It was almost nine at night when you heard knocking on the door of the room you share with Megan and Lara. You marked the page you were reading and left the book on the bed. When you opened the door, you saw Sophia standing there with a bag of takeout food in one hand and, in the other, a white box with a red ribbon and “Happy Valentine’s Day” written on it.

She smiles at you.

“The dinner just arrived, come eat. I set up the living room for us.” She gestures toward the living room with her head and turns, walking in that direction.

You turn off the bedroom light and follow her. There, the coffee table was set for two, with a bottle of wine between the plates in the middle of the table. Sophia places the bag and the box beside the wine.

“Sorry it took so long for dinner. I ordered early, but since it’s Valentine’s Day the restaurant was packed,” she apologizes as she sets the table, taking the food out of the bag and opening the wine. “Come, sit,” she says, and you sit across from her, still unable to stop yourself from wondering why there were only two plates.

"Is Yoonchae not coming?” The question slips out a little more nervously than you expected, but Sophia doesn’t seem to notice.

“She left earlier, with Megan and her friends.” You nod lightly, realizing that you will be having dinner alone with Sophia on Valentine’s Day.

The menu was food that both of you shared as your favorite. Your knees touch under the table, and that is enough to make you nervous throughout the entire dinner. You talk occasionally, complimenting the wine or the food, talking about the day and making plans for the next day, which would be free. When you finish, Sophia gathers the trash while you clear the table, taking the dirty dishes to the kitchen.

While you were at the sink, Sophia appeared behind you. She crossed her arms and leaned against the island. “So, what did you think of dinner?”

“I liked it.” You turn to her and smile. “Much better spending time with you than reading until I fall asleep.”

Sophia steps closer and places her hands on your shoulders.

“I mean, I feel the same. But I don’t want the night to end yet. I’ll put on a movie for us,” she says, leaving a quick kiss on your cheek before walking away.

When you get to the living room, Sophia is sitting on the floor, leaning against the couch. She pats the spot beside her, calling you over. You sit next to her, your thighs pressed together and your shoulders touching. Soon you feel Sophia’s hand moving along your back to your shoulder, pulling you closer. Your head automatically falls onto her shoulder, and hers rests against yours.

On the TV, a romcom was playing. You didn’t know which one it was, but it seemed like Sophia had already seen it. Casually, she commented on things like “this scene is good,” “this one is my favorite,” “you’re going to like this part.” You even like the movie and try to pay attention, but you prefer to memorize the feeling of being this close to Sophia on that day.

Back during Dream Academy, you grew close very quickly. You had many things in common and slept in the same room, and within a few weeks, you were inseparable.

You talked about everything. Sophia was a little more closed off than you at first when it came to personal things, but soon she began to open up, and you became her favorite person.

Before going to sleep, you would spend hours whispering together in the room. She missed her family deeply, she wasn’t used to being away from them for so long, and she trusted you with that more vulnerable side of herself. Sometimes, when the longing was too much, she would tell you stories about her family and cry from missing them. There were days when you would just lie down in silence, exhausted from training and from all the pressure you felt.

You only realized you were in love with Sophia after a conversation with Lara in the middle of the last year, when she told you about the guy she was in love with and you realized you felt the same way about Sophia.

When the group became closer and Sophia became the leader of Katseye, you couldn’t have been happier or prouder of her. All of her hard work had been recognized. That night, she came to your bed and cried while saying she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to handle such a big responsibility. You simply held her while she cried. And that’s how the following years went. You became each other’s safe harbor. Sophia was strong all the time, taking care of everything and making sure things worked well, without flaws, without mistakes, perfect. But with you, it was as if she could just be Sophia.

You come back to reality when you feel Sophia shaking your shoulder.

“Where were you?” she laughs. “I’ve been talking to you this whole time and you weren’t answering.” She moves back a little and looks at you.

“Sorry, I was somewhere else.” You laugh awkwardly and notice that the credits are playing on the TV. “What were you saying?”

“I asked what you thought of the movie, but I guess you didn’t even watch it,” she laughs at the confused look on your face.

“I liked it.” She narrows her eyes, a little suspicious, but then laughs again. “Sorry, I wasn’t really paying attention. Did they end up together?”

“Yes, she confessed that she had always liked him, since the beginning.” You nod your head.

“I knew it,” Sophia laughs and picks up the box that was on the table. She loosens the ribbon on top and opens it. Inside, there were several chocolates.

“I asked them to add some with peanuts, since you like them,” she says, tilting the box toward you. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

This is definitely the best day of your life.

“Thanks, Sophi. Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Sophia looks for another movie while complaining about every option that comes up. When she finds one with a synopsis interesting enough, she presses play and leans back against the couch again.

“You know, I think this is the first time I’ve been able to relax in the past few days. What would I do without you.” She taps her chocolate against yours as if making a toast, then turns back to the TV.

When the movie ends, it’s already almost midnight, and you’re dozing off on Sophia’s shoulder. She places her hand on your thigh and gently shakes it to wake you up.

“Do you want to end the night?” You nod, and Sophia turns off the TV. You go upstairs and stop in front of the room Sophia shares with Yoonchae. You say goodbye, but before you can go to your room, Sophia gently holds your wrist.

Do you, um, maybe want to sleep here with me tonight?” She strokes your wrist with her thumb while waiting for your answer. You smile sleepily and nod.

“I’d love to.”

After your quick nighttime routine, Sophia gives you one of her oversized T-shirts, and you change in the bathroom. When you come out, Sophia is already in bed. She calls you over and makes space, pulling the covers back so you can lie down.

“You know,” she says, turning to face you. “I think this was my best Valentine’s Day.”

“This was definitely my best one,” you say. You stay quiet for a moment, both of you taking in what the other just said.

Sophia smiles and takes your hand under the covers. Her hand is warm and soft against yours. She intertwines your fingers and sighs.

“I always liked celebrating Valentine’s Day, even when it was just with my family. It was always really fun. But in the last few years, it became just another normal day. Spending it with you this year meant a lot to me.” Sophia’s voice is low and gentle.

“I never really cared much about it, but it was definitely better spending it with you.”

Time seems to stop. You look at each other. Sophia intertwines her legs with yours, and you slowly move closer without even realizing it. When you notice you’re too close, you shift in bed, creating a bit of space between you. Pretending you’re looking for a comfortable position to sleep, you say good night to Sophia and close your eyes.

An hour later, and you still can’t sleep, so you decide to go downstairs to get some water. After checking that Sophia is asleep and seeing her eyes closed and her breathing calm, you get up and quietly leave the room, heading down to the kitchen.

As you open the fridge to get some water, you think about how you almost kissed her, and about why she didn’t pull away, or why she was getting closer too. For a second, you even consider the possibility that Sophia might feel the same way about you. Distracted, still looking inside the fridge, you grab a bottle, and when you straighten up to close the door, you run straight into Sophia standing there.

A loud scream escapes your mouth and you clutch your chest. Sophia bends over laughing as if she had just seen the funniest thing in the world. You curse under your breath while you recover from the scare.

“Idiot.” You step away from the fridge and sit down on one of the island stools. After her fit of laughter, Sophia leans against the fridge and watches you.

“Admit it, it was really good.” She stays silent for a moment while watching you drink some water. “Why didn’t you call me?”

“I saw your eyes were closed. I thought you were asleep,” you say as you close the bottle and place it on the island.

“I was trying to sleep, but I couldn’t.” She takes slow steps as she approaches you, getting close enough that her knees brush against your thighs. With her hands, she gently spreads your knees apart and steps closer, standing between your legs. “But you can’t get out of my head.”

Before you can say anything, Sophia kisses you. She holds your face with both hands, pulling you closer, kissing you hard, with hunger, as if her life depended on it. Then she pulls away, looks into your eyes, and leans in again, this time for a calmer kiss, something between affection and passion, soft and slow. Your hands hold her wrists, not to push her away, but to keep her close. When you part, Sophia stays right there, both of you breathing heavily, your breaths mixing together.

“I’m sorry, I should have asked first. But I couldn’t hold it back, and if you had said no, I wouldn’t have known what to do.”

You both laugh, and Sophia’s hands fall onto your thighs.

“I would never have said no.”

“Then why did you pull away back in bed?” You can see the confusion on Sophia’s face, and for a moment you feel guilty.

“I wanted to so badly, but I was scared. I thought it was all in my head.” She caresses your face, and you lean into her hand. “I didn’t want to ruin things and lose your friendship.”

She leans in slowly, but this time you’re the one who closes the distance, kissing Sophia. When you pull apart, she hugs you, a tight embrace. You hold Sophia just as tightly, relieved to finally say what you had been keeping to yourself for so long. You stay like that for a while, until Sophia is the first to pull away.

“I’ve been crazy about you since the first day we met. How did you not notice? Even Yoonchae, who usually can’t read the room, knew, and you didn’t.” The fact that Yoonchae knew surprises you a little. “But I don’t blame you. You were the only person I could truly be myself with. I was afraid of ruining things too, so I never did anything. But lately, it was like I couldn’t stand it anymore, the idea of you not knowing how I felt.”

You stay in the kitchen a little longer, talking, before going up to Sophia’s room. She pulls you onto the bed, and before holding each other to sleep, you share one more kiss.

That night, you sleep together like you had before, but this time it’s different. This time, you hold each other knowing, without any doubt, that you love one another.

...

It was almost nine at night when you heard knocking on the door of the room you share with Megan and Lara. You marked the page you were reading and left the book on the bed. When you opened the door, you saw Sophia standing there with a bag of takeout food in one hand and, in the other, a white box with a red ribbon and “Happy Valentine’s Day” written on it.

She smiles at you.

“The dinner just arrived, come eat. I set up the living room for us.” She gestures toward the living room with her head and turns, walking in that direction.

You turn off the bedroom light and follow her. There, the coffee table was set for two, with a bottle of wine between the plates in the middle of the table. Sophia places the bag and the box beside the wine.

“Sorry it took so long for dinner. I ordered early, but since it’s Valentine’s Day the restaurant was packed,” she apologizes as she sets the table, taking the food out of the bag and opening the wine. “Come, sit,” she says, and you sit across from her, still unable to stop yourself from wondering why there were only two plates.

"Is Yoonchae not coming?” The question slips out a little more nervously than you expected, but Sophia doesn’t seem to notice.

“She left earlier, with Megan and her friends.” You nod lightly, realizing that you will be having dinner alone with Sophia on Valentine’s Day.

The menu was food that both of you shared as your favorite. Your knees touch under the table, and that is enough to make you nervous throughout the entire dinner. You talk occasionally, complimenting the wine or the food, talking about the day and making plans for the next day, which would be free. When you finish, Sophia gathers the trash while you clear the table, taking the dirty dishes to the kitchen.

While you were at the sink, Sophia appeared behind you. She crossed her arms and leaned against the island. “So, what did you think of dinner?”

“I liked it.” You turn to her and smile. “Much better spending time with you than reading until I fall asleep.”

Sophia steps closer and places her hands on your shoulders.

“I mean, I feel the same. But I don’t want the night to end yet. I’ll put on a movie for us,” she says, leaving a quick kiss on your cheek before walking away.

When you get to the living room, Sophia is sitting on the floor, leaning against the couch. She pats the spot beside her, calling you over. You sit next to her, your thighs pressed together and your shoulders touching. Soon you feel Sophia’s hand moving along your back to your shoulder, pulling you closer. Your head automatically falls onto her shoulder, and hers rests against yours.

On the TV, a romcom was playing. You didn’t know which one it was, but it seemed like Sophia had already seen it. Casually, she commented on things like “this scene is good,” “this one is my favorite,” “you’re going to like this part.” You even like the movie and try to pay attention, but you prefer to memorize the feeling of being this close to Sophia on that day.

