were needed on the pages, Taeyeon instantly imagined all of her favourite moments with Tiffany in her mind like a movie.

“Tae!”

“Eh?”  Quickly, Taeyeon threw the book into the bag that contained what Tiffany had brought to the dance room.

“Are you finished practicing?”

“Y-yes, why?”

“Let’s go back to our hotel room and rest for a bit.  The concert is in a few hours and we haven’t slept much.  We could sleep on the plane, but you know how restless you are during flights.”

“Then I guess…  Let’s go back.”

After Tiffany turned around to go notify the others, Taeyeon quickly grabbed her pink book from Tiffany’s bag and shoved it under a pile of her own clothes.  She picked up the clothes, along with the book and waited for Tiffany at the door.

________________

Taeyeon sat alone at the counter in the kitchen.  She looked over at the pile of clothes and the pink book that was sticking out from underneath.

“I guess now would be the time to write…”  She grabbed the book and a pen.

I don’t know what to do.  Your smile makes me feel dizzy, your hugs make my heart race, your laugh makes my heart flutter, your words make me feel warm, and the way you care for me makes me smile like the dorkiest person on the planet.  I wish that we could be so much more than what we are.  My only fear is that you won’t feel the same way and for the rest of our lives, there would be tension between us.  Until I’m ready to take a risk and confess, I’ll try to show my feelings to you through actions.  Remember how regardless of where you were, I would never fail to give you a gift on your birthday?  Last year, the night before our birthday, I stayed up to make you the best gift I could.  I know, it’s not perfect, but I was hoping that you believe it’s the thought that counts.  I never learned how to put together flowers in a bouquet.  I sent it to you as anonymous since I didn’t want you to suspect my feelings about you.  Sometimes I regret not writing my name in the tag.  I saw how happy the collection of pink flowers made you and I almost blurted out that it was me.  However, our manager was in the room and I couldn’t say a word.  Whenever I’m ready to tell you, something or someone interrupts us.  Examples would be Jessica and our manager.  Maybe we weren’t meant to be.  Maybe I was meant to just love you from a close distance and constantly feel heartbreak from watching you desire someone else.  Everything I say to you and do for you make my feelings so obvious.  Yet somehow, you don’t seem to catch on.  You’ve probably grown used to me doing oddly loving gestures and you perceive them as acts of friendship.

Everyone in our group always teases me for loving you.  People jokingly ask me if we’re a couple.  I tell them the truth that we aren’t, but secretly, I wish I could say yes and be right.  Sooyoung always tells me to hold back when we’re outside of our ‘safe areas’ and that I should try to only show my feelings when we’re not in public.  As much as it hurts, I’d rather do that than to have our manager separate us.  At the end of the day, it’s worth it to see your eye smile that gives me butterflies.  I’ve tried my best to hint how I feel about you but you never seem to pick up the clues I leave.  I don’t know what to do anymore, Tiffany.  All I can say is that I love you.

“Hey, Taeyeon!”

“Eh?”  Taeyeon quickly closed the book and repeated her movement of hiding it in Tiffany’s bag which was sitting beside her on the stool.  Luckily, Tiffany hadn’t turned around yet and still continued talking.

“I’m going to bring my bag to the concert place.  Do you want me to bring anything for you?”  She turned around and smiled.

“Mmm… Nothing.”

“Well, alright then.”  She turned around, grabbed her bag and headed for the bathroom.

“That was close. WAIT.  What if she reads it?!”

“Taeyeon, stop worrying.  Tiffany is very respectful about privacy.  She won’t even touch your book.”

“I guess you’re right.”

Taeyeon allowed a sigh of relief and began getting ready for the flight.

____________

“Taeyeon, 사랑해!!!”

“Sunny!  Can I have your autograph?”

“Jessica! Look here!”

The girls walked through the doors of the airport and were welcomed by a big group of fans being held back by security guards.

“Alright, everyone.  We have about an hour before boarding starts.  Plenty of time.”

They each found places to sit down in and made themselves comfortable.

“Hey, Fany.  Can you hand me the travel book, please?”

“Are you writing the first entry?”  Tiffany smiled brightly.

“Uh, yes!”

Tiffany reached into her bag, found the pink book that was labeled ‘Taeyeon’ and handed it to her.

“Thank youuuuu!”  Taeyeon remembered that Tiffany found her aegyo tone adorable and that dragging the vowels made her smile more.

“Ahaha, you’re such a dork!”  Tiffany ruffled Taeyeon’s hair and laughed.

After recovering from the cardiac arrest that Tiffany’s smile gave her, Taeyeon proceeded to open the book.

“Ehh? Where is it?!”

“Where’s what?”  Sooyoung’s face showed slight concern.

“My first entry!  I swear I wrote it on the first two pages!”

“Wait…  Tiffany and you have identical…”

“…”

“…”

“I must’ve accidentally written my entry in her book!  I have to get it back!!”

“Don’t worry about it.  What’s wrong with reading someone’s travel memories?”

“I didn’t use it as a travel book!  I used it as a diary!  I wrote all my feelings out on the first two pages in HER book!!”

“Yikes…”  Sooyoung left before Taeyeon could scream and panic to her as Yoona came to chat.

“Hi, Taeyeon.  We have to head for the boarding area-” Taeyeon dragged Yoona quickly behind the others as they started walking.

“Yoona!  You have to help me get Tiffany’s bag!”

“What?  Why?”

“It’s a short story that I really don’t have time to explain!”

“Uh, okay!  Tiffany’s way at the front.  We have to catch up to her first.”

