13

"Chaengie I have to tell you something." Lisa said nervously the next morning after her shower.

"We'll be back babe." Chaeyoung told Jisoo who hummed at her girlfriend but didn't look, too intent on playing her game on the couch, still in her pjs. "We'll bring back coffee."

"Take my card baby!" Jisoo shouted, furiously pressing the buttons on the controller.

Jennie was already in the kitchen making brunch, considering they had all drank a little too much the night before and slept in.

Chaeyoung let Lisa take her time. They went to the coffee shop on the corner and ordered.

She only broached the subject once they were walking back and Lisa still hadn't spoken yet, she could feel the nervous energy radiating off of her.

"What haven't you told me yet?" Chaeyoung asked once they were outside, walking on the sidewalk leisurely.

Lisa took a sip of her coffee. "How do you always know?"

"I'm your best friend. You think I don't know when you hide things from me?"

"Not just with me though. You're like this with everyone." Lisa said grumpily. "How I ended up with a mind reader of a best friend I don't know because it's annoying sometimes."

"You like it Lisa. Deep down. You like that you don't have to be the one to start these kinds of conversations because I call you out on them."

"I guess you're right."

"Now what is it?" Chaeyoung probed.

"I applied for a very prestigious photography fellowship and I actually got selected."

"That's great!" Chaeyoung said hugging her tightly, almost spilling their coffees in her excitement.

"It's a year long Chaengie." Lisa said nervously.

"Okay?"

"I'd be traveling the world for it."

"I see. So you'd be leaving?" Chaeyoung asked. "For the whole year?"

"Yeah. I didn't tell you because I didn't think I'd get the rest of the funding I would need but—well. Jennie kind of hooked me up and got it for me last night."

"Hence the heavy make out session on the slot machine yesterday. That's what the photography guy thing was about?"

"Um—yeah. I guess." Lisa said blushing.

"When would you be going?"

"After Suzy's wedding."

"That soon? What about school?"

"It's a fellowship so they'll let me take leave. I don't really need to graduate for my photography major either way with this, I'll get the college credits, but I still want to come back and finish up dance."

Chaeyoung stopped them, grabbing Lisa's shoulders. "I'm proud of you Lis."

"But I'll be leaving you."

Chaeyoung teared up a bit. "You'll come back."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"I know why you didn't. I'm a baby. I'm kind of glad you held it from me because if I had accidentally cried you wouldn't have applied and you would have missed out on this great opportunity."

"You really think I should go?"

"Why wouldn't you?"

"Because I'd be leaving you behind."

"And Jennie?" Chaeyoung said knowingly.

"About that. About Jennie. I think I—I think I like her." Lisa finally admitted out loud.

After realizing she might have feelings for Jennie the night before and spending the whole night sifting through everything Jennie had done for her and for others. After her thoughtfulness and getting her connected with Gong-Yoo but especially after seeing how much she cared about that whole event and the kids and her charity— every misconception she ever had about that beautiful baby brat crumbled down.

Not to mention the sex. Lisa didn't think she'd ever felt so good before or had been attracted to anyone else like that. Not even Suzy. She needed to talk to someone about it. She had to swallow her pride and tell her best friend.

Chaeyoung snorted. "No shit. You're in love with her."

Lisa blushed. "I'm not. I'm not in love with her—I just have a little crush on her but that's just it Chaengie. I can't have a crush on her. It isn't real."

"Your feelings aren't real?" Chaeyoung probed.

"No, our relationship. It's fake, and now I'm screwed because I like her and that was like the biggest rule I wasn't supposed to break!"

"It might have started out fake but it definitely isn't any more. I think your fake relationship got real that first day when you kissed her on the cheek to prove to us you were really dating." Chaeyoung pointed out matter-of-factly as she took a sip of her own drink. Waiting for Lisa to choke on hers and then giggling when Lisa started sputtering just as predicted.

Chaeyoung patted her back until she recovered.

"You knew?!" Lisa asked incredulously.

"Of course I knew!"

"How?!"

