A visible puff escaped Chaeyoung’s shivering lips as she clutched to her chest a brown paper bag filled with salmon steak ingredients she will cook for dinner.
She tried to melt half of her face into the thick cobalt blue scarf wrapped neatly around her neck. It was a gift from Lisa last Christmas. She said it would complement her blonde hair nicely.
The crisp sound of crushing snow under her boots became more rapid as tiny snowflakes began to fall from the lilac sky.
The orange glow coming from the lampposts flooded the street, and a glimpse of red and green bulbs twinkling around a Christmas tree peeked by one of the apartment windows.
A bearded man wearing a grey bonnet was shovelling the snow away from his driveway, while a young girl in a knitted jacket built a snowman out of it.
Chaeyoung finally reached her apartment. She fetched her keys from the pocket of her coat and unlocked her timber door.
Inside was dark but warm. The buzzing sound from her hoary heater told her someone else in her apartment was needing some warmth.
Chaeyoung removed her boots, brushed the snowflakes away from the soles and kept them on the rack. She placed the grocery bag on the kitchen counter as the bathroom reeked of a cleaning agent.
She made a mental note to scrub her bathroom this weekend after the hectic holiday chaos in her office.
Earlier, Chaeyoung received a message from Lisa telling her she's back at their apartment and asking when she will come home. Chaeyoung smiled at the thought that Lisa must be so bored being alone the entire afternoon that she cleaned the bathroom to kill her time. Of course, it's her Lisa. The one who can never stay still doing nothing.
Warmth crept into Chaeyoung's cheeks at the fact that she and her favourite person in the world are under the same roof once again, breathing the same air.
Chaeyoung tried to suppress her tiny giggles under her scarf as she quietly entered the bedroom.
There she was, her favourite person lying in their bed peacefully sleeping. Chaeyoung chuckled at the strange position of the younger girl. Her head was on the foot of the bed while her feet were on the headboard.
Chaeyoung stopped right where Lisa's head was. The older girl took a closer look at the sleeping lady. The soft dusk light coming from the window illuminated Lisa's dreamy face.
Her bangs were ruffled, revealing her holy forehead, thick curly lashes fluttering lightly as if lost in a dream, and her full pink lips were slightly parted.
Rosie stooped slowly, bending her knees and tucking her blonde hair behind her ear. Her cold lips met Lisa's warm ones. It was slow; it was tender. It was a fairytale bliss enough to spark Rosie's longing heart.
She opened her eyes to see if she had awoken the younger girl. Lisa's doe eyes fluttered open, and a smile crept into her face as soon as she saw the girl on top of her.
"Hi," Rosie chirped.
"Hey, beautiful," Lisa cooed, letting out small giggles of excitement.
They stayed like that for a couple of minutes. Staring at each other's eyes without speaking; lavishing the moment their faces just centimetres apart once again; feeling the warmth of each other's breath, bumping noses, holding their gazes tightly.
Their intimate moment was broken after Lisa brought her hands up and held Rosie's face. She squished her cheeks, making the latter girl's lips resemble a duck's.
"Kiss me again, please?" Lisa cajoled, animating the puppy eyes.
"Errr, nerrrr," Rosie said, laughing while being muffled by Lisa's squishing.
"Please?" Lisa appealed, "please, please, please, please?"
"Nerrr, Liserr," Rosie held her by the wrists and removed her hand.
"You're so mean," Lisa pouted.
"That's enough kiss for you today, Lisa," the older girl laughed.
Both women had a lovely dinner. Chaeyoung cooked Lisa's favourite dish: honey glazed salmon. It was Lisa's constant request every time she comes home, and it's the only salmon steak Lisa eats.
The younger girl tried salmon steaks in some restaurants in Atlanta, but those never came close to Rosie's. From that day on, she only eats salmon cooked by her girlfriend.
It has already been eight months since the couple lived separately. Lisa was deployed in Atlanta for a project while Chaeyoung remained in Brooklyn.
Every month, Lisa makes a 12-hour drive to New York to spend four days with her girlfriend. It is a short period, but for Lisa, their tiny apartment, the noisy heater, the steak, the warm cuddles under the sheets with her Chaeyoung are enough to charge her for another month-long work away from her girlfriend. It is her home. She loves coming home to her.
Chaeyoung was wiping the sink dry after washing the dishes when Lisa came out of the bedroom, holding something.
"Baby, I was folding your clean laundry earlier when I found this."
It was an old and fading, oversized black Paramore shirt. It was Lisa's favourite shirt back in her teenage years until Rosie stole it from her when they were just a four-month-old couple. Lisa only found out who the culprit was when they started living together three years ago.
"What about it, love?" Rosie asked innocently.
"Baby, seriously? Are you supposed to throw this away now? Look at the underarm. Ripped," Lisa inserted her hands in the gaping hole, "your side boob will be showing if you wear this."
