Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Blue 1. (days –60)  

It was summer. Summer meant bumblebees with a new purpose, ready to tackle the blooming forsythia and the fawn lilies so yellow that the bees almost blended right in with them while they flew around. Summer meant warm air that was a little humid and made you feel slightly sticky, it meant clear skies and perfect weather for all of your outdoor events. 

With a resigned release of breath, Momo accepted the fact that summer also meant a downpour of summer weddings. 

She should’ve been happier about it, it brought in money and it was perfectly reasonable that a lot of couples wanted to be married while the flowers bloomed and the birds flew high in blue skies, but Momo couldn’t get rid of the thought that the whole thing was silly. 

“No, why do you think I ordered them for today?” The blonde beside her made a face as she carried on her phone call and Momo knew that it would take some time for the conversation to end. All Sana had done since she dragged her to the parking lot of the dated church was accept call after call – Sana was supposed to be introducing her to a happy couple as their wedding photographer, but that clearly wouldn’t be happening for another twenty minutes, at least, if the tone of her voice was any indication. “I want to show them how they’ll look; we only have two more months until the wedding.” 

Momo wandered away from the blonde. She would stay within eyesight; she just wanted to walk around the place a little. What else could someone do in a pretty garden? 

She took in all the different colored flowers, made a face of panic at bees that whizzed past her and steered tactfully away from them. Her camera dangled over her shoulder from a thick strap and she itched to use it so she could capture the way two hummingbirds hovered over a white daffodil.  

“Pretty, isn’t it?” 

The voice halfway surprised her and she swore as she almost dropped her camera. 

There was a laugh then an apology that didn’t sound entirely sincere while the person was actually still laughing. 

“Sorry, sorry.” The woman bit her lip. 

Momo smiled and waved her off. The brunette beside her had to have come from behind. Her eyes scanned the tall trees that were all huddled together and the thick bushes that were in front of them like a barrier.  

“You’re the photographer?” 

Momo looked down at the camera that was over her shoulder and then back to the stranger. 

“Wow. How did you know?” 

The brunette laughed a little more. 

“Lucky guess.” She answered easily. Her voice was smooth with no hitch and if not for the teasing look in her eyes, Momo might have thought she was actually being serious. 

“Just luck?”  

The woman gave her a smile and put her hands behind her back as she began to walk leisurely along the garden. Momo walked with her through the high grass, her shoes trampling the odd wild flower every now and then. She wore a blue sundress, with red, pink and white tiny flowers dotted around it, that stopped at her knees and slightly gave way to the wind more than once. She followed her blindly, happy to have something to occupy her time until Sana was ready. 

“I’m a pretty lucky person.” She said with a nod while they passed vibrant purple pasqueflowers. Momo thought she would let the conversation die off there, but it seemed as though they both needed to kill time, because she started to say something else. “Did you take any pictures here yet?” 

“Not yet.” she glanced beside her while they walked. 

The woman, who had hair that was more red than brown, with loose curls in it, shook her head with the sun above her – sun that made her hair look even redder. 

“That’s a shame. For some reason I thought all a photographer would need to be inspired were a few flowers and sunlight.” 

Momo tried not to take the comment to heart, she was more than used to people who heard ‘freelance photographer’ and interpreted it as ‘unemployed’. After all, holding a camera and pressing a button couldn’t be that difficult, right? 

“There’s a little more to it than that.” 

She took the stranger in – the confident but lazy stride, the easy smile on her face and the way her eyes were locked on the church on the other side of the pasture. 

Momo looked down at her hands next. She saw the ring on the woman’s left hand and noticed the way that she pulled at it as if it were itching her. 

“You’re the bride.” 

She caught the woman’s look of hesitation before she actually answered with a stiff nod and reserved smile. 

“Yeah, that's what people are calling me so, I guess I am.” 

Momo looked up from the grass and made sure she could still see Sana in the distance. Sure enough, the busy wedding planner was still on her phone chatting away. 

Her eyes then drifted to the side where the stranger – technically her employer – was. 

“Weird thing to guess about if you’re going to be married in two months.” 

The woman didn’t look entirely pleased by the estimation of time. 

“Two months already, huh.” Her tone was flat and her face inexpressive, but still strikingly beautiful.  

“I hope you look happier about this on the actual day, if not my pictures won't come out well.”  

The woman turned her eyes back to Momo and the latter almost thought she had said something out of line because of how long the stare-off lasted. Then, a slow smile spread on her face and she gave Momo a wink. 

“I promise to inspire you.” 

She watched the woman bend to pick up a stray pale blue flower and bring it to her eyes for a close examination. She smiled as she kept it in her hand and looked down at it while she walked. 

“I wouldn’t mind sharing the workload.” Momo finally said.

The woman looked at her and let a short laugh out, eyes full of amusement. 

“Okay, don’t put too much pressure on me.” 

“Pressure? All we need are a few flowers and sunlight, right?” 

“Ah, okay, I see I offended you.” The bride turned to her and stopped walking. “Sana told me you were the least sensitive person she knew.” 

Momo hummed. 

“Haven’t you ever heard that an artist is sensitive about their work?” She tilted her head. 

“Artists...” She made a face at Momo. 

“Something against them?” 

The woman smiled. 

“I hate them all. Never met one I liked.” 

Momo shook her head, but it was nothing new to her. She kept on walking towards Sana, who had apparently finished her phone call. 

“So, you’re Sana’s friend?” She wasn’t sure if she was keeping the conversation going because she was bored or if she was just trying to please a client. Maybe a bit of both. 

“We’ve been best friends since eleven. She’s been planning my wedding since thirteen.” 

She would have to ask Sana plenty questions about the bride-to-be beside her with the small blue flower in hand and the frown on her face. 

“Did you look this enthusiastic at thirteen as well?” 

The bride’s frown was replaced by a coy smile as she looked at Momo. There was a glint in her eye that gave Momo the impression that she was thinking back to her younger self. 

“I was always happy to be Sana’s test bride. Back then I was married to all sorts of boys – there was a Batman action figure, a stuffed bunny that I got for my birthday... I think Sana even married me to a broom once or twice.” 

Momo smiled. She had only known Sana for three years and they had a mostly professional relationship, but it seemed like something she would’ve done. 

“Where’s your other half?” Momo asked instead, in some sort of effort to make the bride happier. It was odd to see couples who weren’t joined at the hip during this time. 

She watched the woman shield her eyes from the glare of the sun as it shone particularly brightly when they lined up with it on the field. Momo couldn’t help but notice the way her engagement ring sparkled with the rays of the sun. It looked like it cost an arm and a leg, like something Momo would’ve went into serious debt over if she bought one herself. Lucky for her, it was way too flashy for her own taste. 

“Probably still in the church, going over every inch of it.” 

Momo saw Sana look around as if searching for her. She wasn’t in a rush to be found really, not since she had accidentally stumbled across someone interesting enough to question.

“You’re the most unenthused bride I’ve ever met. Usually, brides are the ones panicking over the unimportant things; what flavor the cake is, what kind of champagne would be appropriate, if the seating arrangements are problematic. You know the, stuff like that.” 

The woman beside her laughed as if that was ridiculous. 

“I’m happy I’ve always been unusual then.” 

Sana finally met their eyes and waved them over. 

“We’ve been spotted.” 

Momo followed after her again, pleasantly intrigued and somewhat amused by the woman in front of her. What kind of bride was so nonchalant about her own wedding? Momo had never encountered anything like it. Not even those women that would marry the richest men they could find and had the fastest weddings they could get, even they scanned every detail with a meticulous eye and smiled brightly during all of it. 

“I see you’ve met.” Sana smiled once they reached her. The trio walked together towards the gravel walkway that led to the church’s steps. 

“Yeah, I was just telling her about my fourth marriage to Mr. Broom.” 

Sana laughed and pointed a finger at her friend. “That was some of my best work. Nayeon, this is Momo.” She gestured to Momo. “Momo, this is my best friend, Nayeon.” 

Nayeon held her hand out and Momo clasped it in hers loosely. 

“Best and only friend. It’s nice to finally meet you, Momo.” 

Momo gave her a faint smile. 

“So, this is Nayeon? I didn’t know that she was the one getting married.” 

Momo had pictured the woman to be completely different from all the descriptions Sana had given her over the past three years. The woman Sana described was wild and untamable, always luring her into situations that either ended horribly or wonderfully (all while drunk). Either way, they had still made for great stories. 

Sana hummed. Momo watched Nayeon’s hand rest daintily on the rail of the steps. 

“Gossiping about me to colleagues, Sana?” 

The blonde raised her eyebrow and looked down at her from one stair above. 

“We’re hardly colleagues. And don’t act like you don’t tell yours every embarrassing thing I’ve ever done.” 

“Our lunch breaks aren’t long enough for that.” Nayeon teased and Sana laughed and hit her shoulder lightly. Momo had never seen Sana laugh so freely. She supposed it was a type of laugh reserved for friends that had known each other throughout most of their lives. 

“I’ve been looking all over for you.” The deep voice brought all their attention to the top of the steps. Momo didn’t miss the way both their smiles dropped. Her eyes scanned the attractive man that stood in a suit with a big smile on his face. “Hello again, Sana.” 

The blonde nodded at him. 

“Geun.” 

He looked to Momo next. 

“Sorry, have we met before? I feel so rude.” 

“Not yet, I’m the photographer.” He didn’t seem to share the same observational skills as his fiancé since Momo’s camera was still securely over her shoulder. She gave him a smile – it was her job to be pleasant after all. “Nice to meet you.” 

He walked closer to them and descended four of the white stoned steps until he was on the one above Sana’s. Momo couldn’t help but notice the joking atmosphere had completely vanished and a tensed silence washed over the other two women. If the man noticed as well, he completely ignored it as he greeted Momo. 

“You as well, I was very impressed with the portfolio Sana showed me of your past work. I’ve always found a photographer’s ability to capture moments interesting.” 

He seemed sincere and it took Momo a little by surprise. Usually, her occupation was seen as something anyone with functioning hands could do. 

“Thank you.” 

“Let’s go in, I need to be back at work in another thirty minutes.” 

“You said you would take the day.” It was the first time Momo had heard the bride speak since the man walked out. She saw the slight frown on her face and the way her arms had folded over her chest, almost protectively instead of stubbornly. “My parents-” 

“Will understand.” He cut her words off with a smile. It was thin on his lips and his eyes pierced into hers. “Let’s go in.” 

Then he turned and headed back up the steps, expecting them to follow. 

Sana and Nayeon shared secret words through their eyes and Momo could do nothing but watch from the sidelines as Sana took her friend’s hand and rubbed a thumb over the back of it. She followed behind them, a little confused over the brash exchange, but thought little more of it since she was also used to the anxiety between couples when the big day got nearer and nearer; it was a lot of pressure, she could appreciate that, a lot of t’s to cross and i’s to dot. 

Momo passed through the wide doors of the church last. The fresh air was traded for stuffy air once the heavy doors closed behind them. The large glass windows at the sides weren’t opened, but they casted a pretty glow of a mix of colors onto the tiled floors.

Nayeon hadn’t left Sana’s side; she sort of clung to her, both of them giggling to each other even though her fiancé was right in front of them in the middle of the aisle that separated the two rows of pews.  

Momo studied his face – she often did this with people she would photograph. In a way, it was to map out his best side, how his profile would look turned which way and that. Her eyes went down the dark hair that curled slightly at the ends, the equally as dark eyes that gave him an intimidating edge and the straight nose that made him more attractive. His lips were even the perfect size and shade of pink. 

She was surprised when he turned his sharp eyes on her. 

“How long have you been a photographer?” 

His interest was new to her as well, clients never usually bothered to ask and Momo didn’t mind. It wasn’t about her. 

“I started doing it professionally when I was twenty-one. I’m twenty-four now.” 

He smiled. “Perfect age to know exactly what you want to be doing for the rest of your life.” 

She returned the smile with a shrug. 

“I’ve been surrounded by cameras my whole life since my dad was one as well. It wasn’t a hard decision.” 

“Your dad was a camera?” Sana asked which earned a laugh from Nayeon and a bored stare from Momo. 

“I meant a photographer.” 

“Following in his footsteps. How nice.” 

Momo just smiled. 

“Sorry if I suddenly asked too many questions. People in your line of work just intrigue me.” 

“Not a problem. It’s a nice change from people who just tell me how simple it is.” She exchanged a secretive smile with Nayeon. 

A loud ring went through the quiet church and echoed against the walls.

“I have to take this.” Geun said as he looked at his phone. “Nayeon.” He called the name more like he was calling for the attention of a pet. “You’ll ride with Sana to your parents’, won’t you?” 

She nodded her head. He smiled. 

“See you at home then.” He pressed a kiss to her lips then turned to Momo. “Nice to meet you, I look forward to working with you.” 

Nayeon spoke after he had exited the large doors. 

“Sorry for dumping myself on you, San.” 

She was given a reassuring smile from the blonde. 

“I actually missed your mom’s cooking anyway.” 

The woman beside her laughed. 

“Yeah? You assume that you’re going to be fed just for dropping me there?” 

They walked towards the doors themselves and Momo took it as her cue to follow. She was happy to be welcomed by the warm air immediately and free of the confines of the church, even if it had only been a few short minutes. She went down the stairs as the pair in front of her talked back and forth happily until they were back on the graveled walkway and their shoes were crunching the stones beneath their feet. 

Sana was already throwing her bag into the backseat of her car when she turned to Momo again. 

“Any other appointments today?” 

Momo stuck her hands into her front pockets and shook her head. 

“I thought this was going to take more time so I freed up my afternoon.” 

“Lucky you then.” She put one leg into the car and looked impatiently at Nayeon, who hadn’t even so much as opened the passenger side door yet. “Are you getting in anytime soon? I need to make some stops before I can take you home.” 

Nayeon rolled her eyes. 

“Can I at least say goodbye to the photographer?” She received a wave of dismissal from Sana and laughed. “Sorry about her manners. She spent too much time with me as a kid.” 

Momo shrugged. 

“I’m used to the rudeness by now.” 

“I heard that!” Sana yelled. 

“Good!” Nayeon shouted back. She gave Momo her full attention again. “It was nice meeting you; Sana has said great things in your favor and I look forward to seeing how your pictures come out.” The brunette extended her hand and Momo looked down at the blue flower between her fingers. 

She took it, bemused at the action. 

“Thank you, it was nice meeting you as well.” 

There was the honk of a horn and it made Nayeon roll her eyes again. 

Momo watched as Nayeon got into the car and closed the door. She received a short wave from Sana before the blonde reversed and pulled out of the parking lot. Momo’s eyes followed the car until it disappeared completely, then she looked down at the frail flower. She wasn’t sure why she was smiling; she just knew that she couldn’t help the way it spread across her lips when she remembered how unusual Nayeon had been. She was wrong – Nayeon definitely lived up to all the stories Sana told about her. 

She twirled the little flower between her fingers and tilted her head at it. Pale and blue, small and delicate under her touch. 

It never left her grasp as she made her way to her own car and set it on the dashboard. 

  Green 2. (days –57)  

“You’re going now?” Momo ran her hand through her hair and tried to get her bangs to fall flat again. There was a laugh while Heewon sat up in the bed and caused Momo's dark green sheets to fall to her waist and expose the pale smooth skin Momo had just spent hours covering in kisses. Her green bra commanded so much attention from Momo… She just couldn't think of a single reason to have a green bra. “Can you let yourself out? I’m comfortable.” 

Heewon looked back at her with furrowed brows. 

Momo raised an eyebrow. “What? It’s not like you can stay anyway, I have a vet appointment.” 

“Still. Most people would at least pretend to be sad that I have to go. We just spent an hour making out and you’re still acting as though we just met each other.” She leaned down to peck Momo’s still swollen lips. “Be a little sad.” Heewon pulled back and tied her jet black hair into a messy ponytail as her eyes scanned the room for her shirt and pants. Momo knew exactly where they were but she refused to point them out to the woman; anything to prolong the amazing view she had in that moment.  

“Why should I be sad? You’re not leaving for the war; you’re just going to work.” She saw Heewon throw her an annoyed look. “Really? You’re mad at me for not being sad.” 

“That’s not the point, Momo. The point is I never know where I stand with you.” Heewon found the articles of clothing too quickly. Bummer. “I didn’t even call you for this,” she motioned to Momo’s topless state. Momo was well aware of why the older woman had called her; Heewon always called first, would ask to see her and claim that it was urgent. Those words set off alarm bells in Momo’s head whenever she heard them – it wasn’t that she was afraid of Heewon ending their little arrangement, no, it was quite the opposite. The tall woman stepped towards the bed again with her pants still unbuttoned and looked down at Momo. She stared for a long time until Momo raised an eyebrow at her. “You look really pretty right now.”  

Momo smiled cheekily, even if she secretly found the words annoying, and hooked her finger through one of the belt loops on the girl’s jeans. How many people had that line worked on before?  

“That sounds like something a girlfriend would say.” 

The older woman lowered herself until she was eye to eye with the Japanese and leaned in until their mouths were inches apart.  

