Collection of TaeNy Oneshots (TheDonkatsu Collection)

Old Fashioned - 8

Taeyeon shifts in her seat, restlessly checking the door every few seconds in anticipation.

She nearly dropped her phone when she received Tiffany's text earlier today, thanking her for the letter and asking whether she was free for coffee. It was such a relief to know that the woman was willing to at least meet her and talk.

So here she is, twenty minutes early, waiting impatiently at Tiffany's favorite coffee shop in Itaewon.

When Tiffany finally walks through the door, it takes everything in Taeyeon not to run towards her and hug her. She's relieved to see that Tiffany's okay and she's also very sorry for the misunderstanding she's caused.

She stands up and waves to her, unconsciously holding her breath when the woman approaches, looking just as nervous and—strangely—prettier than the last time she saw her. Maybe I just miss her too much.

"Hi," greets Tiffany.

"Hi."

"I'll go order my coffee first, if that's okay."

"Sure."

"Be right back." The brunette walks away, leaving Taeyeon alone as the girl tries to relax and calm down by taking deep breaths, exhaling through her mouth.

For the first couple of minutes, they barely say anything to each other, each trying to find the best way to say what they have in mind.

Finally, Taeyeon decides to start and after taking one more deep breath, she gathers her courage, reaches out and places her hand gently on Tiffany's, shocking the latter.

Tiffany looks up at the touch, meeting Taeyeon's mellow eyes.

"I'm sorry, Fany-ah," says the shorter brunette. "It was never my intention to hurt you or make you think that I'm stringing you along while I simultaneously get to know Seolhyun. That's kinda why I've always been honest about her with you, and vice versa. She knows that we spent Christmas together and yes, I consider both of you good friends now."

Tiffany can feel her heart sink at that last sentence no matter how well she has prepared herself for it. She says nothing though, giving Taeyeon the opportunity to finish talking first.

"At first, I thought that you were straight," admits Taeyeon, cracking a small smile. "So even though I was very attracted to you, I kept my distance and thought that our mug-and-note conversation would be enough. Then when you rejected my idea of having normal coffee breaks, I thought that that was it. You had no interest in me."

I knew it, thinks Tiffany. I sabotaged my own love life.

"My friend told me about Seolhyun and I think I was too eager in trying to patch up the tiny wound your rejection caused me. I decided to get to know her because, like my friend said, with any luck, I might not have to spend this Christmas alone, crying in my room because of unrequited love and betrayal from a straight girl like last year," she adds, chuckling at the memory of last year's Christmas.

"I'm sorry," Tiffany says. Taeyeon hasn't told her about that painful experience and now she feels extra guilty for that cold response she gave her.

"It's okay. I've gotten over it. I've learned my lesson. I will not force things that aren't meant to happen. I choose my battles wisely from now on," replies Taeyeon.

Funny. I thought that too when I decided that you should be with Seolhyun, Tiffany quietly says to herself.

"Anyway," Taeyeon withdraws her hand, instantly making Tiffany's hand feel cold. "When you changed your mind and came to see me for coffee, I was ecstatic even though I still didn't know whether you could open your heart to me. But then my friend told me that you could. I don't know where she got the information from because I don't like to gossip, but I trust her and we started to spend a lot of time together... I started to think that maybe, just maybe, I still had a small chance with you."