Thursday Evening: 6:00 P.M
3rd Person POV
Jihyo and Tzuyu went home after work ended. Jihyo rushed to bed where she felt the safest. Tzuyu followed behind and found Jihyo hiding underneath the blanket. She approached the bed and sat down beside Jihyo.
"Ji-Ji..." Tzuyu trailed off softly, "Do you want to talk about how you are feeling?"
Jihyo brought the blanket down as she sat up, "I am scared senseless by what my father could do."
Tzuyu pulled Jihyo into a hug, "I know you are, and I am here to make sure he doesn't do anything to you."
Jihyo shook her head, "I know you are, but I just can't go on living in fear like this. If I am not worried about my safety, I am worried about yours and the others' safety."
"You are not alone, Ji-Ji. Your fears are my fears. Your happiness is my happiness," Tzuyu replied.
"I understand that and appreciate you for that..." Jihyo responded before trailing off, "Is it okay if I get some time alone?"
Tzuyu separated from the hug and looked into Jihyo's eyes. She could see the feeling of fear and vulnerability. She knew that all Jihyo wanted was some time and space to think about her thoughts. She really wanted to stay but knew that it was for the better to fulfill Jihyo's request.
Tzuyu nodded her head, "Alright, I guess I will go hang out with everyone else," she said before standing up, "Give me a call and I will come rushing home, okay?"
Jihyo reached forward to pull Tzuyu down for a short kiss, "Alright, enjoy your evening. I love you," she replied with a smile.
Tzuyu smiled, "I love you too."
Tzuyu walked out of the room and closed the door behind her. Gucci came running up to her and started wagging his tail. Tzuyu crouched down and petted Gucci before standing up. She told Gucci to stay on guard and to protect Jihyo. Gucci barked before running off to get his toy and putting it in front of the door; he then barked one more time before lying down and staring towards the front door.
Tzuyu smiled before getting her keys and leaving the apartment. She made her way to Nayeon and Jeongyeon's apartment. She knocked on the front door. Nayeon opened the door a couple of seconds later. She was surprised to see Tzuyu but told her to come in.
Tzuyu walked into the living room and was greeted by surprised looks. She explained that Jihyo requested some time alone and that she wanted to respect that wish. She then sat down in her normal spot before everyone went back to what they were doing prior to Tzuyu's arrival.
"Hey, Tzuyu," Jeongyeon called out, gaining everyone's attention, "I sense that something is on your mind. Do you want to talk about it?"
Tzuyu let out a sigh, "It's just that this whole situation with Ji-Ji's father is so frustrating. My words of support can only go so far. I just wish I could magically make him disappear so that Ji-Ji can be at peace. I am committed to doing whatever it takes, but it's really hard when no one can even find him."
"I am kind of disappointed in both Jeongyeon and myself," Nayeon said, getting a nod of agreement from Jeongyeon, "We should be able to do more for you two, but we failed this time."
Tzuyu shook her head, "Don't be. Ji-Ji and I are thankful for everything that you two have already done and for all the effort you have put in. We probably wouldn't even have gotten this far without you, so thank you."
Jeongyeon shook her head, "You don't have to thank us. We just want to see you two happy."
Everyone else nodded their head in agreement. They each took turns expressing their support for Jihyo and Tzuyu. Although Tzuyu already knew everyone felt this way, she appreciated hearing it from everyone.
Tzuyu spent a little bit more time with everyone before deciding to call it a night. She wished everyone a good rest of their evening before going home. She opened the front door and walked in to find Gucci asleep in front of her room. She smiled at the little dog before picking him up and putting him in his bed.
Tzuyu went to do her night routine before quietly entering her room. Jihyo was already asleep, so she quietly slipped into bed. She got comfortable before pulling Jihyo into her embrace. Jihyo subconsciously nuzzled closer to Tzuyu, causing the younger woman to smile.
Tzuyu leaned down to place a kiss on Jihyo's forehead, "I promise that I will protect you," she whispered before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.
Friday Morning: 11:30 A.M
Tzuyu's POV
I woke up this morning to Ji-Ji shivering and looking uncomfortable. I shook her body and her eyes shot wide open. She gasped loudly before mumbling something incoherent. Her eyes got teary before bursting out into sobs. I pulled her close to me and just let her cry into my chest.
