Sunny woke up to find the bed empty.  Yesterday hadn’t been a dream, had it?  Did Yuri not come back?  She got out of bed and softly crossed the floor, taking her dressing gown from the hook on the back of the door.  As she opened the door, she could see her suitcase, still waiting by the hallway.  ‘So last night wasn’t a dream’, she reasoned, but what is she doing?  As she padded into the living room, she could hear the shower being turned off.  She quickly walked towards the bathroom, hoping to try to coax her lover back into the shower with her.  She reached the door, pulled the handle down and pushed the door.

It wouldn’t open.  It was locked.

“Just a minute, baby,” Yuri shouted, opening the shower door and wrapping her towels around her.

“Is everything ok?” Sunny called through the barrier.

“Yeah,” Yuri answered, a hint of nervousness in her voice.

“You sure?” Sunny asked.  “Open the door, baby.”

“Give me about ten minutes and I’m all yours,” she called through the door.

Sunny let go of the handle.  “Ok, honey,” she replied, walking away from the bathroom.  ‘That’s so unlike her too!’ she thought.  ‘What’s going on in there?’  She returned to their bedroom and looked for a cute outfit to wear.  Normally, she didn’t bother to take so much time and wore simply what she found comfortable.  Today, however, she was dressing to impress Yuri, enticing her to spend as much time as possible with her.  ‘Maybe it’s nothing,’ she rationalised.  ‘I know I overthink things, maybe she just wanted to shower alone so she didn’t wake me or something.’  She hoped that it was nothing.  The last time someone she loved acted this strangely with her was … “Oh great,” she chastised herself.  “Yuri is nothing like him, she’s just jetlagged and needs to adjust.  That’s all.”  It was too late, though.  The seed had been planted and it had taken root.  Something was going on.

 

When Yuri left the bathroom, she was completely dressed for the day; faded black jeans, long sleeved t-shirt and slippers.  Her hair was wrapped up in a towel and she had a weak, fatigued smile on her face at the sight of her Sunny.  This was the third weird thing she had done since she came back.  Usually, if she showered alone, she walked to their bedroom wearing her towel and dressed there.

“The bathroom is all yours now,” Yuri smiled.

Sunny returned the smile and walked past her, kissing her cheek as she did.  It was a lot colder than she expected it to come across, but her mind was racing away, convincing her that Yuri was sneaking around.  She slipped off her robe and climbed into the shower, mulling over the events of the last few hours, trying to rationalise her thoughts.  It had to be something that happened in Boston, she thought.  Maybe her brother had gotten her used to that behaviour.  ‘In two weeks?’ she argued.  ‘And why continue it here?’  Perhaps he had not really been ok with them both being together and Yuri was trying to cover for him.  She stood, water falling from the faucet, cascading over her, washing only some of her stresses away.  She fought to push these new thoughts out of her mind completely.  She was being crazy, these weren’t real, she was just overthinking.  Besides, they were little things.  She was still Yuri’s bunny, she still shared a bed, she was still loved, Yuri didn’t push her away.  It was nothing.  Nodding at her new train of thought, she sighed and continued her shower.

 

Yuri sat in the dining area, mindlessly picking away at a banana.  She had to tell Sunny the truth.  Last night hurt her badly, the distance she had put between them.  It might have only been the thickness of a t-shirt, but it felt like miles.  She loved Sunny, with all of her heart.  How could she keep something like this from her?  “Just a week more, Yuri” she whispered to herself.  “Then the time will be right.”  She hated herself for doing this, but it had to be done right.  She was scared.  Scared Sunny would be upset with her, scared Sunny would be mad, scared she would be thrown out.  Sure, that would not happen instantly, not least because she had nowhere else to go, but it was still a possibility, especially now.  She couldn’t keep it from her for too long.  She finished her breakfast and walked to the living room, sat on the sofa and picked up the remote control.  She didn’t feel like watching TV, and just aimlessly switched through the channels.  She hadn’t noticed Sunny standing there, wrapped in a towel, watching her.  She settled on some cop show, not paying attention to anything else.  It was such a small thing to keep from her, and now she was making it worse by hiding it.  Yuri sighed, cursing herself.

 

“You ok, baby?” Sunny asked, walking clearly into the living room.  Her appearance startled Yuri.  She could be so quiet sometimes, she was like a cute little mouse.  Especially like this.  She opted for something very effeminate to wear: a white, knee-length cotton dress, white wedge strappy heels and a lemon yellow light cardigan.  Her hair flowed down over her shoulders, her natural waves showing through.

“Yeah,” Yuri smiled.  “You look beautiful.”

