The wind is dry and cold and bites into her rosy cheeks. She rubs her mitten covered hands against them, so they don’t feel as cold. Despite the weather the kids are all outside, running around, building snowmen, throwing snow balls at each other, making snow angels. She sits by herself, tapping her bright yellow boots against the soft snow. It’s peaceful, and she feels happy until she hears the sound of snow being crushed by feet approach her. A frown adorns her face because she knows who this is.

-Hey weirdo! All alone again?- She huffs and keeps her head low, choosing to ignore Taecyeon’s voice.  Daesung’s giggle is heard along with the insult.

-Hey ugly! I’m talking to you!- He exclaims and pulls one of her pigtails. She lets out an “Ouch!” and is half away into getting up and kicking Taecyeon’s shin when a fourth part joins.

-Yah, snot face! Go bug your grandma!- A little girl, as short as she is with chubby cheeks and piercing eyes marches up to the three of you.  You’ve never saw this girl before, so it’s probably the transfer girl Mrs. Kim said was going to arrive someday this week.

Taecyeon isn’t pleased with the insult, if the way the tips of his ears redden is any way to go.

-Shut up!- When he goes to pull on the short hair on the girl’s head, she turns her face and bites him. Hard. Taecyeon yells and retreats his arms, with tears already pooling in his eyes. She takes advantage of the commotion and kicks Daesung’s shin, making the other boy yelp.

-We’re going to tell our moms!-And they scamper off. Chubby Cheeks huffs and stomps, shaking her little head.

-I could kick them alone.- She states, and Chubby Cheeks is startled by the other girl’s voice. It’s the first time she had said anything.

-Two against one is not fair! –Chubby Cheeks exclaimed, indignant. This reaction causes a small smile in the other girl’s face. Chubby Cheeks was too cute.

 – What a head! Mommy always says to introduce myself before making a friend!- Chubby Cheeks slaps her little forehead, and then smiles brightly. – Call me Sunny!

She giggles at the other girl. Too cute indeed. – I’m Taeyeon!

                                                                                                   -      -      -

The first girl she has a crush on isn’t Sunny.

They are in middle school when they meet Yoona, who’s a year younger and already 2 inches taller. She looks like an angel, and behaves like a little daredevil. Taeyeon can’t help but feel a pull towards her. Sunny has always been mischievous herself, so Tayeon finds herself getting into all sorts of trouble with the two girls.

Sunny is her best friend, her comrade and Taeyeon would follow her into whatever trouble she gets into, and Yoona has Taeyeon wrapped around her little finger, so she’s always going along with whatever they suggest.

She’s only twelve, so she doesn’t question - doesn’t even know what is there to question – why it feels so nice to hold Yoona’s hand when they are playing.

Yoona changes school much too soon for Taeyeon to find out the reason.

                                                                                                -      -      -

The first girl she likes isn’t Sunny.

Her name is Yuri, and she is gorgeous, even at the early age of 15. Yuri physical resemblance to Yoona is almost astonishing. The girl doesn’t have the grace Yoona already possessed at 11 though. She is clumsy, she walks into doors, accidentally breaks lamps, ruins science projects and does terrible, terrible impressions of famous people, and she is completely endearing.

In a warm afternoon in April, Taeyeon is watching Sunny’s lacrosse practice, wind blowing her damp hair when the ball goes off the field. Sunny is already on the move to retrieve the ball when Taeyeon just waves her off.

-I’ll go get it Sunny-ah! You stay there!- Sunny still makes a move, but Taeyeon just waves her off, and goes for the ball. Half way between the object, she steps into a small hole and falls to the ground, hitting her knee.

-Taengoo! You little clutz!- Sunny complains, but there’s worry in her voice. When Taeyeon looks up, it’s someone’s else hand that’s being offered to her though.

-I thought I was the clumsy one midget!- Yuri teases, pulling Taeyeon up. The short girl blushes, and retreats her tingling hand from Yuri’s grasp, and rights herself. She can’t really look into Yuri’s bright eyes for too long, because her face will start heating up for sure. Yuri laughs, and offers her the ball that caused her fall.