Back during Dream Academy, you grew close very quickly. You had many things in common and slept in the same room, and within a few weeks, you were inseparable.

You talked about everything. Sophia was a little more closed off than you at first when it came to personal things, but soon she began to open up, and you became her favorite person.

Before going to sleep, you would spend hours whispering together in the room. She missed her family deeply, she wasn’t used to being away from them for so long, and she trusted you with that more vulnerable side of herself. Sometimes, when the longing was too much, she would tell you stories about her family and cry from missing them. There were days when you would just lie down in silence, exhausted from training and from all the pressure you felt.

You only realized you were in love with Sophia after a conversation with Lara in the middle of the last year, when she told you about the guy she was in love with and you realized you felt the same way about Sophia.

When the group became closer and Sophia became the leader of Katseye, you couldn’t have been happier or prouder of her. All of her hard work had been recognized. That night, she came to your bed and cried while saying she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to handle such a big responsibility. You simply held her while she cried. And that’s how the following years went. You became each other’s safe harbor. Sophia was strong all the time, taking care of everything and making sure things worked well, without flaws, without mistakes, perfect. But with you, it was as if she could just be Sophia.

You come back to reality when you feel Sophia shaking your shoulder.

“Where were you?” she laughs. “I’ve been talking to you this whole time and you weren’t answering.” She moves back a little and looks at you.

“Sorry, I was somewhere else.” You laugh awkwardly and notice that the credits are playing on the TV. “What were you saying?”

“I asked what you thought of the movie, but I guess you didn’t even watch it,” she laughs at the confused look on your face.

“I liked it.” She narrows her eyes, a little suspicious, but then laughs again. “Sorry, I wasn’t really paying attention. Did they end up together?”

“Yes, she confessed that she had always liked him, since the beginning.” You nod your head.

“I knew it,” Sophia laughs and picks up the box that was on the table. She loosens the ribbon on top and opens it. Inside, there were several chocolates.

“I asked them to add some with peanuts, since you like them,” she says, tilting the box toward you. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

This is definitely the best day of your life.

“Thanks, Sophi. Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Sophia looks for another movie while complaining about every option that comes up. When she finds one with a synopsis interesting enough, she presses play and leans back against the couch again.

“You know, I think this is the first time I’ve been able to relax in the past few days. What would I do without you.” She taps her chocolate against yours as if making a toast, then turns back to the TV.

When the movie ends, it’s already almost midnight, and you’re dozing off on Sophia’s shoulder. She places her hand on your thigh and gently shakes it to wake you up.

“Do you want to end the night?” You nod, and Sophia turns off the TV. You go upstairs and stop in front of the room Sophia shares with Yoonchae. You say goodbye, but before you can go to your room, Sophia gently holds your wrist.

Do you, um, maybe want to sleep here with me tonight?” She strokes your wrist with her thumb while waiting for your answer. You smile sleepily and nod.

“I’d love to.”

After your quick nighttime routine, Sophia gives you one of her oversized T-shirts, and you change in the bathroom. When you come out, Sophia is already in bed. She calls you over and makes space, pulling the covers back so you can lie down.

“You know,” she says, turning to face you. “I think this was my best Valentine’s Day.”

“This was definitely my best one,” you say. You stay quiet for a moment, both of you taking in what the other just said.

Sophia smiles and takes your hand under the covers. Her hand is warm and soft against yours. She intertwines your fingers and sighs.

“I always liked celebrating Valentine’s Day, even when it was just with my family. It was always really fun. But in the last few years, it became just another normal day. Spending it with you this year meant a lot to me.” Sophia’s voice is low and gentle.

“I never really cared much about it, but it was definitely better spending it with you.”

Time seems to stop. You look at each other. Sophia intertwines her legs with yours, and you slowly move closer without even realizing it. When you notice you’re too close, you shift in bed, creating a bit of space between you. Pretending you’re looking for a comfortable position to sleep, you say good night to Sophia and close your eyes.

An hour later, and you still can’t sleep, so you decide to go downstairs to get some water. After checking that Sophia is asleep and seeing her eyes closed and her breathing calm, you get up and quietly leave the room, heading down to the kitchen.

As you open the fridge to get some water, you think about how you almost kissed her, and about why she didn’t pull away, or why she was getting closer too. For a second, you even consider the possibility that Sophia might feel the same way about you. Distracted, still looking inside the fridge, you grab a bottle, and when you straighten up to close the door, you run straight into Sophia standing there.

A loud scream escapes your mouth and you clutch your chest. Sophia bends over laughing as if she had just seen the funniest thing in the world. You curse under your breath while you recover from the scare.

“Idiot.” You step away from the fridge and sit down on one of the island stools. After her fit of laughter, Sophia leans against the fridge and watches you.

“Admit it, it was really good.” She stays silent for a moment while watching you drink some water. “Why didn’t you call me?”

“I saw your eyes were closed. I thought you were asleep,” you say as you close the bottle and place it on the island.

“I was trying to sleep, but I couldn’t.” She takes slow steps as she approaches you, getting close enough that her knees brush against your thighs. With her hands, she gently spreads your knees apart and steps closer, standing between your legs. “But you can’t get out of my head.”

Before you can say anything, Sophia kisses you. She holds your face with both hands, pulling you closer, kissing you hard, with hunger, as if her life depended on it. Then she pulls away, looks into your eyes, and leans in again, this time for a calmer kiss, something between affection and passion, soft and slow. Your hands hold her wrists, not to push her away, but to keep her close. When you part, Sophia stays right there, both of you breathing heavily, your breaths mixing together.

“I’m sorry, I should have asked first. But I couldn’t hold it back, and if you had said no, I wouldn’t have known what to do.”

You both laugh, and Sophia’s hands fall onto your thighs.

“I would never have said no.”

“Then why did you pull away back in bed?” You can see the confusion on Sophia’s face, and for a moment you feel guilty.

“I wanted to so badly, but I was scared. I thought it was all in my head.” She caresses your face, and you lean into her hand. “I didn’t want to ruin things and lose your friendship.”

She leans in slowly, but this time you’re the one who closes the distance, kissing Sophia. When you pull apart, she hugs you, a tight embrace. You hold Sophia just as tightly, relieved to finally say what you had been keeping to yourself for so long. You stay like that for a while, until Sophia is the first to pull away.

“I’ve been crazy about you since the first day we met. How did you not notice? Even Yoonchae, who usually can’t read the room, knew, and you didn’t.” The fact that Yoonchae knew surprises you a little. “But I don’t blame you. You were the only person I could truly be myself with. I was afraid of ruining things too, so I never did anything. But lately, it was like I couldn’t stand it anymore, the idea of you not knowing how I felt.”

You stay in the kitchen a little longer, talking, before going up to Sophia’s room. She pulls you onto the bed, and before holding each other to sleep, you share one more kiss.

That night, you sleep together like you had before, but this time it’s different. This time, you hold each other knowing, without any doubt, that you love one another.

...

Fresh out of the shower and still wrapped in a towel, when your phone lit up on the bed, a message from Sophia.

Sophia: Dinner’s almost ready! ❤️

Sophia: Are you ready yet, baby?

A smile tugged at your lips as you looked at the screen, butterflies fluttering in your stomach.

You: Almost!

Sophia: Great Sophia: Let me know when you’re ready so I can come pick you up Sophia: I’m excited for tonight, baby. I missed you this week

You: Me too, Soph. I can’t wait to see you ❤️

Twenty minutes later, you were ready. You chose a simple black dress, comfortable and pretty. It reached mid-thigh and hugged your waist. To go with it, you wore a pair of heels in the same color, a gift Sophia had given you for your birthday. Your makeup was light and natural. Your hair was down, falling in soft waves over your shoulders. You took a mirror picture and sent it to Sophia.

You: Photo attached You: Finally ready. What do you think?

Sophia: You look beautiful, my love Sophia: The most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen Sophia: I’m on my way

You waited on the couch in your living room, and fifteen minutes later Sophia texted to let you know she was waiting downstairs. You locked the door and went down the stairs to the entrance hall. Sophia smiled when she saw you and stood up from the bench she had been sitting on, walking toward you. She was wearing a white button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, light-wash jeans, and white sneakers, beautiful. You hugged, and she kissed your cheek.

As you walked toward the car, you exchanged a few words. Sophia complimented you, and you returned it, after all, she looked unbelievably beautiful that night, just like every other night. You talked about dinner and how excited you both were.

She opened the car door for you, and before sitting down, you gave her a quick peck as a way of thanking her. She closed the door, walked around the car, opened the driver’s side, and closed it after sitting down. You both put on your seatbelts, and Sophia started the car. Without wasting any time, you hit play on your shared playlist.

The drive was calm. Sophia was excited as she talked about dinner and the recipe she had made. You could only smile at her, unable to imagine how you had been so lucky to find her. Occasionally, you talked about your week, things you had forgotten to mention and plans for future dates whenever you passed by a place you still hadn’t been to.

When you arrived at Sophia’s place, you could see her hand trembling as she tried to fit the key into the lock. You let out a soft laugh, finding her nervousness cute. She looked at you, realizing you had noticed, and gave you a small kiss on the cheek.

“See what you do to me?” she said with a smile, finally opening the door.

You hung your bag on the hook next to the door. With a hand on your lower back, Sophia guided you into the dining room, where the table was already set. The room was large but had only a few pieces of furniture, just the essentials. Sophia was very much a minimalist. The table stood in the middle of the room, with two plates side by side and wine glasses set out.

“I’ll grab dinner. Could you get the wine for me?” she asked gently, already turning toward the kitchen, oven mitt in hand.

“The wine room's past the kitchen, first door down the hall.”

“You have a wine room?” you asked, amazed and a little surprised. Sophia laughed.

“I do.” She looked at you, holding the dish as she closed the oven. “I told you I liked wine.”

“I didn’t think it was to the point of having a wine room at home,” you said, laughing.

“It’s for when I feel too lazy to go out and buy some,” she replied, heading to the dining room.

You walked down the hallway. The door to the wine room was heavier, and as soon as you pushed it open, you felt the cold air escape, sending a shiver down your spine. The room was small and beautiful. Next to a rack filled with bottles, there was one sitting on a small table, with a note attached that read, “for a special occasion.” You picked it up.

Sophia was placing the second dish on the table when you arrived. She smiled at you, and when she saw the bottle in one hand and the note in the other, her smile widened as she stepped closer.

“That one, love.” With one hand, she held your waist, and you shared a quick kiss. She took the bottle and placed it on the table between the glasses, then went back to the kitchen and returned with the cutlery and a corkscrew in hand. Sophia opened the wine, and you both poured yourselves a glass.

Dinner flowed easily. Pasta in red sauce, wine light and flavorful, enhancing every bite. Time slowed as you lingered at the table, enjoying each other’s company. When you were both full, Sophia cleared the table. Despite her protests, you helped with the dishes, a quiet thank you. Once everything was clean, another bottle of wine in hand, the two of you made your way upstairs and out onto the balcony.

The view was beautiful. The many buildings around you rose like sculptures, their lit windows here and there creating a contrast against the darkness of the night. Down below, you could see a small flow of people walking along the sidewalks. The scene brought an inexplicable sense of comfort. A cool breeze gently moved your hair, and the moon shining added something special to the night.

Wine was poured, conversation easy. Leaning against the railing, you felt Sophia step closer, arms wrapping around you from behind, her head resting on your shoulder.

“You know… I’ve been thinking these past few days,” she said, lingering on each word. You noticed the hesitation in her voice. It was rare for Sophia to be like this, unsure of herself. You turned in her arms and placed your hands on her shoulders, while she rested hers on your waist.

