Friday appeared out of nowhere.

-----

They had danced and dreamed and talked and laughed together as the days rushed past them, and they didn’t talk about Friday once, nor Seulgi leaving—at least not to each other. Wendy insisted on music and wine, and Seulgi insisted on good food and love-making, their four favorite subjects. Each night was a study of each other’s body, of a new dish that Wendy was planning, a fine, crisp, white wine, and a good song that Wendy let crackle and pop on her new turntable. Seulgi held Wendy tight as the music floated through the apartment, she wrapped her in love and watched as fine, soft lips moved along with the lyrics of the songs that spun and spun in the barely lit room. They were picture-perfect, and Seulgi wished she could somehow capture the moment with her camera, but she didn’t even try, she simply stayed with Wendy and rejoiced in the evenings they shared.

And then Thursday arrived and the day passed quickly and they knew their time together would end soon, but didn’t dare say it out loud. The night was their savior, their only friend. They knew the light would bring sorrow, so they reveled, basked in the night. The last night.

The summer had been filled with many hot days and evenings, and this night was no different. The cool air would arrive soon and the summer would soon draw to a close, but just then the sultry night coursed through their veins. The air in their bedroom was filled with the heady scent of sweat and Wendy’s sweet perfume, and the air from the open window blew in the scents from outside. The neon lit Wendy’s face in blues and purples, and Seulgi looked upon her like the art that she was—flawed, human, but art as well.

They let their pleasure in each other run wild and free, and then Seulgi cried, the moment too intense,  and Wendy wiped her tears away and whispered sweet promises and reassurances in her ear, “It’s not long, we’ll make it.” Seulgi shivered—not from some chill in the air, but from the honeyed voice of Wendy’s that echoed in her brain—and held fast to Wendy’s body as though she didn’t want to let go, and then they faded into dreams, sugar sweet and vividly colorful to fight the feeling that would be waiting when they awoke.

And they did, they awoke. The night couldn’t last forever.

-----

The stars had been their allies each night as they lay in bed and comforted each other, but now the sun had betrayed them. The morning appeared, seeped through the glass of the vast windows in the bedroom and spilled onto them, their beautiful, sleepy faces, and onto the messy, tangled sheets. The twists and turns of each previous day, their final shared moments of kindness and even tears had ended when they went to sleep the previous evening, and each other’s arms, their bodies spent from the effort of making love.  Now they found themselves in that same bed waiting for the right moment to get up, waiting for the reality that one of them was leaving soon. They needed the sun to disappear behind the horizon again, but their wish was not to be granted. Friday appeared out of nowhere, and now they needed to face it’s consequences.

The bed was warm, and the love they had made the night before, the love Wendy had wrapped around Seulgi’s body was still weighing heavily in each woman’s mind.

“We need to get up,” Wendy said, her voice soft and intimate.

“I want last night back,” Seulgi sighed, her face half-buried in the pillow, “I need to hear you say my name again.”

“Seulgi, Seulgi, Seulgi,” Wendy whispered.

“Don’t tease me too much, baby, I’m desperate to make love to you again.”

“I know you are, and I want to feel you again too, but we can’t,” Wendy said, “There’s not much time. I want to make you breakfast and watch you eat it, and talk with you, and make you smile…then we’ll need to go.”

“Oh god,” Seulgi whimpered, her face now fully planted in the pillowHer tears had welled up again and she didn’t want Wendy to see. It was truly beginning to sink in.

“Don’t cry, baby,” Wendy said, she rubbed Seulgi’s neck softly, “Look at me, let me see your sweet face. Why are you crying?”

“I won’t get to see your smile,” Seulgi turned and let one eye glance at Wendy, the other stayed hidden in the pillow. She had let the tear fall and Wendy, not wanting to cry herself, smiled back at her, “There you are, teddy bear. Let’s not be sad. I know it’s bittersweet, but it’s not forever.”

“I know,” Seulgi said, finally turning fully to face Wendy.

“You’re so cute,” Wendy said. She reached over and wiped the tears from below Seulgi’s eyes.

“Just cute?”

Wendy chuckled and moved one of her hands down to Seulgi’s stomach, “And y.” She scratched her barely-there nails against Seulgi’s taut abs. Seulgi moaned and Wendy stopped, not wanting to go too far since there wasn’t any time.

“Three months without this type of intimacy is going to be difficult,” Seulgi said.

