The Last Person
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A/N: My last one.
****
Tiffany would probably be the last person people would think to be seen at the stadium, watching a bunch of beefy guys playing American football for a trophy, or title -or something. She wasn't a fan of the sport and knew nothing about it but she was a fan of something else at the game and may God bless whoever came up with it.
It was half-time at what might have been the most boring game, ever, and from the scoreboards, the visiting team was totally losing by a landslide - that much she could comprehend. The school band started playing something upbeat and Tiffany straightened up in her seat as a team of a completely different sport came running in to the side of the field, facing the cheering audience. Truth be told, Tiffany wasn't a fan of that sport either, she was just a fan of someone in the team. She let her eyes do a quick run through of a certain brunette leading the rest into position.
Mini skirt, check. Perfect ponytail in a bow, check. Skin tight uniform top with exposed tummy, major check. Big bright smile, check. Dimple, check. Overall smoking hot captain of the cheerleading team, check check check.
Kim Taeyeon. She let out a small sigh. How the hell did this happen? Tiffany didn't have anything against liking another girl but she was absolutely convinced she was straight-- until she fell for the college's cheerleading captain in their senior year. Funny, what life had in store sometimes because it all started with a harmless girl crush and the unexpected -yet, totally welcomed tutoring opportunity for the said girl. For once, Tiffany thanked the heavens for her brain. For once, she was glad she was one of the nerds.
Taeyeon's eyes managed to find hers and a wink was playfully directed at her, like countless times before. Tiffany blushed, looking away as she pushed her glasses up. Taeyeon was undeniably the meanest tease, Tiffany had realized. She would know all about that, of course, because she fell for the cheerleading captain who - by no more than a stroke of miracle - had become her girlfriend after a couple of months of tutoring.
The band faded off as a song track played through the speakers and Tiffany watched proudly as her girlfriend got into her element. Every move precised, every stunt or jump practiced to perfection and every chant memorised to heart.
Just a few months of tutoring sessions, and Taeyeon had Tiffany completely wrapped around her perfectly manicured little fingers. The time had flew past in the blink of an eye whenever they spent time alone together. They had gotten comfortable with each other, but there was always something there. A tension- or awkwardness of some sort just lingering between them when they were alone together.
Tiffany figured her staring and blushing when caught doing so wasn't exactly the most subtle thing but all it took was that for Taeyeon to pull a stunt of her own two months into the tutoring sessions. She had stared Tiffany right in the eyes with a playful -yet, expectant- glint swimming in her hazel orbs and asked, "Let's be honest, are you going to ask me out soon or what?"
All it took was that one question and a hopeful smile for a blushing Tiffany to throw caution to the wind. Taeyeon had known and was obviously teasing, so she stared back and it took all of her to nonchalantly reply, "Do you want to go out with me, then?"
The crowd's cheers got louder, snapping her out of her little reminisces, and for a moment, Tiffany gave a little prayer up to the heavens as her girlfriend was propped up to the top of the 6-person pyramid. Her little star, she chuckled at the random thought amidst her worry.
I will kill you with a pencil if you drop her, she mentally threatened, glaring at all the other teammates, especially the two guys who were supposed to catch Taeyeon as she dropped herself lightly from the pyramid. She let out a quiet sigh of relief as they caught her with ease.
If there was one thing she hated about watching cheerleading, it had to be the stunts-- and the fact that Taeyeon was a flyer.
----
They weren't the oddest campus couple.
"At least they're both beautiful," people would state in hushed conversations as they passed them by. They weren't the oddest pair, but who would have thought that the college's cheer captain, the girl who was the life of the parties and practically queen bee of the popular circle, would date the captain of the school's debate team, the girl who spent her Friday nights with a cup of hot chocolate and a book.
Of course, their relationship wasn't exactly what Tiffany expected either. She thought Taeyeon was straight- heck, she thought she was straight but she didn't actually mind the change. It wasn't much different from dating a guy, technically speaking. Then again, it wasn't like she had much experience dating anyone.
Tiffany waited outside the locker room, leaning against the wall with her hands stuffed into the college's red sweater she had on, looking down at her denim hot pants and her favourite worn-out sneakers. She wondered if Taeyeon was ever bothered by her simple fashion sense - if it was still considered a sense, at all - but the girl had never mentioned anything.
She pushed her glasses up again, looking up at the sound of the door opening. The other cheerleaders gave her a look before walking past her; some didn't like her, that much she knew from the sharp glares, but most were fairly friendly to her- or at least more civilized. One in particular let out a small huff before looking away.
Tiffany didn't think much of it though, Taeyeon said they were just being protective of her. The girl was, after all, their friend aside from being captain. They probably thought Tiffany was just another girl, trying to steal a little of queen bee's spotlight.
"They'll come around, you'll see," Taeyeon would state in confidence, but Tiffany never really minded because they weren't the ones she was dating, anyway.
As always, Taeyeon came out last, sporting a loose white t-shirt that still managed to capture her figure, a pair of white hotpants similar to Tiffany's and the brand new sneakers she had bought the week before. When she grinned, Tiffany noted it was brighter than the ones the girl had ever shown while performing or anywhere else, and that was all the mattered to her.
"Hey, you," she greeted, returning the smile and straightening up as Taeyeon approached her. "Home?"
Taeyeon stopped right in front of her, her eyes twinkling with expectation and familiar playfulness, and Tiffany just knew home wasn't at option at the moment.
"Well, they're having this party- ," Taeyeon started, reaching for her hand.
"-okay," Tiffany interrupted, knowing where the conversation was going, "Then, maybe I'll see you- "
But Taeyeon stubbornly continued, anyway, “- and I want you to come with me."