“How many times have I asked you to date me? Fourteen? A hundred?” 

“Maybe a hundred and fourteen.” The problem was that Heewon’s idea of dating probably included nothing more than one diner date followed immediately by sex.  

“You’re so lucky you’re so pretty.” I’m lucky I don’t trust you.  

Their lips met again and Heewon ended up leaving slightly angry at Momo for 'making' her more than twenty minutes late for her shift. Momo locked the door behind her with a smile on her lips. A smile that didn’t take long to fade away into nothing as her empty apartment stared back at her in all of its messy glory. Discarded jackets thrown over the front of her couch, dupes of all the pictures she had taken in the last week scattered over her coffee table, waiting to be reviewed, and empty mugs littering every surface from the tall bookshelf by the T.V, to the side table next to her big red armchair. 

If Heewon noticed the mess, she never said anything about it. Then again, Momo thought, Heewon wasn’t exactly the tidiest person ever either. When they met, the woman was wearing mismatched socks and two different sets of earrings. Momo was still a little confused on why she ever gave her her number, they were kind of a mismatched pair themselves. Where Heewon was outgoing and more than willing to jump into a relationship with Momo based on great kisses and a mutual love for some of the same shows, Momo was more reserved socially and romantically.  

Sure, Heewon was beautiful and they got along well enough, but would Momo ever want to seriously date her? Absolutely not, for two very great reasons, the first one being Momo had witnessed firsthand how much of a womanizer she was and she refused to be just another notch on her belt and, secondly (most importantly), Momo didn’t do long term relationships. The longest commitment she successfully maintained was the one to her dog, and even that had its trying times. 

She almost made it back to her room before she felt something wet under her foot. An indication of another trying time. 

“Great.” Momo looked down at the yellow liquid and sighed. “Boo!”  

Forty minutes later and Momo was sitting uncomfortably in the waiting room of a vet clinic. Every over excited woof and sullen meow made her flinch and sink just a little lower into the chair. The woman next to her, with a long-haired orange cat perched in her lap, kept peering at her over thinly framed glasses whenever Boo growled. 

The receptionist had been kind; she gave Momo a chart to fill out and smiled when Momo explained that she had an appointment. 

She shifted in her seat again. Human clinics were bad enough, but animal ones were worse, if not purely because of all the conflicting smells, then because of all the disorder. And her own dog wasn’t any exception, the small brute kept growling at everything that entered his field of vision. 

“Boo? You’re up. Vet Im will be with you shortly, she just ran to change her shirt.” The receptionist smiled and Momo quickly sprung to her feet so she could leave the area. Boo was in her arms, like the baby he was (Momo figured a little special treatment was the least she could do considering what she was about to do to him), with his ears perked up and his wet nose twitching as it tried to smell every single thing in the room they were ushered into. 

The room in question was a pale blue color, with white-framed windows on the far left that overlooked the parking lot below; Momo walked further into the room, rubbing Boo’s fur gently and smiling at the lick he gave her palm. 

“Yuck.” 

“Don’t be so mean, he’s just showing you he loves you.” 

Momo turned to the door, to see a head of reddish-brown hair buried in what was probably the form she had been given to fill out upon arrival. The vet seemed familiar and when she lifted her head, Momo understood why. 

“Nayeon?” 

The woman smiled. 

“Momo, we meet again.” 

“You don’t look surprised to see me.” 

Nayeon waved the clipboard in her hand. 

“How many Momos are there in Korea with a dog named Boo?” 

Momo eyed the paper with a nod. 

“Fair point. I’m guessing Sana also told you about Boo while gossiping about me.” 

The vet stepped closer until she was directly in front of the pair.  

“If by gossiping you mean telling me that he’s not fully potty trained and that he has anger issues. May I?” She raised her eyebrows and looked towards the small dog, who seemed to be okay enough with her presence not to growl at her. Momo nodded and Nayeon put her hand on his head, rubbing gently before she scratched behind his ears. “Do you think he’ll hate you for what’s about to happen?” 

There was a beat of silence before Nayeon looked up at her. 

“How will he know I’m directly responsible?”  

“I might tell him.” Nayeon had that teasing glint in her eyes when she looked back down at her clipboard. “I can give you a basic rundown of how things are going to go after the anesthesia, or you could spare your mind from imaging all of it, your call.” 

“Do people usually ask for the explanation?” 

Nayeon looked up again. 

“Not really. It’s pretty straightforward.”  

Nayeon gestured to the tall metal slab beside them and Momo placed Boo down on it and kept a reassuring hand on his midsection as he stood in the center of the table, ears still perked and eyes looking all over the room. 

“Anything I should know about his history?” She had her pen ready as she waited for Momo’s answers. Momo thought it was kind of cute to see Nayeon in her professional state.  

She studied the woman’s appearance unintentionally. Her lips were a pale pink and her jewelry was also kept to a minimum compared to the last time she had seen her – only wearing gold bobbed earrings and a wristwatch. And of course, the flashy engagement ring on her finger. 

“Nope.” 

“He has a pretty decent appetite.” Nayeon pointed her pen towards the dog and Momo looked down to see him chewing on the end of her t-shirt. She pulled it away with a roll of her eyes and Nayeon smiled. “He seems like a handful.”  

She put her clipboard down again and rubbed Boo’s stomach. Momo was too busy staring at her to notice much else of what she was doing.  

“He is.” 

Nayeon gave him one last pat. 

“If you’re ready, you can wish him luck then say your goodbyes for now.” 

Momo looked at her dog. His tongue was out and his eyes were shiny under the bright lights in the room. She felt a tinge of guilt when she thought of him waking up without balls, but it was necessary roughness. 

“I can tell you care about him a lot. Don’t worry, I’ll take great care of him.” Nayeon smiled earnestly at her and Momo nodded.  

“Listen, Boo, don’t hate me later on, okay? You might not even notice. And you weren’t even using them.” Momo rubbed his soft fur soothingly, more than aware of the giggles being stifled by the vet beside her. “This person claims she’s going to take of you, you have my permission to react badly if she doesn’t.”  

“It’s not like he’s going to spontaneously start talking and agree with your plan to attack me.” 

Momo stepped back from the table. 

“Worth a try.” 

Nayeon’s own hand started to run over Boo’s body, probably in an effort to get him used to her before Momo left. 

“It’s good seeing you again. I didn’t expect to until the actual day.” She thought back on her words and flushed slightly. “Well, not good under these circumstances, but good otherwise.” 

“Good enough for you not to charge me?” 

Nayeon raised an eyebrow. 

“How about I take it out of the cheque we were going to give you for the wedding?” 

“Worth a try.” She smiled. “It was nice seeing you too, Vet Im.” 

“Ah, Vet Im.” Nayeon placed a hand behind her back as Momo unhooked the leash to Boo’s collar. “Why does it sound so sarcastic coming from you?” 

“I can’t help it. I have a dry tone.”  

“Can’t wait to tell Sana what you’re doing to poor Boo.” 

Momo groaned. 

“I’m not the villain here.” She looked down at Boo one more time. “Thanks for this, I’m glad you turned out to be his vet. Although, I never would’ve guessed at you being one.” 

“Sorry all professions can’t be as obvious as yours is.” 

“Vet Im, you really should be nicer to your patients.” 

Nayeon nodded slowly. 

“You’re right.” She bent over slightly and stuck her hand in the front pocket of her coat, then pulled out a small, round and brown cookie. “You are doing so well already, Boo, good boys get treats, right? Right.” Momo watched slightly bemused as Nayeon fed the dog and scratched his head. She looked up with a teasing smile. “How was that?” 

When Momo got back to her car, she sat in the front seat and breathed out a heavy sigh. It was only 3 P.M but it felt so much later. She was ready to go home and crawl into bed, only slightly sad that Boo wouldn’t be there to jump in with her – but that was fine, she’d get to see him again tomorrow. She fastened the seatbelt over herself and switched on the ignition, hand hovering over the radio as the car roared to life and getting distracted when she noticed the blue flower on her dashboard. It was dried up by then, but hadn’t lost its color completely yet. 

She smiled at it, not entirely sure why she had kept it so long. 

Green 2.5 (days –56)  

Momo returned to the vet clinic the next day, already unexpectedly eager to have Boo’s tiny paws making small taps on her floors again. She had to wait to be shown to the kennels towards the back of the building and her ears cried out as dogs yapped incessantly as she passed by their temporary little houses. The vet attendant in front of her just walked normally as if the noise meant nothing to him. She figured he was used to it by now. 

Momo’s eyes ran over every single cage until she spotted the familiar brown fur and heard the unmistakable, annoying bark her special little dog had. Boo shut up as soon as he saw her, as if he had been caught doing something wrong, and sat in the crate with his tongue hanging from his mouth as it usually did. To him, it probably looked as though Momo came to rescue him, completely unaware that this crime had been orchestrated by her in the first place.

She hooked her fingers through the cage and the dog’s eyes flitted over to them before he stuck his tongue out to lick them. Momo smiled. 

“Feeling guilty?” 

She turned at the voice. Nayeon stood with a blue mask around her neck in the familiar green scrubs.

“Only if you messed up somehow.” 

The vet shook her head and came closer. She turned to some of the dogs and called them by name to greet them as she passed. When she reached Boo’s crate, she nodded towards him. 

“Does it look like I did? We had a great time.” She placed her finger next to Momo’s on one of the squares of the crate door and Boo turned to give her a lick as well. “See? He loves me actually.” 

Momo watched the interaction with a smile.  

“It seems so. Maybe I should leave him here.” 

“Woah, now. I said he loves me, everyone else here is a different story. Do you know how hard it was after the anesthesia wore off? He was barking and whining for hours.” 

“That sounds more like him.” 

“I thought pets were supposed to be a reflection of their owners, but he’s entirely dependent on you.” 

Momo looked at her. 

“I could be dependent on someone too, you know.” Momo raised an eyebrow. “Maybe I’m in a long-term relationship right now, maybe I call my mom every hour.” 

Nayeon shook her head with a noise of disagreement. They were the same height again that day since Nayeon wasn’t in her usual attire of heels. 

“See, unfortunately for you, my best friend is a huge gossiper and she let me in on the fact that you’re not in a relationship and have mentioned not being close with your mother.” 

Momo blinked at her. 

“Right. Is there anything Sana hasn’t told you about me?” 

Nayeon looked back at her. 

“Is there anything she hasn’t told you about me?” She countered. “Besides, I only brought you up because I was telling her about how I was going to be Boo’s vet. I hadn’t expected to see you again so soon.”  

Momo watched Boo lay down. 

“You being a vet hadn’t even crossed my mind in the list of possibilities I thought up.” Momo admitted. 

Nayeon raised her eyebrows and Momo fancied that it was her signature response. 

“You were thinking about my possible occupation because...” 

“Your views on other ones were so... interesting,” they shared a smile, “I was curious about what you wouldn't consider too simplistic.” 

The brunette smile at her. 

“Careful, Momo. You just admitted to thinking about me and finding me intriguing all in one go.” 

The Japanese could do nothing but roll her eyes. Momo, again, couldn’t find it within herself to be upset with Nayeon’s banter. She put it down to how likable Nayeon was and how warm her eyes were whenever she teased people constantly. It was hard to do anything but smile at her and already feel somewhat used to it. 

“But it would be a lie if I said I didn’t ask Sana my fair set of questions about you since we met.” 

Momo looked at her and the other woman smiled at her briefly before checking her watch. 

“My break is over; I have to get back.” She waved to Boo who had been silently observing the whole time. “Maybe I’ll see you around?” 

Momo nodded. 

“Maybe you will.” 

Nayeon smiled at the answer and shook her head as she turned to pass all the barking dogs again. She still waved and said goodbye to each one that her eyes fell on and Momo found herself admiring the woman’s sincere love for her job. 

Orange 4. (days –50)  

It wouldn’t be fair to call her selfish – she wasn’t selfish. She was just cautious. 

She didn’t grow up that way of course; Momo had a childhood that she was fond of. Her real father wasn’t in the picture and her mother had moved them from Japan to Korea because she fell in love – but Momo didn’t mind that. She couldn’t mind when Korea had brought her Seunjin – the only father she would ever lay claim to. 

Momo knew that a lot of little girls in her position would be upset, would hate their mother and the new man in their lives trying to replace someone as sensitive as a father. Momo wasn’t like that. 

Seunjin and Momo started off as acquaintances. It was actually laughable how formal they were with each other, both taking great care not to cross any boundaries they didn’t know of. Then one day, Momo saw Seunjin going through a brown photo album with Japanese words on the front of it and immediately recognized it as the one from her old home.  

She wasn’t upset that he dared to touch it, to go through memories she had with her mother when she had been younger. Momo was just confused about why Seunjin had thumbed through the book in the living room and then carefully selected three of the pictures. If he noticed her stare from the entryway, he said nothing of it as he placed the photos down on the coffee table. 

It was that day, while they put up photos of her and her mother together, in Seunjin’s home that they became friends. 

He never tried too hard to be anything more, and maybe that was what made Momo so comfortable. 

“That’s pretty.” Momo had said when she looked at one of the pictures higher on the off-white wall. Seunjin was taller than her and his eyes lined up with the frame perfectly. 

He looked down at her and smiled. 

“I took that one. It was five summers ago but I still remember how beautiful those ducks looked in person.” He took the photo down so Momo could hold it in her small hands. “Summer is a good time to take pictures, all the plants flourish and multiply and all the animals look healthier.” 

He spoke in simple Korean and gestured to the flowers in the vibrant picture so Momo would make the connection to his words easily. She laughed while he mimicked the ducks' quacks that day. 

“I like it.” Momo had said in a small voice. She liked everything about the photo, loved how green the grass looked from the distance that Seunjin had taken it, loved how she could see wispy flowers that shot up from the bank of the pond and, of course, she loved the two ducks and the duckling that trailed behind them in the water. 

Seunjin smiled. 

“You can have that.” Then he hesitated a little – still worried about overstepping – before he gave her an offer that made her eyes light up. “You know I take lots of these kinds of pictures.” Momo nodded. “Would you like to come with me tomorrow? We won’t see any ducks but the flowers will still be there.” 

Momo had smiled and nodded again. Seunjin never chastised her for not using her words; he just smiled and nodded as well. 

That was how it had started; Momo would accompany him whenever he went to take pictures and she would watch with great interest each time. The first photo she ever took was when she was seven – it was at Seunjin’s birthday party; Momo had lots of cake and her mother had been running in and out of the house for beverages and more food. Momo found that she liked the way her mother smiled at Seunjin while everyone sang him happy birthday and she liked the way he smiled back at her. No one had ever smiled at her mother that way and they both looked so happy. 

So, Momo grabbed his camera with the thick orange strap that had been on the large table in their backyard, held it up the way she saw him do countless times and then, click! 

The flash went off the same time the song had ended and it had drawn the attention to the seven-year-old with the big camera in her hands that looked like it weighed her down. 

She had a large smile on her face as she and Seunjin framed the photo two days later and the smile only grew when he announced it was the best present he had ever received. 

They became father and daughter after that. 

She wasn’t selfish – just cautious. 

That photo was one of many she took of her parents, but in the end it was the one her and her mother had picked out to display at his funeral. 

Orange 4.5 (days –50)  

Momo hated parties with a burning passion. Hated all the people she didn’t want to get to know, hated the awkward introductions Sana tried to force on her (Momo…this is Eunbi, isn’t she gorgeous? She’s an art teacher at...) and hated that she couldn’t seem to sneak away from someone long enough before another person was making an effort to talk to her; there was nothing more boring to her than having to listen to someone drone on and on about prices of things raising or how crappy their boss was. 

She wasn’t even sure why Sana had invited her... Granted, they had known each other three years, but all their meetups had been work related and only happened whenever Sana needed a photographer. The blonde had assured Momo it was a small get together and practically begged her to come, claiming that she wanted Momo to meet some people and network. What nearly starving artist would say no? Except, all of the people there were nearly drunk off their asses and Momo had clearly been tricked. 

The networking Sana spoke of seemed more like an excuse to introduce her single friends to her. 

“I invited you here so you could socialize.”  

Momo sighed. It only took Sana six minutes to find her that time. 

“I did. And my social meter has dropped considerably.”  

She could hear laughter and cheers as they played some game in the living room and she was determined not to leave the precious area that hid her from everyone else. She had been getting away with it until Sana passed by the stairs on her way to the kitchen and spotted her.  

“Come with me, they don’t bite.” 

The blonde smiled slightly at her, she probably felt bad about encouraging her to go to her ‘small get together’. It was no secret that Momo wasn’t the most social person. 

“I’m okay here.” She was leaned against the wall with her phone in hand – a phone she would raise to her ear whenever she saw someone that looked like they might approach her.  

“Fine, but it’s a bad hiding spot.” Sana muttered and walked away to the kitchen that was further ahead. Momo’s eyes watched her disappear behind a corner when she turned left. 

She spent another ten minutes on her phone, flipping through emails from possible clients and replying to some of them, anything to pass the time until it could be deemed acceptable to leave early. 

