She was the one who woke up first. Again. Taeyeon was definitely a sleepyhead. Like a kid, in some ways. Besides, the woman looked even younger than she usually did, with open, eyes closed and eyebrows relaxed. Sleeping with abandon, she looked more like a girl in her teens than a woman in her twenties. It was hard to imagine what Taeyeon was like in her teens however. Other than the candle-in-a-jar present (which was totally unexpected), Taeyeon had not shown the softer side of herself that she had displayed freely when she was with Hayeon. Hardened by the times, she reeked more of experience than innocence.

So, what made Taeyeon go to the extent of buying and painting a jar to replace the broken one?

Only Taeyeon could answer that question. If she would.

Tiffany smiled and shifted another inch, leaving nothing more than a pocket of air between them. At this range, she could see the hairs of Taeyeon’s eyebrows, the eye lashes that curled out dainty, the tired lines around Taeyeon’s eyes, the tiny little corners of Taeyeon’s lips that dipped in, the little mole just above her jaw on the right…

There was so much more to learn about Taeyeon. So much more to understand. Taeyeon wasn’t an easy race to compete in, but she had no plans to quit any time soon. The candle was proof that she had broken through at least one wall of Taeyeon’s. And that would be just the beginning.

She d under the covers for Taeyeon’s hand and interlaced their fingers. Taeyeon’s hand was nice and warm. It was the perfect place for her hand to be. Unable to resist, she craned her neck and puckered her lips to drop a kiss on Taeyeon’s chin. One kiss could never be enough so she pressed forward and dropped another kiss on the jutting lower lip, pulling it with her own, before letting go. Taeyeon stirred but her eyes remained closed.

What a sleepyhead. So this is what it’s like to be in love with a sleepyhead.

Tiffany stifled a giggle as she traced the curve of Taeyeon’s hip with her fingers. The curve led to the dip of her waist, then up the gentle slope of her torso. The swell of Taeyeon’s chest filled her palm and a rising presence put a smile on her face. Taeyeon was not fully conscious just yet but her body was certainly responding to her touch.

“Ti...ffa...ny...?”

“You're finally awake,” Tiffany said with a smile. “Good morning, Taeyeon.”

“Good...morninggg...” Taeyeon replied while in mid-stretch. Then, she yawned and rolled onto her back. “Stop molesting me. Go and make us breakfast.”

Tiffany giggled. She had no intention of stopping. None, at all. “I'm not leaving this bed if you're not.” She reached for Taeyeon's waist and pulled them closer, rubbing their legs under the covers. “And I'm your girlfriend. I have the right to molest you however I want.”

Taeyeon stiffened at her words. Tiffany felt it and frowned. She didn't like the way Taeyeon reacted to her choice of words. Why couldn't she just admit it? Why was she still uptight about being a girlfriend? And wasn't the candle a sign that they had taken a step forward?

“Taeyeon, what's wrong?” she asked, keeping her arms wrapped around Taeyeon's waist, half-afraid the woman would bolt.

Taeyeon exhaled long and hard. Then she said, “Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Nothing.”

Tiffany was surprised to say the least. She'd been expecting another one of Taeyeon's infamous morning tempers to flare up and explode into flames. “Really? Did you hear what I said?”

“Shut up.” Taeyeon pulled away from her arms and sat up. “I'm up now, aren't I.”

“I didn't say that just to get you up.”

Taeyeon ignored her and headed to the bathroom. The door closed, shutting Taeyeon out from her view and she heaved a deep sigh because there was nothing else she could do right now.

-

Taeyeon was silent throughout breakfast. So was she. Her mind focused on the toast and eggs, getting through it one bite at a time. However, under the fine veneer of her calmness, was a slew of raging questions that burned to be asked.

Why was Taeyeon unwilling to accept her as a girlfriend?

Was Taeyeon afraid? Was she scared of commitment?

What exactly was holding her back from embracing their relationship fully?

Was it really because of Paul's presence in her life?

Was that why?

Was it???

“Are you really that bothered by Paul?” she asked at last, unable to hold in the avalanche of questions unfolding in her troubled mind. “Is it because of him?”

Taeyeon stopped chewing and looked at her. Tiffany searched those eyes for clues but found nothing. Those deep brown irises gave nothing away. “He is part of the reason.”

“But I've told you time and again that he—”

“He is only a business partner,” Taeyeon interjected. “I know.” She sighed. “But knowing is not the same as believing.”

“What do you mean?” Tiffany's heart squeezed painfully as she asked, “Don't you trust me?”

“I trust you. But I don't trust him.” Taeyeon's eyes, ablaze with emotion, looked surprisingly tearful. “I don't know what he is capable of doing.”

“What is he capable of doing?”

“He obviously has an interest in you.”

“I can tell you right now that he doesn't.”

Taeyeon scoffed at her statement. “There is no man on this planet who will pay for an apartment like this,” her arms swept across, gesturing at their surroundings before halting to point at the Bugatti, “and buy a car like that for a woman he has no interest in.”

“Fine. So let's say he has some kind of interest in me, why would that bother you? I will never ever accept him even if he asks.”

Taeyeon's laugh was disturbingly hollow. “That's where you're wrong, Tiffany. You can't see the way you look when you're at work. You may not realize how beautiful you are when you're doing something you love. But I can see how much you love racing and how much you love your job. That car launch. It isn't just a car launch to you. It's as important as your life. You put everything you had into it. Time, effort, sweat. Everything. And the person who can give you that 'everything', is Paul.”

