Learning Again

Tzuyu was definitely feeling better than she was for the past few days. She got up early every morning to feed Kaya and Butter, take them out for walks and then waited until Sana was awake so she could send her a good morning message. Then she would make breakfast for herself, eventually getting on another call with Sana and when it hit the late morning, she would get ready to go to work.

She had to admit, she loved being at this place again. With a new girl, someone who was willing to be there for her. Even if the inevitable feeling of her trauma that crept up every now and then, it felt weird having Sana be there to go through them with her. But she appreciated it. She appreciated Sana.

In fact, because they finally told each other how they felt, Tzuyu felt like she was lighter now. Even more than before. The tiptoeing could finally stop, but not entirely. Since Sana agreed to take things slow and Tzuyu was happy with that.

Jeongyeon noticed the change in her mood too, Tzuyu was smiling more, talking more than usual and would even stay at the receptionist's table. Tzuyu never did that.

“So,” Jeongyeon started as she leaned on the doorway heading out towards the yard. Tzuyu brought Kaya and Butter with her today so they could play with the other dogs that were still at the shelter. Tzuyu turned to look at her, raising a brow. “You wanna tell me what’s been giving you this weird positive energy these past few days?”

Tzuyu raised her brows but immediately looked away when Kaya was asking for more pets. “Nothing. Can’t I be in a good mood?”

“There has to be a reason for that,” Jeongyeon pressed. She stood away from the doorstep to sit down next to her, giving Kaya and Butter scratches on the base of their ears. “I just wanna know what’s been making my friend so happy.”

Tzuyu sighed. She wasn’t sure about telling anyone about this yet. But this was Jeongyeon, she couldn’t keep anything from her three idiots even if she tried. “You’re gonna be the first to know, and Jihyo because I know that you tell her everything.”

“Facts.”

“But Sana and I told each other how we felt,” she said softly and then looked at Jeongyeon carefully. “And it’s mutual. But we’re taking it slow.”

Jeongyeon had the biggest smile on her face again and then patted Tzuyu on the back repeatedly. “Ain’t that the best Christmas gift you can give to yourself! Dude, I’m so happy for you!”

Tzuyu laughed at her and then sighed. “But I’m still scared.” She sat on the snow and put her knees to her chest again. “I don’t know if I’m doing this right. But I really want to be with Sana and the past few days have been the best I’ve had so far.”

Jeongyeon sighed, watching the cold air coming out of her mouth. “I get that. But don’t be too hard on yourself. I think there’s a reason for things to happen. If you guys confessing to each other is a sign that you’re getting better then cultivate it. Sana probably said she’s willing to work things out with you even if you guys are taking things slow so that’s a good sign.”

“She did say that.” Tzuyu smiled, trying to feel the warmth in her gloves and jacket. Kaya was huddling close to her, nuzzling in the sweater Sana told her to buy so the dog wouldn’t get cold while her fur was still growing back. “Sana is amazing. Probably the kindest person I’ve met. So I’m excited to see where this will go.”

Then she turned to Jeongyeon who was busy tapping something on her phone. “Are you texting?”

Jeongyeon looked up quickly and then back at her phone. “Hold on.” She tapped some more and then held out her phone. On cue, Jihyo started to call and Jeongyeon answered it.

“Holy shit, Tzu! That’s so exciting!” Jihyo’s voice was beaming through the speaker. “I’m so happy for you!”

The words made Tzuyu happy. She was with herself as well, might as well indulge in this feeling. “Thank you, unnie.” Then she looked at Jeongyeon. “You guys are scary. I literally just told you and you immediately told Jihyo.”

Her friend shrugged. “I have nothing to hide from her. Plus she loves you, probably more than me.”

Jihyo scoffed over the phone. “Stop being a baby.” Jeongyeon pouted but it wasn't like Jihyo could see it. “Wait, Tzu. Does that mean you’ll take her as your plus one to the wedding?”

She forgot about that. But then again, why not? She missed Sana and it was a good reason to see her again. “Okay, yeah. I’ll talk to her about it later.”

“Perfect!” Jihyo said, a little more excited than she was supposed to be. “I can’t wait to talk to her again. We had a lot of fun talking to her and Momo during Nayeon’s wedding.”

“Yeah that’s true,” Jeongyeon chimed in, then she grabbed Tzuyu by the shoulder. “But hey, you said you guys were taking it slow and I think that’s great. Just don’t be too hard on yourself when times get tough okay?”

