FOREVER
Tzuyu woke up strangely early the next morning. She had a mild headache; probably a side effect of the long night. Sana was sound asleep by her side, so she just left the bed and took a well-deserved shower. She was proud of herself for not having drunk too much; otherwise her night would likely have ended disastrously. She went to the kitchen and started to make pancakes. When she was in the right mood, she liked to prepare the mix from scratch; using a recipe she'd improved over the years. Sana noticed when the pancakes were made using Tzuyu's recipe and said they were the best in the world, so it was very satisfying to cook them for her Cupcake.
After a few minutes she heard the sound of sloppy steps dragging in the hardwood floor coming from the hall. She turned to see Sana with her messy hair, still wearing the clothes from the day before, scratching her eyes.
"Are you making pancakes?" She said in her husky morning voice. It was so adorable, that Tzuyu could not hold the smile sneaking on her face.
"Yes, I am. Morning, Cupcake."
"Morning." She said giving two more steps and kissing Tzuyu's left cheek.
Tzuyu place the bowl over the counter and pulled Sana for a proper hug, brushing her belly in the process. She turned to kiss Sana on her lips, but she diverted her face from Tzuyu. "Morning breath." She whined.
"How many times I have to say that I don't care?" Tzuyu kissed her cheek instead and brushed the belly again. "And how are you doing there, little one?" She said hunching down a bit.
"He was basically moving all night." She mumbled.
Tzuyu looked up to her. "So that's why you're such a grump this morning?" She said with a teasing smile.
Sana nodded, humming slightly. Tzuyu hugged her again.
"So, take a nice shower and by the time you're done, there will be fluffy, warm and delicious pancakes here waiting for you." She said softly into Sana's ear, brushing her back. "Okay?" She kissed her forehead and Sana hummed another answer agreeing.
While Sana was taking her shower, Tzuyu finished stirring the batter. By the time Sana was back, wearing her working clothes, the smell of pancakes were all over the apartment. She sat down by the kitchen table, where Tzuyu had set their plates, the syrup, butter and two mugs of cocoa. Sana took a sip for her mug, closing her eyes with the soothing warmth of the drink.
Tzuyu placed a pile of pancakes in the middle of the table, piling most of them onto Sana's plate. Sana smiled to her taking the butter to spread on her pancakes. Tzuyu smiled back and for a moment they ate in a comfortable silence.
"I'm going to miss this." Sana said halfway through her pancakes. "These little moments we shared in this apartment."
"Me too." Tzuyu said back, stuffing her mouth with a big chunk of pancakes. "But we will create new memories in our new home."
Sana laughed with Tzuyu clumsiness, speaking with her mouth full. "Yes, we will." She looked at her watch. "We have just a few hours to shop, by noon I have to meet with Rose."
"The seamstress?"
"Yeah, she is making me a dress from the scratch, because nothing looked good or was really fitting me in the store."
"I'm sure you're going to look amazing." Tzuyu winked to her.
"I wish!" Sana looked up sheepishly and Tzuyu bit her lower lip.
"You will, Cupcake. You're so beautiful, it's impossible for you to look bad in any dress."
Sana giggled. "Anyway..." She started to fidget with her fork. "I got some things online, so I don't think we need to buy too much stuff in the end."
"We need a good stroller, I was taking a look at that baby store the other day."
"Oh, I remember that day, you sent me dozens of stroller pictures, you're probably an expert by now."
Tzuyu chuckled. "I wouldn't say that I'm an expert, but I think I know what could be the best for us."
"You can show me today and we can buy it and move forward with other stuff, like the moving."
"There is just our personal stuff here, some clothes and kitchen appliances. Hansol is going to give me a hand tomorrow and all will be done quickly."
"But don't take everything, don't forget that you're sleeping here on Friday and Saturday."
Tzuyu rolled her eyes. "Can't believe that you really want to do that."
"It's one tradition that I want to keep."
"Stupid tradition invented by superstitious straight people." Tzuyu groaned. "I don't want to sleep without you."