“I know we’ve known each other for a considerable amount of time, but…” She paused, searching for the right words as she looked up. “I feel like what we have is really good.” You nodded. Sophia was definitely important to you, but for some reason, you began to feel nervous.

“Is everything okay?” You searched for her eyes, and she lowered her face to look at you. She smiled, but her next words broke it.

“Oh my God, Sophia… are you ending things between us?” you asked, desperation in your voice. She straightened from her relaxed posture, looking at you wide-eyed.

“No!” she said a little louder than intended, catching you off guard. She cleared her throat and stood up straighter. “No.” You both smiled awkwardly, and Sophia took a small step back.

“It’s just that I… you’re special to me, and I’ve been thinking about these past months we’ve spent together. I don’t know exactly how you feel, but I imagine you feel the same way I do, so I prepared this dinner for us.” You looked at each other and smiled. Sophia seemed nervous, almost anxious. “Could you close your eyes, please?”

You closed your eyes, still nervous. You trusted Sophia, so there was nothing to worry about. She took your right hand, and you heard a soft clinking sound before she placed something in it. It was light and small, a little cold. Keys. You opened your eyes and looked down at your hand.

“Sophi-”

“I know it might be too soon, but I really want to deepen what we have. I want to make things work, and I want a chance to live my life with you.” She holds your hand, the one with the keys, and you can see her eyes shining. “I want you. What do you say?”

Your heart starts racing, and you blink, trying to hold back the tears forming in your eyes. You look at the keys in your hand, then back at Sophia.

“Are you giving me the keys to your place?” you ask, needing to be sure this moment is real. Sophia nods and smiles.

“Yes. I thought maybe we could take this step and start a relationship. I wasn’t lying, I want you. We could take it slow, like you staying over a few nights, and then maybe I could get to know your apartment too, and we’ll see where things go." Her breathing is quickened, matching the pace of her words. "But you can say no, and that’s okay too. I knew it was risky, but I thought maybe you were feeling the same, since we’ve known each other for almost a year and things have been going so well.”

You watch Sophia ramble on and decide to put her out of her misery.

“Sophia, you’re talking a lot. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this nervous, not even on our first date,” you laugh, a blush crept across her cheeks. “Now I get why your hand was shaking earlier.” You close your hand around the keys and hug her. She hugs you back, wrapping her arms tightly around you. “I’ll take the keys, and I want to take this step with you, Sophia.”

You pull away, and Sophia smiles, almost shy, tucking her hair behind her ears.

“Soooo… will you be my girlfriend?”

“I thought you weren’t going to ask.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Yes, Sophia. I want to be your girlfriend.”

“Now that’s better.”

You spend the rest of the night making plans and imagining what the future will look like as you watch the stars. And you knew, and Sophia did too, that as long as you were together, nothing could stop you.

...

You wake up with a jump.

You try to ignore it, but your phone just keeps ringing again and again.

You remember putting your phone on do not disturb before going to sleep. You always do.

Then something clicks in your brain.

There was only one person whose calls would still ring.

Sophia’s.

Your body moves on its own before your mind even processes it.

You instantly sat up because if Sophia is constantly calling you over and over again in the middle of the night, then it can’t be good. Something bad must have happened to your daughter.

“What happened?” You say, your voice rough with sleep.

“She had a really bad nightmare about you getting hurt, and now she refuses to go back to sleep unless she sees you.” Sophia says in a worried tone.

“I’ll be there in a second.”

You don’t even change out of your pajamas. You quickly put on a hoodie, grab your keys, and make your way to the house you once shared with Sophia.

The drive feels longer than it actually is.

You grip the wheel with a little more force than you probably should.

Your heart hasn’t slowed down ever since the moment you saw Sophia’s name on your phone. No matter how much time passes, the fear that something might happen to your little girl or Sophia haunts you.

You pull up to the driveway that you once knew like the palm of your hand.

The porch light is on just like Sophia always did when you worked late. For a moment, you are taken aback with the memories of when you couldn’t wait to go home because home meant Sophia.

You barely turn off the car before you’re making your way to the front door. You knock softly just in case your daughter has fallen asleep in the meantime.

Sophia opens the door almost immediately.

She looks exhausted. Her hair is in a messy bun, her sleeves are pulled up, and her eyes look red from tiredness.

She’s wearing an oversized sweater you hadn’t seen in a while.

Your sweater.

The sight makes your chest ache, and you need to remind yourself once again that you are not together anymore, so she doesn’t want you to comfort her anymore.

“She’s in her room.” Sophia says, stepping aside to let you in. “She doesn’t stop asking about you.”

“I’m here.” You nod. “I came as quickly as I could.”

You quickly make your way to your daughter’s room.

You push the door open, and there she was clutching her stuffed panda tightly against her chest. Her eyes, red from crying, snap to the door the moment she sees it open.

You cross her room in two steps as soon as you see her lips start to tremble as if she was going to start crying again.

“Hey.” You whisper, sitting on the edge of her bed and pulling her into your arms. “I’m here, okay? I’m fine.”

“I had a nightmare you got hurt. You weren’t waking up.”

Your chest aches as you hear her talk between sniffles.

You pull away slightly, just enough to cup her face in your hands. “Hey. Look at me.”

She looks up at you like she was searching for proof that you were okay.

“I’m right here, okay?” You say gently. “See? I’m totally fine, and I’m not going anywhere.”

Sophia quietly watches from the doorway with her arms crossed. She was afraid to walk in and interrupt the moment you were having with your daughter.

Seeing you like this, so instinctive and so soft with your daughter, is doing something to her that she isn’t ready to name yet.

Your daughter clings back to your arms. “Please don’t leave.”

“I won’t, I promise.” You say without hesitation, kissing her head.

“No.” She shakes her head. “Like stay-stay.”

You glance towards the door where you could sense Sophia was standing.

“I want both of you.” Your daughter says. “Like it used to be.”

You hesitate. Not because you don’t want to, but because of what spending the night means. All the memories of something you used to have and possibly won’t get back.

“Please.” She says, tightening her arms around you.

And just like that, all your hesitation crumbles away.

“Okay.” You say. “Just tonight.”

“Our bed’s bigger.” Sophia sighs before correcting herself. “My bed’s bigger.”

You nod before turning back to your daughter and seeing her with the biggest grin on her face.

She refuses to let go of you, so you carry her with her head tucked under your chin.

Once you get there, the familiarity hits you even harder than you expected.

Same bed. Same nightstands. Same covers. Same scent of Sophia’s perfume.

You gently lay your daughter down next to Sophia.

You stand there feeling like a stranger in the bedroom that used to be yours.

“Lay down.” Sophia says. “She won’t fall asleep before you do.”

You nod. “Sorry.” You lie down next to your daughter. The familiarity of this scenario brings you both happiness and sadness at the same time.

Your daughter immediately wiggles happily between the two of you.

“Don’t leave.” She mumbles, already half asleep, comforted by the warmth on both sides.

“We won’t.” Sophia whispers.

Within minutes, she was fully out.

You don’t even dare move a muscle, and neither does Sophia.

After a long moment, Sophia breaks the silence.

“Thank you for coming right away.” She whispers. “She was desperate to see you no matter how many times I told her you were fine.”

You turn your head to her side, even if you couldn’t see her.

“I’ll drop anything for her.” You say. “You know that, right?”

Sophia’s heart fills with warmth. You didn’t hesitate for even a second when she called you. You never did when it came to your daughter.

She swallows hard, trying to push down the emotions that were filling her at the moment.

Hope.

“I know.”

And in that moment, Sophia is certain that maybe, just maybe, the step back you two had didn’t have to be the end of your relationship.

Sleep never comes for Sophia.

She lies on her back contemplating the future and overthinking every single thought that is running through her head.

“I can hear you thinking from here.” You whisper, still familiar and in tune with Sophia’s habits.

“I didn’t know you were still awake too.” She says.

“Can’t sleep.” You say. “I think this whole situation made all my sleep go away.”

“Me neither.” Sophia sighs before hesitantly continuing. “I know this is definitely not the right time, but the thought refuses to leave my brain.”

“You can ask me anything, you know that.”

“You came right away. You probably broke some traffic laws so you could be here as soon as you could. You didn’t even hesitate. You just came.” Her voice breaks with emotion. “She calmed down almost as soon as she saw you. You’re so good with her. You always have been.”

You don’t answer, afraid to break such a fragile but heavy moment between you.

“I know we decided to take some time.” She continues, her voice trembling. “And I know we can’t take back all the things we said to each other. But tonight is reminding me of the life we had. Lying here with you with our daughter sleeping between us with a smile on her face even after crying for so long feels like home. It feels like we haven’t drifted away that far from each other.”

So carefully reaches her hand over your daughter to caress your cheek.

“So I need to ask you this. What if…” She pauses. “What if we tried again? We were together for so long. We had a daughter. I refuse to let that go just because we had a bad fight.”

“I don’t want to hurt you again, Sophia. Or let you hurt me the way we did that day.” You start. “And I don’t want to give her false hope.”

“I don’t want to hurt you again either.” Sophia whispers. “But I also can’t keep living wondering what would’ve happened if we tried. We were good together. I know we can be good again if we try.”

“Please don’t say that if you don’t mean it.” You swallow hard. “Do you have any idea how hard it has been for me? I had to move out of our house and leave my daughter? Do you have any idea how long it took me to not get my hopes up anytime you called or anytime I came over to pick her up, hoping that you changed your mind? How many time I had to remind myself that you didn’t want us anymore?”

Sophia closes her eyes as she takes in your words. “I never stopped wanting us. I was scared. We were going down a dark path. I didn’t want her to witness that. Or us to go through that.”

You let out a breath. “I was scared too. I just thought our love and everything we had been through was enough. I don’t know if I can survive losing you twice.”

You wake up with a jump.

You try to ignore it, but your phone just keeps ringing again and again.

You remember putting your phone on do not disturb before going to sleep. You always do.

Then something clicks in your brain.

There was only one person whose calls would still ring.

Sophia’s.

Your body moves on its own before your mind even processes it.

You instantly sat up because if Sophia is constantly calling you over and over again in the middle of the night, then it can’t be good. Something bad must have happened to your daughter.

“What happened?” You say, your voice rough with sleep.

“She had a really bad nightmare about you getting hurt, and now she refuses to go back to sleep unless she sees you.” Sophia says in a worried tone.

“I’ll be there in a second.”

You don’t even change out of your pajamas. You quickly put on a hoodie, grab your keys, and make your way to the house you once shared with Sophia.

The drive feels longer than it actually is.

You grip the wheel with a little more force than you probably should.

Your heart hasn’t slowed down ever since the moment you saw Sophia’s name on your phone. No matter how much time passes, the fear that something might happen to your little girl or Sophia haunts you.

You pull up to the driveway that you once knew like the palm of your hand.

The porch light is on just like Sophia always did when you worked late. For a moment, you are taken aback with the memories of when you couldn’t wait to go home because home meant Sophia.

You barely turn off the car before you’re making your way to the front door. You knock softly just in case your daughter has fallen asleep in the meantime.

Sophia opens the door almost immediately.

She looks exhausted. Her hair is in a messy bun, her sleeves are pulled up, and her eyes look red from tiredness.

She’s wearing an oversized sweater you hadn’t seen in a while.

Your sweater.

The sight makes your chest ache, and you need to remind yourself once again that you are not together anymore, so she doesn’t want you to comfort her anymore.

“She’s in her room.” Sophia says, stepping aside to let you in. “She doesn’t stop asking about you.”

“I’m here.” You nod. “I came as quickly as I could.”

You quickly make your way to your daughter’s room.

You push the door open, and there she was clutching her stuffed panda tightly against her chest. Her eyes, red from crying, snap to the door the moment she sees it open.

