JENNIE'S POV
My eyes were heavy when I opened it, and my head felt like it was about to explode any moment. I think I cried too much last night. I told them what happened, which is why I am in this situation right now. I told Rosé and Jisoo everything, and I'm grateful they omitted not to say something last night. They soothed me and allowed me to express everything. And now, I think I'm ready to hear what they want to say. When I got up, I checked my phone. Lisa called and texted me several times. She's worried, somehow.
I pulled myself up and went outside the room. I saw Rosé on her couch, watching television. Doesn't she have work?
"Chae." I muttered softly and sat beside her.
"Good morning Jennie, you want coffee? I'll get you some." Rosé offered and turned off the television.
"I'll come with you." I smiled and stood up.
"Is it your day off?" I asked. I would probably feel scruple if she didn't go to work just to accompany me.
"Yeah. And so as Jisoo. But, she went to town to get groceries." She handed me the coffee.
"Thank you." I smiled a little and sipped in it.
"How are you feeling now?" Rosé asked and leaned on the countertop.
"Better." I answered back.
"Since we're here already, can I ask you a question?" Here it goes.
"Sure, go ahead." I responded.
"I want you to be honest with me. Do you still love Lisa?" She asked firmly and staring at me like she's examining me. I know I couldn't get away with this question. I knew since last night that one of them would ask it.
"I guess I can't lie to you with how you look at me." I chuckled and looked down on my coffee.
"Yes. I still love her. It never left." I answered, more like a mumble.
"I knew it!" Rosé snaps her fingers and sits down beside me.
"You won't act that way and even cry over that thing if you don't have any feelings for her." She adds.
"But please, keep it to yourself for the meantime." I said and looked at her.
"Why? What's stopping you from telling her?" Rosé asked confusedly.
"Her." I answered back. Rosé tilted her head and got amused with my answer.
"Her? What do you mean, her?" She asked again.
"The new Lisa. Her new personality and everything. I don't even know how's her life is going. All I know is that she's trying to get justice to his father. I couldn't hold her back and couldn't even give her advice. She's not willing to listen." I answered back.
"I'm afraid. What if these feelings I have for her could only burden her? I don't want to be the liability of her objectives." I added. My heart tigthens again. Rosé reached for my hand and smiled, despite me being emotional.
"Jennie. A person's heart might change when they love someone. No matter how much her heart fights and suffers or how furious it is, it will soften when it receives a touch of love." She caressed my hand.
"I don't even know if she still loves me. How would it change if ever? She has priorities, and love is not on the list." I sniggered.
"Lisa had called us several times last night. She was stressing out because she couldn't find or contact you. She was quite concerned about you and even begged us to notify her immediately if we saw you. Do you think she has no affections for you based on that gesture? You know Lisa isn't that type of person who begs. Right?" I found myself flabbergasted with what Rosé uttered.
She is correct. Lisa's new personality makes her the type of person who doesn't want to bring down her ego. She's more of a dominant individual. So Rosé is implying that Lisa still has feelings for me? Should I believe it? Lisa may be both sweet and puzzling. When she's being sweet, she'll quickly debunk it and explain that it's all a ruse. How would I tell which one is genuine and which is not?
"So, are you suggesting that I should let her know it?" I asked and glanced at her.
"Rather than keeping it to yourself and suffering all by yourself." Rosé nods.
"Will it change something if I tell her?" I asked again. I'm not sure, confessing wouldn't just changed her at instant and will stop her from fucking woman around.
"We never know. Just try." Rosé answered back. I stayed silent and nodded my head even though I'm not so sure about it.
When I finished my coffee, Jisoo arrived. I'm glad Rosé didn't say anything it to her. Knowing Jisoo, she may even phoned Lisa right away before me. And she'll have unlimited wings for the entire year. Alright, Jisoo, you won. But sorry, it's not yet the right time to tell you that. I assisted Jisoo with their groceries while Rosé prepared our breakfast. I intend to return home after this, and I'm also concerned that Lisa didn't go to her work to find me. I also informed Irene that I would be unable to attend work, which she readily understood.
