On the way home, Lisa felt like she was simultaneously floating with happiness and in the midst of a panic attack. The panic had come on when she was walking down the street back to the subway and she remembered that she hadn't brought anyone to games night before, and that showing up with someone as famous as Jennie Kim was going to put the cat among the pigeons, to say the least. She had no idea how her friends were going to react, had no idea which kind of games Jennie liked or played, or which flavor of ice cream would be Jennie's favorite.
She couldn't do anything about which games Hanbin had at his apartment, so that would be a shot in the dark, but she could at least try something about the ice cream. Pulling her cell out of her pocket, she groaned at how red the battery icon was, dug around in her bag until she found her portable charger, and plugged it in. By the time she arrived at the 7/11 near her home, the cell was usable again.
Stopping short of the door, Lisa saw the missed call notification, and quickly saved the number under just Jennie, just in case someone got hold of her cell at some point. Suddenly feeling paranoid, her fingers flew over her settings as she changed her passcode and made it extra-complicated, hoping that she would remember it later. And then she froze.
What, exactly, did someone type in a damn text message to Jennie Kim?
Recalling some of the last words Jennie had said to her, reminding her that she was just a person, she was immediately irritated at herself, and made her mind up on the spot; Jennie would be treated just the same as anyone else in her life. And that meant that she deserved all of the emojis. Opening the messaging app, she located Jennie in her contact list (and refused to acknowledge the frisson of excitement that ran through her as she saw her name) and started to type.
Lisa: Hey Jennie, this is Lisa, the one who spilled the coffee on you!!! Just wanted to send over the details about tonight, I'll put Hanbin's address in the next message. I'll meet you outside at 7:15pm and I hope this is really your number otherwise there will be a total stranger coming to games night and Hanbin will be really itchy and Rosé will have to take them out lol
Ending it with a slew of various happy face emojis, she sent it off, and then sent Hanbin's address.
Lisa: Oh I forgot, what kind of ice cream do you like?!?!?! I'm just about to go buy it! Unless you don't like it. In which case I'm sure I can find some tea that's better than Daniel's
She turned her cell off silent so that she could hear any notifications, shoved it back out of sight, and then headed into the store. By the time she'd reached the frozen section, she'd already taken her cell back out twice, just to check if there were any replies. You're really lame, Lisa Manoban, she thought to herself as she opened the freezer door and started grabbing ice cream. They now needed six different flavors, if she included Jennie, so she filled her basket with one of each Ben & Jerry's flavor that they had. She ended up with eleven tubs of ice cream instead of six, but you could never have too much ice cream anyway.
Lisa picked up a few other snacks on her way to the checkout, and was just deciding that both was the best solution to the jelly babies versus Jolly Ranchers debate when her cell dinged in her pocket. She almost dropped the basket in her haste to yank her cell out of her pocket, and grinned from ear to ear when she saw Jennie's name on the screen.
Jennie: Hi, Lisa. Yes, this is the right phone number. I'll see you at 7:15. In the event of a zombie apocalypse occurring in the next few hours, assume that my absence is due to that and not my driver getting stuck in traffic. Also, I like anything with chocolate in it
Jennie: :)
Lisa smiled at her phone and checked over the ice cream in her basket again. All of them bar one had chocolate in it, so she guessed she was good.
When Lisa arrived back home, Rosé had already left. She'd left a note on the fridge: gone to see Jisoo and will be staying at hers later, don't forget the ice cream! Nodding to herself for a job well-done, Lisa shoved all the ice cream she'd bought in the freezer and decided on a long, hot shower before the evening began.
Game night had become a staple of their group of friends over a year ago after Mino and Lucy had broken up, and Hanbin's suggestion of getting drunk and playing games to cheer him up had been such a success that they all declared that it would be a good idea if they continued it. And they had, once every two weeks, rotating hosts. Other friends came and went depending on what was going on in their lives, but their core group had remained the same each time: Lisa, Rosé, Rosé's girlfriend Jisoo, Hanbin, and Mino.