“I know,” Wendy agreed, “But we’ll use what we have while you’re away.” She looked down at Seulgi’s hands.

“These?” Seulgi questioned when she saw Wendy staring at her hands. Seulgi grabbed onto Wendy’s and held on tight.

“Mmm, and our voices, and our phones.”

Seulgi leaned in—apparently clueless—and kissed Wendy, “Okay.”

Wendy laughed, hoping Seulgi understood what she meant, but realizing she probably didn’t, “You know what I mean, right?”

Seulgi looked at Wendy with a confused face, and then she put it together, “Oh, you want to…umm…call and do something more than talk on the phone.”

“Right,” Wendy said, “Well, we’d still be talking, but I still want to feel close to you and there are things we could try.”

Seulgi blushed, “Think we can figure that out as we go along? Don’t get me wrong, I’m willing to try because I know we’ll need…some type of release, but maybe one step at a time?”

Wendy nodded, “Good idea, we’ll talk about it later? Right now we need to focus on food and then the airport,” she glanced over at the clock, “We’d better get up.”

“That’s not a very good idea, but I guess we have to, don’t we?” Seulgi asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yeah, let’s go, I’m going to fix waffles, is that okay? Go shower and I’ll be in the kitchen.”

“Sounds awesome,” Seulgi said, “Be out in a bit.”

They kissed, just a peck, and headed their separate ways, Wendy to the kitchen, and Seulgi for her last shower in their bathroom for a long while.

-----

At the kitchen island, Seulgi sat and ate the waffles Wendy had prepared for her. Wendy stood on the other side and watched as Seulgi enjoyed them. It made her heart happy to see Seulgi enjoying the food so thoroughly even though it would be a while before she could do this again.

“This is really good, I can’t believe you put bananas in, they’re my favorite,” Seulgi said as she took another bite.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying them,” Wendy smiled.

“Do you not want any?”

“No, they’re for you, baby.”

“Will you come sit with me?” Seulgi asked.

“Yeah, let’s go sit on the couch for a little bit,” Wendy replied.

“Good thinking, more room,” Seulgi said with full.

Wendy got to the couch first, and Seulgi followed, but not before grabbing the whipped cream that Wendy had put on top of the waffles.

Wendy patted the place next to her and laughed, “Come here, sweet tooth, there are other places we can out that whipped cream besides the waffles.”

Seulgi chuckled and sat down, her hands full with the plate and can of whipped cream, “I love when you think like that. Sadly, there’s no time, and if we’re using whipped cream, I’m going to need to plan it out, diagram it, and take my time.”

“I’ll start of list of things to do when you get back home.”

Seulgi took another bite of her waffles, “#1, stock up on whipped cream.”

“I’m serious,” Wend said, she leaned close to Seulgi’s face, “I’m making a list.”

“I know you are, and I literally can’t wait to start on it,” Seulgi smiled.

“Give me a small bite?” Wendy said, still close to Seulgi, “I want to see what you’re raving about.”

“Sure,” She cut a piece off with the fork and fed it to Wendy.

“Not too bad.”

Seulgi picked up the can of whipped cream, “Want some?”

Wendy thought for a moment, “Why not?”

Seulgi let Wendy grab the can, and she turned it over, squeezed, and let the whipped cream swirl into . They both laughed, and then Seulgi pointed to her own lips, “Kiss me?”

Wendy smiled and saw Seulgi’s reflect back to her, “Come here!”

Seulgi sat her plate on the coffee table and moved towards Wendy. They locked eyes and then moved in for the kiss. When they finally broke apart, Seulgi leaned back, “Sweet.”

“Probably the fault of the whipped cream,” Wendy said, rubbing her tongue along her lips.

Seulgi looked at Wendy with serious, intense eyes and whispered, “No, it was definitely just you, the whipped cream had nothing to do with it.” She scooted in again and took Wendy’s lips with her own, “You don’t need any help being sweet.”

-----

Seulgi put on her backpack and Wendy wheeled the tightly packed suitcase to the door. Seulgi had helped Wendy clean up the kitchen, and now it was finally time to go. Wendy grabbed the keys from the stand near the door and watched as Seulgi looked behind her and out into the vast space of the apartment, almost as though she was memorizing every detail before they needed to head downstairs.

“I’m going to miss this place,” Seulgi said quietly.