“Your point being?”

Taeyeon shrugged. “There's no telling what you might do if he makes certain demands on you. If he pegs certain business opportunities with himself. And you can't say you won't climb up to the top a lot faster if you were his woman.”

“You're...worrying about my future?”

“I'm not worrying about it. I'm just stating what's on the plate.”

“But that's part of the reason why you refuse to let me be your girlfriend.” Tiffany shook her head in disbelief. “Do you actually think I should marry him to become the CEO's wife?”

“I'm just saying, for a woman with ambitions like yours, a man like Paul would definitely come in handy.”

“I...can't...believe...”

“Look. I'm not a little girl stuck in fantasies of cotton candy romance, okay? This is the real world where the lure of money and power is strong. Plenty of people marry for reasons other than love.”

“Well, if you put it that way, it certainly seems like I should marry Paul. That way, I can achieve all my dreams in half the time.” Tiffany sighed. “But you seem to have forgotten something.”

“What.”

“I'm not into men.”

“You may not be into men but you're good at flirting with them so marrying one wouldn't be a problem for you.”

“But what will I do when he wants to have with me.”

“Close your eyes and tell yourself it will be over soon. Plenty of straight, married women do that anyway.” Taeyeon smirked. “Or you could just think of how rich you are when he s you. That should do it.”

“ you, for thinking that I would do that to myself.”

“But it's not such a bad thing, is it? You'll be living in luxury. Surely that outweighs the downside of a lousy life. Not to mention, there's a lot that money can buy. I'm sure you can find a y girl to spice up your life with.”

“What about you? Will you be that y girl for me?”

Taeyeon shook her head. “Sorry. I will never be part of an affair. It will be like slapping myself on the other cheek if I do.”

A series of events snapped into place and suddenly, everything made sense. “So that's why you were so angry at the start. You thought I had cheated on Paul with you and made you an accomplice.” Tiffany looked deep into Taeyeon's eyes. “I'm right, aren't I.”

Taeyeon said nothing but she nodded and Tiffany's heart burned for her. All the insults that had been hurled at her. All the hate. All the vulgarities. All of it had stemmed from a heart broken by the people Taeyeon had trusted the most to protect her.

“And you got even angrier when I kept coming for you because you couldn't resist me. So you were actually angry with yourself but I was the outlet for you to vent on. Right?”

Taeyeon nodded again. Tiffany smiled. All this time, she had thought Taeyeon hated her. The hot and cold moments. The push and the pull. All of it...was really the manifestation of a woman at war with herself. What she desired versus what she stood against. How hard it must have been...

“Taeyeon.”

Taeyeon's eyes met hers in a silent reply.

“Paul is gay.”

Those eyes, previously laden with conflict, were now wide open in surprise.

“He has never been interested in me and he never will. I'm his friend's daughter so he felt that he could trust me to help him in Hyundae. I accepted the deal to act as a cover for him because I would get to come to Seoul and race with you.” Tiffany paused for a moment to calm her worked up emotions. “And even if he does propose to me and even if I do marry him for reasons unknown, neither of us would want to have with each other. The marriage would be a sham anyway. So you have nothing to worry about.”

“Paul...”Taeyeon finally spoke, “is gay.”

“I'm not supposed to tell anybody that but he gave me permission to tell you.”

“He knows about us?”

“I didn't tell him about us but you turned up at my house that one night when I was sick and he put two and two together.”

“Did he know that you are into women right from the start?”

Tiffany nodded. “That's what bonded us even more. On top of our somewhat similar aspirations.”

Taeyeon in a deep breath and exhaled just as noisily. “Holy . I look like a complete idiot, don't I.”

Unable to take the distance between them anymore, Tiffany got out of her seat and sat on Taeyeon's lap. With her arms around Taeyeon's neck, she leaned in until their noses almost touched.

“You don't only look like an idiot. You are an idiot.” A smile broke out across her face as a sense of liberation spread far and wide within. “But you're the idiot that I love.”

“Ti...ffa...ny...” mumbled Taeyeon as her lips erased the remaining inches between them.

By instinct, Tiffany's eyes closed and she didn't have to wait long before she was rendered incapable of proper speech. “Mmm...”

She didn't want their kiss to end but things were getting a little too breathless.

“Taeyeon...”

“Tiffany...”

She pressed their foreheads together and felt the joy exploding inside, the smile on her face, unstoppable. “Taeyeon...”

Taeyeon's lips found her chin, stumbled across her jaw and up to her cheek. There was no stopping the overwhelming emotions that were overriding their sense of order. She clung on to Taeyeon, fingers digging into Taeyeon's curls as the woman planted hungry yet tender kisses all over her face.

“Taeyeon...”

“Mmm...”

She had to ask. This was the moment. She needed to know the answer. So, with Taeyeon's lips brushing hers lightly, she asked, “Will you be my girlfriend?”

Taeyeon pulled away and for three long seconds, Tiffany couldn't breathe. For three long seconds, she could see nothing but Taeyeon's eyes shimmering with emotion. For three long seconds, the sea struggled to reach the shore and stars burst open in desperation to shine bright for the universe. Then, in the moment where the sea finally met its shore and starlight finally reached all the corners of the universe, Taeyeon nodded and said yes.

-