The little ball of brown fluff was trying hard to fall asleep on her soft little push doggy bed, but the thought of her master still out there in the big bad world couldn’t appease her. Finally like an alarm clock, the sound of clinking keys and creaking door, made the puppy burst out to the door, yapping excitedly…

“Hey Yoona…” Yuri haven’t even planted her feet inside her apartment yet, and the pup have already jumped into her arms, welcoming Yuri with slobbery kisses… “Did you miss me?”

The puppy answered with an excited yip. Yuri carries the wriggly puppy back to her room.

“I miss you too Yoona… I always do..”

*

“I have met a lot of girls but my heart never fluttered for anyone… But you…”

Yoona have heard that line numerous times and no matter who says it, it only sounds sleazy everytime.

Seeing that his pick up line didn’t work, He took out his secret weapons, his smoldering looks than could have girls threw their at him in three second.

1
2

“You can waste your breath counting to a hundred, but you still look like a chick to me.”

He was left flustered that the doe eyed girl was more interested on her drink rather than on him, but he was ready to try again. But just as he was about to go to second round, someone swooped in between them.

“Hi… I’m Yuri…”

A dark haired beauty flashes her y smile at him/her whatever he/she is.

“And I got to say, you have got to be the most beautiful girl in this room.”

Yoona was ready to burst out in laughter but she was careful not to break this guy’s ego.

“I’m not a girl…”

“Oh… I’m sorry…” Now it was Yuri’s turn to give her/him a smoldering look. “My bad… Most beautiful woman.”

“I’M A GUY!”

Yoona couldn’t hold it in her laughter as the guy blasted out at Yuri.

“Oh shoot… sorry about that” From Yuri’s snarky grin it was obvious that she wasn’t sorry at all “From this angle you totally look like a chick, but in another angle you do look like a dude. But I do admit you’re quite pretty though…”

He swallows down a drink trying to calm himself before he hits a girl.

“Well, you said something about not having any girl making your heart flutter, Have you thought that maybe it’s not girls who can make your heart flutter? Have you tried guys?”

The two could see pretty girl/boy grinding his teeth in anger. He was about to get out on Yuri, but instead hissed away… There are girls to be charmed why waste it on these two?

Yoona just ignored Yuri thinking it would make Yuri go away, but she’s just standing right there cocking her brows ily at Yoona.

“So, what do I get?”

“For what?”

“For saving you from that ugly chick.”

Yoona scoffs “I thought you said she was pretty?”

“I’m not into trannies…”

“Oh my God Yul…” Yoona begs God to save her away from Kwon idiot.

“Yes Yoona, you’re right, I’ am a God…”

Yuri and her endless comebacks are just something…

“Oh. So that made you think that I wanted to be saved?”

Yuri just rolls her eyes… “Oh please… He might look all that, but we both know that nobody can make you scream the way I do…”

Yoona remained quiet and Yuri’s lip just curve halfway knowing well enough she won. It was world war between Yoona and Yuri and both refuses to lose…

“Awww Yoona, remember this place? This is where we first met”

Right now Yuri is the one with the endless attacks.

“Sorry I try to forget” Yoona lies, she could remember it clearly that’s why she tries to drink herself to eventually forget.

Yuri’s lips curve into a delicious smirk.

“So, how does it feel to finally be free Yoona?”

“Exhilarating…”

“I bet… once a player, always a player, right Yoong?”

“I guess…” Yoona shrugs. “Thanks for ruining my engagement by the way…”

Yoona could finally let out a triumphant smile as Yuri’s face scrunches, as if someone just punch her in the gut.

“My pleasure…” Yuri gulps down the remaining alcohol in her drink to somehow ease the humiliation. “So, what have you been up to?”

“Just putting check marks on my list. And you?”

“Work… never have time for relationships, but is a whole different thing though.” Yuri just felt like she needed to point it out. “Because I still get a lot, it is the best exercise. But I still have to admit you have been like my favorite exercise partner.”

How come Yoona felt like a sllut when she heard those words?

“Hmmm… don’t you miss the old us, Yoona?”

“What do you mean old us?”

“No commitment, no relationship just pure adult fun…”

“Wasn’t it you who wanted to make something out of nothing?”

Yuri sips her drink, hoping that Yoona wouldn’t see the effect of her words on her. Nothing? Is that how Yoona think about them? Nothing?

“Hmmp… it was an in the moment thing. It was a big mistake”

This time it was Yoona who tries to still every breaking nerve in her. Mistake? Is that what Yuri think about what happen to them? A mistake?

