A Surprise Gift
Summary: Rain, lights out, half-date
Words: 3057
Tiffany walked into her apartment and was surprised. Really surprised. Because it was a surprise birthday party for her. Well, she ‘looked’ really surprised. She had already suspected her friend, Hyoyeon, would do something like this.
It was all too obvious. The quiet whispers and giggles whenever Tiffany was around to do something. The birthday card being passed around. She caught onto these things fast. Despite of all of that, she didn’t want to spoil the fun so she acted like the most surprised person in the whole wide world.
She was good at that. After the birthday wishes, kisses, and presents were given, Tiffany sat down on the couch with a glass of wine in her hand while the rest of the people (who she used to work with) went to chat off about a day’s work or something. Her favourite band was playing on the radio; The Cardigans.
“So?” Hyoyeon plopped onto the seat next to Tiffany and grinned.
“Thank you.” Tiffany smiled.
Hyoyeon slit her eyes at her friend. “I knew it, you weren’t surprised. Damn.”
“It’s -”
“I have another surprise for you.” Hyoyeon’s lips grew into a devilish smile.
Tiffany gulped and braced herself with whatever Hyoyeon had in store for her. The girl would always make up for the second time. “What is it?”
“A blind date.”
“WHAT.”
“Okay. Not really a date. Just someone to have fun with tonight.” Hyoyeon winked and patted on Tiffany’s shoulder. “My present to you.”
“HYO - ”
“Oh, your date is here.” Hyoyeon stood up but Tiffany yanked her down to the couch.
“I’m not interested.” Tiffany hissed at her.
“Come on, you’re so dry up. Have a little fun.” Hyoyeon remained smirking as her eyes searched for someone in the crowd.
“What do you mean - Nevermind. So where is he?” Tiffany set her glass down on the table nearby, afraid that she might spill the wine.
“She.”
“What?” Tiffany asked again, making sure she wasn’t misheard.
“Not he. She.” Hyoyeon rolled her eyes. “With a ‘S’ infront of a H-E.”
“She?!” A lot of nonsensical things went through Tiffany’s mind. This was Hyoyeon’s work. Tiffany should have expected it. “I have very little experience with girls whatsoever. You knew what happened to the last blind date you set me up with.” She said in a fast manner as if the world was going to end.
“Don’t worry. Men and women. They’re all the same. Besides, she’ll be good for you. Appreciate the gift, Tiffany.” Hyoyeon rose from the couch and patted on Tiffany’s head. Then she waved at someone.
“SHE’S HUMAN!” Tiffany cried out. She wished that she could just pass out right now.
“She’s coming here.”
Frantically, she stood up and searched for whoever was coming in their way. Her eyes trailed from the person’s feet to her slim legs then to her perfect waists, chest and at last, met her eyes.
Those eyes. Those lips. Those.. everything. For a second, Tiffany thought she really was going to pass out. Maybe the term human was an understatement.
Tiffany gaped slightly and then grabbed Hyoyeon’s arm. “No, Hyoyeon. She’s too pretty. You can have the present back.” She whispered into her friend’s ear.
Hyoyeon ignored and shrugged Tiffany’s hand off her arm. “Oh, please. Look, just.. - Hey, Jessica! Glad that you can make it.” The said name girl smiled and they both hugged. Tiffany just stood awkwardly behind Hyoyeon.
“Why not right?” Jessica said in an easeful manner after they released each other. After a careful observation was made, Tiffany concluded the blonde hair suited Jessica more than Hyoyeon. She’ll tell her friend that just to spite her. “So.. where’s the birthday person that you’d want me to meet?”
When Hyoyeon turned around, Tiffany was nowhere to be found.
**
The past hour, Tiffany hid herself. Not that she was shy because of Jessica solely. She was just reminded of someone who shouldn’t be on her mind at a time like this. Surprisingly, Hyoyeon didn’t come to find her and drag her back to the party.
“Really, Tiffany? Chickening out now.” Hyoyeon scoffed and crossed her arms as she leaned against the doorway. Tiffany had her back against the kitchen island counter, sipping her wine.
