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The first time she saw her she didn't have any doubts she was the one.
It was like a dream. They might call her cheesy. Momo might even agree she was a fool. But they don't know how insanely beautiful the girl was.
Momo opened her eyes, the cool grass touching her skin. The sky was blue, the sun perfectly hidden behind cotton-like clouds.
Then her eyes landed on her.
Warm brown orbs staring at her with concern. Tiny moles sprinkled across her face. She saw an angel.
"Hey angel," Momo slurred, mind still clouded. Her head throbbing from the impact of the ball. She failed to notice how everyone was circling her or that the soccer ball bouncing away in the distance.
The angel giggled, Momo had a loopy smile as soon as she saw her gummy smile.
Momo could barely understand what her best friend was saying in the background.
"My best friend went mental. Someone call an ambulance!"
By all means, let me stay dead.
~~~
"Momo, are you sure you don't have a concussion?" Jeongyeon eyed her head. The bandages weren't reassuring because her friend has a shit-eating grin throughout math class.
"Yeah, the nurse told me it wasn't anything serious."
"Sorry about that," Jeongyeon apologized, she swore Momo was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Who in the right mind would even stand near the goal post in the middle of a soccer practice?
Momo nodded the annoying loopy grin still on her face. "Jeongyeon, are you really sure you didn't see her?"
"Momo, if your best friend got knocked out by a soccer ball, I assure you, finding a pretty girl will not be your priority." Jeongyeon rolled her eyes, eating her sandwich was getting impossible when Momo was bothering her by being a happy puppy.
"Are you even sure she's real?"
Frankly, Momo was not sure if believe herself, but she needed to.
"Yes, I'm sure," Momo nodded, "She has to be."
~~~
Seems like Momo had a thing for getting knocked out of her feet.
A golden dog toppled her. Licking her cheeks as if she has known the dog for a long time.
"Ray-chan!" Someone screamed,
The world stopped. Momo swore it did. Perhaps she was hallucinating because of brain injuries, but a beautiful girl was hovering over her. Eyebrows furrowed with worry.
"We should really stop meeting like this," She laughed. Momo couldn't breathe, (maybe the heavy dog was one factor) but she grinned as if she won at life.
"It's you ."
"Momo, are you seriously prone to head injur–holy shit she is real ."
The girl offered her hand pulling her up to her feet. Ignoring her blabbering best friend.
"I'm so sorry," The girl pet her dog delicately. "Ray had always been a gentle dog, I don't know why he suddenly jumped on you."
Jeongyeon wanted to slap herself on the face when Momo could only manage to make googly eyes, having a silly grin plastered on her face.
It was absolutely disgusting .
"Hi I'm this dork's best friend," Jeongyeon offered her hand while her friend reboots her brain.
"Oh the soccer player who knocked her out," The girl took her hand smiling, "Hi, I'm Mina."
"M–mina, I–" Jeongyeon slapped Momo's mouth shut before she says something she'd regret.
"She's Momo," Jeongyeon continued, "She's still kinda in a daze as you can see."
Momo could only nod, not trusting her brain to process words.
They bid their goodbyes before Mina gave her a peck on the cheeks.
"That's for the dog incident," She said before walking away.
Momo fainted.
"My best friend fainted! Someone call an ambulance!"
~~~
"Two hospital visits in less than a week? Damn ." Jeongyeon circled her closely. Checking her out every angle.
"What's my name?"
"Don't even bother," Momo rolled her eyes.
"What? I'm just checking. Amnesia is a serious thing."
"Shut up and help me find Mina," Momo squinted her eyes as she was screening the cafeteria looking for Mina.
"Help find who?"
Momo almost slipped on her seat.
"I–Jeongye–she–hi," Momo's brain short-circuited,
"Can we sit with you guys?" Mina smiled, her eyes were soft and relaxed, a huge contrast to their previous meetings.
Momo nodded eagerly, making Mina giggle. She cursed herself for acting like a bobblehead, but at least she made her laugh.
Mina sat beside her while her friend, Nayeon, was next to Jeongyeon, who was uncharacteristically fidgety all of the sudden.
~~~
"Jeongyeon, I'm gonna tell her."
Momo was swinging her feet on the bleacher. Waiting for Jeongyeon to get tired practicing around with those small orange cones.
Jeongyeon stopped in her tracks barely out of breath as she paused her timer.
"Are you out of your mind?" Jeongyeon was looking at her like she grew a second head. "You're not in love with Mina."
She stood up and approached the sweaty jock.
"Jeong, I really am," It was the most serious thing she ever said to her. She means it.
"She makes me smile, Jeong." She raised her gaze, looking at the sky. "The first time I saw her, she made the sky bluer than I ever realized. She made the sun shine a little brighter. Whenever she laughs, I laugh. This might sound crazy, I've known her for like a few months, but I know she's the one."