“Don’t yell at me, I said I didn’t notice.” The voice didn’t register immediately. She had been too focused on the wording in one of her emails. “I’m sorry.” 

“Sorry doesn’t take this stain out of my shirt, does it? Sorry doesn’t get my money for it back either.” 

“Keep it down before you make a scene. We were having a nice night and you want to argue over a mistake?” 

“Nice? Is that what you call your friends glaring at me while I sit on the sidelines?” 

The voices got nearer and increasingly impatient with the other. Momo felt her small bit of peace fading as she remained against the wall. She immediately looked around for an exit that didn’t involve passing the couple. 

“What do you want from me? You’re the one that insisted on coming when Sana invited me. I really thought we were having a nice night.” 

“Can you stop saying that? You were having a nice night. I was on the edge of the couch while you laughed and had a great time with all of those women.” 

There was a bitter laugh. 

“Really? As if I was only talking to-” 

Heels clicked against the polished wooden floorboards and the voices were hushed immediately. 

“What are you guys doing out here? You’re not leaving already, are you?” That had clearly been Sana. Momo turned her head and saw them in the middle of the narrow hallway. Sana had been frowning at the couple who had their backs to Momo. The blonde shifted with the tray of drinks in her hands. 

“We are actually.” The man said and it made the brunette beside him turn her head to him in response. 

Momo saw Sana’s hold tighten around the metal tray. 

“You were only here thirty minutes.” She pointed out with what looked like a forced smile. 

“How long are we supposed to stay?” 

“Geun, stop it.” The brunette touched his arm gently but it was quickly shrugged off. 

Geun? So that must’ve been Nayeon beside him. 

“I haven't done anything. I said we were leaving.” He turned to her and Momo didn’t have to be in Sana’s spot to see the piercing look he gave her with those intense dark eyes. “Tell your friend goodbye. I’ll wait in the car. Fifteen minutes.” 

He brushed past Sana without another word and Momo watched Nayeon deflate into Sana’s shoulder. 

“It’s okay.” The blonde had said. Her hands were occupied so she couldn’t put one around Nayeon, but it seemed as though that was all she wanted to do. 

“I’m sorry. I know you wanted to spend time with me.” 

“Stay then. I’ll take you home later, really.” 

Nayeon shook her head and pulled back. Momo turned her eyes back to her phone but her ears still picked up on everything. 

“I can't, he’s already mad enough as it is.” 

“He’s a huge child.” 

Nayeon said something that Momo couldn't make out quite well, there was a laugh between them, then Sana’s voice took on a playful edge. 

“You know, Momo’s here.” 

A small pause while Momo’s eyes widened a small fraction at the mention of her name. 

“Momo?” She heard Nayeon ask. 

“Momo.” Sana confirmed. “She’s somewhere lurking about leering at her phone – anything to avoid socialization.” 

“I’m surprised you got her to come. She didn’t seem like the party type.” 

“I might have lied and said it wouldn’t be too many people.” 

Momo scoffed, I knew that was a lie. 

The Japanese heard the voices get closer gradually as the pair moved towards her location. She didn’t turn to them when she saw the tip of Sana’s heel from the corner of her eye. 

“There she is. Right where I left her.” 

Momo looked to her side at the friends and she couldn’t help but notice the pale orange Nayeon wore – it was perfect and reminded her of the dress she saw Nayeon in the first time they met. Her eyes found their matching smiles next. 

“Vet Im.” Momo nodded to her in greeting. 

“Momo.” Nayeon nodded back. “What a strange place to hide.” 

Momo ignored the well-placed statement as Sana gestured to the tray of drinks in her hands. 

“I better get these out.” She gave Nayeon a look. “Don’t make him wait long.” 

“I won’t.” After Sana walked off, the brunette turned back to Momo and walked closer to her. She looked as though she wanted to ask something, probably if Momo had overheard any of her conversation with Geun, but instead she seemed to settle on something lighter. 

“How’s Boo?” 

Momo was relieved she chose to stay away from the topic of relationship drama. She smelt the faint scent of Nayeon’s perfume – she didn’t have any clue what exactly it smelt of, just that it was pleasant. 

"He’s a lot better. Back to being as normal as he ever was.” 

Nayeon smiled. 

“That’s good to hear.” She looked amused when Momo winced at another set of loud cheering from the living room. “You’re having a bad time, aren’t you?” 

“If I say yes, will you tell Sana?” She had given it a fair chance; these types of things just weren’t for her. 

“I think she already knows.” Nayeon placed her hands behind her back. “Did she tell you I was coming, by any chance?” 

Momo shook her head. Nayeon smiled but looked a little disappointed by it. 

“But I’m glad to see you.” Momo added quickly, in hopes of brightening Nayeon’s mood. 

She watched Nayeon hide a smile by looking down at her feet. 

“Meet anyone interesting here? Sana has a knack for setting people up.”  

“I’m not really open to meeting someone right now.” At that, Nayeon raised her eyebrows at her questioningly and Momo was forced to continue. “I’m seeing someone. Kind of. It’s not serious.” She looked away from Nayeon’s eyes to avoid the amusement she saw in them.  

“That’s not surprising. You’re not the commitment type, right?” 

“You should stop listening to everything Sana tells you about me. Not all of it is going to be accurate, she hardly knows me remember?” 

Nayeon laughed shortly. 

“Accurate? You think I ask her about you for accuracy? I’m very aware of Sana’s over active imagination when it comes to people. She’s a gossip, I know that.” 

“Yeah, well,” Momo leaned her back against the wall again, “she should be more careful.” 

The brunette hummed and leaned her shoulder onto it as well.

“Or, you could be less naïve.”  

Momo smiled again despite herself because she had never been described as naïve before. 

“I’m not naïve.” 

“Then that means you’re more trusting than you let on.” 

She turned and found Nayeon’s eyes as their gazes met.  

“Not that either.” 

 Momo saw her eyebrows rise slightly but before she could bite out another reply, a familiar blonde reappeared. 

“I knew you would have trouble tearing yourself away from her – Nayeon, you have to go.” She tapped the silver watch around her wrist. 

Nayeon laughed. 

“Yes, mother.” Sana rolled her eyes but there was still a smile there. Nayeon looked back to Momo. “I’ll see you around?” 

She nodded her head. 

“Maybe you will.” 

Nayeon smiled a little more at that and Momo returned it. 

She watched her walk off with Sana beside her. Stared after them as Sana hugged her. Nayeon laughed and said something that made Sana look back towards Momo. Momo hurriedly turned her face away, embarrassed from being caught blatantly staring.  

Purple 5. (days –48)  

Summer was still droning on, but Momo found solace in the fact that it would all soon be over. She’d soon not have to worry about the glaring sun and the fear of a lack of A.C in any store she might’ve entered. 

Sana had walked with her to the parking lot after they had just met a couple. Both their heels made hardly any noise in comparison to the busy construction site on the road across from the church they were previously in. It looked like a new service station was going up. 

“You hated my party, didn’t you?” The younger girl asked as they reached their cars that were parked alongside each other. “I’m sorry.” 

Momo hadn’t expected the apology. It had already been days since the odd get together. She left shortly after Nayeon did and gave some excuse about a headache that Sana laughed at. 

“It’s fine, I’m surprised you invited me at all.” 

Sana chuckled as her blonde hair blew with a sudden gust of wind. 

“It’s not a secret you’re not very sociable. I don’t even think you realize I’ve been trying to be your friend for the better part of three years.” 

Her voice held no malice but Momo still felt bad as she looked at her. She had no idea Sana had been trying to get closer to her – she thought all the parties she was invited to was just a colleague being polite. 

“Don’t get in your head about it now.” She laughed again and rummaged through her handbag for her car keys. “The only reason I brought it up was because Nayeon mentioned that might be the case.” 

“Nayeon?”                

It was funny how the woman seemed to work her way into most of their conversations for the last few weeks. 

“Yep.” Sana brought the keys to the cherry red car out and shot her another smile. “She said that my hints weren’t going to be picked up on by someone like you. It’s been years of knowing her but I still hate when she’s right about things.” 

Momo raised an eyebrow.

“Someone like me...What exactly have you been telling her?” 

“Nothing too out there,” Sana smiled but changed it to a warmer look when Momo didn’t smile back. “I’m serious. I don’t know that much about you myself; there wasn’t much to share when she asked.” 

Momo remembered Nayeon saying that she didn’t ask Sana about her for accuracy – then why did she ask at all? 

“She asks about me a lot then?” Momo tried to sound casual about the whole thing. 

“You could say that.” Sana fiddled with the keys in her hand. “Nayeon’s a vet – she sees a wounded animal and she tries to fix it. Her mind is no different when it comes to people.” She couldn't tell if Sana was serious or teasing her. 

Nayeon seemed more like the wounded animal in this scenario if the way Geun talked to her was any indication. 

“Tell your friend that I’m not some injured dove that a four-year-old brought to her in a shoebox.” She turned to her own car and unlocked it. “And that maybe she should focus on her own wings.” 

Sana sighed and ran a hand through her hair before she checked her watch and made a face of panic. 

“Okay, not my biggest fan right now, but can you please do me a favor?” Sana looked at her with hopeful eyes. “I promised I’d return these heels to Nayeon today, but I really don’t have time now. Would you mind dropping them at the clinic? Please?” Momo looked into her doe eyes and saw the desperation there. She figured it would be better to take the heels before Sana got on her knees and started begging. 

Momo looked at all the different types of trees planted around the vet clinic. They all bared beautiful flowers that were colorful and easily swayed by the heavy winds. She climbed the blue steps with a purple shoebox in one hand and pulled the door open with her other, only to be immediately greeted by a large dog and a man struggling to control it by a tattered brown leash. 

“Slow down!” 

He yelled after it as they both brushed past her and down the very steps she had just came up. Momo watched with a little amusement as the dark brown dog kept half running half walking despite its owner’s attempts to calm him. 

“He’s excited to be going home again.” 

Momo turned to see the receptionist from before behind her with a clipboard in hand. Her short hair was a lovely brown color now and a part of Momo wanted to compliment her on it, but she felt too awkward about mentioning something so random and said nothing instead. 

The kind woman took up the space in conversation with another warm smile and moved aside so Momo could step in fully. The chime above the door gave one last sound as the outside world disappeared and the awful green walls of the vet clinic surrounded her. 

“Here to see Vet Im?” 

They both walked towards the front desk and Momo was surprised to see an empty room. Usually there were at least two animals slobbering on the tiles of the waiting room. 

“Unfortunately.” Momo said with a playful smile, which received a teasing tut in response. “Is she busy? Or are you closed or something?” She looked around again at the empty room. 

The woman shook her head. 

“Oh, no. Just one of the rare days where in here is quiet, might not last too long. Miss Im should be checking on the dogs right now.” 

Momo didn’t say it aloud, but she preferred these days to the loud ones. 

Of course, the back area where all the crates were stacked upon each other didn’t get the memo that the rest of the clinic was supposed to be quiet that evening as well, and the dogs there barked endlessly. They got even louder when they saw Momo, and took the opportunity to be as loud as possible for the new human in their presence. 

Momo looked around but saw no signs of Nayeon anywhere. She was about to return to the front desk to just leave the shoes there, but then she came chest to – dog? with someone. 

“Why is my shirt wet?” 

There was a laugh before Nayeon stepped back, her arms cradling a spotted dog wrapped in a towel. 

“Well, there’s this thing called water...” She trailed off with a satisfied smile when she saw Momo roll her eyes. “Flea bath. Sorry, didn’t expect to literally run into you.” She dried the dog's ears carefully while walking towards a kennel. “Hope I didn’t get you too wet.” 

Momo followed after her, secretly wanting to pet the dog in her arms. 

“It’s fine.” 

Nayeon gave the dog some more TLC before she caught Momo staring at it. The sandy brown color of its fur was a little darker from being wet and Momo could smell the fragrant dog shampoo that had been used recently. Its dark eyes looked up at her and stayed on her. “You can hold her if you want. She’s nice and clean.” 

She looked up at Nayeon to see the woman smiling. 

The dog was pushed into her arms seconds later and Momo didn’t fight it as much as she could've pretended to. The dog didn’t fight it either. 

Nayeon laughed at the pair. 

“You have the same expression right now. I’m tempted to take a picture.” 

Momo smiled. 

“Taking an interest in becoming a photographer?” 

It was important to note that summer time made Momo sentimental. 

She watched as Nayeon stood with her arms behind her back and moved her eyes around to the cages one by one, checking each of them. 

The brunette had her hair swept up into a loose ponytail and it drew Momo’s eyes to her bare neck. Nayeon had smooth skin that was a warm complexion and Momo remembered the first time she had ever seen her in the large garden. Back then she had taken one look at Nayeon and felt the familiar tug to take picture after picture of her – as if she was summer itself, Momo wanted to capture her the way no one else ever would. (She never voiced that – Nayeon would just call her too artsy and she wasn’t too good at giving compliments anyway.) 

As mentioned before, Momo studied everything before she photographed it; whether it was a goat or a person or even a daisy. That day she had studied Nayeon before she even knew she would be the bride. Momo didn’t have to think too hard to remember the way the wind had blown and moved Nayeon’s reddish brown hair about behind her shoulders; the brown eyes that the bright day had made lighter as she shielded her eyes from it; the gentle way Nayeon’s fingers held that pale blue flower as if it meant the world to her. 

Momo had blamed the summer for making Nayeon so beautiful – kissing her skin and making it look as if it were glowing...easy to lose yourself to if you dared touch it. She blamed the summer for the shine it gave Nayeon’s hair, too, the way it made each highlighted strand stand out beautifully and the way it made the woman’s smile dreamy and something that Momo could only imagine seeing in a movie. 

“’Course not. I’m not nearly artsy enough for it.” 

But as Momo looked at her now, with her hands behind her back in slightly damp scrubs and her hair tied messily, Momo wanted to blame the vet clinic’s fluorescent lights, because Nayeon looked every bit as beautiful as summer had painted her to be. 

Momo hummed and looked down at the dog in her hands. It had its head cradled between the space of her elbow and she smiled a little at how tolerant it was. She rid her mind of anymore thoughts of the other woman. Maybe she was too artsy. And entirely too sentimental over the wrong things. 

“What brings you here? Although I have great confidence in my ability to befriend people, I’m not quite sure my charms have worked on you yet.” 

I don’t even think you realize I’ve been trying to be your friend for the better part of three years.  

Momo thought back to the words Sana said just an hour before. She shook the bit of guilt away before she looked towards the shoebox she left propped up against an empty crate. The Japanese nodded her head towards it and Nayeon looked in the direction. 

“Sana said she couldn’t make it and to give you those for her.”  

Nayeon frowned and looked confused. 

“Shoes...?” 

Momo looked at her with a nod and spoke slower so Nayeon would understand. 

“She said she needed to return them to you. They’re your shoes. I brought them to you for her.” 

“I didn’t...” Her words stopped short and her frown slowly melted away as some sort of realization seemed to wash over her. “Right. Thank you.” She looked down at the dog. “She’s asleep.” 

Momo looked down and saw that the dog was in fact asleep in her arms. She blushed slightly when Nayeon giggled. 

“Now this definitely needs a picture. Sana will love it.” 

“Do you and Sana discuss anything else besides the socially awkward photographer you have in common?” 

Nayeon seemed a little more than amused by the brazen question but she eventually settled on a small smile that Momo didn’t find entirely patronizing. 

“I might not be particularly interested in photography but photographers recently became very conversation worthy.” 

Momo held the dog out to Nayeon, who opened the wire door to the crate and motioned for Momo to put her in. Momo did so gently, careful not to let go too suddenly. 

“I’m not one of your patients, Vet Im.” 

Nayeon closed the door when Momo had stepped back. 

Nayeon laughed shortly. 

“Your lack of tail or feathers gave you away, I’m afraid.” 

“Sana mentioned that your interest in me revolved around your need to... fix people. I don’t need fixing; thought I would make that clear.” 

Nayeon laughed again and Momo frowned. 

“My, you’re much more talkative when you’re comfortable aren’t you?” Nayeon shook her head at her. “I hardly know you, Momo – what would I fix? Did it ever cross your mind that I just found you interesting?” 

Momo didn't mind. It was a mutual feeling. 

"Don't forget your shoes."

Momo walked past her but Nayeon’s fingers wrapped around her wrist easily. She looked down at the hand on her skin and then back up to find Nayeon’s brown eyes on her. 

“You’re not used to people being interested in you often, are you?” 

“A lot of people have probably been interested in me, I’m just very inept when it comes to noticing that interest.” 

Nayeon smiled and raised her eyebrows. Her hold hadn’t loosened. 

“Can you tell where this is going then? Or do I need to actually spell out that I’m interested in being your friend?” 

“That depends on if your friendships usually involve this much contact.” Momo gestured to the hand on her wrist. “If so, I might have to decline.” 

Nayeon chuckled and Momo was so close that the sound of it raised goosebumps on her skin. 

“Is that so?” Her voice had that taunting edge back. “You have a problem with me touching you? Or just people in general?” The way she asked it let Momo know that she was fishing for more information. 

“Both maybe.” 

