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“I’m way too hungry to be dealing with you pouting.” Mina said, both as a greeting and as a warning to Nayeon, who was sprawled on the ground, both their dogs lying on her lap.
At the sound of Mina’s voice, three heads turned to look at her. It was almost a contest on who’d get to her first– the Pomeranian won, only because Ray still had sleep in his bones and Nayeon didn’t have the heart to beat him in getting to Mina.
Righting the strap of her bag back to her shoulders allowed her to bend and pet the winner, the rapid wagging of his tail temporarily making Mina forget about the pangs bouncing in her stomach.
“Kookeu, bite.” Nayeon spat out, a deep contrast to how she was carrying Ray in her arms. Ever loyal and duly trained, the Pomeranian bit Mina’s outstretched hand. It prompted Mina to send a glare towards Nayeon. Which was hard to maintain because Ray, her golden piece of sunshine, was swaying his tail side to side furiously right below Nayeon’s face. “You took so long.” Nayeon huffed out.
Mina sighed. Pinched the bridge of her nose, as if it’d physically block the headache coming her way. Felt the weight of her wristwatch looped around her wrist. A glance, and Nayeon was right. It was too long of a meeting. No wonder her hunger was a few more pumps of acid away from forming an ulcer.
She scooped Kookeu in her arms, the hyperactive ball of fur now licking the span of skin he bit earlier. An apology, and Mina realized she owed Nayeon one as well.
“Sorry. We couldn’t agree on a fucking topic and, ow ow ow!!” Mina winced for two seconds, had the sense to gain back her footing on the third. Gained enough distance away from Nayeon and her big, heavy hand. Hand that managed to slap hard on her shoulder, hard enough for her and Kookeu to lurch a step forward. She should’ve trained Ray how to bite on command years ago. “What the hell?”
“No cursing in front of the children!” It would’ve been funny, because Nayeon cursed more than she did, and expletives were woven in the threads of conversations shared between them often enough that it wasn’t insulting anymore, but Nayeon looked dead serious. Even had her other hand covering the flap of Ray’s ear.
A whimper from Kookeu held back the snark response Mina had. Instead, a small coo to both dogs and another apology made way out of her lips.
Nayeon let out a hum of approval, making Mina roll her eyes. Really.
“Come on, I’m hungry.” Mina said, taking another step in the direction Nayeon slapped her to. A sharp bark from Kooekeu, and although Mina didn’t speak woof, she understood cues enough to know that the Pomeranian was calling out for his best friends to follow them.
Nayeon wasn’t moving, and the Daschund was too comfortable in Nayeon’s arms to be urging Nayeon to move in Mina’s direction. The remnants of Nayeon’s pout were shadowed on her face, and Mina had an inkling what the other girl was waiting for. “Fine, okay. I’m buying. Where do you want to eat? Buddy, I’m hungry.”
Like magic, her words made Nayeon grin maniacally. Made Nayeon move, and she was walking faster than Mina already, leaving Mina behind with Kookeu. “There’s this outdoor resto that serves mean ribs. Even offers bowls for pets. If we get there in fifteen, we could still catch happy hour!”
◄ ◄ ◄
“Buddy!” The shout spread out to all corners of the quadrangle, and despite there being some twenty or so students lounging about, Mina knew the call was directed to her.
When the twenty or so heads shifted their attention to her, then, yeah, Mina was pretty sure she wasn’t sprouting irrational ideas of reference in her mind.
Taking in a deep breath, she gave herself a second before turning around and facing whoever it was. Actually, no. Mina already had an idea who was calling.
Im Nayeon, a second year in the Faculty of Fine Arts. Her photo was printed in color with cheeks having the lightest touch of magenta on them. A waste of her tri-color ink, if Mina had anything to say about it. But Nayeon’s picture was embedded in Mina’s freshman guide and the guide actually had maps and tips, so it was something she needed to print out.
Im Nayeon, her school-assigned buddy because Mina was new to the country and Nayeon was a true-blue local who signed up to volunteer for the buddy program the Student Affairs schemed. Ironic– that Mina had been in the university grounds for more than a month already, with the past weeks involving her settling down in her dorm and getting to know important routes and streets. Grocery. Video store. Cinema. The arcade.
And yet, Nayeon shot her an apology over a 180-character text on the first day of classes. A promise that she’d give Mina the campus tour the week after because she was currently held up on the coast of some undiscovered island. More details on her situation when they’d meet, and a playful reminder that the only phrase Mina needed to know was ‘yes, I’d like another round of mojito with lime, sweet mimosa, piña colada.’
