Hurricane Diarrhea #12

Tiffany managed to stop giggling to eat her steak eventually and Taeyeon was most relieved when they began eating peacefully.

“How’s your steak?”

Taeyeon looked up from her plate and grinned. “It’s very good. Do you want to try some?”

Tiffany giggled. “Taeyeon, I’m having the same thing as you.”

“Oh.” Taeyeon blushed. “Right. Yes, I forgot.”

“But you never know,” added Tiffany with a slight curl of her lips, “Yours might be different. Let me try a small piece.”

“Okay.”

Taeyeon cut a small piece of her steak and was about to put it on Tiffany’s plate when she opened and looked at her expectantly. Taeyeon hesitated for the slightest of a second before realizing Tiffany’s intent and moved the steak to instead. Her arm seemed steady enough and she was immensely thankful that her thumping heart didn’t show. Or least, she hoped it didn’t. Tiffany’s lips closed around the steak and pulled it off the fork slowly and Taeyeon her lips unwittingly.

That was…she was…Tiffany had just…

Before her thoughts could clear up, Taeyeon found herself staring at a piece of steak inches from her lips. Tiffany had done the same for her.

Holy .

“Ah…” went Tiffany and Taeyeon’s jaw dropped open obediently. She pulled the steak off Tiffany’s fork and chewed numbly as Tiffany’s twinkling smile sent more flutters down her esophagus after her steak.

“Does it taste the same?”

Taeyeon couldn’t feel or taste anything but she nodded anyway.

“Taeyeon, are you okay? You’re turning red.”

“It’s the wine.”

“But you’ve only had a glass.”

“They say it has something to do with my blood circulation.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I left my car at home though. I’m planning on having a few more of these,” said Tiffany, her finger tapping and gliding along the edge of her wine glass. Taeyeon’s eyes were glued to her finger, then her curling lips, then her smoky gaze. How was it possible for anyone to make everything she did or say, look and sound so y? Taeyeon didn’t know the answer to that and she was sure she wasn’t going to find out anytime soon either. Not that she needed to know. Yeah, she didn’t.

“But before I order anything else, I need to set something straight,” continued Tiffany.

“Huh?”

“We’re going dutch, right?”

“Dutch?” The Netherlands? What?

“Dutch. You know, as in splitting the bill…”

“Oh, dutch.” Taeyeon could feel her cheeks warming up again. Gosh, could she be any sillier than she already was? “I thought I was treating you to dinner though.”

“Yes, well, when I asked for a treat I wasn’t expecting to come to such a posh place. And it’s too much for me to expect you to pay for this meal. It’s gonna add up to quite a bit.”

“But…”

“You can treat me to burgers or something the next time, alright?”

The next time? There’s going to be a next time? She’s not freaking out after I set the table on fire?

“Uh…okay. Burgers and fries.”

“But no more fires, okay?”

Taeyeon ducked and blushed as Tiffany giggled at her expense. She was surprised to find that she was alright with it, though. It was totally fine for Tiffany to laugh over it. It was nice.

“Okay.”

~

A waiter walked up to them as they were finishing their meal and asked if they like a picture taken of them. They looked at each other and knew at once that their answer would be a resounding yes.

“Alright, please lean forward and smile,” said the waiter as he aimed the polaroid camera at them.

Taeyeon put on her best smile and held it until the flash went off. She was about to relax when the waiter told them to pose for a second picture. One for each of them. So Taeyeon leaned forward again and smiled. But this time, her smile froze and she had to fight to keep her eyes on the camera. No, she wasn’t going to be caught staring at Tiffany’s hand on hers. No, no, no. Eyes on the camera please. Eyes on the camera…flash!

Phew. At last. Now she could look. Ohmagarrrdd. Tiffany’s hand was on hers, that unmistakable warmth was soft and gentle on her skin. And Tiffany wasn’t letting go even after the picture was taken. What? What? Taeyeon didn’t dare to move her hand, for fear of Tiffany letting go so she kept her arm frozen in place, all the while melting in the heat of Tiffany’s warm hand.

There was a phrase for this sort of thing. There was a phrase for it but Taeyeon couldn’t remember what it was. She’d probably have forgotten her own name as well if Tiffany kept her hand on hers for the rest of the dinner. And it was all very nice but she couldn’t finish her steak with one hand. She needed one hand for her fork and another hand for her knife. But she didn’t want to take her hand out from under Tiffany’s. Decisions, decisions.

Taeyeon decided she would eat the rest of the potatoes first. That way, she didn’t have to use her right hand that was on the verge of detaching itself from her body and floating into seventh heaven.

“By the way,” said Tiffany, most casually, as though putting a hand over Taeyeon’s was the most natural thing in the world to do, “I must say you were pretty quick in coming up with something during 2027 today.”