“You know what Yoong? I have been thinking about this… Why don’t we go back to our old selves? You know just for fun… no commitment, no relationship, no feelings, nothing…”

This wasn’t what Yoona had in mind, she wanted to try again with Yuri, to finally put a label to what they have instead of being just friends with benefits. And Yoona could might very well just said no. But instead she answered Yuri with a…

“Yeah… why not?”

If this is her only chance to win Yuri then she’ll take it.

A part of Yuri wished that Yoona would have said no; that she’s not willing to be played anymore. That she wanted something more of what they have. But Yuri had enough of being the pathetic one, for once she wanted to be the insensitive one, to be the one who comes out with this with lesser heartache.

But she wasn’t, because here she is faking all the hurt by plastering on a sly grin.

“Then, let’s get out of here.”

*

Both Yoona and Yuri wondered why this feels so awkward… Before, they strip down their clothes and do it like it’s the most natural thing in the world. But right now Yuri’s hands was all shaky that she can’t pull off Yoona’s dress and Yoona’s hand fumbles trying to Yuri’s shirt.

It was getting more and more awkward by the minute, and both of them knew that they weren’t getting anywhere.

“Ummm I… I think I should go.” Yoona finally said it out loud.

It was Yoona who finally had the guts to pull away, and it was Yuri again who was scrambling to hold on.

When Yuri realized how pathetic she have become again, she let go.

“Ummm ahhh… yeah… I think that’s a good idea… I guess when I think about you with my sister, it’s not really such a turn on.”

“What?!”

It was time for Yoona to hear it, Yuri’s aches and questions.

“Why did you pick her Yoong?” Yuri clenches her teeth then looks away “No, don’t answer that, I know what you’re going to say. Instead, why don’t you answer this, Yoong, why didn’t you give us a chance?”

“Because I had a hard time believing you.”

And that was the painful truth that both of them went through.

“I thought somewhere along the time were together that I’ll eventually fall for Seo.” Yoona smiles weakly at the thought of those bittersweet memories. “I loved her but it’s has always been a comforting kind of love. But yours…” Yoona look up at Yuri. “It was a painful kind of love, Yuri. Were not even together yet and it hurts already, and it scares me to think Yul, if were going to be together is it going to be worse or not? And I’m a coward Yuri…”

They both were…

All Yoona was doing was pick up her purse, and it was enough to rattle Yuri. She should get used to it, but she just couldn’t, it kills her to see Yoona go…

But Yoona didn’t even make it to the door when she felt Yuri’s hand wrapped around her wrist.

“I still…”

I still love you, Yoong…

But this time, Yuri caught herself before heart have relentlessly put itself out in the line again. Instead, Yuri beg Yoona for another thing, to simply stay.

“Stay for the night.”

There was a mix of emotions in Yuri’s words, there was sincerity, longing and pleading. And it was enough to bring a fear in Yoona that she would be the first one to falter.

“W-what?”

“I don’t want you going out there this late. J-just stay for the night. I could sleep in the couch if this feels awkward for you.”

“I… I don’t think I could stay…”

“Please do…” Yuri begs… “I’ll sleep in the couch, just stay… for once Yoona, just stay.”

*

4 hours laying there in pitch darkness and sleeplessness haven’t chimed in on Yuri yet. It wasn’t really the couch that is making her stay up this late. It was the girl in her bedroom.

Yuri just exhales deeply, tearing her gaze away from her bedroom door and just huffs frustratingly up the ceiling.

It has always been her mantra to live her life without regrets, she was doing fairly well to until she let her emotions took the best of her. She regrets what happen between her and Yoona and every night, she falls into the cliff of what ifs, and just like it was a black hole, her fall seems never ending.

And Yuri let out a sigh again because tonight is just gonna be one of those long sleepless nights…

*

KNOCK.KNOCK.KNOCK.

“KWON!!!”

“Ah crap…”

Yuri hurriedly stumbled out of the couch, scrambling towards the door before Yoona could wake up from Sooyoung’s screams.

“What?”

The poor puppy in Sooyoung’s arm whimpers, asking Yuri to save her from the tall girl.

“I have to give Yoona back…” Sooyoung shoves the teddy bear looking puppy at Yuri.

“SHHHHHHH…” Yuri starts bouncing up and down, begging Sooyoung to shut up.

“What?!” Sooyoung was surprised with how flustered Yuri is acting “Yoona-”

“SHHHHHHH!!!!” have always wonder if Sooyoung has hearing problems, cause she always talk so loud.

“What the heck?!”

“Her name is not Yoona anymore, her name is ahhhh…ummm… brownie…”

Yuri and her ridiculousness, Sooyoung is so used to it, she doesn’t seem to care anymore.

