words words words

Taeyeon rocks back and forth on her heels as she waits outside of the door. She glances left and right. Quiet, numbered doors greet her at intervals down the hall. The walls are a bland, not-quite-gold color. The carpets, deep red and likely installed years ago to make up for the boring walls, have maintained most of their vibrancy even though the material has begun to wear in places. Taeyeon thinks she must be wearing a hold in the carpet herself with all of the rocking. She glances around again. The hallway is still on either side. She is alone.

Even so, she pulls down the brim of her cap to cover her eyes and uses on hand to yank her hood forward over it. In the other hand are her sunglasses and a plain white paper bag, both items held by curled fingers. She looks down and feels a strong urge to put her sunglasses back on.

They had been careful, but if anyone were to walk out into the hall and recognize her, they would both have a lot of questions to answer. Finally more, maybe, than they could handle this time.

But just as Taeyeon begins to shift her things around to free her sunglasses, the locks on the side of the door slide back. The door opens a quarter of the way and Taeyeon sidles through as quickly as she can.

It shuts behind her at once. Taeyeon takes her time taking off her hat and coat and slipping out of her shoes, keeping her head down as she listens to the locks return to their places. She straightens up just as the bottom lock clicks with a sharp note. Letting out a small sigh of relief, she turns.

Jessica is there, arms crossed, leaning back against the door. Her hair is drawn up in a loose bun on the top of her head. She’s not wearing any make up. She gives Taeyeon a quick but critical once-over, taking in her appearance for the first time in six months. Aware of this, Taeyeon does the same.

Jessica’s face is slightly fuller than when she last saw her, and she’s gained a little bit of weight. Her skin’s a little darker, still tan from her last vacation. Those eyes though, the ones she’s always remembered, are the same—a comforting fact. It takes her a moment to realize those eyes are also staring back at her.

Taeyeon swallows and grins awkwardly.

“Long time no see.”

She thinks for a second that Jessica’s going to roll her eyes, but instead she just smiles (and Taeyeon can see that as healthy as she looks, she’s still tired too—she wonders not for the first time if they’re both doomed to a lifetime of exhaustion) and pushes herself off the door.

“Hi Taeyeon,” she returns.

Their shoulders nearly brush as Jessica walks by her and makes her way to the bed nearest the window. She climbs up to the headboard and reclines against the pillows.

“We probably could have found a nicer hotel,” she comments.

Taeyeon looks around and shrugs. “It’s still a suite.”

“Tyler thought it would be less conspicuous. Didn’t want to draw any unneeded attention.”

Didn’t want to risk setting the mood’s more like it, Taeyeon thinks wryly. She shrugs again and sits down at the foot of the bed.

“I would’ve paid for it,” she says off-handedly.

Jessica laughs. “Oh yeah—‘SNSD leader Kim Taeyeon rents hotel room for the night to meet up with former member Jung Jessica. Birthday rendez-vous?’” she reports in a deep tone. “The media would’ve loved that.”

Taeyeon chuckles.

“It’s better to have Tyler put it in his name and tip for more…tight-lipped service.” Jessica says, returning to her normal voice. “This alone is precarious enough anyway.”

They fall into silence as the implications of her last sentence hang thick in the air between them. Taeyeon defaults to staring at her hands, knowing there’s nothing left to say about it.

After a minute, Jessica leans forward and taps her fingers on the bed to get Taeyeon’s attention. “So what was so urgent that we had to get a hotel room on three days notice?”

“Well, it’s your birthday,” Taeyeon tells her, as if it’s obvious.

Jessica raises her eyebrows.

“Or, well, it will be in a few hours,” Taeyeon corrects herself. “But I’ve never missed one of your birthdays and don’t want to start now.”

“I didn’t see you on your—”

“Don’t. I got your present.”

“Krystal did give it to you,” Jessica says, smiling.

Taeyeon nodded. “I told her to tell you I said thank you, but she was—”

“Cold?”

“I was going to say distant,” Taeyeon clarifies. “And she’s always well within her rights to be, and then some. Anyway, I asked her to tell you thanks, but I don’t know if she even heard me since she let so quickly.”

“Would it make it easier if she openly hated you?” Jessica asks suddenly.

Taeyeon shrugs. “It’d make it easier if a lot of different people openly hated me.” She leaves the, including you, unspoken. “Thank you for the sketchbook though, I had been needing a new one.”

