Serendipity

She had time. 

Tzuyu told herself a little more than usual as she was lining up to get her bags checked at TSA. 

Her flight was boarding in four hours; she already got her suitcase checked in and she had enough leeway in case something happened. Rather be early and wait for a long time than run through the airport because she was late. 

Plus, she was used to this. Having a job that required her to travel back and forth to different countries, it made her somewhat desensitized about the horrors of traveling and airline protocols. 

This was just going to be a quick trip anyway. Her company assigned her to the branch in Osaka for about a week, saying that they needed her expertise on plans and other future endeavors for the project. 

Which was fine by her because she loved going to Japan. The weather was great, the food was great, they had beer ready for her when she needed it—

She was a bit startled when someone accidentally bumped her in the line, making her drop her passport. 

“I’m sorry,” a sweet, yet panicked voice came from behind her. Tzuyu stood up slowly as she picked her passport from the ground, eyes glued to the woman behind her. 

Beautiful brown hair that went over her shoulders, a soft face with the softest looking cheeks, eyes that sparkled when she looked up at her with a crease between her brows. And she smelled like a garden. 

“I wasn’t looking,” she spoke again, then pulled her heels up. “I lost balance while taking my heels off and I dropped my passport too.” 

For a stranger, she was pretty talkative and friendly. That made Tzuyu smile. 

“It’s okay,” she said gently. “Are you okay though?”

The woman nodded, smiling back. “Yeah, thank you.” 

Tzuyu felt a little something with that smile of hers. This woman was cute, definitely her type, and maybe too beautiful for her own good. 

But she wasn’t really one to pick up women on the go. She had no idea where this woman was going either so there wouldn’t be much use if she gave it a shot. Instead she smiled at the woman politely and went back to waiting for her turn in the line. 

Without any problems, she got through the line, raised her arms for the scanner, allowed the officer to pat her down, grabbed her shoes then her bag, went to the side to wear them. Once she was done, she couldn’t help but look back to that woman, she was still in line, waiting until she was in the clear. 

A part of Tzuyu wanted to wait for her, to see if she wanted to chat. But she realized that was a bit too forward. There could be a chance that the woman had company, maybe a boyfriend or a husband. So Tzuyu shouldn’t waste her time. 

At least she saw a pretty face today. 

Tzuyu glanced from her ticket to the signs above her. “Gate 29…” she mumbled, walking along the crowd of people as she searched for her gate. 

Once she saw the number at a distance, she walked towards it, seeing as there was too much time on her hands, she decided to take a vacant seat right in front of the gate. There weren’t a lot of people around, which was good because she could spend the rest of her time sitting down. 

She got comfortable in her seat, placed her shoulder bag by her feet on the floor and took out her phone. 

There were emails from work, a text message from her mom and a couple of messages in her friend group chat. She quickly opened the emails, read through them, replied when she understood and then texted her mother right after. 

Her friends were just talking about the next high school reunion back in Seoul, which they all didn’t want to go to because they all hated high school. Tzuyu decided to reply to that later, she honestly didn’t feel like engaging in that certain topic. 

Before she kept her phone, Shuhua’s name appeared on screen, calling her. She answered. 

“Hello?”

“What time are you arriving?” her best friend asked, straight to the point, and no greeting.

Tzuyu smirked. “Hello to you too. I’m arriving at four in the morning.” 

“Right, sixteen hours,” she grumbled. “Anyway, I’ll pick you up since Elkie plans to drink tonight.”  

“I’m not surprised,” she said, resting her arm over the other as she held up the phone, eyes wandering around to see if there were other passengers coming to her gate. “But I appreciate that, I know you love your beauty sleep.” 

Her best friend laughed. “Yeah, but that just means I love you more.”

That made Tzuyu smile and laugh along. But at the corner of her eye, she saw someone walking past and sitting down, rows away from her. She glanced up and was about to look away, but her eyes went back immediately. 

A brow raised. 

It was the woman from the TSA line. 

Shuhua was still talking about something that was starting to get drowned out, Tzuyu turned to the side and assumed that the woman was also taking the same flight as her, but she couldn’t tell. 