Nayeon smiled a little more. 

“I should get you used to it then.” 

Then her fingers unwrapped themselves and Nayeon gave her some space. 

“Not entirely sure it’s something I want to be used to.” Momo muttered. 

Nayeon laughed again. 

“Sana and I are going out for drinks tonight. Come with us.” 

Momo made a face. 

“Drinking isn’t my thing.” 

“Then we’ll watch Sana get drunk together and take turns holding her hair back."

“Compelling argument you put forth.” Momo said dryly. 

Nayeon just laughed again. 

She couldn’t help but think back to the night of Sana’s party and the words the blonde had said about how long Nayeon had been allowed to stay – it gave the impression that Nayeon couldn’t be out long with friends. 

As if the woman heard her thoughts, she spoke. 

“Please? Geun is out of town and that leaves me free to actually enjoy myself. You’ll also be doing me a favor since Sana’s girlfriend will be there – would you really make me a third wheel?” 

The look she gave Momo suggested that she was aware she had already won the battle. Momo wondered how many battles Nayeon won with that charming smile and those pretty eyes. 

Her eyes drifted down to the hand that held hers before and she saw the engagement ring there. 

That leaves me free to actually enjoy myself... 

“In the spirit of everyone wanting to be my friend today, I’ll come.” 

Momo smiled and Nayeon smiled back. 

She was going to see if the Nayeon from Sana’s stories were fiction or not.

Purple 5.5 (days –39)    

Momo walked side by side with the other woman. 

She had her hands in the pockets of her jeans as they passed by all the nightlife in the city. The busy bars and the nightclubs with neon lights didn’t really get too much of her attention even though their flashiness begged for it. The night air wasn’t as chilly as she thought it would be, so she had shed her jacket and was left in the low-cut blouse she picked out earlier. 

Nayeon had jeans on as well, paired with a long-sleeved dark purple shirt that had words on it Momo didn't understand. Her heels made her barely an inch taller than Momo and the photographer was thankful that she wore a pair of strappy heels as well if not she would’ve felt too small in comparison. 

They had left the bar thirty minutes after they waited for Sana and her girlfriend diligently. Nayeon had stirred a drink that had a little vodka in it, then pulled her phone out and rolled her eyes before she downed the drink in one go and stood up. 

Then, there they were. In silence as the night spoke over them and washed over their ears with sounds of drunken men and women that staggered around laughing with each other. Momo caught Nayeon laughing at them more than once and hid her own smiles. 

She wondered why Nayeon hadn’t said goodbye to her back in the bar and called it a failed night. She wondered why Nayeon had walked out of the bar with her hands clasped behind her back – then looked back at her with raised brows as if to ask, aren’t you coming?  

They walked far away from where Momo parked her car, but she didn’t mind that. She didn’t even mind that they seemed to be walking aimlessly. 

Not when the night was this nice and Nayeon looked better than summer. She wasn’t even sure why she was so calm about her sudden appreciation for Nayeon’s looks – maybe because it wasn’t all that sudden. One of her first thoughts had been how stunning the brunette was after all. 

Nayeon’s hand fell on her wrist again as she pulled Momo to the side when a group of teens passed by them. 

Momo heard the woman’s melodic laugh as they stood to the side under a shop’s roof, then felt the release of her hand. 

“Good?” Nayeon had smiled. 

“Yeah.” Momo nodded. And then they were walking again, but Momo could see the smile on her face stretch wider. “What is it? I know you’ve been dying to talk this whole time.” 

Nayeon turned to her, her hands finally moving from behind her back and folding over her chest. 

“Am I that obvious?” She grinned and Momo smiled at how endearing it looked with Nayeon's two front teeth being slightly longer than her others. “I was trying to let you be. I know you prefer silence.” 

“I have my moments where I like to talk, too.” 

Nayeon shot her a look and the brown hair that fell over her eyes was quickly smoothed back by her hand. Nayeon wore barely any makeup but it just drew Momo's eyes to her face even more. The naturally pink lips and the slight flush of her cheeks that was there made her seem warmer. 

“I know that. I just didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.” She looked ahead again. They passed small trees that were potted carefully on the edge of the pavement and some convenience stores too tightly knitted together to not be in constant rivalry with each other. “I’m already dragging you through the streets with no clear destination.” 

Momo laughed at that because she had been thinking similarly. 

“I don’t mind. It’s pretty at night.” 

“Pity you don’t have that obnoxious camera.” 

“I'll take a mental picture.” 

"Hmm." Nayeon hummed and brought her phone out of her back pocket. "Would this do? Or does your magic only work with expensive equipment?"

Momo studied her for a moment before she took the phone. She messed with Nayeon's settings while they walked, with the older woman pulling her this way and that to avoid the human traffic, until she was satisfied and was ready to take something.

She really didn't care about the heavy flow of people, she'd stand still and take as many as she wanted to. Nayeon didn't seem to have a problem with it either, because she propped herself up against the glass window of a store and looked in the direction Momo had the phone pointed towards. Momo studied the picture of the town she could take, with the fast cars and their blurred lights, the moving crowd of people and the tall buildings. Then her eyes switched over to Nayeon and she reangled the phone without a second thought. She took at least four of Nayeon's perfect profile before the brunette turned her head back to her and caught her.

"That's cheating." Nayeon said as Momo handed the phone over. "Any picture of me will look good."

She smiled at the woman and unintentionally walked a little closer to her when they moved off from that spot.

Nayeon hooked her arm through hers while she chuckled, as if it was the most natural thing. Momo silently wondered if that was what it was like to have a friend. 

"You're impossible."

Nayeon threw her head back and laughed at that.

They passed a street cart and she jutted her chin up towards it. 

“Corndogs?” 

Momo shrugged. 

“If they have.” 

Nayeon stepped forward to order but held Momo’s fingers loosely behind her back. 

Momo looked around as Nayeon spoke to the woman in charge. 

“Momo.” She looked forward again as a paper container was handed to her. 

“Thank you. You didn’t have to pay for mine.” She felt a little uncomfortable about Nayeon paying. “I’ll pay you back.” 

Nayeon waved her off as she pulled them over to a green bench that was under a lone tree. It faced a bridge that overlooked a small lake below it and Momo stared up at the sky to try and find the moon while she raised the corndog to her lips. She lowered her head again and smiled as she watched Nayeon hold a chicken skewer up to bite it. 

Nayeon’s eyes found hers. 

“Good?” She asked again. 

“Good.” Momo nodded.     

Nayeon seemed pleased with the response. 

"You don't say much." She mentioned offhandedly. "Maybe I'm just used to Sana going around in circles for hours at a time whenever we talk."

She chewed carefully and blew on the hot food.   

"Hmm," Momo had rarely experienced a talkative Sana. "I never really noticed."

Nayeon shook her head and covered her mouth as she spoke.  

“It’s just one of those things you pick up on after being around someone. I’m sure there’s something about me you noticed as well.”  

Momo smiled behind her corndog as she thought about how Nayeon had the habit of putting her hands behind her back like an old woman deep in thought or the way she raised her eyebrows in response to almost everything. 

“Nothing at all. I don’t think that hard about you.” 

Nayeon laughed and raised her eyebrows on cue as she shoved Momo gently with her elbow. 

“Yeah? I don’t think that hard about you either, I’m just good with people.” 

“And animals.” Momo reminded her. 

“Something you noticed?” Nayeon taunted. Momo just remained silent in response and the woman laughed. “I love animals, yeah. Just like how you always knew you were going to be a photographer, I always knew I was going to be a veterinarian.” 

Momo hummed. 

“I used to be afraid of almost everything with four legs until my dad took me to the zoo.” 

Nayeon smiled at that. 

“He sounds like he was a great dad.” 

“He was.” 

A breeze flew by them and Nayeon’s sweet scent tickled Momo’s nose pleasantly. 

Sometimes Momo would catch herself stepping out of moments – she realized then that she was sitting with Nayeon on a bench on a nice night eating food with her. The thought brought a weird feeling to her. It was warm and she suddenly thought of her mother. Suddenly wanted to call her and hear how she was and maybe mention that she had made a friend. 

“You’re lucky.” Nayeon said. “My father leaves a lot to be desired. I don’t think we’ve spoken since the engagement party.” She gave a short laugh but it held no humor. 

“Will I get any pictures of him smiling?” 

Nayeon laughed at that and this time it was a real one, but her eyes were a little sad. 

“He hasn’t smiled around me since before I told him I was getting married.” She cast her eyes to the container in her hands. “I think he’s disappointed with me, has been since I introduced him to Geun.” 

Momo listened quietly while Nayeon spoke. Her curiosity had been roused again when it came to her. 

Brown eyes flashed to her briefly before Nayeon shook her head and placed more meat into her mouth so she didn’t have to keep talking. 

Momo took the hint and changed the subject for her. Nayeon always seemed to clam up whenever her relationship was brought up. 

“Do you want to go look at some street dancers after this? There’s a kid that always performs around this time of night on weekdays.” 

Nayeon looked amused. 

“You like dancers?” 

“No. I like when the overconfident ones that are terrible accidentally fall.” 

The woman laughed. 

“Okay.” 

And then they continued to eat together while the air got progressively chillier. Nayeon huddled a little closer to her for warmth and Momo laughed and did the same. 

Maybe it was okay to be sentimental in the summer. 

Black 6. (days –37)  

Her mother fussed around her in the familiar sitting room Momo had spent most of her younger years in. She held Momo’s dark hair between nimble fingers and twirled it in the same way she always had, looking at it as if she could see herself in the silky strands. Her vigilant eyes would glaze over and she would comment on how nice Momo’s skin looked – so young and nice, so clear and perfect. Momo would let her, it was the least she could do for her, right? It wasn't like they spent a lot of time together.

Momo was used to compliments – but not so used to acknowledging them. She knew she was attractive; long dark hair that was straight, that went past her shoulders and fell to the middle of her back; her cheekbones that were well defined and a nicely shaped pair of lips that her mother often told her she inherited from her dad.

Her mother was probably the only person who she would sit and let compliment her shallowly over and over again; because what daughter wouldn’t? Momo’s mother saw herself in her eyes – her younger self at least. 

“Boyfriend?” She asked as she moved away and served the fresh brew of heavily scented tea. It flooded Momo’s mind with images of her sitting in the room over various ages drinking that same brand and having the same conversation. “You’re too pretty to not have a boyfriend.” 

And Momo was too respectful of her mother and her mother’s beliefs to ever roll her eyes at the idea of having a relationship with one. 

Some discoveries should remain a secret between you and your thirteen-year-old self. 

Momo blew on her tea, that looked almost black, and drank it to give herself an excuse not to respond. Her mother was graceful in the way she smoothed a hand over her dress and breathed out a sigh that expressed her distaste for silence. The finger on her left hand still wore a perfect wedding ring – she probably still shined it every day. Momo used to stare at it for long periods of time during dinner after Seunjin had passed, confused about why her mother still wore it. 

What did it mean if he was gone? 

“How’s work?” She asked instead. That was a safe topic since Momo’s mother loved that she took after her father in regards to his love of photography. 

Momo finally smiled. 

“Good. I have a couple of jobs lined up until the end of August – then it’ll be busy again at the start of October.” 

“That’s good that you keep busy.” 

Momo nodded.

"Yes."

When Momo got home, she found Heewon waiting outside of her apartment. With the stress of seeing her mother and basically being backed into a corner of heterosexuality, the taller woman didn’t even have to open her mouth before Momo’s was over it. She kissed her passionately – unsure of if it was because she missed her or because she was trying to prove to some imaginary being that she liked it. She liked kissing women. 

Heewon took the lead, as she usually did, her fingers threading through Momo’s hair and reigniting the flame. She allowed herself to be pushed onto her couch. Allowed Heewon’s hands to trail up and down her body repeatedly, making her entirely too warm. She could feel herself get dizzy, even as the soft lips met her neck, desperately sucking the skin there and then running a tongue over it.  

“I missed you.” Heewon said between her kisses. Momo’s eyes drifted close – it felt good, that wasn’t the problem. The problem was that Heewon’s hand was drifting down her abdomen and heading to the button of her pants and she couldn’t think of anything else but how entirely bleak life felt. How much she actually hadn’t missed Heewon. 

She put a hand on the woman’s own at the same moment that Boo had announced his presence by jumping up onto the couch and barking at Heewon in agitation. Saved by the dog. 

“God, I hate your rat.” 

Momo shoved her back by the shoulders so that she could sit up. 

“Yeah, he hates you too.” 

Black 6.5 (days –36)  

Birds flew away as Momo’s shoes touched a patch of grass near them and she smiled a little at how they scattered so quickly. Everything was so green. And the flowers by the brink of the pond were so elegant in the way they danced with the breeze; the ducks swam together in harmony near the bank by the clusters of bushes in the water and Momo raised her camera. 

She got clear shots of them from a small distance. There was no need to go too close and disrupt the peace. Momo smiled to herself as she checked the pictures she took already; they were no match for Seunjin’s original masterpiece, but that was okay because she wasn’t trying to replace or replicate it. 

Her camera was risen again and she snapped another but quickly frowned because of the bushy tail that got in the frame at the last second. Momo pulled the camera from her eyes to look directly at the culprit, but the frown was quickly replaced by slight surprise at the sight of a familiar dog. 

If she had any doubts about if it was the same brown spotted dog, the leash attached to it that led to a woman in a sundress and sandals confirmed it for her. 

Nayeon hadn’t noticed her, she was too busy shading her eyes from the sun and trying to get the stubborn dog to go in the opposite direction. A smile played on her lips at the sight of Nayeon struggling to pull the leash.

She didn’t have to think about it as she held the camera up again and relaxed her shoulders before she captured the moment. Her smile widened again at the image. 

When she looked back up, the dog was heading her direction and Nayeon was pulling with less determination. 

When she laughed, Nayeon looked up at the sound. Her exasperated look faded and their smiles soon mirrored each other as the woman stopped fighting the dog’s instincts and let it pull her to Momo. The Japanese let the camera hang around her neck and barely noticed the weight of it while Nayeon walked towards her on the green grass holding the side of her dress against the wind. Brown eyes that were bright and seemingly shining never left hers. 

When the dog finally stopped tugging and Nayeon was in front of Momo they both smiled a little more. Nayeon’s hair was down with a single black and white ribbon around it to keep it away from her face and she wore her usual bobbed earrings in her ears and the simple gold necklace which fell nicely just below her collarbones. 

“Momo.” She greeted. 

“Vet Im.” Momo nodded in return. It took some time before she noticed the tentative lick on the back of her hand and looked down to see the growing dog staring at her. “And hello to you, too. You're weaker than you look, Nayeon.”  

Nayeon scoffed.

“It's not my fault she has the energy of one hundred people.” The dog licked Momo’s palm. “She doesn’t lick me.” 

Momo feigned a frown. 

“Oh no.” 

“I’m serious. This whole walk she’s just been trying to get away from me. I'm walking her on my day off and she can't even be bothered to enjoy my company.” 

Nayeon sat down and crossed her legs on the soft grass. She had a small frown on her face that Momo smiled at; she found it ridiculous and amusing at the same time that Nayeon cared so much about whether or not an animal liked her. 

“I’ll talk to her for you.” She offered. Nayeon smiled again, probably fully aware that Momo was just humoring her. The brunette put her arms behind her and leaned back on her palms. 

“How’ve you been? I haven’t seen you in a while.” 

Momo sat as well and she pulled her jumper over her legs to help cover what her shorts didn’t. The dog had no problem with laying down right in the center of both women and panting lightly. 

“I’ve been okay. Slightly busy with work, but not too much. What about you? Anything interesting?” 

Momo’s head turned towards hers and then her eyes dropped to Nayeon’s hand that was pulling at the thin blades of grass. “Nothing at all. Sana would have told you if there was, don’t you think?” 

“I think this park already has a gardener.” 

Nayeon’s hand stilled and she looked at Momo with a grin. 

“Right.” And then she let the blades of grass go altogether. “I hope I’m not interrupting you.” She gestured towards the camera. 

“Not really. I took all the pictures I wanted.” Momo smiled but it curled at the ends in a secret only she knew. Maybe she could have the picture printed and surprise Nayeon with it – Momo thought that might be a nice thing to have; who wouldn’t want a beautiful off guard of themselves? 

“You should show me some time.” 

And Momo smiled again because she knew Nayeon was more interested in her line of work than she ever let on. 

“Maybe I will.” 

That night, Momo stood around in her apartment thumbing through mail. She ended up throwing the pile onto her kitchen counter after she made her way there to start dinner. 

She pulled her ingredients out and chopped what needed to be chopped while the water in the pot boiled. She rarely received calls – so naturally the last thing she expected was for her phone to start ringing mid-chop. 

Her eyes scanned the room as the sound kept going and going and – where had she left it? She put the knife down and wiped her hands against a dish towel as she stepped out of the kitchen – desk? Chair? Where was it? She followed the noise like an ant would follow a trail of sugar, until she found the device on one of the many piles of books in her living room. She approached the coffee table quickly and swiped her thumb across the screen. 

