Jennie checked her hair one final time in her car mirror before grabbing the small bouquet of flowers she had bought and exiting Alexis. She smoothed down her blouse and skirt and walked towards the large oak front door of the Park household. She rang the doorbell and held the flowers in front of her, standing almost on her tiptoes in anticipation.
What she wasn't expecting was the door to open to reveal a middle-aged man with greying hair wearing glasses and a business suit. Assuming it to be Chaeyoung's father and knowing that he didn't have any knowledge of his daughter's gender preferences, much less that she was actually in a relationship with a girl, she quickly dropped the flowers behind a potted plant before the man had a chance to see them.
Chaeyoung quickly ran down the stairs and towards the main door. Her parents had arrived home from their conference two days early and she hadn't had a chance to inform Jennie of their arrival. She had told her parents she was going to the movies with a friend and was just finishing her outfit when she heard the doorbell, right on the dot of 6 o' clock. She had smiled at the thought of her girlfriend and their date before realizing one of her parents was sure to answer to door. She slid in beside her father and saw that Jennie looked a little panicked and her dad confused.
"Um, Dad. This is Jennie. The, um, friend I'm going to the movies with."
She felt wrong about calling Jennie just a friend, but still wasn't quite sure how to approach her coming out to her parents. She looked to Jennie quickly to see if there was any signs of hurt at the phrasing, but if there was the brunette was hiding it well.
"Nice to meet you, sir," Jennie said and extended her hand.
Mr. Park looked pleasantly surprised at the gesture, any other friends of Chaeyoung's he'd met, however briefly, had avoided eye contact and barely mumbled a greeting. He had put it down to just teenagers being teenagers but was glad this new friend seemed to have some semblance of manners. He took the girl's hand and shook it firmly.
"Always nice to meet a friend of Chaeyoung's," he said cordially.
"Okay! So um, bye, Dad. I'll be home later. Jennie's driving so we won't be walking after dark or anything. I'll be on my cell if you need me," Chaeyoung spoke up, walking onto the front porch with Jennie.
Mr. Park nodded and reached into his pocket, handing a bundle of notes to the blonde.
"Uh, no, Dad, I don't want...I mean, thank you, but I don't need..."
"Just take it, Chaeyoung. Have a good evening."
Chaeyoung didn't get a chance to respond as the door was closed, leaving the couple alone. Jennie reached behind the plant and picked up the flowers, rubbing off some stray pieces of dirt.
"I brought you flowers...but I didn't want your Dad to think...Um, here," she said and thrust the bouquet into her girlfriend's hands.
"Oh Jennie," Chaeyoung said, bringing the flowers up to inhale their scent and marvelling at how thoughtful the brunette had been, "I...come on, you deserve plenty of kisses for this and I think your car is a more appropriate place."
Jennie blushed and grinned in delight as she was dragged towards the Bug, getting in the driver's side as Chaeyoung went around, hopping in and doing up her seatbelt.
"I don't trust there not to be prying eyes around here..." Chaeyoung started, placing her flowers carefully in the backseat.
"No, I understand," Jennie said with a smile, starting Alexis and driving in the direction of the mall.
"I want them to know about us. I want everyone to know about us, I just don't know how to..."
"Babe, I really do understand. You have to come out in your own time. And besides, it's not like I'm your dirty little secret or something. Your friends know. My mom knows. We're going out on a public date. You have nothing to feel bad about. And when you do decide to tell your parents, I'll be beside you the whole way."
Jennie reached over and took one of the blonde's hands, placing both their hands back on the gear stick, Chaeyoung's on top so Jennie could control the car while still having the contact.
"Was it hard for you? To tell your Mom?" Chaeyoung asked, making sure not to grip Jennie's hand too tight, but stroking the soft skin underneath with her fingertips anyway.
"No," Jennie answered honestly, "I mean it's always a little scary, no matter what, you can never be sure how people are gonna react. But Mom was brought up by great people and always made sure that I respected everyone and embraced our differences. I think she brings whole new meaning to the phrase 'liberal'. I was a shy kid, so she brought me out to all these protests and demonstrations. It made me a lot more confident in myself, you know, but I never met anyone, like a friend that I gelled with. Until I came here, of course. But, yea, my Mom, she gave me a big hug when I told her and said she was proud of me. I was pretty lucky though."
