Chaeyoung held Lisa's hand the entire car ride, feeling her heart break each time she heard the Thai girl inhale shakily. She could tell Lisa was still panicking.
They only drove for a few minutes before they reached a gravel pathway. Steering as best as she could, Chaeyoung led them up the steep hill until them came to a stop.
"C'mere," Chaeyoung whispered, quickly circling the car and opening the passenger side door. Lisa looked up slowly with a confused expression on her face.
"Just trust me," Chaeyoung said softly, holding out her hand for Lisa. Shyly, the younger girl took her hand and allowed Chaeyoung to lead her out of the car. By then, it was just beginning to get dark, giving the sky an eerie blue haze.
"Over here," Chaeyoung squeezed Lisa's hand and continued leading her up the gravel pathway. Lisa scooted closer to her, holding onto the sleeve of Chaeyoung's sweater.
"Just in time," Chaeyoung sighed in relief, quickly leading Lisa to the end of the pathway and in front of the clearing. Lisa furrowed her eyebrows when they came to a small cliff. Below she could just barely make out the shape of the city.
"Come sit," the blonde girl tugged on Lisa's hand and sat down on the grass in the middle of the clearing. Shyly, Lisa took a seat beside her girlfriend.
"There's so much more out there, Lili," Chaeyoung said after a few moments of silence. She noticed how badly Lisa was shaking and gave in, pulling the Thai girl into her lap.
"I know it seems so real," she whispered, resting her chin on the top of Lisa's head and gazing out at the dark city. "And maybe it was real at some point. But it's in the past now. And I know it's hard to understand that when it keeps coming back for you, but you just have to keep moving forwards."
She paused her small speech to check her phone, quickly tapping on Lisa's shoulder and pointing out to the city. "Watch this," she whispered, keeping an eye on the time.
Moments later, a small section of the city flickered before lighting up. Pretty soon all the streets of the city were illuminating themselves, glowing against the dark night sky. Lisa's eyes widened and she sat up slightly.
"Woah," Lisa whispered, wiping her eyes as the entire city lit up before her eyes.
"It may seem like this is the world right now," Chaeyoung whispered, smoothing out Lisa's hair. "But it's only a small part of you. There is so much more out there."
Slowly, Lisa reached up and pressed her fingers to Chaeyoung's cheek, tracing down her jawline. "You are real, right?" she asked quietly, studying the way Chaeyoung's eyes lit up in the soft light.
"Of course I am," Chaeyoung laughed softly. Lisa drew her hand back and nodded, lying her head on Chaeyoung's shoulder.
"Good," she mumbled, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.
"Do you wanna talk about it?" Chaeyoung asked carefully, bringing her hand up to rub circles on her girlfriend's back.
"It was him again," Lisa mumbled. There was something else in her voice, though. Something Chaeyoung had never seen in her before. Hate.
"Your uncle?" she asked softly. Lisa nodded against Chaeyoung's shoulder.
"He was drunk," Lisa huffed, squeezing her eyes shut.
"Say it," Chaeyoung blurted out, startling Lisa. "Say it, Lisa. Just say it."
"Say what?" Lisa looked up slowly.
"You know," Chaeyoung whispered, reaching out and tucking a loose strand of the girl's hair behind her ear. "You're allowed to say it."
Both girls maintained eye contact for a few moments. Lisa took a deep breath and glanced out at the city, letting her eyes adjust to the light.
"I hate him," she mumbled, shaking her head and looking down.
"I hate him, too," Chaeyoung said quietly, lifting Lisa's chin up to meet her eyes. "And that's okay. You should hate him for what he did to you. Don't feel guilty about it."
Wiping her eyes, Lisa nodded softly. It felt like a weight was lifted off her shoulders. Just be admitting that out loud.
"He doesn't deserve to have this much control over you, Lisa," Chaeyoung sighed and combed her fingers through her hair. "The best revenge you can get is to just keep getting better. If you don't let him affect you, then you win."
"He hurt me," Lisa whispered, clinging onto Chaeyoung's shirt.
"I know, babe," Chaeyoung whispered. "But now he's gone. Now you're in charge," she ran her fingers up and down Lisa's back. "Now it's your turn."
"I am happy here," Lisa said after a few moments of silence. "You..." she glanced up at Chaeyoung before looking out over the cliffs. "You lit up my city."
"I love you," Chaeyoung kissed the top of Lisa's head and sighed contently. "I love you enough to fill up all the love that your uncle took away from you. I'll love you until you see that, and I'll continue to love you even after."
"Forever?" Lisa giggled softly, holding up her pinkie. Chaeyoung couldn't help but laugh as she brought their pinkies together, kissing Lisa's hand.
"Forever."
Both girls spent a considerable amount of time just staring out at the city, taking in all the lights and sounds of the night. Chaeyoung glanced down at the girl in her lap just as she started to fall asleep.
"Lili," Chaeyoung laughed, nudging Lisa's shoulder. The Thai girl looked up groggily, blinking a few times in the darkness.