“Hello?” She answered as she held it to her ear.  

“Momo!” 

Momo winced at the sound of the cheery voice. 

“Sana? Why do you sound so hyper at nine P.M?” She walked back towards the kitchen quickly when she heard the sound of water boiling over. “Fuck.” Her first instinct was to grab the pot and take it off the fire – her first instincts always seemed to fail her; Momo swore again as she rushed to the tap and turned the water on over her palm. 

She heard giggling on the other end and rolled her eyes. Her hand stung badly but she kept it under the flow of cold water until it subsided. 

“Sana? This better be good.” 

“It’s all okay – I’m here with Nayeon! Vet Im!” More giggling could be heard and Momo raised her eyebrow at the name. “I introduced her to my girlfriend!” 

Momo was very confused about how any of this was her business but she just said a halfhearted ‘oh?’ and hoped Sana could tell from its lack of enthusiasm that she was puzzled over the sudden call. Sana only called her for work related things after all – mostly reminded her not to be late.

“We’re both drunk.” The blonde finally declared. Momo questioned if this was what friends did with each other – call and let them know when they were respectively inebriated. “We need your help.” 

Momo finally turned the tap off and examined her hand under the lights of her kitchen. The skin on her palm was red and she wished she had listened to her mother when the woman told her she should keep a First Aid kit in her apartment. 

“Momo? Hello... is the call still connected?” 

“Sana watch where you’re walking.” There was some shuffling. “Sorry...” Nayeon’s voice finally appeared and Momo stopped what she was doing. “I told you to let me talk. Go sit with your girlfriend before you bump into anyone else. Go on.” 

Momo forgot that her hand had been burnt only seconds ago and she rested it fully on the kitchen counter then yelped. 

“Momo? Are you okay?” 

She cursed silently before she answered. 

“I’m fine – why is Sana drunk calling me? You’re not drunk too, are you?” Her tone was very wary. She had no clue what they had expected from her. What could Sana possibly need help with? 

“No, sober as ever unfortunately. Sober enough to remember every single time Sana’s tongue went down her girlfriend’s throat right in front of me.” 

She sounded disgusted and Momo took pleasure in it. 

“Sorry I missed that.” 

“I’m sure.” There was a small pause and Momo could tell by the sounds of heels on pavement that Nayeon had walked a little further. “Uh, but we really do need your help. Sana’s shitty car won’t start again and she picked both of us up. We’re sort of stranded – those two idiots don’t care because they’re drunk but I need to be home in forty minutes.” 

Momo took all of it in as quickly as her brain allowed her to process it but thousands of countering questions still entered her mind. Why her? Sana had plenty of friends. Was it because she was close to wherever they were? Why did Nayeon need to be home in forty minutes? 

“Thirty-nine.” Nayeon coughed. Momo shook her head and turned the stove off. She swiped her keys up from where she had left them by the coat rack and slipped her feet back into her shoes. 

“Where are you exactly?” When Nayeon rattled off the location, Momo walked a little faster to her car; she lived almost twenty full minutes from there! “Was there really no one else you could call? If you need to be home so quickly, I’m the worst choice you could’ve decided on.” 

The line went a little quiet for a moment and Momo was already outside in the humid air the night had offered her by the time Nayeon breathed out a reply. 

“I trust you.” 

The words almost made Momo halt completely while she fiddled to open her car door. 

Almost. 

Nayeon ushered two very drunk women that were giggling together into the backseat of Momo’s car. Momo grimaced at the loud sounds that fell from their lips. The blonde locked eyes with her drunkenly since Momo had turned to them to watch Nayeon buckle their belts as if they were toddlers.

“Momo…” She said with a euphoric smile. Momo hesitantly mirrored it. “Are we friends yet?” 

Her eyes drifted to the woman beside her – she had long athletic legs and long brown hair that fell over her shoulder. 

“Stop staring at my girlfriend.” Sana chided, which resulted in the woman beside her erupting into another set of giggles. 

Momo made a face at her as Nayeon opened the door on the passenger’s side and slid into the seat. 

“Momo, let’s go.” Nayeon urged with a pointed look to the road. The Japanese nodded and turned back to place her hands on the steering wheel again. “Since Sana can’t make introductions right now, that’s Tzuyu.” 

Momo nodded.        

“Hey.” 

A giggle and then a slurred, “hey.” 

“How many speeding tickets did you get?” She could hear the smile in Nayeon’s voice and she smiled in turn, happy that the woman was less panicked. 

Momo had gone through a lot of red lights and cut a lot of drivers off in a lot of the same ways she hated – but it was worth it since she had reached the trio in record time. 

“None yet, but we still have to actually get you to your house.” She shot the woman a glance. “So now would be a nice time to tell me where you live.” 

Nayeon had a black dress on – even as she sat Momo could tell it hugged her waist and thighs and she looked for a second longer than she should've.

“Right, sorry.” 

She gave clear directions – Sana would interject every couple of words with something that barely made sense and Nayeon would hush her and then glance at the time on the dashboard. 

“We should be fine.” 

“’Course we will. He won’t even be home for another hour.” Sana muttered. 

“Then why are we rushing?” Her girlfriend asked sounding bewildered. Momo felt the same. “I was having fun.” 

“Because he’ll know if Nayeon’s home on time or not and Nayeon said she'd be home.” Sana answered with a weird bite to her tone. Her friend shot her a sharp look through the mirror but it went unnoticed as Sana rambled. “And we wouldn’t want him finding out she isn't.” 

“Enough, San.” The brunette spoke curtly. 

The silence in the car that followed was uncomfortable to say the least. Momo always drove with the radio off but at that point she had considered turning it on. She had the windows in the front down, so at least that gave them the sound of traffic that went in the opposite direction. Nayeon rested her elbow on the lowered window and the side of her head followed suit until she was half laying against it. 

Sana and her girlfriend spoke in hushed whispers in the backseat, laughing every other second at things Momo was certain weren't actually funny.

“Left here.” Nayeon said softly. 

Momo chanced a look at her as she turned off the highway. Nayeon lived a far distance from her own apartment and she wasn’t familiar with this side of town, but noted that the posh cars and upscale houses were a part of a clearly suburban neighborhood. 

“You okay?” Momo asked just as quietly. 

Nayeon turned to her and the frown on her face made Momo keep her eyes on her a little longer. 

“Fine. Sorry for dragging you out." She raised her voice so Sana could hear her. "I told this idiot to get rid of that car a year ago and she still refuses to."

"Hey, that car might be a piece of junk every now and then, but it's my piece of junk." She had unbuckled her seatbelt without Momo or Nayeon noticing, and sat forward in the middle seat so she could hold onto the two headrests in front of her. "It's been with me through thick and thin. Like Nayeon!"

Tzuyu cheered with her drunkenly.

"Like Nayeon!" She giggled with an assertive nod.

"Who would I be to turn my back on it? It's my other best friend." Sana continued, fully committed to her impromptu speech once she had gotten herself going. Momo sneaked a glance at Nayeon and watched the older woman roll her eyes with a smile. "To turn my back on that car, would be to turn my back on Nayeon!"

"On Nayeon!" The tall girl echoed.

"To say throw it away would be a big fuck you. And I'd never say fuck Nayeon!"

"Fuck Na-" Sana placed a hand over her girlfriend's mouth quickly.

Momo and Nayeon laughed. When she heard the banter start back up between Nayeon and Sana, Momo didn't really mind having to drive so far anymore. She felt strangely happy to be riding around with the three other people, one of which she didn't even know. She felt happy that she was Sana and Nayeon's call for help. That she could be needed.

The next day, Momo walked into the vet clinic around lunchtime in search of Nayeon. All night, she couldn't do anything but worry about Nayeon, even though she had no idea what she was worrying about in the first place. Seeing Nayeon would sooth her nerves, reassure her mind that the brunette was perfectly fine and perfectly capable of taking care of herself. 

She hadn’t expected to find Nayeon sitting on the floor in a hallway, with her back against the wall and a fluffy dog in her hands that she was feeding. 

The vet looked up immediately at the new presence in front of her and gave Momo a smile. It relaxed her to see Nayeon seemingly in good spirits. 

“Momo.” 

The Japanese nodded back. 

“Vet Im.” 

Nayeon smiled a little more and then went back to helping the dog eat. It was dirtying up her scrubs with how messily it ate but Nayeon didn’t seem to notice or mind. 

“You okay?” Momo decided on that as a decent enough question, even if her voice sounded awkward as she asked it. 

The vet seemed amused as she glanced up at Momo with a knowing look. 

“I’m good.” Her eyes and smile led Momo to believe she knew exactly why the question had been asked. “It’s not what you think.” 

Momo had a hard time believing that. 

“Really?” Her tone was dubious but Nayeon just paid attention her to her patient. “What’s his deal?” 

Nayeon kept silent until she realized Momo was referring to the dog. 

“Oh, this is Keu, he’s on medicine that takes his appetite away.” She put more soft looking food near the dog’s nose until he sniffed at it and then ate it. “I think he also got a little too used to being pampered like this. So, I have that to look forward to once he’s off the meds and still expecting to be handfed.” 

Momo laughed and she found herself sinking down to the cold floor beside Nayeon. Their shoulders were touching and it made Momo remember the night they spent eating street food on a bench. That had been her favorite night for the year – for the last five years maybe. 

Keu panted and sniffed her with his wet nose and Momo made a face as she recoiled from the touch. 

“He likes you.” Nayeon had laughed. 

“You think every dog likes me.” 

“You’re likable.” She said simply. 

Momo frowned and the other woman laughed again when she caught it. 

“I think you like criticisms more than compliments.” 

That made Momo smile. 

“Criticism is easier to respond to.” 

“I can’t find any to give you.” Nayeon paused as Keu licked all the excess food from her fingers. “You should take the compliments instead. From now on, from me.” 

Momo didn’t reply and it made Nayeon turn her head to look at her. A couple stray strands of her brown hair had escaped her ponytail and framed her face. Momo wanted to take another picture. 

“Can I ask you a question?” 

Nayeon raised her eyebrows and looked amused again. 

“Whenever you ask me that, it’s usually a question I don’t have the right answer to.” 

“Indulge me.” Momo insisted. 

The vet smiled a little and nodded. Momo didn't actually know what she wanted to ask anymore. She couldn't think of a question that was appropriate and didn't overstep any boundaries - it wasn't like they were close friends. Her hands went to some loose string on her jeans that she pulled at absently.

"Well?" Nayeon prodded impatiently and Momo just blurted the first thing that came to mind.

"I kept thinking about you last night." She mentally slapped herself when an impish smile landed on Nayeon's lips. "What I mean to say is, I was worried about you, so I came to check up on you. Are you sure you're okay?"

The teasing smile turned into a small, softer one. Nayeon mushed food between her fingertips while she answered.

"Why wouldn't I be?" She raised her eyebrows while still looking down at the dog. "I know he seems controlling to Sana, and probably you, but he's not. He's just looking out for me."

Brown eyes turned to hers and they tried to convey something Momo couldn’t entirely understand. Nayeon’s smile became gentler.  

"He's a good person."

Momo wanted to argue against that because of how he spoke to Nayeon, how he was so dismissive towards her wants.  

Nayeon obviously sensed that Momo didn’t believe her because she rolled her eyes and stood up with the dog still in her arms.

"I appreciate you checking up on me, but I'm completely fine." She didn’t look at Momo as she placed Keu back into his cage and latched it. "He just tries to protect me, it's not Geun's fault I'm this way." 

Momo tilted her head at that and wondered what he could be protecting her from. Maybe Geun just didn't want her to be the old Nayeon Sana had told her about - the heavy partier that was always doing something wild.

At the silence, the vet looked at Momo and let out a tired breath. She suddenly looked deflated. Her hands rested on her waist and she shook her head.  

“Geun isn’t a bad guy. Sana’s biased and you’re just going off of what you’ve seen or overheard – or maybe both.” She sighed again. “But he’s not a bad guy.”  

Momo nodded her head. Nayeon looked smaller in that moment and it wasn’t because she wasn’t wearing her usual heels. Momo stood up again and moved the short distance towards her. She was hesitant as she placed her arms around Nayeon and all she could hear her brain screaming was why? Why was she hugging her, why did she care so much and why did she feel so affected by Nayeon's sullen mood. The vet didn't pull away and after a few seconds she reciprocated the hug. Momo smelt her fruity shampoo and felt the woman’s grip on her tighten around her waist. She wasn’t used to hugs – especially not ones longer than three seconds, but she could do this for Nayeon. 

A throat was cleared and then the brunette spoke with her voice muffled. 

“I found a criticism.” She announced. “You’re a stiff hugger.” 

“I didn’t have to hug you at all, you know.” Momo couldn’t be upset when she heard the happiness in Nayeon’s voice. 

“I could get more comfort from a cactus.” Nayeon laughed and it made her smile again. “But I think I prefer this.” 

The words touched her heart in a way she hadn’t expected them to. She hugged a little tighter and nestled her cheek against the side of Nayeon’s head, feeling her soft hair and smelling the calming scent.  

Red 7. ( days –34)  

The day had started out as normally as ever – well, as normally as the last month had offered itself to be.  

Geun was out of town on business and she had learnt that during these trips, Sana and Nayeon took full advantage and spent most nights out until at least one A.M, regardless of the busy days they had after. Somehow, after offering her services one time (one=1), it had become a regular occurrence for Momo to accompany them while Sana’s car was at the mechanics’, so as to not have a repeat of the same drunken call fiasco days prior. Although Sana had made it abundantly clear that she wanted to invite Momo anyway. 

She wasn’t a fan of dark and loud places that seemed to always smell of sweat no matter what corner of the room she would wander away to; but there was something about the feeling she got from being around the two other women that she liked much better than being at home alone. Even if home was peaceful – a loud club with Nayeon and Sana dancing wildly around her had some sort of peace in it as well. 

Momo’s only rule was to never leave her alone; clubs weren’t familiar territory and she wasn’t naïve about how a night there could end up if she was somehow cornered unexpectedly. Both Sana and Nayeon promised her that they wouldn’t leave her sight and they were true to their word. 

That night Momo had picked Sana up as usual, but when the blonde opened the door, the older girl had been tugged inside her house. Sana led her up the staircase and sternly said that Momo needed to leave the blue jeans and blouse behind – and soon after, Momo found herself in a dark blue dress that exposed the top of her chest and hugged her waist so snugly, nothing could be left to the imagination regarding her figure. Sana had topped the look off by pulling Momo’s dark hair into a sleek ponytail, placing silver hoop earrings in her ears and then putting her in heels that were just as over the top as the dress. She thought it was a bit too much. 

However, Sana seemed quite proud of her work when they walked on the street to the club after parking and Momo garnered attention from both sexes that caught sight of her. She would’ve felt more uncomfortable if Sana wasn’t dressed just as ‘scandalously’. 

Sana wore a short skirt that looked like it was made out of leather, it was black and tight and Momo knew that if it was on anyone else it would’ve been plain; her white top threatened to expose her stomach with every movement of her arms – but Momo got the impression that the younger girl knew that all too well; Sana’s boots stopped at her knees but the stares she got went much higher. 

By the time they had entered the club, this one being just as dark and noisy as all the others, they began their search for Nayeon who always arrived before them. She usually waited at the bar with her regular drink of vodka and cranberry and she never drank anything stronger because she knew Momo wouldn’t either. 

“There she is.” Sana pointed and Momo’s eyes fell on the brunette’s back. Nayeon had become very easy for her to spot, even in the darkness of the club; her long hair that fell over the back of the bar stool, the familiar way she sat with one leg lapped elegantly over the other while her hand lazily stirred a drink.  

The woman smiled widely when she laid eyes on them. Her dress for the night was red again and Momo enjoyed the way it squeezed her thighs in protest as she uncrossed her legs and stood to give Sana a hug. She watched the interaction with a slight smile. Something about seeing Sana and Nayeon together reminded her of how much she had missed out on by withdrawing herself from others. 

Nayeon’s brown eyes met hers over Sana’s shoulder and she saw them trail down slowly. The club hardly offered any significant light at all, but that didn’t stop her from taking her time as if she could see every detail on Momo’s body. 

“Is that your dress, Sana?” 

The blonde laughed and nodded as she pulled away. This constantly happy Sana was someone Momo had to get accustomed to after knowing the strict-micromanaging-boss-Sana for three years. She seemed to relax and become a teen again whenever Nayeon was around her. Momo could understand it. There was just something about the older girl that was easy to latch onto. 

“I did well, didn’t I?” She asked, already turning to the bar for drinks. Sana never seemed to mind that she was the only one who ever got tipsy on their little nights out – although sometimes her girlfriend would join them and accompany her in making an ass out of herself in public. 

Nayeon’s eyes flicked back up to meet Momo’s. A slow smile spread on her face. 

“Very. She looks beautiful.” 

The tight knit club was definitely the reason for the sudden wave of heat that flushed her cheeks and made her shift uncomfortably. She folded her arms across her chest – the action brought Nayeon’s attention there – she quickly uncrossed her arms. It made Nayeon laugh. 