“I’m not interested, Hyo. I’m sorry. You know how I am with parties.” By the sound of it, the crowd had left the apartment. Tiffany assumed it was just the two of them now.
Hyoyeon gave a sympathetic smile. “I know. You met Yoona in a party. But.. I am not going to let you mope around because of her.”
“Tell Jessica that I’m sorry.” Tiffany smiled at her friend’s thoughtfulness, not suspecting the literal meaning behind it.
“You can tell her yourself.” The end corner of Hyoyeon’s lips turned up. One of many signs of Hyoyeon’s little games. “She’s in the living room. Claim your gift.”
“I hate you.” Tiffany wanted to argue but thought better of it. It was useless. “And she’s a person, not a gift.”
“You’ll thank me.” Hyoyeon chirped in uncharacteristically manner. “Byeeee.” In a blink of an eye, she was gone.
**
It took her about 5 minutes to gather courage to walk into the living room. When she did, Jessica was looking at a painting.
“What do you think of it?” Tiffany asked, trying to be cool.
Jessica spun around and met Tiffany’s gaze. She smiled and Tiffany’s coolness was stripped away. “You did this? It’s beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
“So you’re a painter?”
“No.. I-I-I.. I’m a writer.” Tiffany wanted to run into a wall for stuttering. She was good with words but not much in the verbal area.
“You paint and write.. How very..” A pondering look fell upon Jessica’s face, trying to come up with a good word.
“Cliché? I know.” Tiffany laughed in a somewhat awkward manner.
“I wouldn’t use that word. But.. if you say so, okay.”
Then the air fell into a stifling silence. Because Tiffany ran out of words to say and it was kind of rare. She always had things to say. So they stood there, 5 meters apart from each other, crooked and weird smiles pasted.
“I’ll be frank here. I don’t know what Hyoyeon told you about me or this party or anything. Whatever it was, I’m not interested. I’m sorry. It’s just.. a personal thing. You seem like a nice person and I’m not. You could leave right away.”
“I’m not a nice person.” Jessica replied simply. She walked towards the bookcase. Tiffany had her mouth open at the unexpected response. “You see… I didn’t really want to come to your party. In fact, the second Hyoyeon told me about the party, I had no interest.”
Tiffany was supposed to feel a little offended. But all she felt was confusion. “What made you come?”
“Nothing better to do.” Jessica glanced at her briefly, smiling a little before pulling out of one the books from the bookcase.
“Then why are you still here?” Tiffany started to feel a little annoyed by the stranger. The girl was so fluid with her words and manners.
“I’m pretty sure Hyoyeon wanted us to get together.”
Tiffany laughed nervously and pretended to look oblivious at what Jessica said. “Hyo likes to make things complicated without straightfowardly saying it.”
Jessica put the book back and walked towards Tiffany. The distance between them vanished and Tiffany could feel Jessica’s hot breath against her own ear. The close proximity between Jessica’s skin and hers was making her crazy.
“Actually, it’s very simple. I want you. And you want me.” Jessica whispered. It was very.. very.. candid of her. For some weird reason, Tiffany was turned on.
Her heart was thumping in her ears. Lust ran through her veins like an adrenaline. When all means of control were thrown out of the window, Tiffany kissed Jessica as she pushed her against the bookcase. Jessica whimpered into Tiffany’s mouth at the sudden pain.
When Jessica slid her hand under Tiffany’s shirt, all movements stopped. Tiffany grabbed her hand and shook her head. She took a step backward and hung her head low.
“I’m sorry. I feel like I’m taking advantage over you. You should leave.” Suddenly, light and thunder came, and the lights flickered for a second.
Jessica scoffed in disbelief and wiped her lips with the back of her hand. She took her purse and left the apartment.
**
Few minutes later after Jessica left, Hyoyeon called Tiffany. Then came the heavy downpour of rain. Wind gushing, leaves slapping against the window. Tiffany loved rainstorms. It distracted her from reality.
“This is bad. Why are you picking up? You should be naked on the bed with a naked Jessica.”
“You’re disgusting.” Tiffany momentarily separated the phone from her ear as if it reeked of something.