It was almost as if they had made a silent pact to always attend no matter what, and Lisa was very happy about it. They all looked forward to it, and they each had their jobs. Lisa's job was always ice cream, Rosé took care of most of the snacks, Mino brought the alcohol, Jisoo got the pizza, and Hanbin supplied all the games. Absently, she wondered how Jennie would fit in with everyone. She was looking forward to tonight's game night more than she had ever looked forward to one before, and she knew exactly why that was.
After spending well over half an hour standing in front of her wardrobe wrapped in various towels agonizing over her outfit choice and finally deciding on a deep blue A-line dress, Lisa was just finishing putting her hair up in a twist when the cab company called to say her cab was downstairs. She gathered up all her ice cream and snacks, headed downstairs, and was soon zooming her way across town to Hanbin's place in Greenpoint.
Her cab arrived at 7:10, which Lisa considered perfect timing, and as she clambered out she noticed a large black town car parked across the road. She couldn't see through the windows, but she had a pretty good idea who was inside it. She raised a hand and waved, and a few seconds later, the back door opened and Jennie climbed out.
Lisa's mouth immediately turned really dry at she took Jennie in. She was dressed reasonably casually, but Lisa knew straight away that one single item of Jennie's outfit cost more than her monthly salary. As Jennie smiled and made sure of the traffic before crossing the road, Lisa subtly, she hoped, checked her out. She had on tailored black slacks, a deep red silk shirt with the top few buttons undone, another pair of her imposing heels with a sole to match her shirt, and a black peacoat. Around her neck hung a simple gold necklace with a single red gemstone teardrop hanging from it, and a large black bag hung from her forearm. Her hair was loose and blew gently around her face as the breeze caught it.
She had been trying so hard not to think about the brief kiss Jennie had given her. Jennie had deep red lipstick on.
Lisa was really trying very hard.
You should get participation rewards for attempting things like this, she thought. Lisa cleared her throat as Jennie reached her and embraced her quickly, enveloping her in a heavy but expensive perfume that Lisa couldn't place, but instantly liked.
"Lisa, hi!" Jennie exclaimed, turning around to wave at her driver, who pulled out into the traffic once more.
"Hey Jennie, are you ready for this? Are you sure you want to go? I can totally just run in and dump this ice cream off and we can go somewhere more-"
"Oh don't be silly, I'm just glad to see you. You... you look beautiful, by the way," Jennie added, smiling beatifically at Lisa as she brushed her hand down Lisa's arm. "I love that color on you. It really makes your eyes shine."
Lisa felt her stomach swoop again. "You sure know how to make a girl blush, Jennie," she replied.
"I sure hope so. I wouldn't want to think I've lost my touch," Jennie said quietly, leaning towards Lisa, before clasping her hands together. "So, who is it that we're meeting in there?"
"Oh gods, I should've told you that before. Well, there's Rosé, my sister. She's an ER doctor. Then there's her girlfriend Jisoo Kim, who's a cop with the NYPD. Hanbin Kim is my colleague at Candlelight Bookstore. You may have seen him in passing when you were there the other day. And then there's Mino Song..." Lisa trailed off.
"Mino Song, the photographer?" Jennie gave her a penetrating look. "Why the hesitation? Is there something that I should know?"
"No!" Lisa blurted out. "At least, nothing from my end. Hell, no. I mean, Mino, he- well, some time ago when we first met he told me that he... felt things for me, that I didn't return, um-" Lisa adjusted her glasses and sighed. "It was awkward for a little while there. But we got past it. I mean, he didn't have any of the equipment that I'd usually be looking for so it was never going to go anywhere."
Jennie's smile had become slightly predatory as Lisa rambled on. Lisa cleared her throat loudly and gestured behind her. "Shall we?"
Jennie followed Lisa up the path and said nothing when Lisa rang the intercom to be let in. Hanbin lived on the second floor, so they forewent the lift and climbed the stairs. When they reached apartment 2E, they could hear the cheesy 90's music Hanbin was so fond of coming through the door. Lisa turned back to look at Jennie and frowned as she looked a little more uncertain.
"Are you okay? Last chance to back out?"
Jennie visibly shook herself. "I'm okay. I'm actually just a little shy when I meet new people," she stated, causing Lisa to gape at her.
"Seriously? You make a living from performing in front of people and you're shy?"
Jennie rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "A lot of actors and actresses are. That's why many of them they act."