"We still have to open presents," Chaeyoung whispered, nodding in the direction of the car. That sure woke her up.
"Presents?" Lisa sat up quickly, tilting her head to the side.
"Yes, presents," Chaeyoung laughed, standing up and helping Lisa to her feet. She brushed the grass off of her jeans before nudging the girl back in the direction of the car.
"For me?" Lisa asked, sliding into the passenger seat. Chaeyoung couldn't help but laugh.
"Whose birthday is it?" Chaeyoung raised an eyebrow.
"Mine..." Lisa giggled, looking away. Chaeyoung reached over and squeezed her hand.
"Then yes, goofball, they're for you," Chaeyoung laughed as she turned the car around and headed in the direction of their apartment. "Except you can't get my present today."
Lisa furrowed her eyebrows and looked over at the girl in the driver's seat. "Why not?"
"Cause we have to go get it together," Chaeyoung smirked. Lisa let out a long breath as she tried to figure out what Chaeyoung could possibly be referring to.
"Don't think too hard," Chaeyoung giggled. "You'll find out soon enough."
Chaeyoung practically had to sprint to catch up with Lisa once they got back to the apartment. When they unlocked the apartment door, they were greeted by their three other roommates watching something on the couch.
'Presents' Chaeyoung mouthed from behind Lisa. The girls quickly shut off the TV.
"Feeling better?" Jisoo asked, raising an eyebrow at Lisa. The younger girl nodded and padded over to the couch, sitting down and crossing her legs underneath her.
"I'm glad, Pokpak," Jisoo laughed, giving Lisa a playful shove. Lisa crinkled her nose before grabbing a pillow and throwing it in the girl's direction.
"Let's open presents before one of you ends up in the hospital," Somi teased, ducking behind the couch and grabbing a small silver bag. "Mine first."
Lisa smiled widely as the bag was placed in front of her. "Now?" she asked, looking over at Somi. The younger girl gave her a soft nod, and seconds later Lisa was pulling the tissue paper out of the bag.
She reached in, pulling out the piece of fabric and holding it up in front of her. Her eyes widened.
"Yellow!" she laughed, turning the dress around and studying it closely. "I love it," Lisa smiled, turning to Somi and practically tackling her in a hug. Chaeyoung hopped forwards to grab the dress before Lisa let it fall to the floor. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Somi laughed once they pulled away from the hug. Lisa smiled widely, sitting back down and watching as Chaeyoung folded the dress up neatly and put it back in the back.
"Catch, Lazisa," Jisoo tossed a bag in Lisa's direction. Lisa quickly scrambled off the couch to catch it, sitting back down happily when she did.
She reached into the bag, furrowing her eyebrows with a curious smile when she felt something fuzzy. She tugged it out, holding it up in front of her.
"It's a blanket," Chaeyoung observed, grabbing one end and helping Lisa spread it out. "Oh my god," she laughed, looking at Jisoo when she saw what was on it.
"Friends!" Lisa giggled, clapping her hands and running over to Jisoo. "You got me a Friends blanket," she crinkled her nose before pulling Jisoo into a hug. "Thank you Chichi."
"And since someone stole my idea..." Jennie glared at Jisoo. "I just got you this, so you could have a little more control," the raven haired girl slid a small card across the table.
"For froyo?" Lisa asked, immediately recognizing the logo on the card. Before Jennie could respond, there was a knock at the door. Chaeyoung raised an eyebrow in question, but jogged over to answer.
"I figured you could take Chaeyoung on a date or something," Jennie whispered, which caused Lisa to giggle. The brown eyed girl moved forward to hug Jennie.
"Thank you," Lisa laughed, smiling softly when they pulled away. Her smile instantly faded, though, when she saw Chaeyoung struggling to carry a large box into the room.
"What the...?" Jisoo hopped to her feet to help Chaeyoung set the box down on the floor. "That's what was at the door?"
Chaeyoung nodded, wiping off her hands and standing up. "It's addressed from my parents," she said, biting her lip and kneeling down. The girls gathered around as Chaeyoung dug her keys from her pocket, using them to cut the tape around the edges of the box.
Lisa's eyes widened when Chaeyoung opened the box to reveal all different colors of tissue paper. The blonde girl dug out a card, her lips curving into a smile when she saw the writing on the front.
"It's for you," Chaeyoung laughed, turning the card around so Lisa could see her name written on the front. Lisa smiled widely, sitting down next to Chaeyoung and looking into the box.
"Dear Lisa,
We heard it was someone's birthday, and when we did, we weren't quite sure what to get. But then, we had a great idea. Chaeyoung will know as soon as she sees this. Hopefully this can help you out a bit with your recovery, and give you and Chaeyoung something to do together.
We love you,
Victor and Rosalie."
Chaeyoung grew confused at what her parents were talking about, but she watched as Lisa began to tear the tissue paper out of the box. Both girls widened their eyes when they saw the long rectangular box underneath.
"A piano?!" Lisa gasped, reaching forwards and pulling the box out. Chaeyoung quickly moved to help her set it down on the ground, reading over the box.