“You okay?” She asked. Her eyes dipped to the strapless dress Momo wore. “In that, I mean.” 

She shifted a little again. 

“Not my first choice, but it’s fine.” 

Nayeon smiled. 

“Tell me if you change your mind. I have a jacket in the car that’ll go with it.” 

She nodded appreciatively. 

“I’ll be fine as long as you two stay close enough.” 

She moved unconsciously into Nayeon’s side a second later when someone ogled her freely. 

“Still our shy, Momo.” Nayeon said as she sipped from her glass and twirled Momo’s dark hair between her fingertips. She seemed to like the ponytail. Momo didn’t bother correcting her. She was not shy but Nayeon’s mental image of her disagreed with that protest whenever Momo stuck her chin up at it; quiet didn’t have to mean shy. 

Sana looked back at her and smiled as well. 

“Maybe that’ll change tonight. She’s dressed for some adult attention and there are plenty women here willing to give it to her.” 

Nayeon’s eyebrows rose. 

“Women?”        

“Oops!” Sana covered her mouth but her eyes weren’t as apologetic. It looked like she had been waiting for the bit of information to be revealed and found the perfect opportunity to do so. 

Momo raised her own eyebrow in response to the surprise in Nayeon’s voice. 

“Exclusively. I’m surprised Sana never told you that before.” 

The blonde in question placed a hand over her chest. 

“You think too lowly of me.” She turned to pick her newly arrived drink up. The liquid was clear and Momo wondered what it was – she wasn’t that experienced with alcohol but she knew Sana disliked any of the fruity cocktails. 

Nayeon’s lips moved and her eyes were on her. Momo asked her to repeat since she hadn’t caught whatever she said over the loud music. The woman smiled and leaned forward, her firm fingers wrapped around Momo’s arm and she talked by her ear. “You only have sex with women?” The warmth that came from Nayeon’s body soon surrounded Momo and she smelt the sweet perfume the woman wore. 

Momo pulled back a little. Nayeon released her grip and returned to slowly stirring her drink.

“Theoretically, yes I would.” 

Nayeon tilted her head. The red, green and blue lights from the club shone faintly on her face every now and then and gave Momo something completely new to admire each time. 

“Theoretically?” She questioned. Momo waited with a baited look as she saw the cogs in her head turn. “My god.” 

“If he exists.” 

Nayeon shook her head and it was almost comical how stunned she looked. 

“You’re a virgin?” 

That caught Sana’s attention quickly. 

“She’s a what?” The youngest of them asked, clearly baffled and almost choking on her drink. Momo looked at the pair uninterestedly – what was so shocking about that? 

“You’re older than me!” Sana exclaimed. “There’s no way... what about the girl you dated some weeks ago? You were with her for a while; you can’t tell me you didn’t sleep with her, she was hot.” 

Momo almost found amusement in how wide Sana’s big brown eyes were.  

“What does my age have to do with anything?” She leaned her arms on the bar’s counter and was then between the two best friends who looked at her in disbelief. “And Heewon and I weren’t really dating. Still not really dating.”  

Sana shook her head. 

“You really never had sex with her? With anyone?” 

“That’s usually what virgin means, isn’t it?” 

“It’s not even a religious thing because you’re so adamantly not religious,” the woman continued, “which means this is actually by choice and that’s honestly scarier.” 

Momo scoffed. 

“I don’t think there’s anything scarier than waiting on permission from an imaginary entity so you can do what you want with your own body.” 

“He’s not imaginary to everyone.” Sana pointed out as she twirled the neon yellow straw in her glass. 

When Momo looked to the side for Nayeon’s reaction, the woman’s eyes were already locked onto hers. She couldn’t figure out what exactly Nayeon was thinking by the way she looked at her – it made Momo’s lip twitch. 

“What? No quips from you as well?” 

Nayeon smiled and shook her head as she sipped at her drink again. 

“I envy you, I told you that already.” 

Momo’s eyes were focused on her mouth as she spoke; since the music was loud, she relied on her ability to read the woman’s lips. At least she told herself that was why she stared at them so intently. She watched them curve into more of a taunting smile. 

“Let’s dance, Sana.” 

The pair downed the last of their drinks and Momo took Nayeon’s seat at the bar as they left. This was also a part of their routine – they would dance and Momo would stay back and watch the crowd. She rather do that than join the mass of sweaty bodies. 

It was nice to see them dance – Sana would put her arms around Nayeon’s neck and the latter’s own hands would go around Sana’s waist. They would laugh into each other’s ears and when the songs changed tempo, depending on what it had changed to, the girls would either pull each other closer or start to jump in place wildly and pump their fists embarrassingly. Momo would laugh as she watched them. 

This night however, Momo’s eyes never left Nayeon. 

The older girl moved with a fluidity and sensual ease that she didn’t need alcohol to help with. Momo’s eyes went over everything Nayeon had on display – the pale neck that was even more exposed when Nayeon tilted her head back and smiled, the modest amount of cleavage (for Nayeon’s standards), the waist that Nayeon jogged every morning for and as Momo’s eyes would go back up slowly – she would see her favorite part. 

The smiling lips and knowing eyes that awaited her.    

She never had close friends before, but Momo figured appreciating a woman’s beauty could never be wrong. That was all she was doing with Nayeon. Appreciating her. 

It wasn’t new to her when someone slid into the chair beside her and started to talk to her. She pretended the music was too loud to hear them, she always did. They would go away with a sneer soon enough. 

A drink was placed down next to her; an offering. Momo side-eyed it but said nothing. 

“Your attention is very hard to get.” 

She was shocked to hear a woman’s voice this time. The only people that hit on her in these clubs were men; the women were too coy to ever approach her upfront. The most she got was the bartender pushing a colorful drink towards her and telling her it was from a girl at the far end of the bar. Momo never acknowledged them. 

Her type was specific – painfully so. She liked bold women, always had. Women that took charge and weren’t afraid to say what they wanted. Beautiful women that could approach her and make her think about leaving with them... that was how she met Heewon, after all. Maybe that was also why she found Nayeon’s assumptions about her so comical – there was nothing shy about Hirai Momo. She hid a smile when the brunette locked eyes with her again. 

Momo turned her head slightly; the woman beside her was beautiful – had shoulder length dark hair that fell straight and a face that a lot of people probably stared at in admiration. She even wore a red top and skin tight jeans that caught her attention for a few seconds. Momo liked red. 

“There it is.” The woman smirked. “Hey.” 

Momo didn’t know if she liked that smirk or not. The woman nodded to the drink offering again. 

“I don’t drink.”                             

She smiled. 

“You’ll like it if you try it.” She pushed the glass even closer to her and her fingertips came dangerously close to brushing against Momo’s pale arm that rested on the bar’s counter. “I paid for it, the least you could do is try it.” 

Momo raised her eyebrow at the dark blue nails that tapped against the side of the glass impatiently. 

“If you’re so worried about wasting your money you should drink it yourself.” 

That gained her a laugh. 

“I bought it for you. So, you’ll drink it. I’ll wait here until you do.” 

Momo pulled the drink closer towards her. She looked down at it suspiciously, which received a scoff from the woman seated next to her. She took a small sip and then put it back down. 

“Wasn’t so hard, was it?” She watched the woman place her head in the palm of her hand. “Do you want to know my name?” 

“What would I do with it?” 

She seemed to find that funny. 

“Scream it?” 

“That could be taken a lot of ways.” 

Another laugh as the woman clutched her heart dramatically. 

“Hey, don’t be too harsh, I have feelings too.” She tapped the counter again. “Okay, what about you? What’s your name?” 

She made eye contact with Nayeon and Sana simultaneously when she turned again. The blonde smiled at her encouragingly while Nayeon just tilted her head in what seemed to be curiosity. Like she was waiting on Momo’s next move. 

Sana spoke near Nayeon’s ear and she watched the brunette frown slightly. Sana laughed at the response and then she dragged Nayeon deeper into the crowd of half-drunk dancers until they were completely swallowed by bodies and out of Momo’s sight. Momo tensed. They usually never left her when they danced.  

“Fuck me.” 

“This is going better than I thought.” 

Momo ignored her as she stood from the bar stool. She didn’t look back as she made her way through the crowd on the dance floor – if it could even be called that. The body heat from everyone around her made her want to go back by the bar immediately, until she remembered exactly why she had left the comfortable area. She couldn’t see Nayeon or Sana anywhere and she felt a little upset that they had just disappeared on her. She turned left and right in the dark mass of people and frowned when she came up empty while the bass of the horribly loud music thumped in her ears. 

People grabbed at her as she walked by, all of them were men that wanted her to dance with them. They placed their hands on her hips and one even tried to pull her back towards him. She slapped the hands away and walked a little quicker – why did she agree to the skimpy dress? She didn’t know how to react to the hands that touched her thighs or the curve of her ass ‘accidentally’. 

Momo crossed her arms over herself and finally reached the back of the club. It was darker; a spot the colorful lights never reached. Momo felt secure there, hidden. She would just wait there until one of the girls entered her field of vision. 

She felt partially ridiculous – she was twenty-four. If anyone saw her hiding away in the corner of a club they would laugh at her, wouldn’t they? Afraid of men and running from a woman that showed interest in me... yeah, even she thought she was ridiculous. 

Her head landed on the wall and she leaned against it. Her eyes were still searching for any hint of the two best friends but neither one appeared. 

She tensed when someone else ambled their way towards her – then cursed under her breath when she looked to the left and saw the faded sign indicating she was right next to the men’s bathroom. 

He hadn’t noticed her at first, far too busy walking in zigzags and muttering to himself. Momo hoped he never looked up. 

But of course, the world was against her that night. 

His hair flopped to one side and his eyes moved from their initial destination to where she stood. Arms folded and leaned against the wall by the bathrooms.  

A smile stretched across his face and Momo took a step to the side when he stood beside her. His arm stretched out to the wall and stayed there while he roamed her body with his eyes. Maybe if it was broad daylight and Momo wasn’t already so uncomfortable from being there alone, she would’ve snapped out of it and at least tried to walk away. 

She was frozen in place however, and all too soon she took in how dark of an area they were in, how loud the music was and how much alcohol she could smell on his breath as he began to speak. 

“Well, hello there.” 

Momo pursed her lips and hugged her arms a little tighter around herself. 

“What? You can’t talk to me?” He laughed and stepped closer. Momo took a step back, the music might’ve been loud but to her, her own heartbeat was deafening. 

He seemed to take Momo’s actions as a challenge and stepped closer again. 

“What’s your name?” 

What had Sana told her to say if she was ever approached by a greasy guy again? 

“Not interested.” She said it and looked away. Her view of the crowd was soon blocked by the man who leered at her chest openly for a few seconds. It felt much different when Nayeon did it, she had to admit. 

“At least hear me out. I just wanted to keep your company.” 

Momo doubted he wanted anything as innocent as that. 

“Everything okay here?” 

The third voice brought both their attentions to the side. The woman from the bar stood with a glass in her hand and her side leaned up against the wall as well. Momo wondered if she had indeed followed after her or if it was all a coincidence. She doubted the latter but couldn’t bring herself to find the woman annoying anymore when she had such great timing. 

Momo breathed out and walked backwards until she was near her. 

“This is between me and the pretty lady here.” 

“Get lost. You don’t want to draw attention to yourself, especially not with how big that bouncer by the door is.” She nodded her head towards the general direction of the door. “Right?” 

He scoffed and shook his head. 

"Whatever.”   

“Momo?” 

All three heads turned to the new pair of women that stood looking confused. 

“Even greater timing.” It was muttered dryly but the Japanese felt her heart slow down again. 

“Is there a problem here?” Sana asked. She didn’t look the least bit scared and even stepped towards the man a little as she asked the question. 

He laughed. 

“That one already threatened me, so save your breath.” He walked off with an especially vicious look to the woman in question, muttering profanities under his breath as he staggered away and completely forgetting that he initially needed to use the bathroom. 

Nayeon’s fingers wrapped around Momo’s arm and she tugged the younger one towards her gently.  

“Are you okay? What was that about?” 

Momo pulled her arm away, childishly upset with the pair. None of this would’ve happened if the two didn’t leave her in the first place. How hard was it to just stay within her line of sight? Especially when it was all she asked for. She was practically Sana’s designated driver every single time she accompanied them to the shady bars and nightclubs – what was so hard about just sticking around? 

The relief turned into anger quickly. 

“I’m fine.” She said it curtly but turned to the woman, who was sipping on her cocktail, and gave her a softer tone. “Thank you by the way.” 

She received a smile. 

“You could thank me by drinking whatever I order you next.” 

“Momo doesn’t drink.” Nayeon spoke. Her eyes flicked between the two until she focused on Momo entirely. “What happened? We were looking all over for you.” 

She tried not to scoff – looking for her? For all their constant talk about how shy and reserved she was it sure slipped their minds quickly when it was time for them to wander off.  

Her face remained neutral and she kept her arms folded. 

“You didn’t drink anything much tonight, right?” She addressed Nayeon directly. 

Nayeon raised her eyebrows. 

“...Right?”     

“Then I'm going to go. Take Sana home for me.” She turned to her savior for the night. “What was your name again?” 

The woman seemed to find the whole thing amusing.

“Eunbin. Nice to meet you.” She reached into her pocket and a blue-inked pen was suddenly marking Momo’s skin. “Call me and maybe I can buy you a drink some other time... or just plain water since your girlfriend made it so clear you prefer that.”  

"That's not what I said, asshole." 

Sana shushed her friend and Momo was just confused about why she corrected that part of the sentence and not the more obvious error - especially with the ring on her left hand. 

She needed to get out of that club. 

Momo ignored the two women that called after her as she walked off. 

“Momo.” 

Summer had just been starting to get better, Momo thought so at least. It was so pretty that night. The trees planted by the sidewalk had so many white and pink flowers that blew gently and made a calming sound – it was a stark difference to the loud beat of the club’s music she could somehow still hear in her head. It was at least eleven in the night but there were still some shops across the street that were open. 

She felt a little too exposed when she walked past an older couple that stared at her legs. God...maybe she wasn’t shy but embarrassed was something completely different. 

“Momo.” Sana tried again. 

The Japanese just needed to round the corner and then she would be fine. The leaves beneath her shoes crunched and some got stuck in the sharp heels but she didn’t want to watch where she was walking. She just wanted to get into her car and out of the view of all the people staring at her body. She felt the eyes all over her. 

“Momo.” Nayeon spoke that time. 

She frowned at the sudden warmth she felt over her shoulders and came to a sudden stop. A large jacket covered her and Nayeon took her halt in movement as an opportunity to stand in front of her and button it up. She did it silently and with a small frown on her face. 

Sana stood beside them. 

“We’re sorry.” She repeated. “Nayeon saw you talking to that girl and I said you looked uncomfortable – as a joke at first but Nayeon didn’t take it that way. We thought it was the dress so we went to get that.” She pointed at the jacket. 

Momo shook her head and stepped back from Nayeon. The woman’s hands fell limply to her sides. 

“No, why didn’t you just come get me?” She scowled. “You wanted to see what I would do, is that it? You wanted to see if the shy virgin would sleep with the first person she met?” 

Sana looked offended and her apologetic eyes quickly burned darker with anger. 

“What? Seriously, Momo, is that what you think of us? That we would just leave you for our own amusement? What are we, fourteen years old?” 

Nayeon cut in quickly to diffuse the brewing argument.

“I’m sorry. I know it was a stupid decision but I didn’t think first. My only thought was that I had the jacket in my car and I didn’t park far. I thought I could go and get it and be back in no time.” 

“Well, you weren’t.” 

“You’re not being fair, Momo.” Sana interjected to defend her friend. “I didn’t want her to walk alone in the night dressed like that and she didn’t want that for me either. We didn’t have bad intentions.” 

It made sense. It all made sense. Which made her even more upset – it upset her to think that she was the irrational one. She was the one so used to nights spent at home that she couldn’t handle herself around one man. 

Nayeon’s fingers tilted her chin up. She didn’t shrug her hand off that time.

The brunette was still frowning as she looked at Momo. 

“I’m sorry.” 

“We both are.” Sana said. 

Momo felt her resolve die down with every second that Nayeon kept her eyes on her. 

“Good?” She asked. 

With a heavy sigh and a side glance to Sana who stood looking anxious, she nodded her head. 

“Yeah.” Nayeon’s frown ebbed away slightly. “But I’m still going straight home. I’ll see you two later.” 

“Momo…” The frown was back in full force. 

“I’m fine. I’m just really ready to go home.” 

Sana touched a hand to Nayeon’s arm gently to pull her away. She smiled at the photographer and nodded. 

“Rest up and get there safely. We all have an early day tomorrow, remember?” She said the last part to Nayeon, who looked as though she wanted to reach out for Momo again.  

“Right.” 

“Goodnight.” She looked at Nayeon. “To both of you.” 

She waited until Nayeon said anything at all in response. Her face showed clear turmoil over her next move. Sana gave her a not so discreet shove. 

“Night.” She finally said. 