"At least take her out on a date first."
~~~
Jeongyeon was so sure the night Momo took Mina out for a date was ingrained in her mind more than Momo's.
After a month of constantly trying to act cupid between the two. Momo was too busy grinning like a Cheshire cat, while Mina was always blushing at some dumb thing Momo said.
They were absolutely helpless.
How can she forget how much time Momo pestered Jeongyeon about Mina this, Mina that.
"Should I wear a crop top or would it be too flashy? What if she doesn't like the restaurant? Does she like pasta–"
Jeongyeon shoved a pillow over her head. She didn't know why Momo would just come over to ramble on about Mina for hours when she clearly does that enough in school.
"Shut it," Jeongyeon had enough, it was driving her mad. She grabbed Momo by the shoulder, looking at her straight in the eyes with all seriousness. "Momo, this is the same girl who spent eight straight hours watching Barbie movies with you. If that doesn't say something, I don't know what will."
Momo looked down, it relaxed for a bit. It was really important to her. What she has with Mina is great, she doesn't want anything to ruin that.
"Thanks," Momo sighed, "I needed that. I really really like her."
"I know," Jeongyeon patted her back. "Now go, don't want you to be late."
The night was wonderful.
She took Mina to this local restaurant fairly near to a park. It was Momo's favorite restaurant in the city. They served the best pasta.
"I hope you don't mind pasta, you see–"
She gave her a peck on the cheeks, rendering her silent. "Don't worry, I love it." A serene smile on Mina's face and all of Momo's worry evaporated.
Their date doesn't feel forced, Mina almost snorted on her drink when she told her the story about how Jeongyeon fell on a pool when someone scared her with an Annabelle costume at their first Halloween party.
Watching Mina smile was making her heart warm. All she needed was to see her smile and she knew she was doing something right.
After dinner, they decided to stroll in the park. Not wanting to end the night just yet.
Mina looked at her gently, the look in her eyes was asking something.
Mina took her hand, her heart was soaring high inside her chest. The foreign warmth was comforting. Her cheeks were getting numbed but smiling, but if that was the price to pay for love then so be it.
The night was nothing but magical. The stars were brighter, proudly witnessing how happy Momo was in the moment.
The night ended better than she imagined. Momo kissed her at her doorsteps.
The kiss was brief, innocent, and perfect.
~~~
The cold water plants goosebumps at contact. She ignored it.
"Momo, you'll get a cold–"
Momo pulled her, Mina shrieked, face glowing. The rain thrumming off the pavements, the cold air swishing off her skin. Everything felt right.
Their clothes were soaked, bags tossed on the side, judgmental stares bore on them, yet Momo's eyes never left Mina's.
The moment forever carved in memory.
Loving Mina was the easiest thing Momo did in her life. Mina made love seem so easy.
Momo expected that loving someone would be hard, yet looking at her. Along with her soft eye crinkles, the cute gummy smile, and her beautiful laugh.
Momo hated the rain until now.
~~~
Jeongyeon was searching for Momo everywhere. "There you are–"
"Jeong, my girlfriend doesn't love me anymore," Momo said in tears, slumped on her seat, pouting like a big baby.
Mina bustled through the doors. Elegant, pristine, and beautiful as usual. Her warm brown orbs only softened when her eyes landed on Momo.
"Are you kidding me? Babe, I only said I can't go with you tonight." The girl was kneeling before Momo. Mina cooed, the softest tone she only used for Momo.
"Hey, I love you. Promise I'll cook all the pasta you want tomorrow."
Turns out Mina promised her something but abruptly canceled because she needs to reach a deadline this week. It was either Momo was on her period or that she became this clingy baby.
Jeongyeon grumbled under her breath.
Jeongyeon swore she if she had a dime every time they had the tiniest cutest fight she would've afforded to live as a high school dropout her entire life.
~~~
Words of recognition and gratitude echoed amid the ceremony. The whole place was filled with families hugging and friends laughing. Momo was smiling ear to ear. Diploma on one hand, her hat on the other.
She was waiting for one more person to find her. Her speech was short and moving. She had never been more proud at the sight of her girlfriend giving her valedictorian speech.
Momo hugged her parents and dived into the sea of students. Searching for the girl that was the reason why birds sing, the sun shine, and her heart beating.
There she was. Mina walked with silent confidence and elegance everyone could sense a mile away. A lopsided smile that makes Momo's inside scream. She may never get used to Mina, she knows that.
Under Mina's touch, feeling her warmth, her arms wrapped around her body, Momo was home.
If home was ever a person it was Mina.
"I missed you," Momo murmured, eyes closed. Not minding one bit that they were in the middle of a crowd.
Mina's laugh was the sweetest melody Momo has ever heard.
"Baby, you just saw me give a speech."
Momo embraced her tighter.