"Lisa. Really? You told me a couple of days before that you had pretended to be her fake date and then you announced your relationship. Right after Kai tries to humiliate Jennie for cheating on her and you tell your ex girlfriend you have a girlfriend when clearly you didn't and then you magically produced one with Jennie after telling me of all people to be your date for that wedding because you were that desperate? You're both stubborn as hell but you're idiots who liked each other even then and just used this as an excuse to finally get close in a way that wouldn't sting your pride—though I doubt either of you have accepted that part yet. Did you really think I wouldn't piece all of that together?"

"Then why did you go along with it?"

"I told you, I always thought you would be good together. You were just too stubborn to figure it out because you were both too busy being proud over your misconceptions of each other when you first met." Chaeyoung said. "Plus, it was really fun to watch you guys pretend to pretend to like each other when you clearly already did. You both tried to convince us and then got lost in each other and then had to pretend to each other you didn't like it too. There was a whole lot of pretending going on. It was the greatest thing I've ever seen. I'm glad I stopped trying to get you guys together because I would have missed all of that."

"I don't know if I should call you manipulative, a genius, or both. Here I thought you were the good one." Lisa shook her head incredulously.

"Jisoo rubbed off on me."

"I bet she did." Lisa said suggestively in retaliation.

Chaeyoung blushed and smacked her.

"Anyway. Jennie doesn't like me. So I'm fucked, how am I going to hide these sudden feelings Chaengie! You know how awkward I can be when I like someone and I don't want them to know!"

"They're definitely not sudden, you're just dense and wouldn't admit them, but you're right. She doesn't like you."

Lisa's heart kind of dropped at that.

"She doesn't like you, she's in love with you Lis." Chaeyoung said, rolling her eyes when she saw Lisa's shoulder's droop.

"She is not."

Chaeyoung sighed heavily. Emotionally stunted children, all of them.

_____________

"What's got you so happy Jendeukie?" Jisoo asked as she went into the kitchen. The smell of breakfast drawing her in. She drank a little too much last night courtesy of her mom, she was starving.

"Hmm?" Jennie said smiling as she made the last of the French toast and started cutting up some fruit.

"You're dancing around all happy and shit. Did you and Mano-bang again?" Jisoo said, snickering at her own joke. "So glad I was too drunk and passed out last night. You were seriously too loud the first time. Poor chipmunk. I'll have to have her ears cleansed. She suffered through it all by herself this time."

Jennie just shrugged in response.

Jisoo narrowed her eyes.

"Why are you acting weird?"

"I'm not." Jennie protested.

"You didn't insult me though." Jisoo said as if she was pointing out the obvious.

"Why would I?"

"Because I just teased you about having sex with Lisa."

"You don't even know if we did or we didn't." Jennie pointed out, smirking.

"Judging by the way you're acting I'm gonna go with a resounding Yes! Yes! Yes!" Jisoo pretended to moan the last couple of Yeses to try to get under Jennie's skin but Jennie just giggled.

"What the hell Jendeukie! It's not fun when you don't get mad when I tease you!"

"We're grown adults. People have sex. Especially when they're together." Jennie said. Fake together, but hell even then it happens apparently. She figured she just entered a cross between a fake relationship agreement and a one night stand one. Maybe friends with benefits?

Jennie didn't know or care. Even if they didn't have sex again. Lisa sort of rocked her world twice already and Jennie would probably do it again if she went back in time even though they'll soon break up and Jennie would be left having to settle her feelings for Lisa.

"So you did have sex!" Jisoo pointed with narrowed eyes.

Jennie smiled mischievously and shrugged. "Don't remember. Why don't you ask your chipmunk?"

Jisoo frowned.

The girls walked in, coffee in tow and Jennie couldn't help her smile getting wider.

"There's my idiot. Thank you." Jennie said as Lisa handed her the coffee. She got on her tiptoes to peck Lisa on the lips and giggled when she read the name on the coffee cup.

Ice Queen.

"Funny." Jennie said taking a sip. "At least you get the Ice Queen's overly complicated coffee order right each time."

Jennie grabbed Lisa's hand and took her to the dining room, the other girls following.

"Sit. Made your favorite." Jennie said as she loaded Lisa's plate with French toast and strawberries.

Lisa's heart skipped a beat because Jennie was giving her a warm tight lipped smile she had never seen directed at her before. She didn't know if she'd ever seen that smile on Jennie before in general and if it was anything Lisa had catalogued of Jennie, it was her different types of smiles and her varying giggles.