After we finished breakfast, I carried my belongings and thanked them before driving away. I feel both nervous and worried. What if Lisa spent the entire night trying to find me? What if she isn't home yet? I don't want to cause her any trouble.
"Please, I hope she's home." I mumbled as I entered the compound. And, to my relief, Lisa's car is still parked. This suggests she didn't go to work, which is better than not being home yet.
When I opened the door, I saw her seated on our couch, with a bottle of whiskey on top of the table. Has she been drinking all night? When she realized she wasn't alone, she raised her head. Her eyes expanded, and she rose up. I was going to say something when she raced towards me and hugged me tightly.
"Thank God you're safe. I've been looking for you the whole night." She mumbled while still hugging me. And of course, I hugged her back.
"Where have you been? I couldn't reach you, and I even deployed some of my agents to find you." She asked again as we broke our hug.
"I stayed at Rosé's house." I answered back simply.
"What? I've been talking to them last night, and they said they don't know where you are." Lisa uttered disappointingly.
"They lied to me." Her voice changed. This is what I'm referring to. She changes her mood that instantly.
"Please don't be mad at them. I asked them not to tell you. It's on me. I didn't want to see and talk to you last night. Don't blame them." I tried to calm her down. She might barge to them in no time.
Lisa stayed silent after I said that. Her eyes grew fragile again. She took my hand and directed me to sit on our couch. She buried her face in her palm and inhaled deeply before speaking again.
"I'm sorry about yesterday. And you were right. I was careless at that point. I didn't consider the potential conflict before doing it. I'll be more mindful next time." She looked at me. So, she'll do it again? Is that what she meant by that?
"And I apologize for bugging you too much in your life. I will inform you in advance if I want to visit you so that I won't disturb you and Taehyung." Lisa added, then looked down on her hands. I guess this is the right time for me to confess? For her not to be bothered by Taehyung that much.
"Lisa. I–"
"I thought something had happened to you. I've been searching everywhere. I was very worried. My client was killed last night. He's one of our most esteemed clients, and I was so terrified thinking that they kidnapped you or something. I wasn't sure what to do. If something happens to you, it's all on me. I'll take the blame and never forgive myself. You're my responsibility. I apologize for putting you in this predicament." Lisa stated in anguish. She didn't even look at me. She only played on her fingers while looking down.
Confessing now is not the right time. She's hurting and anxious, and I take some of the blame because I think I overreacted. I didn't take her calls and texts, forcing her to overthink. If only I knew what happened last night or after our dispute, I would've gone home. My actions only added to her burden, and I was correct. It would only make things complicated for her. I'll keep this for myself in the meantime.
I'll wait for the right moment. Right time, Jennie.
"Lisa. I apologize. I overreacted. I should have called you back or at least let you know where I was last night. I was insensitive, and I didn't consider what you would do." I placed my hand on her hands to try to ease her up.
"No. You all have the right to react that way. You were right all along, and I was at fault in that part." Lisa uttered, then finally looked at me in the eyes.
"I'm sorry." Lisa added. I gave her my warm smile and caressed her hand.
"It's okay. We're okay now." I responded back. But, with only milliseconds, her eyes dropped down again.
"Tell me what happened." I asked and put down my bag. I know she needs someone to vent out.
"The client who approached me and asked for a service agent was killed last night. Along with my agents. They got ambushed and assassinated using my firearms." She leaned back.
"They truly want me to struggle and have my conscience consume me. If this phenomenon continues, our clients will no longer trust us. They would eventually leave us because they could no longer rely on our services. It would lead my father's business to fail. This is exactly what my adversaries want. Not only that, but my own corporation may face criticism for repeatedly employing my weapons for murder." Lisa added. Her frustration is visible in her voice and in her face. Her situation is really damn hard. If only I could do something.
"Hey. I am not sure where to begin, but I'm confident you will find a way to fix it. Uncle trusted you with everything since he understands your capacity to succeed. He understands your tenacity and refusal to give up. I can see that also." I gripped her hand.
