Chapter Text
SPRING
Tzuyu is proud to call herself a chameleon. Someone who could blend in with the environment, whether it be a new place, friends, or even situations. She loves the idea of exploring a new place and being able to adapt to it. It’s something of a comfort as well as a challenge for her.
She had gotten good at it because her family had to constantly move from place to place. She moved to Korea when she was 9 years old and stayed for the better part of her life, but even then, they still had to move around in the country itself. She met people along the way of her journey, but she never had the chance to really stick around.
So when she was offered to further her studies in Seoul, she took the opportunity without a second thought. It wouldn’t be any different than moving, but this time it was of her own volition instead of her parents and that excited her because she might finally have a place that she could stay around longer (and connections).
The day of her departure was filled with tears from her parents. But it was nothing short of sweet. She cried when her mother hugged her and cried even harder when her father told her that they’d miss her. They couldn’t come with her to help settle in because of work, but it didn’t really bother her. She knew she’d be fine, and her parents thought the same too. When she got on the train, she could feel the excitement coursing through her veins. What will she find? Who will she meet? Will she be able to enjoy this?
When she reached Seoul, it was an overwhelming moment for her. She had been to Seoul before but the sea of humans still spooked her, slowly and surely though she managed to book herself a taxi and was well on her way to the University.
She took in the sight through the window. She had watched videos on YouTube of people exploring the streets of Seoul, but it’s completely different from the real thing. She hoped she could go and explore more in her free time if she had any.
The journey took about an hour. The whole ride she managed to fill the time listening to music and taking in the scenery. The sun was peaking in between the buildings, signalling the start of a new day. People were starting to fill the street, on the way to their destination. When she reached hers, she started to feel nervous.
With her suitcase in tow, she ventured in. There was a big banner at the entrance with the word ‘Welcome’ in red and it did make her feel welcomed. She could see people who were the same as her, walking around with suitcases heading towards what she would assume was the dormitory. She followed them and in a couple of minutes, she reached her destination.
There were a couple of desks out front with staff. She went up to them and they greeted her, asking for her ID. The process took about 5 minutes during which they explained to her the rules and regulations of the dorms as well as where she needed to head for orientation. They gave her the key to her room and the itinerary for orientation. The number on the key read 276.
She walked down the hallway, looking at the numbers adorning the doors in search of her room. Some of the doors were opened and she could see people inside unpacking or cleaning. She was so preoccupied that she almost missed her room. She backtracked, looking at the number and then back at her keys.
She opened the door and marvelled at how tiny it was. Even so, when she stepped in, it felt cosy. It consisted of two beds, two study tables as well as two wardrobes placed opposite side of the room. The other side of the room was already occupied and Tzuyu concluded that her roommate must be a senior because of the abundance of things scattered about. Since she travelled light, it didn’t take her too long to unpack.
After she finished putting the sheets on, she sat down to take a breather. She observed the things on her roommate’s side. There’s a rabbit plushy on her bed, staring Tzuyu down with its beady eyes. The walls were decorated with Polaroid pictures, strung together with strings and clips, a typical decoration that she saw on Pinterest. When she took a closer look it was the same 3 people in each one and Tzuyu concluded that one of them must be her roommate, unless the person holding the camera is. The table was in disarray and her curious nature got the best of her as her eyes zeroed in on an ID card.
Im Nayeon, Mechanical Engineering.
That explained the state of her table, she thought. Before she could snoop more, her phone rang, startling her. It was her mom calling and she smacked her head for forgetting to tell her she arrived.
“Hello, I’ve arrived.”
“I thought so. Didn’t we tell you to call?”
“I’m sorry mom, I forgot,” she pinched her nose, already feeling guilty for making her mom and dad worried. She heard her mom sigh.
“That’s okay. What are you doing, honey?”
Tzuyu explained to her mom what she had done for the last hours and after her mom was satisfied then she could end the call. After she hung up, her stomach grumbled. She checked the pamphlet and made a noise of excitement when she realized that breakfast, lunch, and dinner were included for the whole day. Taking her things and key, she ventured out in search of food.
