"Jennie!" she squealed, wrapping her arms around her in a big hug.
"Oh my God sweet girl, I am so glad you're home. We have been thinking about you non-stop and counting down the hours until you'd get here!"
Home? Did Mina just say home?
"Fellas, this is Jin." Marcus said, taking Jin around and introducing him to the other members of the team as they exchanged handshakes.
Two more high pitched squeals sounded from behind Jennie and broke her concentration as Claire and Ji-eun joined in, creating a gigantic group hug. "Finally! We've been so ready for you to get here." Ji-eun said with Claire nodding in agreement. The small group of women were hugging her so tightly that Jennie could hardly breathe. They weren't just glad she was there, they were ecstatic which gave Jennie the most unexpected sense of comfort and calm... like she belonged there.
"And what am I? Chopped liver?" Hoony said, moping over the fact that Jennie got a hug before he did. Ji-eun registered Hoony's voice immediately and broke free from their hug to turn towards him only to find him standing there with his bottom lip curled out in an over-exaggerated sad pout. "Aww don't give me that face." Ji-eun said, walking towards him with one hand behind her back.
"She got you a present from the gift shop, Hollywood." Eric said with a sly grin on his face, that got everyone's attention. The entire group watched as Ji-eun playfully pulled a small book from behind her back and held it up so Hoony could see the cover.
Lisa's big contagious laugh was the first thing that Jennie heard as she nearly doubled over at the sight of the book. "Is that a French translation book?" Lisa asked between fits of laughter.
Jennie must have missed the joke, because the entire group roared with laughter at the sight of the book, cackling and howling at Hoony's expense.
"Fuck every single one of you... except Jennie." Hoony said, pulling Ji-eun in for a hug and extending a middle finger out to the rest of the team.
"Even me?" Ji-eun said pulling her head from Hoony's chest to see if the 'fuck you' he had just delivered was meant for her as well.
"Oh especially you... you're the only one I really want to fu..." Hoony stopped mid-sentence with his hand laced in Ji-eun's hair, preparing to give her an aggressive kiss, but noticing the families that were scowling at him.
"Jesus! Hoony there are kids running around here." Claire said, giving a family of four an apologetic smile that wasn't well received.
"Ah let them watch." Hoony said against Ji-eun's mouth as he delivered a playfully aggressive kiss.
I've never seen such tough men turn into complete mush before.
Mina and Ji-eun had single-handedly melted the badass operatives into puddles and Jennie was loving the change in dynamics. She figured they'd be different around the women they loved, but she had no idea the extent of the tenderness and affection. It was definitely a different side of the men who she'd shared her home with, but she was loving this side of them. "We'll let Bambam and Mina explain the French story to you." Lisa said to Jennie as she wrapped Jennie up in her arms from behind.
"It's hysterical." Mina assured her. "But one that definitely needs to be told over drinks."
"Speaking of drinks, we were planning on having a welcome home party for Jennie at our house tonight, but if you'd rather be alone, we totally understand that and can easily call the whole thing off. It's your call sweet girl. You just let me know what you're comfortable with." Mina was asking Jennie, but kept looking at Lisa for approval as well.
"Give us a sec, Mina." Lisa said, giving Jennie the opportunity to voice her true opinions to her privately in order to make her feel more comfortable. "That's your call sweetheart. We can do whatever you want. If you'd rather be alone there's nothing wrong with that. You've been through a lot and everyone will understand." Lisa said softly, giving her an out if she wanted it.
Jennie stood there and thought about it for a second or two, but she had already made up her mind the second that Mina and the girls had hugged her. "You know what? I've spent most of my life alone without genuine friends, I think it's time to change that. I'd love to go to the party tonight and I think being around a large group of people I feel comfortable around will be a good thing." Her words caused a smile to stretch all the way across Lisa's face and she loved the way Lisa was looking at her.
"Then party it is. Honestly I don't care where we go baby, I'm just so glad you're here." Lisa said, planting a soft kiss on Jennie's lips before turning back towards Mina who was grinning ear to ear.
"Party's on." Lisa said, eliciting hoots and hollers from the entire team.
Jennie watched as the group in front of her instantly took Jin in as one of them and loved the way the girls had swarmed her. In the few minutes they had been in California, Jennie felt more at peace and more at home than she'd ever felt anywhere else. She knew deep down it had nothing to do with geography and everything to do with the people she was surrounded with.
This feels like home. This feels like family.
Chapter 64
Start from the beginning