"You know that's my favourite shirt, love and I will not throw that away," she took the shirt from Lisa and gave it a sniff, "In fact, you will wear this tonight, so it will smell like you again," Chaeyoung grinned.
"Baby," Lisa was about to protest, but Chaeyoung gave her cute pout and puppy eyes. Lisa surrendered. "Okay, where's the sewing box?"
Both girls were seated on the floor despite the empty couch behind them. They often joked about selling the leather couch since they never really used it, and it was space consuming. Their coffee table was littered with threads of different colours and needles puncturing a stuffed tomato.
“Love, how about using this one instead?” Chaeyoung scooted closer to Lisa, who was busy inserting the thread into the needle eye. “It has a bigger eye.”
“It’s okay, baby. I can do this.”
Chaeyoung punctured the needle into the tomato cushion. Lisa could be stubborn and persistent sometimes. Sure, Lisa could do things that require strength, like carrying boxes around, climbing onto their roof to unclog the gutter, even installing their toilet flush. In fact, it was Lisa who fixed their noisy heater when the repairman offered them an overpriced service.
Despite the things Lisa can do, what Chaeyoung enjoys the most is watching her girlfriend so focused to perform small and basic tasks, such as inserting a thread into the needle eye.
It has been half an hour since Lisa had been trying to shoot the thread into the hole. She squinted her eyes and her brows furrowed. Her breathing stops whenever she attempts to insert it. This sight of Lisa is what Chaeyoung secretly treasures the most.
Just inches apart, like a pit viper, Chaeyoung launched an attack. She planted a quick peck on the corner of Lisa’s lips.
Lisa jolted at the sudden action and stared at her girlfriend wide-eyed.
“What?” Chaeyoung grinned mischievously. “You were asking for another kiss, right?”
Lisa looked betrayed, but a smile appeared on her face.
“Hey! At least tell me if you are going to kiss me!” Lisa whined.
“Why would I do that?” Chaeyoung laughed.
“So, I could kiss you back.” Lisa placed the thread and the needle on the table. The sudden change of her demeanour was a sign for Chaeyoung to run. “Kiss me again.”
“No.” Chaeyoung refused in between her chortles.
“No?”
“No.” Although she tried, it was already too late for Chaeyoung to dash.
Lisa grabbed her shoulders, pinned her down on the floor and climbed on her hips. Lisa’s huge hand managed to secure Chaeyoung’s tiny wrists above her. Not too tight, just enough to keep them in place. Her other hand poked Chaeyoung ribs on both sides as the older girl squealed manically under her. It is Lisa’s tickle attack!
“Aren’t you going to give me another kiss?”
“No- aaaaahhhhh!” Lisa poked her ribs again, non-stop.
“No?”
“No,” Chaeyoung challenged in between her ragged breaths. This time Lisa tickled the blonde’s exposed stomach causing the older girl to thrash her legs behind the woman on top of her. “Lisa, it tickles!”
“I can’t hear you.” Lisa was enjoying the view of her girlfriend blushing like a tomato while laughing hysterically.
“ALRIGHT! Alright.” Chaeyoung surrendered breathlessly. “I’ll kiss you again.”
“That’s what I want to hear.” Lisa laughed, stopping her attack.
“Pull me up.” Chaeyoung is still catching some air.
Satisfied, Lisa climbed off of her girlfriend and pulled her into a sitting position again.
“Come here.” Chaeyoung commanded.
Lisa obeyed, scooting closer with their noses centimetres apart. However, whenever she lunges her face forward, Chaeyoung would pull away, teasing the younger girl. Chaeyoung did it a couple of times, laughing as Lisa’s lips chased nothing but air. Lisa whined, pouting her lips.
“Okay, okay. Sorry.” Chaeyoung giggled. “Close your eyes.”
Lisa did so.
Chaeyoung gave Lisa her kiss. It was warm and soft. There was no lust but pure love and intimacy. Every suck, every nibble, every swipe of tongue told their unspoken longing for each other.
Lisa pulled Chaeyoung by the waist onto her lap while the blonde snaked her arms around the younger girl’s neck, clinging herself closer to her.
Their connected lips danced smoothly like fireflies doing ballet under the moonlight, igniting their old flame. They felt like teenagers again, making out under the bleachers in the burning afternoon sun. Moans escaped under their short but intimate kisses until they finally broke up to catch some air.
Lisa buried her face in the crook of Chaeyoung’s neck, inhaling every scent and sweat she could find. Chaeyoung poured long-lasting kisses on top of Lisa’s head, on her temples, forehead and earlobes. Kissing her as if it would be her last.
They stayed like that for minutes. Pure silence but heartbeats and breathing. They held each other long and tight, pulling their bodies as close as possible. Wrapping themselves in each other’s sweat. Skin to skin, heart to heart.
“I missed you so much, Chaeng. So, so much,” Lisa murmured.
“I missed you too, love.” She’s here. Her Lisa is finally here. “Welcome home.”