Tzuyu sighed, she needed to remind herself of that. “Yeah, thanks.”

“So my mom told me that I don’t have to go back to Taiwan until the new year,” Tzuyu said over the phone while she was washing the dishes.

“Did she say why?” Sana asked.

Tzuyu looked down at Kaya and Butter who were both looking at her with curiosity. She smiled at them. “Yeah, I’ll feed you guys in a bit.” She closed the tap and wiped her hands on the dish towel nearby. “My mom called and said they were getting the house renovated or something. Then she said my dad wanted to take a trip and I’m not really keen on going with them to be another third wheel.”

Sana giggled and then sighed. “That’s okay, maybe it’ll be nice for them to spend the holidays together.”

“That’s true. My dad has been busy at his clinic for a while and my mom really wants him to take a break.” Tzuyu then grabbed the food bowls for the two dogs and filled it up with kibble. “Plus, I don’t think I have the heart to leave Kaya and Butter at the shelter while I’m away.”

It was as if she could hear Sana pout through the phone, but she hummed in response. “That’s true. It’ll be hard for them to adjust right?”

“Yeah they’re still getting used to me.” Tzuyu watched the two clean up their bowls and then quickly grabbed them once they were done. Kaya seemed to know when dinner time was up so she immediately walked towards the couch in the living room and jumped on it to make herself comfortable. Butter on the other hand was still looking up at Tzuyu, probably asking for more treats.

“No, baby.”

“What is it?” Sana suddenly asked and it made Tzuyu blush furiously.

“W-wait I was talking to Butter.”

Sana started giggling uncontrollably. “I know, I know. I’m just messing with you.”

Tzuyu sighed but she still held a smile. She liked how playful and flirty they could be without feeling guilty about it. “God, you always do that.”

Sana was still giggling but she tried her best to calm herself down. “I know! I’m sorry.”

“I’m pretty sure if I did the same to you, you wouldn’t know what to do with yourself.”

“Fair enough, I’ll stop the teasing.” There was a pause and then another giggle. “For now.”

Tzuyu chuckled and grabbed her phone, already walking towards her bedroom. Kaya and Butter seemed to be distracted so Tzuyu decided to leave them outside for now and closed the door to her room.

“So what are your plans for Christmas?” Tzuyu asked as she plopped herself on her bed.

“Mina and Chaeyoung wanted to invite me over to their house cause apparently Mina’s brother is coming home for the holidays,” Sana said in a more serious voice. “But I’m not really sure if I wanna be there cause the guy is kind of a butt.”

“Oh,” Tzuyu breathed out. No one had really told her about Mina’s family, not even Chaeyoung. But if it was coming from Sana, who had known Mina for so long then she kinda felt bad for Chaeyoung. “You’ve met him personally before?”

“Multiple times before he left for the States.” She hummed and then sighed. “Quite frankly, I get why he’s not able to go home cause he’s a professional football player, it’s hard to get any breaks because you have a tight schedule. But I just didn’t like that he left everything to his wife and eventually to Mina.”

“I see.” She shifted her position on the bed and laid her head on the pillow. “Was he nice to you and Momo?”

“Back when we were still in high school, yeah.” Her voice was softer as she said it. “He was really nice, very shy too. But after we went to Korea to study, he just changed. He was so harsh to Mina and demanded her to come home whenever he felt like it. Then he guilt trips her if she can't. Her parents probably would never do that. When we met them in high school they've been pretty supportive with what Mina wanted. But when they passed, something changed and it probably took a toll on her brother.”

“Wow, he does sound like an asshole,” Tzuyu breathed out, feeling a big amount of concern for Chaeyoung and Yukiko. “Yukiko is a sweet kid, Chaeng told me about the violin recital fight that happened months ago.”

Sana let out a deep sigh. “Yeah, Mina cried a lot because of that. But it turned out okay because Chaeyoung attended it, Momo and I made sure to clear out our schedules to attend it as well.” Then Sana let out a cheerful hum. “It made Yuki happy.”

Tzuyu couldn’t help but smile at the thought. “Chaeyoung really loves Yuki. When we would go out for groceries or for shopping at the mall, she would also mention her name. Like 'we gotta get this for Yuki cause she loves this stuff' or 'maybe Yuki might like this, so we’ll get it for her.'”

“Chaeyoung is really sweet. She’s only met Yuki for a short period of time, and she’s already attached to her.”