The cafeteria was huge and there were already a lot of people eating. She could feel her palm starting to sweat, but she marched onward, waiting in line to get her food. With a tray in hand, she scanned the area in search of an empty spot. She could easily integrate herself into one of the tables and make friends, but somehow her heart was tugging her towards the table in the far corner of the cafeteria, where two girls were sitting, engaging in what seemed to be a heated discussion. When she neared them, she could hear bits of the conversation they were having.
“Dahyun, just admit you ate my damn chocolate bar in the fridge. I’m not gonna be mad at you. I need to know cause then I won’t be so paranoid thinking a rat ate it or something.”
“How could a rat open the fridge?” This Dahyun questioned.
Tzuyu could feel the frustration rolling off in waves out of the other girl’s body with the way she was sighing. She didn’t know whether to sit there or not until Dahyun spotted her.
“Oh! Do you want to sit here?” She asked, her smile so friendly it eased Tzuyu’s nervousness.
“If you don’t mind.”
The other girl offered the seat next to her. “Sit here, or else Dahyun might steal your food.”
“Hey! That’s slander!”
“It’s not if it’s true.”
Tzuyu did as she was told and sat next to the short-haired girl. The girl turned her attention towards her and offered her hand. “I’m Chaeyoung and this is Dahyun.”
“Tzuyu, a pleasure.”
“You’re new, yeah?” Dahyun chirped in, continuing to eat her food.
“Yeah. I just finished unpacking,” Tzuyu answered, digging into her tofu stew.
“What’s your major?” Chaeyoung asked next, sipping her drink.
“Veterinary medicine.”
They both gawked at her. “Well, that’s impressive. I’m taking Art with a minor in French language while Dahyun here takes Korean. We’re new too,” Chaeyoung explained and Dahyun nodded away, cheeks full.
“Language is impressive too. Especially when you’re learning a new one as well as learning it in a deeper level.”
Her statement got a smile from both of them. They looked at each other, communicating with their eyes, and then they turned to her. “Hey Tzuyu, you got anyone to hang with during orientation later?” Dahyun asked.
She shook her head and their smile widened. “Hang out with us then,” Chaeyoung declared.
For the first time in her life, Tzuyu felt like she was truly a part of something.
Orientation passed without a hitch. In fact, it was entertaining because she was with Chaeyoung and Dahyun. They told her that they had been best friends since kindergarten and decided to attend the same university too because it was easier. She suspected something else was at play, but she was not going to jump to any conclusion. Yet.
It goes on until dinner time and when everything’s done, she is dead on her feet walking back to her dorm. If she hadn’t met the duo, she might’ve been bored throughout the whole thing and just left. She didn’t realize there were lights under the door as she opened it. When she heard a shriek she realised there was someone else in the room.
She closed her eyes, afraid that she might see something that she shouldn’t, but the girl only chuckled at her.
“What’re you doing?”
“Are you decent?”
“Yes, I am,” the girl laughed.
“You screamed so I thought—” Tzuyu stopped mid-track as she was rendered speechless. The girl was beautiful.
“You thought…” the girl got up and came near her.
Tzuyu walked backwards until her back hit the door. “You were, uhm, n-not wearing anything,” she stuttered. Despite being shorter than her, the girl somehow intimidated her.
Suddenly the girl cackled. “You didn’t knock so of course I’ll scream. I didn’t even know I would get a new roommate this semester.” She turned around and sat on her bed, signalling for Tzuyu to sit on hers. “Come on roomie, it’s bonding time.”
Tzuyu blinked a couple of times but did as she was told.
“My name is Im Nayeon. It’s my second year here doing mechanical engineering.”
“Chou Tzuyu. First year. I’m taking veterinary medicine.” Her tone was clipped, and she was surprised by that.
Nayeon seemed to be observing her. “Is it your first time away from home?”
The question caught her by surprise. “Uhm, yeah, kind of,” she mumbled, feeling awkward suddenly. Sure, it was her first time by herself, but was it too obvious?
“Don’t worry too much, it was mine too when I first came here. College is a fun place compared to school. As your senior, I might even guide you through it.” Nayeon reassured her.