You cross her room in two steps as soon as you see her lips start to tremble as if she was going to start crying again.

“Hey.” You whisper, sitting on the edge of her bed and pulling her into your arms. “I’m here, okay? I’m fine.”

“I had a nightmare you got hurt. You weren’t waking up.”

Your chest aches as you hear her talk between sniffles.

You pull away slightly, just enough to cup her face in your hands. “Hey. Look at me.”

She looks up at you like she was searching for proof that you were okay.

“I’m right here, okay?” You say gently. “See? I’m totally fine, and I’m not going anywhere.”

Sophia quietly watches from the doorway with her arms crossed. She was afraid to walk in and interrupt the moment you were having with your daughter.

Seeing you like this, so instinctive and so soft with your daughter, is doing something to her that she isn’t ready to name yet.

Your daughter clings back to your arms. “Please don’t leave.”

“I won’t, I promise.” You say without hesitation, kissing her head.

“No.” She shakes her head. “Like stay-stay.”

You glance towards the door where you could sense Sophia was standing.

“I want both of you.” Your daughter says. “Like it used to be.”

You hesitate. Not because you don’t want to, but because of what spending the night means. All the memories of something you used to have and possibly won’t get back.

“Please.” She says, tightening her arms around you.

And just like that, all your hesitation crumbles away.

“Okay.” You say. “Just tonight.”

“Our bed’s bigger.” Sophia sighs before correcting herself. “My bed’s bigger.”

You nod before turning back to your daughter and seeing her with the biggest grin on her face.

She refuses to let go of you, so you carry her with her head tucked under your chin.

Once you get there, the familiarity hits you even harder than you expected.

Same bed. Same nightstands. Same covers. Same scent of Sophia’s perfume.

You gently lay your daughter down next to Sophia.

You stand there feeling like a stranger in the bedroom that used to be yours.

“Lay down.” Sophia says. “She won’t fall asleep before you do.”

You nod. “Sorry.” You lie down next to your daughter. The familiarity of this scenario brings you both happiness and sadness at the same time.

Your daughter immediately wiggles happily between the two of you.

“Don’t leave.” She mumbles, already half asleep, comforted by the warmth on both sides.

“We won’t.” Sophia whispers.

Within minutes, she was fully out.

You don’t even dare move a muscle, and neither does Sophia.

After a long moment, Sophia breaks the silence.

“Thank you for coming right away.” She whispers. “She was desperate to see you no matter how many times I told her you were fine.”

You turn your head to her side, even if you couldn’t see her.

“I’ll drop anything for her.” You say. “You know that, right?”

Sophia’s heart fills with warmth. You didn’t hesitate for even a second when she called you. You never did when it came to your daughter.

She swallows hard, trying to push down the emotions that were filling her at the moment.

Hope.

“I know.”

And in that moment, Sophia is certain that maybe, just maybe, the step back you two had didn’t have to be the end of your relationship.

Sleep never comes for Sophia.

She lies on her back contemplating the future and overthinking every single thought that is running through her head.

“I can hear you thinking from here.” You whisper, still familiar and in tune with Sophia’s habits.

“I didn’t know you were still awake too.” She says.

“Can’t sleep.” You say. “I think this whole situation made all my sleep go away.”

“Me neither.” Sophia sighs before hesitantly continuing. “I know this is definitely not the right time, but the thought refuses to leave my brain.”

“You can ask me anything, you know that.”

“You came right away. You probably broke some traffic laws so you could be here as soon as you could. You didn’t even hesitate. You just came.” Her voice breaks with emotion. “She calmed down almost as soon as she saw you. You’re so good with her. You always have been.”

You don’t answer, afraid to break such a fragile but heavy moment between you.

“I know we decided to take some time.” She continues, her voice trembling. “And I know we can’t take back all the things we said to each other. But tonight is reminding me of the life we had. Lying here with you with our daughter sleeping between us with a smile on her face even after crying for so long feels like home. It feels like we haven’t drifted away that far from each other.”

So carefully reaches her hand over your daughter to caress your cheek.

“So I need to ask you this. What if…” She pauses. “What if we tried again? We were together for so long. We had a daughter. I refuse to let that go just because we had a bad fight.”

“I don’t want to hurt you again, Sophia. Or let you hurt me the way we did that day.” You start. “And I don’t want to give her false hope.”

“I don’t want to hurt you again either.” Sophia whispers. “But I also can’t keep living wondering what would’ve happened if we tried. We were good together. I know we can be good again if we try.”

“Please don’t say that if you don’t mean it.” You swallow hard. “Do you have any idea how hard it has been for me? I had to move out of our house and leave my daughter? Do you have any idea how long it took me to not get my hopes up anytime you called or anytime I came over to pick her up, hoping that you changed your mind? How many time I had to remind myself that you didn’t want us anymore?”

Sophia closes her eyes as she takes in your words. “I never stopped wanting us. I was scared. We were going down a dark path. I didn’t want her to witness that. Or us to go through that.”

You let out a breath. “I was scared too. I just thought our love and everything we had been through was enough. I don’t know if I can survive losing you twice.”

Smoking is bad. You knew that, naturally. But when everything is just too much, you can’t help but crave it. The immediate comfort it brings is indescribable. And the taste of smoke, it’s… something.

It’s been years since you’ve developed this unhealthy obsession with cigarettes. When times are rough and you feel alone, smoking is your best friend, making you never feel truly alone during challenging days. 

Despite the relief it brings, you’re trying to stop for the sake of your health even if you don’t see the point of living a long life. But Sophia wants you to live a long, happy life. Maybe that’s the reason why you’re even willing to quit in the first place. She would give you that disapproving, disappointed look she has if she sees you currently reaching into your pockets for the box of esses that’s always on you.

Revisions of your script are going quite poorly and the deadlines are nearing. No matter what you do, the right words just don't seem to appear in your mind and the scenes felt lacking. Writer’s block is a dick, and it has you placing the last cigarette in between your lips at the university’s parking lot, your go to place to “relieve stress”.

The urge to feel the smoke enter your lungs is greater now with the filter in your mouth. Immediate frustration and annoyance rushes through your veins upon seeing the empty box of matches, making it impossible for you to light your cigarette. 

It feels like fate betrayed you after teasing you with the smell of tobacco, making your mouth water. Never giving you the proper satisfaction of smoking it. 

The world seems a little bit kinder to you today though. After loudly groaning and shoving the empty match box back into your pocket, a soft-feminine voice invades your senses.

“Need a light?

The voice startles you at first, whipping your head towards her direction. Upon landing your eyes on her figure, you recognise her familiarity. She’s one of Sophia’s friends. Before you could open your mouth to reply, she already has her lighter out, sparking a flame to light your cigarette. 

It didn’t even take a second for you to inhale through the filter, feeling immediate relief once the nicotine enters your bloodstream. “Thanks.” You mutter right after blowing the smoke out of the corner of your mouth. 

You could tell that she isn’t one of those people who smoked because it looked “cool” as you watched her effortlessly light her own cigarette. The tension in her shoulders visibly melted away after exhaling the addicting fumes out. She seems to be here at the same time as you for the same reasons.

“You smoke here often?” She casually asks you. “Sometimes.” 

Turning to look at her properly, she has her curly hair tied up haphazardly to ensure that she could move freely without her hair bothering her and she looks really beautiful regardless. You have seen her from time to time when she’s with Sophia but you never got the opportunity to properly look at her.

“You’re one of Sophia’s friends, right?” You ask just to make sure.

“Yeah. Name’s Manon.” She introduces herself with a smile. You’d be lying to yourself if you said that her smile didn’t make you feel things. 

“I’m-” She cuts you off. “y/n. I know. I heard quite a bit about you.”

You quirk your eyebrow up in both amusement and wonder, not expecting for the Manon Bannerman to know about you. “Really?”

“Sophia talks about you from time to time.” Of course she heard about you from Sophia since she was the type to yap someone’s ears off. “That girl can’t really shut her mouth, can she?” Your comment made Manon giggle so you give yourself a mental pat on the back.

Unfortunately for Manon, her plan to keep conversing with you gets cut short as Sophia’s car appears from the corner and stops right in front of you. “I guess that’s my cue.” You give her a polite smile as you look at her. A disappointed look flickers in Manon’s eyes while watching you step off the grass and into the pavement. 

Sophia’s timing could’ve been better as her arrival also meant that you aren’t able to finish your cigarette. It breaks your heart a little bit when you decide to drop the half-smoked esse into the ground and crush it with your shoe’s toe box to kill the embers. 

“I’ll see you around.” Manon says from behind you, giving her a wave goodbye before you enter Sophia’s car.

The scent of Sophia’s floral perfume hits your senses as soon as you enter her vehicle. It is enough to mask the smell of tobacco that clings to your clothing of which you are thankful for.

“You and Manon, huh?” Sophia teases you while you’re putting the seatbelt on. “Oh don’t be like that. She just lit my cigarette.” The teasing smile the other girl has immediately drops as you mention the word. 

“Didn’t I tell you to quit already? Smoking’s bad for you.” Her tone is now serious as she drives off. “Yeah well it’s the only thing keeping me sane right now.” Your reasoning makes her sigh.

“You’re impossible.” 

“You love me though.”

“Unfortunately.” You gleam, feeling like you’re the winner of the argument. Sophia sees your expression at the corner of her eye, making her smile while she’s focused on the road in front of her. 

“Where are you taking me today, my chauffeur?” She’s already immune to you calling her your chauffeur because you do it so often  there’s no point in getting annoyed by it anymore.

“Home.” She replies casually. “Mom and Dad miss you so we’re eating dinner there. Dad says he wants you to try something.” 

“Ooh. I bet it’s the gnocchi I mentioned to him before.” Sophia’s brows furrow in confusion. “Before?”

“Yeah, he called me a few days ago and I mentioned that I was craving some gnocchi.”

Due to you and Sophia’s closeness, she had introduced you to her family almost a year ago and her family instantly took a liking to you. Her Dad even calls you an honorary Laforteza because of how fond they are of you. So it isn't a strange occurrence for her Dad to randomly call you after work hours to check in on you. 

“Huh. No wonder why he was so insistent on cooking for tonight.”

—

You and Sophia have known each other since the start of your college lives and frankly, she’s your first friend here. Ever since then you two have been inseparable. Wherever you are, Sophia’s trailing behind you. When you’re studying in the library, she’s there, when you're out to buy some coffee, she'll insist on paying for you, and when you need some groceries, she'll go out of her way to drive you to the nearest store.

So it isn't unusual for your friends to have suspicions about the nature of your relationship of which they are conversing about now. They can clearly watch you and Sophia talk and laugh about random things while drinking yakult through the diner's windows as the two of you lean against the hood of Sophia's car.

"God they look like one of those annoying couples." Lara points out after taking a picture of you two to tease Sophia later.

"They look kinda cute." Daniela says before taking a sip of her milkshake.

"I still don't get why they don't want to confess to each other." Megan admits as she stares out of the glass, her elbow placed against the table while resting her chin on her palm.

"Because they're cowards."

"Yoonchae!"

Everyone at the table gasps in shock due to the youngest's blunt words. "What? It's true." Silently, they collectively agree with her.

"But don't you think they'll both regret it if they decide to not confess to each other?" Daniela asks, looking at the girls. "Like what if someone else hits on y/n or something." She continues.

"I think Sophia would lose her mind." Lara honestly replies followed by Megan, "Same. She might finally confess to y/n if that happens." Yoonchae also agrees with them, "I think so too."

Noticing that Daniela hasn't heard from Manon yet, she asks the older girl.