This woman wasn’t really the kind of person that Tzuyu could forget so easily. Especially now that she had a better look. The woman had earphones on, using her phone, and from this angle, Tzuyu could definitely say that she was really pretty. Maybe more than that. She hadn’t seen any woman look this elegant by just staring at her phone. 

She wondered if this person was in the same flight as hers? Was she also heading to Japan?

“Hey, butthead,” Shuhua called out to her. “I was asking you a question.”

Tzuyu shook her head and looked away. “Sorry,” she mumbled, clearing her throat. “What was it?”

“I was asking if you’re in First Class,” Shuhua said, unamused.

She sighed, looking at her ticket again. “I got Economy Plus. It’s not as fancy, but we still get better headphones,” she joked. “I don’t mind, as long as there are no babies crying their heads off.”

Shuhua laughed. “Right, I honestly hate that. Well, anyway, message me when you’re about to board and when the plane lands.”

“Roger dodger. Thanks again,” she said and with that, the call ended. Tzuyu kept her phone in her pocket and checked her watch.

Two more hours before boarding time. That was good enough. She could continue reading her book. Tzuyu grabbed her bag from the floor, fished out her book and opened it to the page where her bookmark was at. 

But before she could even let her mind get carried away by fiction, she took a subtle glance upwards, checking if the woman was still there. 

To her surprise, she was. And she was also reading a book—

Her brows raised. She looked at the cover of her own book and then to the woman’s. They were… reading the same book. There was no mistaking it. 

The woman caught her eyes before she could look away and that made her freeze. The woman immediately smiled at her. Then she narrowed her eyes. Then it lit up once again, pointing at her book, also noticing that they were reading the same thing. 

Cute. 

Tzuyu smiled, held her book up and suddenly didn’t know what to do with herself. She didn’t expect someone like her would be interested in books just as Like Water for Chocolate. But maybe she was just as interesting as Tzuyu thought. 

Maybe she should say hi. The book was a great conversation starter. They had something in common. Plus their little incident at TSA. They could talk about that too. Tzuyu glanced and saw that the seat next to the woman was vacant. Okay, she could totally—

She didn’t even move an inch from her seat and the woman suddenly closed her book to answer her phone. 

Tzuyu slumped back into her seat and decided to look back to what she was reading. It could be a sign that she shouldn’t do anything. 

The words she was reading didn’t sink in, her mind was racing, and she told herself that if she attempted one last time and it didn’t work again, she was going to give it up. 

“American Airlines flight 614 bound for Osaka is ready for boarding, group two can now line up…”

Tzuyu had everything in her bag, her phone, her wallet, even her passport with her ticket tucked inside. She saw the crowd piling into the gate, and she decided to wait a few moments before she stood in line. 

There were no signs of babies so far. Which was good. And if there were, it wasn’t in the seats she was assigned to. So that was a relief. 

Her hand was placed inside her pocket, waiting patiently as they all took small steps towards the gate. She wondered what food they would serve this time. She hoped they had something with mashed potatoes. Or at least some sauce. Maybe she could order some wine as well, to help her sleep for the long flight. 

Then she thought about what movie she should watch if she couldn’t sleep. 

But she should honestly be more worried about who was sitting next to her. Judging from her seat number, she was in the middle. So if both her seat mates were shit, then Tzuyu was going to have a hard time. 

A tap on her back made her turn around. Big, brown eyes greeted her. “I think you have my passport,” the woman suddenly said. 

Tzuyu blinked. Furrowed her brows. Blinked even more. She whipped her head at her left hand, shocked to see a red colored passport in her hand. 

Her passport was green. How did she not notice?

The woman then handed her the right passport. “I also just noticed now. I think it was when I bumped you earlier during the security check,” she explained, giggling right after. “Nice to meet you, Chou Tzuyu.” 

“Oh, my god,” Tzuyu breathed out and handed the woman her passport. “I’m so sorry—“

“Minatozaki Sana,” she introduced herself, holding her hand out and Tzuyu took it gently with her own smile. “I feel like this is some weird sign that we are meant to talk to each other and be friends.” 

That made her raise her brow, she looked at Sana playfully. As if she was reading her mind. “Could be.” Then she glanced at Sana’s ticket. “What’s your seat number?” 

Sana took her ticket and read it. “14A.”