Jessica nods and waves her off. They get stuck just half-nodding at each other for several seconds. Jessica breaks into a small smile first; Taeyeon laughs a little and looks down, trying to hide the grin on her own face.

“You know,” Jessica begins slowly, “you don’t have to sit all the way over there. You spend enough time far away as it is.”

Taeyeon laughs again and obliges, passing Jessica the white paper bag as she scoots up to six net to her.

“What’s this?” Jessica asks, peering inside.

“Your gift. It’s not that much.”

“Like I believe that,” Jessica retorts, reaching inside the bag.

Taeyeon bites her lip as Jessica pulls out a slim, black leather-bound book. She keeps her features blank as Jessica glances at her quizzically. They sit in silence while she turns the book over in her hands. She runs a palm over the front cover, then opens it carefully.

She gasps softly at the first page. Taeyeon smiles.

“Are these…”

“Full-resolution copies of some of the old photos we all took during rehearsals and tours,” Taeyeon confirms. “I asked the girls to send me what they had. There are twenty-seven in there, for your twenty-seventh, but there’s a flash drive in the back with everything else.”

“Twenty-seven,” muses Jessica. Taeyeon can hear her voice straining to remain steady. “We’re old.”

“We’ve been old,” Taeyeon answers in a quite voice.

Jessica doesn’t contradict her. She continues to flip through the book slowly, lingering on each page. A couple of pages in she catches Taeyeon craning her neck to look and shifts closer, spreading the book out over both of their laps. Their shoulders bump against each other.

“I’m sorry—I wanted to get you a cake or something, but I didn’t have time,” Taeyeon apologizes.

Jessica just shakes her head. She stops turning the pages and looks seriously at Taeyeon for a moment.

“This means a lot to me, and I think you know that.”

“It’s never going to be enough.”

“Don’t.”

“Sorry.”

They stare at each other for a minute. Taeyeon wonders how long it’s been since they’ve shared a moment alone together like this. More than six months, she knows. She tries not to think about how long it’ll be until it happens again.

“I miss you,” she murmurs.

Jessica smiles at her sadly. She doesn’t say anything in response, but leans over and presses a kiss to Taeyeon’s cheek. They both linger. When she pulls away, they look back down at the book in unison. They go through the pages together one at a time, laughing and reminiscing in quiet tones.

“We did so much growing old together,” Jessica says once they reach the end.

“We did.”

What happened? Neither one of them ask.

Taeyeon looks at the clock. “There’s still another two hours until midnight.”

Jessica leans her head back against the pillow and looks over at her. Taeyeon mirrors the action.

“Do you have to go?”

“Do you want me to?”

“Taeyeon.”

“No, not yet.”

Jessica rolls her eyes, finally, and they both grin.

“I don’t understand why you can’t just say that in the first place,” complains Jessica.

“Would I be me otherwise?” Taeyeon replies with a grin.

Jessica just shakes her head. “You should probably just stay the night here,” she says.

“And why is that?”

“I’m still surprised they only asked us to bring dessert.”

“Iknow…do you think they’re still cooking?”

“It is still kind of early.”

“I can’t buy that they ever started cooking.”

“They didn’t even cook at the housewarming party.”

“This the first party they’ve hosted since then though, and it’s been over a year.”

“Seo, we’ve known them for over a decade, what makes you think they’ve suddenly developed cooking skills in the past twelve months?”

“Be nice. There’s always that restaurant on the corner.”

“Ha – see you don’t have any faith in them either, Fany, admit it.”

“O come, all ye faithful –”

The impromptu caroling was cut off as the door finally opened and they all fell silent. Jessica beamed at the seven of them as she opened the door wider to let them in. Her light brown hair was straight and smooth; a pair of green antlers sat perched atop her head.

“Hey, I thought this was supposed to be an ugly sweater party,” accused Hyoyeon, gesturing to Jessica’s color-coordinated outfit. “Yours matches your antlers.”

“And it has a reindeer on it,” Jessica pointed out.

“Yuri has white tassels hanging off her sleeves like horse hair,” Hyoyeon retorted, unimpressed. Yuri stood on tiptoe at the back of the group and held up her arms for Jessica to see.

“She can’t help it, you know that,” came Taeyeon’s voice from inside. “Are you all going to come in or not?”

“Depends,” Sooyoung shouted back as they filed past Jessica. “What’s the cooking look like? One microwave dinner for each of us?”

“No, just one – just for you, Soo.”