"It's just for one day!" Sana said, her voice high-pitched, raising her hands.
She shook her head. "Fine! But we are not going to do this again, ever. Not voluntarily, at least."
"Okay, promise!" Sana stood up kissing Tzuyu's cheek. "I'm going to-"
"Pee, I know." Tzuyu, said brooding.
"Now you're the grumpy one." Sana said out loud on her way to the bathroom.
"For good reason." Tzuyu mumbled.
Someone knocked on the door and Tzuyu raised a brow.
"That's Nayeon!" Sana yelled from the bathroom.
Tzuyu stood up and opened the door, giving a polite smile to her friend.
"Come in." She said to them. Nayeon nodded to her, with a serious face.
"Thanks." They said, entering the apartment. Things were still weird between the two of them.
Tzuyu headed to the table, removing the dishes and the remains of breakfast.
"And where is Sana?" They asked keeping their eyes on their cellphone.
"In the bathroom, coming in a bit."
"Okay."
"How are things?" Tzuyu asked putting some things in the fridge.
"Good." They nodded. "And everything is on track for your wedding."
"Good to know." Tzuyu nodded to them before she turned to wash the dishes in the sink.
Nayeon was the one responsible for Tzuyu and Sana's wedding. It was the first and probably only wedding they were dealing by themselves.
"I just need to give you some updates." They said, sitting down on the kitchen island.
After a minute Sana was coming from the bathroom greeting her friend and assistant, asking them to sit on the armchair. She sat on the couch.
"So, how are things going? I know there is not much to take care of, but it's always good to know what it's going on."
"Actually there are more things happening, that's why I came by."
Sana raised her eyebrows worried. "What do you mean?"
"First, the basics." They raised their eyes from their phone. "The venue is all set, we only need to reserve the tables and the benches. The weather is steady, so we don't need to worry about the rain."
"Okay."
"The officiator is confirmed. Rose said that the dress is ready for the first fitting, your appointment is up for noon. The rings are secured with Jeongyeon and Mrs. Claus has your reservation confirmed." They looked up to her. "And the other stuff." They paused to take a quick breath. "Elle is sending white roses and yellow tulips, she wants to know when and where to send them."
"What?"
"Wendy is sending picnic food, she wants to know how many guests you are going to have."
"But..."
"Yeri is sending drinks and other beverages; he also wants to know the number of guests. Finally, Hyewon is preparing a cake and is also sending some cookies and little baskets with other baked goods."
"Wow, hold on." Sana said with widened eyes, raising her hands to Nayeon. Tzuyu was coming from the kitchen, with an inquisitive look. "Why people are sending things? We didn't order anything. Right?"
Tzuyu was sitting by her side when Nayeon opened an animated smile. "They're gifts." They simply said.
"Gifts? But I didn't even say I was getting married."
"But they know."
"How?" Sana had specifically asked everybody at her company to not say anything to her suppliers and clients. She didn't want to explain why she wasn't inviting anyone, so she thought it would be better if she gave them the news after she was already married.
"I don't know." They shrugged. "Nobody said anything. Not me, or Jeongyeon, and I even checked with Hansol."
They looked at each other with surprised faces while Tzuyu looked on with a strange expression on her face.
"What matters is that they want to congratulate you giving stuff for your wedding." They looked at Tzuyu. "Are not happy, Vampira? People are giving you things for free because they all like your fiancé a lot." They chuckled and Sana could not believe yet what was going on.
Tzuyu looked up to them with her brows furrowed. "I think it was me." She said guiltily. They both looked at her. "I mentioned to Somi about our wedding on this Saturday. I told her it would only be your father, my sister and some close friends."
"That explains everything." They said looking to Sana.
"Are you mad at me?" Tzuyu said still holding an uneasy grin.
"Of course not. I'm just..." She took Tzuyu's hand and gave it a light squeeze. "Surprised." She smiled weakly, shedding some tears. "Didn't know people cared about us this much."
