(Jessica’s POV)

“Kryssie! Open up!” I knocked on her door but there was no reply.

“Kryssie! Come on… Why are you being like this?!”

“Kryssie! How long are you planning on doing this? You can’t avoid me forever…!”

I even tried to bribe her.

“Kryssie! I’m going to your favorite bakery! Did you want anything?!” There was still no reply. She was really holding firm.

Instead of saying hurtful things, Kryssie was now avoiding me completely. When she was home, she locked herself in her room. When she needed to leave, she snuck in and out easily because she knew my schedule too well. In the past few days, I had probably only seen her for probably a few minutes a day. I really missed her. It was a torture. I couldn’t talk to her, I couldn’t touch her, I couldn’t even see her. It was like living with a ghost.

There were a few times when I thought that I should just tell her that I knew. That maybe I should just reveal the truth but then what’s the use? It would only make things more awkward than it already is. In the end I decided on riding this storm out. The sooner she gets over this, the sooner we can just go back to our normal routine.

There was only one thing to do… If she wanted me to leave her alone, that’s exactly what I was going to do. Maybe if I started ignoring her too, then she’d realize how ridiculous all this is.

Drastic situations call for drastic measures. I decided that I would stay over at Tiff’s and see if Kryssie will break when she realizes I’m not even around.

“Tiff? It’s me Jess,” I called her over the phone.

“Jess? What’s up?” she sounded surprised that I called.

“Hey, can I stay over at yours tonight?” I asked.

“Uhm… sure… but why?!” She was definitely not expecting that.

“It’s a long story… I’ll tell you when I get there,” I told her.

“Uhm… okay… But what about Krystal? Is she going to be home alone?” she wondered.

“She’ll be fine for one night.”

“Uhm… alright then… I’ll see you later?”

“Yeah, I’ll text you when I head over.”

---

I was all set to go but I didn’t want to just leave Kryssie “cold turkey”. So I gave her one more chance.

“Kryssie! I’m going out! I might not be back tonight!” I shouted from outside her room.

If she told me not to go, I would definitely not. Even if she just open her room door, I would stay. But after a long moment, there was still no response. I jiggled her door handle just to be sure that she was still in… she was. I was really, really disheartened. I wanted her so bad to stop me from going.

As I opened the front door, I looked back one last time to see if she would come out of her room. Nothing.

“Fine, Kryssie. If space is what you want, space is what you will get!” I whispered.

I closed the door behind me and headed for Tiff’s place.

When I got to Tiff’s place, I was greeted by Taeyeon. I had almost forgotten that she was staying with Tiff.

“Oh, Jessica-shi…! You’re here already? Fany’s still out but she’ll be back soon. Come in…” she invited me in.

“I’m sorry to impose on you guys… but I just needed to bunk somewhere for tonight,” I told her.

“Why? What’s wrong? Fany said something about Krystal being home alone…” she asked worriedly.

“Kryssie has issues and she needs some space. It’s important to her, so I just want to give her what she wants…”

“Are you sure that’s the best thing for her…?”

“Yes. I wouldn’t worry… It’s just for tonight…”

“Hmmm… okay…”

Even though I told her not to worry, I myself couldn’t help but worry about her. It was the first time she was home alone without me. But I knew perfectly well that she was capable of taking care of herself and I wasn’t too far away if she needed me.

“So what exactly is the matter with you two that you need to spend the night here?” Taeyeon asked.

“Well… She’s decided to blank me out completely. She locks herself in her room whenever I’m home and she sneaks in and out of the house just to avoid me. She doesn’t want me around right now so I’m just giving her what she wants. Until she’s solved her problem, I just want to stay out of her way…” I explained.

“Don’t you think that’s a little dramatic?”

“Yes but I’ve tried talking to her about it but she wouldn’t even look at me let alone say a word to me.”

“Really? Do you know why?”

I shrugged. I couldn’t tell her the real reason…

“I figured since she doesn’t want to talk about it or reason it out rationally… I’ll just let her vent it out and get it over with…”

“Man, you guys are intense! You poor thing… you need to relax,” she gave me a comforting hug. “Here sit down and I’ll make you some tea.”

