The very first thing she felt was the taste of bitterness on her tongue. It vanished quickly as her body shuddered from the feeling of the liquor burning down her throat, heating up her entire chest area. The burning sensation faded as fast as the bitter taste, leaving only comfortable warmth in her body. Unconsciously, Jessica let loose of the blanket a little.

"It's good, isn't it?" Yuri asked with a grin.

Jessica gave a small nod. She took another gulp and experienced the same, except the burning felt much less extreme this time. She had to admit the taste of the liquor wasn't gross, even though it did taste a little weird.

The glass was empty by the time Jessica got used to the taste. Her body had now warmed up enough that she didn't mind her blanket falling off, exposing the thin top she was wearing. All the goosebumps under the fabric were gone shortly afterwards, proving that Yuri didn't lie about the effect of the liquor.

Yuri swiftly opened the bottle and refilled Jessica's glass. She put it back onto the table before making herself comfortable at the other end of the couch, sitting there with knees bent to her chest just like the blonde. Jessica sipped at her liquor and watched as Yuri lifted the end of the blanket a little. She didn't have a chance to ask what Yuri was doing when the tanned girl simply slipped her feet into the blanket, rubbing them against Jessica's curled toes.

"What are you doing?" Jessica asked, her voice whispering for some reason.

"Sharing is caring," Yuri giggled. "My feet are cold too."

Jessica raised an eyebrow at Yuri. She frowned and pulled the blanket up to her chin so that their feet were exposed and looked at Yuri with a challenging look. But the tanned girl got her squealing as she slipped her cold feet underneath Jessica's, attempting to warm themselves with the heat coming from the blonde's soles.

"Your feet are so cold!" Jessica shrieked, lifting her feet up to escape Yuri's icy skin.

The tanned girl laughed out loud, swiftly grabbing Jessica's ankle with her hands. Fortunately for Yuri, her hands were not as cold as her feet, thus saving herself from getting kicked by the testy princess. In fact, Yuri's hands were oddly warm on a constant basis, Jessica never understood why.

"I told you my feet are cold," Yuri's fingers wrapped themselves around Jessica's bare feet as she grinned cheekily. "But you had to be so mean and pull the blanket away. That calls for a punishment."

Yuri then unexpectedly pulled hard, causing Jessica to shriek again. The blonde's back slid off the arm of the couch it was leaning against, her legs unwillingly wrapped around Yuri's waist. Yuri snatched the dangerous glass from Jessica's hand and put it on the table, disregarding the blanket that was already dropped on the floor.

"If you don't want to share the blanket," Yuri leaned dangerously forward and whispered huskily into Jessica's face. "We gotta do it the Eskimo way."

Instead of slapping that thought out of Yuri, Jessica's eyes travelled down from Yuri's eyes to the girl's pair of full lips, her gaze couldn't help but to linger there. She felt an unwanted desire exploding inside as Yuri parted her lips slowly and started to breathe through her mouth. The tanned girl wasn't leaning in any further, but the unintentionally teasing moves of her lips made it look like she was, and Jessica's heart began to thump so loud that she thought it was going to jump out of her chest at any moment. 

She pulled herself together and, finally, slapped Yuri across the face.

She didn't know what drove her to do that, but she was glad it happened before anything else could happen. Yuri backed away immediately, holding her cheek in pain.

"You deserve that," Jessica muttered as she ignored the hurt look on Yuri's face. She positioned herself at the end of the couch again, moving away from Yuri's touches.

The slap seemed to have brought some sense into Yuri's head as the girl didn't talk back but just sighed audibly, rubbing her cheek. Yuri reached for the bottle and Jessica's glass on the table. She finished the liquor in one shot before refilling the glass and gave it to Jessica again. Heaving another troubled sigh, Yuri turned to the side and slipped her bare feet into the monkey slippers. She picked up the blanket and covered Jessica's legs with it, an apologetic look on her face.

"You're getting drunk," Jessica stated without a hint of doubt in her voice, slapping Yuri's hands away. "Go change. That wet shirt will make you sick."

"But all the tops in the dresser are a size too small for me."

"That's still better than wet. You know how dangerous it is to be wet and cold and drunk at the same time."