-Everything ok there Taengoo?- Sunny calls, closer, but still a little far from the bleachers where Taeyeon had scampered off to retrieve the ball.

-It was nothing Sunny-ah. Don’t worry! Here!- She throws the ball to the short haired girl, who expertly catches it, gives Taeyeon one more glance and turns her back.

She and Yuri sit on the bleachers for the remaining of the practice, and Taeyeon’s heart doesn’t stop racing for a second.

//

Now she knows. When she thinks back to Yoona she realizes it too. Her first urge is too run, run and never stop, never look back. Her parents, her family can never know. God, she thinks, what am I going to do?

She goes to Sunny’s house, where she gets in without knocking just as she always did, greets Mr. and Ms. Lee and goes straight to Sunny’s room. She’s on the bed playing with her Nintendo 3DS, and she barely looks up when the door opens and closes, already knowing it’s her best friend. When Taeyeon calls her name in a shaky voice she drops the video game straight away and she sits up on the bed, piercing eyes looking worried at the other girl. Tayeon tells her, standing in the middle of the room. The bigger part of her brain knows that Sunny will understand, but a small part makes her stay put and ready in case she needs to grab her backpack by the door and bolt out of the room.

-Taengoo… - And the way Sunny voice sounds so pained, hurting from seeing Taeyeon hurting is what makes her knees buckle and her legs automatically take her to the other girl. Sunny envelops her in her arms, and her shoulder muffles Taeyeon sobs. - I knew already silly.

They lie down on the bed after Taeyeon is done crying, just enjoying the silence. Taeyeon doesn’t really want to, but she can’t help but try to find someone she can relate to, and her best friend is the first obvious choice. So she asks anyway.

-And you Soonkyu-ah? Have you ever thought…

The question lingers in the air. Taeyeon turns to look at Sunny, and catches the swallowing motion in her eyes. She attributes Sunny’s nervousness to the suddenness of the question.

-I think, Tae, that love is rare, and precious, and denying it…hating on it is the most foul a human being can be.- She looks at you, blinks, and talks again. – When it comes around, we have to nurture it. And cherish it.

Taeyeon smiles at her. Sunny may look silly in her exterior and act like a cute oversized kid, but she’s wise beyond her age. She clasps Sunny’s hand on her own and looks at the soft yellow ceiling. –You’re right Sunny-ah. I wish everyone was as smart as you.

Taeyeon misses the way Sunny blinks away and sighs.

She hasn’t seen it yet.

                                                                                                    -      -      -

The first girl she falls for isn’t Sunny.

Tiffany belongs to the University’s official cheerleading squad. Taeyeon is 21 and almost done with college but they never crossed paths. One day when she’s finally lucky to not have someone taller than 5’5’’ – almost every average human being – stand in front of her, she can watch Sunny’s game without having to crane her neck, or jump up – or only see tiny parts of the field and her friend between the spaces of people’s shoulders. With free vision she can actually see the cheerleaders and that’s when she catches sight of Tiffany’s smile. It’s breath taking and she knows for sure everyone else looking at it agrees with her. Her palms sweat, her stomach drops and ah, man I can’t believe it…this again… and she’s half way in love with the girl already.

//

Turns out that Tiffany is Sunny’s classmate, but as Sunny is almost always – always, really – hanging out with Taeyeon, she and Tiffany have hung out outside of class maybe once or twice. Taeyeon casually mentions Tiffany to Sunny, and says one day they should hang out together, because the girl seems nice. Sunny pauses, looks at Taeyeon, and her smile is not quite as bright when say she says that yes, she will ask Tiffany.

Taeyeon doesn’t think much of the smile. Sunny is a strong girl who very rarely asks for help, but Taeyeon knows her friend’s limit, and she knows when is the time to push Sunny for answers and to let her help.  Now, now Sunny looks like she won’t say a thing even with a knife against her neck.

