29 Chapter 29

Jennie's POV

"I don't want to open it," I said as I nervously bit my lower lip.

We never really had closure. He just decided to leave, and I let him. I was at that point where I was in-love with two people and I absolutely had no idea what to do except let them go.

I wasn't even aware of how I was feeling towards Kai at the moment. He was my first love. He's been my one and only love for a long time. To be honest, I don't know how moving on feels like nor do I know the process.

If anyone asked me if I still love Kai, I wouldn't know what to say.

It's been months since he left and we've never kept in touch since then. Heartbreaking, I know. But I guess I wasn't ready yet. As much as I knew it was my fault why we drifted a part, I still feel massively hurt knowing that he chose his career over me, especially right after I chose him over Lisa.

"Kim Jongin would like to invite you to her first . . . . " I paused when I realized what it was.

"Oh shit, It's her first exhibit in New York," I sighed."Next week,", feeling a bit weak inside. I wasn't so sure if I was ready to see him again.

I dialed Seulgi's number and after few rings, she answered.

"Seul. I got an invitation from Kai's exhibit." I said as soon as she picked up.

"Are you going? You're not thinking of bring Lisa with you, right? Because that would just be absolutely and utterly cruel of you."

"That would be so weird. I don't think I can even afford tickets for two," I said. "Is Kai expecting me to buy my own plane ticket to go there?"

"Well, it's the least you could do for her to make up for ruining him at his first exhibit here..."

"Whose side are you on, really? Do you have a secret crush on my ex-boyfriend?" I accused teasingly.

"No but I do admit that he is a very good-looking man,but Irene is hotter" Seulgi answered nonchalantly.

I sat on the couch and sighed, feeling quite caught in another dilemma. Of course if spend that much money to go to New York, I have to make the most of my time there, which I don't want to do because I want to be with Lisa.

But Seulgi had a point. I had to make it up to Kai this time, at least as a friend. I couldn't possibly add another incident to the long list of things that made me the world's worst girlfriend.

I just knew I couldn't possibly take Lisa with me and that goes without saying.

After thinking of ways how to deal with this situation that I am now faced with, i shut off the lights in the living room and went upstairs.

**

The next morning, I walked around the apartment getting dressed for work, when I was about to make coffee, I felt the sudden urge to call in sick to work. After meeting Lisa, I don't think I'd have the motivation or inspiration to do anything else but be with her. This was bad.

But right now I just didn't care.

I took my phone and sent her a text:

To: Lisa

Hey! What are you up to today? :)

It didn't take long before she replied to my message. It put a weird smile on my face.

From: Lisa

Hiiiii. I was just about to message you. I'm actually looking forward to whatever you had planned for us ;)

So if I planned an intense makeout session in my bedroom with a side of foreplay, would you look forward to it as well?

Of course I didn't send that. It's a good thing you can't send text messages with your mind.

To: Lisa

Sooooo are you free around eleven? :)

From: Lisa

Is someone being a complete badass and ditching work today??

I giggled quietly, making sure no one would hear although im alone.

To Lisa:

Maybe. You might have some time to spare if you're not so busy. And hey, you know I'll always help you with the story along the way ;)

If she was going to use the winking emoticon, then I get to use it as well.

From Lisa:

Then I'm all yours for the day. Surprise me, Jennie :)

To Lisa:

Great! Just be ready by eleven and wait for my text :)

I cheerfully hummed around the kitchen as I prepared breakfast for me. This was probably the first time in a long time wherein I was actually looking forward to what was going to happen during the day.

I went to my room to change into something more comfortable. No heels and plaid skirts for today. I wore blue, ripped skinny jeans, my favorite pair of Vans, and a white cotton sweater.

My phone suddenly rang and I saw Seulgi's caller ID.

"'Morning," She mumbled."Where are you?"

"Not going to work today," I answered with so much enthusiasm in my voice. I tied my hair in a ponytail and sat on one of the counter stools and put my phone on loudspeak. "I'm taking Lisa out on a date."

"You're ditching work to take her on a date?" Seulgi huffed through the phone. "That's an excellent way to win employee of the year Jennie. I'll give you a memo!"

"Don't lecture me," I rolled my eyes. "They won't ever give anyone that award anyway even if we worked double-time."

I head someone murmuring from the other line before she spoke again. "So are you two like seriously dating now? Didn't you guys just officially meet three days ago?"

"Believe me when I say that it's not even sinking in yet," I brought the cup of coffee to my mouth.

"Aish! I don't know Jennie. Do what you want!" I can imagine how annoyed she looks like right now before ending the call.

* *

I really needed to get my own car soon if I'm going to be surprising Lisa like this more often.

I walked up to Lisa's door and rang the buzzer. I remember Lisa telling me that she has only lived here for a week and a couple of days. I can't help but assume and hope that I'm the only girl she's been inviting to her flat. Well aside from Rosé.

The door swung open, revealing a Lisa that looked quite giddy.

"Knew it was you," she grinned. "you have no idea how glad and relieved I am to see your face."

"I'm glad that you're excited about this day because I totally am," I beamed proudly. "Shall we go?"