"Just trust your process. Trust your approach to get them, as well as your progress in elevating your company." I added. I hope these simple words brighten her mood. It kills my heart to see her so unmotivated and burdened like this.
I put my feelings aside and confronted her. I'm willing to give her all of my time if it makes her feel better. This is what I plan to do today. I may not be able to express my true feelings for you, Lisa, but I will let you know by staying by your side. I'm not sure whether you feel the same way, but I'm prepared to do anything to help you feel better.
"You're a good talker. You know how to lessen the burden inside me." Lisa finally smiled. It fucking melt my heart.
"Of course. I'm Jennie." I responded and smiled back. Lisa dropped her eyes on our hands. She then spread my fingers apart, allowing her to tangle them together.
"Can I hold you like this? It feels warm holding your hand." She asked. You can hold me all the way you want, Lisa.
"Of course." I responded. I scooted closer to her to make her more comfortable. But to my surprise, she pulled me and let me lean on her chest. Please don't blush Jennie. Please don't giggle.
"This is better. Let's sleep in the meantime. Is it okay?" She turned sideways to look at me. I also looked up to her and nodded. I can't properly think of words to say.
With that, I raised my feet and curled up on the other side of the sofa. Lisa put her feet on top of the table. But she wasn't pleased with it. She softly pulled me to her and allowed me to lie on the couch with her on my back. Lisa let her arm be my cushion, and her right hand rested on my tummy. Fuck, the butterflies on my stomach are disintegrating. She even buried her face at my nape. I'm grateful my hair is covering it because if not, I'd lose myself and kiss her immediately.
Lisa, I hope you know what you are doing to me.
——
I hadn't noticed the time and sat up immediately when I woke up. Fuck, that was the most comfortable sleep I've ever had. But why am I inside my room? I promptly took a shower and changed into my nightdress. When I'm done, I hurriedly stepped outside to see if Lisa had gone out. To my relief, she was already in our kitchen, preparing for dinner.
"How's your sleep?" Lisa asked while her back is against me. She must've heard my footsteps.
"Fantastic. How about you? Why didn't you wake me up?" I asked her. She then turned to me. My eyes roamed around her body. She's wearing a sleeveless shirt and a short, might even consider a boxer because of how it covers her legs and her, thing down there. Damn, why am I even staring?
"You good?" Lisa asked. Fuck, did she caught me staring?
"Yea—yeah. I'm good." I answered back innocently.
"Wait for a while. Our dinner is almost ready." Lisa smiled and continued what her doing.
My eyes followed every move she made, and I made sure to look away once she turned to me. She shouldn't see how flustered I am right now.
We ate our food once she was finished. And I swear she's good at cooking. I should always ask her to make dinner for us. I'll do the breakfast in exchange. We discussed numerous topics again. We avoid talking about her company, her problem, or Taehyung. We both don't want to spoil the atmosphere that surrounds us. Even though we were in a nice mood, I chose not to express my feelings. Maybe another time, after some of her issues are resolved.
"You have a lot of work to finish tomorrow, I'm sure of it. So, you need to sleep and get yourself ready." Lisa stated when we reached the door of my room.
"I know. You too. We both are." I chuckled, and she followed.
"Well then. Good night again." Lisa said. She was about to walk but I stopped her.
"Lisa. If something happens, or anything comes up, I'm here. I'm ready to listen. It's the least thing that I could do for you." I uttered softly.
"You already did something that could help me. You agreed to marry me. I'm thankful for that. And of course, I'll vent out and tell you everything. You are still my wife anyway." Lisa chuckled.
"Thank you. Good night, Lisa." I said and opened the door. She gave out a sweet smile before waving at me.
Just as I closed the door, I placed my palm on my chest to feel my fast-beating heart. Damn, her presence is driving my insides insane.
I hope she will open up to me just like what she said. I want to know more about her life now.
I am willing to live up to the life she has. I'm still willing to stay with her, no matter how messy things are right now.