POV — Tiffany

"Oh, goodness," I said as I took a look at the tiny golden watch on my wrist that was pointing 8:30PM, "I just hope she doesn't get mad at me."

I picked up the slim bag that contained the wine I bought for Taeyeon and stepped out of my car. I locked it and grabbed my phone, unlocking it to check twice the address Taeyeon had sent me and the number of the house. Thankfully, it was right, meaning my lack of sense of direction had fortunately failed this time. 

I approached the house and beheld it for a while. Taeyeon's house kind of resembled mine — it was big, and it looked like it had all the comfort a person could need. but it didn't really seem luxurious. That thought made me feel good. I always hoped my house would speak for me regarding the fact that I didn't care about luxury, I was hoping Taeyeon felt the same. 

I rang the doorbell and took a short moment to tidy my deep red bottom-up shirt that was matching with skinny jeans and red heels. I wasn't much of a fashionista. Actually, I did have interest in fashion, but it was kind of like... It wasn't really for me. I'd rather dress simple. I had always loathed extravagant clothes, I had never really enjoyed being the center of the attention... Although I did start to reconsider that thought when I became an actress.

The door opened, jerking me out of my thoughts, to reveal a smiling and friendly Taeyeon greeting me.

"Why, hello Miss Starbucks. I thought you weren't coming anymore," she said before chuckling slightly. "Come in."

I had never seen Taeyeon so beautiful before. She was so different from what I used to see in the studio. Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail and her now growing out fringe was perfectly placed sideways. She was wearing these black skinny jeans with a cozy baby blue sweater. And considering the fact that she was shorter than the usual, I assumed she wasn't wearing anything but socks on her feet, and confirmed my theory after I discreetly looked at it. Yeah, definitely different from the Taeyeon I had been working with. And, truth be told, I found that new, different side of her completely enticing​.

"I am terribly sorry, Taeyeon," I said as I stepped in the house and watched as she closed the door, "I didn't mean to be inconvenient, let alone be late, but Prince kind of fell sick and--"

"Prince?" she asked.

"My puppy."

"You have a puppy?" she smiled, "How come I didn't see him when I visited your house?"

"Prince is a quiet little guy," I chuckled, "there are days I myself don't see him unless I look for him or call him, even though he lives with me. Anyway, Taeyeon, he fell sick so I had to take him to Sunny's, but when I did so I was barely all ready and it was around 7:30... And you know what, Sunny's place is almost 30 minutes away from mine, so I had to drive there and back in a rush and still had to give her all the instructions on how to take care of Prince and what vet she should take him to if it were needed, that amidst the worries of not getting ready and arriving here in time and having you get mad at--"

"Hey, hey!" Taeyeon called me out, "Calm down, Fany. You're almost spluttering. It's okay. I didn't get mad and I understand, I hope Prince feels better soon," she said as she broke into this warm smile. "What do you have there?" she eyed the slim bag I was carrying.

"Oh, right," I said as I lifted the bag in the air, "I bought this for you. It's a very fine wine I've drunk a few times. My grandma used to tell me that we should never visit someone's home for the first time without bringing a gift, even if it's a small one, so..."

"Thank you," she smiled again and gently took the bag, "you didn't need to, but I appreciate it very much. I was really wondering what would I serve you to drink. Now come, I will show you the living room," she said as she politely placed her hand on my back. I just followed her.

Her living room was just adorable. There was this huge beige sofa over a apparently soft, pretty carpet, placed in front of a light-colored fireplace and a plasma TV hanging above its wall. The lights were a little yellowish, not too strong nor too weak, and everything gave that living room just an extreme comfortable and cozy feeling. I took advantage of the moment to take a quick look at the rest of the house. As I expected it, it wasn't luxurious at all. Comfortable, but not luxurious. It was utterly pretty and I liked how it only had light colors all around.

"Your house is beautiful," I said with a polite smile.

"Thank you," she returned the smile. "But I don't think you would think that way if you saw my room," she laughed.

"Messy much?"

"A little too much, at least with my own things. But I can keep everything on their proper places, I think I'm just lazy. And I don't share my room with anyone, so it's okay, I suppose," she shrugged a little. "You may have a sit if you want to," she pointed at the sofa.