//

Along with Tiffany comes Jessica.  Tiffany and Jessica are like oil and vinegar in matters of personality, but strangely enough they go well like cookies and cream. Sometimes only the four of them, sometimes other friends too, hang out a number of times. From those times Taeyeon learns that Tiffany’s bubbly and happy exterior hides a strong minded, sensible girl. It only serves to draw her in even more. Her downfall is Tiffany’s habit of always touching her friends. Little brushes of hands, cheek pokes and hair ruffles makes her blood pressure shot up – she doesn’t notice Tiffany only holds on to Jessica’s hand. Doesn’t notice how she only cups Jessica’s cheek. Doesn’t notice how it’s only Jessica’s bangs Tiffany brushes out of her eyes.

Taeyeon also learns that Jessica cold exterior isn’t really how she is. Sure, when they run into each other on campus Jessica will only nod her head at her, the corners of sticking up minutely, but she learns the girl can give laughs almost as obnoxious as her own. She has a weird sense of humor though, only laughing at people falling or knocking themselves, or laughing minutes late to someone’s joke. Tiffany’s the only one who can make Jessica laugh instantly and loudly. It’s uncanny.

//

They are in the library when she sees the first warning sign. They are both silent because Tiffany is doing a last minute paper she has to turn in in some hours, while Taeyeon is copying notes. Sunny has been sick the past week and Taeyeon has been scampering around campus trying to find classmates of her friend who are willing to lend her their notes. In the moment she is diligently copying Tiffany’s notes from one of the classes she shares with Sunny.

Tiffany is scribbling furiously when something catches her eyes: Jessica wanders in the nearby shelf, intently looking at the books. She doesn’t notice either Tiffany or Taeyeon. When Taeyeon doesn’t hear the furious scribble anymore she looks up; Tiffany is silently smiling while she looks at Jessica. She turns to Taeyeon and makes a shushing gesture.

-My, are my eyes deceiving me or is there a human sized Barbie here?!- She says only above a whisper, but it’s loud enough for Jessica to hear. The blonde haired girl turns her head with a deep scowl adorning her features – until she registers Tiffany’s face. Then, Jessica snorts a loud laugh, and covers , looking around the library. She giggles and looks back at Tiffany. –Yah, let me study! Go study!- She doesn’t even see Taeyeon in the other side of the table.

Tiffany is smiling goofily at her, paper forgotten in the table.

-We’re doing well. We’re studying hard! – She exclaims pumping her fist in the air, and Jessica laughs again, clutching her belly. She is walking away towards the corridor.

-Tiff, isn’t that the paper you have to turn in this afternoon? Go study dummy!- Jessica says again, almost out of sight already.

-Ok ok!- Tiffany says, and Jessica makes an “ok” sign with her hand that has Tiffany laughing, sending her pen out of her grasp.

Taeyeon watches the entire exchange with a sinking feeling in her stomach.

//

Sunny is about to tear into her 3^rd M&M’s package when Taeyeon’s hand stops hers.

-Sunny-ah, what are you worried about?- Taeyeon shifts place on Sunny’s bed – Sooyoung, Sunny’s roommate, is out with her boyfriend, leaving the dormitory all for them – and gets closer to where the short haired girl is seated, bouncing her leg a mile per minute.

-Ahhh, finals are approaching you know… And Mr. Park is really getting on my nerves about my assignments…I think he wants to make me take the class again.- The girls mumbles, eyes jumping from Taeyeon’s face to the carpet, then to the drawer, to the ceiling, back to Taeyeon, and then they start their jumping around again.

-Soonkyu… - Taeyeon says with a knowing sigh, and Sunny is flinching already. – You worried about your family coming to see you play at the Uni’s sports event?

Sunny bites her lips, opens and closes , and scrunches up her face.