They ate together and as usual Jennie and Lisa had a feeding war and Lisa forgot she was supposed to be creating space because Jennie kept giggling and Lisa kept swooning.

"They totally banged again." Jisoo said as she watched them like a hawk so she could figure it out.

Lisa blushed, freezing from where she had been trying to feed Jennie a strawberry. "You heard us again?" Lisa asked sheepishly.

"Ha!" Jisoo said triumphantly. Like she had just solved the world's biggest mystery.

Jennie face palmed.

"What?" Lisa asked as she watched Jennie facepalm.

"Nothing. She's just been trying to figure it out since this morning considering she drank so much and passed out cold."

"Oh. Sorry." Lisa said, feeling embarrassed she just outed them.

"It's okay." Jennie shrugged. "We're together, people do those things when they're together."

Lisa caught Chaeyoung smirking at her after that comment from across the table. Her look was saying I told you so.

"Are you already giving up Manoban?" Jennie asked teasingly.

"Hmm?" Lisa asked, turning back to Jennie who was holding up a piece of French toast to her.

"Oh. No." Lisa said, opening her mouth as Jennie fed her. Feeling a little flustered.

Jennie finally lost the war because her phone kept ringing.

"I guess you win again but only by default." Jennie pointed at Lisa, glaring playfully. "I'm only taking it because it might be urgent but this is not me tapping out."

Lisa's fucking heart needed to chill out. This was so not good. Why couldn't she have stayed ignorant of her feelings forever because now everything Jennie did she either found adorable or cute, and no that wasn't the same thing in Lisa's eyes, not when it came to Jennie. She had varying degrees of cuteness so yes she needed both words to describe them. Just how gorgeous, sexy, and hot did not mean the same thing either when it came to Jennie Kim. That baby brat had range in the realm of prettiness.

Lisa was so done.

Her eentsy bitsy crush might not be so eentsy bitsy.

Lisa caught Chaeyoung staring at her in amusement and Lisa avoided her eyes, staring at her plate.

They heard Jennie raise her voice a second later and Lisa almost got up from the table to ask what was wrong. She froze though as the screams got louder and louder and they heard her rant.

___________

Jennie looked at the caller i.d on her phone and rolled her eyes.

Incoming call

Sperm Donor

She wasn't going to answer, she screened the call but he kept calling her so she finally just answered to tell him to fuck off.

"I was under the impression that when people cut each other off that it meant cutting them out of your lives completely, not just financially." Jennie said with no other greeting.

"My daughter. Hello to you too."

"What do you want President Kim?" Jennie asked impatiently. She had been having such a good breakfast with her fake girlfriend and her favorite cousin and her best friend and he just had to go and ruin it.

"You had a very successful charity event that I wasn't invited to. I'm very offended. I've called so you can explain yourself for that mishap."

"Why would I invite you?" Jennie said derisively. "Even if I wanted to, which I didn't in case you haven't gotten the hint yet, it wouldn't have been your type of crowd anyway. No pompous assholes with deep pockets to kiss up to and try to look good around."

She could hear him huff at the other end of the line.

"Your aunt was there. You invited her but not me."

"I actually like my aunt."

"I could have helped you. I'm the President of the university. I have events all the time."

"Yeah, charity events that you don't help organize or do anything but just tack your name to them and clearly I didn't need your help. You just said it yourself. It was very successful. Now what do you want? I'm busy."

"I have a proposition."

"I'm hanging up."

"Jennie." He warned. "You'll want to hear this."

Jennie rolled her eyes.

"Doubtful, and I'm still hanging up."

Jennie moved to hang up the phone and she heard her father blubbering.

"You'll need me for your next one! I can help sponsor it! This one was a one hit wonder! Things like this aren't as easy as you think. You got lucky. "

Jennie lost her temper. She was just going to hang up but now she was pissed.

"Excuse me?!" Jennie almost shouted into the phone.

"You're young Jennie. You think these things come easy. What will you do for your next event? How are you planning to get funding to keep your charity going? Do you even have anything planned? Did you even have a plan in the first place? Your aunt won't be there to help set up the causes for you forever you know, she has her own charity she's busy with. I can help."