“Where is she? I told her that I’ll drive her home if tonight didn’t work out. But she stayed.”
The grip on the phone tightened as the sudden realization dawned on her. “Shit.” She kicked Jessica out of the apartment and it was raining.
“She doesn’t trust taxis at night.” Hyoyeon added, unintentionally making her friend guiltier.
Tiffany bit her lower lip, worrying about Jessica’s well being. “I kind of… kick her out minutes ago..” She ended the call abruptly and shut the phone off. Escaping Hyoyeon’s wrath.
She hurried out of the apartment, and then checked the small lobby; no sign of Jessica. Took an abandoned umbrella near the door and went out in the rain.
Still, Jessica was nowhere to be found. Tiffany guessed that she had left already but something inside urged her to keep searching for Jessica.
Across the street, someone was there. Tiffany squinted her eyes and saw through the heavy downpour. She saw Jessica. Out in the rain, nothing covering her. Is she crazy? Tiffany thought.
Tiffany dashed towards Jessica. The girl was fiddling with a lighter, trying to lit the cigarette in the rain. It was absurd. Tiffany wanted to ask why the hell would she do that in the rain but thought better of it.
After giving up, Jessica groaned in frustration and flicked the cigarette away. Eyes surprisignly red, front hair sticking to her forehead and the clothes hugged her body. Evidence of mascara trickled down her cheeks, like a diluted paint dripping on a canvas, and Tiffany couldn’t help but be mesmerized.
She neared Jessica and held the umbrella high over their heads. The latter glanced up and then at the person next to her, bewildered. Realizing that it was Tiffany, Jessica rolled her eyes and started to walk away.
Tiffany grabbed Jessica’s arm and pulled her back under the shelter. Her shoes and her sleeves were getting wet.
“Hey!” Jessica complained.
Ignoring her, Tiffany dragged her back into the building. “I’m sorry, alright? Stay for a while until the rain lessens.” She placed the umbrella back where it was. “And what were you thinking? Being in the rain like that. Any longer, you’ll get hyphotermia.”
“I love the rain.” Jessica spat sarcastically. Tiffany ignored her and pressed the elevator button.
In the end, the two went back into the apartment. Water dripped from Jessica’s coat and so, Tiffany offered a new set of clothes.
“Seriously?” Jessica held the shirt at arms length. It read “Like A Virgin”. “And this shorts is too short.”
“Wear those or wear nothing.” Tiffany grinned a little at the second option.
“Really?” The blondie looked serious and it made Tiffany nervous. She tugged the sleeves of her dress off her shoulders. Then the dress fell to the ground. She looked calm, serene and confident.
Whereas Tiffany was the opposite of all that because Jessica was half-naked. Just like how Hyoyeon wanted it to be. She swallowed hard.
Jessica started to undo her bra. “WAIT A SECOND.” Tiffany said quickly, panicking. “You have a great body and all. You seem pretty confident about it yadayada. But it doesn’t give you the right to just strip in front of someone!”
“Then leave.” Jessica said, shaking her head and then turned around so her back was facing Tiffany.
After leaving the bedroom to give some privacy, Tiffany sighed in exasperation and was incredulous at how Jessica was.
Minutes passed and she assumed Jessica was done. She opened the door quietly and peeked through. Soft sobs could be heard inside. Jessica was at the foot of the bed, looking down at something, and her shoulders rose and then slumped back down.
“Jessica..?” Tiffany said cautiously, unsure what was going on. She couldn’t be sad over a shirt right, Tiffany told herself.
Realizing there was another company, Jessica frantically gathered herself and looked to her left and right as if in search of something. She stood up and carried her wet clothes in her hands. Tiffany could see Jessica’s eyes glistened.
“Where should I put this?” Jessica asked casually. Tiffany awkwardly took the clothes from Jessica and hung it somewhere in the bathroom.
As she was putting the clothes up, she thought about how the shorts looked on Jessica. She cursed at herself. Maybe she should have borrowed her the long track pants instead.
Jessica appeared in the doorway of the bathroom, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed. Her hair was still a little wet. And she was still nothing short of beautiful. The shirt was kind of long, it made her look like she wasn’t wearing any pants. But hell, she wasn’t wearing anything underneath, Tiffany remembered and started to blush madly.