“And I’m going to miss seeing you in it,” Wendy answered, “Your home will be here though. I’ll try not to reorganize it too much.”

“This is your home too,” Seulgi explained, “Our home.”

“I know,” Wendy replied, “Ours. I guess we’d better head downstairs. The girls are probably waiting.”

“Probably,” Seulgi said.

Wendy turned and headed for the door but Seulgi stopped her, “Wait!” Wendy turned and looked into Seulgi’s eyes.

“It’s not just the building that makes this my home,” Seulgi said, “It’s you, you’re my home. Our apartment isn’t home without you.”

Wendy dropped the luggage handle and crashed into Seulgi, “I love you so much, and you know you’re my home too, right?”

Seulgi hummed a yes and kissed Wendy’s neck, her ear, and then leaned back and took her lips, “This is home, and it’s all I really need.” Their lips stayed together until Seulgi finally moved away, “Next time you’re coming with me.”

“I’ll be counting down the days,” Wendy said, “I can’t wait to go with you.”

After they had collected themselves and picked up the fallen luggage, Wendy opened the door of the apartment and stepped out into the brightly lit hallway. Seulgi took one last look inside then cut off the light and shut the door behind her.

-----

Together, hand-in-hand, they walked down the hall. Adventure, mystery, and doubts plagued them and became entangled into one lump of emotion as they walked further from the door of their apartment, but then Seulgi entwined their fingers, caressed Wendy’s lightly and with such care and kindness that the doubts were pushed aside. And that was enough—if only for a moment—that simple touch was enough to show the courage and bravery they would need for the next few months. When they reached the elevator, Seulgi squeezed Wendy’s hand, and in that instant she knew everything was going to be just fine.

-----

Wendy drove Seulgi’s car, and they held hands in the front while Irene, Joy, and Yeri chattered endlessly in the back seat. Seulgi could hear the three of them discussing what kind of waffles they liked—having heard Wendy had made some for Seulgi earlier that morning— and wondered if Wendy would make them some too. Wendy agreed that she would make everyone breakfast one day soon, and they cheered, then started on a new topic.

Seulgi chuckled, but wasn’t up for talking at the moment, and that was okay, there wasn’t anything to say just yet. She zoned out and focused solely on Wendy. She looked at her hands that gripped the steering wheel, the matching ring on her thumb, the curve of her arm, the angle of her neck, and then to her gorgeous face. Seulgi wanted to memorize this moment as best she could, and Wendy seemed to want to do the same thing. They traded furtive glances every now and then, and smiles, the kind that reached their eyes, but Wendy and Seulgi stayed quiet and merely listened to the noises drifting towards them from the back seat. Memorization took practice, and that was exactly what they were doing.

-----

When they finally pulled into the airport and headed to the temporary parking, Seulgi’s stomach began to churn, and Wendy’s heart began to thump. She was afraid the other three would hear it, but even if they did, they said nothing.

Seulgi’s impending departure wasn’t going to be like a movie. She was leaving, really leaving, and the reality, though it had already hit, was becoming realer as Seulgi got her bag from the trunk. Wendy wasn’t sure if she was really ready, but Seulgi took her hand and guided her, the other three followed long behind them. With everyone ready to go inside, they headed out of the parking deck, across the crosswalk, and into the crowded airport.

-----

They couldn’t go all the way through the airport with Seulgi, they would need to say their goodbyes soon, and Seulgi’s body was tense as she held onto Wendy’s hand.

“I think we’d better stop here,” Irene said, “We won’t be able to go any further.

Seulgi looked at Irene and nodded, “I think you’re right unnie.”

Seulgi temporarily let go of Wendy’s hand so she could say goodbye to the other three.

“I’m going to miss everyone, hold down the fort here, alright?”

“You got it boss,” Joy replied.

Seulgi walked up to Yeri first, “Be good for your unnies, and study hard when you go back to school. I’m sorry I won’t be here to see the rest of your internship at the studio, but I’ll be back before you know it. I can’t wait for you to work for me for good. You’ve really proven yourself this summer, and I’m so proud of you, Yeri. I want you to do as much design work as you can, and work hard for your classes. I know you’ve only got a couple, so get As, alright? And come to the studio as much as you can, I want you to continue to learn from Irene. Next semester you’ll only have one class left since you’ve got all the other credits done, we’ll talk about a job then, sound good?”