Tzuyu blinked again. She took her ticket and showed Sana. “I’m 14B.” 

“Wow!” Sana exclaimed, holding her ticket just to see if it really was real. Then the woman looked up at her with the brightest smile ever. “See? It is a weird sign!” 

The line started moving and for some reason, Tzuyu stood beside Sana as if they were going together. “Okay, it’s probably just a coincidence.” 

“But life is full of unexpected mysteries. Us meeting could be one!” she said excitedly. “Kind of like how you’re also reading the same book I am. Funny, right?” 

She nodded. “Okay, yes that’s true.” She honestly wanted to play along, so she pretended to look unconvinced. “Well, just because things are similar doesn’t mean anything. It’s just a coincidence.”

The woman didn’t like her response but only made an angry face with puffed cheeks that looked more adorable than threatening. But it didn’t last long as the woman looked like she had an idea. “Then what else do you want to guess? Maybe there are other things that can’t be considered a coincidence.”

Tzuyu thought for a moment. “Well, I’m in New York for business. Why are you here?”

Sana beamed again. “I’m here for business too! Well… it’s more of visiting my dad because he has work here and I was just helping him out.” 

That made her raise a brow. “Oh, that’s interesting. And you’re going to Japan because…?”

“I live there,” she said with a smile. But before she could continue, they were finally by the gate. They got their tickets scanned and their passports checked and then walked past through to head to the plane. “Why are you going to Japan?”

“Work,” she said simply. “I’m only staying for a week. And then I’m going back home to Taiwan.” 

“That’s cool. What do you do for work?” 

“Inventory systems,” she tried to find a way to say it simply. “We create these systems for companies and my job, aside from helping create the product, is to sell them. Pretty boring stuff.” 

Sana shrugged. “I don’t think it’s boring. Tell me more about it.” 

That caught her off guard. This stranger was suddenly interested in her. But Tzuyu didn’t mind, since the feeling was mutual. 

In line, they introduced themselves. Sana was older than her by three years, she was born and raised in Osaka, an only child and was destined to be a nepo baby for her father’s rising company. It wasn’t a big business, as Sana explained but it was definitely worth dedicating her life to. Which Tzuyu found admirable since not all kids want to follow in their parents' plans. 

But as they talked more, Tzuyu could tell how friendly Sana was. Too friendly and too optimistic. 

Sana kept saying that meeting each other wasn’t a coincidence at all, that the universe had some sort of plan as to why they were in that position. But Tzuyu thought it was just a subtle scheme to make a friend. 

Not that it was a bad idea, since Tzuyu was the one who was drawn to Sana from the start. Perhaps the older woman’s personality was just… new to her. Tzuyu mostly had friends that kept to themselves and the process of breaking down walls was a slow and aching experience. Sana just barged in with a bulldozer and was planning to destroy everything with that bright smile and infectious laugh. 

Tzuyu didn’t want to do anything. She didn’t even want to feel anything. But with how Sana was looking at her, showing genuine interest and the way her face turned into the most beautiful smile Tzuyu had ever seen, maybe she was a little smitten than she expected. 

But she had to remind herself that Sana just wanted to be friends. There was no point in her trying to ruin that by flirting. 

Though, she couldn’t help but think how ridiculous it was. This whole believing in fate and things happened out of coincidence, but it wasn’t. It really didn’t make sense to her. Perhaps Tzuyu was only allowing it because she was able to meet Sana. 

Their conversation stopped when they finally entered the plane. They both carefully made their way to their designated seat, Tzuyu politely grabbed Sana’s bag and placed it in the overhead compartment while the older woman went to her seat by the window. Once Tzuyu finished with the bags, she finally took her seat. 

“Guess we have to wait for the person who’s going to sit next to you,” Sana said as she got settled in, placing her hand bag on the floor. 

Tzuyu glanced up and watched as more people were entering the plane. “Right. I just hope this person doesn’t steal the armrest,” she said, securing her seatbelt by habit. 

“Do you watch the movies here?” Sana asked, already going through the in-flight entertainment. 

She sent Shuhua a quick message then pocketed her phone. “I do when I can’t sleep,” she replied, then shrugged. “But usually I just watch until they serve the meals, and once they turn off the lights, I try to get some shut eye.” 

