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Sana traces the etching of the purple wild pansies, spread over against her girlfriend’s lower abdomen. It had grown to be utterly beautiful. She had watched it bloom, one petal at a time and it’s a sight she will come to treasure for the rest of her life. The more her love grew for her girlfriend, the more petals the flower garnered. The purple ink, a reminder of Sana’s love.
Wild pansies.
She laughs now, at the meaning of Jihyo’s soulmate mark. Being around her every day, there had never been a time where Jihyo had left her thoughts. Back then, when they’d first become roommates in university, Sana had fallen head over heels for Jihyo. How could she not ? Jihyo was beautiful, amazing, down-to-earth and the kindest person Sana had ever met. She shined golden, vibrant. Stood out in the crowd of thousands.
For a year, Sana had been awfully impatient – basically craving for Jihyo to love her, to look at her. Which is why when the first golden petal blossomed on her shoulder, she had almost cried. The little initial ‘j’ in the middle was the setting stone. Her heart hadn’t been wrong. It was an overwhelming sight, certainly.
The night before it was drawn onto her skin, she was quite a mess.
Somehow, Sana had nicked her finger on a knife while she was washing the dishes. Her mind had been elsewhere after she’d spent a good hour ranting to her best friend about her impossible love. But, then Jihyo – it was Jihyo who had immediately sought out the first aid kit, nursing the gash with such tenderness, it had left Sana speechless.
A year of on the spot witty remarks and shameless flirting (which occasionally even left Sana feeling flustered). All of that disappeared the moment Jihyo had tended to her that night. And, following that day, Sana’s attempts at smooth lines had always failed. Instead of basking in the sight of a flustered Jihyo, it was always Sana left feeling flustered the moment their eyes met. Eventually – eventually , Sana’s voice came back to her and she’d blurted out a request for a date.
Jihyo’s smug smile from that day is still ingrained in her mind.
Despite Sana’s cautiousness around her roommate, fearing that she’d be the one to ruin their first date, it hadn’t gone as bad as she expected. A dinner date at the Japanese restaurant on campus was her only choice. She was terrified of screwing it all up because the first impression is always what makes the difference.
(though, what Sana had forgotten was that Jihyo’s first impression of her would’ve been the day they became roommates)
For Sana, that date was awkward and a total failure. But, when Jihyo had kissed her cheek before going to sleep, suddenly, that feeling had evaporated, morphing into one of shyness. Later that night, the second petal formed on her shoulder.
The first time Sana had spotted the flower on Jihyo’s lower abdomen, it had been an accident. She finished class earlier than she expected, not thinking Jihyo would already be inside. Sana caught Jihyo just as she was pulling on her shirt, her eyes landing on the few petals of purple on her tanned skin. Acknowledging the growing redness on Jihyo’s cheeks which was quickly spreading down to her neck, Sana had turned around to give her privacy, feeling her own face heat up at the sight.
Later on, they chose to share their marks, both utterly amazed by the sheer beauty of the flowers beginning to grow, one petal at a time. Apparently, the first wild pansy petal had formed towards the middle of their initial year of living together. There were hundreds of people in the university with names starting with the letter ‘s’ , Jihyo never considered Sana would be the one tattooed against her skin.
Now, three years on, the golden gaillardia etched on her own shoulder is in full bloom. Sana can’t help but admire the reflection of Jihyo’s personality which is just like this flower. Bright. Jihyo’s character. It radiates, shining and spreading warmth, awfully alike to the sun. Vibrant. There’s a pull to Jihyo that no one can resist. She has endless energy – even Sana is envious. She strives to make you smile, be it a bad day or one that’s ordinary. Come to think of it, Sana has barely seen her girlfriend in low spirits and it’s definitely rubbing off on her.
When one of Sana’s friends had named the flower on her shoulder, her interest in it piqued. She’d read up somewhere that the gaillardia symbolises an aristocratic personality. Sana took this in with stride, not resisting the temptation to refer to her girlfriend as her princess . It’s a recent development and for sure, it’s one she’s not going to let go of any time soon. Sana hasn’t had enough of the reddening cheeks, an after effect of calling Jihyo by the endearing term.
She’s so deep in the blissful memories, Sana is unaware that Jihyo is awake, leaning forward to press soft kisses against the base of her throat. They lead down to her shoulder, gentle against the bloomed gaillardia. She nips around the edge a little bit harder, effectively making Sana squeal as she pulls back.
“No, come back! I need the warmth.” Jihyo whines, reaching for Sana.