"Of course they do, Sana. You are always so nice to them, and you help them make more money every day. Why wouldn't they like you?" Nayeon said like it was so obvious.
"I don't know." She said with more tears running down her face.
Tzuyu wrapped her arms around her, giving a tender kiss on her temple.
"So, tell them all they need to know, Nayeon." Sana said sniffing. "And cancel the reservation with Mrs. Claus."
"I'm on it!" They said enthusiastically, grabbing their cellphone again.
She caressed Tzuyu's thigh "I'm going to fix my makeup, I'll be out soon, okay?"
"Okay." Tzuyu said nodding and giving her a peck. Sana smiled against Tzuyu's mouth. She took a deep breath standing up and heading to the bathroom.
Tzuyu looked to her friend and let out a relieved breath. "I thought she would be really pissed."
They chuckled. "At least now I understand what happened. I was getting worried she would be mad at me."
Nayeon was tapping on their cellphone and Tzuyu leaned her back on the couch. She looked at her empty shelves and walls, then to her friend again.
"Are we cool, Nayeon?"
They typed a little bit more on their phone before looking up to Tzuyu. "Yes, we are."
"Because if you're still mad about that thing in the car-"
"Look, we're cool." They said pointedly. "Please just drop it."
Sana arrived in the living room with her purse in her hands.
"Okay." Tzuyu said standing up. "Shall we?" She said, offering Sana her hand and gesturing at the door.
"Yes." Sana said nodding, looping her arm with Tzuyu's.
"Can I stay around here for a while to use your Wi-Fi?" Nayeon said keeping their eyes on their cellphone.
Tzuyu shrugged. "Sure."
"If you need anything else, just call, Nayeon." Sana said, standing by the door.
"I will."
"And tell Jeong to not forget about my dress fitting at Rose's atelier."
"Alright."
Tzuyu wanted to say something funny but she held her tongue. She could not risk another awkward moment with her friend just a few days from her wedding.
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"Have you written your vows yet?" Sana asked while Tzuyu was driving.
"I'm still working on them. What about you?"
"I finished them last week."
Tzuyu chuckled. "Nerd. You were probably one of those kids who always did their homework right when it was assigned and never left it until the last minute."
"That's called being a responsible person."
"So you're saying I'm not responsible."
"No, I'm saying you're lazy. It shouldn't be this hard for you, you're a writer."
"Well I've never written something like this before. Also I haven't been to many weddings, so I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to do."
Sana thought for a moment. "There isn't really a right thing to do. I wrote about my feelings for you and then the promises I wanted to make."
Tzuyu nodded. "That's a good place to start."
Sana smiled at her and her thoughts wandered to another thing that had been floating around in the back of her mind.
"What was that with you and Nayeon? What happened in the car?"
"I was just teasing them, bragging about our sex life." Tzuyu said aloof.
"Tzu! How can you do that? They work with me!"
"I just said we had a great sex life and they got mad saying something like they were not rocking anyone's world, but they were fine." She shrugged.
"Oh no." Sana sighed, covering her face with both hands.
"Oh no, what?" Tzuyu looked briefly to her.
"I think I know what it is." She rested her hands over her belly, looking at Tzuyu. "The other day I was talking to Jeong, she said I looked happy and I said I was happy because you make me very happy and..." She trailed off.
"And?" Tzuyu asked raising a brow. She stopped the car at a red light.
"You know, it was right after our road trip, and those days were amazing, so I looked happy-"
"Sana." Tzuyu tilted her head to the side.
"Right. I was telling her how you're perfect for me, because you are, and that we had a great sex life and that you rocked my world." Sana said, sounding high-pitched and very guilty.
Tzuyu raised both eyebrows "So, you can tell your friend we have an awesome sex life, but I can't?"
"Well, it's clearly not the same." Sana said in a defensive tone.
"It's exactly the same!"
"No, it's not!"
"Why not?"
"I was having a serious and deeply conversation with my best friend. You were teasing Nayeon, you said yourself."