There it was, the dreaded request. They've been going out for almost half a year now, and Taeyeon would always try to ask her along to one of the parties she was always invited to.
“The party never really starts till the queen arrives,” as she had heard the cheerleaders jokingly put it. There had been quite a few, too: birthday parties, end-of-exams parties and basically any -celebratory-of-some-sort-of-win parties. What would college life be without the parties and social events, right? Sure.
Tiffany, however, had managed to evade them all. Even though with Taeyeon, she had to put in extra effort to do so; some with white lies, some with distractions to sway the girl away from the topic and some honestly valid excuses not to go.
Tiffany kept mum, gazing right back at the beautiful eyes that surprisingly held so much depth. She often wondered how she had gotten so lucky and how she sometimes wished she could step up to blend better into Taeyeon’s social status but she really didn't want to go to a party.
"I'm not even dressed right," she tried reason, only to be met with a raise of a brow.
Taeyeon gave her a glance through and looked back at her. "You look great, to me," she stated, seriously. "Plus I'm in casual wear too. It’s nothing fancy, anyway. Just an after-game party- or get-together if you will, and you're my plus one.”
She sighed at the playful lopsided grin. Leaning back against the wall, she desperately tries to find a way out this time, but when Taeyeon's smile turned soft, and fingers fitted perfectly between her own, Tiffany knew she’d give in even before the latter spoke again.
“Please? For me?"
----
Tiffany felt so out of place, like she hadn't belonged there. It was probably the actual fact that she didn't belong at all that she found herself seated alone at the couch in the corner of the party, watching Taeyeon in her other element, floating around the room like a graceful butterfly. Taeyeon was a flyer, the highlight of the "show" and the centre of attention, no matter where she was.
Tiffany wasn't usually jealous by the people around her girlfriend, but then again, she usually wouldn't follow Taeyeon to any of the social parties her schoolmates held. Now that she had come to a party with Taeyeon, she found that jealousy was still not a problem. Contrary to it, she was actually pretty proud of her. She trusted the girl knew her boundaries, so when Taeyeon said she was going to say hi to some of her friends half an hour ago, and despite her discomfort of being somewhere she didn't belong to, Tiffany decided she’d let Taeyeon have her fun and wait till the girl was ready to go. She felt out of place but it didn't really bother her that much, and it was a Friday night, after all.
She jumped when someone took a seat next to her, tearing her eyes away from a laughing Taeyeon and turning only to find one of the latter’s more friendly teammate next to her. The other girl chuckled at her surprise, leaning back against the couch.
"Sorry, I thought you heard me coming," the girl Tiffany remembered to be 'Hyoyeon' said.
Tiffany returned the friendly smile, turning back to watch her girlfriend talking animatedly with a few jocks. "It's okay, I was just--," she paused, trying to find a suitable word before continuing, "- distracted."
They sat in a comfortable silence before Hyoyeon spoke up again, casually stating something she knew had been on most - if not all- of their minds the moment Taeyeon and herself had arrived at the party. "I'd have thought you'd be following her around the whole time, to be honest."
Tiffany chuckled, turning her attention to the girl beside her instead. "I didn't really want to come along," she replied, just as honestly. "Parties aren't my thing."
She laughed lightly, again, at the skeptical look in Hyoyeon's eyes. They still doubted her intentions despite the fact that it had already been almost half a year. It was reasonable, she guessed, they hadn't really tried getting to know her and vice versa.
Hyoyeon looked at her, and Tiffany could see the subtle protectiveness under the scrutiny. She somehow still wanted Hyoyeon and the other cheerleaders to trust her, though. If they mattered to Taeyeon, she wanted them to trust her with Taeyeon’s heart. "I don't intend to hurt her, you know," she decided to say in the end, sincerely. “Ever."
The girl merely nodded after a while, and they both turned to watch Taeyeon grinning as she had made the others laugh. "You don't seem to mind all the attention she gets.”
It wasn’t a question, Hyoyeon was merely stating an observation but Tiffany replied anyway, knowing there was a silent “Why?” that came after it.
She shrugged. She wasn’t sure how she could explain it. "Maybe because she always comes back to me in the end," she said softly, after contemplating, and as if Taeyeon had heard it, their eyes met and the latter excused herself from the group, making a beeline back to her.
“And that, is my cue to leave,” Hyoyeon stated, smiling brightly as she patted Tiffany's arm. It was, then, that Tiffany knew she had gained some trust from the girl, even if it was a little bit. “Nice talking to you, Tiffany.”
“You too, Hyoyeon,” she replied, as the girl stood up. She chuckled when Hyoyeon playfully ruffled Taeyeon’s hair as the girl reached the couch.
"You're not having fun,” Taeyeon muttered while pretending to sulk. She took Tiffany’s arm and wrapped it around herself as she took a seat next to her.
She smiled, letting the girl partially lean against her and locking their fingers together. “I’m okay,” she reassured, because she really was fine. She wasn't thoroughly bothered by being there, at all.
They sat there for a bit, quietly watching the party going on before them. Taeyeon waved at the ones who spared them a curious look as Tiffany smiled. She wasn’t one for public affection, but with her arm around Taeyeon and the latter mindlessly playing with her fingers, she couldn’t help pulling Taeyeon closer to her as she rested her head on the girl’s shoulders.
"Let's go,” Taeyeon spoke up after a while, her head nudging playfully against Tiffany’s. She stood up and pulled the confused Tiffany along, leading her out of the party. They passed a few of Taeyeon’s friends and she announced happily, "I'm off! Have fun, guys!"