“Oh, thanks,” Tzuyu murmured. The 'bonding' session ended there because Nayeon’s phone started ringing.
Nayeon stood up and walked outside to answer it. The moment the door closes, Tzuyu lets out a sigh. She chastised herself for being so awkward with her roommate. Something that she didn’t know was possible to happen. She’s good at making friends, but somehow the girl left her flustered and had her acting guarded. She didn’t even know why.
The door opened and Nayeon peeked through. “I’m getting dinner with friends. You want any?”
Tzuyu shook her head and Nayeon left with a goodbye. She sighed again. This was going to be harder than she thought.
---
Fast forward and she had been living here for a few weeks now and even then, she still didn’t know how to bond with her roommate. Luckily, her classes seemed to be clashing with Nayeon’s so safe to say they didn’t see each other that much and Tzuyu didn’t know if that was a blessing or a curse.
She was getting frustrated by the day because she wanted to get to know Nayeon more, but somehow, she didn’t know how to approach her. They talked, of course, but it was always the surface-level kind of conversation and it frustrated her that she couldn’t say more. Maybe she wasn’t as good at adapting as she thought and the thought followed her like a cloud throughout her classes until lunchtime. By the time she reached the table she always shared with her friends, the clouds turned to storms and she was frowning so hard that it tipped her friends off on her mood.
“Tzuyu, you okay there?” It was Dahyun who asked first, seeing that she didn’t even bother to say hello to them like she always did.
She grumbled but then felt guilty because Dahyun was looking at her worryingly. “I don’t know,” she murmured.
“Is it class?” Chaeyoung asked next, putting her phone down and scooting closer.
The attention only made her feel worse because she could feel herself being difficult, but she couldn’t stop it. They seemed to sense her mood shift and Dahyun put her hand on her shoulder.
“If you don’t want to talk about it now, it’s okay. We’ll still be here to listen,” Dahyun said gently and Chaeyoung nodded along.
“Sorry…” Tzuyu sighed.
“Don’t be, everyone has their bad day. Just know that we’re here for you if you want someone to listen,” Chaeyoung reassured her.
She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, then she blurted out. “I still don’t know how to talk to my roommate. It makes me feel bad.”
The two girls looked at each other, communicating through their gaze. “Did she try to get to know you?” Dahyun asked.
Tzuyu nodded her head. “But I was being kind of cold to her whenever she asked something and it kind of stopped,” She murmured, feeling embarrassed by her behaviour. “She’s friendly and I usually know how to talk to new people but somehow when I’m around her it’s like I’m tongue-tied.”
Chaeyoung looked at Dahyun with wide eyes and raised eyebrows, the latter sporting the same look. She shook her head and Dahyun nodded in understanding. “Sometimes it might take a bit of time to get to know someone,” Dahyun reasoned.
“It’s already a month though,” Tzuyu grumbled.
“And that’s okay too. Maybe you guys haven’t found the right topic to bond over yet and that’s fine,” Chaeyoung added.
“As long as you guys aren’t fighting with each other, isn’t that a win in itself?” Dahyun encouraged.
Tzuyu took a minute to process. What her friends were saying was true. Maybe they haven’t found their footing around each other yet. But that didn’t answer her question as to why she was the one having a hard time befriending the girl. She stewed in her thoughts while eating, glad that her friends were giving her a little bit of space to think.
She got back to her room late in the evening because the duo insisted that they take her out to get ice cream. It cheered her up a bunch. Then she had an idea. She bought a vanilla flavour ice cream cup and hoped that her idea might work. She walked back to her dorm with a million different scenarios in her mind as well as dialogues and topics she could use with Nayeon.
When she entered her room, Nayeon was already there, lounging on the bed watching a drama on her phone, like she usually does every evening. Nayeon saw her and smiled, then she focused back on her drama. She took a deep breath and walked up to her bed.
“Heard ice cream goes well when you’re watching something.” Tzuyu handed the plastic bag to Nayeon.
Nayeon was startled by it, but she recovered fast, taking the plastic bag with wonderment on her face. She sat up properly, taking out the ice cream and looking at it with curiosity. “You went out for ice cream?”