“Yes, unnie,” Yeri said, she leaned in and gave Seulgi a big hug, “Thank you so much, I’m going to work hard.”

“Good,” Seulgi said, she finished the hug and looked back at Yeri, “And spend time with Wendy for me too?”

“You got it.”

“Love you, Yeri.”

“Love you too, Seulgi-unnie.”

She stepped away from Yeri and looked at Joy, who was smiling at her.

“I’ve known you for a long time, Joy, and I trust you with my business, I know you’ll help run things while I’m away.”

“I will, unnie,” Joy said.

“Don’t work too hard though, okay? I want you to spend time with your friends, and these three, alright? You deserve some time off, so take it while I’m gone.”

“I will, Seulgi.”

“Good,” Seulgi said, she hugged Joy, “And don’t fight with Irene-unnie, you know I love it when you two argue, but keep calm, relax.”

Joy laughed, “I’ll try my best, though fighting with Irene unnie is what gets me through the day.”

Irene scoffed beside them.

“Alright, well I love you too, Joy.”

“Same, unnie, I love you too.”

Then Seulgi was in front of Irene.

“I don’t need to say this, do I?”

Irene smiled.

“You’re my oldest friend and I love you, take care of these kids for me, okay?”

“Seulgi, I love you too, and everything will be under control while you’re away,” Irene answered.

“Good,” Seulgi said, “Then come hug me.”

Irene walked over and gave Seulgi a big hug. Seulgi whispered in her ear, “Take care of Wendy for me, take her out with the girls, spend time together, I don’t want to think of her being alone.”

“Don’t worry, Seul,” Irene whispered in return, “Joy, Yeri, and I are already planning things to do while you’re gone. Wendy will be busy.”

“I knew I could count on you, unnie.”

They let go of the hug and Seulgi stepped back, “I’m going to walk a little further with Wendy, keep me updated, alright?”

“We will, unnie,” Yeri said.

“Bye,” Joy said, “Have fun.”

“Be safe and get some good shots,” Irene said.

And then she came to Wendy, her love, her life, and she could sense that Wendy’s heart was breaking.

“Want to walk a little bit?”

Wendy nodded. She took Seulgi’s free hand again and walked away from the other three for some privacy.

Seulgi felt her own heart crumbling a bit as she looked into Wendy’s eyes and saw pain—and kindness—staring back at her. There was no turning back now. Everything was settled and they both had accepted it. They stopped close to where they would finally separate.

“Make sure you call me as soon as you land,” Wendy whispered.

“I will, I promise,” Seulgi replied.

“And stay safe…”

“I’ll be as safe as I can.”

“And…do your best.”

“I will, for me and for you, I’m going to try my hardest. I’m going to take advantage of this opportunity.”

“I know, and I want you to,” Wendy explained.

“Take care of yourself while I’m away; get plenty of rest, alright? I know you’re going to be worried about me, but don’t neglect yourself. I want you to be healthy when I come back. We have some travels of our own to do, right?”

“Yes,” Wendy said, a smile now on her face, “And we’ll have a whole list of things to do here in Seoul as well. I’ve already promised Mrs. Park that I’d take her to some new restaurant, and I’m sure the girls will want to hang out too, plus I’ll be at the studio.”

“Good.”

Wendy wrapped her arms around Seulgi, she sensed it was time to let her go, “I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too.”

“And I love you, I can’t express anything more than love, I don’t have the words,” Wendy said.

“I feel the same way,” Seulgi replied, “But I love you too.”

“One more kiss?”

Seulgi smiled and brushed her lips softly against Wendy’s, “I can’t wait to come back home.”

Wendy tried to stop the tears, but a few fell anyway.

“We’ve both cried even though we said we wouldn’t. Will you smile for me before I go?”

Wendy wiped her tears away and gave Seulgi a cheesy grin.

“I love your eyes, and your lips. I love your ears and your nose, and the little dimple on your cheek. I’m going to miss you,”  Seulgi explained, “But you are home. My home. And I’ll always come back to you.”

They hugged tightly one last time and then let go of each other. Seulgi waved at the other three who were standing farther away. They waved back.

“Time to go?” Wendy asked.

Seulgi looked at her watch, “Yes, I don’t want to cause you anymore hurt, so I’m going to head off now, I’ll be safe, and I’ll talk to you every day.”

“See you soon, teddy bear.”