“Very funny.”

Jessica smiled and shook her head as she shut the door behind everyone. For a couple of minutes they all remained clustered around the door, forming a short assembly line so they could hang up seven pairs of coats and scarves.

A little further in, the kitchen table was filled edge to edge with various dishes. Hot trays with meat, bowls with noodles, plates with vegetables – everything looking altogether fresh and well-cooked.

“A little better than the microwave, right?” Taeyeon asked, grinning at the surprise on her friends’ faces.

She watched them from the far end of the table, where she had just finished adjusting a plate. Her black hair was pulled into a low ponytails and she wore a Santa hat slightly askew on her head. Her sweater was a deep red with a large, cartoonish embroidery of a snowman on the front.

“There are plates and utensils on the counter,” she added. “If you brought dessert just leave it on the counter where there’s room or stick it in the fridge.”

“I am…impressed,” admitted Sooyoung, moving around the table of food with Yoona close behind.

“And you made all of this?” asked Hyoyeon.

“Yes,” answered Jessica. She came to stand next to Taeyeon and leaned her palms against the edge of the table. Their shoulders brushed.

“And by ‘you’ we mean Taeyeon, right?”

Jessica scowled.

“I did the vegetables,” she insisted.

“In that case we should probably stay away from those,” Yoona quipped.

Jessica made a face. Yoona stuck her tongue out and laughed with Sooyoung.

“Hey,” interrupted Suny, point between Jessica and Taeyeon. “Did you two coordinate outfits? Green and red?”

Jesica only glanced sideways at Taeyeon, who laughed and looked down, her cheeks coloring.

Sunny switched and pointed at Tiffany. “You owe me ten dollars.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Jessica raised a questioning eyebrow at them.

Yuri answered as she sidled up to the table beside Tiffany, empty plate and fork at the ready. “They had a bet on how long it would be before the two of you revealed yourselves to be sickeningly in love,” she explained.

Jessica’s curious gaze turned into a half-hearted glare.

“It’s not sickening,” Taeyeon protested.

“This chicken looks familiar,” mused Tiffany, ignoring both of them. She dropped a piece on Yuri’s plate and another on her own with a crease between her eyebrows.

Taeyeon hummed in response. She shared a glance with Jessica and moved away to get them each a plate.

Yuri watched Tiffany’s face for a moment. She looked down at the chicken too.

“Can we keep the line moving here?” Sunny asked, bumping Tiffany with her elbow.

Tiffany didn’t move. “Like the chicken we had last time Yuri and I were here.”

“We probably made it then too,” Jessica told her dismissively, accepting a plate from Taeyeon.

“You’ve never cooked for guests before,” said Tiffany. She narrowed her eyes at them as a suspicious smile began to grow on her lips.

Taeyeon ignored them completely and started piling food on her plate. Jessica remained by her shoulder, only half-paying attention to Tiffany and Yuri while she let Taeyeon serve her too.

“Yeah, did we go out to eat?” questioned Yuri.

“I don’t remember,” Jessica answered, not looking up.

“We did,” Tiffany agreed.

Yuri looked between Tiffany and the hot tray full of chicken once more. Sunny had given up and simply moved around them to get at the other dishes. Seohyun still waited, ever the patient one, for them to move on.

Yuri’s eyes landed on the chicken again. Her face lit up in recognition.

“Wait, yeah. We went to that place –”

“On the corner,” Tiffany finished at the same time. They grinned at each other.

All eyes turned to Jessica and Taeyeon.

“It’s not from –”

“If you did all of this cooking,” Seohyun cut in, “then why aren’t there any dishes in the sink?”

“Dishwasher,” Taeyeon told her.

Seohyun gazed at her steadily, but Taeyeon remained focused on serving Jessica. Seohyun moved closer to the dishwasher.

“So you wouldn’t mind if I checked?”

“Not at all.”

Seohyun kept her eyes on the though, and when she had her hand on the door Taeyeon finally looked up at her.

“I will open it,” Seohyun said.

“For a moment, no one moved. Seohyun looked away from them and opened the dishwasher, just a crack.

“Fine, it’s from the restaurant down the block,” Jessica conceded. “There’s nothing in there.”

A loud chorus of oh-I-knew-it and similar sentiments went up among the seven other girls. Sooyoung grinned and pointed across the table at Sunny.

“You owe me lunch now,” she declared.

