Rental Love

It was Nayeon's alarm that broke their lips apart. When her phone rang, signaling the end of their 'date', Nayeon slowly pulled away. Her hand was still tightly gripping Momo's hand and her gaze fell on the tears that dampened the other girl's cheeks. Nayeon understood why Momo was crying.

"Hey.." Nayeon eventually released Momo's hand to wipe her tears. Momo let her touch her cheek.

"I'm sorry.." Momo lowered her head. She didn't dare to meet Nayeon's eyes. She felt so guilty, both towards Sana and Nayeon. She felt like this shouldn't have happened. She shouldn't have caught feelings for Nayeon and Nayeon shouldn't have caught feelings for her. She felt like this was all her fault. She shouldn't have come between them.

Nayeon shushed gently. "Don't be," she said as she moved her hand from Momo's cheek to her nape. She slowly guided Momo's head to rest on her shoulder. "I know what you're thinking." Her thumb gently brushed against Momo's nape. "This isn't anyone's fault."

Nayeon turned her heard and kissed Momo's temple as a way of expressing her unspoken words. We'll figure this out.

Momo shook her head as if she heard the unspoken words and disagreed. No, there's no 'we'.

—————————

"Why am I the little spoon?" Sana jutted her lower lip out. Her thumbs were tracing circles on Momo's arms. "You were the one crying. Shouldn't I be the one spooning you?"

Momo just shushed Sana. She tightened her hug and rested her chin on the other girl's shoulder. "You should be thankful that you're the object of my affection now."

"So, I'm just your second choice, huh? After whoever made you cry earlier," Sana joked, but Momo didn't take it as a joke.

"You will always come first, Sana. Always." Momo now buried her face in Sana's shoulder. "Don't ever say something like that again." Her voice was muffled by Sana's t-shirt and tears started to well up in her eyes again.

Momo felt like she had taken something important from Sana. Nayeon should only have eyes for Sana. All her attention and affection should only be for Sana. But then, Nayeon caught feelings for Momo and her eyes were no longer only for Sana. Momo felt guilty because she had taken that from her own best friend. That was why she was trying to make amends by giving more affection to Sana, in exchange for what she had taken.

"That's good then," Sana said before she turned around and faced Momo. Her hand reached for her best friend's cheek. She smiled as her thumb caressed it. "Because you're not my second choice either." Even after Nayeon came into my life.

"Don't say that either. What about Nayeon? She should be your first choice." Momo took Sana's hand that was on her cheek and held it gently. At this point, she was aware that she would never be able to escape from 'Nayeon'. That girl would always be on her mind, just like Sana.

Momo began to wonder what Nayeon was doing at that moment. Was she thinking about the 'date' they had earlier or had she already forgotten about it? Was she thinking of a way to get over Momo or was she pretending that nothing happened between them? Momo was sure that Nayeon didn't want this either. Catching feelings for each other was not in their plans. She was sure that Nayeon was also looking for a way to get everything back to the way it was.

(Nayeon was looking at the photo of Momo that she took on their first 'date'. She couldn't stop smiling. She was happy to realize the feelings she had for Momo. She never thought for a second that catching feelings for Momo was a mistake. She thought it was one of the best things that ever happened in her life. That was why she was determined to figure out what she should do in this current situation.)

"Nayeon is my first choice and so are you, Momo. You two are so precious to me." Sana wrapped her arms around Momo's waist. "No one can make me value one over the other." She pulled Momo closer before she buried her face in Momo's chest.

This conversation reminded Sana of Mina’s suggestion. She started to think that it might be the right thing to do. She had been seeing Nayeon for a few months now (which was actually too long by Sana’s standards). She was sure that Nayeon was just waiting for the right moment to ask her that question. She figured she should come clean before that happened. She didn’t want Nayeon to think that she was just playing with her. She really wanted something serious with Nayeon, but she couldn't leave Momo behind. She couldn’t choose between the two of them.

—————————

Momo hadn't talked to Nayeon for a few days. She hadn't sent any messages to Nayeon and hadn't seen any messages from Nayeon. She thought it was a silent agreement that they stop seeing each other and talking to each other. She thought it was their way of getting over each other and getting things back to the way they were.

Momo was trying her best, but she couldn't deny that she was starting to miss Nayeon. Not talking to Nayeon was slowly driving her crazy.

—————————

"Chaeyoung?! Tzuyu?!" Momo turned her head to the side and her gaze fell on her best friend. "M-mina?!" 

"Oh no, no, no!" Mina shook her head and hands frantically. "I'm not one of Dahyun's girlfriends. I'm just hanging out with them right now."

It was the first weekend where Momo didn’t hang out with Sana and Nayeon. Momo wasn’t ready to see Nayeon so she asked Dahyun to hang out with her. Dahyun happily agreed and said that this was the perfect time to introduce her girlfriends.

Momo never thought that Dahyun’s girlfriends were people she already knew. She never thought that Chaeyoung and Tzuyu had another girlfriend and the said girlfriend was Dahyun. She never thought that Mina already knew about her ex. She never thought that the world was this small.

"I actually know you already know them." Dahyun grinned from ear to ear.

"And you never told me?!" Momo frowned at Dahyun before she turned to Mina again. "You also never said anything about Chaeyoung and Tzuyu having another girlfriend." She crossed her arms and pouted.

Mina held her hands up. "They asked me not to say anything because Dahyun wanted to surprise you.”

Momo clicked her tongue as she shook her head. "This feels like a betrayal. You guys kept something this big from me." The four of them just giggled. Momo then looked at Dahyun and her two girlfriends. "So, who's going to tell me about your love story? I'm ready to hear some romance."

The three of them immediately beamed after that. Their love story was a source of pride for them and they would never get tired of telling it to anyone.

—————————

The moment Momo informed them that she couldn’t hang out with them that day, Nayeon thought that this was the right time to talk to Sana. About her feelings, about their relationship, and about what to do next. Nayeon was different from Sana and Momo. She didn’t like having secrets. Momo would rather die than tell anyone her secrets and Sana would think a hundred times before spilling hers. Nayeon wasn’t like that. She thought having secrets was a burden and she didn’t like living under the pressure of burden.

That was why she invited Sana to her apartment that day. She thought it was the right place to talk about private things like this. She didn’t want Momo to accidentally walk in on them and overhear their conversation. Sure, they would talk about Momo at some point, but that didn’t mean Momo had to participate in their conversation. There would be time to talk to Momo too. Nayeon planned to meet up with Momo after she came clean about everything with Sana.

"Hi." Sana giggled as she waved her hand.

"Oh god, are you lost?" Nayeon eyed Sana from head to toes. "Because heaven is a long way from here." She got a pinch on the stomach after that.

"Oh, shut up." Sana couldn't stop laughing. She thought that was one of the corniest pick up lines she had ever heard. "So, are you going to let me in or not?"

Nayeon made way for Sana after that. "I bought some food for us," she said before she closed the door and walked behind Sana.

"Oh? I thought I was the food," Sana teased. Nayeon hugged her from behind after that.

"You'll be my dessert." Nayeon kissed Sana's neck before she led them to the living room.

This wasn’t the first time Sana had come to that place. Whenever they wanted to be alone without anyone bothering them, they would always come to Nayeon’s apartment. The last time she came, they chose to have some fun. She remembered their clothes scattered everywhere. Their bodies pressed against each other on the couch. Nayeon teased her a lot and she whined a lot. At some point, she almost pushed Nayeon off the couch because she kept teasing her and refused to give her what she had begged for. But Nayeon eventually gave in and it didn’t take long for Sana to see the stars and tremble in happiness.

Sana wondered if they could still recreate something like that after she told Nayeon the truth. She had a feeling that Nayeon was going to have a serious talk with her and she knew she had to come clean before that happened. 

She hoped she didn’t end up chickening out and ruining everything between them.

—————————

"And that's how we ended up dating each other!" Dahyun clapped her hands as her eyes darted from Tzuyu to Chaeyoung. Momo could see the admiration in Dahyun's eyes and she wondered if she had the same thing in her eyes whenever she looked at Sana or Nayeon.

"They're so cute, right?" Mina giggled as she gave Momo's shoulder a nudge.

Momo nodded. "You guys make me jealous. I can't even get a single girlfriend." She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. Honestly, their story made Momo think of a scenario. She called it 'the best impossible scenario'. In that scenario, Sana and Nayeon were dating each other, but somehow they were also dating Momo. It was called the best because no one got hurt in the end and it was called the impossible because it wouldn't work. How could it work if Sana didn't even have feelings for Momo? That was why Momo only dared to imagine that scenario in her head.

"Huh? What about the girl you were seeing the other day, unnie?" Dahyun gave Momo a confused look. All eyes were on Momo after that.

"You were seeing someone, unnie?" Chaeyoung asked. She had never heard of this before. She only knew that Momo had feelings for Sana.

Momo shook her head quickly. "I wasn't seeing anyone. I told you she was just my friend." She threw a glare at Dahyun.

"Who is she talking about, Momo?" Mina tilted her head slightly and gave a curious look.

Momo immediately lowered her head. She didn't dare to look Mina in the eye. "Nayeon.." she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Just mentioning her name made Momo's heart ache.

"Oh.." Mina fell silent after that. She knew what happened between them a few days ago. Momo told her everything and cried in front of her.

"Nayeon? The girl Sana unnie is seeing?" Tzuyu butted in. She happened to hear what Momo said.

"Yeah.." Momo nodded weakly. "That's why there's no way I'm seeing her." She kept wondering why she always fell in love with someone who wasn't available. Just once she wanted to feel what it felt like to be loved by the person she loved. Why was her love life always so pathetic?

—————————

Indeed, Nayeon didn't like having secrets, but that didn't mean she could easily spill everything to others. She was still afraid of other people's reactions. She was afraid that Sana would be hurt by what she was going to say. She didn't mind if Sana was mad at her. She just didn't want to hurt Sana. That was the last thing she wanted to do. But did that mean she had to give up on telling the truth to protect Sana's feelings? Nayeon didn't think that way. Even though it was going to hurt, honesty was still the best. She still had to tell the truth no matter what the end result was.

"Sana," Nayeon called out. One of her hands was still massaging Sana's scalp.

"Yes?" Sana's eyes were still closed and her head was still resting on Nayeon's shoulder.

"I want to talk to you about something." The air between them suddenly became thick with tension after Nayeon said that. "I've been thinking a lot about 'us'. You know.. we've been seeing each other for a few months now and I think it's time we talk about our relationship."

Sana knew this was her cue to say what she should have said a long time ago. Nayeon wanted to make it official and Sana couldn't let that happen without Nayeon knowing the truth.

"I want to talk to you about something too." Sana lifted her head from Nayeon's shoulder and opened her eyes. She then faced Nayeon and gave her a serious look. "Can I speak first? I think I know what you're going to talk about and before you do that, you need to know something."

Nayeon's heart was beating fast. Sana wants to talk about something too? She didn't expect that it wasn't just her who wanted to say something. "Go ahead. I can wait." A smile plastered on her face to mask her inner turmoil.

Sana lowered her head as she sighed. She didn't know where to start. "Nayeon, I.." Tears suddenly welled up in her eyes. She didn't want to lose Nayeon. She was afraid that Nayeon would leave her after knowing the truth. But she knew that Nayeon deserved to know everything and that she had the right to leave her if she wanted to.

"Hey, hey. What's wrong?" Nayeon stroked Sana's head gently. She suddenly remembered Momo. Momo who cried after they kissed. Momo who kept apologizing for catching feelings. Why did all of this suddenly feel familiar?

"You should know that I have feelings for you and I really want something serious with you," Sana said while wiping her tears.

"But..?" Nayeon knew there must be a but. She didn't know if she would like to hear what Sana was going to say or not.

"I also have feelings for someone else.." Sana finally raised her head and dared to look into Nayeon's eyes. She found Nayeon staring at her blankly. "I like both of you.. I can't choose between you or Momo."

Momo? Nayeon was shocked to hear the name that came out of Sana's mouth. "Momo.. your best friend?" She couldn't believe what she just heard.

"Yeah, my best friend, Momo. I only know one Momo in my life."

—————————

Sana had been drooling over Momo for over an hour. Somehow she couldn't take her eyes off her. It was her first time watching Momo practice in the dance club room. It was also her first time realizing that her best friend was so hot and attractive. She couldn't even believe that she was watching Momo, whom she had known since she was five years old.

"Hey, am I that bad that you can't say anything?" Momo lowered her head in shame. Sana didn't realize that her best friend had stopped dancing for a few minutes.

"What are you talking about, Momo?" Sana asked after she finally came out of her trance. "I'm at a loss for words because you're so amazing!" She stood up and walked over to her best friend.

"Did you really mean it?" Momo still wasn't very confident in her dancing skills. She had just joined the dance club a month ago. All of her clubmates had been dancing since they were little. Momo had only started dancing when she was in high school.

"Of course, Momo." Sana suddenly hugged her best friend and the latter tried to push her away.

"Hey, I'm covered in sweat." Momo squirmed in Sana's arms.

"Don't worry. I'm fine." Sana giggled as she rested her chin on Momo's shoulder. She didn't know why she suddenly had the urge to get closer to Momo after watching her dance practice. Her heart was suddenly beating faster than usual.

It took a few months for Sana to realize that she had a crush on her best friend. Ever since she watched that dance practice, her heart would always beat faster when she was around Momo. She always had the urge to hold her best friend's hand or kiss her cheek. She would get embarrassed whenever she saw Momo changing her clothes in front of her. Momo would always laugh and shake her head when she saw Sana lower her head.

"You've seen these two things.." Momo cupped her breasts. "..hundreds of times. Why are you suddenly embarrassed?"

Sana threw a pillow at Momo, but the latter managed to dodge it just in time. "W-well, yours are bigger than mine. T-that's why I'm embarrassed." She came up with a lame excuse.

Momo walked up to Sana. "Really?" She raised an eyebrow. She then bent down to get closer to her best friend's body. "They look big to me." Her hands suddenly grabbed Sana's breasts.

"Momo!" Sana slapped her best friend's cheek after that.

Momo never realized the effect she had on Sana. She never realized that she could make Sana blush with just a simple touch. She never realized that she could make her best friend happy just by being around her. She never realized that she could also make her best friend sad by being away from her. She never realized how much Sana was hurt when she dated Dahyun. She never realized that she had already wrapped Sana around her little finger.

—————————

"What?" was all Nayeon could say. She was baffled. Not by the fact that Sana had feelings for two people. She was baffled by the fact that Sana had feelings for Momo.

"I understand if you're mad—"

Nayeon immediately put her index finger on Sana's lips. "I'm not mad, Sana. You don't have to panic. If it makes you feel better, I have feelings for Momo too. I have feelings for both of you and that's what I really want to talk about."

"What—" This time it was Sana who was baffled.

Nayeon immediately shushed her. “Listen to me first.” Sana shut her mouth tightly as she gave a puzzled look. “You said you like Momo.. in a romantic way?” Sana nodded her head. “But why did Momo say that you can’t see her as more than a friend? That’s why she’s so afraid of you finding out about her feelings for you. If you guys like each other, why aren’t you dating yet? This doesn’t make sense. Do you really like her? Did I misunderstand what Momo said? Did you—”

Sana removed Nayeon's index finger from her lips and covered Nayeon's mouth with her hand, stopping Nayeon's rambling. "W-what did you say? Momo has feelings for me?"

"Shit." Nayeon's voice was muffled by Sana's hand. She shouldn't have said that. It was Momo's secret that she should have kept.

"Nayeon.." Sana gave her a serious look. "What really happened between you two?"

And it was time for Nayeon to come clean about everything.