Lisa frowned; that seemed like an oxymoron to her, but she accepted the explanation, and knocked on the door. It swung open almost immediately, opened by Jisoo, and a chorus of "Lisa!" sounded from various places in the apartment. Lisa walked into a hug from Jisoo, then turned around to introduce Jennie.
"Jisoo, this is my friend Jennie. Jennie, this is Jisoo, Rosé's girlfriend."
Jisoo smiled and, to Lisa's amusement, absolutely no recognition showed on her face as she gave Jennie a strong handshake. Lisa caught the glance Jennie gave her as Jisoo released her hand. "Nice to meet you, Jennie. Come on in."
They followed Jisoo into the open-plan apartment, and the door closed behind them. Lisa could see Mino fiddling with a camera at the far end of the room; at the sound of the door closing, he looked over and straight away, a glazed look lodged itself on his face as he recognized Jennie. At the same moment, Hanbin walked out of the bathroom. He spotted Lisa and walked over to greet her.
"Heyyyy Lisa, glad you- oh, holy shit!" he burst out as Jennie gave him a small wave from behind Lisa. He froze on the spot, halfway through taking a step. "You're not- you're... Jennie Kim?! Fuck. Jennie Kim? Really?"
Lisa burst out laughing. "Hanbin, this is Jennie. Jennie, this is Hanbin, who is probably one of your biggest fans, now I think about it. Sorry. Be cool, Hanbin!"
Jennie stepped around Lisa and held out her hand to Hanbin. "It's nice to meet you, Hanbin. Thank you so much for having me at your games night!"
Hanbin gawked at her before remembering his manners and stepped forward to meet her, shaking her hand vigorously. "It's great to meet you, honestly, I- I had no idea you were coming!" At that, he gave Lisa a wide-eyed look that clearly said what the actual fuck, before looking back at Jennie, who had a pleased grin on her face, evidently happy with the surprise her presence had brought. "How do you- no, never mind. I'm sure we'll get the whole story later!"
"Oh, this is for you. Lisa didn't tell me what I should bring, so, I hope this is alright," Jennie said, digging a bottle of whisky out of her bag and handing it over to Hanbin, who took it and immediately whistled when he saw the label.
"Okay, we're definitely keeping you," he said, taking the bottle to the kitchen.
Mino, who had been hovering around behind Hanbin, came forward and introduced himself. Jennie sent Lisa a sideways look before turning her smile on Mino. "It's lovely to meet you, Mino. I must admit that I'm a fan of your work. Your photograph of the shocked hyenas is hanging in my home in Ireland."
"Wow. Thank you so much, that... means more than you know," Mino replied graciously, giving Jennie a full-wattage smile. "It's always nice to get that ego boost."
Jisoo stepped forward again and gave Jennie a reticent look before apologizing for not recognizing her, not that Jennie had seemed to mind, but she shrugged off the apology and told Jisoo that it had actually been a nice change.
Lisa looked at Jennie and gave her a thumbs up. Jennie nodded, her mouth quirking up at the corners. She still looked a little guarded, careful even, her back straighter than was surely comfortable. Lisa attributed that to nerves, which despite Jennie's earlier admission of shyness, she hadn't expected.
Hanbin reappeared and took Jennie's coat, hanging it on the back of the door, and they all gathered around the large coffee table that was surrounded by two sofas and an armchair in one corner of the room. Lisa settled herself next to Jennie, accidentally sitting a little closer than intended, but she didn't want to move once she felt the warmth of Jennie's arm against hers. Jennie didn't seem to mind at all, and was smiling at her as Hanbin and Mino shot her surreptitious glances as they talked.
Jisoo ordered the pizzas while Hanbin brought out the games that he thought they could choose from that evening; Pandemic, Bananagrams, and Articulate. Jennie confided that she'd never played any of them, and Hanbin rubbed his hands together in glee at the thought of being able to teach his heroine how to play some of his favorite games. He began with Pandemic, figuring that Rosé could join them in whichever game as soon as she arrived.
Lisa watched Jennie listening carefully to Hanbin explain how to play the game while setting up the board; she was giving him her full attention, and her face looked determined. She belatedly remembered that Jennie had a master's degree in business, so would probably really enjoy the strategy. The game was usually for four players, but the spare players usually just joined in with another player. Jennie shook herself out and edged forward on the sofa, closer to the board, nodded along and asked appropriate questions. Once they were ready, they began.