Lisa nodded as she walked out the door and locked it behind her. "Is what I'm wearing okay for whatever you have planned under your sleeve?"

"You look absolutely perfect," I smiled as I gazed at her from head to toe. She always knew how to dress well.

It was really a challenge walking inches apart from her, smelling her perfume, and seeing her with a sunny disposition and a heart-melting smile. I always had to remind myself that I couldn't just kiss her anytime I wanted. I knew I'm being the top right now, taking her out on a date and all that.

I just wish that one day I'd actually have the guts to pull her to one corner and kiss her like nobody's watching, because I've missed those lips like crazy.

* * *

Lisa's POV

I've never had anyone take me on a date before, let alone a girl who was as beautiful as Jennie. I've only known her for a few days and I could already tell that I won't get tired looking at her, as she's the only woman i can recognize, and the only person i want to remember as of now.

Being with her was like winning the lottery without even joining. It makes me want to dream of her every night just so I could completely comprehend everything she was trying to make me see.

"I was hoping you wouldn't take me out on a normal date, like a fancy restaurant," I said as we got out of the car. "And I think I'm having it my way."

"Glad you like it," Jennie beamed. "They set up a carnival here once a year. All the proceeds of the entrance ticket sales go to selected charities."

We fell in line before entering the fair, just like all the kids and adults in the area. I insisted on paying for our tickets, but Jennie was too stubborn to let me.

"This was my idea so I'm paying for it," she said while rolling her eyes.

She was so cute. I don't know why I find myself just staring at her every five seconds. I love watching the way her mouth moves when she speaks or the sparkle in her eye when she says something funny.

"I say we checkout the rides first before we have some lunch," I suggested. "I get bad motion sickness when I'm stuffed and I really don't want to throw up on you today."

"Good idea," she giggled. We first made our way to the Ferris wheel, which was located in the middle of the fair. It wasn't that big, but it was just as beautiful.

"Are you afraid of heights?" I asked Jennie once we got in our passenger car.

"I used to be," she answered. "But ever since Lisa, well you, asked me to jump off a cliff, I feel like I can conquer anything that has to do with my fear of heights."

"That was just a dream though. What if I dare you to do it in real life?" I asked in a teasing tone.

"Then dare me," she contested. She had a sly smile in her face, like she wasn't planning on taking back what she just said.

I smirked and leaned against the glass seats in the car. My head was titled towards the closed window, but my eyes were locked in hers. "Have I told you that one of my favorite qualities in a girl is confidence?"

"No," she blushed. I love how I can just make her blush anytime. I was starting to love the effect I had on her and I couldn't even explain it to myself.

"Tell me more about your characters," she asked out of the blue. She had this eager smile on her face that I just couldn't resist. "In your book, I mean."

"You want to know about Lili and Jennifer?"

"It's so weird hearing those names," she chuckled. "I say we call them Lisa and Jennie from now on. What do you think?"

"Sounds reasonable."

She cleared her throat and fanned herself. "Okay. Now tell me about Lisa and Jennie."

There was something about the way she said our names in the same sentence that made my heart pound faster. Someone needs to explain to me what was going on. Maybe this was a mild case of infatuation?

Who am I kidding? This wasn't mild.

"This is not how it's supposed to go," I said as I realized what I was saying. "I'm not supposed to tell you who they are. That's your job."

"How come? It's your story.

"Correction, my dear," I smiled. "It's ours."

**

After going one round on the wheel, we decided to go walk around and check the different booths in the fair. We also decided to get a slice of pizza each to eat while exploring the place and a huge cup of chocolate soda float with two straws to share.

"How were Lili and . . . ." I began as we walked by the ring toss booth. "- Uh, I mean, how were we like in your dreams?"

I had to get used to calling them our own names now. I really liked the idea anyway.

Jennie smiled as she took a sip of our drink. "We were complete opposites. You wanted a new adventure everyday; I was lazy to even go out of the house. You made me a completely different person though. Even if it just happened it my dreams, I can confidently say that the girl I eventually became then is the girl that I am now in real life."

"Really? What else have I put you through aside from being the evil brat who forced you to jump off a cliff with me?" I curiously asked.

"You surprised me with Paragliding," she said. She looked like she was mentally going back to that specific moment in her dream. "At first I didn't want to go, being the stubborn girl that I was, but you were pretty good at convincing me to do this. You were quite the irresistible charmer."

"Ahhh, I'm not denying that," I smirked. "At least I try."

"You're charming without even trying, Lisa," she grinned. "That's why even if I was shocked with all the random shenanigans you had planned for us, I still ended up doing them anyway."

" I didn't ask you to go sky diving with me or anything?"

"No, but pretty close," Jennie laughed. "You took me on a hot air balloon ride. It was really romantic... and we kissed... and then... we crashed."

I nearly choked on my drink. "We crashed?? Where?"

"To be honest, i don't know what happened next, i woke up after that."

Hearing she woke up made me feel relieved However, the thought of us actually crashing from the sky to the ground gave me chills. I hope it wasn't some sort of foreshadowing. "Did you ever find out why we crashed?" I asked.

