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A flash of light cut across the darkness. Lightning struck and the growling thunder followed, causing the vibrations to echo through her chest. Sana woke up and covered her ears as another wave passed the distant sky, though it felt like it was right above them. The rain hit the glass windows sharply and leaves rustled violently against the strong winds. The storm was brewing earlier that day but Sana had hoped it wouldn’t lead to this deafening thunder.
Sana tried burying her head under the pillows, pushing them against her ears, trying to dull the sounds. It didn’t help much. She sighed and looked around their room. Everyone seemed unbothered and was still deeply asleep. It had been about 2 minutes since the last round of thunder. There must still be some time before another one came along. Sana got up and shuffled her way through the dimly lit hallway, clutching her pillow tightly to her chest, hoping the next wave wouldn’t come as she was walking.
A soft creak on the door hinges barely made their way to Sana’s ears as the rain and winds overpowered any other sound from the inside. She peered into the room to check if the youngest girls were sound asleep. They, too, remained unmoving and unbothered by the chaos outside.
If only the smell of rain water hitting the ground calmed her enough during the thunderstorm, she wouldn’t have to be so scared. Sana needed someone to keep her anxiety at bay, to tell her everything will be alright. She always found comfort in Tzuyu, who was always soft for Sana, despite her usual sarcastic quips. While she was the youngest in the team, the girl had a certain maturity that made Sana feel like she was the younger between the two. She too had a soft spot for Tzuyu, always hugging her and giving her small kisses on the cheeks. She loved being around Tzuyu and talking to her about anything that came to her mind. Tzuyu was always the quiet one but Sana always believed she brought out her talkative side. Sana had hoped she was Tzuyu’s comfort as well.
Sana walked over to Tzuyu’s bed, nudged the side of her body and whispered, “Tzuyu-ah.”
Tzuyu mumbled something under her breath and rolled over to face the other side, wrapping herself tighter in her blanket. Sana pouted cutely but, unfortunately, no one was there to witness it.
“Tzuyu-ah!” Sana whispered louder. She received a “hmm?” from Tzuyu, “Can I stay with you tonight?”
She turned to face Sana now, still half asleep (or more like three quarters) and scooted over to make room for her and opened up her blanket to keep them both warm in this cold rainy night.
“What’s wrong? The thunder?” Tzuyu asked sheepishly as she wrapped her arm around Sana’s waist. It was uncommon for Tzuyu to be touchy since Sana’s affectionate gestures more than sufficed. Maybe it was because of her semi-conscious state or the night weariness making her more vulnerable or just the warmth-seeking intuition of her muscles. Regardless, Sana enjoyed being the object of Tzuyu's affectionate side a little bit too much.
Sana had her back against Tzuyu’s body in an all too comfortable distance (if there was any distance at all), feeling her slow, conscious breaths against her neck.
“Yeah,” Sana said quietly, “I can’t get back to sleep.”
Lightning struck and the thunder bellowed strongly after. Sana tensed under Tzuyu’s embrace and covered her ears till the sounds stopped, her heart racing as she held her breath. Tzuyu finally snapped back to reality as she felt Sana’s body react to the fear.
She really is scared , Tzuyu thought. She wondered how she could make Sana feel better, to calm her nerves enough for her to fall into a deep sleep.
As if a light bulb flashed above her head competing against the bright strike of lightning, she had an idea. Tzuyu let go of her embrace on Sana’s waist and placed her hand on her chest instead, much to the older girl’s surprise. It was most definitely not calming at that instance.
Her breaths became quicker and the fear turned to nervousness, which was quite uncharacteristic of her. Sana always seemed very confident when it came to skinship. Perhaps it was because she wasn't initiating it this time. She stuttered, “Um, Tzuyu?”
“Oh, my mother used to put her hand over my chest when I got scared of things, like the monsters under my bed or our neighbor’s big doberman that barked at me,” Tzuyu replied, chuckling at the thought of the doberman that was at least twice her size when she was small. She later found out the dog just wanted to play with her. Tzuyu continued, “It really worked for me so I hope it works for you. She would rub my chest sometimes with tiger balm because that seems to be the cure for everything.”
Tzuyu’s hand was intentional, avoiding the region below her chest as much as possible, somewhat to Sana’s dismay. The rain and winds still battled with each other outside; the roaring thunder and blinding lightning clashed. But inside their room was calm, quiet, almost serene. Sana’s hand hovered over Tzuyu’s and she held it tightly. The beating of her heart slowed and her breathing evened out, relaxing and melting into the moment, sinking deeper into the bed and in Tzuyu’s warmth.