"With a true fact about us." She chucked. "Didn't know you were bragging with your friend about how I rocked your world." She smirked at the end of that sentence, looking at the green light and driving forward.
Sana raised one hand in a frustrated fist. "God, I knew I shouldn't say that, you're so full of yourself sometimes."
"I'm full of myself? Those were your own words." She shook her head. "You're welcome by the way." She said in a sarcastic tone.
"Your friend... No, our friends are having problems in bed and you are make fun of them and bragging about yourself."
"I was not making fun of them, I didn't even know what was going on. But now that you explained it, maybe I can give them some advice."
"To both of them?"
"No, to Nayeon only, of course. In what world would I talk about sex with Jeong?"
"Right." She nodded leaning her back on the seat again. "What are you going to say to them?"
"I don't know yet, but I will think of something."
"Okay."
They reached the baby store and Tzuyu showed Sana the strollers she had been researching. She listed all the pros and cons, and even used a baby doll as a prop, riding with the toy through the aisles to show Sana what could be the best for them. Sana forgot all about their disagreement on the car and looked proud at Tzuyu's enthusiasm towards something so simple like a stroller.
She didn't have a doubt before, but after that moment she was more sure than she'd ever been that Tzuyu would be a great mother. Caring, protective and loyal.
"And this one is really easy to mount, we can do it in seconds." She was assembling the third stroller she had elected when she noticed Sana looking with heart eyes to her. "What?"
Sana smile grew widen. "You're so cute talking about strollers."
Tzuyu bit her lower lip to disguise the smile that threatened to appear on her face. "No, I'm not."
Sana nodded approaching to her. "You are going to be a great mom, do you know that?" She enlaced her arms around Tzuyu's neck, resting her forehead on hers. "And a great wife." She smiled showing all of her teeth, making Tzuyu blush. It was a rare scene.
Tzuyu just smiled sheepishly to her, wrapping her arms around Sana's back. "You're perfect for me too, Cupcake." She said in very low tone.
Sana closed her eyes touching Tzuyu's lips with her own. That was a very special kiss, for reasons she could not explain. "I love you." She said after she broke she kiss gently, caressing Tzuyu's jaw.
"So, did you like this last one better?" Tzuyu said giggling.
"Yeah, I think I did." She brushed Tzuyu's hair, looking at her with a serene expression. "Can't wait to use it with a real baby."
"Me too." Tzuyu said brushing her belly.
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With a brand new stroller on the trunk of the car, Tzuyu was driving Sana to Rose's Atelier. They would have dinner later with Mr. Minatozaki and Taeyeon at his house. It would be the last dinner with the family before the big day and both of them were nervous about that.
"Can't understand why Jeong is not answering my texts." Sana mumbled looking at her phone. "Rose has a tight schedule, she can't be late."
"I can go with you." Tzuyu suggested.
"But you can't see the dress, Tzu. That's the whole point of bringing Jeong with me."
Tzuyu rolled her eyes. She didn't care a bit about those traditions, but she was letting Sana have whatever she wanted for their wedding. Tzuyu just wanted to sign the papers and celebrate with champagne and good food.
She parked in front of Rose's shop and Sana was still distracted by her phone. When she noticed where they were she looked at Tzuyu.
"You can go home, I'll wait for Jeong here."
"Do you even know if she is coming?"
"No. But I think she is probably stuck with the Manoban's' wedding. They're a very picky couple."
"So I'll go with you. And I promise I won't look at the dress."
"But, Tzu-"
"I won't leave you here alone. It's just a fitting, right?"
"Yeah, but..." She looked frustrated to her phone again. "Fine, let's go."
They entered the shop and the place was crowded. A young lady on the counter guided Sana to the back and she took Tzuyu with her by her hand. Rose was working on a dress on a dress form and greeted Sana and Tzuyu. Sana presented Tzuyu as her fiancé.
"So, your bride is the pretty lady, huh?" Rose said nudging Sana playfully with her shoulders.
Tzuyu blushed for the second time in that day.