“Yeah. The one by the laundromat. I thought maybe you’d want some,” Tzuyu murmured. She kept eye contact with Nayeon as the girl stared at her.
“Thank you, Tzuyu. I really appreciate this.” Nayeon smiled at her softly.
Tzuyu felt her heart jumped at the smile, but she tried to not let it affect her. “No problem.”
Nayeon then furrowed her eyebrows, pondering. “Why don’t we share it and watch this drama together.”
“O-oh, it’s okay. It’s for you,” Tzuyu stuttered, declining the invitation. “Besides, I wouldn’t understand what the drama is about because I don’t watch shows that much.”
Nayeon gasped. “We have to change that. An essential part of being a college student is to have something that you could waste your time over. Watching shows is one of them,” she explained, trying to make it sound serious.
Tzuyu just chuckled, but when she saw how adamant the other girl looked, she tilted her head in confusion. “But you’re already watching it halfway through.”
“I can watch it from the start again,” Nayeon said while pulling out her laptop from underneath the bed.
Tzuyu was stunned silent. She opened and closed her mouth, brows furrowing. She settled with an amused sigh when she realised that her resolve already crumbled the moment Nayeon smiled at her.“Okay.”
“Great. Go change into something comfortable. It’s gonna be quite a ride.”
Just like that, something shifted between them.
---
After finally breaking the 25-feet iceberg between them, Tzuyu for the lack of a better word, was enamoured by Nayeon. They became much closer than they were before in the span of a few months and she was happy with this development. She realised that she and Nayeon had a lot of things in common and because of that they never ran out of topic. She also found out that Nayeon is a dog person as much as her and that newfound information rocketed the other girl on the list of her favorite people.
They even developed a routine with each other despite the clashing of their schedules. In the morning they would have breakfast together before heading to their morning class. Unfortunately, they can’t have lunch together because Nayeon’s class ended later than hers, but they make it up by having dinner together at whatever restaurant that is near the university. After dinner, they would watch a show together on Nayeon’s laptop, on her bed, shoulder to shoulder because they’re comfortable enough to be in each other’s space. The development excited Tzuyu to no end.
Sometimes Nayeon’s friends would join them in having dinner and Tzuyu felt like she was a part of their little group too despite them only just met. The first time she met them they had called Nayeon one day to berate her for not hanging out with them that much (she had been hanging out with Tzuyu more but she didn’t know about that). Tzuyu declined at first because she didn’t want to intrude on their time, but Nayeon insisted that they meet because it would be fun, and she didn’t want to leave Tzuyu alone in the dorm. Her heart fluttered from her roommate’s thoughtfulness (The first meeting was an absolute success).
Jeongyeon and Jihyo had been friends with Nayeon almost throughout their lives and Tzuyu loved seeing their bond with each other. However, when they entered university, they both got together, leaving Nayeon to become their third wheel at every hangout which the other girl complains a lot.
“Can you stop being lovey dovey in front of me, I'm about to gag,” Nayeon deadpanned.
The culprits in question ignored her and opted to be even more obnoxious in their actions. When Nayeon groaned loudly, Tzuyu couldn’t help but giggle. She didn’t really mind the affectionate display, fascinated even because she never had friends that were a couple. She knew how romantic affection works; she just didn’t have any experience in it.
“Stop complaining. You’re not on your own, you have Tzuyu with you,” Jeongyeon retaliated.
“Maybe so. But I bet Tzuyu doesn’t like it either, right?” Nayeon draped her arm over Tzuyu’s shoulder, giving her a wink so she’d play along.
“I’m okay with it,” she said innocently. Nayeon whined and hit her on the shoulder, but she just laughed it off, liking how cute Nayeon was when throwing a tantrum like this. It made people wonder who’s the youngest and the oldest between them sometimes.
“See, you’re the one being difficult here,” Jeongyeon interjected, earning a glare from Nayeon.
“If you’re having a problem being single why don’t you find someone then.” Jihyo swooped in, trying to save her girlfriend.