"It is?" Yuri's eyes lit up with delight, as if there's nothing that could make her happier than Jessica showing that she cared. "You are right," Yuri stood up, the bright smile not being able to leave her face. "I wouldn't want to pass it on to you when we share the bed together later."

She trailed off with a giggle, whereas Jessica froze with the glass between her lips.

"What bed?"

"The one in the bedroom? There is only one bed in this house."

"No way!" Jessica shouted in panic, her eyes glued at Yuri's see-through top. "No way am I going to share it with you!"

"You don't want me to get sick sleeping on the couch, do you?"

"You are sleeping on the couch! I don't care!"

Yuri chuckled and touched Jessica's cheek briefly, the "you're-so-cute-I-want-to-kiss-you" look on her face. But she didn't lean in this time but walked backwards toward the bedroom instead. It wasn't until she reached the middle of the room that she broke the eye contact with Jessica and turned around, disappearing into the room.

Jessica was left alone in the living room as she unconsciously took continuous gulps of the Chinese medicinal liquor. Her thoughts revolved around the wicked bed-situation. It seemed like she had no choice but to share it with Yuri for the night. She couldn't be so cruel as to send Yuri to sleep on the couch in this weather, and of course the option of her sleeping on the couch was out of the question. But could she trust Yuri enough to share a bed with her yet? When, on top of that, Yuri was drunk!

Jessica gulped and realized the glass was empty. She reached out for the bottle and poured the liquor with shaky hands. It wasn't just the alcohol that made her feel like burning inside anymore. Her fantasies got carried away a little as she imagined what a drunken Yuri could and would do. Her heart almost stopped beating as she realized how far her imagination went and what natural reaction her body was going through at the thought of that. Guilt-consumed with the undeniable but wrong wanting, Jessica she shook her head, trying to shake away all the wrong thoughts as well.

But she couldn't help but to keep thinking. Maybe during the time they were apart, Yuri was grieving and missing her so much that she went drinking often and trained her alcohol capacity. Maybe Yuri now wouldn't fall asleep just after a few shots.

But so what? She heard herself asking in her head. Wasn't that exactly what should make her worry? What if Yuri tried to do things to her when they slept on the same bed? And waking up the next morning, pretending she didn't remember anything because she was drunk? Then it would look like she, Jessica, the sober one, was at fault, and not Yuri, the drunken and clueless one. If Jessica let that happen…

She emptied the glass with one gulp, feeling the taste that was starting to get addicting wash over her tongue.

She couldn't do it. Jessica shook her head. She couldn't. Yuri just had to stay on the couch tonight. She couldn't even guarantee that she would not give in if Yuri really intended to seduce her tonight. She had to take the first step and keep a safe distance.

But her thoughts kept going back to the sight and feeling of Yuri hovering on top of her like earlier, causing her heart to race. She pulled herself together, forcing her mind to think of what to do against the temptation, but it was anything but easy. Even worse, Jessica kept drinking and drinking, not realizing that the more she drank, the weaker did her resistance become.

By the time Yuri came back from the bedroom, the bottle was already half empty and her cheeks were red like she was burning up from the inside. Which she was, in a way. Yuri was wearing a top that suited her pajama pants, long-sleeved this time. Jessica could clearly see the girl was indeed a size too big for the top since the sleeves hardly reached her wrists, the top hugged her a little too tightly, and the end of it barely covered her bellybutton. Yuri didn't look comfortable at all.

The tanned girl plopped down onto the couch at the end of Jessica's feet, tugging at her collar.

"This is itching me," she complained. The oddly husky voice prompted an equally odd feeling in Jessica's lower stomach. "I want to take it off. Maybe walking around naked is not the worst idea after all."

The suggestion was meant to be a joke, but Jessica wasn't in the mood for jokes at all. She placed her glass on the table and sat back to lean against the armrest, put her feet on the couch and pulled up her legs to her chest again. She fixed her gaze at her knees and tried to ignore the whining Yuri in front of her. Out of the corner of her eyes, however, she still caught glimpses of Yuri leaning forward to the table, taking the Chinese liquor bottle. Curiosity got the better of her and she just had to look up, but only to meet with the sight of Yuri's face tilted up to the ceiling, the girl's lips encircling the opening of the bottle. Yuri's throat moved with each gulp she took, a liquor drop then escaped her mouth and ran down her neck.

