The Girl Next Door - Jenlisa

Chapter 17

If only baristas would stop flirting and if only women's voices stopped sounding like Jennie's.

"Alright Miss Kim, it should be ready in a to-go cup in about 3 minutes."

And of course she's a 'Miss Kim'. Because it's not enough that she sounds like Jennie, she has to be a 'Miss Kim', too and--

Wait, what?

Lisa's head whipped so hard she swore a few bones in her neck cracked. But standing in front of the cashier, apparently not an imagination nor an apparition, was Jennie Kim.

Jennie in her tall intimidating heels and long slender legs and strong cat eyes that softly surveyed the wallet in front of her for loose change and then some.

Jennie who looked a lot like the woman who kept haunting Lisa's dreams but presented so much better in real life. As always.

Then it dawned on her: why would it be impossible for Jennie to be here when it was Lisa herself who was at the ground floor of KT Telecom building—you know, the same building the Head of APAC Partnerships went to?

God, Lisa swore all this daydreaming made her stupid sometimes.

The Thai fidgeted: a part of her wanted to say hi and do business, pretend like the last time they saw each other wasn't in her office and trying to make the room smell of sex. But a part of her – the excruciatingly embarrassing part of her – was also a little hesitant and...shy. Of picking up where they last left off. Because the thousand and one scenarios in her head weren't helping her anxiety, she had to meet Jennie in a coffee shop, too.

An open place that doesn't fully define who they are. Where there are no four walls that could keep their secrets. A place where the bane of small talk might even be necessary.

Like, well, normal people.

"Add a small long black coffee to go, please." Oh, Christ. Apparently her mouth had a brain of its own.

Lisa almost slapped her forehead and felt skittish as she pushed herself to quickly jump ahead of the line. For all her years of feeling confident with women she felt like an intruder in this uncertain skin as she settled beside Jennie and extending a credit card in hand.

The blonde cleared her throat along with the awkwardness that she hasn't seen on her since she was maybe 16 years old. "On me, with Ms Kim's order."

The barista waited for a confirmation from Jennie's eyes before he grabbed a paper cup. "Name?"

It took an indiscernible second to slip back into the skin she wore to win: the confident, suave, if not slightly insufferable Partnerships and Business Development Director Lisa Manoban.

"Lisa."

The barista seemed appeased and swiped her card quickly before handing it back. Jennie eyed her reservedly, her tight lips curbing into a small acknowledgement. "Ms Manoban."

"Ms Kim," Failing to moderate the nervous playfulness in her tone, Lisa quietly cleared her throat before letting herself speak again. "Didn't expect to see you here."

"Yeah, well, my office is just upstairs, Ms Manoban," Her words languid but cheeky. "As I'm sure you're very well aware."

"I don't need reminding," Lisa stopped herself from launching into another tactless innuendo. The implication in the stressed words felt like a trap, but the last time she let her mouth run loose, it almost careened into a near nightmare she really didn't want to go back to. If she's going to rise to the bait, she'll let Jennie clearly lay out her cards first.