Limerence (Chaelisa)

Chapter 1: After All This Time

"L-lisa?"

She's stuttering. Is she nervous to see me? Scared? Or maybe just surprised.

"What are you doing here?"

I find myself fidgeting with the lint in the pocket of my jeans. "Working. This is my job. What're you doing here?"

"I'm also working, this is also my job," her words come out slowly and her voice is now even and emotionless.

It all clicks inside my head. My manager said that there is another employee working the same shift as me. That other employee is Chaeyoung but she was just a little late today.

"Is this your first day?" Chaeyoung asks. She starts to drag herself across the room, leaving behind a trail of water.

"Uh, yeah"

Chaeyoung walks past me, pushing open the kitchen door.

The rain had washed most of it off, but my nose picks up on the slightest hint of her rosy perfume. She's always had a thing for roses, since her English name is Roseanne.

I follow her into the kitchen, where she wrings the rainwater out of her jacket and hair.

I wish I knew what she was thinking of right now.

This is the first time we've properly seen each other in six years. I want to know how she feels about me, now that we're no longer fourteen.

"Lalisa, can you hand me the mop. I need to clean up the mess I just made."

Lalisa.

She said my full name.

I want her to say my name again.

"Lisa?" Chaeyoung asks, snapping me out of my daze.

"Huh?" I ask.

"Nevermind," Chaeyoung says, "I'll just do it myself."

She walks toward the other side of the kitchen and grabs the mop that's lazily leaning against the tiled wall.

Did I just make myself look like an idiot? Yes, I did.

This sucks. I never had to worry about being an idiot in front of Chaeyoung.

I follow her back out of the kitchen.

I have nothing better to do so I watch as she starts to mop the floor.

"Um," Chaeyoung stops to look at me, "are you just going to stand there and watch me?"

"Oh, sorry," I say with a small chuckle.

Did I just make myself look like an idiot again? Yup.

How can Chaeyoung talk to me so easily after six years? Can she not see how nervous I am to see her? I wonder if she wants to be friends now that we're all grown up.

"So Chaeyoung, it's been a while..." I mumble.

"Yeah, I suppose it has been."

"How have you been?"

"Good."

Is she being honest? She's been 'good' without me in her life?

Because every time I think of Chaeyoung, I feel like shit.

But I suppose it makes sense. People do things to make themselves happy. Chaeyoung got rid of me to make herself happy.

Sometimes I think I have a problem. I still want Chaeyoung in my life even though she's told me she doesn't want me in hers.

"I've been good, too," I lie. "I go to the Seoul University of Fine Arts. I live on campus with Jennie and Jisoo. I didn't meet them until last year went I started university but they're really cool people. Oh, and I'm majoring in dance. It's fun, I want to be a choreographer—"

"Lisa," Chaeyoung cuts me off, "I didn't really need to know."

What did I just do? Why did I just suddenly start rambling about how my life has been. Chaeyoung doesn't care.

"Sorry, it's just that it's been so long since we last talked."

"It has been so long since we last talked. But Lisa, I need you to understand that nothing has changed."

Nothing has changed.

Chaeyoung still wants to have nothing to do with me.

first chapter!

i wrote this a couple of months ago and i finally decided to publish it. yes, i am aware that the grammar is sucky oops

pls vote because it motivates me to write some more chaelisa goodness.

now if you'd excuse me i'm going to go watch some blackpink house