“No way, I didn’t think they cooked either –”

“I’m glad you all had suck faith in us,” Taeyeon remarked in a dry tone.

The girls waved her off, already over it and moving into the living room to arrange themselves around the floor in a circle. They fell right into easy banter again as they all started eating. Taeyeon smiled as she sat down cross-legged beside Jessica. She could hardly remember the last time all nine of them had been able to spend the night together just talking.

Plates ended up in neat stacks on the couch when they’d finished eating. They all lounged against each other lazily, still swapping stories.

Nearly an hour later, Hyoyeon jumped to her feet suddenly. They paused in their conversation and turned to watch as she ran over to retrieve something from her coat pocket.

“What are you doing?”

“I forgot,” she said, voice muffled while she rifled through the closet, “that I brought something to hang up.”

“Did you –?”

Hyoyeon emerged triumphant, a square of folded paper in hand. She grinned around at all of them. They blinked back. She unfolded it slowly, grinning at them; when she had it smoothed out, she thrust it towards them with a laugh.

“Mistletoe!”

For a second, no one said anything. Yuri broke first, then Yoona beside her, and then Sooyoung, until every single one of them was doubled over with laughter.

Taeyeon shook her head as she got up to take the paper from Hyoyeon.

“Printing out mistletoe clipart – you would,” she said, still laughing.

Hyoyeon winked, moving past her to return to her seat.

“Hang it somewhere nice,” she enjoined.

Taeyeon just shook her head again. She walked into the kitchen and pulled open a drawer in search of tape. Behind her, she could hear the group start up normal conversation again.

For a minute she pushed odd objects around in vain – the drawer was a mess. They’d been meaning to re-organize for months now. She frowned.

Fingers crept up her back slowly. Taeyeon smiled as Jessica’s hands reached the top of her shoulders and stopped.

“I can’t find the tape,” she complained. Her smile grew as Jessica rested her chin on her shoulder.

Jessica sighed. “I guess that means we won’t be able to hang it up…”

Her voice trailed off suggestively. Taeyeon turned to face her, pushing the drawer shut with her hip as she did.

“I take it you have another solution.”

Jessica simpered and leaned forward, placing her hands on the counter on either side of Taeyeon. She nodded.

“And I think you do too.”

For a moment, they looked at each other with pointed smirks. They broke into soft laughter. Jessica didn’t lean away.

Taeyeon grinned and stood up on tiptoe, raising the paper mistletoe above both of their heads. She raised her eyebrows playfully. Without a second of hesitation, Jessica closed the little space left between them and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.

A round of groans and gagging sounds met them from behind just as Taeyeon used her free hand to cup the side of Jessica’s face.

“Get a room you two, you’re grossing out your guests.”

“Hyoyeon, this is your fault.”

Taeyeon and Jessica just smiled while the rest of the girls started bickering. They laughed again when they pulled apart. For a few more seconds they stood simply giggling and staring at each other.

Finally heeding the others’ calls, Jessica gave Taeyeon another quick peck on the cheek and turned to lead them both back to the circle. She smiled back at Taeyeon conspiratorially.

“Taeyeon, how are you not freezing?”

“Hm? It’s not that cold.”

“It’s colder in here than it is outside.”

“So?”

“So it’s winter. We need to put the heat on.”

Taeyeon looked up from the television as Jessica walked over to the little white box on the wall and examined the thermostat. Jessica had barely glanced at it when she turned around to give Taeyeon an exasperated look.

“Sixty degrees, really?”

Taeyeon shrugged. “That’s why we layer up.”

“We shouldn’t have to be bundled up while we’re inside,” Jessica said. “Plus, the temperature drops during the night.”

“Right, which is why we have two thick blankets.”

Jessica pressed the up-facing arrow on the thermostat several times. Within seconds they could hear the heat kick on. She walked over and sat opposite Taeyeon on the couch, her sock-clad toes brushing against Taeyeon’s thigh.

“It’s also why I always make sure the heat is on before we go to bed,” she added.

“Because it’s more comfortable falling asleep with the warmth,” Taeyeon recited. This wasn’t the first time they’d had this conversation.

“And yet it’s almost always lowered to some ungodly temperature when I wake up,” Jessica said with a pointed look.

“Sixty degrees is not ungodly. Sixty degrees is light jacket weather. It’s shorts weather. Spring weather,” Taeyeon said with a laugh.