“What can we do to get the bag?”

“I don’t know!  You’re closest to her out of all of us!  Don’t you know all of her weaknesses?  Just improvise!  Go, run!”

Taeyeon and Yoona sprinted behind the others, and passed the paparazzi.  After they reached an empty part of the airport, Taeyeon and Yoona watched Tiffany from a small distance.

“Taeyeon, do something.  Distract her…  A LOT.”

“Okay…”

“So you want me to steal Tiffany’s pink book.  And it’s identical to yours, except it has her name on it?”

“Yes.”

“Go!”

Taeyeon hesitated to think of something to do.  She couldn’t think of anything else but to do what she really wanted to do.  Quickly, she ran in front of Tiffany and stopped her.  Before Tiffany could ask what she was doing, Taeyeon quickly pushed herself forward and gave Tiffany a tight hug.

“Now!”  Taeyeon mouthed for Yoona to take Tiffany’s book.

“More!”  Yoona replied.

Being unable to think of anything else, Taeyeon lowered her hands from Tiffany’s back to her sides.

“Ahh! Taeyeon, what are you doing?  That tickles! Hahaha, stop it!”  Tiffany tried to wiggle free.

“Fany, I’m sorryyyyyyy!”  Taeyeon laughed and spoke in a teasing voice.

The more Tiffany desperately, tried to free herself, the more Taeyeon would try to hold on.  Of course, this only made things worse for Tiffany.  Eventually the pair was shuffling around in laughter while Yoona quickly stepped in and pulled a pink book out.  She checked the label and frowned.

“Hurry up!  Tiffany’s going to start crying and kicking soon!”

“Wrong book!”  Yoona put the pink book back and pulled out the other one.  She then stepped beside Sooyoung.

Taeyeon let go of Tiffany and allowed her to catch her breath.

“Tae, what the heck?  If you wanted a hug, why didn’t you just say so?”  Tiffany wiped her tears away while she was still laughing.

“It’s funny how you never thought to tickle me back.  Hahaha, Fany, you’re so much fun to bully.”  Taeyeon gave Tiffany a small hug.

“You dork!”  Tiffany winked.

Petrification is a funny thing…  Taeyeon didn’t turn to stone.  She just found herself unable to take her eyes off Tiffany.  Thankfully, everyone in the room was staring at them and Tiffany was looking at everyone else.

“Eh…  Sorry, everyone.  We didn’t mean to start chaos…”  Tiffany bowed and walked by Taeyeon while ruffling the red-faced, dork’s hair again.

Taeyeon walked straight to Yoona as soon as she snapped out of her daydream.

“Hey, did you get the book?”

“Yup!  Here you go!  But…  There’s already and entry at the back of the book made my Tiffany… She may have read your words already…”

“No way.  Tiffany always writes in diaries backwards.”

“But she only does that if it’s her diary.  This way, anyone trying to read it might get confused.  This is a travel book.  It wouldn’t make sense to try to confuse herself in a few years when she comes back to this and tries to read it.  Regardless, here’s the book.”  Yoona held out the book with Tiffany’s name in white letters.

“Thank you.  I have to erase this as soon as possible!”

“You wrote in pen…”

“…”

“Maybe you can rip it out?”

“But the pages are delicate and if one rips, the rest will fall out!  I can’t rip it out!”

“Just rip it a little bit next to the binding.”

“She’ll know I ripped something out.”

“Well, you can’t hide the book from her forever.”

“Ahhhh, Yoona what do I do?!”

“I don’t know, Tae.  Sorry.”

_______________________

It was late at night and all the girls were at a hotel, getting ready for bed.

“Ahhh!  I can’t find it!”  Tiffany yelled.

“Can’t find what?”  Seohyun asked.

“My pink travel book!  Where did it go?”

Seohyun looked over at Taeyeon with a worried look.

“Tae…  Do you know where it went?”  Tiffany asked Taeyeon who wore a scared look and was standing on the far corner.

“…”

“Wait… Did you take it?”

“…”

“Tae!  Why?  You gave me heart attack!”

“…”

“Why did you take it?”

“Uhm…  Seohyun, I have to explain something to Tiffany.  Would you please…”

Seohyun nodded and left obediently while closing the door behind her.

“Tae…?”

“Okay, Fany.  Here’s the truth…”

“I’m listening…”

Taeyeon took a deep breath as her heart throbbed.

“I decided to use the travelling book you gave me as a diary.  I wanted to make the first entry special.  But the thing is… I accidentally wrote it in your book.”

“Why did you take it?”

“The entry… It’s really personal…”

“So, you don’t trust me?”

“No, Fany, I do.  Please listen.”  Taeyeon stepped closer.  “It’s just one of those thoughts that I’d like to keep to myself, and only myself.  I’ll tell you about it when I’m ready.”

“So… you want me to never use my book?”  Tiffany crossed her arms.

“Fany, I’ll let you decide.  I can’t erase what I wrote since it’s written in pen.  I don’t want to rip it out since the book will be ruined.”

“Decide what?”

“Here’s your book.  My entry is on the first two pages.  If you decide to read it, I’ll be horribly embarrassed… But it’s your book after all and I was wrong for taking it anyways.  I just ask of you… Please don’t read it.”

“Tae, I-”

“I’m sorry…”  Taeyeon opened the door and ran to the living room as her face was burning red, tears were streaming down her face, and her heart was about to pop out of her chest.  She's going to read it and our friendship will be over just like that!  Augh! Why, am I so careless?

Tiffany looked down at the book she held and sighed.

“That didn’t go well…”