Jennie's blood boiled.

"The audacity of you saying those things to me when you know absolutely nothing." Jennie said menacingly, voice still raised.

"Not that you deserve to know, but you're really starting to piss me off so let me just straighten it out for you. I've had a ten year plan for this charity that I've drafted and redrafted over and over ever since I was fourteen. I found those kids. I got them their doctors. I organized their travel and their surgeries and their accommodations. I planned the actual event with the help of some very capable people, none of them which included Auntie Kim. I got my own funding." Jennie kept raising her voice as she spoke.

"You President Kim?" Jennie said derisively. " What have you done besides throw the weight of your name and your position around and take advantage of new charities so they let you cohost without you doing absolutely anything just like you're trying to do with me now. Please!" Jennie laughed then. "You're just a pathetic old man that doesn't know how to do anything for himself. I dare you to plan one on your own. I dare you to do one thing by yourself and not use other people like you do to do it for you just because you're wealthy and the president and then come back to me and say those things to me. You won't though, you'll swallow your own words that you directed at me and realize that this whole time you needed me. Not the other way around."

Jennie hung up the phone angrily. She ran into her room and slammed the door. Jumping on to the bed and screaming into her pillow. Punching the bed and screaming in anger because she was so damn tired of his shit. As if Jennie would let him put his name on one of her events. His name attracted the very people Jennie hated.

_______

"Shit." Jisoo said as they heard Jennie despite her being all the way in the living room. That apartment really was big and they were the farthest away from her in the dining room. "Not good."

They heard the door slam a second later and Jennie's muffled screams.

"Go to her Lis." Chaeyoung said. She could tell Lisa had been battling herself. As Chaeyoung had expected. Lisa ran away from feelings. She knew as soon as Lisa had realized she liked Jennie she would try to bolt. "Go!"

Lisa got up quickly, losing her internal battle and went to Jennie's room, knocking lightly on the door.

"Jennie?"

She heard a muffled "Yes?"

"Can I come in?"

"I guess but you can't look at me."

Lisa opened the door and shut it behind her. Jennie had burrowed her entire body under the covers.

"Why can't I look at you?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"Just because. Idiot." Jennie added.

Lisa heard a sniffle after that.

"I have allergies." Jennie tried to lie because it had accidentally escaped her. She felt the covers being ripped away from her and a dip on the bed. "I said you couldn't look at me!"

Jennie turned around angrily, facing her back to Lisa.

Lisa got into the bed and spooned her from behind.

Jennie melted instantly into her embrace, the tears still silently falling.

"What's wrong. Why are you crying baby brat? I'm sorry we accidentally eavesdropped but honestly to me it sounded like you put his entitled ass in his place. There's no reason for you to be the one crying right now, it should be him because you completely destroyed his ego with the truth."

Jennie started playing with Lisa's left hand that was wrapped around her. Looking down at each finger individually before playing with the next one.

"I just hate what he does to me. He said every single thing I was afraid of. He insinuated my aunt did all of it which is what I had been afraid of people thinking. He said I got lucky and that I couldn't do it on my own and it's so frustrating because I worked so hard but people are still going to think how he thinks and what if he's right and I do mess up and I can't keep getting funding and—"

Lisa cut her off, gently jumping over her body and facing her. Jennie blinked twice, not expecting that, not expecting Lisa to be so close and to see her crying. Her breath hitched a bit when Lisa wiped the tears from her eyes.

Jennie tried to duck her head so Lisa wouldn't see her puffy eyes and tear stained face, feeling embarrassed, but Lisa held her in place with a gentle hand on her cheek, holding her there firmly and stroking her cheek with her thumb.

"How much money did your projections tell you that you needed to make?" Lisa asked softly.

"At least 160,000" Jennie mumbled, avoiding looking at Lisa directly. She was so sure she was ugly right now and she didn't want to look at Lisa in the eye knowing she could see how awful she looked.

"And how much did you actually make?

"Three times that, but I still have to double check the numbers from last night and that might not—"

Lisa cut her off again. Shaking her head at her so Jennie shut her mouth mid-sentence.

"And what was your budget for the year to continue running compared to what you literally made last night?"

"Half of that."