“What did I do to deserve that princess?” Sana grumbles. She slinks back into bed, wrapping her arms around Jihyo’s waist to draw her in closer. She takes the reddening hue on Jihyo’s cheeks as a plus.
“You weren’t listening when I was calling out your name. It was the only thing I could do.” Jihyo offers a sheepish smile with her excuse.
Sana rolls her eyes. If she’d to tell Jihyo where her mind stumbled off too, she’d never hear the end of her teasing for the rest of the day. Just like Sana loves the sight of a flustered Jihyo, she herself basks in making things difficult for Sana.
“What are we doing today?” Jihyo yawns, stretching before snuggling against Sana’s neck again.
Someone seems to be in a clingy mood, not that Sana minds in the slightest. She scratches Jihyo’s back lightly, a soothing touch of sorts.
“I don’t think we’re going to end up leaving bed at the rate that we’re going.” Sana mumbles, the tugs of sleep washing over her.
(in the end, she succumbs to sleep too, justifying that it’s too early to be awake for a Saturday morning, especially when they’re on a holiday)
Sana awakes to light touches across her face. She squints, hearing a familiar giggle above her. Jihyo leans down, kisses Sana softly. It’s sweet, a perfect way to wake up in the arms of the person she loves. Sana digs her hands into Jihyo’s hair, brings her closer to kiss her languidly.
“I made you breakfast.” Jihyo mumbles against Sana’s lips, stealing another kiss before resting up on her elbows.
“Did you really make it? I don’t smell anything burnt, princess.” Sana laughs as a pout forms on Jihyo’s lips. She’s too easy to tease.
“Okay, I prepared breakfast.” Jihyo clarifies with a roll of her eyes. “I’ll meet you out at the balcony in ten minutes.” Another stealthy kiss later, she rolls off Sana, leaving her breathless.
A chill runs down Sana’s spine as soon as she steps onto the cold tiles of their rented apartment. She shrugs on a pink robe, along with a pair of slippers. Was it just her? Jihyo didn’t seem to be cold, walking around in a sleeveless shirt.
She receives her answer moments later, seeing Jihyo basking in the sun as she rests on one of the recliners on the balcony. Sana joins her there, grabbing her plated food before sidling up against her girlfriend. She only lasts ten minutes with the robe, feeling the heat becoming too much for her. Jihyo laughs when she struggles to pull it off, helping her a heartbeat later. Sana scrunches up her nose in an attempt to begin her sulking.
But Jihyo is faster. She kisses Sana’s shoulder, causing her to inhale sharply. That devil knows how much it affects Sana when she interacts with her tattoo. Never one to back down, Sana slips her cold hand under Jihyo’s shirt, letting it rest over her mark. Jihyo squeals, screaming murder at the frosty touch. Two definitely can play this game.
“I got myself an evil one, huh?” Jihyo mutters, intertwining their fingers together. Sana laughs beside her, kissing her cheek soundly. It earns another groan out of her girlfriend, but Sana doesn’t relent. She peppers Jihyo’s face with little kisses, making sure to cover every inch of her face.
“You played dirty.” Sana justifies with a shrug of her shoulders. There’s a smug grin on her face as she’s aware of her win this round.
“Oh, you just wait. I’m going to get my chance to gain revenge later.” Jihyo wraps an arm around Sana’s shoulders to keep her close. It’s blissful, being with Jihyo like this.
She wants more of this. More of these precious days where she has Jihyo to herself instead of them both struggling to go out on dates because of assignments. She thinks about the velvet box she’d packed in her suitcase. The silver band is simple, but Sana thinks it’s perfect. She gnaws at her bottom lip, wondering if this trip will be the one for her to pop the question. God . She really wants to. She wants to see that ring on her finger. She wants to call Jihyo hers. She wants to be all in with this woman by her side.
“You okay?” Jihyo tilts her head, worried about her sudden quietness.
Jihyo shifts but Sana erases her anxiousness with a simple kiss, one that’s slow and tantalizingly sweet. Lets her lips do the talking for her. Jihyo pulls back to brush her nose against Sana’s neck, successfully distracted.
Sana shivers at the touch, looking down to Jihyo’s waist. Her shirt is ridden up from moving around. The purple wild pansies are slightly peeking out and it makes her heart swell in happiness. She thinks it perfectly complements the gold gaillardias on her shoulder, complements them .
The purple and the gold.
Jihyo and Sana.
Soulmates.
(and maybe, future Mrs Minatozaki Jihyo & Mrs Minatozaki Sana)