"I see," I nodded as I sat down. "So, you don't have a puppy?"

"I wish. I love puppies, but I'm allergic to them."

Allergic to dogs. That's kind of sad.

"Haven't you ever thought about getting a cat, then?"

"I adopted one. Once. Three years ago," she responded.

I smiled. "Well, where is it? I like cats, they're so elegant."

"It ran away after 3 weeks."

I took a couple of seconds to process what Taeyeon had just told me and blinked a few times before bursting into laughter.

"I see you are very lucky with pets, Taeyeon."

"Well, you can't have everything," she chuckled. 

"But I'm sure someday you'll be able to get one and keep it."

"Yeah. Perhaps if I get married to someone who owns a pet?" she chuckled again, "I wouldn't mind making that sacrifice. I only don't get myself a dog because I have no one to share it with and I definitely wouldn't want to walk around the house sneezing as a crazy woman all by myself."

I just smiled faintly and nodded. "You're right."

"So," she started as she left the wine bag on the pretty coffee table, placed in the middle of the living room, "hungry?"

"In fact, yes," I smiled shyly.

"Great. Dinner is almost ready."

"You're cooking?!" I asked, surprise. She could even cook? Goodness, is there anything in this world she can't do?"

"You didn't think I would invite you to have a meal at my place just to order something, do you? Don't worry, I can cook well and I definitely won't poison your portion," she smiled. "I'm going to the kitchen to finish the food, would you mind waiting for me in here? I won't take long, it's just that the kitchen is kind of messy."

I just chuckled and shook my head. I watched as Taeyeon nodded and left the living room, heading to wherever her kitchen was. I used the moment to try to feel a little more comfortable. I rested my back on the sofa and took my phone out of my pocket, deciding to check my Twitter and Instagram accounts. It had been months since I last tweeted, though I liked to keep my Instagram page updated. I suddenly thought about taking a picture with Taeyeon tonight and uploading it, but that could result in people thinking we're getting involved or something. It was ridiculous how no one else had any kind of innocence when it came to Hollywood issues.

I remembered the article that was released about me and Taeyeon a week ago. I got curious about the comments it received, because I hadn't seen any when I first read it. I looked up for it on Google and found it, rapidly scrolling down to the comments section.

Whatever this movie is about, it's going to be a killer! My gosh!!

I smell a blockbuster.

They suit each other so well, I can barely wait to know what this movie is about.

My two favorite Hollywood girls together! Yes!

This movie is probably going to school us on what talent and beauty is. That Martin Cox guy knows what he is doing. Taeyeon and Tiffany together will just be the .

I don't know what this is about, but can I ship them already? lol

The comments I read made me smile unconsciously. 

"Well, what do you have there?" I heard Taeyeon ask before looking up to her. She was carrying the cutlery and a small white table cloth.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't see you there," I chuckled. "I was, um... I was actually reading the comments on that article they released about us and the movie a few days ago, do you remember it?"

"Certainly," she nodded, tidying the table cloth on the coffee table before perfectly placing the cutlery on top of it. "May I see it?" she turned to me. 

I nodded and handed her my phone. She took it and started to scroll down through the comments. I could see a smile forming on her lips. "Why, they're all so good. This is awesome, it looks like we've effortlessly captivated them already," she said before staying quiet for a few seconds. "But what is 'to ship'?"

"I heard it's like... When you root for two people together."

"I see. As... A couple?" she asked as she returned my phone to me.

"Perhaps," I gulped a little and smiled nervously. "Not necessarily," I drove my attention back to my phone.

When I looked up again, Taeyeon was coming back from I don't know where with two wine glasses, one in each hand. She looked at me again.

"Would you mind if we had dinner around the coffee table? I can guarantee you the carpet is pretty soft and we can sit on come cushions, and, to be honest," she kept talking to me while she placed the wine glasses on the small table, "I don't really have a dining table. Not even a dining room, to be more specific."

"Don't you?"

She shook her head. "I never made the host type, nor had the habit of inviting people over to have a formal dinner with me, so I didn't thought it was necessary. Aside from Sooyoung and my family when they come to visit me and spend their vacations on the US, I think you're the only person that's been here since I bought this house... Five years ago or something."