“Buddy!” Nayeon repeated, hands on her knees with feet planted on the ground more than a foot apart. She was panting, and she shouldn’t have been that out of breath because they were starting their 20s and Nayeon didn’t look like she had any comorbidity. Only one reason could be behind the heavy breathing.
“You hate running.” Mina stated, pitying the older girl in front of her.
“I do.” A deep inhale, and then, “What gave it away?” Nayeon joked, and Mina didn’t need to laugh because Nayeon laughed at her own words.
Weird, but a nice kind of weird.
“Hi. Mina, right? Sorry I took so long. I’m more responsible than this, swear!”
Mina waved her apology off. The buddy system wasn’t something she was looking forward to– it meant more socialization from her end and entering a completely new territory drained more social energy than what she had stored in her. Nayeon being unable to meet her on the opening week of classes was fine.
But.
Nayeon insisting on giving her a tour of the campus – the Im Nayeon version – with a complimentary box of churros and a bottle of Coke was fine, too. Even better because Mina didn’t need to talk. Nayeon talked for them both.
An hour into the tour, and Nayeon, Mina decided, was bearable to be with. Another person to her acquaintance list, a face she’d willingly wave at in public.
“The guy at your six ‘o’clock has been eyeing you. Betting you a caramel macchiato that he’ll come up and ask you out.” Mina had to look away from the board that she’d been reading from to see what Nayeon was talking about. They’ve been at the Gaming Club’s bulletin board long enough for Mina’s feet to get small bursts of tingles, and Nayeon had been quiet since Mina started reading the flyers posted.
Well, Nayeon’s silence came about after Mina shushed her for talking trash about the Gaming Club. Somehow Nayeon’s irritation against tanks and supports and how expensive skins were told Mina that Nayeon knew more about the lore than she let on.
So, when Nayeon urged her to forget about the club because only losers were members, Mina’s ‘shut up, Nayeon’ worked wonders. Silenced her buddy until the existence of some unknown guy came to the attention of Nayeon.
It was a mistake on Mina’s part. The second she made eye contact with the mystery guy at her back, the stranger took it as his signal to approach her. Time to get going. She’d give herself a week to mull over the pros and cons of joining the Gaming Club.
“I’m gay.” Mina said, loudly. Probably the loudest volume she used since Nayeon got a hold of her, but it worked in making the guy do a 180-degree turn and retreat. Also, it was true. “Huh. That was easy. And freeing.”
Mina always imagined her coming out story with tears and hugs and reassuring kisses from her friends. Daydreamed of when the time would come ever since she figured that, no, she did not go with Momo to all those stupid basketball games to watch men sweat and fight and shout over an orange ball. She went with Momo because basketball games meant the cheer team at the sidelines and the cheer team meant pretty girls.
Mina never thought that the first person she’d come out to would be a film major who she knew for a grand total of … two hours. Looks like her story wouldn’t be a heartwarming anecdote that could’ve granted her a spot in the local newspaper. A missed opportunity, they did give some cash in exchange for heartfelt words.
A smile crept up Mina’s face, both from the small piece of truth she’d been carrying inside her for years and also at the thought of free coffee. The guy, after all, wouldn’t ask her out. Not anymore.
“Can I exchange the caramel macchiato for an iced americano? I think I saw a coffee shop three buildings earlier.”
Nayeon looked troubled. For a moment, Mina felt she had a bucket of ice-cold water doused over her entire body. Maybe Nayeon was traditional? A … bigot?
Fuck, Mina should have thought this through.
“Wait,” Nayeon said, taking a step away from Mina. She got her phone out of her back pocket and was scrolling furiously down her screen. Before Mina could fold into some kind of panic, Nayeon flashed Mina a zoomed-in photo that was stored in her gallery. Showed a picture of a girl. The anxiety Mina had gnawing in her mind simmered down to some fuzzy state of confusion. “Girls, right? Here’s a friend. Single. Want me to set you up?”
The knotted nerves in Mina’s mind untangled, and with it, laughter escaped. It was the first – of many, Mina would later realize – laugh that she let out in the time she spent with Nayeon. Nayeon looked annoyed at the response, but not really– if the smile on her face was any indication.
“I mean, dating is a part of the college experience.” Nayeon reasoned out, the pixels that formed a pretty face now a mere blur of motion in Mina’s eyes. “Buddy, I’m just trying to help.”
Mina gave a show of raising an eyebrow, not bothering to vocalize her question of what Nayeon’s idea of help was.