To keep her mind straight, Tiffany asked, “Are you okay? You were uh..”
“You saw that?”
“Yeah..”
“One of my pathetic moments. Crying over someone who didn’t come to see me and that was the end of us, I finally realized. So I came here, hoping to get things off my mind. Then you came all hot and cold in the end.”
Tiffany glared at her for a moment but broke into a small laugh. She appreciated the surprising honesty. Jessica looked more civilised to her now. “You’re the one who’s hot and cold.” She said and walked out of the bathroom and the bedroom, and then into the kitchen. Jessica followed behind.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jessica asked out of genuine curiosity and leaned her back against the counter, looking to her left and saw Tiffany was making tea.
“You are. Emotionally and physically.” Tiffany bobbed the tea bag into one of the water filled mugs and smiled to herself.
“Elaborate.”
“You were out in the cold rain. Reluctant when I try to help. Then back in the bathroom, you told why you were sobbing. A sudden honesty. You’re like a whole new person.”
Jessica accepted the drink from Tiffany and began to blow air into it while listening what the girl had to say.
Tiffany took a new tea bag and put it into the second mug. The colour of the water soon turned into a transparent dark bronze. She continued, “Physically, you have that cold city look going on for you and underneath that layer of clothes, you are….” Words flowed easily now, it was somehow mortifying for Tiffany when she realized it.
“Hot.” Jessica added and smirked slightly. Tiffany couldn’t argue because the girl may be refering to the tea or herself. Either way, it was the truth. “Is that a writer thing? Analyzing people like that.” Tiffany nodded sheepishly.
**
The two settled in the living room and talked about Hyoyeon. How they met or what they had to experience one of Hyoyeon’s little games. They laughed, kept quiet at times when they had nothing else to say, then continued talking about Hyoyeon. It was the only thing they had in common for now.
“I knew who you were so I came. I mean, I could have gone somewhere else.” Jessica confessed.
“You said you had no interest.”
“No. I said I had no interest in the party. But as soon as Hyoyeon told me about you, I was interested.” She smiled. It was somewhat a warm smile. Tiffany smiled back.
“Who’s this someone..?” Tiffany carefully approached the subject. She wanted to know but knew it wasn’t really her business. Couldn’t help but felt envious of someone she didn’t even know.
“I rather not talk about her.”
“Okay.”
And with that, the conversation ended so did the electricity. The storm came strong, causing all the lights to go off.
**
“Close your eyes.” Jessica said. She was busy putting a few small candles onto a small box.
“It’s dark anyways.” Tiffany whined but complied in the end. “What are you doing? You’re not going to kill me right? I knew it. I shouldn’t trust blondies.”
“Just shut up and keep your eyes close.” Jessica took her lighter out and lit the candles.
She brought the little project in front of Tiffany. “Open your eyes.” She beamed.
“Didn’t knew you were into this kindf things.” Tiffany joked but only to get a slap in the arm from Jessica.
“I love birthdays.”
“You like getting old?”
“I said I love birthdays. Not getting old. And here I thought you were a writer.” Jessica scoffed.
The two faced each other, sitting on the wooden floor together. It was more comfortable to be in the middle of the darkness. Corners felt scary and suffocating for them. “Make a wish. I didn’t get to see you do it.”
“I know a wish that could happen now.” An idea just came to Tiffany, and she smiled like she won the lottery. “You’ll have to grant it. It’ll be a present from you to me.”
Jessica scoffed. “Fine.”
A second later, Tiffany blew all the candles out and the room became darker. They sat quietly until Jessica spoke up, “What’s the wish?”
“I want you to kiss me.”
“That’s your wish?” Jessica said like it was the most unimpressive thing she had heard.
Tiffany took a deep breath and then said, “Kiss me. Forget that ‘someone’. Stay the night and wake up next to me in the morning. And go on a date with me. And the day after.”
Jessica stilled and kept quiet for a few seconds. “That’s a lot of wishes.”
“It’s a writer thing to do.” Suddenly the lights came back on and Jessica’s lips were on Tiffany’s.