Tiffany waited till all the others bid them goodbye and they were out of the apartment where the party was held before tugging on Taeyeon’s hand to slow her down. "I was fine, Taeyeon."
"I know.” Taeyeon spared her a quick glance as she smiled a little. "Do you want to take a walk before going home?"
She glanced at her watch, it was late but she did want to spend a little more time with the latter. "Do you?"
"Yeah,” Taeyeon replied, softly. Tiffany turned to find her looking at their joined hands, thoughtfully. “You've been too busy with your meetings."
If she could glow, she knew she would have by then. Pushing her glasses up, Tiffany grinned and pulled Taeyeon to walk closer to her. "Okay, let's go take that walk, then."
Tiffany didn't fit in at parties, or any social events, but when a bright dimpled grin appeared on Taeyeon's cute little face, she knew the one place she'd always belong was by her side.
***
Taeyeon was thought to be the last person to be seen in the theatre room, watching a bunch of nerds having a debate competition- on a Saturday afternoon, no less. She had absolutely no clue how the point system worked and could honestly care less about whether the new political law benefited the country more or would it bring more harm- which was the topic of the day. She yawned, blinking sleepily, at what might be the dullest and most boring competition by far. She wasn’t interested of such intellectual activity at all, but judging from the points, the other school's team was totally losing. She was, however, interested of something else at the competition as the next speaker she had her eyes on the whole time stood up to the stand.
Glasses, check. Game face, check. Sleeveless white dress shirt, check. Fitting pencil skirt & strapped heels, check and check. Sexy but smart debate captain, check check check.
She watched with glowing pride as her girlfriend countered points after points with ease and collected confidence, catching the other team off guard. Damn. Tiffany made smart look so damned attractive, Taeyeon couldn't help but grin.She stared at the girl she undoubtedly admired. Tiffany had everything going for her, even if the girl refused to admit it. Tiffany had the brains, the looks and the heart. She had her future all figured out, she knew exactly where she wanted to be five years from now and all the ways she could get there.
It was a vast difference from herself. Taeyeon was so used to going with the flow. She had her days mostly occupied either with Tiffany, practice, school work or family. She had her days flying past her so quickly, she hadn't had time to think about her future but she liked it that way, tackling one day at a time. It was easier; it made her relish in the moments, without a worry in mind. The only worries she had recently were Tiffany catching a really bad flu just the week before, her teammates getting injured during practice and her finals.
"Where do you see yourself in the near future?" Tiffany had asked suddenly, one day over dinner, and somehow it made Taeyeon feel really embarrassed when she found herself dumbfounded. It wasn’t much of the question itself but it was the fact that she realised she had never thought of the future at all that got her speechless.
Tiffany had her life all figured out, at least for the next few years, and Taeyeon didn't even know what she'd be doing the next month. It never used to bother her much, but with Tiffany's expectant eyes gazing intently right into her own, Taeyeon was disappointed with herself when she didn’t have an appropriate answer. "I don't know," she said in the end, hoping Tiffany wouldn't think little of her.
For a moment, she was worried that Tiffany did when there was a brief silence as the girl seemed to ponder over her answer- or lack of it. Then, her eyes grew soft, and Taeyeon believed Tiffany would never think little of her. "We'll figure it out," Tiffany had replied instead, with an endearing smile, and Taeyeon wasn't sure what she meant by "we" but she liked the sound of it.
The timer buzzed, signaling the end of the round and when Tiffany's eyes somehow finds hers as she turned to walk back to her seat. She could see the small smile directed briefly at her before the girl diverted her eyes away and straightened her expression. Debate, or anything equivalent, wasn’t Taeyeon’s cup of tea but she wouldn’t miss it for the world if it meant that Tiffany was there.
If there was anything Taeyeon loved about debate, was how absolutely sexy -yet adorable- it was to watch Tiffany all serious and focused with her smart wear, and the fact that the girl always knew where she was seated in the audience and checked on her every once in a while.
---
"She's with who? What? Why her?" people would mutter among themselves when the news of the queen bee cheer captain dating the debate captain had gotten out. Taeyeon always chuckled at the term given to her. She paced leisurely to and fro outside the back door of the theatre stage. She stopped briefly to unzip her pink varsity jacket; the kind all the cheerleaders had. She looked down at her heels, and was thankful she wore them or the height difference with Tiffany later on would be totally unbalanced.
The difference in their social status were already practically polar opposites. Both were leading lives so different that the fact that they're both girls were only part of the reason why they became topic of the month.
The doors finally opened, and looks were thrown her way as Tiffany's teammates came out from the back door of the theatre. They weren't unfriendly, no where near the kinds she had seen thrown to Tiffany by her own friends. They weren't hostile at all but she knew they were just as protective despite the small smiles as they looked at her with scrutinizing eyes that had her on her toes each time. Passive aggressive, something she learned from Tiffany. She found that kind of an approach scary.
Like Tiffany, Taeyeon didn't care much about what people thought of them. They could say whatever they wanted but at the end of the day, as long as no one talked down about her girlfriend, Taeyeon didn't really give a damn what others thought. Not even when her loyal cheerleaders doubted the other girl. "How do you know she's for real?" they would question her. "How do you know she's not playing with you?"
She appreciated their concern but she had to speak up right then, knowing that an overly-protective bunch of cheerleaders could never be good. So she had met each of their gazes, and told them, "Because I know her, and I trust her.” They didn’t know Tiffany like she did, and it was okay if they didn't understand. They didn't need to, but they needed to know that she trusted Tiffany, and what they had was only between the two of them.