Very quickly, everyone was exchanging glances as Jennie ruthlessly swept across the board, moving the player pieces where they needed to be, seemingly having memorized the draw pile, and directed everyone to where they needed to go a step before they needed to be there. Every suggestion for an action was discussed in great detail, the merits and issues debated very seriously. There was only one mishap with a large outbreak, Jennie quickly maneuvering the players to mop up the danger before each and every disease was cured and eradicated from the board faster than they had ever managed before. Hanbin was staring at Jennie as if she'd come from outer space.
"I want her on my team for Articulate," he declared before Pandemic was even over.
Jennie was equally good at Bananagrams, which she took just as seriously. She easily beat them all by playing words that included, Lisa noted with a shake of her head, antisera, raiments, keratins, xylem, and aortae, which had Mino reaching for his phone to check the word rules before declaring her the winner. Jennie shot her a proud look, cat eyes sparkling with happiness, and Lisa felt something warm settle in her stomach.
Rosé chose that moment to come in the door like a whirlwind, shouting an apology to everyone before dropping her bag on the floor and carrying over a huge armful of snacks. As she reached the table, she dumped the snacks on a spare bit of sofa and leaned over to give Jisoo a deep kiss, causing Hanbin to wolf-whistle at the blushing couple. It was only as she perched on the edge of the sofa opposite Lisa that she shot back to her feet, spotting the addition to their little group.
"Holy fuck, you're Jennie Kim. What are you- I mean, why- Lisa, this is the Jennie that you rushed off to meet today at the hotel?"
Everyone had started laughing, and Jennie stood up to hold her hand out over the table to Rosé. "That's what it says on my driver's license, anyway. I'm pleased to meet you, Rosé."
Rosé gave Jennie a strong handshake while giving Lisa a shocked look. "It's- I mean, great to meet you too, Jennie. Shit," she exclaimed. "I'm sorry for giving Lisa your message so late! You're in The Vehemence! That's why she went to the hotel?"
Jennie smiled wryly. "That's quite alright. I was beginning to think I'd been stood up, but she showed up in the end."
Mino slapped his thighs. "Okay, now that everyone's here, I think we'd all like to know just how you've ended up at Hanbin's apartment, and what's all this about a hotel?"
With that, Lisa settled back and recounted the story of how they'd met in the shop and then spilled coffee all over Jennie not long afterwards, leaving out only the fact that Jennie had kissed her, and then had them all in hysterics as she described the interviews she'd had to do with the other cast members. Even Jennie was giggling, and she gasped when she heard how she'd started out her interview with Lucas, slapping Lisa on the knee and then rubbed it gently before leaning back on the sofa.
"He can be quite the jerk, to be honest," she added with an exaggerated roll of her eyes, which had everyone giggling. After Hanbin had poured everyone a drink of the scotch Jennie had brought, which everyone declared to be excellent, they all dived into the conversation, describing strange colleagues they'd had in other jobs, and sharing funny details about the days they'd had.
While everyone was talking, Lisa chanced a look at Jennie, who tucked some silky dark hair behind her ear and turned to look at Lisa, a gentle smile on her face. She looked far less guarded than she had at the beginning of the evening, and Lisa hoped that Jennie was having a good time. Aside from the introductions, nobody had been treating Jennie as someone out of the ordinary, for which Lisa was very grateful. It was just like... a normal night.
Once they'd all eaten enough pizza and snacks, and the whole group felt a little tipsy after Jennie's scotch, Mino loudly declared that it was time to start Articulate. "Let's do pairs; the boys against the girls against the girls?" he asked. "I think we need to split those two up though," he added, pointing at Rosé and Jisoo, who protested. "Hey, you've got an unfair advantage!"
The fast-talking description game was explained to Jennie, and they all paired off; Rosé and Jennie, Jisoo and Lisa, and Mino and Hanbin. Just before Jennie got up to join Rosé on the sofa opposite, she ran her hand gently across Lisa's shoulder blades. And Lisa? Lisa almost inhaled her scotch the wrong way.