Taeyeon could barely manage a grin. “Desperate times, desperate measures.”

“How did you know that the prof loves to be praised?”

Taeyeon shrugged. “I didn’t know. I just said the first thing that came to my mind.”

Tiffany giggled. “Well, it worked. You have no idea how good his mood was after that. He even let Jessica and I off work early.”

Taeyeon brightened at once. “So I have him to thank for the extra time.”

“Extra time?” Tiffany’s eyes shone in the candlelight.

“The extra time we had to window shop.”

“It was fun, wasn’t it?”

Taeyeon nodded. “It was.”

“We should do it more often.”

Taeyeon nodded more vigorously. “We should.”

Tiffany’s eyes spoke a dozen different languages that Taeyeon couldn’t decipher and she found herself falling into the dark swirling pools that were beckoning her to swim in.

“Aren’t you ever going to finish your steak?”

Taeyeon tore her eyes away from Tiffany’s and looked at her plate that was now devoid of potatoes and vegetables. Just the loin steak remained, the one thing that she needed both hands to eat with. Argh.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize.” Tiffany lifted her hand from hers and Taeyeon almost whined but thankfully, she didn’t. Instead, she picked up her knife and cut her steak up nicely to be eaten.

Meanwhile, Tiffany ordered another glass of wine for herself and asked for more water for Taeyeon. And by the time Taeyeon was done with her steak, Tiffany had emptied her glass of wine. Wow. That was quick.

They called for the bill and true to her words, Tiffany paid for her share. The waiter left with the bill and they were about the leave the table when the manager appeared.

“Here are your polaroids, I hope you had a good meal and a wonderful time. We look forward to seeing you here again.”

The manager handed them their polaroids which were mounted on an elegant postcard that bore the restaurant’s logo. It was a very nice touch and Taeyeon was extra delighted to receive the second polaroid in which Tiffany’s hand touched hers.

“Thank you very much for your wonderful service,” Taeyeon thanked the manager, wanting to say more but knowing there were no words that could truly express how thankful she felt. Instead, she offered her hand and shook hands with the manager. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Please do come again.”

“We will, most definitely,” said Tiffany with a warm smile and Taeyeon’s heart thumped extra hard at the thought of coming back here with Tiffany one day.

~

Dinner was done and they stood at the steps of the restaurant, not really knowing what to do next. Taeyeon couldn’t stop her lips from lifting at the feeling of Tiffany’s arms linking with hers. She wasn’t sure if it was the wine that was drawing Tiffany closer to her or if it was something else but she wasn’t about to complain about anything at all.

“Where shall we go?”

“Where do you live? We can stroll back to your place if it isn’t too far to go on foot.”

Tiffany pouted and Taeyeon almost died.

“I don’t want to go back so soon.”

“Okay…”

“Let’s go to a cafe.”

Taeyeon perked up at the thought and nodded. “I know a nice cafe we can go to.”

Tiffany giggled and squeezed her arm. “Lead the way, Taeeeyeon.”

So Taeyeon led the way.

~

“You like dogs, right?” Taeyeon asked, just in case she somehow got it wrong but Tiffany affirmed it by nodding.

“I love dogs!”

“So you should like this place,” said Taeyeon as they came to a stop in front of a cafe with dark tinted glass windows. “Bau House!”

“What’s inside?” asked Tiffany, peering through the glass.

“It’s a dog cafe. Have you heard of it before?”

“I’ve heard of it, but never been to one.”

“I’m sure you’ll like it very much.”

Taeyeon led Tiffany into the cafe and smiled at the lady who was manning the counter. “Noeul Look who I brought!”

Noeul looked quite surprised but smiled nonetheless. “Welcome to Bau House! What would you like to drink?”

“I’ll have a banana yoghurt smoothie,” replied Taeyeon before turning to Tiffany who was hugging her arm tightly.

“A strawberry smoothie, please.”

Noeul nodded and punched some buttons on the cash register. “Please wait over there for your drinks,” she said, gesturing towards the other end of the counter before turning to the next customers who entered the cafe.

Taeyeon and Tiffany moved, and looked at the lively dogs as they waited.

“There are at least twenty types of dogs in here.”

Tiffany’s eyes pierced hers. “You seem to know a lot about this place.”

“I used to work here, that’s why.”

“With Noeul?”

“Yes.”

“For a long time?”

“Just the summer and winter breaks and sometimes when they need someone to cover a shift.”

“Have you known Noeul for long?”

“We were in elementary school together.”

“Oh…”

“What?” Taeyeon nudged Tiffany.

“You’ve known her for a long time…”

“Yes.”