Tiffany came out last, looking occupied with her hands juggling with files she was trying to squeeze into her shoulder bag, one hand holding her phone and hanging off her arm was the varsity jacket similar to Taeyeon's, but in blue. Every team representing their college in regional competitions had one; each in different colours, the school's mascot crest-thing proudly embroidered on the chest, and captains -like the both of them- had a "C" on their sleeves.
"Well, hello, my lady," she greeted Tiffany when the girl stopped in front of her. She took the varsity jacket and phone out of her hands, and chuckled when Tiffany smiled appreciatively. "You should have packed up first."
"Didn't want you waiting long," Tiffany mindlessly replied, making her grin even wider, if possible.
Tiffany made her smile; she made her happy, and Taeyeon thought nothing could matter more than that. No one, not even her worried and overly-protective teammates, could deny that. In turn, everyday for the past 9 months of dating her, Taeyeon tried everything she could to return the favour.
"I wouldn't have minded," she replied, watching Tiffany zipping her bag before taking the jacket from her and putting it on, then keeping her phone in her pocket. "Where are we off to now that you're free from intellectual duties?"
She pursed her lips thoughtfully, with a look Taeyeon had recognised well. She just knew that the intellectual duties weren't exactly over. “I was thinking of getting a new book. There’s a sale going on, too.”
Taeyeon groaned at the idea of going book hunting, making Tiffany laugh.
Leaning closer, Tiffany asked in a teasing tone, “Well, you can choose. Come with me, or go play by yourself till I’m done. I’ll take less than an hour.”
She pouted, and held back a grin when she gained herself a quick kiss on the cheek. “That’s not fair,” she whined, tugging lightly on the hem of Tiffany's opened jacket. “You know I’d always choose to be with you.”
The response she received after, was a familiar heart-stopping smile and a hand clasping warmly over her own.
"I know. I'd always choose you, too."
----
The bookstore was surprisingly crowded. It was probably due to the ongoing sale they were having, but Taeyeon marveled at the sight. People were actually willingly there on a weekend. They came in all ages, and they looked like they enjoyed the book browsing and what not. God, why?
On the other hand, she was bored out of her mind. She couldn't even pretend to be interested in browsing the countless books on the countless shelves of the ridiculously huge bookstore. Instead, she chose to put her attention solely on the girl she was shadowing for the past ten minutes they've been in the store. Watching Tiffany was much more interesting than the books, even if it had to be done quietly as well. She stared at the furrowed brows, focused eyes reading the back of the book she was holding, that lower lip bite and that occasional little habit of pushing her glasses up.
Sometimes Taeyeon thought about how different they were from each other, and how they complemented each other at the same time. She wasn’t one to usually think a lot, but when it came to Tiffany, she thought of her a lot. She wasn’t particularly observant either, but she would notice even the smallest thing when it came to the other girl. How can she be so smart? The adorable way her eyes curves when she smiled. Why is she so wonderful? She looks great in that jacket. She looks good in anything. She’s beautiful. Things like that.
Recently, she had been thinking even more about her and about them. How long has it been? Months now. How far more can we go? Years, I hope. Things like that. It made her think so much that it must’ve showed because Tiffany asked what was on her mind, one night over a phone call before bed, and right then, Taeyeon had spoken up, “I want us to go on for a long time.”
There was hardly a pause. “I know,” Tiffany had replied almost instantly. “I want that, too.” No hesitations, no doubts. Taeyeon could hear the determination and confidence in the other girl’s voice, and that took all the doubts away from her own heart.
"Stop staring," Tiffany spoke up suddenly, bringing her back from her thoughts.
She grinned, her gaze not faltering. "Why can't I?"
"I can't focus." A stern glance was thrown briefly at her.
Taeyeon didn't reply after that, opting to just keep staring just to tease the girl. Besides the fact that she absolutely loved looking at her, teasing Tiffany was fun, too. She kept it up, watching the girl steal glances at her and squirm in place. She laughed when Tiffany shoved the book back on the shelf before turning to glare at her in fake annoyance.
She could tell Tiffany wasn't really mad by the slight raise of the corner of her lips. Tiffany was patient and understood her without words, and Taeyeon liked that about her. Tiffany knew a lot of things in general, and even more so about her; things she had told her, and things that the girl somehow just picked up along the way. It was crazy how much Tiffany knew sometimes, but it made her feel special like that. She grinned sheepishly at the girl's efforts to keep a straight face, making Tiffany break out into a smile, anyway.
A light shove on her shoulder and Taeyeon raised her hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. I'll stop.” She froze when her face was suddenly cupped and cheeks squeezed firmly between warm hands.
"You can be so annoying," Tiffany stated seriously, making Taeyeon frown, but only briefly. "You're lucky, I really love you. Let's go and have lunch now."
She grinned widely once Tiffany had let her go, making the latter smile, as well. Fingers slid snugly between her own and she tightened the hold as Tiffany proceeded to lead the way between the bookshelves, making a beeline out of the store without a second look at the books.
“I was fine, you know? What about your book?” she asked once they started walking down the pavement. A smile still present on her face when she realised Tiffany seemed to be walking towards Taeyeon’s favourite restaurant.
“I know.” Tiffany smiled, again, softly. She swung their hands slightly. “It’s fine, I’ll find it another day. I’m done with my intellectual duties for now. Got more pressing matters to attend to, like spending time with you.”
Taeyeon chuckled, feeling all sorts of wonders in her heart. “I love you, too,” she replied, albeit belatedly.
Her brown eyes sparkled in the sunlight, as she replied gleefully, “I know that, too."
Taeyeon could think about the future another time, because right then, with her hand warmly held and Tiffany walking next to her, was exactly where she wanted to be.
--------
That's it, it's been a nice ride.
Lies.
I'M KIDDING :D This is not my last hahahaha bye.