"Yeah, my very pretty lady." Sana said winking to Tzuyu, making her blush even more.
"Alright. Wait here for a minute, I'll take your dress." She gesture for a chair and Sana sat down.
Tzuyu was pacing in the atelier, with her hands tucked in her jeans pocket, looking at some dress in a rack. Less than a minute later, Rose was returning with Sana's dress on her hands.
"Come here." Sana said gesturing for Tzuyu. She stood up and turned the chair to face the opposite side of the area where the fitting would happen. "Just sit tight in here while I get dressed."
"Okay." Tzuyu said raising her shoulders a bit. She sat down and Sana hunched over her ear.
"And don't peek."
"I won't, mom." Tzuyu rolled her eyes.
"You better not." Sana said kissing her cheek and turning away.
"I did exactly the way you wanted with the hem." Rose said animatedly when Sana approached her.
"It's perfect!" Sana said enthusiastic. "Let me try it on right now."
She walked to Tzuyu again, asking her to hold her purse. Tzuyu didn't say anything; she just held the purse on her lap and took out her phone to send some texts to Taeyeon.
While Sana and Rose was chatting about fabrics and knots, Tzuyu was doing her best to not pay attention to the conversation and the rustle of clothing. She was trading amicable insults with Taeyeon for some minutes, when Sana called her again, pleading.
"Tzu?"
"Yes, Cupcake?"
"Can you help me get out of my dress?"
"Why?"
"Rose went to talk with a client and I'm waiting forever and I'm sweating and tired and I can't sit because of the pins-"
"I'll help you." Tzuyu said standing up.
"Close your eyes." Sana alerted.
"Okay." She said, resigned, turning from the chair and closing her eyes..
"Just two steps in that direction." Sana said getting to the edge of the carpet where she should stay with the dress. After the two steps, Sana took Tzuyu's hand and turned herself. "Here is my zipper." She said placing Tzuyu's hand on her back.
Tzuyu touched the hem of the fabric and held the top of the dress with her other hand, pulling down the zipper with the first. She let out a giggle. "This brings back some good memories." She said with her eyes still closed.
"Yeah." Sana nodded giggling too. "But we're in reverse positions now." She stepped away from Tzuyu, taking off the dress.
"And unlike you that time I can't see your boobs now, which is not very fair." Tzuyu said crossing her arms.
Sana let out an indignant gasp, turning to Tzuyu. "That was an accident, it's not like I was trying to see you naked."
Tzuyu chuckled "You were totally checking me out. I bet your hormones were doing a number on you."
Sana shook her head taking her clothes and getting herself dress again. "They were driving me crazy, but that's not the only reason I looked at you."
Tzuyu opened her eyes and Sana scolded her. "Hey, I didn't say you could open your eyes yet."
"I didn't see anything." Tzuyu protested closing her eyes again. "So why did you look at me that day?"
Sana finished getting dressed and Rosa returned.
"Sorry Ms. Sana, just doing a last minute fix on a client's dress." She took Sana's dress from the couch and placed it over her table, looking amused at Tzuyu with her eyes closed in the middle of the room.
"Not a problem, Rose, I manage to get out of the dress with Tzuyu's help and she didn't see anything. I guess." She looked at Tzuyu again, who was pouting. "You can open your eyes now." Sana said, tapping her shoulder.
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Tzuyu parked in front of the hotel and Taeyeon was already there, making her way to the car. Sana was unbuckling her seat belt in a rushed pace.
"I shouldn't have to drink this much water, now I need to pee again."
"No problem." Tzuyu said.
"Hello, Darlings!" Taeyeon greeted them cheerfully.
"Hi!" Sana said to Taeyeon. "I'll be right back" She said to both of them before she left the car.
"What is going on?" Taeyeon asked from the back seat to Tzuyu.
"She needs to pee. Her bladder gets full very fast at this stage of pregnancy."
"Oh, didn't know that." Taeyeon looked at her left side, noticing a baby car seat attached to the other seat. "And didn't know you were so ready for a baby, isn't it a little early for this thing?"