“Yeah when that actually the forecast. Leaving the thermostat at sixty degrees in here when it’s practically snowing outside is like driving a car that’s been parked outside in twenty degree weather and turning the air conditioning on.”

Taeyeon opened her mouth and then shut it. She had a point.

“Uh-huh, you know I’m right,” Jessica teased, leaning forward to poke Taeyeon’s shoulder.

“I’m just trying to save –”

“Money? It’s not like we don’t have the budget to pay for heat,” Jessica pointed out.

“I was going to say save the Earth,” Taeyeon clarified. “Just trying to be efficient in this apartment.”

Jessica raised an eyebrow at her. “Oh really?”

“Yup.”

“I watched you throw a plastic bottle in the trash can yesterday.”

“I don’t remember that.”

Jessica rolled her eyes and smiled. “Of course you don’t,” she said. “Can we please agree on leaving the heat on at night though so the cold doesn’t interfere with my beauty sleep?”

“Oh, but sweetheart, you don’t need beauty rest when you’re already the most gorgeous woman in the world,” Taeyeon told her in the most sincere tone she could manage. Her eyes would give her away though, she knew. Jessica would see the playful glint.

“Oh, Taeyeon,” Jessica sighed, her voice taking on a dreamy air as she leaned across the couch to place a kiss on Taeyeon’s cheek. “You’re so full of it."

Taeyeon grinned at her.

“You’re still gorgeous.”

Jessica nodded and patted Taeyeon’s shoulder.

“I know. Leave the heat on tonight.”

----

Taeyeon sat alone at the kitchen table, an untouched mug of tea steaming in front of her. The only light on in the apartment was the small one over the sink behind her. The moon cast slanting patterns of gray light through the closed blinds and across the living room floor.

She starred at the little thermostat box on the far wall; squinting a little, she could just make out the digits on an even tinier green screen, glowing in the dark space.

67.

Taeyeon tapped her finger against the table and bit her lip. She glanced down the hall towards the bedroom. She looked back at the glowing little screen on the wall and then shook her head a little. She wrapped her hands around the mug and raised it to her lips. She took several long, slow sips – her eyes still watching the digits from over the brim of her cup.

She put it down and turned her head to the window. She went back to tapping her finger against the table. She watched the moon through the slats of the blinds long enough that the steam from her tea thinned out to occasional wisps. She took another sip and looked back at the microwave.

The clock read 2:00 in crisp, blue-green digits.

Taeyeon waited until it said 2:01 and then squinted back at the opposite wall.

65.

She sighed, releasing an annoyed burst of air through her nostrils. She took a sip again, and then another. She stood and walked over to the box, carrying her mug with her.

For a minute, she did nothing but take deliberate sips of tea, eyes narrowed at the box as though engaged in a one-way staring contest.

On the last sip, she let the liquid form a warm pool in her mouth. She leaned back a bit – felt the taste of the tea leaves coat her tongue – and peered in the direction of the bedroom again.

She straightened and gulped down the rest of the tea. Her finger found the tiny down-arrow and pressed it several times. New digits blinked back at her.

60.

Taeyeon waited until they stopped blinking before returning to the kitchen. She ran the mug under the faucet and left it in the sink. She turned the light off and didn’t look at the thermostat again as she walked down the hall to the bedroom.

Jessica was still fast asleep in bed, rolled over on the left side of the mattress. The two blankets they slept under were still thrown back on Taeyeon’s side. Jessica hadn’t moved an inch.

Taeyeon eased back under the covers and pulled them up to just below her shoulders. She wriggled her toes – they already felt colder. Her eyelids began to droop as she waited.

After fifteen minutes of drifting in and out of semi-consciousness, Taeyeon felt Jessica stir beside her. The blankets rustled.

She always felt the warmth first, the mere proximity of Jessica shifting closer. Then the physical touch – Jessica tangling their legs, Jessica slidingan arm around her waist, Jessica curling into her side, Jessica breathing lightly against her neck.

Jessica Jessica Jessica.

Just that touch of skin. Always enough to send something electric up Taeyeon’s spine. In bed, under the covers, with just the two of them, the sensation was calming and familiar.

Taeyeon never slept right without it. Without her.

Jessica sat her desk, legs crossed and chin propped up on one hand. She tapped the pencil in her other hand against the edge of the desk as she stared off into space. After a minute, she refocused on the paper in front of her, studying the half of the design she had already drawn. She added a few light strokes with her pencil and sighed.