"Manz, what do you think?" But she's met with silence. "Manz?" She seems to be staring off into thin air towards the direction of the glass with a small smile present in her lips

A few seconds of silence from Manon passes by and Daniela decides to snap her fingers right in front of her face to catch her attention.

"Huh?" She finally stirs from her little daydream.

"Where did you go? Damn."

"Who were you looking at? Girl you're about to drool." Manon instinctively wipes the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand as Lara teases her. "Nothing."

"Didn't seem like nothing." Megan adds to the teasing with a sneer.

"Were you thinking about the girl at the parking lot again?" The girls except for Manon livens up at Yoonchae's question. "You're right Yoonchae!" Daniela almost jumps up from her seat in excitement.

"Wha- No!"

"You're a bad liar, Manz." While Daniela clocks Manon, Yoonchae is trying to figure out where the latter was staring at. Her gaze lands at one of their dear friends outside.

"Is y/n unnie the parking lot girl?"

Lara gasps in an exaggerated way, earning a glance from a waitress but she ignores it. "Are you going to steal y/n from Sophia?"

"I'd pay to watch that happen." Megan says before taking a sip from Daniela's milkshake, making the latter lightly smack her on her shoulder.

"I-"

"You better not lie, Manon." Daniela tries to intimidate her while everyone looks at her expectantly. "Okay, fine."

"y/n is the girl I met at the parking lot."

Megan cheers while Lara snaps her fingers in the air. The girls are happy to finally have something going on in their friend group since they were having a drought due to their respective school works.

"It hasn't even been a week and you're already whipped for her." Lara recalls the time when Manon kept on rambling about the girl she met at the parking lot a few days ago. Saying how she's so pretty and looks even more attractive while smoking thin white cigarettes.

"The Manon I know doesn't believe in love at first sight." Megan looks at the older girl like a detective sniffing out clues. "Unless…"

Lara catches on her drift, asking, "So, how long have you had a crush on y/n?"

"It might be that time when they screened their little movie." Yoonchae once again strikes, making Megan pipe up, "I forgot about that!"

"Wasn't that like, a semester ago?" Daniela questions, her brows knit in confusion.

Manon sighs. "Yes…" She loves her friends despite how chaotic they can be. But during these times, she wishes that her friends didn't have such a keen eye on things.

Her defeated look is a telltale sign for the rest to confirm that they are right with their assumptions and their satisfaction can be seen clearly from the wide grin plastered on their faces.

"And you two casually found each other at the parking lot? You're meant to be." Megan comments and Manon can feel her cheeks heat up in embarrassment. She quickly thanks all the gods for blessing her with a skin tone that perfectly hides her blushed cheeks.

"Turns out something good comes out from smoking." Daniela jokes earning giggles from the girls.

"Are you going to pull a Sophia or are you going to make a move on her?" Lara asks the important question. "I'm planning on saying something to her."

Manon admits and it feels like a breath of fresh air for the girls because they're all used to the hide and seek of feelings that you and Sophia constantly play.

"You already beat Sophia by talking to her."

"Yoonchae's out for blood today." Lara comments while Yoonchae smiles, enjoying the Sophia slander that's happening.

"So, what are you planning, Manz?"

—

"Sophia, wait up!"

Manon is not entirely sure whether or not this is a good idea. But this is a killing two birds with one stone scenario for her.

By asking Sophia about y/n, she could confirm if she's single and willing to date or if she's labelled as off limits by Sophia. It's genius, really. But the girls think that this is a bad idea.

"Make it quick, Manz. I'm gonna be late to class." Sophia says without stopping to look back at Manon.

"Can you help me, please?"

"If this is about your essay, I already told you that I can't help you with that."

"It's not about my essay." Manon pauses for a second. "It's about y/n."

Sophia seems to buffer for a second at the mention of your name but she continues to walk.

"What about her?"

"You two are close, right? Do you know if she's into someone right now? Or like, what's her type, do you think she'll like me-" Manon can feel her cheeks heat up as she rambles like her confidence decided to jump out of the window.

Thankfully for Manon, Sophia stops walking and cuts her off before she could say something embarrassing.

"Whoa Manz, pause, take a breath." She follows Sophia's instructions and inhales deeply. "What the hell are you saying?" She continues.

"I like y/n."

"For like, a while now."

"I think that she's really beautiful, smart, kind… so I need your help."

Manon can hear her heartbeat in her ears, impatiently waiting for Sophia to say something as she seems to take her time processing whatever Manon had just confessed.

"No."

"Ye-" Her celebration gets cut off quickly, not expecting for Sophia to bluntly reject her. "Wait, what?" Before she could process the rejection even further, Sophia starts walking again. This time with a faster pace.

"Sophia, wait!" She jogs after her. "Come on, Fia, please? Look, I really like her but I just don't know how to approach her."

"You're the resident campus crush, figure it out." Sophia surprises herself with how nonchalant she sounds despite the wild beating of her heart. "Plus, I don't want to get blamed if the two of you don't work out." She adds.

"It's just going to be one time, Sophia."

"I said no, Manon." Even with Sophia's refusal to help her out, Manon is not going to back down. She isn't desperate, she's willing to do anything for you.

"What if you help me with y/n and I'll help you get Glinda." The sudden suggestion made Sophia's eyes widen in shock.

"Seriously? Are you really bribing me right now?" She halts her steps and turns around to face Manon.

"Uh… yes?"

Sophia gets back to walking, "I don't know what made you think that I'll hand my best friend over to you because of a role."

"Please, Sophia." Manon begs with her best pleading voice.

"I'll follow you to your class if you still don't want to help me." Sophia already knows how stubborn Manon can be so she releases a tired sigh. "God you're so annoying." She whispers underneath her breath.

"Fine!" Sophia reluctantly agrees.

"Yes!" Manon almost jumps up and down in pure joy.

"But this is only for one time." The other girl's stern voice cuts through Manon's air of excitement but she doesn't let it faze her.

"I'll wait for you after class at the diner."

"You're the best, Sophia!"

Before she could protest to Manon's plan, the latter already runs away, practically skipping with every step she takes.

"What did I just get myself into?"

—

Sophia couldn't focus on her class after Manon basically ambushed her on the quad earlier. She didn't know why she agreed to it either. Having second thoughts and doubts as soon as she enters the diner.

By agreeing to this whole ordeal, Sophia feels as if she betrayed you, she didn't really want to accept Manon's offer because she already knows that it won't be that tough for her to get cast as Glinda. Sophia merely wanted for Manon to stop following her at that moment because it would be embarrassing to make a scene in class.

But, an even bigger issue keeps plaguing her mind- Manon likes you. Never in her whole life Sophia could expect that Manon could take a liking on you and it makes her stomach drop for reasons unknown.

She doesn't know why she feels dread slowly creeping in. You two are only friends but why does she feel the immense need to keep you from Manon?

It didn't take a couple minutes of waiting for Manon to arrive. Surprising Sophia as she hears her voice from behind. "So, I already talked to Jen." She slides into the booth in front of Sophia.

"She said that you don't have to worry about not getting the part because you were their first pick." Manon says confidently, a smile playing on her lips.

"What? So I basically agreed to this for nothing?" Her smile drops.

"You don't want your dear friend, me, Manon, to be happily in love?" Manon places a hand dramatically over her chest.

"Ew." She gasps at Sophia's blatant remark.

"I thought we were friends!"

Sophia playfully rolls her eyes, "Whatever, I'm leaving." She stands up abruptly, making Manon shoot out from her seat to stop her. "No no no no no wait!"

"Can't you help a girl out, please?" This time, Manon tries to plead even harder than before, amusing Sophia making her sit back down. "Thank you." She releases a sigh of relief once Sophia settles into her seat.

"What do you want?"

"I just want to know what y/n is into."

The FIlipina furrows her brows in confusion because Manon had gone through unnecessary lengths for something so simple.

"That's it?"

"Yes."

"You do know that you can literally ask the others, right?"

"Yes but you've known her longer."

She blinks at Manon for a while. She then inhales, mentally gathering the things she knows that you like.

"If it isn't obvious enough, she loves movies. She can go on whole rants about them." As soon as Sophia starts speaking, her previous annoyance instantly disappears and is replaced by admiration with mirth clearly swimming in her eyes.

"She also really likes nature. She likes to hike and stuff like that."

Of course Manon can clearly see the difference in Sophia's mood. It's so obvious that Manon feels a little taken aback from it.

"I don't really know why but she rarely drinks. I'm not sure if she just doesn't like the taste of alcohol or the hangover-"

"Are you sure that you don't like her?" Manon cuts her off.

"What?" Her sudden interruption catches Sophia off guard, not realising that she's rambling about you.

"You say that she's only your friend but the way that you're talking about her seems like you do like her."

"Manon, you're already on thin ice. But if it makes you feel better, I don't like her. She's all yours, Manz." Sophia's heart starts to beat faster and her hands become sweaty like she just spit out a blatant lie through her teeth.

It takes a second for Manon to talk. "If you say so."

"You don't believe me?" Manon shrugs.

"I'm just saying don't come for me after I make a move on her." She pauses before continuing, "I really like y/n and I have no intentions of sharing her with someone else."

It's rare for Manon to become this serious. She's infamously known for barely keeping a straight face during moments that require focus and formality.

"Geez, okay. No one's stealing her from you."

"They better not." Manon mumbles more to herself before she changes the subject of the conversation.

"So what do you think I should do when I ask her out on a date?"

Faced with no other choices, Sophia sucks in a breath. Trying her best to ignore the gnawing sensation in her stomach.

"Hmm…"

—

Several sheets of paper are scattered all around your desk. It's filled with rushed handwriting and crossed out sentences accompanied with eraser dust and pencil shavings that are carelessly pushed away near the edge of the table.

You have been stuck in your room all day and it shows. Your fingers and wrist are fatigued with a mix of a dull pain and your back and neck hurts from hunching over your desk. You're gently massaging your tired hand while staring up at the ceiling, trying to piece words and scenes together but ultimately, nothing ends up making any sense.

The tunes of the new cupid echoes throughout your room and it fades away as you close your eyes, trying to imagine and live in the world of your ongoing script.

After seconds of making still images in your mind, your head starts to throb and when you open your eyes, a singular bottle of yakult appears on your desk. Seemingly out of nowhere.

You turn your head to the side to see Sophia standing right beside you. Her arms are casually resting by her side, yet her eyes tell a different story. You catch her gaze, seeing it carrying the weight of worry and a hint of disappointment. It's Sophia's nonverbal way to tell you that you know better than this.

You were thinking so deeply that you didn't hear the door opening and closing followed by the footsteps that slowly approached you.

"I didn't hear from you all day so I figured you were overworking yourself again." Sophia's voice is soft, calming. It's a balm that immediately soothes your headache once it reaches your ears.

Taking a quick glance over to your window, you see that the skies are already dark. You had drawn open the curtains earlier in the morning to let in some natural light. The hours passed quickly but you've barely made any progress.

You sigh, feeling your shoulders slump down from exhaustion.

"You don't have to do this every time I act like a goblin." You joke to lighten up the room a little.

"Well, I actually like taking care of you. So if I were you, I'd get used to it." You only blink at her figure, your brain is already a mush after thinking too much, too tired to think of a comeback.

With the lack of response, she steps back. Silently looking around your dorm. Sophia's impressed because despite the chaos on your desk that clearly reflects the current status of your mind, everything is neat and tidy.

Your bed is neatly made, there's no clothes haphazardly strewn around, nor a single dirty laundry on sight. Instead, it looks and feels comforting. The lights give off a relaxing vibe while the aroma of your lavender incense still lingers in the room.

Sophia looks back at you, seeing you still unmoving.

"Change your clothes, I'm taking you out. You need some fresh air." She watches as you finally take the little foil off the small bottle. "You've been sitting here all day."