Tzuyu turned her head to the back. "We're just seeing if it fits right. It's kind of hard to attach this thing in the car, but it's very practical, cause it's also part of the stroller, so you don't have to buckle and unbuckle the baby all the time when you leave the car and switch to the stroller."
Taeyeon chuckled lightly, securing herself in the car. "When you're serious about something, little monster, you really don't play around, huh?"
Tzuyu rolled her eyes looking forward again. She peeked at the rear mirror and Taeyeon was still holding her smugly smile. She decided to put her sister on the spotlight.
"Speaking of playing around, are you seeing anyone?"
"I'm always seeing someone, like you used to do." She looked at Tzuyu again with a raised brow. "You're not seeing other people, are you?"
"Of course not, Tae. Since I'm with Sana I didn't have seen anyone and I don't intent to."
"Really? Don't you miss the thrill of meeting a new person... you know, the chance to explore a new body?"
"No, I don't miss any of that." She turned to look at Taeyeon. "Honestly."
Taeyeon inclined to get closer to Tzuyu. "Aren't you afraid you'll get bored of her?"
"Me, bored of Sana?" She chuckled. "I think that's impossible." She laughed a little more. "Crazy maybe, but never bored."
"Well, I really need to know your girl better, little sis. Because I still don't see what it is about her that fascinates you so much."
"Maybe if you stick around more, you will."
"It was hard to get these days off from the office. I'm still on the clock, even here."
Tzuyu shrugged and Sana returned from the hotel lobby looking relieved.
"Sorry I took so long."
"It's okay." Tzuyu said to her, driving them to Mr. Minatozaki's house.
----------
They arrived at Mr. Minatozaki's at eight p.m. and the table was already set, just waiting for them to eat. Mr. Minatozaki greeted Taeyeon very chivalrously, making some classic dad jokes. They made some small talk before heading to the dinner room. Hitoshi had made his special roast beef with potatoes, getting compliments and excited glances from his guests.
"So, are you going to be the only family on Tzuyu's side?" Mr. Minatozaki asked Taeyeon.
"Yes, it seems like." She answered. "Will lives in his little world, and mother... well." She just shrugged and Tzuyu looked with a slight frown to her.
"What about your mother?" Mr. Minatozaki said looking at Tzuyu. "You didn't invite her, kid?"
"No, I didn't." Tzuyu said dryly, taking a sip from her juice. "So she isn't coming."
"Why not?" He looked at both sisters, while Sana was looking down at her plate.
"It's better this way." Tzuyu said, trying to disguise her irritation with that subject.
Sana looked up staring at Tzuyu. "Maybe she'll come."
Tzuyu froze in place, her face turned to an even paler shade.
"I invited her." Sana explained, keeping a brave face.
"Why?" Tzuyu finally said after a few seconds of silence. "Hadn't we agreed to not invite her?"
"We didn't agree on anything." Sana's expression turning to anger. "She's your mother, Tzu. She should be invited, it was the right thing to do."
Tzuyu clenched her hands into fists. She wanted yell at Sana with the full force of her lungs, and maybe she would have, if she hadn't been so worried about the effects of stress on their baby.
"You don't know what you are talking about." She said lowering her voice, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"If I had a mother I would invite her to my wedding no matter what."
"It's not... I'm..." She took deep breaths and stood up from the table. "I need some air." She said harshly, making her way out through the back door.
Taeyeon and Hitoshi looked at each other with apprehensive expressions, while Sana was looking down at her plate again. Her anger turned into sorrow and tears started running down her face. Damn hormones, she thought to herself.
She stood up, wiping her tears with the back of her hand, taking the same route out like Tzuyu just did.
Mr. Minatozaki and Taeyeon looked at each other. Mr. Minatozaki started getting up and Taeyeon touched his hand. "Let them be."
He looked down at her, worried, sitting down again. "I've never seen them fight like that." He said letting out a long breath. "Well, I guess I've never seen them fight at all."