Nayeon pocketed her phone, crossed her arms. Looked like in deep thought, but what she said a moment later told Mina otherwise: “Or, we could date. Do you wanna date? I have a date this week though, and … shit, I’m gonna finish that project I told you about the week next. So, uh, maybe we could date a month from now?”
Mina shook her head, stopping only when she felt the bangs she had settled back into place. “Pass on the date, but I’d like one iced americano, buddy.”
And it wasn’t even funny, but it made Nayeon laugh and loop her arm around Mina’s. Made Nayeon drop the topic and jump on to the next. Easy as that, and maybe, Mina thought, coming out shouldn’t be about tears and a story that could earn her some quick cash that’d sustain her for a week’s supply of packed meals.
Maybe coming out should be something thrown into the conversation as random as the weather, acknowledged, not questioned, and moved on.
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“My baby’s hungry, too?” Sauce was dripping from Ray’s lips, his tail picking up its pace after Mina shot the question. “Did buddy take good care of you while I was in hell?” A bark, and Mina shifted her attention from Ray to the girl across from her. “Didn’t know their ribs would turn you into a dog.”
A glare, which only worsened when Mina balled up a piece of tissue and hit Nayeon’s lips head-on. “What did I tell you about cursing in front of the children?”
A small sorry in the form of a slice of triple-chocolate cake was ordered. Mina should’ve known better than to actually give in to Nayeon’s whims, but it had been over two years of her being fooled by puppy eyes and bulging cheeks. Didn’t help that Nayeon was always creative in getting what she wanted.
“You’re not listening to what I’m saying, are you?” Nayeon sighed, and the ripple in the air where her sigh was inserted reached Mina’s hands. Hands which were held less than a foot away from her face, hands that were busy holding her phone with fingers thumbing circles at the left and tapping strategically at the right. “Last piece.”
Mina’s mouth opened on Nayeon’s command, her mind lagging along with her phone’s ping. After securing the latest kill on her phone, she swallowed the sweetness. “Of course, I’m not listening. Can’t you see my stats? It’s so bad. My teammates are gonna report me.”
“You’re playing with Jihyo and Jeongyeon right now. I don’t think they’d report you for being a feeder.” Nayeon said, fingers tapping freely on Mina's screen. “They’d report you for being such a shitty jungler.”
The countdown on Mina’s screen – her latest death courtesy of Nayeon’s manipulations, or maybe because of Jeongyeon’s ill-timed skill combination – dipped to black, now replaced with an ugly announcement of her team’s defeat.
Nayeon grabbed the phone from Mina’s hands. Locked it and placed it screen-first on the table. “Are you paying attention to me now?”
“For somebody who supposedly hates what I play, you know the lingo well.” Mina teased, ignoring Nayeon’s question.
“Friends close, enemies closer.” Nayeon reasoned. Mina’s phone rang, prompting another vein to bulge at the side of Nayeon’s forehead. “Do you guys have to play on a Tuesday afternoon?”
Mina rolled her eyes at Nayeon’s question. “You were the one who suggested the Tuesday schedule, you idiot.”
“I only said that because all my Tuesdays last semester ended at midnight.”
“Your Tuesdays ended at five. Your drinking sessions ended at midnight.” Mina argued, although her interest was far from their argument and more invested in the toy Ray and Kookeu were playing with a few feet away from them.
Another round of buzzing from her phone, and she picked it up before Nayeon could throw it away. “Ji, hi. Sorry about the last game. Yeah, I’m with Nayeon.”
“You better show your fat ass this Saturday, Jihyo!! Bring a gift for my baby sis as well. Tell Jeong the same thing.” Nayeon shouted, leaving Mina’s ear ringing with information that didn’t make sense.
“What was she talking about?” Mina asked. Nayeon was already propping herself in between their dogs, which was a wrong move on her part because now the canines were jumping on her, the toy left forgotten on the ground.
“It’s Chaeyoung’s birthday. Gonna be a barbeque at their place but, why are you asking me? She should’ve told you by now.” Jihyo explained, irritation thinly veiled by the choppy reception Mina had. “Anyway, why are you guys hanging out now? It’s Tuesday. Game day! Jeongyeon’s still fuming at the loss.”
It was their designated game day, but Nayeon just came back from her childhood home bringing Kookeu so that Ray would have canine interaction. Afternoons outside spent with Ray and Kookeu were something Mina endured high ping for.
It was purely out of her attachment to the dogs, contrary to what Jihyo was teasing over the line.
“Whatever you say, Myoui. But can you two play house back here in the apartment? We’re gonna stream later and I’m pretty sure the fans would throw a fit if peng324 gets stuck to the screen.”