The smile on her face disappeared when I asked the question. I wonder why.

"Um, no not really," she answered blankly. "Some dreams aren't really that detailed."

"I guess I'm going to have to just add more details from my imagination when I write it," I shrugged. Though I knew I could completely trust her, there was a voice in my head telling me that she was keeping something from me. Maybe there were certain details that she didn't want to remember.

I hope I wasn't some kind of nightmare in any way. I'd hate to imagine myself giving her something to cry about.

"Anyway, do you want to checkout the other booths?" Jennie fanned herself with her hands. She looked like she was trying to distract herself from the short silence we just shared. 

In a span of two hours, we've won ten games, gone on two mini-rollercoaster rides, rode bump cars, and downed two bags of popcorn and cotton candy. The more time I got to spend with her, the giddier I got.

"Now I'm actually feeling pumped up!" I exclaimed as we jumped down from the horses we rode in the carousel. "I think I'm in the mood to redeem myself in the ring toss game."

That was the only game I didn't win. I wanted to impress her so bad but this eight-year-old boy actually beat me.

"Are you kidding me? We already have ten stuffed animals in the car," she laughed. We did win a stuffed animal for every game. At first I wanted to just give them away to the kids who didn't win, but then I realized I wanted to keep half of them to remind me of this day.

"Alright, then can you think of anything we can do that's actually more badass than a kiddy ring toss game?" I challenged her.

"Actually, I can," she smirked. "I think it's time for revenge, Manoban"

* *

"I should have known this is what we're doing," I shook my head and snickered. The two of us were both standing at the top of a – you guessed it – a cliff!!

During the thirty-minute drive, she kept telling me that it won't even be good enough for vengeance but it's all she could think of. There was this man-made sea in the outskirts of town that we recently discovered. It had a cliff, probably half the height of the one in her dream.

"You like adventure, right?" she faced me with confidence.

"Of course," I licked my lips, as I looked right into her eyes. There were only a few inches keeping us apart. "Do you?"

"Absolutely."

"So what did we do once we got up the cliff, Ms. Kim?" I innocently asked. I loved hearing her tell me how our story built up into the splendid romance she was trying to convince me to believe, not that I had a hard time believing it.

"I wanted to cry," she answered softly. Her hands brushed down my arms, all the way down to my own hands. I felt my heart jump.

"But you made it a lot easier for me because you held my hand," she went on. "Will you hold mine now?"

"Yes, Jennie," I whispered, taking her hand in mine.

"In the count of three?"

I nodded.

"One..." she counted.

"Two..." I said after her.

We looked at each other one more time before we shouted in unison.

"Three!"

As I submerged under water, my first instinct was to look for Jennie. She was nowhere to be found. She was holding on to my hand really tight when we jumped. How was this possible?

"Jennie?" I called out her name the moment I poked my head out to gasp for air.

Still no answer.

Shit.

I went back underwater tried to find her despite the pain the saltwater was causing my eyes.

All of a sudden, I felt someone tackle me from behind.

"Gotcha!" Jennie burst into giggles.

"What the hell were you thinking?!!" I yelled. I couldn't even begin to explain how I felt when I thought that something bad had happened to her. I was starting to curse myself over and over.

"Woah..." her eyes widened, surprised by my sudden outburst. "I was just trying to scare you by hiding behind that rock the moment I plunged in the water."

"That wasn't funny," I gave her a cross stare.

"It sure was," she insisted, stifling a giggle.

"No, it wasn't."

"It was a joke," she rolled her eyes. "Don't act like as if you haven't talked me into doing crazy shit. . . ."

"Stop comparing me to the Lisa you met in your dreams!" I raised my voice in frustration. "I am not her. That douchebag obviously doesn't care about your safety."

Her cheeks suddenly turned red. She looked like she was going to cry.

Fuck. What have I done?

"Are you mad at me?" her voice croaked.

"Jennie," I sighed as I slowly swam towards her. "I'm not mad at you."

"Lisa wasn't a douchebag," she mumbled. "She gave me the best memories of my life and I will never regret doing any of them."

"Well, I'm here now," I told her, still trying to catch my breath from the sudden panic attack I had when I thought I lost her. "We'll give each other new memories. I may not be as perfect as the Lisa you fell in-love with, but I'm only human. She clearly wasn't."

Just when I thought she was about to cry, she started to laugh. "You should have seen the look on your face though."

"Never do that again, okay?" I frowned.

"No promises."

"Jennie!!"

"My, the tables have turned more than 360 degrees. You need to learn to live a little, Lisa."

"If you're going to do something stupid like that, make sure you do it with me – not to me," I sighed. "I was really worried, Jennie."

"Really?" she bit her lip, looking like a sweet, innocent child.

"Extremely," I nodded, taking her hand in mine.

I wanted to kiss her so bad. Those pink, plump lips looked lonely to me.

"Hey, you two!" an official suddenly screamed at us out of nowhere. "This is a private beach! No one's allowed to enter through the cliff!"

Great. We always ended up in an illegal situation somehow.

"I think that's our cue to go, little dare devil," I smiled, kissing her forehead instead.