"Every couple fights, it's not a big deal." Taeyeon shrugged.
"It's been a long time since... I don't know how it's supposed to be." Mr. Minatozaki confessed.
"Tzuyu's history with our mother is complicated. I agree with Sana, but Tzuyu certainly has her reasons to be upset."
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Sana walked out to her father backyard and found Tzuyu lying on the grass, looking at the night sky. She stood up by her side for a moment, until Tzuyu diverted her eyes from the stars and focused on her. Sana lowered herself and sat down on the grass.
"It can't be that bad, Tzuyu." She sighed wiping her eyes again. "I can call and ask her not to come."
Tzuyu looked at the stars again and her hurt expression was making Sana to feel even worse.
"I thought you'd be happy if she showed up to give you a hug or something. It's your wedding day, you want your family around. You want your mother there with you..." She let out another long breath. "Maybe I was thinking more about me than you, I'm sorry."
"I don't want to fight about this." Tzuyu said in a small, weak voice.
"So tell me what's going on! You said that if I have a problem I can tell you anything, but right now you are just shutting me out."
Tzuyu turned quiet again and Sana waited a few more minutes in vain. She shifted her body to stand up, but that was almost impossible with her balance so affected in the last weeks.
"She would love to see it." Tzuyu said in that same small voice.
Sana looked at her, forgetting the frustration with her attempt to get up. Tzuyu finally looked at her again.
"My real mother. She would love to see us get married." Tzuyu said, louder.
Sana lowered herself back down, laying by Tzuyu's side, keeping her eyes trained on the dark brown irises of her fiancé. She wasn't expecting any of that. When she looked at Tzuyu's problems it was hard to put herself in Tzuyu's shoes. Their differences were something that they would always have to deal with.
"I don't hate Krystal, but when I look at her, all I can think is how much I've disappointed her and that I'll never be good enough."
Sana extended her hand and touched Tzuyu's over the grass, giving it a light squeeze. Tzuyu expression became softer, and she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.
"I'll call her, you don't have to worry." Sana said.
Tzuyu opened her eyes. "You don't have to. I don't think she will come, but if she does, well..." She took another long breath. "I have to face her sooner or later anyway, might as well be in my wedding day. It doesn't matter anymore."
Tzuyu squeezed Sana's hand this time and Sana gave her a reassurance smile that turned quickly to a frown.
"Oh crap." Sana said shifting in place. "I need to pee."
"I got you." Tzuyu said standing up and offering her hands to Sana.
After some pulls, Sana was wiping the grass from her clothes and Tzuyu was walking by her side. "Is everything okay?" Tzuyu asked looking worried at Sana.
"Of course. Just the same old squished bladder as always." Sana placed her hand on Tzuyu shoulder to give it a quick pat, before she headed to the bathroom.
Tzuyu entered the dinner room again and Taeyeon was chatting with Mr. Minatozaki. They both looked at her and the tension grew in the silence.
"I think it's time for dessert." Mr. Minatozaki said with a polite smile leaving to the kitchen.
Tzuyu nodded and headed to the table taking the plates and pilling them up. Taeyeon raised one brow, looking inquisitively at Tzuyu.
"What?" Tzuyu said noticing Taeyeon's gaze towards her.
"Nothing, little sis." She said, a sassy smile on her face, while Tzuyu was taking the rest of the plates and silverware and taking them to the kitchen.
The rest of the night went smoothly. They ate dessert while Mr. Minatozaki told some stories about the month he and Tzuyu had worked on the house. He never knew how Sana found out about the surprise exactly, but he also told Taeyeon how his daughter gave him a hard time about it. They laughed about the whole thing. Taeyeon didn't say anything, but she finally realized what made Tzuyu change so much. She had finally found her match. And she thought that maybe, for the first time, she was witnessing what a marriage based on true love could look like.
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"Tzu? Are you awake?" Sana asked shaking Tzuyu's torso.