"Yah!" Jessica immediately jumped off the couch, tearing the bottle off Yuri's lips and slammed it on the table. "What on earth are you doing?!"

"My head hurts," Yuri's eyes squinted as she fell back against the backrest. "And I'm sooooo itchy," she scratched her arms with expressed uncomfortablenesss. "And I feel so hot, yet so cold. It's so freaking uncomfortable!"

Jessica caused Yuri's squinted eyes to open halfway as she placed a hand on the tanned forehead, making sure Yuri's just drunk and not having a fever.

"And your solution is drinking all that's left of this strong liquor?"

Yuri was unable to answer as Jessica traced a line on her neck, following the route of that liquor drop earlier. Jessica kneeled down onto the couch next to Yuri, her finger stopped at the collar, touching the same spot where the drop had disappeared. She felt Yuri's throat moving against her finger as the tanned girl gulped.

The little pressure of Jessica's finger on the already itchy and sensitive skin took a second to drive Yuri over the edge. She grabbed Jessica's hand, yanking the girl towards her. She caught the unresisting Jessica with a firm grip and smashed her lips onto the blonde's.

Just five minutes ago, Jessica was telling herself this must not happen, not in a million years. But now, none of that logic mattered as she just felt like it. She just felt like pinning Yuri against the couch, just felt like holding onto Yuri's shoulders and shifting to straddle Yuri's lap, just felt like having Yuri's hands squeeze the sides of her body, just felt like kissing her like crazy, like mad, like there was no tomorrow.

The taste of the liquor was even more intoxicating on Yuri's tongue. Jessica found herself deepening the kiss, her hands refusing to let go of Yuri's face. Even when Yuri broke the kiss to take a breath, Jessica's teeth didn't release the girl's bottom lip. She hung on Yuri's swollen lip, breathing in Yuri's hot breath as Yuri attempted to lay her down. As soon as her back touched the couch, they continued where they had left off, Jessica's hands wrapping themselves around Yuri's neck. They kept the passionate kissing as Yuri adjusted her position between Jessica's legs, keeping them to encircle her waist. Feeling the familiar weight on top of her again, Jessica couldn't help but to pull Yuri deeper into the kiss.

Yuri braced herself against the couch with one hand placed next to Jessica's head. She forced her lips away from Jessica's mouth, moving to the blonde's neck instead, taking the chance to breathe while tasting the soft skin in a not so gentle way. She bit Jessica's neck, pulling at the skin between her teeth.

"You make me so hot," she panted and it came out as a hiss through her teeth, causing Jessica to moan loudly. Almost immediately, Yuri's teeth let go and her lips encircled the slightly red mark. She sucked on the spot as she felt Jessica tugging the ends of her too small shirt. She heard the blonde's moans, but didn't see the girl's eyes rolling upwards, her eyelids slowly falling down in a thrill of ecstasy.

It would have gone further if Yuri's hand hadn't slipped off the couch, causing her to skid down, crashing onto the floor. She accidentally scratched Jessica's arm during her fall, making the blonde scream out loud, the piercing sound mixing with the painful yelp of her landing.

Yuri fell silent without another noise, her body not being able to move a muscle. Jessica, on the other hand, was all of a sudden wide awake, realizing with shock what she had just allowed to happen. She sat up straight and took heavy breaths, trying to calm her racing heart down. The scratch on her arm wasn't bleeding, but it was burning like hell. So did other parts of her body, just not for the same reason. She looked down at the girl whose taste was still in her mouth as she unconsciously wiped her lips with the back of her hand. Yuri was curling up with lips slightly parted, her face showing an indifferent neutrality that belonged on a face of a drunken person who had just passed out.

"You didn't change, at all."

Jessica's head was swimming, but she stood up nonetheless. Seemed like Yuri wasn't the only one who got a little carried away with the drinking. She wrenched the blanket out from under Yuri and approached the bedroom with small, careful steps, occasionally having to stop in her tracks to redress balance. Jessica pushed open the bedroom door, kicked Yuri's wet see-through top out of her way and tumbled down onto the bed, the blanket wrapped around her body.

She almost immediately drifted off, having no idea that outside the bedroom, Yuri was beginning to shiver from the cold.