Words: 3057
Tiffany walked into her apartment and was surprised. Really surprised. Because it was a surprise birthday party for her. Well, she ‘looked’ really surprised. She had already suspected her friend, Hyoyeon, would do something like this.
It was all too obvious. The quiet whispers and giggles whenever Tiffany was around to do something. The birthday card being passed around. She caught onto these things fast. Despite of all of that, she didn’t want to spoil the fun so she acted like the most surprised person in the whole wide world.
She was good at that. After the birthday wishes, kisses, and presents were given, Tiffany sat down on the couch with a glass of wine in her hand while the rest of the people (who she used to work with) went to chat off about a day’s work or something. Her favourite band was playing on the radio; The Cardigans.
“So?” Hyoyeon plopped onto the seat next to Tiffany and grinned.
“Thank you.” Tiffany smiled.
Hyoyeon slit her eyes at her friend. “I knew it, you weren’t surprised. Damn.”
“It’s -”
“I have another surprise for you.” Hyoyeon’s lips grew into a devilish smile.
Tiffany gulped and braced herself with whatever Hyoyeon had in store for her. The girl would always make up for the second time. “What is it?”
“A blind date.”
“WHAT.”
“Okay. Not really a date. Just someone to have fun with tonight.” Hyoyeon winked and patted on Tiffany’s shoulder. “My present to you.”
“HYO - ”
“Oh, your date is here.” Hyoyeon stood up but Tiffany yanked her down to the couch.
“I’m not interested.” Tiffany hissed at her.
“Come on, you’re so dry up. Have a little fun.” Hyoyeon remained smirking as her eyes searched for someone in the crowd.
“What do you mean - Nevermind. So where is he?” Tiffany set her glass down on the table nearby, afraid that she might spill the wine.
“She.”
“What?” Tiffany asked again, making sure she wasn’t misheard.
“Not he. She.” Hyoyeon rolled her eyes. “With a ‘S’ infront of a H-E.”
“She?!” A lot of nonsensical things went through Tiffany’s mind. This was Hyoyeon’s work. Tiffany should have expected it. “I have very little experience with girls whatsoever. You knew what happened to the last blind date you set me up with.” She said in a fast manner as if the world was going to end.
“Don’t worry. Men and women. They’re all the same. Besides, she’ll be good for you. Appreciate the gift, Tiffany.” Hyoyeon rose from the couch and patted on Tiffany’s head. Then she waved at someone.
“SHE’S HUMAN!” Tiffany cried out. She wished that she could just pass out right now.
“She’s coming here.”
Frantically, she stood up and searched for whoever was coming in their way. Her eyes trailed from the person’s feet to her slim legs then to her perfect waists, chest and at last, met her eyes.
Those eyes. Those lips. Those.. everything. For a second, Tiffany thought she really was going to pass out. Maybe the term human was an understatement.
Tiffany gaped slightly and then grabbed Hyoyeon’s arm. “No, Hyoyeon. She’s too pretty. You can have the present back.” She whispered into her friend’s ear.
Hyoyeon ignored and shrugged Tiffany’s hand off her arm. “Oh, please. Look, just.. - Hey, Jessica! Glad that you can make it.” The said name girl smiled and they both hugged. Tiffany just stood awkwardly behind Hyoyeon.
“Why not right?” Jessica said in an easeful manner after they released each other. After a careful observation was made, Tiffany concluded the blonde hair suited Jessica more than Hyoyeon. She’ll tell her friend that just to spite her. “So.. where’s the birthday person that you’d want me to meet?”
When Hyoyeon turned around, Tiffany was nowhere to be found.
**
The past hour, Tiffany hid herself. Not that she was shy because of Jessica solely. She was just reminded of someone who shouldn’t be on her mind at a time like this. Surprisingly, Hyoyeon didn’t come to find her and drag her back to the party.
“Really, Tiffany? Chickening out now.” Hyoyeon scoffed and crossed her arms as she leaned against the doorway. Tiffany had her back against the kitchen island counter, sipping her wine.
