Mirror | Natzu

7

No matter how many times Nayeon had protested against Tzuyu's idea, she had almost been forced to stay seated in the passenger seat of the car. Nayeon was tempted to call it a kidnapping just to tease her as they pulled off the curb, Tzuyu's unfinished business forgotten as they drove down the street in silence.

It was comfortable. For the first time in eight years, Nayeon felt truly comfortable. Her failure at university, homelessness, the soulmate... it was all forgotten in the first few minutes of driving down the road in Tzuyu's car. She couldn't help the tiny smile that painted itself across her lips.

"I have a clean change of clothes and a shower for you at home." Tzuyu spoke eventually, softly, her eyes remained fixed on the road ahead as she drove. "But they might be a little big on you." She swallowed. "But not too big. I'm not that much taller, am I?" She muttered to herself, her eyebrows furrowing and Nayeon found herself feeling the same sense of adoration for her antics as she felt when Tzuyu was much younger.

"I also live at home with my parents and my brother... is that okay? I should have asked. I'm sorry. I just–" Tzuyu was starting to ramble, but Nayeon interrupted, placing a hand lightly on her shoulder.

"It's fine, Tzuyu. I'm just grateful you're letting me stay. I'm not fussy. Not after everything that's happened so far. I'm sure your family will be lovely."

Tzuyu swallowed again and they returned to silence for the rest of the trip.

Nayeon felt like something was amiss.

***

Tzuyu's parents were just as beautiful as she was. Nayeon could see that Tzuyu got her almond shaped eyes from her father and her dimples from her mother (Nayeon wondered when she had started paying such close attention to the details of Tzuyu's face). They shared the same sark silky hair and were just as tall as she was.

"Hello, Mr and Mrs Chou. Nice to meet you. I'm Im Nayeon." Nayeon bowed deeply. The pair looked at her strangely before she heard Tzuyu speak to them in a foreign language, presumably Chinese.

"They can't speak Korean, sorry." She looked down at Nayeon awkwardly. "I'll translate things for you."

Her father looked Nayeon up and down, his mouth turning downward under a neat black moustache as he spoke a phrase in a tone that Nayeon didn't like. Tzuyu tensed beside her and nodded.

"Um..." She swallowed again. Nayeon was starting to feel nervous. "Just leave your guitar and bag outside. Let's go."

Tzuyu took hold of Nayeon's right hand with her left and pulled her through the front door, abandoning her clothes and her precious guitar on the steps.

Tzuyu was pulling Nayeon quickly, but she was able to observe that the inside of Tzuyu's house was spotless. It was only a medium sized house, but the way everything was in its rightful place and the positioning of the furniture gave the illusion of a grand design. Jeongyeon would love it in here...

Nayeon spotted no evidence of a brother during her very brief tour of the house directly to Tzuyu's room. She shut the door behind them as quietly as possible, as if there was someone sleeping in the house that she didn't want to wake. Maybe there was.

She breathed a sigh of relief and leaned her head against the door for a moment.

"I'll get you some clothes." She whispered. Nayeon realised that she was still holding her hand as she pulled her toward a standing wardrobe at the back of her neatly designed room. Nayeon blushed, but didn't let go, feeling a strange comfort in the touch of the younger girl. A calmness she wouldn't have had otherwise.