Red 7.5  

By the time Momo closed the door to her apartment and was safely back in the confines of her home – she had already started to regret some of the things she said; which was unlike her, Momo was usually very headstrong and certain about being mostly right and almost never wrong.  

Her anger had subsided and it left her biting her lip and wishing she had handled her own fears better. Sana didn’t hold her words against her, she could tell, but it didn’t seem like Nayeon brushed them off as easily – she looked genuinely hurt by the bitten words and Momo hated that she resorted to them. It was so... unlike her to suggest something like that in the first place. Panic got the best of her. 

She took the heels off as she stepped further inside. She would need to leave them by the door so she didn’t forget to put them in her car and return them to Sana – she looked down at the dress under the jacket, she would need to wash it as well. 

The jacket did go well with the dress, Nayeon was right about that. It was warm and just the right size to not be considered too big. She shook her head and took it off. It landed on her couch without a second glance. 

Her fingers were cold as they touched the warm skin on her back (only warm because of the jacket) and she pulled the zip down. The dress was scooped up from the ground and placed over her arm as she took the earrings out as well. The sight of her own reflection in the mirror in her hallway made her pause. Her pale skin looked paler than normal and her eyebrows were furrowed deeply, but she knew it wasn’t because of the events that took place in the club – her eyes moved to the side in the mirror and found the jacket that was in the background, limply lying on her couch. An image of careful slender fingers buttoning up that same jacket entered her head. 

Nayeon. 

Momo visibly saw her frown go even deeper from just the thought of her. She bit her bottom lip a little too harshly while she remembered the woman’s saddened eyes on the street. 

Momo’s face was soon covered by her hands as she felt the embarrassment and shame rock her body in waves.

She pulled her hands away and was welcomed by the reflection of her now red face – which she promptly turned away from. Her necklace was removed and her hair was pulled from the tight ponytail. She tossed the elastic aside as she raked her fingers through her hair and massaged her scalp slightly. A large white t-shirt with red text was thrown over body a minute later and she pulled socks on to keep her toes warm on the cold tiles in her apartment. 

Why couldn’t Nayeon just do literally anything else? She could’ve come and gotten Momo – saved her from the woman... who had turned out to save her instead in the end – it was all a mess. She didn’t care about the stupid jacket! The jacket wouldn’t have made her feel as safe as Nayeon herself. 

The night was apparently not finished with surprising her since she heard the quick wrap of someone knocking on her door. Momo frowned. Few people knew where she lived – that list was limited to past girlfriends that only saw the inside of her apartment once or twice briefly. Her mother didn’t even make the trip to her.

She looked at her phone to see if she had any missed calls or texts from Heewon saying she would be stopping by, but there was nothing. 

She pulled shorts on and ran a hand through her hair again as she hurried to the door. She looked through the peephole – raised an eyebrow and felt her heart quicken at the sight of brown hair. 

The knocks came again and Momo saw the worried look on the woman’s face. 

“Momo? Please open the door.” Nayeon paused her knocking. “I just want to make sure you’re okay.” 

She came face to face with the vet after she pulled her door open. Nayeon looked too shocked for someone who had been knocking for her to do just that. 

Momo felt the cold air from outside and moved aside to usher the woman in. 

After she closed the door and turned around, she found Nayeon with her hands behind her back and her eyebrows raised. 

“What?” 

The older one shook her head. 

“Nothing. I don’t think I expected you to let me in.” 

“That’s usually what happens after you knock on someone’s door, Nayeon.” 

She nodded. 

“If that someone wasn’t mad at you, yes, maybe.” 

Momo felt her lips twitch and a smile threatened to take over. It was Nayeon’s fault really; if she wasn’t so damn likable Momo would’ve been able to stay mad at her. 

“I’m not mad.” 

Nayeon looked appropriately surprised. 

“God, you missed a career in acting in that case.” 

Momo folded her arms across her chest. It was bizarre how Nayeon seemed perfectly at home in her apartment and she suddenly felt like she was the one out of place. The brunette stood in the center of the room in the same red dress that had mesmerized Momo and left her without words in the club. There was nothing right about the way Nayeon's body grabbed all her attention and those brown eyes alone made her ask herself questions she didn't know the answers to. Questions she dared not linger on. 

She wished she could be like Nayeon. She wished she could compliment the way the pout of her red lips stood out; or maybe the way the hands behind her back mixed with shining eyes that knew everything gave such a contrast to each other - the stance made her seem so innocent until Momo looked into her eyes and saw that look there.  

Nayeon must have read her mind because she softened her eyes again and the remorse shone through. Her need to make light of the situation alleviated. 

“I’m sorry for tonight.” 

The Japanese nodded her head – then promptly shook it. 

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that stuff to you.” 

A smile tempted Nayeon’s lips. 

“You mean when you suggested that I was trying to make you some sort of virginal sacrifice?” She laughed when Momo covered her face in embarrassment. Something else that was unlike her. “It’s okay. I know you only said it because you were upset.” Momo heard her move closer. Nayeon’s perfume embraced her and soon enough, her arms did as well. Momo felt herself tense in the hold. Nayeon spoke by her ear. “Good? Answer me truthfully this time.” 

She breathed out and put her own arms around the woman’s waist. Nayeon’s fruity scent had changed to something even lighter and Momo figured she switched perfumes for the night. She didn’t know how she hadn’t noticed before – maybe because they were both such pleasant smells. Nayeon’s fingers were in her hair, she ran them through it gently and Momo didn’t know how to feel at the abundance of contact.  

“Momo?” Nayeon probed. 

“I’m okay.” 

The brunette nodded and her hair tickled the side of Momo’s face. She was about to pull away but something made Momo tighten the hold. Nayeon seemed surprised from the small noise she let out. 

She wrapped her arms around Momo again slowly. 

“I thought I was making you uncomfortable.” She said softly. 

Momo shook her head. She didn’t know how she felt about the hug, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. It wasn’t anything negative. 

“Okay.” Nayeon said simply and kept her fingers in her hair. It was silent for a while until she broke it again. “Anyone else would give up on this hug with how tense your body is.” She laughed. 

Momo frowned. 

“I actually thought I had relaxed into it.” 

That just made Nayeon laugh even more. Then it dulled. 

“Should I ask why you're so bad at hugs?” 

From anyone else the question would’ve irritated her and she might've pulled away. Nayeon's voice was warm, her fingers were soft and her embrace was... comforting; even if Momo had been so adamant about not needing comfort from anyone. 

She knew the reason – it wasn’t anything complex. After Seunjin died and she withdrew from her mother and her mother had followed suit. The physical contact between them was very limited but never extended itself to hugs. Since she never had close relationships with others – temporary girlfriends included – physical contact altogether was something that made her tense up. 

“I stopped getting them.” She said simply. “Sorry I’m out of practice.” 

Nayeon was quiet for a while. 

“We’re standing by your door just hugging.” She pointed out. 

Momo smiled.          

“Is it weird?” 

She laughed again. Momo felt the movement and smiled wider. 

“Not if it’s for practice.” 

When she finally pulled away from the hug her eyes went to Momo’s arm where the pen ink from Eunbin was. 

She raised her eyebrow. 

“Are you going to call her?” 

“Probably not.” 

It didn’t escape her how Nayeon seemed to look relieved by that. 

She watched in silence as Nayeon ran her thumb over the numbers until they were all too smudged to make out, never taking her eyes off of hers. 

“Good then.” 

Pink 8. (days –33)  

Momo shifted uncomfortably in her chair. 

Her mother gave her an odd look as she sipped from a flower-patterned tea cup. 

“Is that really such an odd question for me to ask you?” She chuckled a little but Momo just became even more unsettled. “Really, Momo, you act like I’m asking you to do something horrible.” 

“It isn’t – why didn’t you ask me before you did any of this? You should have checked in with me.” 

After a whole day of having to listen to a disgruntled bride go on and on about how she wanted 'more flattering pictures' and how she wasn't paying Momo to take all her ugly sides, Momo was understandably too tired to even raise her voice at her mother. Although it was unlikely she ever would in the first place. 

Thin eyebrows furrowed at her and her mother shrugged her shoulders. 

“I didn’t think it was a big deal. You always say you’re looking for a man-” 

“No, I say I don’t have a boyfriend.” Momo interjected in as smooth a tone she could. 

Her mother ran her palms over her skirt and simply shrugged again. 

“Same thing isn’t it. Haruki is a good man; I knew him as a boy.” She sipped from her tea again, completely unaware of her daughter’s very poorly concealed glare that was being pointed down towards the innocent china in her hands. “You’ll thank me later.” 

Momo sometimes got the feeling that her mother was very keen on the fact that she was anything but straight. There was something in the way she would ask certain questions and hold her breath until Momo answered them – as if she was afraid of her daughter ever telling her the truth. 

The couch’s cushion seemed to sink even further under the added weight on her shoulders but Momo was taught better than to express her negative emotions. She held back her sigh and picked her own tea cup up. 

She looked across at her mother as the woman sat with her hands in her lap and a faint smile on her face as she gazed down at the ring on her hand. It seemed past memories were the only thing that could make the woman happy – Momo would do this for her. What daughter wouldn’t? 

“...Yes.” 

Her mother smiled. 

She walked that day so she could take her time in getting home. Summers in Korea were known for having the most rain of all their seasons and Momo was burdened with having to remember to walk with an umbrella every time she left her car. The weather was nice enough that day, despite it being almost the end of July and despite the fact that summer would come to a crashing end as well pretty soon. Pretty soon the rain would wash away all of her hopes of actually ignoring that it was almost time for Nayeon to be married. She wasn’t sure why it made her feel so unsettled, maybe she just got the wrong impression of Geun. Nayeon would be fine. 

She thought back to her mother’s unwanted meddling – why did she do that? Momo knew Haruki; his mother would come over for tea and he would be the shy little boy with the neatly combed black hair pushed into his eyes that would hide behind her legs. He would gape at Momo whenever she offered him a biscuit – how old was he then? At least three years older than her. Which would make him twenty-seven now... Momo sighed. She wanted to dislike him but it wasn’t his fault. They just had two very pushy mothers. 

Momo shoved her hands into the back pockets of her jeans as she walked with heavy steps; the streets were scarce and the sun hung lowly, threatening to disappear earlier than usual. 

A car horn beeped but it wasn’t until the second long beeeep that Momo turned her head. There was a dark blue car that was sleek and very familiar that had pulled onto the side of the road. It caught the attention of one or two people but they soon lost interest when they saw the driver wasn’t someone they knew. 

Momo watched with a slow smile as a brunette appeared from the opened door and rested her arms on the roof of the car. She had sunglasses on the top of her head and a grin on her face as she looked at Momo. 

“Didn’t you hear me beep?” She asked. 

“The second time, yes.” 

Cars drove around Nayeon’s own in a frustrated way since she had made it hard for them to pass. She didn’t seem to care though. 

“Do you have your car with you?” Momo saw the woman raise her eyebrows at her. She tilted her head. 

“Does it look that way?” 

Nayeon tucked some brown strands behind her ear while grinning and Momo thought it was one of the most beautiful things she had ever been able to watch. The sunset behind Nayeon, the pink-orange sky that left a tint on her skin and the clouds that could be seen on her windshield. 

“If you’re not too busy being a smartass, can I take you somewhere?” 

There was a small smile on her face and Momo felt a small tug in her stomach. A quiet fluttering that she couldn’t really put a name to since she had never experienced it before when it came to Nayeon.  

Nayeon turned the radio off when Momo entered the car – she probably spent enough time in Momo’s own car to notice that the radio was never on then. It wasn’t hard to pick up on the fact that the Japanese preferred silence. 

She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel and Momo hid a smile as she looked across at the action. Nayeon wasn’t like her, sure she could endure silence for Momo’s sake, but her natural impulse was to talk or do something that made noise. Usually, Momo would indulge her but her mind was too filled with thoughts of her mother – realistically, she knew she couldn’t hide her sexuality from her forever... or could she? No, that was ridiculous. She couldn’t live a lie behind her mother’s back. It didn’t seem right. (Note: Momo had been doing just that since she moved out of her mother’s house.) 

But Haruki – why had she chosen him? From what Momo could remember he had been such a frail and quiet boy. Momo liked quiet but she didn’t necessarily like quiet partners – not that she was even thinking of Haruki as a possible partner but still, she couldn’t get the image of the small fellow Japanese out of her mind. Maybe that was why her mother chose him – the fact that he was Japanese as well, maybe she thought that would make Momo more comfortable. 

She wondered what he was like now. Twenty-seven and still single – he must’ve been his mother’s constant migraine. 

“What are you thinking about?”                                                                    

Momo checked the time on the radio. Nayeon had lasted exactly four minutes in the near silence of late day traffic. 

“I have a date.”  

Nayeon looked somewhat surprised but as usual, she latched onto any escapes Momo offered. 

She looked at her briefly while the line of cars came to another stop. 

“A date?” She repeated. Momo nodded in confirmation. “Ah. Who is she?” 

“She’s a he, and he’s someone I knew as a child.” 

If Nayeon looked surprised before, then she had looked almost ready to pull the car over so she could commit all of her attention to the conversation when she realized Momo was serious. 

“He? As in a man? You’re going on a date with a man?” 

“Yes.” 

“You’re a lesbian.” 

“I am?” She was toying with Nayeon but she couldn’t help it. She enjoyed the way Nayeon’s face turned a little red. It was hard to make Nayeon blush. It was pink on her cheeks and Momo found herself liking it. 

“Well, aren’t you?” The brunette looked uncertain now as she drove with one hand on the wheel and the other on the window. “Is there another name for women that exclusively date women?” 

“Is there?” 

Nayeon shot her a look before the cars started to move again. She shook her head in exasperation. 

“Why are you going on a date with a man?” 

Momo looked back towards the road. 

“My mother sets me up with people every couple of months. She doesn’t know I’m gay so she thinks I need help in that department.” Momo left out the part of her suspecting her mother did in fact know – there was no need to drag her paranoia into it. 

Nayeon looked appropriately confused, her eyebrows were furrowed and Momo saw her bite the inside of her bottom lip – she knew that meant Nayeon had held herself back from saying something that she wasn’t entirely sure she was allowed to. 

Instead, she settled on a mildly upset expression. 

“She shouldn’t be pushing you on dates. And you shouldn’t be going on them just to save face.” 

Momo hadn’t expected such a vehemently frustrated response. 

“Sorry, I forgot you know what it’s like to be the lesbian your mother never wanted.” 

Nayeon rolled her eyes but bit the inside of her lip again. She gave Momo another brief look. 

“I didn’t mean to sound insensitive.” 

Momo knew that. 

“I just think that you should be more upfront with your mother, not necessarily about your sexuality if you’re not comfortable yet, but at least the fact that you don’t want to date anyone she offers.” She raised her eyebrows. “What if one of these days she sets you up with a... a murderer or something?” 

Momo smiled at that. 

“If I get murdered, I wouldn’t have to tell her I’m a lesbian.” 

Nayeon made a disapproving face. 

“Does anyone get used to that dry humor?” 

“I haven’t kept anyone in my life long enough to find out - well, I suppose you would be the exception to that now. Are you used to it?” 

The woman hummed lightly. 

“Even scarier, I think I might like it.” Nayeon bit her lip while she smiled. “What about the girl you were seeing?” 

Momo smiled at the fact that Nayeon clearly more than liked it. There was hardly a moment where Nayeon wasn’t laughing or smiling at her – or with her rather. 

“What about her?” These days Momo seemed to spend more time with Nayeon than her. Heewon didn’t appear to mind; Momo assumed she was onto someone else by then. 

“Well, how are you going to explain a date with someone else to her? Would you need to?” 

“I don’t think that would ever be a problem, we aren’t really serious. It’s more of a boredom thing.” 

Nayeon nodded with what looked like some sort of relief as she turned off the street and joined another line of traffic. Momo didn’t really mind the long wait to wherever they were going since she liked Nayeon’s company. She would never say it, but she liked the fact that Nayeon cared enough about her impending future to offer advice.  

As fine as she was with the stream of cars, the woman beside her seemed to be losing her patience a little. 

“I wish they wouldn’t let all the cars out from the side roads. It just keeps everyone else back.” She frowned and drummed her fingers against the wheel again. “What’s his name, by the way?” 

“Haruki.” 

“Haruki.” Nayeon repeated, as if she was testing the name out on her own tongue. “He’s Japanese?” 

“Yes.”                                                                                                      

“Interesting.” 

Momo actually laughed. 

She looked out the window and mimicked the position of Nayeon’s left hand as she put it out the window and felt the wind blow between her fingers. The sun had completely set by then and it was a blue-black sky that was left to stare at. “I don’t know. I don’t want to make her think I’m avoiding dating; there’s only so long I can not bring a man up before she starts to get the idea that I prefer vaginas.” 

“She’ll be pleased to know you’ve never actually come into contact with any beside your own.” 

She could hear the smile in Nayeon’s voice but chose to keep her eyes on all the red, white and yellow lights from cars going in the opposite direction a lane over. It was almost funny how smooth their drives were compared to the constant stop and go motion of the lane she was actually in. The whrr sounds as each car passed combined with the gentle breeze that blew her hair around her face made her close her eyes. 