I smiled. "Well, thank you. It's a pleasure. And no, I don't mind at all. Can I sit?" I said as I pointed to the carpet.

"Sure," she smiled back at me, "make yourself comfortable. And you can take your shoes off if you want to. I'll go get the food."

I nodded and took my shoes off as she said I could. I grabbed one of the cushions and placed it near the small table in front of me, sitting on it afterwards. I took a look around the living room again. I couldn't get enough of how comfortable and charming it was. 

"Here we go," I heard Taeyeon say and watched as she approached me, after a minute or two, "I hope you like spaghetti carbonara."

I smiled instantly.

"I love it! In fact, pasta is my favorite food. Too bad I can't cook it. Thank you," I said, as she placed my plate on the coffee table in front of me before sitting down too.

I waited until she opened and poured the wine on the wine glasses and after that we started to eat quietly. I complimented Taeyeon on her cooking skills, the food was just great. "It's nothing much, really. You just end up having to learn how to cook at least the basics when you're by yourself living a busy life since so early in your life like it happened to me," she responded.

"So, how was the time at Starbucks today?" she asked, after a minute or two of silence.

"It was nice. I told you, I wish you had come. You would have fun. Just..."

"What?"

"I don't know," I chuckled. "After I talked to you, I got up to pick up our orders and when I got back to the table, Sunny and Sooyoung started to talk about something regarding Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. They wouldn't stop talking about it."

"Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt? Really?" Taeyeon chuckled with me before sipping on the wine. "What did they say?"

"The most random things you can think of. They kept questioning me about what I thought of them and about their relationship. Sooyoung had her arms crossed over her chest and was staring at me as if she was some kind of cop that was about to arrest me for God knows what," I responded and shook my head.

I heard Taeyeon laugh out loud. I had never heard her laugh that way before. It was funny, and adorable, if I may say. "That broomstick..." she shook her head slowly, "I'm sorry if she made you feel uncomfortable, Tiffany."

"No, not at all. Just, um... It was curious, you know? I mean, in one minute we were talking about random things about ourselves and in the next I was suddenly being questioned about my thoughts on Brangelina."

We laughed again. "I bet Sooyoung looked pretty passionate while doing that," Taeyeon said. I agreed. "That's probably because she is Brad Pitt's biggest fan, you know."

"Is she?" I said and smiled before sipping on my wine. "Nice idol. Has she ever met him?"

Taeyeon shook her head again. "No. Neither have I. But we saw him a few feet away from us in this event a while ago."

"Really? What happened then?"

"Sooyoung almost fainted and started to violently shake my arm repeating 'My god! My god! It's him! Taengoo it's him!'" Taeyeon mimicked Sooyoung's expression and speech, making me laugh.

"I dare to say she took a while to recover from the experience."

"She did. She spent the last of the night and of the next day saying that she had seen Jesus in person and that her eyes were now blessed. I, on the other hand, had never been so damn embarrassed in my whole life. Thank goodness Mr. Pitt didn't see anything," she chuckled. I just kept laughing.

"How about you? Do you have any idol in Hollywood or someone you really look up to?" I asked her.

"Hm..." she thought for a moment or two before looking back at me, "No, not really. Of course, there are a lot of celebrities I admire very much, but I don't have one I could declare myself a fan of. Not like Sooyoung, at least," she giggled. "But I have to admit, I've been watching your movies recently," she said, as she looked at me right in the eyes and rested her back on the sofa that was right behind us.

"You..." I said, a little taken aback, blinking a few times, "Have you? Really?" I chuckled embarrassedly. "Why?"

"Yeah, really," she nodded and smiled. "Your acting on the first day of filming got me interested. They're great. And so are you. You have a wonderful taste on roles."

I smiled at her and lowered my face a little, trying to hide the pink spots I could feel forming on my cheeks. "Coming from you, it's a huge compliment. Thank you."

"You're welcome," she smiled again. "And how about you? Do you have any favorite celebrity?"

Thank god she changed the topic.

"Ah... I have this soft spot for Tom Hiddleston," I chuckled once more.

She nodded. "He's a great guy."