“Well, whatever, Brownie Yoona wouldn’t let Jessica go to sleep.”

Yuri raised her eyes away from her whimpering puppy. “Wait? How did you and Jessica ended up together?”

“Well, we didn’t. Me and Brownie Yoona were outside Jessica’s window and she keeps on crying and Jessica couldn’t fall back asleep with all the noise.”

Yuri gasps in horror and shields her puppy away from Sooyoung.

“I trusted you with her! and you use her to stalk Shika?!”

“Pffft… When Edward does it to Bella its romantic? And when I do it, its stalking?!”

“Yul…”

Sooyoung finally piece the puzzle together when she hears someone calling Yuri from her bedroom.

“Oh… that’s why… Oh crap, Yoona?!”

The puppy starts barking excitedly to the sound of her name.

“Hey Yoona…”

Yuri elbows Sooyoung whose mouth was hanging so wide open a train could pass through it.

“Awww… a puppy…” Yoona made her way to the breathing teddy bear in Yuri’s arms.

“Well, ummm Yoona…”

The puppy keeps on barking happily, excited that people keep on calling her name.

“Awwww… she looks like a little teddy bear” Yoona takes the puppy from Yuri’s arms and starts cooing it.

And Yuri brow creases in a pout thinking Why can’t I be the puppy?

“What’s her name?”

“Oh! Ummm… brownie? Cause she’s brown.”

“Oh okay… hi brownie”

Yoonapup raise her puppy brow( if puppies have brow) at Yoona girl, having the WTF girl, don’t believe these idiots, that ain’t my name look on her puppy face.

Yoona pouts… “She’s not responding…”

“Maybe she doesn’t like you…”

“Oh…” Yoona pouts so cutely, Yuri have to stop herself before she could pinch her “Hi brownie… I’m Yoona…”

The puppy starts barking happy that the girl finally calls out her name.

“Awww… they’re so cute together…” Sooyoung coos “I ship. Yoongpup is real”

Yuri growls at her bestfriend. Because as far as Kwon Yuri knows, only one pairing is real and it’s Yoonyul.

*

Sooyoung waited for Yoona to leave so she could smack some sense into her bestfriend’s head, like literally…

“OW!!! Like what the hell, Soo?!”

“So, what was that all about? Sooyoung pried “Are you two FWB’s again? What am I even saying? You two are not even friends, you’re just good time people.”

“Well, FYI Soo… we didn’t do anything last night, I slept in the couch, while she slept in my bedroom.”

“And that’s it? You’re going to let her walk away from you again like that?”

Yuri chooses to ignore sooyoung but Sooyoung needs to make things clear for Yuri.

“This is good, Yuri… you two are finally headed out the right direction”

“What are you talking about?”

“That means it’s more than just for the both of you, you two are still in love. Dude… She’s back here for a reason. Don’t think she comes back here because of your boinking skills. Dude, she’s here because she wants something to happen between you two.”

Yuri slid the waffle to the plates and starts to focus on the omelet she was making, hoping if she ignores Sooyoung that it will eventually shut Sooyoung off. But she should know, nothing is capable of shutting Sooyoung up, unless you stuck food in .

“She was just scared Yul… Do you think that if you didn’t Dongwook on her wedding, that she’ll be here?!”

“Look… Soo… I messed up… I shouldn’t have done that… I shouldn’t have Dongwook…”

“Hey… look, you hear it in songs, you watch it in movies… I’m a go fight and stay with the one I love, but it’s not easy… People tend to choose the safer side, and that’s just what happen with Yoona, she was scared. but you dude, you fought for her again and again. And maybe that finally made her realize that maybe you do love her.”

“Why do I always have to be the one who’s trying to chase her?” Yuri waves her spatula at Sooyoung. “Why can’t she chase me this time?”

“I didn’t say anything about chasing? Did you?” She asks Yoona pup…

“Nobody needs to chase anybody, all I’m saying is, if you spend your time getting to know her rather than boinking her before, then there should have been a huge chance that you two would have make it. But no, you didn’t… but you’re given another chance this time Yul, So, don’t blow it…”

Other than the omelet fizzling on the pan, everything in Yuri’s house remained quiet. Yuri remained quiet, letting Sooyoung’s words slowly sip into her.

“What should I do?”

“Well… invite her to do couple-y things…”

Yuri was embarrassed to admit that for 24 years of her existence she have no idea what couple-y things are…

“So, ummm… what’s couple-y things?”

“I’m glad you’re trying…” Sooyoung pats Yuri at the back. “Well, what might be couple-y things for you may not be couple-y things for others. Like me and Jessica”

“You two are a couple?”