"Fine." You reply after chugging the yakult.

"Are we going out to the park?" You stand up and stretch, your joints popping after sitting all day. Sophia plops down on your bed, "Yep."

A glint of mischief can be seen in your eyes before asking, "Can I smoke later?" You pout at her, giving Sophia the best puppy dog eyes you can pull off as if you're trying to audition for something.

She shoots you a stern look.

"Please?" You plead. "I haven't had one all day, you can even smell me if you want to." She sighs. Knowing deep inside that she can never say no to you. Especially when you look so cute that she wants to squish your cheeks.

"Fine." She huffs in a defeated manner. "But you're not smoking near me." She continues.

Your eyes immediately light up like a kid opening huge gifts during Christmas. "Yay!" You sprint towards her.

"Thank you, Fifi!" You then embrace her in a tight hug and place a firm kiss on her cheek that lasts for a few seconds before you stand up and head to the bathroom to freshen up.

Sophia can feel her heart beat wildly in her chest. Forgetting for a little while of her and Manon's conversation at the diner yesterday.

—

You immediately light up a cigarette after you two exit the car. You let Sophia walk ahead of you, not wanting for her to smell and to be near the nicotine she despises.

The night's breeze provides the perfect chill, soothing the warmth of your body as you blow the smoke out of the corner of your mouth for it to travel behind you instead of towards Sophia's direction.

You can feel the stress and fatigue slowly dissipate away each time you take a drag of your bitter menthol while looking up at the twinkling stars above.

"You shouldn't rely on smoking for stress relief, y/n." Sophia voices out from up ahead.

"I know. You already told me that like a million times already."

"I'm serious y/n."

"I don't smoke that much anymore. A pack lasts me two weeks now. It used to be one per week y'know?"

It's true and Sophia noticed it a couple of months ago. You smell much lighter now and your perfume over powers the musk of the tobacco. It's such a distinct scent that she could immediately tell each time you enter a room with her in it. Now, she could barely tell if you were walking beside her if it weren't for your signature perfume.

"At least you're making progress."

It was almost a deal breaker for Sophia when she found out that you're a smoker. But she likes your company and humour too much to break off your precious friendship due to your unhealthy vice.

In the distance, Sophia is already by your little spot and you've only burned halfway through your cigarette. But you know better than to keep her waiting just to finish your smoke.

She sees the disappointment in your eyes when you snuff out the cancer stick on the mouth of the bin before tossing it in and sitting down next to her. So, she hands you a strawberry lollipop that she keeps in her purse for situations like this.

"Thanks." You immediately unwrap the candy and place it in your mouth, humming as the sweet makes you salivate.

"What made you get into smoking anyways?"

"A friend of mine offered me my first cigarette back in high school." A comfortable silence befalls the two of you after you reply.

You can still feel the heavy thumping of your heart in your chest after she handed you the lollipop. You have been contemplating on finally confessing to her for days now. And this quiet moment is the perfect time for it.

Just you and Sophia sitting next to each other underneath the stars.

"Fifi?"

"Yeah?"

You try your best to gain courage.

"I-"

But you decide against it.

"Thank you for always taking care of me." You can feel your whole face heat up in both shyness and embarrassment with your "almost" confession.

"Of course." She gleams. "That's what friends are for, right?"

Ouch.

—

As soon as everyone is on the call, your loud squeal echoes in your room. The pillow you have to cover your face barely did anything to muffle your heartbreak.

"What happened? Are you okay?" You hear Lara's concern on your phone as you push your head further into your pillow.

"It's y/n so she's probably freaking out about Sophia again." Daniela states, already used to your antics because this little breakdown of yours happens bi-weekly.

"Did you finally confess to her?" Lara questions.

"We went out to the park, she gave me a lollipop because I guess she felt bad that I didn't get to finish my cigarette. It was quiet for a while so I thought, what if I confessed because I've been thinking about it lately." With your emotions all haywire, you end up rambling about what happened earlier.

"So, did you?" Yoonchae asks, almost in annoyance because you still have your face in the pillow. Making it hard for them to understand anything you said.

"No. I chickened out." You finally lift your head from the pillow. "I said, thank you for always taking care of me and she said, that's what friends are for."

"Friends!" You repeat to emphasise the word as you yell it out in frustration.

"Oh y/n." Megan reacts, trying to sound as if she felt really bad for you. "Well Sophia kinda sucks anyways." Not even a second later, she drops her act.

"Megan!" Daniela scolds her. "What? She's always so serious, she's no fun."

"Don't you go to her when you need help with something?" If you can only see Yoonchae right now, you'd see her looking at Megan with one eyebrow tilted upwards.

"Yes? How would I know that she's boring if I didn't see it myself?" Megan replies in an "if it's not obvious already" tone.

"Did something happen after that?" Lara asks once again, not wanting for their conversation to go astray.

"Nothing. She drove me back to my dorm." You mumble, clearly feeling defeated as you lay on your back to face and stare at the ceiling.

"You could always date other people, y/n." Megan says casually. So casually that you almost didn't catch the certain inflection in her voice.

"No I'm not dating you, Megan." You playfully shut her down immediately. "Hey! I didn't even say anything!"

"You were about to." A small giggle erupts from you.

"Seulgi unnie is single, she's your type, right?"

"Unfortunately, Chae, my heart still belongs to Sophia." Despite the confirmation of Sophia's feelings for you earlier, you still yearn for the Filipina. And it probably won't go away anytime soon.

"You should move on already, y/n. It's been years." As if you didn't know, Daniela reminds you of how long you have been pining for Sophia. You sigh, "It's easier said than done."

"Just try, okay?"

"Okay."

"Finally!" Megan interrupts the quiet moment.

"That's still a no for me, Megan." You hear her groan loudly making laughter erupt.

—

Once again under the shade of the tree in the parking lot, a thin white esse rests in between your lips while you light it with a newly bought lighter at a nearby convenience store. You lean your back against the tree as you fish your phone out of your bag. Now backreading the messages sent in the group chat while absentmindedly flicking the spark wheel using your thumb with your other hand.

You're about to send a reply to the meme that Megan sent but a familiar voice catches your attention.

"Didn't think I'll see you here again." Your thumb hovers over the spark wheel as you look up at Manon who's standing a few feet across from you.

"Stressful day?" She questions you, placing her hands into the pockets of her baggy jeans.

"You can say that." A few seconds of silence pass as Manon looks down at your sitting figure. She looks like she's thinking about something.

You're about to ask her if she needs anything from you but she suddenly speaks.

"I know a relaxing spot about 30 minutes away from here." She takes a brief pause. "Do you want to come with me?"

The sudden invitation catches you off guard. You and Manon are barely friends, merely acquaintances. It makes you wonder why she would want to invite you to join her. Yes you two are basically in the same friend group but you and Manon's paths rarely cross each other.

There's a hopeful look present in her eyes which tugs at your heart's strings. Who are you to reject her offer anyways when the Manon Bannerman is inviting you to hang out with her.

"Sure." You agree. A bright smile appears on her lips. You look down while you stand up, hiding your blushed cheeks from her.

"Great! My car is just over there." She points to a shiny, well-maintained sedan just a little distance away.

"You're not kidnapping me, right?" You playfully ask as you follow her to the car. She giggles, "Well, you're kinda volunteering to get kidnapped by me."

"You're lucky you're cute or else I would've ran away already." You didn't mean to say it out loud, feeling your cheeks become even hotter than before.

"Cute? I'm not cute, I'm smoking hot."

"Mhm sure. Keep telling that to yourself." Manon lets out a laugh at your comment while she opens the passenger side's door for you.

You quirk an eyebrow up at her. "Didn't take you as the gentlewoman type, Ms. Bannerman." You tease before getting inside.

"There's a lot you don't know about me, Ms. l/n." She says after sitting in the driver's seat. She turns the ignition, the engine comes alive and purrs softly.

"So, where are you taking me?" You ask, turning your head to look at her while putting on the seatbelt. "To my secret little spot at the end of town." You blink at her.

"You definitely don't sound like a serial killer right now."

"Do you always trust strangers like this?" She revs her engine on instinct before placing her hand on the gear shifter, looking around the area first before driving off.

"You aren't that much of a stranger to me, Bannerman." You say in a teasing way but your words affect Manon more than she would like to admit. She feels her heart skip a beat as she sneakily steals a glance at you.

—

Manon had taken a mental note of everything that Sophia mentioned so she decided to take you on the spot she accidentally found while jogging around the area.

"Is this the part where you lure me into the woods to kill me?" You ask after she parks at the side as you look around, taking in the sight of the forest.

"Sort of. Come on, it's only a few minutes hike." Manon says after taking a backpack out of her trunk.

"This place is really nice." You comment while the two of you walk further down the trail. "Do you usually take other people here or something?"

"No. You're the first, actually." You give her a suspicious look which she sees. "What?"

"Did you just happen to know that I like these kinds of places or you just took a wild guess?"

"Are you stalking me?" You joke, earning a genuine laugh from her. "No." She manages to say in between laughter. "I asked Sophia about the things you like." Manon's revelation leaves you speechless. It piqued your curiosity but you didn't ask her any questions.

It didn't take long for the trail to start being rocky until Manon stops. "Here we are." She places down her backpack while you have your mouth slightly agape at the view before you.

It's as if a giant had carved out a small indent out of a rocky hill to place a lake in the middle of it. The trees surrounding the area act like a curtain shielding the two of you from the rest of the world.

"Holy shit…"

"Right?"

The photos you take of the lake doesn't do it justice. It lacks the fresh air, the sounds of birds chirping, and the distinct earthy smell of the trees that adds to the tranquility of the place.

"Sit next to me." Manon pats the towel that she's sitting down on. You don't hesitate to sit down next to her. Both of your feet are nearly touching the waters.

"I've come prepared." She takes out a small speaker from the bag and sets it down. "There's no signal here. No internet, just peace and some good vibes." She navigates through her phone and a couple of seconds later, the sounds of ice play gently on the speakers.

You take a deep breath. This is the first time in a while that you feel relaxed, the stress of studying and upcoming deadlines takes the backseat in your mind. Nothing truly beats being outside and appreciating nature.

While trying to etch the surroundings in the depths of your mind, you hear the tapping of a pack of cigarettes against a palm. You turn your head to watch her, a fresh, unopened gold marlboros in her hand.

She easily removes the plastic cover and pops the small box open, ripping off the paper to access the sticks inside. Manon then takes one cigarette and flips it over and places it back with the tobacco facing up.

"Want some?" She offers. You take one, taking a whiff of the earthy tobacco before placing the filter in between your lips. "Thanks." You watch as Manon lights her own first before leaning in to burn the end of yours.

"This might be the best smoking spot ever." You comment, making her giggle.

Manon flicks her cigarette to get rid of the ashes at the end of her stick. "So, why'd you choose communications as your major?" She strikes up a conversation.

"I've always been obsessed with movies and media for as long as I can remember."

"Why not filmmaking?" You take a quick drag on your smoke before answering.

"Communications doesn't limit you to one place, I guess. Plus, I like that we're always writing something."

You then switch the subject of the conversation to her. "How about you, why psychology?"

"Honestly? It was just a random pick."

"Interested in something else?" Manon nods even though you're not looking at her. "Yeah. I plan to go full-time on modelling after graduation."

"You model?" Your eyes widen at the thought of seeing Manon on the cover of a magazine.

"Yeah."

"It suits you. You're hot." The sudden compliment erupts a smug smile on Manon's lips. "Didn't you just call me cute earlier?" She teases. "Oh hush."

"I'm flattered that the y/n l/n finds me hot."

"What do you mean? Everyone is practically drooling over you."