"Have you met him?"

"Once," she made a pause, looking up, trying to recall the memory, "I think. We were at this party and I stumbled upon him, almost spilled my drink on his suit," she chuckled, "then we greed each other and had a small chat. He was a gentleman."

I pouted. Aw, man. She even met Tom Hiddleston. 

"Don't worry," Taeyeon smiled, "you'll get to meet him one day. He'll love you, I'm sure."

We kept talking about anything, blurting out whatever would come to our minds. Moments later, when we fell silent, Taeyeon asked me if I would like to listen to some songs. She plugged her phone on the discreet black speaker she had in one corner of the living room and selected an album by Ed Sheeran, asking me if I would like it. I nodded and smiled. I liked Ed Sheeran a lot. 

She came back and we left the floor, sitting down on the comfortable sofa behind us. She poured more wine on our wine glasses and break the silence after a few more minutes.

"What are you afraid of?"

The question made me stop in my tracks. I took a moment and sighed discreetly before breaking into a weak smile and looking at her again. "Clowns. You?"

"Bugs."

"I used to collect dead and dry bugs when I was little," I tried to change the subject.

She frowned.

"I don't do it anymore, okay?" I laughed at her.

"I hope so, otherwise I will never go to your house again if you ever invite me."

"No, I don't do it anymore. Nowadays they disgust me, but I'm not afraid. Why are you afraid of them?"

"I'm allergic to them. When I was little, a bee bit me and I fell so sick I had to go to the hospital and stay there for the night. And have you seen them? They're ugly. Unholy beasts, I'd honestly say," Taeyeon said before sipping on her wine, still frowning. 

"Whoa. I didn't-- I didn't even know someone could be that allergic to insects. I'm sorry, Taeyeon."

"No, don't be. It was a long time ago. But nowadays I just don't get near any bug, nuh-uh. My health is weak and I don't want to go to the hospital again because a one-inch creature decided to pierce my skin."

I chuckled again. "You'd better."

"And why are you afraid of clowns?"

I stared at her and smiled sadly. I was hoping she wouldn't go there. I never told this to anybody, not even Sunny knew about this. But Taeyeon's sincere eyes made me feel like I could let it out to her. I inhaled sharply before starting to speak in the softest and most steady tone I could.

"It's not that I'm afraid of clowns, actually, they don't scare me. It's just... They make me feel anxious, they bring back bad memories and they make me feel as if something tragic is going to happen. When I was 7, on my birthday, my parents took me and my brothers to a nearby circus that was in San Francisco. We all had a great time, I remember how much fun me and my mother were having together, she was such a lively woman. And there were plenty of clowns there. Pretty clowns, though. I thought that day was the best one ever," I made a pause to hold back my tears. "But after we got home, I don't know what happened, but my father and my mom started to fight. I remember that was not unusual, my parents were fighting pretty often back then. But that fight in particular was just... Violent. It didn't get physical, but they were brutal with their words. I was so young, but I remember it so clearly... My mom was crying a lot. But when she and dad decided to drop it, she came upstairs to give me and my siblings a good night kiss. She tried to hide her sadness, but she couldn't. We went sleep, but then, in the middle of the night... We were woken up by sirens. Dad had..." I stopped again, this time to quickly wipe away a lonely tear that had escaped, "Dad had found mom dead in the bathroom. She killed herself." I sighed heavily. "And this is why I hate clowns and also hate my birthday. Now I blame my father for what happened, and he knows that, this is why me and my family don't keep in touch very much nor get along very well."

I pulled myself together and dared to look at Taeyeon. I found her attentively looking at me, her sincere eyes now teary, her head shaking slightly.

"I'm sorry, Tiffany, I'm terribly sorry," she said as she placed her wine glass on the floor. I did the same. "Really, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you sad, I shouldn't have asked, I--"

"Hey, it's all right," I smiled weakly. "You just asked, it was my choice to tell you about that. One day I would have to open up about it, anyway. Thank you for giving me that opportunity. I feel a little bit lighter now."

"No one else knows about this?"

I shook my head.

Taeyeon kept staring at me for a while. She then gently placed her hand on the side of my head before hugging me and pulling me to her. "I'm sorry," she whispered, "I'm really sorry. I didn't want to ruin your night."