“I’m not interested, Hyo. I’m sorry. You know how I am with parties.” By the sound of it, the crowd had left the apartment. Tiffany assumed it was just the two of them now.
Hyoyeon gave a sympathetic smile. “I know. You met Yoona in a party. But.. I am not going to let you mope around because of her.”
“Tell Jessica that I’m sorry.” Tiffany smiled at her friend’s thoughtfulness, not suspecting the literal meaning behind it.
“You can tell her yourself.” The end corner of Hyoyeon’s lips turned up. One of many signs of Hyoyeon’s little games. “She’s in the living room. Claim your gift.”
“I hate you.” Tiffany wanted to argue but thought better of it. It was useless. “And she’s a person, not a gift.”
“You’ll thank me.” Hyoyeon chirped in uncharacteristically manner. “Byeeee.” In a blink of an eye, she was gone.
**
It took her about 5 minutes to gather courage to walk into the living room. When she did, Jessica was looking at a painting.
“What do you think of it?” Tiffany asked, trying to be cool.
Jessica spun around and met Tiffany’s gaze. She smiled and Tiffany’s coolness was stripped away. “You did this? It’s beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
“So you’re a painter?”
“No.. I-I-I.. I’m a writer.” Tiffany wanted to run into a wall for stuttering. She was good with words but not much in the verbal area.
“You paint and write.. How very..” A pondering look fell upon Jessica’s face, trying to come up with a good word.
“Cliché? I know.” Tiffany laughed in a somewhat awkward manner.
“I wouldn’t use that word. But.. if you say so, okay.”
Then the air fell into a stifling silence. Because Tiffany ran out of words to say and it was kind of rare. She always had things to say. So they stood there, 5 meters apart from each other, crooked and weird smiles pasted.
“I’ll be frank here. I don’t know what Hyoyeon told you about me or this party or anything. Whatever it was, I’m not interested. I’m sorry. It’s just.. a personal thing. You seem like a nice person and I’m not. You could leave right away.”
“I’m not a nice person.” Jessica replied simply. She walked towards the bookcase. Tiffany had her mouth open at the unexpected response. “You see… I didn’t really want to come to your party. In fact, the second Hyoyeon told me about the party, I had no interest.”
Tiffany was supposed to feel a little offended. But all she felt was confusion. “What made you come?”
“Nothing better to do.” Jessica glanced at her briefly, smiling a little before pulling out of one the books from the bookcase.
“Then why are you still here?” Tiffany started to feel a little annoyed by the stranger. The girl was so fluid with her words and manners.
“I’m pretty sure Hyoyeon wanted us to get together.”
Tiffany laughed nervously and pretended to look oblivious at what Jessica said. “Hyo likes to make things complicated without straightfowardly saying it.”
Jessica put the book back and walked towards Tiffany. The distance between them vanished and Tiffany could feel Jessica’s hot breath against her own ear. The close proximity between Jessica’s skin and hers was making her crazy.
“Actually, it’s very simple. I want you. And you want me.” Jessica whispered. It was very.. very.. candid of her. For some weird reason, Tiffany was turned on.
Her heart was thumping in her ears. Lust ran through her veins like an adrenaline. When all means of control were thrown out of the window, Tiffany kissed Jessica as she pushed her against the bookcase. Jessica whimpered into Tiffany’s mouth at the sudden pain.
When Jessica slid her hand under Tiffany’s shirt, all movements stopped. Tiffany grabbed her hand and shook her head. She took a step backward and hung her head low.
“I’m sorry. I feel like I’m taking advantage over you. You should leave.” Suddenly, light and thunder came, and the lights flickered for a second.
Jessica scoffed in disbelief and wiped her lips with the back of her hand. She took her purse and left the apartment.
**
Few minutes later after Jessica left, Hyoyeon called Tiffany. Then came the heavy downpour of rain. Wind gushing, leaves slapping against the window. Tiffany loved rainstorms. It distracted her from reality.
“This is bad. Why are you picking up? You should be naked on the bed with a naked Jessica.”
“You’re disgusting.” Tiffany momentarily separated the phone from her ear as if it reeked of something.
“Where is she? I told her that I’ll drive her home if tonight didn’t work out. But she stayed.”