Tzuyu’s stomach churned at the turn of topic. She didn’t even know why. She looked at Nayeon and the girl had a huge frown on her face. Tzuyu wanted to wipe it off her face.
“It’s not that easy,” Nayeon huffed, taking a bite out of her chicken. Most probably trying to cover up her frown, Tzuyu noticed.
“You’re just picky.”
Nayeon puts her chopstick down, about to throw hands with Jihyo. The other girl doing the same, a smirk on her face. Tzuyu was seconds away from jumping between them to stop whatever the hell it was that was going to happen until Jeongyeon stepped in.
“Calm down you heathens. You’re scaring Tzuyu,” Jeongyeon scolded, earning a few onlookers but her glare managed to scare them off.
Nayeon seemed to snap out of it and gave Tzuyu an apologetic look. “Sorry you had to see us like this all the time.”
“Oh, that’s okay. It’s free entertainment,” She teased.
Nayeon pouted, giving her a playful shove. Tzuyu couldn’t stop staring at her lips.
“Why don’t you guys try with each other then?” Jihyo tilted her head, face mischievous.
A bump could be heard from somewhere and Jeongyeon’s face was contorted as if in pain. Tzuyu would’ve asked if she was okay or laughed if the question didn’t make her head spin. Being suddenly given the option to date Nayeon could do that to a person. She didn’t even understand why she was entertaining the idea in the first place.
“Wrong foot, asshole,” Jeongyeon gritted out.
“I know. Jihyo can kick my ass, but you can’t,” Nayeon deadpanned. She turned to look at Jihyo, a frown etched on her face. “We’re roommates, we can’t date each other.”
The fluttering butterflies in her stomach turned to stone as it dropped down below. Tzuyu could feel herself frowning, but she quickly hid it by drinking her cup of water. Avoiding herself from looking at Nayeon because somehow the statement stings. Suddenly Nayeon’s hand was on her thigh and she almost choked on her drink.
“Ignore Jihyo, she doesn’t know what she’s talking about sometimes,” Nayeon tried to reassure her, but it only made her more disappointed. She masked it with a smile, hopeful that Nayeon wouldn’t notice her mood dropping.
“And why can’t roommates date each other?” Jihyo pushed on, clearly not satisfied. Tzuyu wished she didn’t.
Nayeon looked at her friend weirdly, but she indulged her anyway. “Because what if they break up? They don’t have anywhere else to go and trying to change room would be a hassle especially if they’ve been living at the dorm for like a whole year, let’s say.” She shrugged her shoulder. “It could get messy very fast because you don’t know if you’ll make it or not.”
‘What if they make it’, Tzuyu wanted to ask, but she buried that question deep in her thoughts, along with the conflicted feelings she’d been having the past few minutes. She felt eyes on her and when she looked, it was Jeongyeon staring at her.
Jihyo was about to say something, but Jeongyeon held her hand, pulling the girl’s attention to her. “Let’s stop Jihyo. Nayeon seemed pretty adamant about this and as much as I like watching you get riled up, it’s high time we finish eating.”
Jihyo observed her and sighed. “Okay.” She turned her attention towards Nayeon. “You won this round.”
“There’s not even a competition to begin with,” Nayeon retaliated.
Tzuyu lets out a breath of relief, glad the topic was done with. She didn’t know if she could take any more statements like that from Nayeon. They continued eating, the banter from before forgotten as they moved on to new topics. Tzuyu was in and out of it for the most part, her thoughts still went back to what happened before. She hated it because she didn’t understand why she was even feeling this way. Why she’s disappointed that Nayeon would think that way. It was logical but she hated it somehow.
After paying for dinner, they went back to their dorms. The walk back was silent because Tzuyu didn’t feel like talking and Nayeon for the first time ever was quiet. Maybe she picked up on Tzuyu’s mood and didn’t want to burden her. Whatever it was, she was grateful.
After finishing their nightly routine, Tzuyu immediately slipped under the cover. Wanting to bury her head deep and away from Nayeon. But of course, Nayeon wouldn’t have that.
“Tzuyu, you don’t wanna watch this?” Nayeon asked gently.
