"Jisoo." The girl in question closed the freezer door and spared a glance toward the brunette with blond streaks in her hair. She lowered her gaze to the pint of ice cream the other girl was holding between the small palms of her hands. Of course it was strawberry, Jiae's favorite flavor. "I want ice cream." 

The younger of the two gestured to the freezer door she had closed earlier. "We're already getting it. Kei wrote it on the list of things to buy. I'm just trying to find the one she specifically told us to get." Jisoo returned her attention to the freezer packed with a variety of frozen desserts, opening it and checking behind the other jars of ice cream for a particular flavor. Soon, a flash of blond appeared in the corner of her peripheral view, and she paused in her actions as she felt a warm arm loop around hers.

Jiae stood beside her, still holding onto the pint of ice cream she had chosen. "She said to get vanilla. I want strawberry." Jisoo's resolve crumbled as soon as Jiae peered up at her with her adorable brown eyes. The aura exuded from them was innocent; maybe even childish. "Please?" Nonetheless, it was something that Jisoo wouldn't be able to resist, no matter how much effort she exerted.

With an inaudible sigh, Jisoo held out the shopping basket hanging from her forearm, and into it the strawberry ice cream went. The newly added item weighed down her arm just a bit, but she was relieved of the burden altogether when Jiae took the basket from her to carry on her own. Jisoo turned away from the other girl to continue searching for that elusive vanilla ice cream.

As long as Jiae was smiling as warmly as she was now, then Jisoo wouldn't mind making the necessary sacrifices.

"Quit eating the strawberries. Those are part of the ingredients." Jisoo scolded, but her reprimand was cut short by the moist sensation of the sweet half-eaten fruit against her lips. She shot the grinning Jiae an annoyed look and opened to allow the girl to push it in. She chewed tentatively; however, the taste was to her liking. She enjoyed the subtle sweetness of strawberries. Jisoo didn't have a sweet tooth, but she wasn't too fond of overly sweet foods in general.

To Jisoo's relief, Jiae finally closed the box of strawberries and returned it to its cozy place within the plastic bag. The box of strawberries held in Jiae's hand would soon be replaced with Jisoo's own, warm hand. She didn't like the feeling of her hands getting dirty, greasy, or sticky either, but she tolerated this for Jiae and Jiae alone. (She usually wouldn't have left her room in the middle of finishing homework either, but again, she was breaking her rules for the other girl.) The outside, evening air and a relaxing walk to the supermarket would probably refresh her overworked brain anyway.

"Did you get paid yet?" Jiae intertwined their fingers together, and Jisoo knew exactly how much of a gross mess it was going to be when they had to separate.

She shook her head. "Next week."

The older girl's eyebrows furrowed in concern, and she unconsciously tightened her hold on Jisoo's hand in hers. "In that case, you shouldn't have bought the ice cream for me. You didn't have to. You need to save." Jiae averted her guilty gaze to the concrete beneath their feet. "Don't put yourself at stake for me. I don't want you doing reckless things just because I told you to."

"I know."

If she'd felt like it, Jisoo would've told her that it was far too late for that.

"There's strawberry ice cream in here."

"That's mine." Jiae declared; at the same time plucking the pint out of Jin's hand. "Jisoo bought it for me. Don't eat it." She tucked it into the back of the freezer, hiding it behind a bag of frozen peas and carrots in case any of her housemates were tempted in the near future to commit such an unthinkable act.

Jin continued removing the recently bought items out of the plastic bag, and Jisoo approached to help her put them away. Her friend offered her a look of disbelief. "You know, you're eventually gonna go broke if you keep spoiling Jiae." She was simply stating what Jisoo already knew, and Jisoo knew this better than anyone else. She just didn't like hearing it from anyone other than herself.

She easily changed the subject. "Speaking of broke, where's Mijoo?" Jisoo considered Mijoo her best friend since they'd convened here at the university for orientation, and that fact had never changed since. They clicked instantly upon meeting, sharing common interests like their enrollment based on scholarships, their science majors, their scarcity of spending money, and last but not least, their love for cute girls. Mijoo was also the only one who knew about her feelings for Jiae, and she was the only one she relayed her problems to. She could use a good talk right about now.

"She's next door." Sujeong answered. "I think she's bringing Yein here." Jisoo didn't blame either of them for the decreasing amount of time she'd spent with Mijoo lately, though she was admittedly a smidge jealous of her friend's steady relationship with the younger girl. Mijoo's absence was a lot more frequent and palpable during these times. She only realized then that she might be somewhat of a needy person.

"Is it okay to bring that kid over? She's underage and we're going to drink. I don't want to be held responsible if something happens while we're drunk off our asses."

Jisoo nearly dropped the bag of ice she was carrying to the freezer. "We're going to drink?" If there was one thing Jisoo was careful with, it was alcohol. She drank small amounts at a time and never even neared her limit. She knew it was common for people to drown their sorrows with alcohol, and she was afraid that she would end up doing the same thing tonight. It was a golden opportunity to forget everything for a while. She was thinking too much lately. (She knew perfectly well that it wasn't a healthy method of coping with her problems, but it was quick and convenient.)

"After we have dinner, Kei is mixing drinks for us. This girl can do everything." Kei beamed at Jin before going back to preparing ingredients for dinner. The resident cook of the house had laid everything out on the counter, and Jisoo figured that the final product would be something along the lines of marinated ribeye steak and tofu stew. They all pitched in once in a while to afford luxurious - by poor college student standards - dinners, especially after the peak stress periods like midterm exams.

Jisoo felt someone's slender fingers wrap around her wrist, and she found Jiae holding onto her. "Let's choose a movie to watch." The other girl pointed to the large television screen waiting for them in the living room. She'd already the online streaming service provided by the dormitory package deal. Jisoo nodded, and she allowed Jiae to lead her away to the place where they'd be alone.

They had these moments often, but Jisoo never took the chance to make the most out of them.

Dinner was nearly ready, as indicated by the sound of the pan hissing and the mouthwatering scent of savory beef permeating throughout the house. Most of her housemates had already set up the table and gathered in the kitchen (including Mijoo and her girlfriend). Jisoo on the other hand couldn't join them. She couldn't move. Somehow, Jiae had fallen asleep during the first half of the movie, and she was now soundly asleep on Jisoo's lap. She wouldn't dare to wake the older girl up. They were all tired in their own way.

"Jisoo, Jiae, dinner is done! Come eat!" Jin called out from the kitchen.

"I'll be there soon." Jisoo attempted to shout and whisper at the same time, which emerged very odd-sounding.

Eventually, Mijoo arrived on the scene, sighing upon the sight of her immobilized best friend and her respective crush pinning the other girl down like a fallen log. "What are you doing? Wake her up." Mijoo could interpret from Jisoo's mere expression that she was reluctant to do it herself, so she began tapping unceremoniously at Jiae's forehead while her friend watched in horror. Jiae awoke soon thereafter, swinging a hand up to swat at whoever was giving her that rude awakening. Unfortunately, her hand missed the true culprit and instead landed on the cheek of the innocent bystander. Jisoo yelped and Mijoo couldn't help but chortle.

Realizing that she'd accidentally slapped Jisoo, Jiae's eyes flew open and she held the other girl's face in her hands, tenderly massaging the area where she'd been hit. "I'm really sorry, Jisoo. Are you okay?" This was probably the most intimate physical contact they'd shared in a while. Jisoo hoped that the lighting was dim enough for certain things - like the inevitable warmth of her face - to remain unseen. On the contrary, Jiae sent a glare towards the source of Jisoo's injury. "Mijoo, you idiot!"

Totally unoffen