The grip on the phone tightened as the sudden realization dawned on her. “Shit.” She kicked Jessica out of the apartment and it was raining.
“She doesn’t trust taxis at night.” Hyoyeon added, unintentionally making her friend guiltier.
Tiffany bit her lower lip, worrying about Jessica’s well being. “I kind of… kick her out minutes ago..” She ended the call abruptly and shut the phone off. Escaping Hyoyeon’s wrath.
She hurried out of the apartment, and then checked the small lobby; no sign of Jessica. Took an abandoned umbrella near the door and went out in the rain.
Still, Jessica was nowhere to be found. Tiffany guessed that she had left already but something inside urged her to keep searching for Jessica.
Across the street, someone was there. Tiffany squinted her eyes and saw through the heavy downpour. She saw Jessica. Out in the rain, nothing covering her. Is she crazy? Tiffany thought.
Tiffany dashed towards Jessica. The girl was fiddling with a lighter, trying to lit the cigarette in the rain. It was absurd. Tiffany wanted to ask why the hell would she do that in the rain but thought better of it.
After giving up, Jessica groaned in frustration and flicked the cigarette away. Eyes surprisignly red, front hair sticking to her forehead and the clothes hugged her body. Evidence of mascara trickled down her cheeks, like a diluted paint dripping on a canvas, and Tiffany couldn’t help but be mesmerized.
She neared Jessica and held the umbrella high over their heads. The latter glanced up and then at the person next to her, bewildered. Realizing that it was Tiffany, Jessica rolled her eyes and started to walk away.
Tiffany grabbed Jessica’s arm and pulled her back under the shelter. Her shoes and her sleeves were getting wet.
“Hey!” Jessica complained.
Ignoring her, Tiffany dragged her back into the building. “I’m sorry, alright? Stay for a while until the rain lessens.” She placed the umbrella back where it was. “And what were you thinking? Being in the rain like that. Any longer, you’ll get hyphotermia.”
“I love the rain.” Jessica spat sarcastically. Tiffany ignored her and pressed the elevator button.
In the end, the two went back into the apartment. Water dripped from Jessica’s coat and so, Tiffany offered a new set of clothes.
“Seriously?” Jessica held the shirt at arms length. It read “Like A Virgin”. “And this shorts is too short.”
“Wear those or wear nothing.” Tiffany grinned a little at the second option.
“Really?” The blondie looked serious and it made Tiffany nervous. She tugged the sleeves of her dress off her shoulders. Then the dress fell to the ground. She looked calm, serene and confident.
Whereas Tiffany was the opposite of all that because Jessica was half-naked. Just like how Hyoyeon wanted it to be. She swallowed hard.
Jessica started to undo her bra. “WAIT A SECOND.” Tiffany said quickly, panicking. “You have a great body and all. You seem pretty confident about it yadayada. But it doesn’t give you the right to just strip in front of someone!”
“Then leave.” Jessica said, shaking her head and then turned around so her back was facing Tiffany.
After leaving the bedroom to give some privacy, Tiffany sighed in exasperation and was incredulous at how Jessica was.
Minutes passed and she assumed Jessica was done. She opened the door quietly and peeked through. Soft sobs could be heard inside. Jessica was at the foot of the bed, looking down at something, and her shoulders rose and then slumped back down.
“Jessica..?” Tiffany said cautiously, unsure what was going on. She couldn’t be sad over a shirt right, Tiffany told herself.
Realizing there was another company, Jessica frantically gathered herself and looked to her left and right as if in search of something. She stood up and carried her wet clothes in her hands. Tiffany could see Jessica’s eyes glistened.
“Where should I put this?” Jessica asked casually. Tiffany awkwardly took the clothes from Jessica and hung it somewhere in the bathroom.
As she was putting the clothes up, she thought about how the shorts looked on Jessica. She cursed at herself. Maybe she should have borrowed her the long track pants instead.
Jessica appeared in the doorway of the bathroom, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed. Her hair was still a little wet. And she was still nothing short of beautiful. The shirt was kind of long, it made her look like she wasn’t wearing any pants. But hell, she wasn’t wearing anything underneath, Tiffany remembered and started to blush madly.
