The first night at his apartment passed by like a blur and dawn was on its peak. But still, Tiffany was nowhere near asleep. It was already almost three in the morning as what the digital clock on the bedside says.

 

She shifted on her pillow for the nth time with her auburn hair sprawled out everywhere like one piece of mess. Despite of her comfortable state, she can't seem to be lulled. It felt so different and far from home. She misses the bed covered with a pink matress printed with fairies and flowers. The wooden floor that creaks at night when her dad would kiss her good night or the familiar bed time story she would hear before drifting off to sleep.

 

But as distant as how it feels, it is also as impossible. Her father... he had left her long time ago and Tiffany is already tired of waiting and hoping that he would come back. Now, what reality brings her is a man feigning his concern to her. Her step-father who wants to marry her off to some elite bloke for a disgusting business deal. 

 

Walking blindly through the hallways, she somehow found her way through the kitchen. The house was big but only with few doors and the kitchen seem to be the only exemption. It had a wide two door frame with no actual door where you can just walk in without much trouble.

 

Spotting the big chrome box, she walked her pace through it. 

 

"Why are you still awake?" Tiffany held her hand on her chest and noticed a man's silhouette sitting on one of the bar stools.

 

"You almost gave me a heart attack, dickhead" She retorter with irritation lacing her tone as she continued her walk.

 

"Me? Dickhead? Who's walking in the middle of the night with the lights turned off?" He chuckled with a smug grin as he dabbed a finger on his chest.

 

"And whose loser sits like a ghost in the darkness?" She pulled the handle and scanned her eyes through the contents of the fridge and sighed in disappointment.

 

"Don't you have a beer?" she asked, chuggling a bottle of opened wine and poured herself some in a glass.

 

"I don't drink except for wine" He spoke, raising the glass of milk on his hands that she somewhat managed to see in the dark while scrutinizing.

 

"Seriously? Can a single human being survive without a taste of heaven?" She took a small gulp of the drink and raised a brow at his direction.

 

"I can and I know that you could also. How long had been your habit going? It can bring the worse, you know" His tone seem so genuine and Tiffany hated it. He's acting like he's so great and what she knows is that this thing, the marriage thing is just for benefits. She wouldn't be shocked if maybe one night he would just end the play and send her out.

 

"Why do you even care?!" she snapped, even herself was a bit shaken by how her voice boomed in the silence of the night. 

 

A minute that felt like years had passed before she again heard his voice. It was like a murmur so gentle and soft.

 

"My brother... my brother died because of alcohol and because of me"

 

----

 

Taecyeon didn't know why he easily opened up to Tiffany while it took him years to talk about that incident to few people before. It was a very sensitive topic to touch but somehow he found himself opening it to the girl he recently met.

 

He saw her face soften and she looks taken aback. She bowed her head and slowly walked near him and sat gently on the stool beside him.

 

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. Its just the stress is reaching my head with all of this happening" She gesture in the air and retrieved the glass of wine on her hands.

 

"Uhm... want to talk about it?" She sounded hesitant but by the way she looks, she seem prepared to listen.

 

"There's nothing good about it. Are you sure you want to listen?" Tiffany nodded her head and before he could speak, she took another glass and poured him a wine.

 

"It was few years ago when DongHae died. Three years to be exact. It was my eighteenth birthday actually and he was two years older than me" His eyes were focused on a distance and he seem to be caught up in reminiscing the memory.

 

"I took him to party in a club quite far from our home to celebrate that day. It was the first time he went to a club and he totally went crazy with the drinks" He chuckled but the tears that are almost out of his eyes were not left unnoticed. 

 

"He was the CEO of Ok corporation that time and my father's favorite son. DongHae, he is the perfect son and my father loved him more than he loved anyone in his life. That night, we were caught in a tragic accident that still haunts me 'till today" A tear slipped his eyes and Tiffany felt the urge to graze her fingers through his cheeks.

 

"The car was wrecked by a ten-wheeler truck. It was the truck driver's fault. I know because I was on the same car and he was the one driving while I was sitting shotgun beside him... but no one believed as we were both under the influence of alcohol. When the impact was seconds before it reached us.... he abruptly turned the car and his side was the one badly hit. The worst part is, he didn't even make it  to the hospital while I survived with only few bruises" By that time, Taecyeon was already crying harder and few sobs escaped his throath. Tiffany pulled her into her arms in attempt to comfort him.

 

"He saved me... it's all my fault" he bawled harder, burying his head to the crook of her neck where the enticing smell of strawberries and vanilla welcomed his senses.

 

"Shhh... It's fine" She shushed, patting his built back and hugging him closer. She couldn't figure out what to say but she knows that the guy is badly in pain and hurting.

 

Few moments later, Taecyeon pulled back and had already stopped his crying. His eyes met the most gorgeous orbs and he couldn't help but to lean a little closer. He landed her view through his lips and the memory of the night at the club played on his mind.

 

The taste of her lips was so tempting. And without prior notice, he leaned closer again until their lips met.

 

----

 

Tiffany knew what was coming but she couldn't move. Her limbs felt weak and her body froze. She couldn't pull away. She didn't want to pull away. When their lips met, her world turned upside down.

 

The warmth of the kiss brought her the familiar sensation and the taste of mint and chocolate that was now mixed with the taste of milk welcomed her cravings. Unconsciously, she parted her lips and their tounges fought each other.

 

Deeping the kiss, they showed the unbearable longing and attraction to each other. The first time they kissed, she already felt that pull. The pull she thought was too early to develope but now... she's having her hesitation.

 

It can be merely just lust like her past relationships... but it can also be something more.