Sunny gave a little sway, letting the skirt billow outwards a little.  “What are you watching?” she asked, walking to the sofa and sitting next to her.

“Oh, just something,” Yuri dismissed.  “There’s nothing really on.”

“Nothing, huh?” Sunny asked, slipping the remote control from Yuri’s hand.  She flicked through the next six channels before she came to a drama series that both of them had enjoyed watching before Yuri flew to Boston.  Sunny turned off the TV and looked at her.  “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Yuri shook her head, “I’m fine.  Really.”

Sunny raised her eyebrows slightly.  “Let’s try again,” she said, clearly not convinced.  “What’s wrong?  Something is on your mind.”

Yuri sat forward on the sofa and sighed.  She couldn’t keep anything like this from Sunny, not with her keen sense of distress.

“Whatever it is,” Sunny took hold of her hand, “we can work through it.  I won’t get mad if you just tell me.”

Yuri turned her head and looked at Sunny.  The concern in her eyes was paramount, as clear as anything.  “You promise?” she asked.

“Tell me,” Sunny persuaded her.  “I promise I won’t get mad.”

Yuri put her head in her hands and took a few deep breaths.  “It isn’t even a big deal,” she muttered.

“It’s bothering you,” Sunny comforted her, taking her hand and rubbing her back.  “That makes it a big deal to me.”

“But …” Yuri gave up stalling.  “Can you give me a minute?” she asked.

Sunny nodded, and Yuri stood up and walked towards the bathroom.  Sunny watched her, knowing something wasn’t right.  It was like her secret power, her Sunny-sense.  She could detect when someone was troubled by something or when someone was hiding something.  Not always, but sometimes.  Yuri came back, carrying her toiletries case with her.  She set it down on the coffee table in front of them and resumed her place next to Sunny.

“Please, don’t be upset with me,” Yuri requested.  “It’s such a small thing to keep from you, and I shouldn’t have, but … I just wanted it to be a surprise.”

Sunny pushed Yuri’s hair back from her face.  “I won’t be upset with you,” she promised.  “Not if you’re straight up with me.”

Yuri sighed and nodded, sitting upright and moving a little away from her concerned girlfriend.  A deep breath later and Yuri reached for the hem of her t-shirt, pulling it over her body.

“Yuri?” Sunny asked.

Yuri didn’t answer, she just removed her top and sat there, her bra covering her slightly tanned chest.  She pulled down the right strap of her bra, letting it fall down her arm.

“Yuri,” Sunny pleaded, “just tell me what’s wrong.”

Yuri took one more breath and turned her back to Sunny.  On her right shoulder, standing out against the backdrop of her tanned skin, was a white bandage, attached to her body with surgical tape.

“Take it off,” Yuri whispered.

“What?” Sunny asked.  “What happened?”

“Just … take it off,” Yuri asked, louder.

Hesitantly, Sunny reached for the top corner of the dressing and gingerly pulled at the tape, careful not to tug too hard.  Gently, she peeled the dressing from her body, letting it remain attached only by the bottom strip of tape.  She gasped at the sight that had been hidden, and tears welled up in her eyes.

“I’m sorry I kept it from you,” Yuri sighed.  “I just … I didn’t want you to see it until it had healed.”

Hidden underneath the dressing was a tattoo of a smiling sun.  Across the bottom was a skin-coloured ribbon, flying in front of the sun, and printed on the ribbon were the words “My Sunshine”.

“You … you got that for me?” Sunny asked, her voice shaking.

Yuri nodded.  “It still has a week to go before it’s healed properly,” she explained, her artwork exposed to the woman that she so desperately loved.  “That’s why I slept with a shirt last night; so that I couldn’t catch the dressing on anything whilst I slept.  I have to change it every few hours and I have to put some moisturising cream on it.”

Sunny nodded, gently covering the tattoo back over with the dressing.  She could see the shine the cream had given to the tattoo, although it did still look a little red around the edges.  Once she had put the dressing back in place, she lifted the strap of her bra and put that back over her shoulder, as Yuri put her top back on and turned to face the music.

“I can’t believe that’s what it was,” Sunny started to cry as Yuri dressed.  “You … you had a tattoo to … to remind you of me.”

Yuri took Sunny’s hands.  “When I landed in Boston,” she explained, “I cried myself to sleep for a few nights.  I couldn’t bear to be without you.  I didn’t say anything to my brother, but he knew I was missing someone.  Anyway, after we Skyped and I told him we were dating, he asked if it was you that I was crying over, and I told him it was.  I felt so lonely without you,” her eyes started to fill up.  “So empty.”