"So you're telling me, that you really think you'll fail considering you made in one night what it takes to run this thing for two years? Even I know better than that and I suck at numbers. Though I did get better after seeing you work on this thing." Lisa added thoughtfully. "I knew nothing about budgets and overhead costs before."

"Yeah but—"

"—But nothing Jennie. He's bitter and trying to psych you out by picking you apart because you're already doing so much better than him and he's jealous and honestly, I kind of have a confession to make. I think a lot of that retaliation over his fragile ego is my fault. I think that call you just had to deal with was because of me and I need to apologize to you for it. For being vengeful and now you're crying because of it."

"What? Vengeful? What do you mean?"

"He showed up last night. I figured he would if he found out about it so I had Jungkook, the guy I helped find you that did your security?"

"Yeah I remember him, he was really good. Sweet too. I thought security guys were all angry guys looking for a legal excuse to fight."

"Oh he'll take you down with a smile on his face. He's competitive, but he's not unnecessarily rough like other security guys which is why I liked him for your charity. He used to be a bouncer and he might have had to kick me out once but—Anyway I'm getting off track here." Lisa cut herself off, Jennie didn't need to know that story.

"I told Jungkook to keep an eye out for an entitled man that claimed to be your father and I kind of had him taunt him first before letting him in. I just wanted him to see for himself what you had done. Then I might have accidentally on purpose rubbed it in his face that you were way better than him and told him to make bets on the tables so you can play him again and take his money once more?" Lisa finished with a guilty look on her face.

"He was there?" Jennie asked. "I didn't see him."

"I told Jungkook to keep him away from you at all times. I didn't want him to ruin your night. I just wanted him to see what you could do and that he made a mistake cutting you off. I just wanted to make him regret it. I didn't think he would call you. Are you mad at me now?"

This would have normally been one of those times when Jennie would have swallowed it down but after last night Jennie had already made a choice.

She touched Lisa's face and then leaned up to kiss her. Moving her lips over hers slowly and she smiled internally at the fact Lisa was reciprocating. Jennie pulled back after a minute.

"Thank you. You're so sweet."

Lisa's heart was acting erratic again from the random kiss and the soft look Jennie was giving her.

Lisa had to clear her throat before speaking.

"That's nothing compared to what you did for me." Lisa said honestly. "How could I ever repay you for that or thank you enough. You literally just helped make it possible for me to chase my dream."

Jennie's eyes sparkled. "I told you, that wasn't me, that was all you. I just used those connections I hate so much to reach out. I met him at a gala and he was the only one who wasn't boring, he had interesting stories about his photos and his trips so I remembered him. I just showed him your own hard work. You shouldn't have to thank me for that, it's not your fault I was the one born with a silver spoon and not you. Though I'm sure you would have figured out a way to do it on your own eventually. I just helped shorten the time."

Lisa's heart swelled at her words.

"I'm sorry." Lisa said honestly.

"For what?" Jennie asked in confusion.

"For thinking you were just another entitled rich kid and taunting you about using daddy's money. You're far from that. You're humble and kind and you got thrown into circumstances beyond your control that I honestly think you handled perfectly, especially at sixteen. I can't believe you had the foresight to do all this. So I'm sorry, for being just like your crappy father and tearing you down. You didn't deserve it."

Jennie blushed. "I didn't mean to cut you off Lisa."

"What?" Lisa asked in confusion. "Cut me off?"

"That day, at the restaurant. In the parking lot. When we all had dinner the first time? I didn't mean to cut you off. My dad had Kai over unannounced and expected me to stay and cater to him even though I had plans. He spewed some bullshit about me neglecting him for my friends and it pissed me off and I don't even remember driving there or even parking. I was so angry.

I thought you were lying to be honest. At first I thought you might be like one of those people that make up stories just to make me feel bad about having money or you were going to say I really did hit your bumper so you could sue me, it happened all the time. I'm sorry for thinking that about you too. You're way too honest, probably to a fault considering you didn't cash my father's check. Anyway, I was so angry at you and wanted to prove you wrong that I looked in my car's black box and realized I had cut you off after all after looking at the video."

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Lisa giggled.