“In a way we are, I like to chase her and she likes to beat me up with something hard, that’s our couple-y things, some people read manga together, some go paint their nails, it really depends on you… What you two like doing as a couple.”

Yuri could think of one thing that two of them like to do as a couple, but Sooyoung knows her bestfriends more than anything else.

“What you have in mind, doesn’t count…”

“I tried to be a couple with her but she dump me remember?”

“That’s because you just keep on skipping the order of relationships. You started with , when most relationships ends with that. it’s like you’re doing it in reverse and that probably scared Yoona. You shouldn’t have told her, you should have just showed her.”

“And then what? Just watch her choose Seohyun again?” Yuri clenches her teeth angrily, until now that bitter memory still left a bad taste in her life.

“No… if you have showed her that you loved her then she could have chosen you. She never probably felt it, she might have thought that all you ever wanted was . And then you just blurted out to her, that you love her. Do you actually think she might have believed that?”

“Should I even try?”

“If I were you I would…”

“Wae?”

Sooyoung was about to stuff a forkful of waffle in but stop to tell Yuri something.

“Because not everyone is given a second or third chance in love.”

*

Yuri have never researched this hard since she was, come to think of it. She never research at all. But here she is, getting out her inner nerd, researching in books, the internet and magazines for that one fact.

What do couples do?

And after a week of doing an extensive research, Yuri have finally put her plan into action.

*

First step: Bringing lunch to Yoona’s work.

But just as Yuri have gathered up all her guts to step inside Yoona’s office building, the sight of the doe eyed girl stepping out of the revolving her, have halted her.

“Yoong?”

Yoona eyes widen like a doe caught in headlights as she sees Yuri standing, very quickly she hides what seems like a lunchbox behind her.

“Yul?”

Yoona curse herself for being too slow, she was supposed to surprise Yuri with special brownie fudge treats that she made herself. But it seems like it was her who was up for a surprise.

“So, ummm what are you doing here?”

Oh crap… what am I suppose to say now? Yuri wonders…

“Oh ummm I was ahhh… about to go to you know eat lunch in the park when I happen to pass through here… keke” Yuri scratches the back of her neck consciously…

And Yuri could only regret on how quickly she faltered. She have rehearsed what she was about to say to Yoona, her words that was supposed to sweep Yoona of her feet, to wow Yoona with her charming personality and quick wits. But here she was standing like a bumbling idiot, wishing her brain didn’t freeze at this moment, because her heart needs all the help it could get. She needs her brain to function something, a word, a smile, anything to keep Yoona from slipping away again.

“But the park is like 10 blocks from here”

Ah crap…

“I know… I like to exercise…”

Her heart is going to beat the crap out of her brain after this.

“Oh okay…”

Why did Yuri’s word left Yoona disgruntled and aching again? What was it that Yoona was trying to think? Yuri did say to her before that it was a mistake. And Yoona have agreed to that, hearts have been broken, tears have been shed, what was the point to all of this then? Why was she even trying to fix something that have been broken several times?

“So, are you going to eat lunch out?”

Now it was Yoona’s turn to have a debate in her head. Her hand gripping tightly on the lunchbox full of brownies.

“Ummm… I was ahhh…” Well I could just say it, yeah that’s right… I need to say it. “Well, I made some brownies so I was ummm about to… ahhhh… eat it…” with you “Ummm yeah… that’s right.”

“Oh okay… Well, I’m going to the park now.” Yuri points forward.

“Oh” Yoona says disappointingly. “Yeah, I’ll be going too…” Yoona points to the opposite direction.

“Bye Yoona…”

And until now those two words were the hardest thing that Yuri could ever utter.

“Bye Yul…” Yoona nods politely, turning away from Yuri.

And to say it simply every step that Yoona takes away from her does nothing but kill her. Yuri should have been crying right now, but instead, it got to the point where she’s so frustrated at herself that all she could do is laugh at herself. She named her restaurant after the girl, she named her flipping puppy after the girl. But she can’t even invite the girl out.

She was a coward and she blew her chance once again…





Or maybe she won’t…

Yoona always rip someone’s arm off when she felt someone’s hand wrap around her wrist.

“Yul?”

The two remained frozen while the city was bustling around them.

“Yoong, would you like to join me for lunch?”

And Yoona answers Yuri with a smile, slipping her hand so she could take Yuri’s hand in hers. But before they could take a step, Yoona leaned closer to Yuri, laying her lips on Yuri’s forehead.
It was a soft kiss, but Yuri’s heart have never fluttered as much.

This was the first step for both, but for each other they could take a billion steps more.