“Sleeping on flights is hard sometimes,” Sana said as she was still scrolling through the menus and the selection of movies. Then she smiled and glanced at Tzuyu. “There was this flight I had where I wasn’t able to sleep prior and I knocked out for the whole entire ride. It was nice.” 

Tzuyu smiled back. “That does sound nice. Were you hungry when you woke up?” 

She nodded cutely. “Yeah, the attendants served me the food when I finally woke up.” 

“Where were you heading?” Tzuyu asked, unable to keep her curiosity at bay.

“Beijing,” she answered, then sat back down on her seat and sighed. “I attended a symposium. It was honestly boring, but they brought us around the city to see the temples, and it was lovely.” 

“I agree. I like going to Beijing.” 

Sana nodded with a smile, then she stayed quiet for a moment. Which was starting to be odd because she was nothing but words since they started talking. 

Tzuyu thought they were already at that inevitable lull in the conversation and there was nothing else to say. 

But then Sana turned to her. “Let’s play twenty questions.” 

“Okay?” 

“You start,” Sana said eagerly. 

Tzuyu squinted at her. “But this is your idea.” 

“Yeah, and I want you to start,” Sana argued back cutely. 

She sighed. It wasn’t like she could resist such a face. She conceded and took a moment to think of a question. “Do you like pets?” 

“I do but I never had one. Maybe because I’m such a ditz, my parents never trusted me,” Sana quickly answered. “You?”

“Two dogs,” Tzuyu answered as well. “Kaya and Butter. I adopted them.” 

Sana gushed. “That’s so cute.” 

The questions went on and on, a smooth rally of questions and answers. One asked, both of them got to answer and they did the same thing over and over again. 

Favorite color. 

Favorite number. 

Favorite season. 

Favorite band or artist. 

Favorite song. 

Do they have a best friend? 

Favorite childhood memory. 

What did they think about the current state of the world? 

What was their favorite time to have snacks? 

If they were to choose the temperature on the air conditioner, what would it be? 

“Do you like guys or girls?” Tzuyu suddenly asked, only because she couldn’t think of anything else. But also because she had been dying to know from the start. 

Sana looked taken aback by her question, but her smile was still there, only that it turned a little cheeky. “Both,” she said, then raised a brow. 

“As of late… just girls,” Tzuyu answered honestly. 

She wanted to ask a follow up question. Because the way they were looking at each other made her believe for a split second that they were thinking the same thing. 

“Am I your type?” she asked in her head but held her tongue because it was Sana’s turn to ask the question. 

The quiet tension was deafening and Tzuyu wanted to do something already. 

But she noticed how Sana’s attention wasn’t solely on her anymore and she glanced behind her. 

“I just realized no one sat beside you,” Sana mumbled, peeking her head up and looking around. 

Tzuyu glanced up as well, just noticing that there were no more passengers entering the plane. “Maybe they’re waiting for the passenger?” 

After a few moments, Sana leaned back on her seat and whispered cheekily. “It would be nice if the person next to you didn’t make it.”

“That’s kinda mean to say,” she replied after a light laugh. Guess the twenty questions were over. 

The older woman shrugged. “I know. But at least you don’t have to share the arm space.” 

She couldn’t stop smiling. Sana was being cute again. Tzuyu wanted to tease Sana only because she loved the reactions she got from the older woman. She smirked. “Then I’ll have to deal with you then.” 

Sana raised a brow, faking offense. “Are you saying I’ll steal your precious arm rest? What if it’s meant to be shared?” 

Tzuyu shrugged. “Then you just gotta let me know.” 

“You’re silly,” Sana said, backing down and shaking her head. 

“That’s rich coming from you.” 

“You’re the mean one now.” 

“Guess so,” Tzuyu said after another chuckle. She loved their banter and how comfortable they are already with each other. But with Sana’s easy going attitude, it wasn’t that hard for Tzuyu to feel comfortable with her. Like it was meant to be. She shrugged it off. “Means you gotta deal with me for the next sixteen hours,” she added before making herself comfortable in her seat. 

“Right,” Sana said, a fake exasperated voice. Then she hummed, poking her chin with her finger. “If that’s the case… Let’s watch a movie!”