A/N: My last one.
****
Tiffany would probably be the last person people would think to be seen at the stadium, watching a bunch of beefy guys playing American football for a trophy, or title -or something. She wasn't a fan of the sport and knew nothing about it but she was a fan of something else at the game and may God bless whoever came up with it.
It was half-time at what might have been the most boring game, ever, and from the scoreboards, the visiting team was totally losing by a landslide - that much she could comprehend. The school band started playing something upbeat and Tiffany straightened up in her seat as a team of a completely different sport came running in to the side of the field, facing the cheering audience. Truth be told, Tiffany wasn't a fan of that sport either, she was just a fan of someone in the team. She let her eyes do a quick run through of a certain brunette leading the rest into position.
Mini skirt, check. Perfect ponytail in a bow, check. Skin tight uniform top with exposed tummy, major check. Big bright smile, check. Dimple, check. Overall smoking hot captain of the cheerleading team, check check check.
Kim Taeyeon. She let out a small sigh. How the hell did this happen? Tiffany didn't have anything against liking another girl but she was absolutely convinced she was straight-- until she fell for the college's cheerleading captain in their senior year. Funny, what life had in store sometimes because it all started with a harmless girl crush and the unexpected -yet, totally welcomed tutoring opportunity for the said girl. For once, Tiffany thanked the heavens for her brain. For once, she was glad she was one of the nerds.
Taeyeon's eyes managed to find hers and a wink was playfully directed at her, like countless times before. Tiffany blushed, looking away as she pushed her glasses up. Taeyeon was undeniably the meanest tease, Tiffany had realized. She would know all about that, of course, because she fell for the cheerleading captain who - by no more than a stroke of miracle - had become her girlfriend after a couple of months of tutoring.
The band faded off as a song track played through the speakers and Tiffany watched proudly as her girlfriend got into her element. Every move precised, every stunt or jump practiced to perfection and every chant memorised to heart.
Just a few months of tutoring sessions, and Taeyeon had Tiffany completely wrapped around her perfectly manicured little fingers. The time had flew past in the blink of an eye whenever they spent time alone together. They had gotten comfortable with each other, but there was always something there. A tension- or awkwardness of some sort just lingering between them when they were alone together.
Tiffany figured her staring and blushing when caught doing so wasn't exactly the most subtle thing but all it took was that for Taeyeon to pull a stunt of her own two months into the tutoring sessions. She had stared Tiffany right in the eyes with a playful -yet, expectant- glint swimming in her hazel orbs and asked, "Let's be honest, are you going to ask me out soon or what?"
All it took was that one question and a hopeful smile for a blushing Tiffany to throw caution to the wind. Taeyeon had known and was obviously teasing, so she stared back and it took all of her to nonchalantly reply, "Do you want to go out with me, then?"
The crowd's cheers got louder, snapping her out of her little reminisces, and for a moment, Tiffany gave a little prayer up to the heavens as her girlfriend was propped up to the top of the 6-person pyramid. Her little star, she chuckled at the random thought amidst her worry.
I will kill you with a pencil if you drop her, she mentally threatened, glaring at all the other teammates, especially the two guys who were supposed to catch Taeyeon as she dropped herself lightly from the pyramid. She let out a quiet sigh of relief as they caught her with ease.
If there was one thing she hated about watching cheerleading, it had to be the stunts-- and the fact that Taeyeon was a flyer.
----
They weren't the oddest campus couple.
"At least they're both beautiful," people would state in hushed conversations as they passed them by. They weren't the oddest pair, but who would have thought that the college's cheer captain, the girl who was the life of the parties and practically queen bee of the popular circle, would date the captain of the school's debate team, the girl who spent her Friday nights with a cup of hot chocolate and a book.
Of course, their relationship wasn't exactly what Tiffany expected either. She thought Taeyeon was straight- heck, she thought she was straight but she didn't actually mind the change. It wasn't much different from dating a guy, technically speaking. Then again, it wasn't like she had much experience dating anyone.
Tiffany waited outside the locker room, leaning against the wall with her hands stuffed into the college's red sweater she had on, looking down at her denim hot pants and her favourite worn-out sneakers. She wondered if Taeyeon was ever bothered by her simple fashion sense - if it was still considered a sense, at all - but the girl had never mentioned anything.
She pushed her glasses up again, looking up at the sound of the door opening. The other cheerleaders gave her a look before walking past her; some didn't like her, that much she knew from the sharp glares, but most were fairly friendly to her- or at least more civilized. One in particular let out a small huff before looking away.
Tiffany didn't think much of it though, Taeyeon said they were just being protective of her. The girl was, after all, their friend aside from being captain. They probably thought Tiffany was just another girl, trying to steal a little of queen bee's spotlight.
"They'll come around, you'll see," Taeyeon would state in confidence, but Tiffany never really minded because they weren't the ones she was dating, anyway.
As always, Taeyeon came out last, sporting a loose white t-shirt that still managed to capture her figure, a pair of white hotpants similar to Tiffany's and the brand new sneakers she had bought the week before. When she grinned, Tiffany noted it was brighter than the ones the girl had ever shown while performing or anywhere else, and that was all the mattered to her.
"Hey, you," she greeted, returning the smile and straightening up as Taeyeon approached her. "Home?"
Taeyeon stopped right in front of her, her eyes twinkling with expectation and familiar playfulness, and Tiffany just knew home wasn't at option at the moment.
"Well, they're having this party- ," Taeyeon started, reaching for her hand.
"-okay," Tiffany interrupted, knowing where the conversation was going, "Then, maybe I'll see you- "
But Taeyeon stubbornly continued, anyway, “- and I want you to come with me."