"Yea. Yea, you're lucky you have such a good relationship with your Mom. Um, do you have any contact...I mean, your...never mind."
"My dad?"
"You don't have to tell-"
Jennie looked over for a second and smiled as she pulled into the car park of the mall.
"It's okay. I've never known him. He ran away when he found out my Mom was pregnant. They were both in college so it wasn't planned or anything. It's been okay though, I never had anything but one parent so I don't feel like I missed out."
"I like that you tell me things," Chaeyoung said shyly as Jennie pulled into a parking space.
"I like that I can tell you things," Jennie replied and turned off the engine, "Like I said, friendships, kinda new. Relationships? Completely new."
"So you've never had a girlfriend? Or a boyfriend?"
Chaeyoung knew she was fishing but figured since they were chatting so opening anyway that it was okay to ask. She adjusted herself in the seat so she was facing the brunette as best she could and Jennie did the same.
"Nope. You're my first. What about you?"
"Um, I dated Chanyeol when we were five. Does that count?"
"Did you kiss him?"
"No! I thought boys were gross. Heh. I was a little lesbo even back then. But, no, I just needed someone to play Doctor with."
Jennie looked at her wide-eyed, with a hint of amusement.
"Oh. Um, okay. That's...normal."
"What?" Chaeyoung asked, confused.
"Playing doctor..."
"Yea. You know, little plastic hammer, fake stethoscope..."
"Wait. Wait, you mean you actually...played doctor?"
"Jennie, I think I'm allowed say this bluntly, 'cause, you know, girlfriend privileges and all. You're making no sense."
"Oh sweetie. 'Playing doctor' is..." Jennie giggled again and leaned over to whisper in her girlfriend's ear the colloquial definition of the practice, trying to keep the terminology as technical as possible, to reduce the embarrassment she knew the other girl would have.
She leaned back and saw Chaeyoung's face redden and her mouth opening and closing soundlessly until just one word came out.
"Oh," Chaeyoung blushed and decided to change the subject, "Um, food?"
"Sure," Jennie said, stifling a giggle and leaning over for a quick kiss to reassure the blonde that she didn't think anything bad. In actuality she thought it was quite cute that her girlfriend could be so knowledgeable and so worldly yet could still be innocent.
She went to pull back so they could exit the car but Chaeyoung cupped her cheeks and brought her back, murmuring into her lips.
"I promised kisses."
Jennie showed her appreciation by deepening this kiss, trying to dominate the younger girl's tongue as best she could as Chaeyoung fought for the same dominance. The brunette shifted to get a better angle and inadvertently brought her stomach into the gear stick. She tried to ignore the shooting pain that went through her and focus on the much more pleasant experience of Chaeyoung's lips, but the blonde felt the change of demeanour in her girl and pulled back.
"What's wrong?" she asked, concerned.
"Nothing," Jennie lied badly.
Chaeyoung looked at her disbelievingly and the shorter girl relented.
"I kind of slammed my stomach into the gear stick," she said, embarrassed.
"Oh, babe," Chaeyoung replied, instinctively reaching out and putting her hand under Jennie's shirt to rub her stomach, trying to ease any pain she could. She heard a soft gasp from above and finally realized where her hand actually was.
Is that my hand? Is that actually my hand under her shirt right now?! Uh oh. Wow, her skin is so soft. But I just put my hand on her without asking or anything...Oh god. If I just went a little higher I could be touching...No! Very bad Chaeyoung!
Chaeyoung didn't know what to do, she had acted purely on instinct and now was lost in her own thoughts.
Jennie saw the inner turmoil crossing her girlfriend's features and gently covered the hand on her belly with her own, removing it from under her shirt. She brought the hand up to her mouth and gave her palm a kiss.
The brunette let the hand go and Chaeyoung let it fall against her side. There was a silence for a few moments as both girls were still reeling from the unexpected and new contact, until they smiled shyly at each other. Jennie tilted her head to the side and Chaeyoung nodded her understanding, getting out of the car.
Jennie followed. She locked the car and put her keys in her pocket as Chaeyoung came around and their hands met, falling naturally between them. Jennie bumped her shoulder playfully against the blonde's.
"I think we should keep our make out sessions to the backseat from now on."