The apartment quickly descended into a loud and frantic game, Jennie and Rosé racing far ahead of everyone else despite Rosé almost yelling trying to describe Dr. Dre to Jennie who clearly, absolutely had no clue. Rosé flipped the card across the room at the end of the round, exclaiming exasperatedly, "how can you not know who he is?!"
"How was I meant to know who he was from your clue, he sounds like he has a medical degree but actually really doesn't?!" Jennie responded, brushing hair out of her face in feigned annoyance. To be fair to Rosé, they'd been stuck on their last People round for a while, because Jennie (Lisa was surprised to learn) didn't know who any singers, TV presenters, or video game characters were, either to describe them to Rosé, or to have them described to her. Lisa and Jisoo had steadily crept up behind them thanks to Jisoo's unexpected, but welcome, encyclopedic knowledge of geography and nature.
Lisa had found herself less and less focused on the game as the alcohol washed through her system, and her thoughts, and her gaze, strayed to the dark-haired woman seated across from her. On the way Jennie licked her bottom lip before each round. On the way she held the cards in her delicate hands, careful not to bend them. On the way she ran her hands through her hair and scratched at her scalp as she was wracking her brains thinking of what Rosé was describing. On the way she chuckled quietly when someone got something completely wrong. On the way...
And the funny thing is, most of the time when she looked across at Jennie, she found Jennie watching her with an indecipherable look on her face. Sometimes, she would smile and look away. But other times, Jennie would hold her gaze before an entirely different kind of smile slowly crept across her face, and Lisa would have to be the one to look away, the air around her feeling hot.
As she was contemplating this while Jennie was having a crack at describing Ariana Grande, she felt eyes on her. Glancing up, she saw Hanbin looking at her with a smirk on his face, and she knew she'd been caught. Blushing, she turned her attention back to the game and determinedly avoided his knowing looks for the remainder of the game.
Rosé and Jennie did eventually win the game, despite Mino and Lisa protesting their use of their joint scientific background to intricately describe a frog in ways that left everyone else with blank faces. They high-fived each other, and Jennie looked both delighted and exhausted.
"I think I'll have to get a copy of this game. I like it," she declared to Hanbin, who punched the air while holding a half-full glass of scotch, causing everyone else to scatter quickly.
When Mino glanced at his watch, it was the cue for everyone else to start making tracks. Rosé and Jisoo left first, hugs exchanged with everyone and a last wave at Jennie, and Mino followed them out. Jennie excused herself to the bathroom, and Hanbin caught up with Lisa in the kitchen.
"Ah shit, I hope I left the toilet seat down," slurring his words only the tiniest bit. "You know, Lisa, everyone looks at Jennie like she's... like she's the best thing since double-stuffed Oreos. But you look at her like... a different way, juuuuust saying!"
Lisa gave Hanbin a slight push and laughed as he bumped back into the kitchen island, rolling his eyes at her. She spotted Jennie walking back towards her. "Ready to go?" Lisa asked.
Jennie nodded, pulling her coat on and sliding her feet back into her heels. "Thanks so much, Hanbin, for hosting tonight and for letting me join in. I had a really good time, and there's some new tech being developed right now that I think you'd enjoy discussing next time," she paused, "if that sounds like something you'd like?"
Hanbin rocked back on his heels. "Definitely! That sounds like a plan I'd like to see through. And, it was my pleasure. I hope to see you at another game night; I need you on my team for Articulate!"
They both said their goodbyes to Hanbin, and headed out into the hall, Jennie texting her driver to come and pick her up. Lisa was about to call for a cab when Jennie gently pressed her hand on top of the screen. "I'll give you a ride home, Lisa," she said quietly.
"Are you sure?" Lisa asked, feeling pleased and not entirely steady on her feet. That scotch must have been quite strong.
"Of course," Jennie smiled softly at her. "Come on, he'll be outside waiting."
They made it down the stairs and out into the street without incident, to find Jennie's town car waiting in the same place it had been earlier. Lisa wondered whether he'd left traffic cones behind him when he'd left to save the space. When they'd crossed the street, Jennie opened the door for Lisa, who climbed ungracefully into the back seat and gave the driver her address.