“Thanks Tae. Anyway enough about me; how’s the new job?” I changed the subject.

“Well, you were right… It’s actually pretty interesting. I’m actually really enjoying it,” she answered with a gleam in her eyes.

“Good, I’m glad. I mean, we can plan our lives out all we want but things change. It’s not a bad thing…”

“No, I guess not. You have to seize the day!” she replied as she handed me a cup of tea and sat down beside me.

Just then, the front door opened.

“I’m home!” Tiff called out.

Both Taeyeon and I turned in her direction at the same time.

“Sica’s here,” Taeyeon informed her.

Tiff dropped her stuff on the ground and walked over to me quickly.

“So, what’s the matter…?” she asked as she leaned down to give me a quick hug.

“These two have problems…” Taeyeon answered first.

I sighed. “Yeah, I was just explaining to Tae here…” I proceeded to cue Tiff in on what I had already told Taeyeon.

“I don’t understand… what happened to Krystal? I’ve never seen her like this…” Tiff has known us for much longer than Taeyeon so she knew something was definitely wrong.

How am I supposed to answer them without having to explain the truth?!

“I don’t know but I’m just hoping it will pass soon,” I answered vaguely. “Seriously, let’s just drop it for now…”

---

(Krystal’s POV)

Even when I try to be mean to her, she’s still so caring. Every time I see her, my heart still flutters no matter how hard I try to suppress it. So I had decided to avoid her all together, maybe then I would be able to forget about these feelings if she wasn’t around me all the time. Or at least that was what I had hoped.

The problem was, she was still unyielding even though I obviously didn’t want to talk to her or see her. How was I supposed to let her go if she won’t let me?! But I kept it up because she had to give up sooner or later.

“Kryssie! Open up!” she knocked on her door.

NO!

“Kryssie! Come on… Why are you being like this?!”

What else am I supposed to do?

“Kryssie! How long are you planning on doing this? You can’t avoid me forever…!”

Until you give up!

 “Kryssie! I’m going to your favorite bakery! Did you want anything?!”

Dammit Jessie! How dare you use my weakness against me… NO!

There was no way I would be the first to give in… I can’t. She has to give in first, even if I have to starve to death in my room.

Surprisingly, a few hours had past and she hadn’t tried anything new.

Maybe she’s given up... Finally I can get a little peace and quiet…

Hmmm… it’ll be dinner time soon… Why hasn’t she asked me what I wanted for dinner?

Isn’t this what you wanted Krystal? For her to stop bothering you?

Just then, Jessie called out from outside my door again. “Kryssie! I’m going out! I might not be back tonight!”

Did she just say she wasn’t coming home tonight?!

I really wanted to know where she was going but I couldn’t.

What does she mean by not coming home tonight? Who is she going out with? Is she spending the night at someone else’s?! Maybe it’s just a trick…

I decided to call her bluff and persisted.

After she left, I was finally able to come out of my room. Honestly, I was starving. I didn’t think this plan through. I fixed myself something to eat and went back to my room.

As the night wore on, there was really no sign of Jessie. I was starting to worry but it was still early so I decided to wait it out.

10 o’clock… 11 o’clock… 12 o’clock… She was still not home.

Is she really staying out tonight?! But it’s not like her to do so. She’s never left me home alone before, but I guess I’m an adult now. But still, she’s not the type to stay out all night…

I couldn’t decide if I should check up on her or not. I was really worried but if I did, it would mean I’m giving in.

It was now 2am and she was definitely not coming home. I know I said I wanted her to leave me alone but I’m worried and upset. I needed to know she was alright.

“Unni? Where are you? Are you alright?” I texted her.

There was no reply.

“Unni? I just need to know you’re okay.” I sent another text.

Still no reply.

Why isn’t she texting back?!

“Jessie! Please come home!” I finally texted. I wanted her home.

She didn’t reply.

---

(Jessica’s POV)

Tiff, Taeyeon and I were having quite a good time. Of course Kryssie was always at the back of my mind but it felt like we were just having a great girls' night in. We went out for dinner, came back to their place, dug into some dessert that we had brought home, dove into a movie, and after the movie we just started chatting.