"Still," Momo purred against her. "I love you."
"I love you too, baby." She was beaming, her koala girlfriend was being overly mushy again. "Now come on let's find Jeongyeon, I know she's here somewhere–"
What Mina saw shocked her.
"I knew it!" Momo
Jeongyeon was kissing Nayeon.
Momo gave her a kiss on the forehead before walking away from their friends. "At least Jeongyeon doesn't have the right to complain about us anymore."
Mina nodded, her eyes danced playfully like it was an inside joke she and Momo only knew. "Yeah, she wouldn't dare."
~~~
Momo was bored. Mina was busy meeting deadlines. Momo on the other hand was free for the entire week.
She decided to meddle with Jeongyeon and her homework and lazed on her couch staring at the ceiling.
"I can't understand why you didn't follow Nayeon," She opened up because it has been months but she still wonders.
"It didn't have the best program for my major. Her college wasn't for me."
"But still! Aren't you worried about the long-distance thing? "
"No, we're not like that. Nayeon and I are not like that." Jeongyeon looked straight in her eyes to prove how sure she was. "I don't have to follow her to a place that's not meant for me to prove I love her, Mo. Nayeon knows that."
Momo nodded, still not sure about it. Not entirely sure why the words bothered her.
She loves Mina. Loves her so much that she followed her here. Being happy can never be wrong, right?
~~~
Momo and Mine never fought. Perhaps a few ridiculous disagreements about a game or what's the best superhero film, but it was always harmless. No one raised their voice, there was always a tugged smile underneath their words.
It was not like this one.
"Momo, I can't you understand you anymore!" Mina was exhausted, she didn't mean to shout.
"Mina, today is our anniversary! I don't know what is up with you lately. Perhaps you changed or that I'm not enough for you anymore, but at least you should have remembered it's our fucking anniversary today." Momo flinched, she couldn't recognize her voice anymore, it didn't sound like her.
This girl sounded desperate, dejected, broken .
~~~
Momo was happy. For the longest time, she was. She couldn't remember a single day she wasn't. Maybe this is the world's way of taking it back.
Breaking up with Mina was the hardest time of her life.
It felt too fast. It went like a blur. It felt like it was just a nightmare. Too unreal to be possible.
All her mind recalled was her cold eyes, her reluctant touch, the different tone of her voice. Her gaze too distant, her laugh doesn't sound like it used to, her heart wasn't in it. Maybe for a long time now.
Mina was out of reach for far too long.
(Momo refused to believe nonetheless.)
"I'm sorry I can't do this anymore. I don't deserve you and I know you deserve to be happy."
Momo didn't know words could follow you like ghosts too. Words could also haunt her. They could also torment her mind at the worst possible time.
~~~
She was at the local restaurant they used to love. Their first date happened here, they would go here every month. Everything should feel familiar. She knew every dish on the menu, the number of tables, the names of the servers, but everything feels foreign.
The pasta tastes different. The place seems darker. The restaurant feels strange.
"I don't deserve you and you deserve to be happy."
"Shut up," Momo mumbled to herself, gripping the fork a little too hard her knuckles turned white. She tried to focus on the pain to not allow her tears to fall.
~~~
Momo was on her knees. She looked pathetic.
"Just one last time let me talk to her," She looked pathetic. Nayeon wrapped her arms to give her comfort. "One last time, please . I'll change her mind–"
"Momo, you're drunk. You shoul–"
She ignored her and stood up.
"Mina!" Momo yelled, "Mina, please let me talk to you." Her words were slurred but she's Mina. She'll listen. She can still turn this all around. She has to.
Momo pounded on the door, desperate for a response.
Mina didn't come out.
Nayeon held her arms, delicately as if she was made of glass.
"Momo, it's for the best. I know she loved you."
Loved . Past tense. Mina loved her. Mina loved her, she doesn't anymore.
~~~
"I don't deserve you and you deserve to be happy."
"Jeongyeon, please make it stop. I can still hear her words," Momo curled on the floor. Her shoulders trembled as she tried to breathe. Her eyes were red with dark circles underneath, broken eyes met Jeongyeon's.
Jeongyeon's heart broke. She never had seen her ache this much.
"I love her. I love Mina so much," She muttered, not sure if it was for Jeongyeon or herself.
Jeongyeon hugged her tight. Wishing that it was enough to stop her tears from falling. Wishing it was enough to stop her friend from hurting.
"I know," Jeongyeon replied. "I'm sure she knows."
~~~
"I don't deserve you and you deserve to be happy."
Momo shouted, yelled, wailed, begged for the memories to stop. It felt too real, it was too harsh.
It's just a nightmare. You'll wake up soon.
It wasn't. She woke up, She was alone. The room filled with the scent of reeking alcohol, floor covered with broken glass.
Momo tried one last time and dialed her number. She waited.
There was nothing.