She mumbled out a small no, didn’t have the energy to turn around even. She heard rustling, thinking that Nayeon would go to sleep too, but she felt her bed dip and a presence behind her. Nayeon then carded her fingers through her hair and it made her heart jump to her throat.
“You okay? Do you want to talk about it?” Nayeon coaxed.
Tzuyu’s heart stuttered at the gentle tone, but she persevered. She shook her head.
“Is it because of what Jihyo said?” She tensed and Nayeon hummed in understanding. “I’m sorry if it made you feel uncomfortable. Jihyo doesn’t have a filter sometimes.”
Tzuyu wasn’t disappointed at Jihyo though. “I don’t feel uncomfortable about that.”
“Yeah?”
She hummed. The hand in her hair was making her feel sleepy. Her sleep-induced state kept pushing the question that she had before to the forefront of her mind. ‘What if they make it?’
“Then that’s good for them. It must mean they love each other very much to reach their happiness in the end.”
Tzuyu’s eyes snapped wide open, but she didn’t dare move. She accidentally asked the question out loud and she could feel herself panicking, blood rushing through her ear. The answer placated her a bit though because it meant Nayeon did believe it could happen. ‘But not with her,’ her thought supplied, and she wished her mind could just stop thinking for a second.
“Tzuyu?” Nayeon called for her, but she ignored it, pretending to be asleep. “I guess you’re asleep then. Goodnight.”
Her bed dipped again, and she could hear rustling on the other side. Her heartbeat was erratic in her chest as her mind moved a hundred miles per hour as everything washed over her like a tidal wave. She figured out why she was disappointed and sad with Nayeon’s statement.
Something shifted not between them, but within herself that night and Tzuyu wished it didn’t.
---
Trying to act normal with Nayeon after the realisation was easier said than done. It felt like the wall of denial she so carefully built around her heart was shattered to bits and she didn’t have the choice but to acknowledge the feelings she had cultivated toward Nayeon in the past months (and there were plenty of those). With this new discovery, came another feeling manifesting in her heart, guilt. Guilty that she couldn’t just keep her heart in check. Guilty that she couldn’t stop from wanting Nayeon as more than a friend.
So, she began avoiding the girl, only being present when they went out to eat but even then, she had a hard time talking to her like she used to. Even their show-watching session was cut short because she felt guilt clawing up her throat sitting beside the girl.
Luckily, they were almost reaching the middle of the semester, which meant there were exams before summer break, so she could use that excuse whenever she had to be out of the room. She wondered sometimes though whether Nayeon picked up on the change or not. She hoped the girl didn’t.
But one day Nayeon finally cornered her.
She was getting ready to go out to the library again when it started raining. She sighed, debating whether to stay or get wet by the rain until Nayeon chirped up from her bed.
“Do you really want to go out in this weather?”
Tzuyu looked out the window and watched as flashes of lightning lit up the dark clouds. “Maybe. I do have an umbrella…” she trailed off, flinching when it was suddenly bright and the sound of thunder reverberated the walls.
“So, you’d rather brave the storm than stay in the same room with me, huh.”
Tzuyu tensed, clenching her jaw. Nayeon’s finally caught up to her and she could feel her hands beginning to sweat. “What do you mean?”
“Cut the crap Tzuyu. I know you’ve been avoiding me.”
Tzuyu felt her heart twinge at how hurt the other girl sounded. She finally turned around, breath stuttering at the state of her. Nayeon was looking straight at her, eyes watery and hands clenching uselessly at the sheet. Tzuyu realized she fucked this up, royally. Before she could move, a bright flash of light suddenly filled the whole room and a thunder struck so loud that the ground shook.
The light went off and the room was pitch black. The thunder must have blown a fuse and so now the whole dorm was dark. She heard whimpers coming from Nayeon’s general direction. She immediately moved to the source of the sound, almost tripping on something because she couldn’t see very well. She reached the bed and was pulled strongly by Nayeon. She fell on her, heart jumping in her throat when she realized their position. She was fully on top of the girl, Nayeon’s head tucked into her shoulder. She tried to push herself off but Nayeon’s grip on her hoodie was tight, so she couldn’t move.