The next thing we knew, we looked at the clock and it was almost 2am.

“Ohmigod! Look at the time… Can you believe how long we spent talking?” Tiff said.

“Sica, you should come over more often… I haven’t had such a fun night in a while,” Taeyeon added.

I smiled while still thinking of Kryssie back home.

“What! Are you saying you’re bored with me?” Tiff turned to Taeyeon.

“Never! You’re the one bored of me. We don’t do anything fun anymore…” Taeyeon whined.

“What?! What about when we went to the museum the other day?”

“That was a while ago my dear… We haven’t done anything since.”

Listening to them only reminded me of Kryssie and me. I laughed at their silly bickering.

“What?” Tiff asked when I laughed.

“You two… you’re so cute!” I told them.

They turned to look at each other.

“Yes well, we’ve known each other for so long, she’s family…” Tiff said as she pinched Taeyeon on the cheek.

“Yes, sometimes I think I know her better than my own siblings,” replied Taeyeon as she rubbed Tiffany’s cheeks roughly in return.

I chuckled.

Out of the blue, I received a text. I looked at the screen; it said “Unni? Where are you? Are you alright?” from Kryssie.

Nope, I wasn’t going to answer.

“Who’s that?” Tiff asked, noticing the message on my phone.

“It’s nothing,” I replied.

I received another text.

“Unni? I just need to know you’re okay.”

My heart swayed a little but I was still not going to reply. It wasn’t what I wanted to hear.

“Jess, I think someone is texting you. Maybe it’s Krystal…” said Taeyeon. She had also noticed the texts.

I thought about whether or not I was being too cruel.

Then I received yet another message. “Jessie! Please come home!”

This time, I wasn’t able to block it out. I knew that she had finally given in.

“Girls, the strike is over,” I said out loud after reading the text.

They both shook their heads at me.

“So I guess you’re not staying the night after all…” Tiff said, a little disappointed.

“Sorry girls. Thanks for the hospitality but I’m needed back home,” I told them.

“Don’t be sorry. It was fun tonight. Say hi to Krystal for us,” Taeyeon replied.

I gathered my things quickly.

“Thanks again. I’ll see you girls soon. Wish me luck…”

They gave me a confused look. “Luck? Why luck?” Taeyeon asked.

Because I think I’m going to need it…

I just waved goodbye and left.

When I got home, the first thing I did was to look for Kryssie. I headed straight to her room but the door was open and she wasn’t there.

Where could she be?!

“Kryssie?!” I called out.

Just then, I saw that my room door was slightly ajar. I pushed it open and saw Kryssie lying in my bed. She had fallen asleep, hugging my pillow tightly.

I walked closer to her and took a good look at her face. It felt like I hadn’t seen it in awhile. I sat down beside her and brushed her hair back. She looked so sad.

Maybe, I had gone too far…

“Kryssie… Kryssie…” I shook her to wake her up.

“J-Jessie?” she rubbed her eyes as she awoke.

“I’m home,” I said softly as I her hair.

“J-Jessie, you’re home. Where have you been?” Her voice cracked a little when she asked that.

“It’s not important… You told me to come home, so I’m home now,” I replied.

“O-Okay… I-I’m sorry I slept here… I just… I just missed you…” she stuttered. “I’ll go back to my room now.”

But before she could even get up, I decided to stop her. I wasn’t letting her leave after going days without seeing her. I pushed her back down and enveloped her in my hold.

“J-Jessie…!” she protested as she tried to wriggle her way out of my grasp.

“Stop!” I told her. “This is your punishment for what you did to me the past few days.”

“But… I-“

“No buts! Do you know how much you hurt me? But I let you do it anyway… hoping that you would stop soon enough. So now you have to do what I say, and I say that you have to stay here with me.”

“I… I’m sorry Jessie. I didn’t mean to hurt you… I just had some stuff I needed to sort out…”

“Whatever it is… this is not the way to go about it. You can’t just shut me out. I won’t ever let you…”

“O-Okay… I’m sorry. I promise I won’t ever do it again.”

“Good. Now go back to sleep… It’s really late…”

Even as I said that, I was already dozing off… It felt so comfortable with her in my arms again…