Jennie climbed in after her, looking infinitely more poised than Lisa felt at the current moment. The car pulled out into the street. The silence between them as the car slipped down the streets was comfortable, but Lisa felt the need to fill it regardless. Jennie got there first, though.
"So, I'm a little disappointed, Lisa," she started off, her voice serious, and Lisa looked at her in alarm. "I'm fully expected to have a conversation with you tonight about what we'd store in our bunkers in the apocalypse," she finished, causing Lisa to bark out a relieved laugh at the sly look on Jennie's face.
"Well, I only talk about that with the people I trust the most," she replied, echoing Jennie's words from earlier in the week.
"Damn. Maybe next time then," Jennie laughed, before her voice turned a little quieter. "Thank you, Lisa," she started, looking at her hands in her lap, and then across at Lisa with a grateful smile. "I had a lovely time with your friends, and with you. It was... relaxing, and normal. I haven't played board games in such a long time, and it was good to just... let go."
Lisa reached across and squeezed Jennie's hand, who sent her a relaxed smile. "I'm glad you had a good time, Jennie," she said.
"I'm serious," Jennie replied in a soft voice, squeezing back covering them with her other hand. "I'm not used to it, people being friendly instead of... interested. It was nice. I appreciate it much more than you know. And I know I've said it before, but thank you for your discretion as well. It's been a long time since I haven't had to worry about that with someone."
Lisa squeezed Jennie's hand again, hoping that Jennie was able to hear the words she didn't think were necessary. It was sad that Jennie didn't seem to have much of a chance to just be herself. It must be exhausting to have that switch always be on. It must be lonely. Lisa wondered, not for the first time, whether this was why she was being so open with someone who was almost a stranger. Maybe she just needed to be herself, for once.
"I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to talk together much, though," Jennie continued. "But it was nice to see you around your friends. You laugh a lot and your smile is... almost permanently on your face."
It was true that Lisa's face ached a little from all the laughing they'd done throughout the evening. "Thank you," she said. "They're a great group of people, and we have a lot of fun together. Sometimes there are others, but that's our core group."
The car slowed down and then stopped, and Lisa recognized her building. With a smile that looked almost shy, Jennie rubbed her thumb over Lisa's skin. "But... as lovely as your friends and your sister are, next time, I'd like you all to myself."
Lisa was glad that the car was dark enough to hide her blush that time. "It looks like this is your stop," Jennie said, and pulled her hand out of Lisa's grasp. Lisa missed the contact immediately, but then Jennie reached across, resting her hand on Lisa's cheek, before leaning in slowly and pressing her soft lips to the corner of her mouth in another gentle kiss. Lisa froze in surprise, feeling Jennie's hand leave her face as she leaned back in her seat.
Lisa looked across at Jennie, who was watching her with a slightly nervous look on her face. Smiling, and hoping against all hope that she had been interpreting the soft looks and smiles she'd been receiving all evening, Lisa rested her hand on the seat between them, her palm up, and waited to see what Jennie would do. Jennie looked across at her, and down at her own hand, before settling hers in Lisa's, linking their fingers together.
Her heart felt like it was singing; the air around her felt thick, and it was if her body released a breath it didn't know it was holding. But, hang on, Jennie's lips were moving.
"-you again," Jennie was saying.
"Uh, what?" Lisa stuttered.
Jennie laughed and released her hand. "I said I'd like to see you again. I'm free on Monday evening. Are you?"
"Yes, yeah, I am," Lisa replied quickly. "Sorry, I was miles away for a second there!"
Jennie smiled indulgently. "I'll have to do better at keeping your attention," she said, before Lisa open the door and getting out, walking around the car to open Jennie's door.
Jennie climbed out, and Lisa was immediately engulfed in a hug by Jennie, her perfume and warmth surrounding her. She wrapped her arms around Jennie, feeling the tips of Jennie's hair tickling her forearm, and felt Jennie lean into her for an exquisite moment before they both let go of each other.
"Goodnight, Lisa," Jennie murmured, giving her the most radiant smile that Lisa had yet seen on Jennie's elegant face before raising a hand in goodbye and climbing back into the car.
The memory of that smile and the soft hand in hers carried Lisa into the sweetest sleep she could remember having in a long time.