Ji-Ji told me that she had a nightmare, and it just broke my heart. Apparently, I was fatally injured, and all she could do was watch helplessly as I bled out. I reassured her that I was completely alive and that I was not injured in any way.
The nightmare was so bad that it caused Ji-Ji to be too scared to leave the house. I ended up having to leave her in Gucci's care again as I went to work. I really didn't want to leave Ji-Ji at home alone, but I couldn't just abandon work.
I told Nayeon and Jeongyeon-unnies what happened when I came into the restaurant. They asked me if I could work or not. I told them that I could even though I really didn't want to. They told me to let them know if anything changes.
To be honest, things changed the moment I started working. I made a couple of basic mistakes that I have never made before. I was just feeling anxious the entire morning. I was shaking a little, but I was able to hide it.
Even MiSaMo-unnies asked me if everything was okay. I was honest with them and told them about what happened this morning. They told me that I should go home and be with Ji-Ji and that they could cover for my absence. I could see how genuine they were through their eyes and decided to accept their suggestion.
I went to find Nayeon and Jeongyeon-unnies and told them about how I was feeling. I just could not work properly and was feeling anxious that I left Ji-Ji at home. They understood how I was feeling and told me to go home. They also offered to pay for a taxi home, which I accepted.
I walked through the front door to find Ji-Ji sitting on the ground and playing with Gucci. She turned around when she heard me walking into the living room and her face lit up when she saw me. She jumped up and came running to me for a hug. Even Gucci tried joining the hug.
"What are you doing at home?" Ji-Ji asked as she separated from the hug.
"I just couldn't work knowing that I left you at home alone," I replied while caressing Ji-Ji's cheek, "I was unfocused and anxious the entire morning."
Ji-Ji nuzzled into my hand, "Thank you for coming back. Gucci is a good companion, but it's a lot better when you are around."
I crouched down to rub Gucci's stomach, "Good job on keeping your Mommy company. I am going to take over from here, okay?"
Gucci barked happily before running off to his bed to go to sleep. I honestly don't understand how the little guy is always sleeping, but I guess that is why he has so much energy all of the time. Ji-Ji and I must be on the same wavelength as she also commented on the exact thing I was thinking about.
I stood up and smiled at Ji-Ji, "So, now that we have the rest of the day together, what do you want to do?"
Ji-Ji kissed me before resting the side of her head on my chest, "It doesn't matter what we do, so long as we do it together."
I wrapped my arms around Ji-Ji's body and kissed the top of her head, "How about we start with some cuddling on the couch?" I asked, getting a nod in reply.
I lied down on the couch before gesturing for Ji-Ji to lie down on me. It felt a little weird to be in this position as normally Ji-Ji would be lying down and I was on top of her, but I still liked cuddling Ji-Ji like this. We just talked about everything and nothing at the same time. I was trying my best to keep up with the conversation as my eyelids started to feel heavy.
Before I knew it, I fell asleep. I had the most amazing dream. Ji-Ji and I had this beautiful home in the countryside. It was right on the waterfront as well. We would go here whenever we didn't want to be bothered by city life or people who wanted to cause us trouble. We even had this nice garden that we worked on together. We had this large yard that Gucci could run around. It was... perfect.
Unfortunately, all dreams have to end. I woke up as Ji-Ji sat up and stretched her body. My eyes widened in surprise when I looked at the time on my phone. It was already 7:00 PM. I told Ji-Ji the time, and she was surprised as well. We stared at each other before bursting out into laughter.
We decided that it was time for dinner. I looked through our refrigerator and pulled out some ingredients. I was about to tell Ji-Ji what I wanted to make, but my phone suddenly started ringing. I pulled it out and saw an unknown number. I would normally ignore it, but I just had a weird gut feeling.
"Hello?" I asked as I answered the call.
"Am I speaking to a 'Chou Tzuyu'?" the voice on the other side asked.
"Yes, that's me. May I ask who I am speaking to?" I asked.
"My apologies. I am a nurse at the hospital," the nurse replied.
My eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "Um... why are you calling me?"
"I am calling to inform you that your mother has been admitted to the hospital," the nurse finally said.
---TWICE---
A/N: Hello everyone! I am back with another update! JiTzu's lives continue to be affected by Jihyo's father. Now to add onto the problems, Tzuyu's mother has been admitted to the hospital. Can the two of them just get a break? Anyways, until next time, thank you for the support!