◄ ◄
The only thing better than staring at a screen that had ‘M.V.P.’ centered in big blocks was the screen being replaced by a three-second animation of a rank-up notice. Their last game lasted a few minutes short from reaching the hour-mark, and Mina was doubtful if she bothered to breathe for the last ten.
“The was fucking amazing!!” Jeongyeon was rolling on the floor, pouring the leftover adrenaline in her system out by squeezing the throw pillow in her arms. “The enemy’s tank asiansoul_jyp can suck it! Nobody out-tanks yoobeepbeep. Nobody!”
“Credit the support, will you?” Jihyo finally got words out of her mouth after the initial wave of disbelief at their win tapered down in her mind. “And, fuck, Myoui what the hell? You said you were a casual gamer. A 20-1-11 KDA isn’t casual. At all.”
Jihyo and Jeongyeon were in a hybrid match of pillow fights and footsies now, and the grin on Mina’s face grew wider as the shouts of her teammates bounced off the walls. Seems like joining the Gaming Club was the right call, after all.
The door to Jeongyeon’s apartment twisted, although Mina was the only one who noticed. The two bodies were still thrashing on the floor, and if this wasn’t the first time Mina hung-out with them, she’d probably dive into the body pile, too.
“Jeong, if you converted our apartment into some kind of geek-central again, I swear your ugly gay-ass laptop is going to drink Cuervo with me later.” The voice was familiar, and when Mina’s eyes got a face to match with the source, her heart pumped a little faster. “Now, who the– Jihyo if you’re gonna kick Jeong, don’t be shy and aim for the face! And, oh.”
Nayeon changed expressions as her eyes jumped from each and everyone of them in the room. Exasperation at Jeongyeon, amusement at Jihyo, and … Mina wasn’t sure if Nayeon looking at her with the head cocked to the side and mouth open for a split second before closing was a good thing.
“I texted you! Asked if you’d like to grab coffee today, and you didn’t reply.” A quick stare-down, and Mina had the sense to palm for her phone tucked in the pocket of her jacket. “Can’t believe you ignored me for these two.”
The pillow that was previously squished in between the bodies of Jeongyeon and Jihyo was thrown to Nayeon’s direction, earning a scowl from Nayeon.
Jeongyeon was the first to sit up, a look of pure concern on her face. Seemed real, but then: “Mina, I’m not even gonna ask why you know her. I’m just gonna tell you, no. Don’t be fooled, she’s a real bit– Nayeon, you fucker, that hurt!” Jeongyeon was back to the floor, but this time, she landed where Jihyo was sprawled over, face covered by the same pillow she threw at Nayeon seconds prior.
Nayeon and Jeongyeon and Jihyo were on the verge of starting the third world war in Jeongyeon’s – and Nayeon’s, to the late realization of Mina – apartment. Their energy was an endless reserve. Their jokes already told in the shifts of their laughter, by the twitch of an eye. It almost felt like Mina was trespassing in a bubble the trio had.
Nayeon was the first to back down, was the first to step out to the hallway and into her room. After, it was a series of quick explainers on how they knew each other.
Mina explained first, but that was mostly because Jihyo and Jeongyeon couldn’t believe that there was a universe in where Mina would actually know Nayeon. Buddy system, end of story. Theirs took a little over a quarter of an hour.
Nayeon and Jihyo were neighbors, basically grew up together. Would have probably been roommates but Nayeon was a year ahead and Jihyo needed to stay at the dorms for her first year in the university.
Jeongyeon was Nayeon’s assigned roommate back when they were freshmen, and apparently there was a shared experience that tenants of Dormitory 3 that made their bond one of a kind. One of a kind, Mina interpreted from the stories she snipped out, was the fraternity they shared from trauma. From a pooled mix of the dorm’s supervisor, the bottom-of-the-line facilities, and that one night that arson was nearly committed by a too-drunk passerby.
The chemistry of Jihyo and Jeongyeon started when Jihyo crashed at Nayeon’s dorm last year. Jeongyeon was playing on her bed, and Jihyo was way too nosy for her own good. By the end of the weekend, Jihyo and Jeongyeon spent more time together, bonding over a variety of games and twitch streamers.
“Uh-uh, don’t filter the story. Tell Mina how you traitors left me in the coffee shop for hours just because some hotshot streamer was playing in the mall’s gaming zone.” Nayeon was busy securing the loops to her ears as she entered the living area, her scowl clearer with a new coating of matte red. “And speaking of coffee, we still need to go and grab one. It’s in the buddy system guide.”