-My uncle is coming too. You know how uncomfortable that makes me, how everyone in my family is always trying to do everything to please him just because he’s successful.- She breaths out, and now she looks more annoyed than worried. – I like him, I do. But-

-You don’t want to pretend to be anyone else just to impress him.- Taeyeon smiles knowingly, and Sunny, unsurprised at her friend’s ability of catching onto her thought process, smiles back at her.

Sunny is loyal, truthful, and always speaks her mind. Taeyeon knows she won’t pretend to be a sports star if that’s not what she thinks herself to be.

-Soonkyu-ah, you know you’ll do well. I know too. I’ve been watching your games since you grew tall enough to hold the stick without falling.-  By the end of her speech, Sunny’s smile gives place to a frown as she hits a laughing Taeyeon in the arm.

- Yah! You’re barely an inch taller than me!

-Shortie!- Taeyeon ducks a flying pillow and unsuccessfully tries running around the tiny dorm. Seconds later she’s tackled to the ground and loses the wrestling match. 

She doesn’t care though. Sunny’s not worried anymore.

//

It’s in the day of the game the second warning makes her see.

She arrives early at the field where the games are being held so she can find a good spot to watch Sunny’s match. She has to sit through two games of rugby, and two of soccer before she can watch lacrosse.  It’s ok though, Tiffany is cheering nearby down the bleachers, and Taeyeon is never sick of staring at her.  When the female soccer team rolls around she is surprised to see that Jessica belongs to the team. She’s startled out of her surprised state when a high pitched scream followed by a loud “Jessi!” is heard. Taeyeon looks down to see Tiffany making a fuss about Jessica’s entrance, a mess of pom-pons and flying hair.

She tries to ignore the knot in her stomach when she tells herself it’s normal. Friends support each other. She’s one to talk, she’s never missed one of Sunny’s games, and although not as hysterical as Tiffany, she could be a loud cheerer too.

She doesn’t pay attention to the game at all, but she knows that Tiffany does. The girl flinches when there’s a rough interaction, complains about the referee, yells and goes crazy when Jessica scores goals.

By the end of the game Taeyeon’s heart feels so heavy that she wills herself to stop observing the two girls.

What happens next pulls her attention right back in.

The girl from the opposite team who’s been rough housing Jessica the entire game seems like she’s had it and doesn’t even wait for the ball to be in the blonde’s possession for her to knock into the girl with full force. Jessica’s knee twists in an odd angle and she falls down with a pained yell. Among the indignant cries coming from the bleachers, Tiffany’s desperate one is louder. Taeyeon watches as the girl shoulders her way in between angry teammates and yelling coaches, and reaches Jessica. She handles the girl like she’s made of glass; and Jessica, in an unusual – at least for Taeyeon – demonstration of vulnerability, rests her tear stained face against Tifanny’s chest.

Taeyeon doesn’t hear, but she thinks she reads Tiffany’s mouth angrily saying to the approaching referee we don’t need your help now, and then she proceeds to ignore all the help being offered and she herself carries Jessica in a piggy-back ride out of the field and to the infirmary. Taeyeon feels like she’s intruding – but maybe she wants to intrude – but she goes down the bleachers and goes after the approaching girls anyway.

She sees it all up close. How Jessica finally unburies her face from the crook of Tiffany’s neck. How the action makes the other girl stand in attention. How Jessica whispers something to Tiffany, and the relief that washes through the cheerleader’s face is so evident. How Tiffany lets out a ragged breath, closes her eyes and turns her face as so it rests against the side of Jessica’s. How the grip of Jessica’s hand in Tiffany’s uniform tightens.

Still, she goes after them.

-Hey, is everything…- The rest of the sentence dies on her lips because they pass by her without acknowledging her. Don’t see her at all. And that’s the last nail in the coffin. That’s when she realizes it – it slaps her across the face and squeezes the breath out of her lungs.

It was Jessica. It was always about Jessica and never about her.  

Taeyeon doesn’t let her heavy heart carry her back to her room, where she wants to go to let her stinging eyes finally cry. She walks back to the bleachers instead. She still has a lacrosse game to watch. She’s never missed one before.