"They're not you. You're kind of special to me." Manon looks away, avoiding your gaze.

"Are you flirting with me, Bannerman?"

"What if I say yes?" You shrug at her, immediately feeling shy.

Who would've thought that Manon has a soft spot for you. It seems too good to be true since you're just a normal college student fighting for your life during school hours and burying your face in scripts or research papers when you get to your dorm.

"What made you ask Sophia about me, anyways?" You change the subject, not knowing how to handle that kind of conversation if it continues.

"I have my eyes on you for a while now."

"Are you threatened by me or something? I'm not as popular like you are." Manon laughs.

"No, no. I find you quite interesting, actually." Your eyes dart around the area, like you're expecting for someone to jump out of hiding with a camera in hand.

"Are you serious? Is this some kind of a prank?"

"Oh I'm dead serious." Manon says with no nonsense, looking straight at you.

"Are we on a date right now?" You ask, jokingly.

"Do you want it to be?" You stare at her for a couple of seconds. You should be feeling happy right now, ecstatic even. You somehow managed to catch the eye of the campus' crush. But for some reason, your heart feels heavy.

You smile, hoping that it reaches your eyes. "If someone asks me later where I was, I'm going to say, oh, I was on a date with Manon Bannerman." You joke, not wanting for the lighthearted vibe to disappear.

"You're adorable." You blush since you're not used to compliments. "I- whatever." She pokes your side.

"Don't you want to go for a swim?" She tilts her head towards the lake and attractively inhales smoke from her cigarette.

"Do I look like I have extra clothes on me?" Your sarcasm earns a hearty laugh from her.

"Well you could always skinny dip." She wiggles her eyebrows and whistles, making you push her shoulder. "Ouch!" She overreacts.

"Take me out to dinner first, you perv."

"I'm kidding! I have some extra shirts and pants here." She points to her backpack before getting up and starts taking off her shirt.

You look away, acting like your half-finished cigarette is the most interesting thing in the world. "Aren't you gonna join me?" Manon asks you once she's in the water, tossing the orange filter to her bag.

Without saying anything, you stand up and start to strip down to your underwear, catching Manon's eyes straying from your face and scanning the rest of your body unashamedly. You quickly finish your cig before taking and lighting another one from Manon's freshly opened pack.

You slowly join her on the lake, being careful to not accidentally submerge the newly lit stick under water. You can feel Manon inching closer behind you, the water rippling across the surface of the lake.

"You know, you look really hot when you're smoking." She whispers while gently turning you around and on instinct, you place your hands on her shoulders.

"Really?" You take the stick and grip them between two fingers before once again draping your arm over her shoulder.

The eye contact that Manon initiates is intense. She's hyper aware of your hand that's playing with the little hairs on her nape, goosebumps arising with your touch. She can feel her fingertips tingling as she settles her hands on your waist. Unknowingly, Manon leans in closer to you.

You can feel her breath tickling your skin. With your lips only inches apart, you blow the smoke out onto her face causing her to unexpectedly cough. Giggling, you swim away from her before she splashes you for revenge.

"Get back here you little shit!"

—

While you and Manon are out on another spontaneous "date", the rest of your friends- with the exemption of Yoonchae because she's still in a class, can be found at the campus' field, sitting down under a tree. This isn't the first time both you and Manon skipped out on group hangouts. And quite frankly, they miss the two of you.

"Manon really went for y/n, huh?" Daniela says while munching on a sandwich that Sophia made.

"I'm glad she did, she's whipped for that girl." Lara replies while looking at her reflection on her phone.

"They're always together recently, it feels kinda weird." Megan reveals as she's leaning her back against the tree. "Right? We're so used to y/n and Sophia always being together." Lara finally puts her phone down and looks around to see what her friends are thinking.

"Don't you get jealous of Manon, Sophia?" Daniela asks and everyone looks at Sophia's direction, expecting an answer.

Sophia, who's staring off into thin air, doesn't hear Dani's question. Her mind's a tangled mess because it's been days since she's had a proper conversation with you. You've been busy spending time with Manon and it makes her stomach sour with the thought of you possibly catching feelings for her friend.

"Hellooo~ Sophia?"

Her brain keeps thinking of the what ifs and regrets she has for allowing Manon to get closer to you. But ultimately, she's still in deep denial of her feelings for you.

"Earth to Miss Sophia Laforteza." Lara waves her hand in front of Sophia's face, finally snapping her back to reality. "Huh? What?"

"I said, aren't you jealous of Manon because she stole y/n away from you?" Daniela repeats.

"Why would I be jealous?"

"Oh I don't know, just the fact that you two seems like you're in a relationship." Megan acts like she's clueless of the obvious domesticity between you and Sophia.

"And don't pretend that we don't see how bitter you get when Manon and y/n are together." Lara adds.

Sophia rolls her eyes at the girls. "You guys are delusional."

"We're just stating facts."

"Guys, I only see her as a friend. Nothing more." The three girls share a quick look with each other.

"So, you're telling us, that after years of taking care of her, driving her around, introducing her to your parents, that you've never felt the urge to kiss her?" Daniela lists off the things that Sophia does for you.

Sophia stays silent for a few seconds, taking in what Daniela said. Allowing herself to slowly chip away her walls of being in denial of her feelings for you, yet she denies it to the girls.

"Nope."

The seconds it took for her to respond to them earns an instant suspicion for the girls. Clearly not believing Sophia.

"Sure. You definitely don't like her." Lara casually checks her nails, pretending to agree with Sophia.

"Because you're definitely not jealous of Manon when she gave y/n a bouquet." Megan states.

As you waited for the producer of your group's upcoming project, Megan and Sophia volunteered to keep you company for a while, while waiting at the diner. The two of you are currently engrossed in Sophia's telling of their disastrous dress rehearsals yesterday.

"The costumes kept ripping off, people forgot to turn their mics off backstage, some props were missing, someone slipped onstage-" A voice interrupted her.

"Hey." You all look up to see Manon with a bouquet of tulips in her hands. "I saw this on the way here and it reminded me of you."

"Aww thanks."

Sophia felt her eye twitch and she balled her hand into a fist. Her mood instantly dimmed at the obvious display of a romantic gesture. The smile you gave Manon was enough for her to see red. But she noticed how your eyes lacked the mirth you usually have when you looked at her. It wasn't much but it was enough to quell Sophia's jealousy.

"Also not jealous when y/n turned you down because she and Manon already made some plans."

"Hey n/n let's go out, there's a new restaurant down at-" She didn't even get to finish her sentence before you cut her off.

"Sorry, Fifi, I'm going out later with Manon." Sophia felt embarrassed by the sudden rejection because this is the first time you rejected her in the years you two knew of each other. "Maybe next time?"

"Yeah, sure." She said in a defeated voice before she scowled at the thought of Manon asking you out. Lara raised her eyebrow, interested at the drama that's about to happen in the near future.

"Definitely not jealous when we saw them together at the parking lot."

Lately, you have been hanging out at your little spot under the tree at the campus' parking lot after your classes had already ended. Sometimes you'd study your script or jot something down in your notebook. But this day, you had a visitor.

You had texted Sophia prior to the end of your classes that you'd be hanging out at the parking lot to unwind. It was supposed to be your designated, smoke-free, alone time of your day and when you saw Manon in the distance, you knew that you'd get another "smoking will kill you" talk with Sophia.

By the time Sophia had arrived with the other girls, she felt her blood boil at the smell of nicotine from far away. Her sight zeroed in at you and Manon, having a light-hearted banter with cigarettes in between your fingers.

"Is it just me or do they look hotter when they're smoking together?" Daniela's comment earned her a smack on the arm by Sophia.

"They were so cute that time." Megan pointed out with both Lara and Daniela agreeing to her statement. "They look even hotter when they're together." Lara adds.

"They'd make a great couple-"

After each girl had given an entry of Sophia's blatant jealousy, Sophia snaps. "Okay guys, that's enough!" The three make eye-contact with each other, a smirk present on their faces. "You don't need to rub it in my face."

"Just admit that you like y/n already." Dani quips.

"Okay fine! I like her, happy?" Instead of shocked faces and reactions, Sophia is met with several looks of relief. "Was it that hard to admit that you like her out loud?" Lara says, completely over how in denial Sophia acted when talking about you.

"She's my best friend, I don't want to ruin our friendship over some stupid confession."

"Are you blind, like, actually?" Sophia blinks at Lara in pure confusion. "What?"

"y/n likes you as well, you idiot." Daniela reveals. "Why are the smart ones always dumb when it comes to these things?" She adds.

"No she doesn't."

"So do you think that it's only a coincidence that she's always looking for you?" Megan starts.

Everyone was already at the diner, except for Sophia. Despite being sat down next to Manon, your attention is focused on the girl who hasn't arrived yet.

"Where's Fifi?" You asked the other girls who only shrugged at your question. "Did you miss me?" The sudden appearance of the Filipina immediately brought a smile to your face. Megan nudged Yoonchae under the table and they shared a knowing look.

"You're also the only one she helps with things." Lara adds, taking a bite out of Megan's sandwich.

It was no-brainer that between the friend group, you're the proof-reader since you are a communications student. So every time they had an essay or a case study, they ran to you. But every time they asked you for help, you only say one thing like a broken record,

"Can't, I'm busy. Do it on your own, it's easy. Just look out for some typos or grammatical errors."

So when they heard Sophia asking you for help on her character study, they expected you to turn her down as well.

"Hey, n/n. Can you help me with this?" Sophia placed her laptop with the document open in front of you. "Sure. What is it about?"

When they heard you agree, Megan and Daniela almost choked on their drinks as they coughed like they were fighting for their lives.

Both Megan and Daniela look like they have a personal vendetta against you as they glare at Sophia. Still clearly not over how you instantly agree to help Sophia with anything while you do the opposite toward them.

"Plus, she learned how to cook sinigang just for you."

"Oh what's this?" You handed Sophia a warm lunchbox and you sat down next to her. The girls tried sneaking in a peak inside right away. "Hey this is mine!" Sophia swatted Dani's hand away.

"I made your favourite." You casually said while opening a bottle of water for her.

She finally opens the box to see her favourite ulam tightly sealed so that it doesn't spill and a fragrant, still steaming rice on another container. Sophia felt her heart warm at the sweet gesture.

"Where's our food?" Daniela pouted at you. You reached into your bag to grab the granola bar you always take on the go. "Uh, here."

"I'll make something else for you guys soon."

"-and she never did!" Megan whisper-yells at Sophia. "She doesn't even cook!" Daniela adds to even further their claims.

"You guys think that she likes me back?"

Lara rolls her eyes, clearly exasperated at Sophia's clueless self. "Yes!"

"We're tired of her talking about you, honestly." Megan says, mentally recalling the bi-weekly phone call you have with the girls that goes into detail of the things you like about Sophia. "She talks about me?"

"Our group chat is filled with Sophia's so sweet, Sophia this, Sophia that."

Sophia blinks at the girls, still dumbfounded at the thought of you liking her back. She has noticed the things you do for her but strangely doesn't do to anyone else. Still, she always thought of it as something best friends do and nothing more.

"So, she won't reject me if I ask her out?"

"Girl we don't know. You have competition now."

Sophia forgot about Manon for a second. But she still has a chance with you… right?

—

"Wait, are you serious?"

"Yep. Now hurry up before I change my mind."

For some reason, you have never shown a rough cut of your films to somebody else who isn't involved in the project. It's a little superstition of yours that hasn't been broken ever since you started making these. That is, until today.

From the moment that the rough cut has been sent to you by the editor, you have been getting this feeling in your gut that Sophia should see this before sitting down with the editor for the director's cut.

So here you are now with Sophia, walking to your dorm. It's barely past 8 pm yet the hallways of your building are barren. Like there's no other burned out student like you.