“You wanna grab coffee now? Don’t you think the lipstick and miniskirt combo is a bit overkill for a cup of barista’s brew with an extra serving of whip cream and two shots of breve?” This time, Mina was trying to be funny, and it wasn’t fair that Nayeon didn’t laugh. But the snorts from both Jeongyeon and Jihyo were a consolation she’d take any day. Also, the way Nayeon’s cheeks started to compete with the shade of red she had on her lips was a boost to Mina’s ego. “Why didn’t you tell me that you’re friends with the people from the Gaming Club? Wait, you even told me to not join in it.”
“Buddy, you losers call yourselves ‘Gaming Club’. I was trying to save you from the cooties these geeks have, but apparently, you’re beyond saving.”
It was probably a running joke between them, because Mina’s teammates didn’t bother to react at Nayeon’s jabs. Instead, they settled themselves back to their respective computers. Jihyo was already making another room for their next match.
“I texted you hours ago. That invite has expired, but now, I can offer you a VIP seat to the new club down on the 6th. Wanna be my plus one?” Nayeon was facing the mirror, but her eyes caught Mina’s. Mina hoped Nayeon had bad eyesight.
Hoped that the glasses Nayeon wore when she’d be in casual clothing was real and graded, because Mina was gulping, and it didn’t make for a pretty sight. “I have this little black dress that’d look good on you. Ditch dummy one and dummy two. My friend says the bartender on Fridays serves free margaritas to girls who’d give a show.”
“A show?” Mina asked, and yet she was already in the waiting room for their next match. Clubbing sounded awful but talking to Nayeon was nice.
“Nayeon, could you keep your filth to yourself, please.” Jihyo butted in, “Nayeon’s saying that she’d make out with you in exchange for free alcohol.”
The game’s sound effects masked the gasp Mina let out, but Nayeon seemed unfazed. Amused, actually. “Men are idiots and if a guy would give me free drinks in exchange for something easy, then, I say exploit patriarchy!”
“Look at you, already saying drunken shit sober. Go away and bring pizza when you come home, alright?” Jeongyeon was motioning for Nayeon to go, but her focus was already on the game when Nayeon skipped over to the coffee table.
Gave them a peck on the cheek each just to annoy them, and two pecks to Mina just because.
►
It was Jihyo’s idea that they’d stream their games, and Jeongyeon was enthusiastic about it when it was pitched. Mina just went along with it, as long as her camera would be turned off. Mic, too. It was mostly because she liked to keep a low profile online, but now, with Nayeon hovering beside her, well, it was a good call.
“Buddy, go bother the children. I’m playing.” Mina was whining, and it would’ve been something she’d never do two years ago. But that was then, when Mina was Nayeon-free, and this was now, a time wherein Nayeon was a surprising constant in her days. Annoying, how there were times that the only language Nayeon spoke in was whine, but Mina was quick to swallow her pride on that matter when it’d be the only solution to get Nayeon listen to her. “Please? I wanna actually score in this match.”
Nayeon retracted her head from Mina’s side, making Mina give a small thank-you. She sat a little straighter, rightened her grip on her mouse, and drummed on the keyboard a little faster.
Breathed a little easier, too.
Because Nayeon was Nayeon– the most promising senior in the Faculty of Fine Arts, the brain behind the film that won in the local film fest that Mina couldn’t quite remember the name of right now. Was, aside from being the prized student of her faculty, the life of any and every party there was in the university.
Probably outside the university as well, but Mina didn’t really know. Didn’t care to go with Nayeon on her parties because the one time she did, Nayeon was up sucking faces with some girl – a girl! – and Mina wanted nothing more than to be the girl pressed against the wall with eyes closed and hands wrapped around Nayeon’s waist. Which was, back then, the first of the many – fucking hell, there were so many – red flags Mina saw with her rose-colored glasses.
Not that Nayeon was fundamentally bad. The bad thing to it was that Mina was crushing on a school-mandated friend, somebody that was way out of her league. Adding the fact that Nayeon knew about Mina’s sexuality was a gray area Mina didn’t know how to interpret.
Mina was gay, and Nayeon knew she was gay, so Mina endured a year-long headache of thinking what Nayeon’s consistent good morning texts were about. If the way Nayeon would make sure to see her at least once a week was something Mina should feel special about.
If Jihyo’s commentary on how Nayeon claimed not one, but two drawers in Mina’s bedroom was suspiciously domesticated girlfriend activity.