To keep her mind straight, Tiffany asked, “Are you okay? You were uh..”
“You saw that?”
“Yeah..”
“One of my pathetic moments. Crying over someone who didn’t come to see me and that was the end of us, I finally realized. So I came here, hoping to get things off my mind. Then you came all hot and cold in the end.”
Tiffany glared at her for a moment but broke into a small laugh. She appreciated the surprising honesty. Jessica looked more civilised to her now. “You’re the one who’s hot and cold.” She said and walked out of the bathroom and the bedroom, and then into the kitchen. Jessica followed behind.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jessica asked out of genuine curiosity and leaned her back against the counter, looking to her left and saw Tiffany was making tea.
“You are. Emotionally and physically.” Tiffany bobbed the tea bag into one of the water filled mugs and smiled to herself.
“Elaborate.”
“You were out in the cold rain. Reluctant when I try to help. Then back in the bathroom, you told why you were sobbing. A sudden honesty. You’re like a whole new person.”
Jessica accepted the drink from Tiffany and began to blow air into it while listening what the girl had to say.
Tiffany took a new tea bag and put it into the second mug. The colour of the water soon turned into a transparent dark bronze. She continued, “Physically, you have that cold city look going on for you and underneath that layer of clothes, you are….” Words flowed easily now, it was somehow mortifying for Tiffany when she realized it.
“Hot.” Jessica added and smirked slightly. Tiffany couldn’t argue because the girl may be refering to the tea or herself. Either way, it was the truth. “Is that a writer thing? Analyzing people like that.” Tiffany nodded sheepishly.
**
The two settled in the living room and talked about Hyoyeon. How they met or what they had to experience one of Hyoyeon’s little games. They laughed, kept quiet at times when they had nothing else to say, then continued talking about Hyoyeon. It was the only thing they had in common for now.
“I knew who you were so I came. I mean, I could have gone somewhere else.” Jessica confessed.
“You said you had no interest.”
“No. I said I had no interest in the party. But as soon as Hyoyeon told me about you, I was interested.” She smiled. It was somewhat a warm smile. Tiffany smiled back.
“Who’s this someone..?” Tiffany carefully approached the subject. She wanted to know but knew it wasn’t really her business. Couldn’t help but felt envious of someone she didn’t even know.
“I rather not talk about her.”
“Okay.”
And with that, the conversation ended so did the electricity. The storm came strong, causing all the lights to go off.
**
“Close your eyes.” Jessica said. She was busy putting a few small candles onto a small box.
“It’s dark anyways.” Tiffany whined but complied in the end. “What are you doing? You’re not going to kill me right? I knew it. I shouldn’t trust blondies.”
“Just shut up and keep your eyes close.” Jessica took her lighter out and lit the candles.
She brought the little project in front of Tiffany. “Open your eyes.” She beamed.
“Didn’t knew you were into this kindf things.” Tiffany joked but only to get a slap in the arm from Jessica.
“I love birthdays.”
“You like getting old?”
“I said I love birthdays. Not getting old. And here I thought you were a writer.” Jessica scoffed.
The two faced each other, sitting on the wooden floor together. It was more comfortable to be in the middle of the darkness. Corners felt scary and suffocating for them. “Make a wish. I didn’t get to see you do it.”
“I know a wish that could happen now.” An idea just came to Tiffany, and she smiled like she won the lottery. “You’ll have to grant it. It’ll be a present from you to me.”
Jessica scoffed. “Fine.”
A second later, Tiffany blew all the candles out and the room became darker. They sat quietly until Jessica spoke up, “What’s the wish?”
“I want you to kiss me.”
“That’s your wish?” Jessica said like it was the most unimpressive thing she had heard.
Tiffany took a deep breath and then said, “Kiss me. Forget that ‘someone’. Stay the night and wake up next to me in the morning. And go on a date with me. And the day after.”
Jessica stilled and kept quiet for a few seconds. “That’s a lot of wishes.”
“It’s a writer thing to do.” Suddenly the lights came back on and Jessica’s lips were on Tiffany’s.