No Strings Attached

two

"And I wasn't the only one with you when that happened. If Sehun's words hold any truth to them then Jennie was by your side all along. She has seen you at your lowest Jongin and if that didn't scare her away then what else possibly could?" Kyungsoo, asked him. "Jennie's not Soojung, she won't give up on you and your relationship when things get tough. If she wanted to she could have done that already. You can't keep living like this. You have already opened up to her and given her your heart bit by bit so what's stopping you from giving it to her completely?"

Jongin sighed once again, Kyungsoo's words having struck a nerve within him. Kyungsoo was right. The only person besides Kyungsoo who truly knew of what he went through following his break up with Soojung was Jennie. She was there with him all along. She would hold him in her arms and let him cry his heart out, never once complaining or asking anything until Jongin himself was ready to tell her. She wouldn't murmur useless words like 'it's going to be okay' or 'you'll get over her'. She just held him and wiped his tears with her tender kisses and that was more than enough for him. Words weren't needed for her to understand and comfort him and now he wished he could do the same to her.

Jennie Kim, to him, was an enigma. She could be so close to him, in his arms and she'd still be so far away. He knew practically everything about her, her likes and dislikes, her past relationships and yet he felt like he knew nothing about her. So the fact that she of all people had fallen in love with him left him completely and utterly speechless and before he could even react to her confession she had walked out of his life.

"What do I do, Kyungsoo?" Jongin groaned, tugging at his hair. "I keep screwing everything up, don't I?"

"We'll figure something out. Let's get out of here first and grab something to eat. Sehun's been blowing up my phone asking if you're with me and if you're okay. He thinks he was too harsh on you and now he feels bad." Kyungsoo replies, patting Jongin's back.

"No, I needed that. I've been acting like a complete tool. He brought me back to my senses." Jongin finally got up and walked out with Kyungsoo in tow.

"Unnie, you haven't been getting much sleep, have you?" Lisa asked Jennie somberly as she dabbed at the bags under her eyes with a beauty blender before reaching for the concealer to apply one more layer for better coverage.

"I guess..." Jennie mumbled distractedly.

It was true. Jennie was having trouble sleeping for the past two days, even with the sleeping pills she had stolen from her mom's drawers. She either cried herself to sleep in the wee hours of the morning and spent the whole day sleeping or excessively cleaning, starting from scrubbing the walls and windows to vacuuming and mopping the floor, dusting everything and even reorganizing her closet. It was a mechanism she had developed over the years to distract herself when she was upset.

She felt like someone had placed a huge boulder on her heart and the pressure was increasing bit by bit making it increasingly difficult for her to even breathe.

"Unnie, you can't ruin your health and well-being because of him. You have to take care of yourself. Try not to think of him that much." Her fingers expertly moved on Jennie's face hiding any blemishes or imperfections.

"That's easier said than done, Lisa. I'm trying." Jennie began to feel the symptoms of a migraine coming, tired of the same conversation.

Lisa noticed her mood before swiftly changing topics, "Anyway, do you know where Taeyong oppa's taking you, unnie?"

"Yeah, he's taking me to the new French restaurant in Gangnam. Apparently it has good security measures and is mindful of privacy." She replied.

Jennie had a date with Taeyong in precisely an hour and thirty minutes and Lisa was helping her get ready since Jennie was in no condition to do so herself.

"Is he coming to pick you up?"

"No, I asked him to meet me there, you know how Jisoo unnie is. She won't let the poor guy go without an interrogation and I don't think he's up for that yet." Jennie said, closing her eyes and allowing Lisa to apply the liquid eyeliner on her lids.

"I'm sure you'll have a great time unnie. Like Chaeyoung said, Taeyong oppa is a great guy. Try to give him a chance, maybe you'll be pleased with the results." Lisa encouraged her and some of her never-ending positivity seeped into Jennie as she cracked her first smile in three days.

"Okay Lalisa, I'll try my best."

"Unnie, are you ready??!?" Chaeyoung's voice reached them before she did as she happily skipped into Jennie's room.

"Almost." Lisa replied, putting the finishing touches on Jennie's makeup.

"Unnie, what are you wearing?" Chaeyoung asked.

Jennie just shrugged, gesturing to the pile of clothes on her bed, "no clue Chae."

If this date was at a different time and in different conditions Jennie would have everything picked and prepped days earlier but right now she couldn't even be bothered to decide what to wear.

"Let me choose something for you, unnie." Chaeyoung said and began scavenging through Jennie's walk-in closet for something first date appropriate.

She came out ten minutes later, just as Lisa was done spraying some setting mist on Jennie's face. She handed her some clothes and shoes and Jennie distractedly took them from her, not even bothering to see what she picked and walked inside her en-suite to change.

Chaeyoung had picked out a low-cut, black, floral printed silk blouse with some black pants, a matching printed choker and a pair of black pumps. Jennie's makeup was minimal with nude lips, rosy cheeks to add some colour to her lifeless face and a dramatic winged eyeliner for some flair. Her hair was in loose curls and she looked like the perfect first date material.

Lisa and Chaeyoung clapped excitedly and fake gasped dramatically when she walked out causing her to roll her eyes as they fussed over her and showered her with compliments. Jisoo who had joined them and was sitting on her bed just smiled at Jennie and told her she looked beautiful.

"Alright, it's time for me to get going girls. Thank you for all the help." Jennie said, pulling in the maknaes for a hug.

"It's okay unnie. We're all rooting for you." Chaeyoung replied, handing her a black clutch with her phone and some other necessities in it.

"Remember what I said, unnie. Give Taeyong oppa a chance and try to have fun." Lisa reminded her, fixing some of her curls.

"Yes mom, I got it." Jennie rolled her eyes but smiled affectionately at both their antics.

"I'll see you off." Jisoo finally said, getting up from the bed and walking with her to the door.

"I know you're worried unnie but I'll be fine, don't worry about me." Jennie reassured Jisoo when they got to the door.

"Yah! How can you tell me not to worry when you're always acting so recklessly?" She chided her.

"I'll be fine. I'll try to keep an open mind about this and not think of him too much." Jennie tried to convince herself more than Jisoo.

"You know you don't have to go through with this if you don't want to. I'll talk to Taeyong sunbae-nim." Jisoo tried to convince her.

"No, it's okay unnie. I can't back out now. I'll immediately call you if I change my mind or if anything goes wrong." Jennie said with finality in her tone before pulling Jisoo in for a quick hug.

"You better because I'm not letting him live if he hurts you too." Jisoo threatened, hugging her back.

"I know unnie." Jennie laughed at her threat. "Okay I got to go now. I love you. See you later bye."