That honestly surprised her. But she knew she had no qualms about that. So she agreed. 

“Okay? What movie?” 

Sana took a moment to think, then she used her finger to go through the selection of movies on the in-flight entertainment screen. After swiping through some pages, she turned to smile at Tzuyu. “Can I choose?”

Tzuyu couldn’t hold her smile. “Sure.”

Cute. 

Sana was so cute. 

And it was kind of nice that she wanted to do things together even if they just met and even if they didn’t know each other as much nor did she worry if the movie she wanted was something Tzuyu might like as well. 

She did things the way she wanted. Like a free spirit. And Tzuyu had to admit… She was honestly charmed. Maybe she could ask that question herself later. 

“I honestly think this is the best movie of all time,” Sana whispered as the credits rolled on both their screens. The food was already served, and the cabin lights were turned off, some of the passengers were already fast asleep. 

Tzuyu took off her headsets and chuckled. “I think you’re being biased because you chose the movie,” she whispered back. 

Sana scoffed playfully. “You’re just a hater because you haven’t seen the Powerpuff Girls movie before.” 

She shrugged. “Could be. But it was fun.” 

The woman suddenly leaned closer to her, a curious look on her face. “What’s your favorite part of the movie?” 

Tzuyu couldn’t help but stare at her. The beautiful brown eyes, the smile that made Tzuyu feel things. 

“I did like the part where all the monkeys started turning on each other,” she said after giving it some thought. “And how everyone showed their quirks and all that.” 

“Yeah, especially the monkey who made the tomato tornado,” Sana replied, her excitement translating to hushed words. “My favorite part was when the Professor prepared the girl’s room for the first time.” 

She smiled.

Maybe she thought it was funny that she expected her flight to be boring or spent sleeping and minding her own business. For the first time since, she actually sacrificed her alone time for a person. 

“I’m getting sleepy,” Sana whispered, then she covered her mouth as she yawned. She looked at Tzuyu. “What about you?” 

Tzuyu couldn’t help but feel warm at the sight of a sleepy Sana, it made her feel the same. “I might get some shut eye as well.” 

Sana nodded cutely, making herself comfortable in her thick sweater. “Just push my head away if I lean on your arm.” 

She shook her head. “I won’t do that, it’s alright,” she answered honestly. 

There was a finger poking her cheek and Sana had a teasing look on her face. “Wow, aren’t you sweet?”

Tzuyu trapped the finger with her dimple and that made Sana giggle. She honestly loved the sound of it. “Just so I can get my arm space,” she teased back. 

Without any more arguments, Sana leaned her head on Tzuyu’s shoulder and mumbled. “Good night, Tzuyu.” 

She gulped hard and clenched her hands. This was starting to get dangerous and Tzuyu knew that she was in trouble. It was as if she could feel everything. Every strand that was on her shoulder, the little weight of her head, the smell of shampoo and perfume that was invading her senses. Even from this position alone, Tzuyu could tell that Sana was soft. 

However, she had to admit, the unfamiliar warmth was comforting, and it made her feel many things at the same time. But she decided to just let it happen and overwhelm her in the best possible way. “Good night, Sana.” 

Tzuyu was starting to dread this part of the trip. 

Because once they exit the plane, she would have to go through immigration and that meant she was going to be separated from Sana. 

Sana didn’t have to do that at all. And then that would be goodbye for them. Tzuyu honestly felt so dumb that she didn’t exchange numbers with Sana yet. They were so engrossed in their own little bubble that the thought completely slipped her mind. 

The serendipitous events made her stop thinking ahead, it made her live in the present. Which was amazing and she had no regrets. But if she was going to leave this airport, then she had to get Sana’s number. 

If only she remembered it before they were in line to exit the plane. Sana was standing right in front of her, bag in hand, and pressed against her front. 

Tzuyu tried her best to not think about it. How soft Sana was, how her hair smelled like cherry blossoms. Or how her perfume was stuck on her shoulder that when she turned to the left, she could immediately smell Sana. 

She didn’t want to succumb to any of her thoughts about grabbing Sana by the waist and taking her in for a hug. Just to say how grateful she was for the best travel experience she had in her life. 