"I was embarrassed! And too proud." Jennie put her hands in her face, blushing. "Mostly I thought you would think I was lying and had made up a story and that I would end up confirming your suspicions that I was just some spoiled brat who lied to you to get her way and look innocent. So I just let you think that I did it on purpose. I thought you would think that anyway even if I explained myself."

Lisa shook her head, pulling Jennie's hands back from her face.

"So we've been fighting for nearly two years over some stupid misunderstanding?" Lisa said, eyes glinting with a disbelieving smile on her face.

"We're idiots aren't we?" Jennie said, smiling too.

"I guess we are. You weren't wrong all those years, calling me that after all." Lisa joked.

"I never really meant it." Jennie said honestly. "Though you are a little reckless and I don't like that but you're not a complete idiot. You idiot." Jennie finished smirking.

"Baby brat." Lisa grinned. Lisa was still holding Jennie's wrists.

Jennie was looking at Lisa with these intense unreadable eyes. Lisa wanted nothing more but to close the gap between them again. She let go of Jennie's wrists instead and her wishful thinking told her there had been disappointment in Jennie's eyes as she let her go.

Jennie had almost thought Lisa would kiss her just then, but she was disappointed. She had to remember Lisa wasn't into her too. She should be glad that at least it seemed like they had finally settled their differences, despite her heart aching at knowing Lisa didn't want more, like she did.

"So, does that mean we're actual friends now?" Jennie asked. "Or do you still hate me?"

"I don't think I ever hated you." Lisa said honestly. She really hated the 'friend' word right now though. "We're still together so we can't be friends. We'll be friends when we break up." Lisa said jokingly, holding up a pinky.

Jennie took it, lacing it in between her own.

Jennie didn't let go, leaving their pinkies laced and setting them on the bed and Lisa felt the intensity of her gaze again. Lisa couldn't look away.

Jennie wished and hoped Lisa would make a move, maybe she liked her too after all. The way Lisa was looking at her was giving her butterflies in her stomach. Maybe Lisa wanted more too, maybe she was wrong because Lisa hadn't let go yet either and those doe eyes were making her melt.

Lisa almost leaned in to kiss her. Every fiber of her being wanted her to and she felt like Jennie's eyes were telling her to kiss her too. She leaned in almost imperceptibly but then stopped herself as soon as she moved.

Lisa had a sudden realization. She would be leaving soon anyway. She couldn't start anything for real with Jennie and then just leave them both heartbroken. She couldn't leave Jennie heartbroken when she left. They only had so much time left to build an actual relationship and for what? Just to break it off in a couple of months. What could they even become in that short amount of time other than heartbroken. Too many people had left Lisa, she couldn't do that to Jennie. She refused to.

Lisa grinned, trying to break the tension and rolled over on her back, unlinking their pinkies. "Wanna watch something?"

She didn't miss the look of disappointment on Jennie's face this time. It was obvious, even for someone as dense with feelings as her.

"Yeah. Sure. You pick. I'll go get some snacks." Jennie said flatly, rushing up off the bed.

Jennie walked to the kitchen dejectedly. She was glad she had just had that argument with her father because neither Chaeyoung or Jisoo asked why she looked so upset like they would have under any other circumstance.

Jennie walked back to the room and laid on the bed.

"Do you want to watch a K-Drama?" Lisa asked.

"That's fine." Jennie said without looking at Lisa and opening her tub of ice cream. Afraid her eyes would give her feelings away.

Lisa's heart dropped because Jennie looked sad and the fact she just agreed to watch something on the first try, a k-drama no less which Jennie always found cheesy, clued her in to Jennie's state. Jennie always told Lisa to pick but really she just wanted her to guess what Jennie wanted to watch or eat and this time she didn't even fight her.

Lisa swallowed hard and just picked the first drama she saw. Jennie ignored Lisa most of the time. Even eating some of the snacks she would have never been caught dead eating. Lisa thought she looked like she was mostly staring off into space.

Lisa spent the night, they didn't even cuddle that time. Jennie stayed on her side of the bed, on the very edge facing away from Lisa.

Jennie had to create space. The rejection from earlier a little too fresh. She thought Lisa might like her too. She was going to have to stop trying to take advantage of this fake relationship after all, it hurt too much to get rejected after having hope.

_________