She won’t miss one now.

//

After talking with her family, Sunny goes directly to Taeyeon, still sweaty and high on adrenaline, and tackles her best friend in an excited hug that Taeyeon matches strongly. Sunny laughs in that carefree manner of hers as they part and she’s about to ask how the other girl liked the game when she sees her eyes. Taeyeon feels her smile falter as Sunny’s eyes maps her face; she should’ve known better. Sunny can read her like it was her own personal talent.

-What happened?- She steps back, lets Taeyeon breath. It’s not what she wanted – Sunny’s arms not around her anymore – but the gulp of air she can take before she answers her friend is welcomed.

-Did Tiffany…?

-It wasn’t…It’s Jessica. She loves Jessica and I’ve been trying to ignore that but it’s…it’s- She lets out a watery half-hearted laugh, one that makes Sunny’s eyes start to water. – It’s obvious. Clear as the day, glaring as the ing-

-Tae…- Sunny cups both of her cheeks and it’s enough to cut short Taeyeon’s tirade. She blinks, looks down before she can look Sunny in the eyes again. When the other girl caresses her cheeks in a comforting manner, Taeyeon tries to smile. Sunny pulls the other girl to her, hugging her more carefully this time. Tenderly. Taeyeon lets out a choked sob, and Sunny clutches at her harder.

She’s not a saint. The times she got frustrated and mad at Taeyeon’s complete obliviousness are uncountable. She’s not as selfless. But d*mn her and her feelings if she’s not going to be there to help every time Taeyeon breaks.

It doesn’t matter that her heart aches every time Taeyeon turns her eyes shining in infatuation to a number of other girls. It doesn’t matter that she hurts just as badly when she watches her friend hurt for said girls.

Love is patient, and Sunny has plenty of it.

//

It takes less time to get over Tiffany than she thinks it would. It’s hard to wrap herself in a funk and mull over the new couple when Sunny is constantly around her, distracting her. She’s there in Taeyeon’s dorm practically all day, doing homework, complaining about professors, eating Taeyeon’s food, lazying around, playing those squeaky, loud video games of her, doing that high pitched cutesy voice that Taeyeon swears she hates and is annoyed with – but who is she fooling? Sunny can see how the corners of are trembling with the smile the other girl is suppressing – drinking soju and making Taeyeon drink it as well, and then after making her drunkenly sing duets with her – there’s a written complaint resting beside her computer, something about “not wanting to hear two dying cats mewling loudly during school nights”.

The first time she hangs out and the new couple is around, it only hurts a little.

The next time, she’s actually laughing along with her friends when Jessica shakes her head with a knowing smirk and gets up from the bench to find pink cotton candy for Tiffany because the girl won’t have it any other color.

The following times she agrees with the rest of the group: the idea of Jessica and Tiffany with other people seems as absurd as flying cows.

Taeyeon likes that she doesn’t feel a knot around her heart anymore.

What she doesn’t like is that the more okay she is about everything, the less Sunny is around.

That she doesn’t like one bit.

//

She knows Sunny is seeing someone. She doesn’t know who they are, but it’s not a bother. If they were important, she’s sure Sunny would introduce them to Taeyeon. It’s probably one more of Sunny’s short relationships – she doesn’t call it fling. Sunny is not like that.

The problem isn’t seeing someone though, it’s the decrease of time spent with Taeyeon. Sunny doesn’t neglect her – she never did – but the period of time her friend was hell bent on not letting Taeyeon be depressed over her unrequited love left her spoiled. She got used to have Sunny around almost every moment of the day, even more than when they were kids. Not having Sunny breathing sounds as background as she did her college assignments felt alien to her. Hearing only her own munching sounds during her evening snack time left a weird hollow on her chest.

She tells herself she was being a child. She’s a grown adult for Christ’s sake, not some helpless little baby. So she just lets it roll over her shoulder every time Sunny arrives a little late for their time together.

