Except You, Love

• 5 •

Chaeyoung finds herself more attached to her phone as of late.

An incremental change in their dynamic had occurred in recent weeks, the rapport they had started to rebuild at Grounders having opened up the lines of communication. She feels the shift in atmosphere, even if it's pixel-based and happening character by character.

(Lisa) 10:37
Ugh, client won't budge.

(Chaeyoung) 10:50
Couldn't sway them with that fancy Ivy League degree?

As she stares at her impulsive tease, she realises some habits are hard to break.

It was a reflex for Chaeyoung to rib Lisa about her alma mater. Though there was never any bite to it knowing how extremely hard the girl had worked to earn her scholarship and a coveted spot in both the Bachelor's and Masters programs at Columbia. Architecture student Lisa would usually retort that art student Chaeyoung was in no position to cast a stone about higher education elitism when she herself attended an upper echelon private art school.

Thankfully, architect Lisa seems unfazed by the return to form.

(Lisa) 10:51
No, I missed the intro course on Dealing with Clients Who Think They Can Design. I've spent my morning trying to convince him that gold-spotted bricks is a tad overkill.

(Chaeyoung) 10:52
And the Manobal charm didn't work? I remember you could sell tissue paper as canvas to an artist.

Chaeyoung worries her lip, another slip, hoping the banter doesn't come across as too familiar or flirty. Engaging in conversation with Lisa has always caused a natural pull of her lips; she's having a hard time remembering that this is 2021 Chaeyoung texting 2021 Lisa, and not their 2017 counterparts.

(Lisa) 10:54
You were convinced you'd fail the final hand-in if you didn't have the right stretched cotton. I was simply pointing out that if you only had a toothbrush and tissue paper it'd still be a masterpiece.

(Lisa) 10:55
Frustrating that I can't change his mind. Apparently my range of effect is limited to blondes.

Chaeyoung holds her breath seeing the dots appear and disappear in quick successions. Lisa likely realised, belatedly, the meaning of her text. Chaeyoung has never known ellipses to be such a cliff-hanger.

She grins, amused, imagining the crease of brow on the other end of the line, chastising impulsive thumbs. It would seem she's not the only one caught up in old habits. She wants to draw out the tease but then Lisa's next message deflects.

(Lisa) 10:56
Wait, don't you work for yourself?

(Chaeyoung) 10:56
Yes?

(Lisa) 10:57
Sounds ideal. Right now, I'd rather work for you too.

Chaeyoung couldn't keep the blush off her cheeks and was glad Lisa couldn't see it through her screen. Though she was sure nothing more was meant by the innocent comment, and was so far from where her imagination should have taken her, it nonetheless set her heart afire to think of Lisa in any position under her.

After Grounders, they started to text more frequently, testing the waters with a few stray ones, and then more filtered in as the weeks unfolded. Tiny humans worked well as ice-breakers. Chaeyoung had kicked things off by inquiring after the Warriors well-being, and whether the gallons of ice cream had been counterproductive to the day's fitness agenda.

Lisa had lobbied back about the elasticity of their bottomless stomachs and ridiculously high metabolism—and that besides, the aftermath of their indulgence was the worry for other adults. Chaeyoung's decry of it being a cruel punishment for their hard-working, unsuspecting parents and caregivers went unheard.