I returned the hug. Somehow, it made me feel safe. "Stop apologizing, I've already told you it's okay. And don't say sorry for saying sorry. You didn't ruin anything. My night is great."

I heard her chuckle softly before she let go a little and turned her face to mine, gazing at my eyes again, without pulling the hand that was placed on my back away from it. "May I ask you when's your birthday?"

"You promise you won't ever congratulate me on it? I don't celebrate it."

Taeyeon simply nodded.

"August 1st."

"It's a pretty date. Do you know mine?"

"March 9th, isn't it?" I asked.

I chuckled as I watched open a little and her blink a few times.

"What? Do you really think I didn't google you? I google everyone. I might even google Prince someday."

She chuckled with me and I unconsciously rested my head on her shoulder. Then I found myself looking at her lips and I could swear to God she was doing the same to me. The thought of kissing her came to my mind and the fact that the time to do so was getting closer by the minute made me feel a little nervous, compelling me to break the hug and separate my body from hers. I didn't think she saw any awkwardness there, for she spoke to me normally afterwards.

"Thank you for sharing it with me, though. I feel like I'm getting to know a whole new Tiffany."

"Well, then thank you for inviting me over tonight. I feel like I'm getting to know a whole new Taeyeon, too," I finally smiled.

"Really? Why?"

"Well... Where do I begin? First, let's say that whoever looks at you wouldn't think you are afraid of bugs, not with the strong and powerful image you have because of your career. Second... I had never seen you wearing such cute clothes or wearing your hair like that for work, you always look so mature and professional then, you look good like this too, it suits you. Third, though not the last, but I think I'm already talking too much by now so I'll stop here... Who would ever think you are such a good cook?!"

Her melodic laugh escaped from her lips again, an amused tone added to it now.

"I think that's good then, you haven't said anything bad about me. I guess it feels like a new introduction?" she smiled.

I smiled back at her. "Most definitely."

 

 

 

 

 

 

POV — Taeyeon

​I woke up the next day with the feeling of my phone vibrating under the pillow. I roamed my hand through the bed looking for it, not bothering to open my eyes. I didn't even bother to bring it up to my ear either, for I just tapped the screen until I put the call on the speaker mode.

"Hello?" I said, sleepily.

"Good afternoon, Romeo. How are you doing and why are you sleeping at 1PM in this beautiful autumn afternoon?" 

"Who in the living hell is Romeo, Sooyoung?"

"You. How was your dinner date with your Juliet last night?"

"One, it wasn't a date. Two, it was amazing, thank you for asking," I lazily smiled at the thought. "Three, what do you want?"

"First, I want to tell you you're booked for this week's Friday. Second, I want to ask you if I can drop by your house today since we both have nothing to do and we don't seem to be spending much time together lately. I mean, as the friends we are. You know. Horror movies, random talks... Chocolate popcorn."

I chuckled. "You are most than welcome here anytime. Want to sleep over?"

"YES! Great. I'll be there in an hour or two, okay? Wait for me and don't forget the chocolate popcorn."

"I know, I know. Four bowls. Leave it to me. And by the way, what am I booked for?" I asked before she could hang up the call.

"Do you remember 'Good Morning, Wendy'?"

"That show I went to a few years ago in which we have breakfast with the host? Yes. Why?"

"Well, you were invited to it again. The recording will be at 7AM on Friday. But that's not all."

"What else?"

"I heard you'll have some company," she said, and I could almost hear a smirk on that sentence. "A short, black-haired bird told me you'll be having breakfast not only with Wendy, but also with someone else you, missy, have been appreciating a lot lately."

I smiled.

Tiffany.

 

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A/N: Hello! :D After a few days, I'm back and ready to handle you a new chapter. This chapter took longer than I expected to be delivered, I apologize for that. But that was all because it was a chapter that, in my opinion, to achieve the result I wanted, had to be written with no rush and a lot of thoughts. I think and hope you will enjoy it. Are you ready for a personal girls' night out with Sooyoung and Taeyeon on the next chapter? ^-^ Don't forget to comment! An author is nothing without motivation. (: