Coffee and Letters Ep. 34 - (A MiChaeng FF Story feat. SaTzu)

**It’s a twenty-minute drive to the hospital. And that twenty-minute drive is too long for Mina to bear. So, she kicked the accelerator as hard as she could. Well, she never drove beyond sixty, ever in her life. But this time, she did. And Ryujin is holding the grab handle until her knuckle turned white. She doesn’t want to tell her sister that she’s over speeding though. This is just for a few minutes. She told herself as she closes her eyes. She no longer wants to see things vanish in front of them as her heart leaps at every jerk of their car.**

**Ryujin gulped, praying so hard that they’ll arrived at the hospital safe and whole. Then she lurched forward. The car had stopped. She thought. And when she opened her eyes, they’re already at the parking of the hospital. Shit! That’s only ten minutes. How did she stay calm in that ten minutes? She asked while staring at sister who’s now unfastening the seatbelt embracing her.**

**Mina felt a pair of eyes staring at her. So, she turned to see Ryujin as soon as she freed herself from the seatbelt that kept her in place for that past ten-minutes of her life.**

Mina: Aren’t you coming?

**Ryujin knows that her blood went down to her feet. And if she’s sitting in a brightly lit room, Mina will notice how pale she is.**

Ryujin: I don’t know if I’ll be able to walk again. My knees were wobbling right now. What the heck is wrong with you? You turned that twenty-minute drive to ten minutes!

**She’s almost shouting, and Mina winced at the sound of her voice. Well, she gets it now. She frightened Ryujin by the way she drove.**

Mina: I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. I’ll help you out.

**Then she pressed the buckle on Ryujin’s seatbelt and kissed her on her forehead.**

Mina: I’m sorry. I just couldn’t wait to see Chaeyoung again.

**Okay, fine! Another defeat in me. Ryujin thought as her shoulders fall while staring into her sister’s eyes.**

Ryujin: I understand. Okay, let’s go? I’m sure she’s waiting for you now.

**Both of them jumped out of the car and walked as fast as they could at the entrance. But Ryujin wonders where’s Sana and Tzuyu? It looks like Sana’s taking her time in driving, unlike her sister.**

*****

Tzuyu: Uhm… can we… can we go faster?

**Tzuyu could no longer hide her frustration with how Sana drives. It’s like their twenty minutes turned into forever. And what makes her even more frustrated is, she no longer sees Mina’s car in front of them. They vanished into the thin air.**

Sana: Oh… I’m sorry. I’m… I’m just not used to driving that fast.

**Well, it isn’t really the reason they’re on their sixty. It’s actually because Sana still couldn’t explain why she’s nervous beside this lady. Is it because she’s too pretty? Or is there something else? She pressed the accelerator gradually until they reached eighty.**

**My gosh, Sana! What’s happening with you? Relax!**

Tzuyu: Well, it’s fine with me if you’ll let me drive, you know. I don’t want you to have that trouble driving this fast.

Sana: It’s… it’s okay. I guess I also need this for a change. You know.

Tzuyu: Oh… all right. Uhm… you don’t like me, don’t you?

**Sana almost kicked in the brake instead of the accelerator. Thank God they didn’t jerk to a halt.**

Sana: What… what makes you think I don’t?

**She’s almost chuckling. First is to hide her nervousness. And second, she wants to make Tzuyu think that her question doesn’t bother her. Do I look like I don’t like her? My gosh, Tzuyu, if you only knew. I, myself, couldn’t even understand why I’m like this. If only I can explain what’s going on with me, maybe I can give you the answer you need. But that doesn’t mean I don’t like you.**

Tzuyu: Well, you never asked me questions nor look at me when we were sitting at the dinning earlier. Sorry if I’m too straightforward, I’m just wondering, you know. Maybe there’s something in me when I entered the door that you don’t like. That’s why you’re so quiet.

**It’s not like that Tzuyu worries if someone doesn’t like her, it’s just, it’s different with Sana. She’s so intrigued by how she doesn’t show interests in her. Most of the time, people turn their heads towards her whenever she walks in front of them. But with Sana, it’s the opposite.**

Sana: I… I actually have the same question. I mean…

**She finally blurted it out. She knows it’s a stupid thing to say, and she said it without thinking. Geez! Can I take it back?**

**Tzuyu turned to her with a broad smile. She thinks she gets it now. It’s not that she doesn’t like her. She thought. Maybe… maybe it’s the opposite.**

Tzuyu: Hmm… why don’t we go out after all these things?

**Sana chuckled, louder this time. But she still couldn’t deny that her chest’s hammering intensely, and she’s just trying her best to keep her heart from leaping.**

Sana: You sure a straightforward young lady, Ms. Chou.

**Tzuyu didn’t mind her remarks. She’s a hundred percent sure that Sana will eventually say yes to her. You know I have an influence on you. You haven’t just discovered that yet. She wants to say, but she just kept her composure and never let her smile fade in her face.**

Tzuyu: Well, if your best friend and my best friend will end up together, maybe it’s also cool that we get along, right? And…

**She straightened up and stared ahead of them.**

Tzuyu: and maybe it’s okay if we start our little coffee time, too.

**What? Are you… are you asking me out? Sana’s eyes widened at the thought of it. I’m not… I’m not into girls. Just want to clear this up.**

**But the thing is, she couldn’t blab it out, and she wonders why.**

Tzuyu: Don’t worry, I’m not in a rush. But I’ll expect to hear your answer sooner.

Sana: Why do I feel like I have no choice with your invitation, Ms. Chou?

**She asked as she pulls her car into the parking. They finally arrived at the hospital.**

Tzuyu: Well, ‘cause I see nothing wrong if we go out, right?

**‘Cause if you don’t have any intention of saying yes to me, you’ve already told me you’re not into girls. Fortunately for me, you never clarified that. So, sorry if I’m firm about this.**

**Sana still didn’t answer. She just stared at her without giving her a hint what’s going on inside her head.**

*****

**Mina burst into tears again when she sees Chaeyoung lying on the bed with gauze wrapped around her forehead. This is all my fault. She thought.**

**But Chaeng read the meaning behind those tears. She’s worried and might think that it’s all her fault. She thought. So she pushed herself immediately and did her best to sit up and raised her arms to invite her against her.**

Chaeng: Hey! Come here.

**She said with her most comforting voice.**

**Mina should be the one giving her the encouragement. That everything is now all right. But in this situation, it’s the opposite. It’s Chaeng who wants to comfort Mina, and she’s even worried about what Mina would think about herself. That she’s the misfortune to everyone’s life, which isn’t true. She’s the reason everything gone bright again in her life, so for her to think that she’s the misfortune is something that she won’t allow to happen.**

**Mina didn’t hesitate to grab Chaeng’s invitation to rest in her arms. She even continued to cry on her shoulder while giving the latter her tightest hug. It feels so perfect to be in the arms of her newfound love.**

Chaeng: Hey! Everything’s all right now. See, I’m totally fine. I might have minor bruises and wounds, but I’m a hundred percent all right now. And safer, too.

**She added while wrapping her arms tightly at Mina, who’s still not done crying because of the earlier event.**

Mina: I’m… I’m sorry. This happened because of me. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.

Chaeng: Of course, not. This isn’t your fault.

**Her voice was soft and almost hissing.**

Chaeng: It’s not your fault if you’re too pretty and someone’s obsessed with you.

**She chuckled, trying her best to divert Mina’s attention into something else.**

**Mina pushed herself away from Chaeng’s shoulder and stared at her. How could this person still joke around despite of everything that happened to her? She thought.**

Mina: How could you make such remarks?

**Chaeng grinned. Indeed, she’d gone through a lot today, but all of it washed out when she saw this gorgeous lady entered her room.**

Chaeng: Because it’s true, Mina. You’re indeed the most beautiful human being I’ve ever seen in my entire life, and I bet Bam agreed with me with that.

**Mina snorted when she heard that monster’s name.**

Mina: I’ll make sure he’ll end up in jail forever. I hate him so much.

**Chaeng hasn’t told her the whole story yet, but Mina’s already at the height of her anger. She won’t forgive him, ever. That’s all she knows right now. And no one will ever change her mind, even Chaeng.**

**Chaeng caressed Mina’s back, trying to calm her down. But she has no intention of asking her to forgive him, since she herself won’t be able to forgive him with what he had done to her. It was indeed the most nerve-racking moment of her life. Even the moment that she thought would be the last minute of her breath.**

Chaeng: The officers said they’ll do everything to put him in jail.

Mina: They should. ‘Cause if they can’t do anything about it, I’ll make sure I will.

**That was the first time she saw Mina talked so firmly. The softness in her voice had vanished and she could feel the anger in every angle.**

Chaeng: Hmm… why don’t we… talk about something lighter? I mean, we’ve had so much today. Maybe it’s better if we talk about something that will make us all feel better.

**Then she turned to Ryujin, who’s now sitting at the foot of her bed, silent, and just observing her and Mina caressing each other.**

Chaeng: You, young lady. Have you two talked after I left the store?

**Instead of answering her question, Ryujin’s eyes burst into tears, too. She could no longer suppress it, and she hates it so much.**

Ryujin: I hate you. If you didn’t leave me there, these won’t happen. You and I will come back to the hotel safe.

Chaeng: Hey!

**Chaeng wants to caress her, too, just like what she did to Mina. But because she’s still weak and everything in her body aches, she couldn’t move closer to her.**

Chaeng: Did you know that whether or not I stayed there, Bam will still go with his plan? So, there’s no point in blaming yourself. It’s nobody’s fault, it’s solely his, okay?

Ryujin: Yet, still.

Chaeng: Let’s not argue with that, okay? Just answer me, did something great happen after I left you at the store?

**Ryujin nodded while she wipes the tears streaming in her cheeks.**

Ryujin: Yeah. She… she invited me to go to the gallery on Saturday.

Chaeng: Holy shit! Good thing the officers rescued me immediately, or else your date won’t happen on Saturday.

**Mina hit her on her arm, confused with how this lady keeps on joking around.**

Chaeng: What? I’m just happy that finally she’ll have a day with that girl in the bookstore. Don’t you want her to be part of our… you know, family?

**Did she just say that they’re family now? Does she now consider them as part of her life? A family, maybe? Mina thought. Instead of answering her question, she just smiled and hugged her once more. Yes, we are family now. And family protects each other.**

**Then all of them jerked when someone knocked on the door. Chaeng’s forehead creased. Another set of people? At this hour? Who would it be? The officer again? She thought.**

**But it even surprised her to see the person behind the banging on the door. It’s her best friend, Tzuyu.**

Chaeng: How… how did you know?

**Tzuyu’s jaws clenched when she saw her best friend’s bruises and wounds. But instead of saying something about what her eyes were seeing, she just went straight to her and steal her to Mina and gave her a tight embrace. Her tears didn’t fall, but Chaeng could feel the trouble she had caused her.**

Tzuyu: I’m sorry.

**She whispered, yet still her tone is firm as always.**

Chaeng: Hey! You’re hurting me, you know?

**Tzuyu pulled away instantly and stared at her.**

Tzuyu: You made me worried. And you made me squeeze a five-long-hour drive into four hours. Good thing no officers noticed my over speeding or else I’ll charge that to you.

**Chaeng giggled. Indeed, this is her best friend, Tzuyu, and now she’s convinced that she’s still alive.**

Chaeng: Did you…

**She turned to Mina who’s now standing beside the bed.**

Chaeng: Did you call her?

**Mina nodded and smiled. It was indeed a beautiful scene to witness, and she’s glad that she contacted Tzuyu about this situation.**

Chaeng: Thank you! Anyway…

**Then she turned to Sana, who’s standing at the door. She looks familiar though, but Chaeng couldn’t remember where she’d seen her.**

Chaeng: Is she… your new girlfriend?

**Tzuyu turned to Sana and almost laughed at how she reacted to Chaeng’s remarks. Her jaw drops and her eyes went wide. How on earth did she think I’m Tzuyu’s girlfriend? Sana thought.**

Tzuyu: Sooner… maybe sooner.

**She said casually, while Mina’s also surprised with her answer.**

***TO BE CONTINUED***

Episode 33       Episode 35