There it was, the dreaded request. They've been going out for almost half a year now, and Taeyeon would always try to ask her along to one of the parties she was always invited to.
“The party never really starts till the queen arrives,” as she had heard the cheerleaders jokingly put it. There had been quite a few, too: birthday parties, end-of-exams parties and basically any -celebratory-of-some-sort-of-win parties. What would college life be without the parties and social events, right? Sure.
Tiffany, however, had managed to evade them all. Even though with Taeyeon, she had to put in extra effort to do so; some with white lies, some with distractions to sway the girl away from the topic and some honestly valid excuses not to go.
Tiffany kept mum, gazing right back at the beautiful eyes that surprisingly held so much depth. She often wondered how she had gotten so lucky and how she sometimes wished she could step up to blend better into Taeyeon’s social status but she really didn't want to go to a party.
"I'm not even dressed right," she tried reason, only to be met with a raise of a brow.
Taeyeon gave her a glance through and looked back at her. "You look great, to me," she stated, seriously. "Plus I'm in casual wear too. It’s nothing fancy, anyway. Just an after-game party- or get-together if you will, and you're my plus one.”
She sighed at the playful lopsided grin. Leaning back against the wall, she desperately tries to find a way out this time, but when Taeyeon's smile turned soft, and fingers fitted perfectly between her own, Tiffany knew she’d give in even before the latter spoke again.
“Please? For me?"
----
Tiffany felt so out of place, like she hadn't belonged there. It was probably the actual fact that she didn't belong at all that she found herself seated alone at the couch in the corner of the party, watching Taeyeon in her other element, floating around the room like a graceful butterfly. Taeyeon was a flyer, the highlight of the "show" and the centre of attention, no matter where she was.
Tiffany wasn't usually jealous by the people around her girlfriend, but then again, she usually wouldn't follow Taeyeon to any of the social parties her schoolmates held. Now that she had come to a party with Taeyeon, she found that jealousy was still not a problem. Contrary to it, she was actually pretty proud of her. She trusted the girl knew her boundaries, so when Taeyeon said she was going to say hi to some of her friends half an hour ago, and despite her discomfort of being somewhere she didn't belong to, Tiffany decided she’d let Taeyeon have her fun and wait till the girl was ready to go. She felt out of place but it didn't really bother her that much, and it was a Friday night, after all.
She jumped when someone took a seat next to her, tearing her eyes away from a laughing Taeyeon and turning only to find one of the latter’s more friendly teammate next to her. The other girl chuckled at her surprise, leaning back against the couch.
"Sorry, I thought you heard me coming," the girl Tiffany remembered to be 'Hyoyeon' said.
Tiffany returned the friendly smile, turning back to watch her girlfriend talking animatedly with a few jocks. "It's okay, I was just--," she paused, trying to find a suitable word before continuing, "- distracted."
They sat in a comfortable silence before Hyoyeon spoke up again, casually stating something she knew had been on most - if not all- of their minds the moment Taeyeon and herself had arrived at the party. "I'd have thought you'd be following her around the whole time, to be honest."
Tiffany chuckled, turning her attention to the girl beside her instead. "I didn't really want to come along," she replied, just as honestly. "Parties aren't my thing."
She laughed lightly, again, at the skeptical look in Hyoyeon's eyes. They still doubted her intentions despite the fact that it had already been almost half a year. It was reasonable, she guessed, they hadn't really tried getting to know her and vice versa.
Hyoyeon looked at her, and Tiffany could see the subtle protectiveness under the scrutiny. She somehow still wanted Hyoyeon and the other cheerleaders to trust her, though. If they mattered to Taeyeon, she wanted them to trust her with Taeyeon’s heart. "I don't intend to hurt her, you know," she decided to say in the end, sincerely. “Ever."
The girl merely nodded after a while, and they both turned to watch Taeyeon grinning as she had made the others laugh. "You don't seem to mind all the attention she gets.”
It wasn’t a question, Hyoyeon was merely stating an observation but Tiffany replied anyway, knowing there was a silent “Why?” that came after it.
She shrugged. She wasn’t sure how she could explain it. "Maybe because she always comes back to me in the end," she said softly, after contemplating, and as if Taeyeon had heard it, their eyes met and the latter excused herself from the group, making a beeline back to her.
“And that, is my cue to leave,” Hyoyeon stated, smiling brightly as she patted Tiffany's arm. It was, then, that Tiffany knew she had gained some trust from the girl, even if it was a little bit. “Nice talking to you, Tiffany.”
“You too, Hyoyeon,” she replied, as the girl stood up. She chuckled when Hyoyeon playfully ruffled Taeyeon’s hair as the girl reached the couch.
"You're not having fun,” Taeyeon muttered while pretending to sulk. She took Tiffany’s arm and wrapped it around herself as she took a seat next to her.
She smiled, letting the girl partially lean against her and locking their fingers together. “I’m okay,” she reassured, because she really was fine. She wasn't thoroughly bothered by being there, at all.
They sat there for a bit, quietly watching the party going on before them. Taeyeon waved at the ones who spared them a curious look as Tiffany smiled. She wasn’t one for public affection, but with her arm around Taeyeon and the latter mindlessly playing with her fingers, she couldn’t help pulling Taeyeon closer to her as she rested her head on the girl’s shoulders.
"Let's go,” Taeyeon spoke up after a while, her head nudging playfully against Tiffany’s. She stood up and pulled the confused Tiffany along, leading her out of the party. They passed a few of Taeyeon’s friends and she announced happily, "I'm off! Have fun, guys!"
