“Cmon,” You say, inching closer to her as you arch your toes to make your nose level with her own. “Please. Pretty please. You’ll have so much fun.”

with the pursuit of tipsyness on the edge of your breath, You plead every last ounce of self respect away and continue to beg Sae-byeok to come to this club you’d been dying to try. Her stern face was unable to budge - the bar setting already too much for her.

a stagnant glass of wine sat in-front of you, lipstick stains cupped to the rim so tightly that it might’ve taken a window washer to get the wax out. Sae had ordered a rum and coke, and hadn’t touched it for the past ten minutes - clearly pent up with something.

you Watch as her hands fiddle together, twisting in and out of one another as she refuses to look at you. She was stressed - still, after all these years, it seemed Sae still had no idea you noticed these traits about her. She was a creature of habit, and you could read her like an open book.

“finish your drink,” you say, her eyes still reluctant to look to the side and meet yours. Due to natural instinct, your body inches closer toward hers, your movements already limber from the two glasses of wine you’d sipped contently. It wasn’t a drunken state, but it certainly wasn’t a sober one either.

the stools you two are perched on seem miles closer than they had been before, though they hadn’t moved an inch. The two of you weren’t clear on what you were - best friends? Girlfriends? Casual? Romantic?

Sae never did stuff like that, and frankly, you liked it that way. It was in moments like these, when you could sense Sae’s nerves start to take over, that you realised you liked being the one to take care of her - you almost always knew what she needed. And today you believed she needed you the most. And some fun, of course.

she hesitates, bringing the glass up to her lips just to press her soft Cupid’s bow to the rim. She took a small sip, and exhaled, setting the cup down once again.

"Why is it always me being dragged into your antics?" she asks, and though the question is supposed to be mocking, she makes it sound sweet and airy. A slight grin tugs at her lips as she finally turns her head to look at you. Your cheeks heat up in response as her dark eyes drop mysteriously - her eyelashes crowding her vision making her look a hundred times more angelic.

You wanted to be hers, you wanted it more than anything. But you just weren't sure if she wanted the same - she was always so blank and abrupt - and you hated how much you enjoyed it.

You caught her eyes flicker down to your body quickly - you could tell she was thinking about something quizzical - like you could hear the cogs turning in her head.

She thought about how casually you wore her jacket - Adidas, navy with white stripes - and how easily you made it look so good. Sae was never good with sappy stuff - she'd never been this close to a person before. But even though she had no idea about things like these, she knew there was something different about you, something she'd never felt before.

"You love it, don't lie." You joke, showing your teeth in a magnificent smile. She shrugged playfully, the essence of desire dancing on her lips. She took another sip just to calm her own nerves - ones barely visible to anyone but you. You had been trying to get her to loosen up for months, but lately things just felt so...constricting with her.

This was why you were being so pushy.

"If I go, will you never make me again?" She asks, taking yet another sip of her over diluted alcohol.

"If that's what you want." You say starkly, almost under your breath. Sae notices the disappointment in your tone, and almost immediately doubles back. She sighs, looking at your puppy eyes. It was so hard to say no, when you were so obviously beautiful.

"Fine."

Your eyes light up, and suddenly you're out of your seat, giddy with the idea of the rest of the night - where you might go, what you might do, what songs might play. But most of all, you were excited to finally spend it with her.

"But no Karaoke." she remarks, back to her facade of no emotion. You only laugh, taking hold of her wrist as you start to move toward the door.

"Next time," you reply - but Sae doesn't answer as she trails behind you, hands now interlocked. Her heart skips a beat as she feels your palm in hers, and she realises how right it feels. Like your hand was sculpted to go in her own.

When you make it to the club line, you're let in pretty quickly as the staff basically multiply at the door. You take a good long look at the place - disco lights, lots of people, and loud music. You look back at Sae byeok, an uneasy expression plastered on her face as she scans the room. She tilts her chin down, and notices you observing - instantly feeling calmed at the sight of your face. You watch her react, and subtly smile before turning to move the two of you to the bar.