As if on cue, quick footsteps thundered down the hall, followed by a soft whooshing noise.

Jessica smiled a little and shook her head. “Taeyeon,” she called, “what are you doing?”

“What does it sound like I’m doing?”

Her voice, cheeky, came from somewhere past the door.

“This never ends well for you,” Jessica reminded her.

Step, step, step – whoosh.

“Those were all practice rounds,” Taeyeon said. Her voice disappeared back down the hall.

Jessica, still smiling, rolled her eyes and went back to her design.

Step, step, step – whoosh.

“See?” Taeyeon called proudly.

Jessica didn’t look. There was a thud and a harsh clatter seconds later.

“Taeyeon –”

“It’s fine, I’m fine. Everything’s fine.”

“I thought you were done with the practice rounds.”

“I am. Just warming up, that’s all.”

“Don’t break anything.”

“Do you mean me?” Step, step, step – whoosh. “Or the actual things in our apartment?” Taeyeon asked her.

“Both.”

“I got this,” Taeyeon said. Her voice came from down the hall again. “Watch.”

Step, step – whoosh.

“See?”

Jessica could tell she had stopped in the doorway this time, but she thought of an extra detail for the design in the same moment. She flipped the pencil around, erased a few things, and starting sketching with renewed effort. She didn’t turn around.

Taeyeon huffed behind her.

“I’m almost done,” Jessica told her, still focused on her work.

“Okay, but you can’t critique fairly when you miss all of my successful attempts,” Taeyeon returned.

Jessica heard her shuffle past the door again.

“I’m not critiquing, I just want you to be careful,” she said. “Especially after last time.”

Step, step, step – whoosh.

“To be fair, you don’t usually leave your shoes there so I wasn’t expecting that,” retorted Taeyeon.

“You nearly cracked your head open on the end table,” Jessica exclaimed.

“Only nearly.”

Step, step, step – whoosh.

“And if you’re so concerned maybe you should be out here with me so you can supervise.”

Jessica exhaled in exasperation. She pursed her lips together, trying to keep from smiling nonetheless.

Step, step – whoosh.

“I know you’re smiling.”

Step, step – whoosh.

In spite of herself, Jessica let out a small laugh.

“You’re incorrigible. Five minutes and then I’ll be done,” she said firmly.

Step, step, step – whoosh.

“Deal,” Taeyeon agreed.

Jessica drew several long strokes on the paper as she listened to Taeyeon shuffle away down the hall. She worked in silence for a couple of minutes before she heard footsteps in the hallway once more.

Step, step – whoosh.

“Tae –”

Something soft hit her in the back of the head.

“I swear to god.”

“Whenever you’re ready,” Taeyeon told her in a cheerful voice.

Step, step, step – whoosh.

Jessica paused. She looked around. Two long white tube socks sat on the floor behind her. The corner of her lips twisted into a wry smile as she picked them up and placed them on the side of the desk. She went back to sketching.

Step, step, step – whoosh.

“It’s been five minutes,” Taeyeon sang, voice gliding past the door.

“You’re like a child sometimes, you know that?”

Step, step, step – whoosh.

“Can’t argue with you there. Are you done yet?”

“Almost.”

Step, step, step – whoosh.

“Jessica.”

“Taeyeon.”

Step, step, step – whoosh.

“Jess look.”

Step, step, step – whoosh.

“One leg, look – I’m like Kim Yuna. Jess, you’re missing it.”

“Hold on.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll do it again. I’ll throw in a twirl.”

“That sounds like a –”

Step, step, step – whoosh.

“Look, Jess, you’re missing – whoa –”

Jessica winced at the loud thud behind her. “Sounds like a bad idea,” she muttered to herself.

Still, she bolted up from her seat and rushed to the doorway. She stopped and braced her hands against the doorframe.

Taeyeon was splayed out on the floor, laughing at herself and rubbing the back of her head. She looked up at Jessica.

“Couldn’t quite stick the landing.”

Jessica smiled and knelt down beside her. “Still a new world record I’m sure.”

“For most falls while sock skating. Definitely have that on lock,” Taeyeon quipped.

Jessica helped her sit up, her hand replacing Taeyeon’s to check the back of her head. “At least we know you’re hard-headed,” she said wryly.

“A trait you and I happen to share,” answered Taeyeon, giving her a knowing grin.

Jessica rolled her eyes. She let her hand drop down to Taeyeon’s shoulder.

“You’re sure you’re all right?”