On Jeongyoen’s comments about the dogs. The dogs, which were Ray – who Mina bought a ticket for after she and Jihyo moved out of the dorms and into a pet-accommodating apartment at the start of their second year – and Kookeu, who Nayeon brought to the university if her schedule was relatively free so Ray could have a play buddy.
“Nice kill, buddy!” Nayeon’s shout brought Mina out of her thoughts, but the peck Nayeon planted at the crown of her head erased whatever thoughts Mina had in her mind entirely. Now it was simply heavy with Nayeon. Literally, because Nayeon was parking her chin on Mina’s head, her arms being the best blanket Mina could possibly experience wrapping around her chest. “Buddy, go mid-lane. Jeong’s gonna die. The fuck, tanks don’t charge solo!”
Mulling over Nayeon’s actions and intentions clocked in too much time in Mina’s head. So, Mina did what anybody who was one roll of the eyes away from falling in love with a friend did– dive mouth-first into the nearest non-Nayeon person there was. It worked for about a month. Maybe two, Mina wasn’t sure. She didn’t keep count – and that, she liked to believe– was the reason why her first girlfriend broke up with her. Definitely not because ‘she had eyes for somebody else’ or whatever bullshit her ex told Nayeon. Nayeon, of all people. God.
“Somebody’s asking what’s peng324 on and how she’s managing to take all the kills in the wipe-out in under half a minute.” Jihyo shouted, the tease not loss on Mina. Before Mina could type in a reply to the chat box, so that their viewers could see, yoobeepbeep’s mic turned on, and no, ‘her girlfriend’s rewarding her with kisses every time she kills’ was not the answer to the question.
(It made Nayeon laugh, and Mina got another peck even though she didn’t score; and right now, Mina doesn’t know what to do with this information.)
◄
“Need a ride?” Mina asked, making an effort to wriggle her eyebrows at Nayeon, although she was sure that Nayeon couldn’t see it. Drunk Nayeon was inattentive at best, and a complete mess most of the times.
“Do I need to answer?” Nayeon asked, climbing to the shotgun seat with a longer delay than usual. How many shots did Nayeon take this time? With how her eyes were shut, more than her limit was a safe answer. “How was game night?”
“No, you don’t. You look like shit.” Mina humored, and when Nayeon scrunched her nose in disapproval, Mina let herself laugh at the sight before she turned the engine on. “It was fun! Jeong’s still at the apartment, they’re streaming The Handmaiden.”
Nayeon nodded, her reply cut off when Mina tossed her a bottle of water. “Sleep it off. I’ll wake you when we arrive.” Tossed Nayeon her thickest flannel too, because it was the dead of the night and Nayeon got cold easily. And maybe seeing Nayeon in her shirts fueled a part of Mina’s dream studios. A part of her mind that should’ve shut down the day Nayeon brought her to the countryside, introduced her to the family, pets, neighbors, neighbors’ pets.
It was all levels of embarrassing because Nayeon was the center of attention because it was her birthday and people went to their house to see her, but Nayeon ended up introducing Mina to everybody. Left Mina in the hands of her parents and baby sister when she got called for a quick catch-up with her classmates from high school.
Mina planned to strangle Jihyo and Jeongyeon the moment they’d step foot in Nayeon’s house, but Nayeon was her parents’ child. Mina got a better grasp on how Nayeon had the perfect balance of bubbly ang genuineness in her personality. Even made friends out of Chaeyoung’s friends in the span of time Nayeon was away from her. It wasn’t bad at all, but, fuck, it was scary.
By the time the party ended it was past midnight and Nayeon’s parents already rolled out another futon for Mina to sleep in Nayeon’s room. Mina couldn’t see anything because the lights were off, it was a new moon, and the streetlight outside was busted but what she couldn’t see was made up with what she could feel. Feel the warmth of Nayeon’s exhales flit to her hands, hands that were casually in between their faces– Mina did need a barrier of sorts. A boundary.
The day spent immersing herself in Nayeon’s childhood home was her opening another layer of Im Nayeon, getting chummy with Nayeon’s parents another, and making friends with Nayeon’s sister and her sister’s friends were another yet again.
It felt permanent, her place in Nayeon’s life. It would be a waste to act on a crush.
“Hey, wake up. Can you walk?” Mina asked, rubbing small circles on Nayeon’s shoulder. Which perhaps wasn’t so much as a wake-up call than it was a lull to sleep, but it made Nayeon rub her face against the back of Mina’s hand, so at least Mina knew she was listening. “Wake up for a minute. Change your clothes then you can go to bed.”
“Tuck me in?” Nayeon asked, her eyes going against the weight of sleep on her lids.