Tiffany waited till all the others bid them goodbye and they were out of the apartment where the party was held before tugging on Taeyeon’s hand to slow her down. "I was fine, Taeyeon."
"I know.” Taeyeon spared her a quick glance as she smiled a little. "Do you want to take a walk before going home?"
She glanced at her watch, it was late but she did want to spend a little more time with the latter. "Do you?"
"Yeah,” Taeyeon replied, softly. Tiffany turned to find her looking at their joined hands, thoughtfully. “You've been too busy with your meetings."
If she could glow, she knew she would have by then. Pushing her glasses up, Tiffany grinned and pulled Taeyeon to walk closer to her. "Okay, let's go take that walk, then."
Tiffany didn't fit in at parties, or any social events, but when a bright dimpled grin appeared on Taeyeon's cute little face, she knew the one place she'd always belong was by her side.
***
Taeyeon was thought to be the last person to be seen in the theatre room, watching a bunch of nerds having a debate competition- on a Saturday afternoon, no less. She had absolutely no clue how the point system worked and could honestly care less about whether the new political law benefited the country more or would it bring more harm- which was the topic of the day. She yawned, blinking sleepily, at what might be the dullest and most boring competition by far. She wasn’t interested of such intellectual activity at all, but judging from the points, the other school's team was totally losing. She was, however, interested of something else at the competition as the next speaker she had her eyes on the whole time stood up to the stand.
Glasses, check. Game face, check. Sleeveless white dress shirt, check. Fitting pencil skirt & strapped heels, check and check. Sexy but smart debate captain, check check check.
She watched with glowing pride as her girlfriend countered points after points with ease and collected confidence, catching the other team off guard. Damn. Tiffany made smart look so damned attractive, Taeyeon couldn't help but grin.She stared at the girl she undoubtedly admired. Tiffany had everything going for her, even if the girl refused to admit it. Tiffany had the brains, the looks and the heart. She had her future all figured out, she knew exactly where she wanted to be five years from now and all the ways she could get there.
It was a vast difference from herself. Taeyeon was so used to going with the flow. She had her days mostly occupied either with Tiffany, practice, school work or family. She had her days flying past her so quickly, she hadn't had time to think about her future but she liked it that way, tackling one day at a time. It was easier; it made her relish in the moments, without a worry in mind. The only worries she had recently were Tiffany catching a really bad flu just the week before, her teammates getting injured during practice and her finals.
"Where do you see yourself in the near future?" Tiffany had asked suddenly, one day over dinner, and somehow it made Taeyeon feel really embarrassed when she found herself dumbfounded. It wasn’t much of the question itself but it was the fact that she realised she had never thought of the future at all that got her speechless.
Tiffany had her life all figured out, at least for the next few years, and Taeyeon didn't even know what she'd be doing the next month. It never used to bother her much, but with Tiffany's expectant eyes gazing intently right into her own, Taeyeon was disappointed with herself when she didn’t have an appropriate answer. "I don't know," she said in the end, hoping Tiffany wouldn't think little of her.
For a moment, she was worried that Tiffany did when there was a brief silence as the girl seemed to ponder over her answer- or lack of it. Then, her eyes grew soft, and Taeyeon believed Tiffany would never think little of her. "We'll figure it out," Tiffany had replied instead, with an endearing smile, and Taeyeon wasn't sure what she meant by "we" but she liked the sound of it.
The timer buzzed, signaling the end of the round and when Tiffany's eyes somehow finds hers as she turned to walk back to her seat. She could see the small smile directed briefly at her before the girl diverted her eyes away and straightened her expression. Debate, or anything equivalent, wasn’t Taeyeon’s cup of tea but she wouldn’t miss it for the world if it meant that Tiffany was there.
If there was anything Taeyeon loved about debate, was how absolutely sexy -yet adorable- it was to watch Tiffany all serious and focused with her smart wear, and the fact that the girl always knew where she was seated in the audience and checked on her every once in a while.
---
"She's with who? What? Why her?" people would mutter among themselves when the news of the queen bee cheer captain dating the debate captain had gotten out. Taeyeon always chuckled at the term given to her. She paced leisurely to and fro outside the back door of the theatre stage. She stopped briefly to unzip her pink varsity jacket; the kind all the cheerleaders had. She looked down at her heels, and was thankful she wore them or the height difference with Tiffany later on would be totally unbalanced.
The difference in their social status were already practically polar opposites. Both were leading lives so different that the fact that they're both girls were only part of the reason why they became topic of the month.
The doors finally opened, and looks were thrown her way as Tiffany's teammates came out from the back door of the theatre. They weren't unfriendly, no where near the kinds she had seen thrown to Tiffany by her own friends. They weren't hostile at all but she knew they were just as protective despite the small smiles as they looked at her with scrutinizing eyes that had her on her toes each time. Passive aggressive, something she learned from Tiffany. She found that kind of an approach scary.
Like Tiffany, Taeyeon didn't care much about what people thought of them. They could say whatever they wanted but at the end of the day, as long as no one talked down about her girlfriend, Taeyeon didn't really give a damn what others thought. Not even when her loyal cheerleaders doubted the other girl. "How do you know she's for real?" they would question her. "How do you know she's not playing with you?"
She appreciated their concern but she had to speak up right then, knowing that an overly-protective bunch of cheerleaders could never be good. So she had met each of their gazes, and told them, "Because I know her, and I trust her.” They didn’t know Tiffany like she did, and it was okay if they didn't understand. They didn't need to, but they needed to know that she trusted Tiffany, and what they had was only between the two of them.