When Sunny is done with whoever she was seeing, Taeyeon wills herself to be as good of a friend as Sunny is and offers her support even though Sunny doesn’t seem even a little fazed. She conceals the smile that threatens to break out of her face, and berates herself on her selfishness.

When Taeyeon’s comforter and pillow start smelling like peach body wash again she lets herself indulge in her selfishness a bit more.

//

One day she opens the door to an over excited Sunny – the sign that she is excited beyond her body’s capacity is the sole fact that Taeyeon has to get up to open the door. After 23 seconds of listening to the key rattle in the lock outside the door she takes pity on her friend and she opens the door herself. She laughs and rubs Sunny’s back while she guides the girl to sit on her bed after all she understands from Sunny’s speed of the light greeting is “akshdkjashdjashdkajshdkasjdh”.

Apparently after years of not recruiting, a company that Sunny always desired to work for have opened slots for internships, and Sunny is one of the most recommended students. Taeyeon is so happy that she lets out the most obnoxious laugh she remembers laughing and jumps around her dorm along with Sunny, both resembling kids high on sugar. Even though they are still wearing hoodies and jeans – “Tae, I’m not going out looking like a hobo!” “Sunny-ah! You look beautiful!” – Taeyeon takes Sunny out to celebrate. Sunny protests – I haven’t got the job yet. I haven’t even applied yet! – to which Taeyeon snorts unlady-like and rolls her eyes – As if! – and she keeps her plastic cup filled with champagne raised – the cheapest in the supermarket. It was all she could afford. – until Sunny agrees to toast.

The next morning when even her hoodie smells like peach she feels that there’s nothing wrong in the world.

//

When it happens, it’s not a grand event of realization like you see in tv dramas. It’s not over jealousy – although Sunny’s last blink-and-you-will-miss-it relationship left her bummed out – and it’s not over absence either.

Sunny is traveling back home for 3 days to retrieve the originals of some documents she needs to apply for the internship, and she’s taking the opportunity to spend some time with her parents as well.

Taeyeon is combing her fingers helplessly through her untamed hair and is deciding that a cap will have to do when Sunny arrives to bid her goodbye. It’s a short trip, but it’s time away from each other regardless. Sunny has hugged Taeyeon closely and is on her way to the door along with her friend when she sees that the other girl is putting on a cap. She closes the door, takes the cap out of Taeyeon’s head and makes her sit on the bed. Then, Sunny proceeds to comb her hair and pull it in a braid. Taeyeon is not very good with handling her hair, so she thanks and hugs Sunny once again before they part their ways.

Taeyeon is about to walk into class when Nickhun, one of her classmates and friend, passes by her and ruffles her hair affectionately.

-YOU’RE GOING TO MESS UP SUNNY’S BRAID!- She yells at him, so annoyed that she’s red in the face. The boy is completely flabbergasted by her outburst because he never knew Taeyeon cared about hair that much.

Taeyeon takes a calming breath and apologizes to the boy when she sees his startled face. He smiles uneasily and waves her off, and they go about their life.

Taeyeon turns away to head to class, feeling extremely embarrassed, and she consciously touches her braid.  She pets it carefully, and smiles to herself. She still can feel Sunny’s fingers in her scalp, handling her hair tenderly, combing out all the knots, and apologizing quietly when she accidently tugs it a little too hard. She remembers Sunny playfully smoothing down her eyebrows with her thumbs as well, laughing and joking she should “comb” them once in a while too, even if they were semi inexistent. She feels her heart skipping a beat and then strongly slamming again and Taeyeon narrows her eyes suspiciously.

-Wait.- She furrows said eyebrows and puts her hand to her face. It smells like peach.- I love Sunny.

Taeyeon feels like the most obtuse human being in the face of earth as she presses the sides of her head, face still scrunched up.

-How ing dumb am I, I love Sunny! – How does a person misses the sound of someone’s snoring and doesn’t realize they love them? Taeyeon doesn’t know, and she’s 2 seconds away from banging her head against the wall from her sheer stupidity. Her brain decides to be an even bigger of a douchebag as it recalls every single moment her heart screamed it’s her!it’s her! And she didn’t understand.