Tzuyu opened her eyes startled by Sana's voice. "Is everything okay?" She asked with half lids eyes opened.
"Just checking if you were awake." Sana said with a guilty face. "It's nothing, really."
"Okay." Tzuyu said turning and placing her arm around Sana's belly. She closed her eyes, but her brain was noticing more than she wanted.
Sana was still awake and twitching in bed all the time. She stood up and went to bathroom for the third time in that night. If hydration wasn't so important, she would cease to drink at all.
"Is he moving again?" Tzuyu asked with closed eyes when Sana returned and laid down by her side.
"No, I think he is finally sleeping at night."
Tzuyu opened her eyes and looked at Sana for a moment. "You are having a food craving, aren't you?"
Sana made another guilty face and she just looked back at Tzuyu.
"What it is?" Tzuyu said like it was fine for Sana to ask her something.
"I don't want to do this to you again."
"If you can't sleep because of it, I can't either, so... tell me what it is and I will get it for you."
"It's tacos..." Sana said still ashamed by her cravings.
"Not a hard thing to get. We live in Southern California, there are tacos everywhere."
"With melted chocolate on the top." Sana said raising her eyebrows and giving Tzuyu an apologetic grin.
"Oh." She raised her head and ran her fingers in her messy hair. "I'll find it somewhere, don't worry."
She left the bed dizzily and took her jeans and t-shirt from the floor.
"Sorry." Sana said, her voice high-pitched and her face apprehensive.
"Don't be, Cupcake." Tzuyu said turning around the bed and placing a tender kiss on Sana's forehead. "I'll be right back."
Tzuyu took her wallet and the car keys and walked sleepy to the car. She knew a 24/7 taco place in town, luckily, but she was not sure if the chocolate part would be the way Sana wanted. She never specified what kind of chocolate she wanted.
With a paper bag filled with tacos she headed to a 7-11 and bough some chocolate bars. She returned to the car again, noticing the baby seat on the back. She looked at her hand again, at the sparkling ring on her finger and she could not really describe what she felt in that moment. She wiped the tear rolling down her face and buckled her belt seat again. She was wearing a smile that never faded the whole way to her apartment. And when she drove by the drugstore she used to work, her smile widened even more.
When she opened the door of her apartment, Sana was pacing around the space between the living room and the kitchen with her brows pressed together, her hands resting on her back.
"Is something wrong?" Tzuyu asked dropping the bags on the island.
"I was just..." Sana looked at her furrowing her brows a bit. "Having some contractions."
Tzuyu became pale, freezing for a second.
"We need to go to the hospital, and the bags..." She gave some steps towards the bedroom and Sana entered in her way. "Where is the bag?"
"Tzu, relax." Sana said placing a hand a on her chest to stop her. "I called my doctor, he said it is normal, nothing for us to worry about."
"But-"
"It's not the time for the baby to born yet, okay?" She said looking in Tzuyu's eyes and waiting for her to acknowledge her message.
"Okay." Tzuyu said after a moment nodding.
"Good." Sana kissed her cheek. "I'm feeling better now, it was just a momentary thing, I'm fine."
Tzuyu nodded again and she finally returned her attention to the food. She melted the chocolate in the microwave and prepared Sana's taco the way she wanted. She tasted a bit of her creation and it was not that bad, she thought. Sana stuffed her face with the tacos, thanking Tzuyu at every bite. She walked around the apartment for a few minutes after she ate the food, because she was afraid of having some sort of indigestion.
Then she sat on the couch to watch some TV, with Tzuyu by her side, already sleeping even before had chosen something for them to see. Sana kissed her forehead.
"Tzu, you better go to bed, I'm fine here."
"I'm fine here too, Cupcake." She said with a sleepy voice, straightening her back on the couch.
"You're gonna wake up with a terrible pain in your back, I'm serious." Sana insisted.
"You're not gonna be here tomorrow." She whined curling into herself on the couch again.
Sana patted her shoulder, wrapping an arm around Tzuyu and kissing her forehead again. She didn't say anything else.