"Keyboard," Chaeyoung corrected her. "But same thing, really."
Jisoo gave the girl an intimidating look from the couch, raising an eyebrow. "What were you parents talking about when they said you would 'know' when you saw it?" Jisoo leaned forward and studied the box.
"Oh," Chaeyoung bit her lip. "I used to, uh, I used to play," she watched as Jennie helped Lisa open the box, pulling out the long keyboard. Lisa tapped a key, furrowing her eyebrows when no sound came out.
"Instruments are supposed to be really good for hand eye coordination," Somi spoke up. "Maybe that's what your parents meant."
"You think they want me to teach her?" Chaeyoung raised an eyebrow.
"Are you good?" Jisoo asked. Chaeyoung grew confused, shrugging her shoulders.
"I played up until my sophomore year," she admitted, looking over as Jennie retrieved a set of batteries and let Lisa roll them into the back compartment of the keyboard.
"Then you've got to be good," Jisoo laughed.
Lisa tapped a key, laughing softly when the piano actually made a sound. Chaeyoung couldn't help but smile when Lisa continued, pressing each individual key to see what noise they made.
"Can we keep it in the bedroom?" Lisa asked, looking over at Chaeyoung, who shrugged.
"If that's what you want," the blonde girl laughed, standing up when Lisa jumped to her feet. "Here, take that end," she nodded to the younger girl.
Slowly, the girls carried the keyboard upstairs. Jennie followed after them with the stand, and soon enough they had the keyboard set up in the corner of the room. Lisa immediately sat down, beginning to press random keys.
"Park Chaeyoung I swear if you leave your shoes by the front door one more time!" Jennie's voice rang out from downstairs. Lisa giggled to herself when Chaeyoung groaned.
"I'll be back," the blonde girl laughed, jogging down the stairs and sending Jennie a playful glare. The older girl crossed her arms.
"I'm a slob, I know," Chaeyoung held up her hands as if she were surrendering. "Fight me," she teased. Grabbing her shoes and sticking her tongue out at Jennie, Chaeyoung was running back up the stairs before the older girl could respond.
Just as Chaeyoung reached her bedroom door, she paused. After listening for a few minutes, she realized what she was hearing. Piano. Not just Lisa's random tappings, either.
Slowly, the blonde girl opened the door and peered in. Lisa whipped her head around, looking just as shocked as Chaeyoung.
"Was that you?" Chaeyoung asked, moving into the room and quietly closing the door behind them. Lisa looked down at her hands in disbelief.
"It was twinkle twinkle," the Thai girl said softly.
"Do it again," Chaeyoung walked over and sat on the floor next to the girl. "Play it again."
Taking her lip inbetween her bottom teeth, Lisa nodded. The Thai girl made a pointing motion with both fingers and gently tapped one key at a time. Slowly, but sure enough, Lisa was playing the notes to twinkle twinkle.
"How did you..?" Chaeyoung was in shock. "Wha...?"
"I just remembered," Lisa was as confused as Chaeyoung was. "It came back to me."
When Chaeyoung didn't respond, Lisa reached out and grabbed Chaeyoung's hand in her own. "Can you play a song, Rosie?" she asked, tugging Chaeyoung's hand towards the keyboard.
Biting her lip, Chaeyoung thought for a moment. "Uh, yeah," she ran her fingers over the keys, getting a feel for the keyboard. "I need you to help me, though."
"How?" Lisa tilted her head to the side.
"See these four keys?" Chaeyoung gently moved Lisa's hand to the left side of the keyboard. "You just play one at a time," she pressed each key in rhythm, showing Lisa the pattern. "And you just have to do that over and over."
"1, 2, 3, 4," Lisa counted, pressing each key just as Chaeyoung had done.
"Exactly," Chaeyoung smiled. "Now keep doing that, and I'm gonna join in, okay?" Lisa nodded. In concentration, she leaned down closer to the keyboard and began playing the notes Chaeyoung had given her.
Chaeyoung watched Lisa for a few moments before taking a deep breath and joining in. Lisa nearly lost count when Chaeyoung began playing, but she quickly caught up. The blonde girl laughed softly, beginning to sing along.
Heart and soul, I fell in love with you,
Heart and soul, the way a fool would do,
Madly...
Because you held me tight,
And stole a kiss in the night...
Heart and soul, I begged to be adored,
Lost control, and tumbled overboard,
Gladly...
That magic night we kissed,
There in the moon mist.
"Good job," Chaeyoung laughed softly once they were done, cracking her knuckles as she took her hands off of the keys. Lisa looked up at her with wide eyes.
"You are good at that," Lisa smiled. "How did you know?"
"Piano?" Chaeyoung asked, Lisa nodded. "I used to take lessons. My parents signed me up when I was super little. I always used to play this song with my dad, actually."
"I like it," Lisa smiled, tapping a random key on the keyboard and giggling. "I love you. Thank you for my birthday," she looked back up at the dark haired girl.
"I love you too," Chaeyoung pressed a random key in return. "Thank you, you're welcome," she winked, making Lisa smile proudly.