The conversation died there but their drinks arrived and all was forgotten as they found a seat and started playing with a cute white pomeranian that pranced up to them with its tongue hanging out.

Taeyeon had the time of her life with Tiffany as they played with dog after dog and got their pictures taken with many of them. Tiffany even showed her pictures of her dog, Prince and Taeyeon too, showed her pictures of her dog, Ginger. They agreed to let their dogs meet one day and Taeyeon was excited at the prospect of their dogs becoming friends. But time flew by quickly and soon the cafe was about to close.

“I’m sorry we’re closing but please come again another day.” Noeul smiled as she picked up their empty cups.

“Thanks for the treat, Noeul,” said Taeyeon.

“It’s on the house, Taengoo, since you work here anyway, but Tiffany will have to pay for hers I’m afraid.”

“It’s okay, I’ll pay for it.”

“Tiffany, no, it’s my treat.”

“Alright, if you say so.”

“That should be seven dollars,” mumbled Taeyeon as she dug into her little black bag for cash. “There you go, thanks Noeul.”

“See you in class tomorrow, Taengoo.”

“See you!”

~

Tiffany insisted on walking home with Taeyeon. According to Tiffany, her home was just a little further down so it made no sense for Taeyeon to walk back. And it was only at the very last moment as they stopped at the stairs that led to her apartment that Taeyeon finally recalled the favour that Yuri had asked her for.

“Tiffany…”

“Hmm?”

“I know this will sound weird, but do you mind giving me Jessica’s number?”

Tiffany blinked and released her arm which she had been holding all this time.

“Jessica’s number?”

Taeyeon nodded. “Please?”

“What do you want Jessica’s number for?”

“Uh…well…you see…”

“Jessica is the one you like?”

And it was Taeyeon’s turn to blink. “What?”

“You came out with me just to get Jessica’s number from me?”

Tiffany’s voice was increasing in pitch with every word she said and Taeyeon was desperate to explain herself.

“No, no, no. No!”

“What then? Why are you asking for Jessica’s number? You didn’t even ask for my number.”

“It’s not for myself. It’s for Yuri!”

“Yuri?”

“My friend, Yuri. She…”

“Oh, was she the one who crashed our lecture today?”

“Yes.”

“So she’s the one who wants Jessica’s number?”

“Yes.”

“I see…”

Tiffany’s voice made a gradual return to her normal pitch and Taeyeon was relieved. The last thing she wanted was a pissed off Tiffany on her hands.

“You see, Yuri saw her at the house party we met at and crashed 2027 to have a chance to talk to her but she didn’t really seem to…respond much when Yuri approached her…”

Taeyeon waited nervously for Tiffany’s answer. It was hard to read the expression on Tiffany’s face. It could be anything from amused to pissed off and she didn’t want to piss Tiffany off again if she could help it.

“I’ll give you Jessica’s number on one condition.”

“What is it?”

Tiffany grinned slyly and whipped her phone out before tapping on it rapidly. Then, she lifted her phone and flashed the screen at Taeyeon.

“I’ll send you her number if you give me a goodbye kiss before I go and a goodnight call before sleeping tonight.”

Taeyeon couldn’t quite believe her ears. When was the last time she had dug her ears? Or got them cleaned at the doctors? Were they clean? Or were they so stuffed with filth that she had somehow heard Tiffany wrong? A goodbye kiss? A goodnight call? What? What? What?

“Well…? What’s it going to be?”

“W-Where…should I kiss you…?” Taeyeon couldn’t stop her voice from shaking, as embarrassing as it was, but Tiffany didn’t seem to notice. Taeyeon’s breath hitched as Tiffany’s finger made for her lips but exhaled in a rush when her finger swerved and ended up on her cheek.

“Right here will do,” said Tiffany cheerfully, her eyes twinkling like the stars above them.

“Okay.”

Taeyeon stretched and rose on her toes a little to press her lips onto Tiffany’s cheek gently.

“Goodbye,” she whispered as her lips left her warm cheeks.

“Bye, Taeyeon.” Tiffany’s smile was most radiant right then. “I really enjoyed myself with you today. Thanks for giving me such a memorable date.”

Taeyeon blushed and said nothing for she was sure that she’d squeak or make some silly sound if she tried.

“Remember to call me before you go to bed.” Tiffany smiled and waved.

Taeyeon smiled and waved back before turning around to face the stairs. The stairs were something that she’d trudge up after a long day at school or a long day at work but not tonight. It was as though the stairs were escalators tonight as she practically breezed up the six flights of stairs like a fairy on a cloud. And as she stood in front of her door, keys dangling from her fingers, Tiffany’s wise words resounded in her mind.

happens but we flush it away with good things.

Good things…good things indeed. Tonight was officially the best night of her life.

Holy .

~