“You feel better?” Tzuyu asked behind Sana, her breath tickling her ear and caused her to giggle.
Sana turned to face Tzuyu and was greeted with a somewhat exhausted yet reassuring smile. She could still make out the features of Tzuyu’s face, the soft filtered street light entering the room landed on all the right places. Sana inched closer. She stared into Tzuyu's eyes. Her mesmerizing eyes that sparkled even in the dark. An enigma all on their own. She found herself getting lost in them every time she stared too much. She stared at her nose, her cute little bud of a nose. It was made even cuter when she scrunched it like a mischievous little child with a prank in mind. She stared at her lips, her soft pink lips. And the way she smiled. The way her lips curled at the edges with joy painted all over her expression.
She continued to stare at the most beautiful woman she had ever met, smiling to herself as she was overwhelmed with gratitude that she was able to lie next to her, that Tzuyu actually cared about her.
"Something wrong?" Tzuyu raised an eyebrow, seeing as Sana had somehow blanked out, "Or are you sleeping with your eyes open again? Because it's kinda creepy."
Sana shook her head, "I'm fine and I don't sleep with my eyes open… anymore. Jihyo said she can't sleep because it feels like she's being watched."
Tzuyu chuckled as she put her hands under her head, waiting for Sana to fall asleep before she could go to sleep herself. Maybe Sana feels more comfortable knowing someone is by her side, looking out for her, Tzuyu thought. But Sana didn't seem too sleepy, rather she was a bit dreamy, kind of lightheaded and lost in space. Tzuyu wondered what was on her mind.
Sana tucked a strand of Tzuyu's hair behind her ear, switching her gaze from her eyes to her lips, as if there was not a more blatant way of asking permission to kiss her. Tzuyu was naively unaware of the situation, not getting the signal at all. Licking her lips, Sana asked, "Tzuyu?"
"Hmm?"
Closer. Sana moved in and parted her lips to meet Tzuyu's. Afraid the younger girl would protest, she kept the kiss chaste, just a small peck. She pulled away a bit too soon as Tzuyu's lips still searched for Sana's after they separated.
"Sorry," Sana muttered quietly
"It's okay," Tzuyu cooed, a blush creeping up on her cheeks. She cleared her throat and said shyly, "you can kiss me."
"You didn't get my signal and I wasn't sure," Sana giggled as she did the Signal hand symbol over head.
Tzuyu covered her face in her hands and shook her head, slightly embarrassed, "You know me, Sana! You have to be more direct with me. I'm not good at reading signals."
Sana laughed a bit loudly and heard a groan from the opposite side of the room, "Wow, my laugh can disturb Chaeyoung's sleep but the thunder can’t?"
She smiled, brushed back Sana's hair and placed her hand on the back of her neck. Tzuyu's slender fingers caressing her skin, pulling her closer, pressing their lips together.
They'd never done this before. Kisses on cheeks were a norm but kissing lips was a different story entirely. It almost felt like a dream. If Tzuyu woke up the next day with no memory of this moment, she wouldn't be surprised. Yet, it seemed too real. Sana's lips on hers. Sana's breath against her skin. The warmth of her touch. The chime of her cheery giggles. It was sweet and innocent. She didn’t think of Sana as innocent, of all things. Sorry for judging you, unnie, Tzuyu thought.
The storm seemed to have calmed down a bit. It had been a while since the last round of lightning and thunder. Sana kept her eyes closed for a good few minutes but still had that goofy smile on her face. When Tzuyu was sure Sana fell asleep, she took the liberty to let herself rest as well.
Only the pitter patter of rain could be heard outside and the occasional car passing through the neighborhood. The smell of mildew mixed with whatever aroma therapy the girls put on filled the room. Sana hadn't noticed it last night but she did when she opened her eyes this morning.
I could get used to this , Sana thought as she looked at Tzuyu still sleeping soundly on her side. The soft sunlight seeped in and painted Tzuyu's skin, making her glow even more. Even in her sleep, she looked angelic.
It didn't dawn on Sana what last night meant and what it could mean moving forward. All she knew was that she loved Tzuyu and she loved it when she stayed by her side. She loved the warmth the girl exuded. She loved how cheeky Tzuyu was when she joked around and bullied the older members. She loved how much she cared for everyone even though she was the youngest. She loved the way Tzuyu looked at her, like she was the only person that mattered. She loved to care for her too, to protect her because she was just the most precious person to her.
But Sana knew better. They both did.