Sunny threw herself at Yuri, putting her arms around her.  “I love you so much,” she declared, letting out the tears she had held back.

“I love you too,” Yuri squeezed her tightly.

They stayed like that for a few moments, the pair letting go of the tensions and frustrations the two inch square picture had inadvertently caused.  They pulled back and laughed, wiping each other’s tears away with their thumbs, and keeping their hands clasped to the other’s cheeks.

“It was my brother’s idea to get it,” Yuri whispered, lowering her head and meeting her forehead with Sunny’s.  “I didn’t know what to say.  As soon as he said it, I knew I had to have it, but I was so shocked he was so ok with us.”

“Why didn’t you just say so when you came back?” Sunny smiled.  “I was so worried that I’d done something, so scared that something was going on.”

“Oh god, I am so sorry,” Yuri kissed Sunny’s lips so tenderly.  “You’ve been so perfect to me, you could never do anything wrong to me.  I was so wrong to hide it from you, and I should have told you when I got it, but …” she shook her head.  “I just wanted to surprise you.  I wanted it to heal and I would wear some strappy top or some dress or something and really show it off to you.”

Sunny let out a slight laugh and ran her fingers through Yuri’s hair.  “You’re crazy,” she whispered, a huge smile forming across her face.

“You make me crazy,” Yuri returned the smile.

They kissed again, their lips pressing against each other’s.  It wasn’t like their normal make out sessions, where their kisses were loaded with lust and passion.  This was one flowing with love, with relief, with joy and care.

“What if something happens?” Sunny asked.  “What if … what if we break up?  It will still be there.”

Yuri nodded, only having briefly considered this before.  “Then I would have a permanent reminder of you and how you were the one person to love me for me and not as some trophy.”

Sunny smiled.  “You need a reminder of that?” she teased.

Yuri shook her head and blushed.  “No, but it … it’s nice to have it there,” she admitted.

Sunny blushed, her eyes dropping.

“Sunny,” Yuri whispered, gaining her attention again.

“Hmmm?”

“The only thing I don’t like about us,” she confessed, “is that so few people will accept us.”

“Does that matter?”

Yuri nodded.  “It matters,” she mumbled.  “But it matters because I want to scream from the rooftops that I love you.  It matters because I want to walk, hand in hand with you, telling the world that you’re my girlfriend.  It matters because I want to show everyone that I found the right person, and I want everyone … to be proud of me.  Of us.”

Sunny Yuri’s cheek and smiled.  “I’m proud of you,” she whispered.  Now it was Yuri’s turn to blush.  “And your brother is proud of us,” Sunny continued.  Yuri nodded.  “And so are our friends.  You don’t see many couples like us,” Sunny sighed.  “We’re not like average couples.”

“No,” Yuri took Sunny’s free hand into hers and played with her fingers.  She dropped her gaze, watching their fingers link together.  “Most are a man and a woman.”

“That’s true,” Sunny smiled.  “But most won’t last.  Most are just infatuated with each other.”

Yuri looked up, seeing Sunny’s eyes still fixed on her.

“Most aren’t as tender as we are,” she carried on.  “Most aren’t as sweet as we are.  They aren’t as fortunate as we are.”

“Fortunate?” Yuri asked.

Sunny nodded.  “I’ve never been with anyone where I’ve felt so protected,” she admitted.  “So valued, so cherished.  So … loved.”

The wide smile on Yuri’s face said the same.

“But, then I met you,” Sunny took Yuri’s hand and squeezed it tightly.  “And … I felt it.  I felt all of that, and more.  You’re not just my friend, or just my girlfriend.”  She dropped her gaze again.  “Sometimes, I feel like …”

“We’re soulmates,” Yuri finished.

Sunny nodded coyly, then sat up straight.  “Most people don’t have that.  So when a couple does, any couple, they get jealous.  And when it’s a couple of the same , that’s even rarer.  They’re prepared to face the bigger problems together, as well as the smaller problems.  Couples like us have problems just by being together.  We have enemies just by being in a relationship, and we’re still prepared to face them.”  She took both of Yuri’s hands in hers and held them together.  “Most couples spend their lives looking for what we have.  They don’t understand us.”

Yuri smiled and looked at their joined hands, resting in between them.  “It would be easier if I was a guy though,” she giggled.

Sunny smirked.  “If it makes it any easier,” she flirted, “you will always be my ‘seobang’.”

Yuri laughed even more.  “Oddly enough, it does,” she beamed.

“Come on,” Sunny smiled.  “Let’s get some coffee and relax.  See if we can’t help my sweet little Kwon Seobang recover from her jetlag.”

 

------