“Nayeon, let me go,” Tzuyu coaxed the girl. Nayeon shook her head, hugging her even tighter.
“Please don’t go.”
Tzuyu shut her eyes tight, guilt flaring up at how small Nayeon’s voice sounded. “Okay. At least let me lay on my side, I don’t want to squish you.”
“Can we stay like this, please? Your weight is helping,” Nayeon murmured.
Tzuyu sighed, knowing that nothing will ever change Nayeon’s mind. She fully let herself go, hands going underneath Nayeon’s back, hugging her. Her head was at the top of Nayeon’s head, inhaling the scent of shampoo that she had memorised by heart.
A few minutes passed, but then it turned to an hour because she fell asleep. She opened her eyes to see that the light was still out, but the light coming from outside had partially illuminated the room. She was on her back, Nayeon still clinging to her side. She heard the sheets rustling and assumed that Nayeon was already up and about.
“I’m sorry for trapping you like that. I get scared when there’s loud noises,” Nayeon murmured, so close to her ear.
Tzuyu stayed quiet, she didn’t know how to function because she hadn’t been this close to Nayeon for so long. She settled with a hum. A few seconds passed as she waited for the inevitable conversation.
“Did I do something wrong?” Nayeon asked in a small voice.
Tzuyu took in a sharp breath, feeling her stomach churned because of course the girl would think it was her fault. “It’s not you. It’s… me. You’re not at fault here.”
“Then why are you avoiding me?”
Tzuyu closed her eyes as she tried to think of a way to answer this. She didn’t want to confess like this, but somehow, she couldn’t really lie, can she? Nayeon deserved to know so that she wouldn’t blame herself anymore. She took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. “I like you.” It was quiet for a few seconds and Tzuyu almost regretted saying anything until she felt Nayeon’s hand holding hers.
“I’m sorry Tzuyu.”
Tzuyu could feel her body sink into the bed, her heart as heavy as it weighed her down. It hurt and she wanted to cry but she didn’t want to do it in front of Nayeon. “It’s okay. I’ll get over it.” She tried to get up, but Nayeon’s hand that was holding hers tightened.
“No, I—,” Nayeon stuttered, huffing when she couldn’t get the words out. Tzuyu waited patiently for her to say something, even though her heart was basically shredding in her chest. “I-I don’t mind it.”
Tzuyu looked at her confused. “I don’t understand, Nayeon.”
Nayeon whined, leaning forward to lay her head on Tzuyu’s shoulder. “I h-have—God, why is this so hard to say.” She squeezed Tzuyu’s hand. “I have feelings for you too. B-but I’m not ready for anything yet.”
The heart that was once heavy in Tzuyu’s chest suddenly became light as it beat powerfully in her chest. She froze though, still trying to process what Nayeon had just said. “You like me too?”
“I don’t want to say anything yet if you don’t mind,” Nayeon murmured guiltily.
“I, y-yeah it’s okay.” She’ll take anything by this point.
Nayeon pulled her head back, looking at Tzuyu straight in the eyes. “No more avoiding. I miss having you around.”
Tzuyu nodded, feeling like she was being hypnotised by Nayeon. Even in the dark, the girl’s eyes shone bright. “What about the other day? When you said that dating your roommate would be a hassle.”
“Obviously, opinions could change.”
Tzuyu snorts, a very Nayeon way of answering. She tried getting up but then got pulled to lay back down beside her. “I need to change my clothes, to sleep.”
“Stay for a bit, please. I haven’t had the chance to spend time with you these weeks.”
Tzuyu felt a stab of guilt from the admission. “I’m sorry about that.”
“It’s okay. At least now I understand why,” Nayeon sighed. “But I think there’s a silver lining in this too. It got me thinking.” She peered up at Tzuyu, “About you.” She extended her pinky finger towards Tzuyu. “Promise me you won’t avoid me anymore.”
Tzuyu connected it with hers. “I promise.” She could do that.
That night Tzuyu didn’t sleep in her own bed. Something shifted between them yet again, but this time, it wasn’t just Tzuyu who was feeling it.