Tiffany came out last, looking occupied with her hands juggling with files she was trying to squeeze into her shoulder bag, one hand holding her phone and hanging off her arm was the varsity jacket similar to Taeyeon's, but in blue. Every team representing their college in regional competitions had one; each in different colours, the school's mascot crest-thing proudly embroidered on the chest, and captains -like the both of them- had a "C" on their sleeves.
"Well, hello, my lady," she greeted Tiffany when the girl stopped in front of her. She took the varsity jacket and phone out of her hands, and chuckled when Tiffany smiled appreciatively. "You should have packed up first."
"Didn't want you waiting long," Tiffany mindlessly replied, making her grin even wider, if possible.
Tiffany made her smile; she made her happy, and Taeyeon thought nothing could matter more than that. No one, not even her worried and overly-protective teammates, could deny that. In turn, everyday for the past 9 months of dating her, Taeyeon tried everything she could to return the favour.
"I wouldn't have minded," she replied, watching Tiffany zipping her bag before taking the jacket from her and putting it on, then keeping her phone in her pocket. "Where are we off to now that you're free from intellectual duties?"
She pursed her lips thoughtfully, with a look Taeyeon had recognised well. She just knew that the intellectual duties weren't exactly over. “I was thinking of getting a new book. There’s a sale going on, too.”
Taeyeon groaned at the idea of going book hunting, making Tiffany laugh.
Leaning closer, Tiffany asked in a teasing tone, “Well, you can choose. Come with me, or go play by yourself till I’m done. I’ll take less than an hour.”
She pouted, and held back a grin when she gained herself a quick kiss on the cheek. “That’s not fair,” she whined, tugging lightly on the hem of Tiffany's opened jacket. “You know I’d always choose to be with you.”
The response she received after, was a familiar heart-stopping smile and a hand clasping warmly over her own.
"I know. I'd always choose you, too."
----
The bookstore was surprisingly crowded. It was probably due to the ongoing sale they were having, but Taeyeon marveled at the sight. People were actually willingly there on a weekend. They came in all ages, and they looked like they enjoyed the book browsing and what not. God, why?
On the other hand, she was bored out of her mind. She couldn't even pretend to be interested in browsing the countless books on the countless shelves of the ridiculously huge bookstore. Instead, she chose to put her attention solely on the girl she was shadowing for the past ten minutes they've been in the store. Watching Tiffany was much more interesting than the books, even if it had to be done quietly as well. She stared at the furrowed brows, focused eyes reading the back of the book she was holding, that lower lip bite and that occasional little habit of pushing her glasses up.
Sometimes Taeyeon thought about how different they were from each other, and how they complemented each other at the same time. She wasn’t one to usually think a lot, but when it came to Tiffany, she thought of her a lot. She wasn’t particularly observant either, but she would notice even the smallest thing when it came to the other girl. How can she be so smart? The adorable way her eyes curves when she smiled. Why is she so wonderful? She looks great in that jacket. She looks good in anything. She’s beautiful. Things like that.
Recently, she had been thinking even more about her and about them. How long has it been? Months now. How far more can we go? Years, I hope. Things like that. It made her think so much that it must’ve showed because Tiffany asked what was on her mind, one night over a phone call before bed, and right then, Taeyeon had spoken up, “I want us to go on for a long time.”
There was hardly a pause. “I know,” Tiffany had replied almost instantly. “I want that, too.” No hesitations, no doubts. Taeyeon could hear the determination and confidence in the other girl’s voice, and that took all the doubts away from her own heart.
"Stop staring," Tiffany spoke up suddenly, bringing her back from her thoughts.
She grinned, her gaze not faltering. "Why can't I?"
"I can't focus." A stern glance was thrown briefly at her.
Taeyeon didn't reply after that, opting to just keep staring just to tease the girl. Besides the fact that she absolutely loved looking at her, teasing Tiffany was fun, too. She kept it up, watching the girl steal glances at her and squirm in place. She laughed when Tiffany shoved the book back on the shelf before turning to glare at her in fake annoyance.
She could tell Tiffany wasn't really mad by the slight raise of the corner of her lips. Tiffany was patient and understood her without words, and Taeyeon liked that about her. Tiffany knew a lot of things in general, and even more so about her; things she had told her, and things that the girl somehow just picked up along the way. It was crazy how much Tiffany knew sometimes, but it made her feel special like that. She grinned sheepishly at the girl's efforts to keep a straight face, making Tiffany break out into a smile, anyway.
A light shove on her shoulder and Taeyeon raised her hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. I'll stop.” She froze when her face was suddenly cupped and cheeks squeezed firmly between warm hands.
"You can be so annoying," Tiffany stated seriously, making Taeyeon frown, but only briefly. "You're lucky, I really love you. Let's go and have lunch now."
She grinned widely once Tiffany had let her go, making the latter smile, as well. Fingers slid snugly between her own and she tightened the hold as Tiffany proceeded to lead the way between the bookshelves, making a beeline out of the store without a second look at the books.
“I was fine, you know? What about your book?” she asked once they started walking down the pavement. A smile still present on her face when she realised Tiffany seemed to be walking towards Taeyeon’s favourite restaurant.
“I know.” Tiffany smiled, again, softly. She swung their hands slightly. “It’s fine, I’ll find it another day. I’m done with my intellectual duties for now. Got more pressing matters to attend to, like spending time with you.”
Taeyeon chuckled, feeling all sorts of wonders in her heart. “I love you, too,” she replied, albeit belatedly.
Her brown eyes sparkled in the sunlight, as she replied gleefully, “I know that, too."
Taeyeon could think about the future another time, because right then, with her hand warmly held and Tiffany walking next to her, was exactly where she wanted to be.
--------
That's it, it's been a nice ride.
Lies.
I'M KIDDING :D This is not my last hahahaha bye.