Seulgi grabbed the handle of her bag that had been setting up right next to them as they said goodbye, “I love you,” she said to Wendy again, she squeezed her hand one last time, let go, and then she turned and walked away. Wendy watched her go, and then the other three joined her once more.

Seulgi didn’t look back, and Wendy didn’t blame her, it would have been too difficult for the both of them. Seulgi slowly began to disappear from view, and when she turned the corner, she was gone. Wendy wanted to cry, but she didn’t. She took the hands that were offered her—Irene and Yeri’s—and walked out of the airport and to the parked car. Joy took the keys and smiled at her, “Let me drive, unnie, okay?”

“Okay,” Wendy replied. She sat in the back with Irene and Yeri, the front passenger’s seat was glaringly empty, the place that Seulgi had just been. Joy made jokes, and the two sitting on either side still held tight to her hands. The mid-morning traffic was bad, but that was okay, she wasn’t alone.

When the road was clear, and they were able to speed up, Seoul sped up as well. The buildings, and trees, the people going about their days, so real, so normal.

“Nope,” she thought to herself, “Definitely not like a movie.”

Maybe more like a book.

And that was okay, a movie could have a sad ending, and although Seulgi’s departure was sad, she knew it wasn’t an ending. It was just a part of the middle of their story, a place where they had put a bookmark, the chapter where the two heroines diverged for a while. Soon they would all be back at the airport to pick Seulgi up again and hear all about her travels, and they could continue, take the bookmark out, and set it on the shelf where it wouldn’t be needed for a while.

She would wait, had to wait, but was ready to see what the next few months looked like. She would plan and have fun, and dream of far-away places they could eventually see together. She would do that for herself, and for Seulgi. The waiting didn’t seem so tough when she thought of what was to come on the other end of it. Her girl in motion would be back before she knew it.

-----

Seulgi was on the plane, in flight, and she couldn’t wait to get to her first destination. When she landed, first in Europe, she had an off-day before she would need to begin shooting. She planned to sight see and do some searching. Not only would she be calling Wendy as much as possible during her travels, she planned to write her as well. Call it old-fashioned, but Seulgi couldn’t wait to start. She needed to find a place that sold tourist merchandise. Not for t-shirts, mugs, or magnets, but for one item in particular: postcards.

She thought of the morning, the delicious feeling of waking up next to Wendy. She thought of the nights that had passed in a flash, and knew that the coming days would be like that as well. For Friday appeared out of nowhere, like a thief, but now Seulgi understood that it held such hope, unbelievable dreams, mystery, and love, and that was okay for the both of them. For Wendy, for herself. They would be apart for a while, but the sweet longing would get them through it. The promises that would come true at the end of the journey were worth the wait.

She sat back in her plane seat and thought of Wendy, thought what she may write, and thought about the wonderful opportunity she had been given. She was not going to waste it, was going to fully live in the next few months, and then she would come home, and see Wendy, her Wendy. Sweet, kind, beautiful Wendy, and she promised herself that the next traveling she would do would be with Wendy by her side, and she promised herself to look high and low for an object she had been thinking about for a while now. Her next travels would certainly be with Wendy, and hopefully as they held hands in a new land, discovered new places together, she would be able to feel the cool, metal band around Wendy’s ring finger, the special object that she hoped to find on her journey. And that was the thought that was set deep into her bones. The next traveling she would do would be with Wendy, with her beloved, with her wife.

-----

Thanks to everyone for reading my fic. This is the last chapter of snapshots!  I want to let you know though that this story isn’t over yet. I’m working on the next part of this, as sequel of sorts, which I will publish in a brand new story! It will have a different name that snapshots, but I’ve already have the title thought out and I’ve already started working on the rest of the story and have a lot of ideas, but give me a little time, I want everyone to enjoy the next “chapter,” and don't want to rush it. Can’t wait to hear what you think about this story as a whole, and I’m excited to get the rest of the story to all my readers, subscribers, and commenters as well. Without people reading this and commenting, this story wouldn’t be what it is today. I’ll be marking this one complete soon, but I’ll link the new story on here when I start updating it.

In the meantime, while I’m preparing, follow me @snapshotsandink on twitter! I follow back, and I love talking and chatting and getting to know everyone. Come follow me and talk, I want to hear from you. I’ll keep everyone updated there about the next edition of this story.

Thanks again for taking the time to click on this story, it means a lot to me. Be back very soon!

S&I