“What are you, five?” Mina tried to sound annoyed, but her arm was securing Nayeon as they walked up the apartment.
Nayeon leaning back to nuzzle further into Mina was a misstep away from them tumbling down, but it felt nice and, okay, Mina was still figuring out how to not be in love with Nayeon so nights like these were an indulgence.
The best thing about it was that there wasn’t any regret in the morning because Mina picking up Nayeon became a routine– and Nayeon would prepare her breakfast as a thank you. Nayeon having her limbs draped over Mina’s body in the night was enough thank you in Mina’s mind, but Nayeon didn’t need to know that.
She should really squish the crush as soon as possible. It got hard to concentrate on things.
“– so?” Nayeon asked, her glasses getting that annoying fog from the coffee under her nose. The startled look Mina gave a good answer as any. Nayeon sighed, and the fog shot up to blur the lenses entirely, prompting Nayeon to take it off and clean it with her sleeve. “I saw your ex last night. Something you wanna tell me?”
With the fog gone, Nayeon placed her glasses back on and the automatic smile she’d shoot when she’d fix her glasses in place energized Mina more than the 30 grams of caffeine she brewed earlier. “What do I want to tell you?” Mina echoed, not following where Nayeon was going with the conversation, and honestly, what could her ex have told Nayeon?
Better question, why would her ex talk to Nayeon? They didn’t know each other! Not in the same faculty, not the same circle of friends. Mina was sure, because Nayeon bitched to her about it– why Mina had to get involved with somebody she didn’t know, which meant Nayeon had no way to judge if the girl Mina was dating ‘deserved’ Mina.
“She said you had somebody else.” Mina’s eyes narrowed, irritation clear cut by the meeting of her eyebrows in the middle. “She said that your heart was set to somebody else.” Nayeon was pouting, “she said–”
“I thought she broke up with me because I forgot to take her out on our date night.” Mina supplied, not interested in hearing what her ex had to say about her, lest Nayeon would put her own brain to work and add one and one together. Because being in love with Nayeon for nearly two years was something Mina tried her best to put out of the spotlight. “I wouldn’t dwell on it, buddy.”
Wrong, Mina did dwell on it. Dwelled on it for far too long that she wasn’t sure if it ever really left her mind the moment she acknowledged that Nayeon and warmth and home started to mean the same thing.
“So, you’re not looking at anybody with heart eyes now?” Nayeon asked, the pout on her face lifting into a small tease.
“You are a five-year-old.”
Nayeon grinned, taking the intended insult as a compliment. Mina couldn’t even be irritated about how Nayeon was talking in baby, because Nayeon was smiling and the issue of her being in love with somebody was gonna be swept under the rug, just how she liked it.
“So, it’s a no?” A prod, which Mina could answer with a roll of her eyes. “You’d tell me, right? I mean, we’re friends, right?”
“Friends,” Mina repeated, the drumming in her heart that danced to the beat of Nayeon’s words now more pronounced after the stupid reality check. “Of course, we’re friends.” Grasping at humor to deflect the pain blooming in her chest, “What would you call us if we weren’t friends, dummy?”
“Well,” Nayeon started, picking up on Mina’s challenge– a joke was at the tip of Nayeon’s tongue, Mina hoped. Truths were for the brave, and Mina was anything but. “We could be more.”
The endless teasing from Jeongyeon and Jihyo prepped Mina to put on a poker face, and it was the exact reaction that Nayeon was expecting because a beat later, Nayeon was laughing.
►
Nayeon was mad, which may have been warranted considering that her ego was kicked down a peg the moment Mina said no. It had been a little over an hour since the whole spin-the-bottle rejection scene in the living room of Nayeon’s childhood home. Considering that they were getting drunk with hangovers that’d stretch well into the morning of tomorrow, Mina thought Nayeon would’ve calmed down by now.
But the fact that she holed up in her room was a clear indication that no, she didn’t calm down. Ah, fuck.
“The doorknob needs to be twisted and pushed to be opened.” Jihyo slurred, her hand taking hold of Mina’s shoulder. “You staring at it won’t do any of you good.”
“Maybe she doesn’t wanna talk to me.” Mina tried, the alcohol in her blood doing its work of silencing her problems. The physical manifestation of which was in the room in front of her. “Or maybe she really just had a headache and is now sleeping it off, just like what she said earlier.”
Jihyo’s grip on her shoulder tightened, and it was already painful now. If Jihyo was squeezing common sense into Mina, she wouldn’t know. It wasn’t working. “Go inside. You’ll thank me in the morning.”