----------

Tiffany crawled into the bed, slipping under the blanket. She searched for Taeyeon's body and wrapped an arm around her girlfriend's stomach, cuddling up to her shoulder. Heaving a sigh, she finally let all her muscles relax. The day had been hectic because of the thunderstorm, and with the absence of two staff members and the unavailability of one, Tiffany hadn't had time to take a break until now.

"Good night, Taetae," she whispered into Taeyeon's ear, even though she was sure the girl was already asleep.

To her surprise, Taeyeon tilted her chin up with a finger and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips in response.

"I can't sleep," Taeyeon said quietly, rolling on the side of her body to put an arm around Tiffany.

Tiffany looked at Taeyeon's face in the dark, imagining the troubled eyes she usually saw when Taeyeon couldn't sleep.

"Are you still worried about Sica?"

Taeyeon just sighed, but that was enough for Tiffany to understand. She was sure Sooyoung was just as awake as Taeyeon right now, worrying about Jessica's situation. Too bad, the shikshin didn't have her bunny here comfort her.

"Don't," Tiffany told Taeyeon as she laid a hand on the girl's cheek. "I'm sure Yuri had found her."

"I don't know, Fany," Taeyeon shook her head lightly. "I wish we could call her. I really need to hear her voice or something, to be sure she's okay. If anything happened, I would never forgive myself for not driving into the forest to look for her today."

"Don't say that," Tiffany shushed Taeyeon with a finger. "You promised me to give Yuri a chance. You have to trust her. She wouldn't stop searching if she hadn't found Jessica. She cares about Jessica just as much as we do, Taetae."

"I know she does, but…"

"But what are you still worrying about?"

"What if Yuri hasn't found her? What if Yuri can't find her?"

"Let me ask you something," Tiffany softly said, her hand finding Taeyeon's hand inside the blanket and she intertwined their fingers. "If I were in Sica's shoes, and you're the one who looked for me, when would you give up on searching?"

"When I know that you are safe," Taeyeon replied, sighing. "I know Yuri won't give up until she finds Jessica, but I still can't help but to worry. Probably… for the both of them, not just for Jessica."

"There's nothing we can do right now, Taetae. Jessica is smart enough to know someone will be looking for her. If she didn't make it to a vacation house, she would certainly be standing under a tree or something, waiting for us to fetch her."

"Then why aren't they home yet?"

"I don't know… But for some odd reason, I am not worried much. Maybe the rain is too heavy, or they are lost in the forest. I keep thinking this can be a good thing too, since the two of them have plenty of private time to talk now."

Taeyeon's thumb kept caressing the back of Tiffany's hand as she thought about what her girlfriend just said.

"You don't even know what they might be doing right now, Taetae." Tiffany whispered, and Taeyeon felt a shiver running down her spine.

She looked at Tiffany's face hiding in the dark, her mouth going dry. "I—I know that voice."

"What voice?" Tiffany asked innocently before letting out a cute chuckle and leaning in to kiss Taeyeon.

"You think… they are… right now?" Taeyeon mumbled, trying to prevent Tiffany from climbing on top of her, but failed.

"No," Tiffany admitted. "At the moment, I'm actually not thinking of them at all…"

Taeyeon smiled into the feathery kisses Tiffany was giving her, her hand letting go of Tiffany's hand to start stroking the girl's body in appreciation. She was thankful that Tiffany was helping her get this load off her shoulders temporarily, and she was planning to pay her girlfriend back for it right now.

"I love you," she whispered between the kisses and flipped Tiffany over.

Her girlfriend deserved more than just a pleasurable night after such a long and stressful day.

----------

She stood by the window, staring out into the rain. The thunder and lightning had stopped, just how the storm inside her had faded after a while. But the wind was still cold, and the remaining drops falling from the sky were doing nothing but adding to her depression.

Jessica had no idea how late it was. She didn't feel sleepy anymore. Her mind was so occupied that she didn't even feel the cold.

It was a pair of arms sneaking around her waist that snatched away her deep thoughts. She felt the hair on her neck standing up as the familiar hot breath tickled her ear and as that warm body pressed up against hers from behind. And she melted away when the sweet words flowed into her ear, ever so slowly and softly.

"Sica… I love you…"

She heard her heart beating rapidly.

"I really, really do..."