Black Blue and Gold

Chapter 3 (Part 7)

Past & Present

Taeyeon saw Tiffany walking inside the room. "How did it go?"

"Got a couple of bruises and small cuts but that's pretty much it." Tiffany lifted her bangs to show Taeyeon the pink band-aid. "Brings back old memories, huh?" She grinned, taking a seat on Taeyeon's bed.

"Let me guess," Taeyeon scooted aside, putting an arm around Tiffany's waist. "You specifically asked for a pink band-aid?"

Tiffany nodded. "It's Hello Kitty too!" She leaned forward so Taeyeon could take a better look at it.

Taeyeon chuckled. She sat up and kissed the band-aid. "There. That should make it better."

Tiffany blushed but her smile couldn't hide her joy. Her eyes had long disappeared. "Don't expect me to do that to your leg."

Taeyeon laughed. "Don't worry. I won't." She put her other arm around Tiffany and pulled her to lie down on top of her.

Tiffany relented, moving so that her upper body could comfortably lie on Taeyeon's. She covered Taeyeon's arms with her own. She suddenly noticed the absence of the ring. She ran her hand over Taeyeon's again to make sure.

"You know, you haven't answered my question," Taeyeon mumbled in Tiffany's ear.

"What question?"

"Can I invade your personal space again?" Taeyeon asked. She kissed Tiffany's temple. "Please? I'm sorry for being stupid. I love you. I don't want to lose you."

"Where's your ring?" Tiffany asked, turning her head to look at Taeyeon.

"In my pocket. Where it belongs."

"What?!" Tiffany sat up, turning her body to look at Taeyeon.

"What?" Taeyeon met Tiffany's gaze. "I realize how much it hurts you if I keep wearing it."

Tiffany said nothing.

Taeyeon opened her arms, inviting Tiffany to lie down again.

Tiffany complied. "This hospital bed also brings back memories." She grinned. She was happy to know that she wouldn't have to see the diamond ring again.

Taeyeon chuckled. "Yeah. Reminded me of my first discovery of Koala Hwang." She buried her face in Tiffany's hair. "I love you. I'm very sorry for everything I've done. I want to try to be a better lover to you."

Tiffany smiled. "Thank you. I love you too." She turned her head and kissed Taeyeon. "Never ask for a break again, okay? No matter how tough it gets, being separated from each other is not the solution."

Taeyeon nodded. She leaned forward to recapture Tiffany's lips. She had missed her so much even though it had only been a little over 24 hours since they decided to take that break.

"Seriously! Why do I have to keep seeing this?"

Yoona's voice made them laugh.

Tiffany gave Taeyeon another peck before she turned around and sat up.

Yoona sat down on a chair. She exhaled. "I just got off the phone with the head warden. He assured me that Seungjin was still in prison. I told him to get down there and see for himself then confirm back to me."

"What have you found out about the shooting?" Taeyeon asked.

"Well, a black SUV with no license plate is hard to find, as you may know, so not sure about that yet. Juhyun's trying to get footage from the surrounding CCTV cameras so that will take a while. The bullets we retrieved from the scene were indeed from a .45." She took out her phone and pushed herself up with a grunt. She showed Taeyeon the pictures. "We've recovered eight bullets so far. One had traces of blood on it. Yours, I think."