“Who says I haven’t?” Momo asked eventually. 

“Really, Momo, you’re taking my mind on a loop tonight. First, you’re not a lesbian and now you’re not a virgin – should I believe anything you say?” 

Momo laughed again and she rested her chin on her the back of her palm, eyes still closed but she knew for a fact that Nayeon had that grin on her face that made her eyes look less than innocent. 

“Only if it’s good.” 

“Everything you say sounds good to me.” 

Momo laughed and looked up to give Nayeon a thumbs down. 

“That was bad. Really bad.” 

Pink 8.5 (days –33)  

When they finally arrived to what Momo had to assume was the intended destination, she was shocked to see that it was a cinema. 

She looked at Nayeon warily and only received a boisterous laugh in return as she parked the car and turned it off. Upon realizing that Momo had no intentions of unbuckling her seatbelt and getting out, Nayeon looked at her with a smile. 

“Nayeon.” Momo started evenly. 

The woman smiled wider.  

“Momo?” 

“What part of I hate the idea of paying money to watch something I can see for free, illegally, on my laptop and in the comfort of my own home, did you not get? 

She received a coy grin. 

“Did you say that?” She pulled the keys from the ignition and feigned a look of puzzlement. “Don’t recall that. But we’re here now so we might as well enjoy it.” When Momo still didn’t budge, she softened her eyes and her smile became just that little bit more sincere. “I want to watch a movie with you – I think you’ll like it.” 

Momo couldn’t resist Nayeon when she looked at her like that. She had the distinct feeling Nayeon knew that too because the older girl was already exiting the car. She rounded it quickly and Momo watched half amused as Nayeon came around to her door and opened it. 

A hand was offered and Momo looked down at it. 

Nayeon smiled.                                     

“Come on, if you don’t like the movie, we’ll leave during it. We can even make a scene if you want – I’ll throw my popcorn on the ground in utter outrage at having wasted money on it. Then we’ll storm out in unison.” 

Momo finally laughed but she ignored the outstretched hand as she got out. 

“You pay for the movie and I’ll spend way too much money on concession food.” 

"Deal."

Nayeon smiled and opened the backseat door. Momo’s eyes drifted down as the woman bent over the seat to get something. She blushed slightly as she looked away and stuffed her hands in her back pockets again... what are you doing, Momo? Keep your eyes to yourself.  

“You okay?” Nayeon asked and Momo looked back to realize she didn’t even hear the door close. “Your face is red.” She stepped forward with a frown and Momo felt hands rub her arms in an attempt to warm her up – but she wasn’t cold to begin with. Her cheeks had been flushed for another reason and if anything, the considerate action just made them redder. 

She crossed her arms and stepped away. 

“I’m fine; you don’t have to worry so much.” 

Nayeon smiled a little, but saw confusion in her eyes and Momo cursed her previous flinch at the woman’s touch. It wasn’t her fault – she was just confused about her own wandering eyes and the way Nayeon was so touchy with her; she had seen Sana and Nayeon interact so many times, but Sana never got as many tender looks or casual touches. Sana got hugs in greeting and slaps while Nayeon laughed loudly at something the blonde said or the occasional shove when they were being playful. It hadn’t escaped Momo that she got the softer actions. 

“Here, I brought these.” 

A pink oversized jumper was handed to her and she looked down at it with a risen brow. 

“You were so sure that you would get your way that you came prepared?” 

She took it and shrugged it on. Nayeon smiled at her as she put her own blue one on. It fit her nicely; Momo liked how small she looked in it. The parking lot had tall, towering lamps that shone brightly onto the pair and they refused to let Momo miss the way Nayeon had pulled her hair out from under the jumper; she watched the slightly curled locks fall around her shoulders and dragged her eyes back up to see Nayeon’s own cheeks were a little red as well. She looked a nervous – or maybe Momo had been projecting. 

Nayeon placed her hands behind her back as she walked towards the large cinema and Momo side-eyed her while they waited to cross the road. There were people queued up outside in three separate lines and she almost groaned at how many faces there were. Nayeon tugged her by the sleeve of her jumper and guided the both of them safely across the road. 

Large posters for the recent movies were showcased on the walls and they all looked relatively the same to Momo. The action movies had men posing with guns and some sort of explosion behind them; the romantic ones had the couple backing each other, each with slight smirks on their faces; the horrors had a little more variation in terms of which monster or killer was in the background sinisterly lurking. She wasn’t moved by the selection. 

Nayeon tugged her jumper again and they moved towards one of the shorter lines. Momo pushed her hand up a little so that Nayeon’s fingers brushed against hers and smiled when she felt fingers wrap around her own easily without even having to look back. She looked around – there were a lot of people that chatted moderately loudly with each other. Groups of friends, some older and younger ones that gave the impression they were a family and then the couples. Momo made a face at one pair who was in the line parallel to them with their hands clasped and dreamy looks on their faces. They weren't even talking to each other.  

“Don’t worry; we’re not really seeing any of those.” Momo’s relief must’ve shown on her face because Nayeon laughed at her and squeezed her hand. She liked how warm it felt. “Don’t get too excited, this one is bound to have some level of romance you’re not comfortable with. Actually, maybe you will like it.” She saw the way the woman smirked in a conniving fashion. 

“Nayeon.” Momo hoped her voice sounded like a warning but in all honesty, she found it exciting. Just a little. 

“Relax. Remember we can leave whenever you want to.” With that Nayeon turned with a satisfied smile on her face and Momo was left to stare. 

She was tugged forward by the firm hold and shuffled with the rest of people in line. 

When Nayeon reached the window, she gave the title and paid. Momo felt a little less uncomfortable that time – maybe she was getting used to it. Or maybe she was content in the fact that she would buy Nayeon whatever she wanted to eat or drink. 

“Popcorn? Nachos?” Nayeon asked as she bounced in place. “Let’s get both! And slurpees!” 

There were no protests and Momo bought a large popcorn for herself and Nayeon, nachos and two slurpees that were red and blue and tasted strongly of... well, nothing really. Momo didn’t mind it though. 

The movie had started less than twenty minutes ago but now that she understood exactly why Nayeon thought she might like it, she wanted to hide her face in her hands or smack the back of the vet’s head. 

The woman sat beside her with a self-satisfied smile that she tried to hide behind the popcorn pieces that were put into her mouth. 

“Nayeon. When did I wrong you in the past?” Momo whispered it, mindful of the less than thirty people that had actually wanted to see the movie. It really should’ve resonated with her just what kind of movie it was when the audience was only women. 

They sat towards the very top – they really could’ve sat anywhere they liked with how many seats were available. Nayeon’s smile shone at her a second later and Momo blocked out the stupid monologue of the main character unintentionally, just so she could stare at the parts of her face illuminated by the screen.  

“What? I told you that you might like it and that it wasn’t like the other ones.” 

“I suppose lesbian is a genre in itself.” She sunk further down her seat and took a sip from the cold drink. 

The more they watched, the more they both became engrossed in the movie and the characters on screen. The plot of it was simple – lesbian meets girl at school, they can’t be together because of society and whatnot and drama and romance ensue. 

Momo smiled and ate her popcorn. The drink was cold but she felt warm; no one had ever taken her to see a movie like that before and the fact that she knew Nayeon did it specifically for her just made her even happier. The blushing started when the girls started to talk less with their words and more through kisses. Actually, on second thought – maybe she didn’t like that she was seeing this with Nayeon right next to her. 

Nayeon just laughed beside her. 

“Where to next?” The brunette asked as they walked back towards the car, side by side and shoulders bumping intentionally. “I’m not ready to go home yet.” 

Momo paused by the back of the car and Nayeon hopped her way on top of the closed trunk easily. Her feet swung to and fro as she sipped the last of the cold red drink. 

“I am.” 

She frowned. 

“You’re no fun. 

“I just sat through a movie for you.” 

She received a cunning grin and Nayeon’s red stained tongue poked out slightly between equally as stained lips. 

“So, you didn’t enjoy it at all?” She asked disbelievingly. “You were practically crying at the end of it because they didn’t end up together.” 

Momo walked closer, she stood in front of Nayeon and watched as the the woman scooted to the edge of the trunk and put the drink beside her. She rested her arms on either side of her and stared down at Momo with those knowing eyes again. Brown hair fell over the side of her face and it was smoothed back effortlessly while she continued to stare Momo down. 

“What?” Momo finally asked. There had been too many times that day where her initial thought after looking at Nayeon was, that would be a beautiful picture... and the parking lot was becoming increasingly more dangerous for such thoughts to constantly reoccur. Nayeon’s sun-kissed skin was illuminated by light and Momo's fingers wanted so badly to just reach out and touch her face. It would be easy given that she was so close, but as much as Nayeon pulled her in, there was also a strong invisible sort of force field that kept her at bay. It all started and ended with Nayeon's eyes. They pushed and pulled. She wasn’t sure if the glint in them was meant as an invitation or a warning. 

Or both. 

Red lips smiled at her again and Momo was all too excited for that look Nayeon gave her. It actually made her love summer, made her love the way Nayeon had looked surrounded by green under the hot sun, sitting on grass with a bow in her hair. She loved the beautiful brown hair that managed to grab the light just the right way, so it would give her hair a reddish tint. And she loved the weightless look Nayeon possessed around butterflies and blossoms. As Momo studied her face and smelt the flowery scent that came from her body, Momo wondered if Nayeon had the ability to change with each season as if apart of them. 

Nayeon smiled and rubbed her palms together, the long sleeves of the jumper made Momo laugh. 

“I’m cold.” She declared.         

Momo just looked at her. 

“Because you just drank something cold. The car is warm, let's get in.” 

Nayeon shook her head and scooted further to the edge again. Momo’s eyes widened as jean clad legs wrapped around her waist and pulled her in. She heard the unmistakable laugh that came from the woman above her. The sound made her heart beat a little faster and her thoughts become a little less clear. 

“Good?” She asked softly. Momo nodded. Arms soon wrapped around Momo’s neck and Nayeon’s head was on her shoulder. A light scent and cold air that brushed brown hair onto her cheeks and tickled it slightly. She wasn’t sure what to do with her own arms so she just let them rest on the car palm up. 

“Why are we hugging in the middle of a parking lot?” 

“For practice.” Nayeon said simply. Her warm breath made Momo shiver at the mixed temperature of the air and the warm body hugging her. “You okay?” 

Momo nodded. Her hands moved slowly – it was completely intentional when she moved them up Nayeon’s sides and then back down to stop at her waist again. She was certain she felt the woman stiffen and then relax, but she was more focused on how soft Nayeon’s body felt beneath her fingers – she wondered what it felt like without the jumper, just her fingertips on Nayeon’s warm skin.  

Shit. 

Momo pulled herself away and started to walk to the passenger side before Nayeon could see the blush on her face, what are you doing? 

Nayeon’s worried voice cut through her thoughts. 

“You okay?” 

Momo looked over her shoulder and gave her a smile. 

“My body is warm and all, but the car would be warmer.” 

Nayeon laughed at that and jumped down from the trunk. Her shoes landed on the pavement and her hand swiped up the red plastic cup up as she passed it. “That’s because you didn’t give it time. Hugs warm up.” 

Momo smiled at the woman who stood with two fingers on the straw as she tried to squeeze the last bits of the slurpee out. Once she was satisfied that she had gotten her (*Momo’s) money’s worth out of it, she tossed it into a nearby bin and unlocked the door. 

Both in, Nayeon turned to Momo in the dark car and looked semi-serious. 

“Did you really not like it?” 

The Japanese laughed. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting but it wasn’t that. 

“I liked it.” She confessed easily because even if it was a little dark, she knew exactly how Nayeon’s eyes would be looking at her. All soft and unguarded. “No one has ever taken me to see a movie before.” 

Nayeon scoffed.                

“You’ve never gone to the movies with one of your dates? Male or female?” 

Momo laughed again. The men she was set up with didn’t usually take her to see movies or do anything fun; they would always sit in a moderately priced restaurant and have idle small talk awkwardly. And the women she dated took the reins and tried to introduce her to new things – adventurous-type things they liked. Nayeon had taken her to something she thought she would like. 

“No, I guess you’re my first time.” 

Nayeon looked away and Momo was confused at the sudden bashfulness that seemed to take over her. Eventually she looked back at Momo with a smile. 

“Consider this your first movie date then.” 

Momo looked down at the reddened lips and licked her own. She thought back to how Nayeon had opened her door for her earlier and wondered if the woman had intended for this to be a date all along. 

“I don’t date engaged women.”       

Nayeon’s stare became passive and less intense. Momo couldn’t tell what she was thinking – she hated when she couldn’t tell what people were thinking when they looked at her. 

“Pretend I’m not engaged then.” Nayeon said simply. Her head fell back against the headrest and she still had her face turned to Momo. 

Momo wanted to lean forward – she wanted to go closer to Nayeon. But she didn’t know why. 

She put it down to the woman’s addictive pull that everyone seemed to get sucked into. Nayeon was the eye of a hurricane and everyone around her was happy to be a casualty; Momo knew she would happily be one as well, there was just something so easy and magnetic about her personality and it couldn’t be helped if you were to fall under the sheer spell of it. 

“I’m technically working for you. It might be hard to separate.” 

Momo looked down at the ring that shined on Nayeon’s hand as it lay in her lap. The brunette’s eyes followed her gaze and she flexed her wrist before moving the hand under her large jumper. She looked at Momo again and that pull returned – only strengthened by the way Nayeon had parted her lips slightly and looked towards hers. She didn’t make any moves, but it was as if she had felt the switch being flipped as well; it felt like she had looked at Momo’s lips just as often. 

Making the first move for anything was never something Momo did in her relationships – she had a type. Momo had such a specific type! Bold women, women that took charge without a second thought and would pull her face closer to push their tongues past her lips and kiss her; and Momo liked that. She enjoyed it. 

Nayeon, although very beautiful and charming, was not her type. The older girl was bold, there was no doubt about that, but she was also in a relationship. That alone should make her someone Momo wouldn’t want. 

“I could help you with that separation.” Nayeon spoke softly but clearly. Each word was confident and intent on getting its point across. Momo felt that pull again. She moved her face a little closer; Nayeon’s smile returned but she didn’t move too. 

Momo knew she was a moth to the low burning light that Nayeon offered. It was just so easy to keep moving forward. Why? She usually had no problem resisting women – women chased her, bold or not they chased her. She shouldn’t be chasing a flame. 

“How would you do that?” Momo asked. Her voice had lowered itself. 

“Give you something else to think of.” 

“Such as?” Another quick glance at each other’s lips. Momo hated herself for leaning even closer. Nayeon hadn’t moved an inch. She remained silent and just watched Momo. When the woman still didn't speak, Momo felt something in her will crackle. She heard the sound of the other people around them in the parking lot who had been returning to their own cars. She heard the sound of engines starting and distant conversations continuing. 

Gentle fingers touched her face. Two of them traced up her cheekbone, until they met Momo’s ear. They smoothed back her dark hair behind her ears and then disappeared again.  

“You’re so beautiful, Momo.” Nayeon’s voice had gone even softer. 

Momo closed her eyes and before she could stop herself, she kissed Nayeon. She knew it was a mistake, she knew it could be considered wrong – but hurricanes were all about causing damage, so she wasn’t too worried. 

Nayeon didn’t stop her. Why wasn’t Nayeon stopping her? Momo needed someone to stop her. 

Hurricanes swirled, didn’t they? 

So, Momo’s hand got ahead of itself and she raised it to the side of Nayeon’s face to deepen the kiss – so used to being abrasive with her mouth that she was surprised when Nayeon stilled her by her shoulder with the same two fingers. It was such a simple touch, but it made Momo obey instantly and she stopped trying to push her way between the other woman’s lips. Warm and soft lips that got even warmer the more time they spent over hers. She could hear both their sudden halts in breathing – could feel Nayeon’s finger trace the edge of her jaw, then the brunette had tilted her head and slanted her lips against hers and Momo felt burning hot. Her hand on Nayeon’s face held it more gently. The sharp hold became a cradle. They stayed like that for a few seconds until Nayeon pushed her back. She opened her eyes and saw the woman already looking at her with pink cheeks. 

They were both quiet for a while. Momo had a million thoughts going but Nayeon looked as though she had just done nothing at all that could be considered wrong. She buckled her seatbelt and put the keys in the ignition. Momo buckled her own out of reflex when the car roared to life. 

She looked to the side and watched as Nayeon drove with one hand while the wind blew her hair back a little and her eyes focused on the road ahead. She seemed to feel Momo’s gaze because she looked at her as well. Were they just going to act like it hadn’t happened? She wasn’t crazy – Nayeon kissed her back. They kissed. 

“Good?”                          

And Momo knew she was referring to if she felt uncomfortable about the kiss. Did she? Momo knew the answer was no. She liked the kiss; it was warm and soft and slow – it was sort of innocent compared to the kisses she usually shared with women. An innocent kiss with an engaged woman... that was an oxymoron in itself. Whatever the case, she liked it and that was the part that made her uncomfortable. 

“Yeah.”