Or that maybe if they gave it a chance, something else would bloom. 

Because she could see it. Sana was charming, she was smart, pleasant to talk to, she always had something nice to say and argued with her whenever their conversations got pretty lively. 

Tzuyu honestly wanted to keep Sana. In any way possible. Even if Sana had no romantic feelings to share, or if she simply wanted to be friends, she didn’t mind. She just wanted to find a way to keep her. 

The line started to move, the flight attendant announced that the doors were open and Tzuyu’s heart was slowly slipping from the heavy feeling. 

She leaned forward to Sana before it was their turn to walk out. “Can I ask for your number?” 

Sana turned her head, a surprised look on her face. But before she could answer, it was finally their turn to leave, and they did. 

Tzuyu had her heart beating in her throat as she walked behind Sana, anticipating what she would say. She imagined Sana saying yes, asking for her phone and then they exchanged numbers, maybe even asking her to meet up within the week Tzuyu was staying in Osaka. 

But she was being hopeful and foolish. All she needed was Sana’s actual answer. 

Once they got onto the jet bridge, Tzuyu tried to catch up with Sana and quietly waited for the answer. 

Sana didn’t speak yet, they were still walking out, but she had a cheeky smile on her face that looked like she was up to something. Tzuyu couldn’t help but smile back, especially with how adorable Sana looked. 

However the silence was starting to torture her. Sana still hadn’t said anything yet. It was as if she was waiting for something to happen and Tzuyu was going to lose her mind. But she knew that Sana wasn’t declining or anything because she didn’t walk ahead nor did she refuse her out right. She was still by her side.

The moment they got on the slow moving walkway—probably just moments until they reached immigration—Sana turned to her and smiled again. “I want to test fate again.” 

Tzuyu scoffed immediately. Not this again. “What?” 

“I know you’re going to immigration first before going to get the bags. If you’re done with that and you got your suitcases—“

“Just one suitcase,” she corrected quickly. 

Sana nodded. “Your one suitcase,” she said firmly, then she held Tzuyu’s arm, and she felt her heart lift off from the ground for a short moment. “Go to bay 12. I’ll wait for you. And if you show up, I’ll know that us meeting each other is not a coincidence.” 

Tzuyu was so amazed by the way Sana’s mind worked. But at the same time, she was completely flabbergasted by the plan. She could just simply give her number right then and there then the universe would do its job and put everything to place. 

But Tzuyu realized that Sana was different, and this was one of the reasons why she was bewitched by this woman. 

Despite her hesitation she agreed. “Alright. I’ll give in to your undying belief in serendipity.” 

Sana beamed and then cupped her cheek, making her warm up instantly. “This is probably me being sleep deprived but…” she then pulled Tzuyu in and kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll see you at bay 12.”

And then she walked away, heading towards the other line for those with Japanese passports. 

The kiss on her cheek burned so heavenly and it made her hopeful. That had to mean something. That Sana liked her too. It couldn’t just be on a whim or because they were simply friends. Sana felt something. The same feeling that she felt as well. 

And she remembered her words. There were no conditions or what was going to happen if they didn’t meet. Sana believed that they were going to see each other at the end of all of this and it not happening wasn’t an option. Not for the both of them. 

She had to test her fate then. 

Tzuyu was stuck in the long line for foreigners. Her feet begging to run after Sana so they could already meet each other. 

The line went tragically slow. But she finally made it to her turn. However, it took longer for her because they asked her so many questions and she had to show the officer that she wasn’t a suspicious tourist. So she complied with everything the officer asked her to do and waited patiently. 

It felt like forever, but she finally made it through. She tried her best not to run, but she couldn’t help but rush down the escalators, desperately looking for the baggage claim area. 

When she finally saw it, suitcases were already being pulled out and were on the conveyor belt. She took a quick glance, seeing if Sana was there waiting for her but alas, she wasn’t. That meant she shouldn’t waste any more time. 

Tzuyu frantically looked for her suitcase, but she remembered that she checked in so early that it could have been in the last of the bags. 

Her legs were shaking, impatience starting to flood her chest and she couldn’t leave her bag just to see Sana. 

And once she finally spotted her suitcase, she grabbed it quickly and jogged with it towards the exit. 