You order two double rum and cokes (that's all Sae ever seems to drink) and stand by the bar, watching the dancers embarrass themselves with terrible moves again and again - but Sae can't seem to notice, her eyes trained on your face, bedazzled by a kaleidoscope of vibrance. She sees the crinkle of happiness in your eyes, afraid to let it die by just standing here doing nothing. Your left hand rests lightly on the bar, and so she lifts her own to take it gently, immediately grasping your vivid attention.

"Dance?" she asks, softly, taking you by complete surprise. Sae hated dancing, but she knew you loved it. You, thinking you magically cured your best friend, easily agree and migrate over to the floor, unclasping your hand from hers just to pull her closer - by the waist this time. She stands awkwardly, not quite sure what to do.

"Here, look," you take her arms and guide them to your neck, resting them there. She slowly starts to get comfortable, looking around a little - scared of what people might think. She feels a little out of place in her own mind, she'd never been so affectionate before. It felt abnormal, but at the same time...fulfilling.

"You're a natural!" You shout, a little drunkenly. That double was starting to get to you. "Hey, don't look at them. Look at me." You ordered, trying to subvert her anxiousness a little. For the most part - it seemed to work.

The world spins, and as the song goes on, Sae's insides seem to churn at the new revelations she was coming to. With the bridge of the song approaching, all she could see was your face as you danced and sang to whatever tune was playing overhead - and all she wanted to do was tell you how perfect you are, and how perfect you made her feel.

"There's something I need to tell you." She shouts over the music. You nod, continuing to dance energetically. Your faces are so close now - the wisps of her short hair brushing your cheeks every so often as you moved around.

"Go ahead!"

She hesitates, looking quickly down at your lips, and then pursing her own.

"I think I'm in love with you."

Your actions slow a little, but the smile on your face doesn't lessen one bit. You hover up on your tiptoes, her tall frame curling over you as you place your hands in her hair, pulling her face close so that your lips can make contact. The pressure of her mouth feels so needed, like you'd never known how much someone could complete you, and couldn't bare living without it again. You felt her smile into the kiss, and you realised this might be the happiest you'd ever felt.

You pull back, just to look into her eyes - that was your favourite part of her; windows to the soul, as your mother always said. You opened your mouth to say something, but you'd already forgotten what it was by the time she had forced your mouths back together - more roughly this time. There might of been a few stares, yes: but neither one of you had noticed.

You dropped your hands from her hair to wrap around her neck, pulling yourself up further - trying to compete with her tall build. She quickly placed her hands in your hair, running her sly fingers through it so beautifully you thought you might melt. You didn't think you'd ever been so close to someone before, but it felt amazing.

A new song came on, the beat pulsating from your feet through your entire body. You broke away gently, suddenly feeling the urge to jump and dance around like a giddy little kid.

"I know!" You scream over the deafening music. Her face lights up so subtly, but you caught it - you always did.

"You know?"

"You're like...the only person I know everything about!" You explain, watching as her brain works - trying to think of any obvious signals she'd given - after all, she'd only learned this about herself about a half hour ago. "I mean, when you're in love with someone, you kinda notice these things, Sae!" She realised what you were saying, and her mouth twisted into the sweetest grin you'd ever seen. Actually, it might've been the widest you'd ever seen her smile.

You peck her on the lips again, overcome with whatever this feeling was. Sae just laughed, a smile chained on her face, unable to leave. Your hands grabbed at hers as you flipped your hair around to the beat, forcibly moving her body with your own in the action. Usually, she hated dancing - but not like this. not with you. She felt the rhythm, still laughing as you tried to spin her around (though she had to duck under your hand to complete the move).

The two of you weren't very good, but it didn't matter. Every time you would bump into one another, it'd be an excuse to make contact - the both of you just wanting to hold one to the other.

"I steal your clothes, and, you have a toothbrush in my dorm, forgodsakes!" You remind her.

She shrugs her shoulders playfully, not able to look at you without emitting a toothy smile.

The two of you, after an hour of dancing to music you'd forgotten every word to, stumbled around outside, hand in hand. Sae had ordered a taxi back to yours, and you had taken the opportunity to wait inside a fast food place, grabbing fries for the two of you.

You were as cheesy as a teenage couple would be - drunkenly feeding one another fries, falling into fits of laughter and sudden make-outs - the turmoil of alcohol still tangled in your mouths. It was a Sae-byeok you'd never seen before, but one you'd see so much more from here on out.