She is muttering to herself like a crazy old lady while she’s contemplating turning around and chasing after Sunny right freaking now when her phones beeps. It’s a text from Sunny.

Just boarded the train! I swear this time I won’t forget to message you when I arrive home! Already miss u! >3<

Taeyeon groans loudly, drawing attention from a few fellow students.

But what were 3 days of wait when she took years to realize?

//

A lot. That’s what 3 days of wait are. A whole freaking lot, she thinks as she waits for Sunny’s train to arrive.

She tries not to wriggle her hands or jump from one foot to the other, but she feels so giddy inside that it’s proving a hard task, even with Sooyoung’s words still echoing on her mind – she met the girl at the bus stop, a mere coincidence. They exchange hi’s, Taeyeon tells her she’s going to pick up Sunny, Sooyoung tells her she’s meeting with her boyfriend at some café. The tall girl looks at her sideways for a moment before casually commenting: “Thirsty is not a good look on you.” Taeyeon has the grace to blush and tries to cover up her eagerness by crossing her flailing limbs. “Try some breathing exercises on your way there, otherwise Sunny is going to see from a mile away that you want to get up on that.” Taeyeon decides to ignore her in favor of her pride, but she notes to herself to try and keep her cool. Sooyoung’s bus arrives moments later, and before she bids the shorter girl goodbye, she flippantly says: ”Know what? Nevermind, shortie’s probably just as eager to hit you up.” She shrugs her shoulders in a “meh” gesture, climbs inside the bus and waves goodbye.

Taeyeon digs her hands in her pockets to hide her excitement when she sees the approaching train, but the smile that adorns her face is something she can’t tame, and it only grows bigger the moment she spots a little blond with short hair. Her heart rate feels erratic.

When Sunny gets out of the train it takes only a moment to spot Taeyeon at the station. She is delighted but not surprised. Taeyeon liked going out of her way to do those little things for Sunny that made her heart tingle with warmth. She smiles brightly to her before strutting in her direction, but Sunny’s steps falters when she realizes there’s something different about Taeyeon. Her smile is radiant, but Sunny has already been aimed with those before. She can see Taeyeon’s fingers wiggling inside her pockets, but maybe it’s because she’s impatient from waiting for the train. Sunny gives the girl a once over trying to pin point what’s different.

It’s Taeyeon’s eyes that give her away to Sunny. It’s like Taeyeon has tunnel vision and she’s the only thing she can possibly see. Sunny is bewildered; Taeyeon never looked at Yoona, or Yuri, or Tiffany or the girlfriends in between, like that before.

She takes a sharp intake of breath and her step falters once again when it dawns on her: Taeyeon knows.

The happiness that spreads on her is enough to make her laugh. Finally.

Tayeon is confused – albeit still smiling – until she comprehends it. Sunny knows. Sooyoung was right after all. She frowns and her smile diminishes a little – but for the love of God, she can’t stop smiling – and she hits Sunny on the arm when she’s close enough.

-Yah! Stop laughing at me! – That only makes the other girl laugh again, crouching and supporting herself with a hand against Taeyeon’s shoulder. The other girl chuckles along with her, the hand she had on Sunny’s arm snaking down to her waist.

Sunny straightens herself when she finally stops laughing, and she rests her other hand on Tayeon’s shoulder. She smiles as she stares into Taeyeon’s eyes, b with affection.

-Took you long enough.- She says, and Taeyeon shakes her head and rolls her eyes, disappointed in herself. Her other hand lands softly against Sunny’s face.

It’s Sunny’s turn to feel nervous giddiness. She bites her lip and nods minutely, hands running to Taeyeon’s neck. –Now I know. –Taeyeon leans in and meets Sunny in the middle. When their lips connect it feels like coming home at last.

                                                                                                        -      -      -    

The last woman she loves is Sunny.

Fin.