Highly unlikely, but Mina followed the command regardless.
The room was pitch black, with the only source of light coming from Nayeon’s phone. Nayeon was awake, Mina’s drunk mind registered that much. When Mina closed the door – and locked it too, a habit her father drilled to her – the phone’s screen turned off, and Mina could hear the shuffling of sheets. Nayeon was still mad, that she got as well.
Maneuvering through the room was easy, and Mina had to thank the countless times Nayeon brought her to the countryside for that. Maneuvering the conversation with a tight-lipped Nayeon wasn’t.
“Are you mad, buddy?” Mina asked, her hand reaching out to where she swore she saw Nayeon curled up earlier. Her hand hit Nayeon’s knee, and Mina figured that Nayeon was sitting cross-legged across her. Was probably waiting for her to start talking since she entered the room. “I’m sorry.”
Nayeon’s hand took in Mina’s, their fingers in a dance of their own. “Yeah, I’m mad.” Nayeon answered. Hurt, too by the tone of her voice. But their hands were still intertwined, Nayeon’s thumb drawing on circles at the back of Mina’s hand. “You suck, Mina.”
The jab eased the tension in the room, and Nayeon was right, but Mina wasn’t going to risk everything she worked hard for just for a stupid game of spin-the-bottle earlier.
Earlier.
Now, Mina had three more bottles of beer in her system along with shots of whatever the hell Dahyun made, so this time, she got a little braver. Brought their hands closer to her, planted a lingering kiss at the back of Nayeon’s hand. “So I’ve been told.”
“Is the party over?” Nayeon asked, her hand sliding to cup Mina’s cheek for whatever reason she had. Mina wasn’t going to overanalyze it anymore. Instead, she’d press her cheek against it, because Nayeon’s palm was warm from the blanket, and her wrist was another field for kisses to be sowed in.
“The games have died down. Some are sleeping. The rest …” Her ministrations to Nayeon’s wrist were stopped when the pad of Nayeon’s thumb pressed against her lips, and Mina wasn’t sure if what she was doing was still appropriate, but Nayeon scooted closer. And it would’ve been easier if Nayeon slid on to Mina’s lap directly but she didn’t, and Mina took it as her cue to continue talking instead, “they’re having Sixteen Candles on. Wanna watch?”
Nayeon had her head closer now, and the shake she did as a no stirred the air around them. Mina was definitely drunk. She wouldn’t hold Nayeon’s head in place with her hands otherwise.
“Do you think …” Nayeon started, and Mina moved closer to hear better. Nayeon’s lips were touching the shell of her ear, and her nose was buried in the blankets of Nayeon’s hair. Intoxicating. “Is seven minutes with me so bad?”
Mina was laughing, because god, no. Seven minutes in a lip-lock with Nayeon was the star stuff in the galaxies of her dreams.
“You’re laughing. Fine, whatever. Let’s watch the movie.” Nayeon huffed out, and Mina had exactly a second to placate her buddy’s bubbling anger. Which would have been a simple clarification in whine if she wasn’t drunk. Or if she wasn’t fed up with repressing everything Nayeon-induced her brain had bottled up. Either explanation would work.
“It’s really not.” Mina said, trailing kisses down the path of Nayeon’s jaw. A kiss for every word, and it worked because Nayeon was tilting her head to give Mina more area to work with. Mina blames the stupid decision of placing a peck to Nayeon’s hand earlier. Seemed like her lips were burning, and the only way to put out the fire it had was to be pressed against Nayeon’s skin. “I just don’t think doing seven minutes with you could make up for two years.”
By the time Mina realized the messy confession she tumbled out, Nayeon’s hands were in her hair, and if Mina would squint harder, she’d see the blotch of red that was forming at the base of Nayeon’s neck.
Fuck, she should really stop.
(She didn’t.)
“You fucking idiot.” Nayeon said, tugging Mina to face her. Crashed her lips on to Mina’s. Semblance of control was slipping, and Nayeon finally slid on to her lap and if Mina ever got woken up from this dream, she was certain she’d murder whoever cut the scene from her.
Nayeon bit, and Mina could taste the metallic tang of blood as Nayeon danced her tongue over the injury. Okay, not a dream. God. They were talking about something earlier, and Mina wanted to dismiss their conversation to fully focus on the task at hand.
“Sixteen Candles?” The movie, yes. Nayeon said something about watching the movie together with the rest of the girls downstairs.
Nayeon said no in the form of pressing her body against Mina, hard enough for them to fall on to the bed, and before Mina could ask what Nayeon wanted,
“Touch me.”