Sana told her to meet her at Bay 12. How could she know which bay she was going to exit at? 

She found someone that worked at the airport and quickly approached him, asking him in her broken Japanese where Bay 12 was. He pointed towards the direction behind her, and she said thank you and ran for it. 

Her phone was buzzing inside her pocket. That was probably Shuhua waiting for her. She regretfully ignored it and headed towards the exit. Once she was out, the cold breeze of Osaka kissed her skin, but she couldn’t take any time to bask in its presence. She looked up and saw the big numbers on the pillars.

Bay 10, it read. 

Tzuyu gripped her suitcase and ran towards the direction where 12 was. 

She was so close—

“Tzu!” 

She turned around at the voice that called her, but it was Shuhua, phone in her hand and glaring at her. “I was calling you!”

Tzuyu ran towards Shuhua and shoved the handle of her suitcase to her, then ripped off her shoulder bag and dropped it on the floor. “Wait for me.”

“What—Tzu!”

Her heartbeat was loud, like it was pounding through her ears. She ran, ignored the looks she got from people and even from how Shuhua was calling for her. She didn’t care. She was so close. Sana was waiting for her—

Bay 12. 

Tzuyu took a moment to breathe, chest heaving and frantically looking around. 

Where was Sana?

She should have been here already?

“Tzu, what the fuck?” Shuhua caught up with her, dragging her suitcase along. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

She didn’t speak, she only waited, looked around, waited a little more, searching through the sea of people that were in that area. Everywhere she turned, she couldn’t find Sana. A part of her was desperate enough to go back inside and check if Sana was there. Maybe she went to the bathroom? Maybe she went to do something and was just going to head back here? Maybe she went to a different bay 12?

“Tzu?”

The gentle touch on her shoulder suddenly made her realize what was happening. Tzuyu didn’t even notice that she was clenching her fists so tight that it was sore when she let go. 

Sana wasn’t here. 

The universe had decided that it wasn’t meant to be. 

What a load of shit. 

Tzuyu took a deep breath and turned around to meet Shuhua, surprised at how hurt she actually was feeling. She smiled, even if it wasn’t true. “Sorry.” She then shook her head. God, why was she so stupid? “Let’s go.”

A year later

Tzuyu was standing in front of the elevator, briefcase in hand and the presentation memorized in her head. 

She wasn’t sure what came into her head when she decided to say yes to this. Because coming back to Osaka was just another bitter reminder that the world was not on her side. But Miyeon unnie managed to talk to the management and get her this appointment and it would be rude for Tzuyu to decline it just for a small reason. This was going to help her work, and if they land this contract then things would be set for them. Her getting a raise might finally be placed back on the table. So, she couldn’t fuck this up. 

At least the weather was getting colder. That meant she had more reasons to drink more coffee and tea. Since it was the only thing fueling her body at that point. The flight was awful, the movies on the plane were awful, the food was bland and there was a baby three rows ahead of her that wouldn’t stop crying. 

She started to dislike flying out. Despite it being the one thing she had to do the majority of the time due to her work. 

Maybe because it reminded her of Sana. 

Tzuyu sighed. She couldn’t afford to distract herself because of her sorrow. Sana was now just a bittersweet memory. Something that warmed her heart but made it ache at the same time. There were days where she wished she could forget everything, hoping that there was a way to easily delete memories like files in a computer. Because she wanted to stop feeling sorry for herself, be angry at the universe and become this bitter person and not believe in fate just because she felt like it cheated her. 

She spent that week in Osaka in a daze. She did horrible in the presentation and wasn’t able to sell the system. It took a while for her to even tell Shuhua what happened. But she and Elkie thought that drinking her sadness away because of a woman might help. It did for a while. Smoking cigarettes and weed helped, but it was clearly unhealthy. She tried to do the opposite too. Work out, go to the gym, jog at the early hours of the morning.

Nothing. 

Sana kept invading her mind. 

Her smile. Her laughter. The softness of her head. The smell of her shampoo and her perfume. She could see and feel it. 

Was the universe really telling her that she couldn’t see Sana anymore? That whatever they had were only restricted to that airplane alone? Was she dumb enough to keep booking tickets for the same flight just to grab a chance at seeing Sana there again?