"What happened to you and why are you suddenly letting me watch your unfinished project?" You shrug at Sophia as you're unlocking the door.

"I don't know, Fifi. Just a gut feeling." You admit. "I never took you as the superstitious type." She says while taking off her shoes.

As soon as she drops her bag near the door, she sits down on the edge of your bed.

"What am I going to expect?" She asks while watching you set up your projector that you bought specifically for watching rough cuts.

You swallow, scared to admit the real reason behind letting her watch your little film. Out of everything you have ever directed, written, and produced, this is the most simplest yet personal project you've ever tackled.

"Nothing much, really. Just drama."

"Your specialty." Sophia says with a smile.

"What can I say? They're fun to write and act."

You then plop down on the bed next to her after pressing play. Seeing the intro of your low budget, indie type, short. Feeling nervous, you start to get fidgety. Of course, Sophia notices this.

"You okay?" She takes your hand in hers. comfortingly squeezing yours. You can feel your heart beat quicken instantly once you feel her warmth. You hope whoever's up above that your hands don't start to get sweaty.

"Yeah. Just a little nervous." Sophia doesn't ask any questions any further. Instead, she turns her attention back to the projected video, rubbing her thumb against the back of your hand.

"Don't worry, it's great so far." You nod, hearing her comment honestly. It eases your nerves that Sophia doesn't like to sugar coat her opinions when it comes to critiquing your works. It's also a great benefit that she has a keen eye for details, one that has been honed due to her theatre background and major.

After watching the cut, Sophia takes her time to fully comprehend what she just watched. It's obviously low budget, a far cry from your last two works. The whole short just takes place in a park where you and your screen partner are just having a conversation about your past. It's so simple yet she's intrigued by the two characters on the screen the whole time.

"So… what'd you think?"

The room is now darker with the projector turned off. Only the lamp turned on the desk is your one light source except for the moonlight shining into the room.

"It's literally like one whole scene but why is it so… engaging? You and that guy are just talking, that's it." You giggle at her.

"Y'know, I got inspired by the couple in that restaurant months ago."

"The one where we switched tables so we could hear their conversation?" You hum to answer her question earning a laugh from her.

"I'm wondering, did the guy even like you at one point?"

"Honestly? I don't know." She only stares at you, as if she can see through you. "Well, I think that he does." You don't move. Scared that if you get any closer to her, that she'd be able to feel how fast your heart is currently beating.

You both lay your heads back on the pillows, staring at the white ceiling.

"I think he's scared. That if he says something to you, he'll destroy your friendship." Sophia whispers, using the struggles of your on-screen partner to secretly share her own thoughts.

"But don't you think that he should confess anyways? They're close, I don't think she'll run away from their friendship if she doesn't feel the same way." She turns her head to look at your side profile. Silently remembering the features of your face.

"Maybe." She whispers. "But he chose not to. Now it's up to him to wonder if he missed out on something great."

You turn your head to see that she's already looking at you. Only inches apart, you can see the steady rise and fall of her chest on the corner of your eye. Noticing how her irises dart up to your forehead, down to your nose, and down to your lips. She unconsciously parts her lips and closes them upon realising.

Sophia turns her head back to look up at the ceiling. Wondering if she should finally take the risk and not be plagued with what ifs and regrets throughout her life.

—

Weeks had already passed after the small moment you and Sophia shared at your dorm. And from that day on, Sophia has been treating you differently. In a good way. She has been showing up at your door much more often, giving you little trinkets that reminded her of you, and even managing to steal you away from Manon.

Sophia has always been a dream and she makes it hard for you to not fall in love with her. However as Sophia finally gets the courage to show you how she truly feels, Manon starts to realise how she never stood a chance in the first place.

Don't get her wrong as she already feels lucky enough to be able to take you out. But how can she go up against Sophia when she could clearly see you look at her like she's the entire reason why you're alive.

It wasn't hard for Manon to find you after your classes. You're at the parking lot, once again. Sometimes she'll see you with a cigarette or a journal, maybe even scrolling through on your phone but today, you're fidgeting with the hem of your pants.

"Hey." She sits down next to you.

Manon reaches into her pockets, taking her pack of marlboros out. She opens it, seeing her lighter and the two cigarettes that's left. She takes the one with the filter side up, offering you the one she flipped during the time you two went out to the lake. You take it, letting her light it up for you.

A peaceful silence settles down between the two of you despite the obvious tension in both your figures. You had been secretly wishing for this conversation not to happen but it needs to in order for the two of you to move forward.

"You know, I didn't realise that I like you until I saw you with Sophia celebrating your screening a semester ago."

"I don't know why but every time I try to talk to you back then, something happens. I guess that's the universe's way of telling me that I can only watch you from afar." Her voice is gentle, like she's trying not to scare away a butterfly from a fragile flower.

"And when I came across you here, I thought this was finally it. Maybe I do have a chance with you." She lets out a bitter laugh. "But I thought wrong."

You stay silent, watching her usual glow disappear from her face as she stares out at the nearly empty parking lot.

"It's always been her, isn't it?"

"Sophia." She clarifies.

You swallow, feeling something heavy on the back of your throat. "Manon I-… I'm sorry."

"Don't be." She finally looks at you.

"I guess I've known about it for a while. I just didn't want to believe it."

"You knew?"

"The way you look at Sophia tells me everything that I need to know." She gives you a sad smile.

"I like you, Manon." You look away from her. "But Sophia… I love her."

"I know."

"She makes you really happy. Even a blind person can figure that out." You giggle at her words.

"Manon?"

"Hm?" This time, she looks away from you.

"Thank you for being understanding."

"Well, if Sophia fucks up, you know who to call." You laugh, breaking the heavy tension that filled the air before.

As the two of you linger underneath the tree, your cigarettes start burning away. The once aromatic tobacco now turning into ashes, remembering the memorable yet fleeting moments you and Manon once shared.

You stare down at the cigarette in between your fingers, engraving the sight and memory in your head. Relishing the smooth and refined taste of the smoke for this is the last cigarette you'll ever touch.

—

Because it's been a hot minute since the Laforteza's last saw you, it's only natural for them to invite you over for dinner. To your surprise, Sophia's father, Godfrey, went all out for this dinner. Having dishes that range from Italian to Filipino cuisine. Because he claims that it's always a celebration every time Sophia brings you over.

"How's college treating you, y/n?" He starts a conversation once everyone already has some food on their respective plates.

"Just the usual, tito. Studying, writing, researching, all the stressful stuff." You take a bite of the pasta and as always, tito Godfrey's cooking never disappoints.

Back when Sophia introduced you to her parents, both Carla and Godfrey had insisted for you to call them tita and tito. Saying that calling them sir and ma'am was too formal when they instantly treated you like you were their own.

"Sophia told us that your latest short film was amazing." Your curiosity piques since Sophia is highly critical when it comes to student-made films. You look over to her to see that she's already looking at you, giving you a wink once you two made eye-contact. "Do you have any plans of submitting it to festivals?" He continues.

"We're still thinking about it, tito. Our professors prefer the other one that I produced because it's more technical. But who knows?" You shrug after explaining.

"You know, y/n, I think you'll be able to make it in the industry." Sophia's mother, Carla, who's an actress, comments. "Oh, I don't know about that, tita. There's a lot of talented people out there."

"And you're one of them." The compliment coming from a veteran actress does a good job in making you blush. Carla looks at you with a certain warmth, the look of a proud tita.

Godfrey then clears his throat, "So, Sophia, when are you going to ask y/n out?" Sophia almost chokes on her food. You rub her back gently up and down as she recovers from her coughing fit which made her dad laugh.

"I'm serious, Sophia." He states after wiping the sides of his mouth with a napkin. "When will y/n become our daughter-in-law?" Carla only smiles at her husband's antics because she also shares the same sentiments with him.

You jokingly put your left hand up, "Tito, I'm just waiting for her to put a ring on it." Your joke is approved by the Lafortezas except for Sophia who's embarrassingly red while drinking water. Your words are not helping her flustered state. "Dad!"

"Look, Sophia, we can see how fond you are of y/n. So if you want to pursue her, you have your mother and I's blessings already. Just don't forget to ask for her family's hand when you do." He pauses to have a sip of his wine. "Y/n is great and she has a bright future ahead of her so you should shoot your shot  before someone else steps in, okay?"

Sophia swallows, knowing that her father has a great point. Especially when he basically went through the same experience when he used to court Carla back in the day.

She then turns her head to look at you, her flustered state now nowhere to be seen and is replaced by one of confidence. "Don't worry, n/n. I'll get you that ring soon enough." She winks, turning the tables on you as you blush hard while her father shouts, "That's my daughter right there!" Earning giggles from everyone at the table.

After the filling dinner and the eclectic yet light-hearted conversations that happened at the dinner table, you and Sophia fulfil your mini tradition. Following dinner, the two of you always take a stroll out to their neighbourhood's playground. Having dialogues that last for hours.

The night is still young with the stars visible on the clear skies. Aside from the occasional cars that pass by, the silence is peaceful accompanied by the chirping of crickets in the background. You and Sophia take a seat, side by side, on the swings.

"I'm sorry about my dad earlier." Sophia apologises for the unexpected high jinks of her father.

"It's fine. My dad's kinda like that as well." You look down at your feet, kicking a pebble.

"He's right, y'know?" She looks at you. "My dad." You look at her in wonder, not knowing where this conversation is heading. "That if I don't do anything, somebody would swoop in and steal you away from me." She breaks her gaze from you. "Like Manon." She takes a deep breath, tightening her grip on the swing's chains.

"Y/n I've been such an idiot. I've been trying to convince myself for the longest time that you're just my best friend but all this time, I've been in love with you. And I understand that you like Manon-" You cut her off by kissing her, scooting your feet to get closer to her. Your hand cupping her cheek while the other grips the swing's chain.

Sophia can feel her heart bursting at the seams with her eyes wide open at the shock of your sudden action. She finally closes her eyes a couple of seconds later when you hummed against her lips. She can feel the world slowing down with your mouth against hers, lips tingling the longer it lasts.

You pull away from her, breathless. "I love you too, Fifi." You whisper as she watches the mirth dancing in your irises. Your cheeks lightly dusted with pink.

She blinks, a surge of panic bubbling within her. "What about Manon? I thought you two were together or something." The smile present on your face confuses her.

"You don't have to worry about Manon, okay?" You reassure her, letting your swing go back to its normal position. Sophia stares off into the distance, her head still reeling about the kiss that just happened not even a minute ago.

"I have to tell you something." She bites her lips in thought. "What is it?"

"Manon and I made a deal. That if I told her something about you, that she'd get me casted as Glinda." She feels her nerves bubbling up her throat, turning her head to the side to look at your expression.

"I'm sorry. It felt like I gave you away and betrayed you-" You cut off her rambling, "I know."

"What?" Sophia exclaims, her brows furrowing in pure surprise and confusion. "Manon told me." She exhales out of her nose. "She told you?" You nod in response. "Of course she did." She mutters to herself. "I'm such an idiot."

"Mhm, but you're my idiot." The cheeky smile you give her makes her heart do somersaults like it's the floor exercises in gymnastics.

A moment of silence occurs before you break it. "You do know that I'm holding out for that ring, right?" A teasing smile appears on your face as you watch her face flush in embarrassment due to the earlier incident at the dining table.

Despite her current state, she manages to blurt something out confidently. "I'll propose to you on your graduation and that's a promise." Once again, she turns the tables on you. This time, you're the one shyly blushing. "And you'll finally become a Laforteza." She looks at you so softly that you can spot that she's in love with you from miles away.

"Y/n Laforteza has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" She wonders out loud.