The sound of a bell got her out of her thoughts, and she followed the secretary inside. She spoke in perfect Taiwanese and explained everything to her on their trip towards the CEO’s office. Tzuyu listened carefully, making sure she got each instruction correct, it seemed that the CEO had rejected a lot of other clients in the past. 

“She’s friendly, but she’s very particular with things like this,” the secretary explained. Then she furrowed her brows like she couldn’t understand. “I honestly don’t understand why. Some of the best programmers from across the country came here to present their inventory system but she rejected each one.”

That made her raise a brow. “Your boss must be really strict.”

The secretary shrugged. “She’s actually pretty easy going and she’s not even a serious person,” she explained as she watched the numbers on the elevator. “I feel like these people don’t have what she’s looking for.”

Tzuyu wasn’t sure what she meant by that. But for her, it just meant that this CEO took their work seriously. Which was understandable, because who wouldn’t? If they did so much to keep their business afloat then they would have to be extremely particular with the external help. 

They finally arrived at the top floor and walked through the hallway, passing through cubicles with people working on their desks, freely talking and discussing with each other. Tzuyu was amazed, the feeling she had of this workplace was light, like no one was breaking their backs just to reach deadlines. She had seen companies like that. Some were too quiet, where she could hear a needle if it dropped on the floor. Others were just utter chaos; their bosses would shout at everyone and order their employees around like slaves. 

At least this place looked more harmonious than anything. 

The secretary stopped by a door and opened it, allowing Tzuyu inside. “Wait here,” the secretary said and opened the door to the CEO’s office. She could tell by the extravagant design on the hardwood door. There were no name plates or anything. So Tzuyu wasn’t sure who she was dealing with, just that the CEO was a woman and that she just took over the company a couple of months ago after her father passed away. 

That was fine. Tzuyu was prepared anyway. 

Tzuyu straightened herself when the secretary came back outside and held the door open for her. “Miss Minatozaki is ready to see you,” she said. 

She took a step forward and paused. “Excuse me?” she blurted out. 

The secretary wasn’t sure why she did that, but she nudged her again and Tzuyu entered the office, confused. 

Minatozaki? Did that mean—

“Good morning, please take a seat,” a voice greeted her, and Tzuyu knew that voice anywhere, even if it had been too long since she heard it. 

She whipped her head to face the CEO, their eyes met, and she was gone. 

It was like the first time they met again. Where beautiful brown eyes captivated her, the softness of her face was still there. Only this time, she was in complete shock. 

Sana stood there in a simple white blouse with a simple necklace dawning her neck. She wore a form-fitting pencil skirt and modest heels. She was the CEO, and her outfit was so simple, but she was still so… breathtaking. 

“Tzuyu?” Sana spoke up, not sure what to do with her hands. “M-Miyeon didn’t tell me—”

She wasn’t sure what came over her. Tzuyu didn’t speak, too scared to say anything. It was her body that did the thinking. Rushing towards Sana, cupping her face and kissing her.

Sana immediately responded, melting into her touch and kissing her back. It was soft and amazing and everything Tzuyu imagined. Like the past twelve months of agony had disappeared in an instant. Tzuyu held her gently, hands caressing Sana’s soft cheeks, and lips pressing onto even softer ones. 

Tzuyu pulled back, giving herself a moment to breathe. She was staring at Sana, feeling her face to make sure everything was real. And she was, each stroke of her thumbs, the feeling that was on her palm, the way Sana’s breath was hitting her lips. They were all real.

“I think this is some weird sign that we are meant to see each other again,” Tzuyu teased, smiling at her and Sana smiled back. She giggled, the same one that made Tzuyu’s heart flutter. 

She felt wetness on her skin, and she pulled back to wipe away the tears from Sana’s eyes. The older woman leaned onto her palm and smiled. “I waited for you.”

“Me too,” she whispered, but she wasn’t angry at the universe anymore. “But I’m here now.”

Sana kissed her again and they both sank into it. Happy that the universe finally decided to be kind to them, that they found their way to each other. That them seeing each other again after all that time wasn’t a coincidence. But it was, then Tzuyu was so damn happy that it happened.