Lisa continued to sob into Chaeyoung’s arms, her whole body shaking violently, her breaths tortured as her lungs fought for air, her chest going into paroxysmal spasms.
“Please don’t cry,” Chaeyoung told Lisa sadly, kissing her gently on the top of the head. She brushed Lisa’s hair out of her eyes, tucking it carefully behind her ear securely. Chaeyoung’s eyes were wet with her own tears which were falling freely as she listened to the agonizing sound of Lisa crying into her, muttering quiet pleas for Chaeyoung to, ‘make it stop.’
“Please Lili,” Chaeyoung implored.
“Please don’t cry…” Chaeyoung felt a hand on her shoulder and turned, just in time to see Miss Bae crouch down beside her.
“Lalisa,” Miss Bae said her voice calm and composed. She was studying Lisa closely a sad expression on her face. “Lalisa,” Miss Bae repeated, placing a hand on Lisa’s back and rubbing it soothingly. “Hey,” Miss Bae said as Lisa turned her head slightly to look at whoever was addressing her. “It’s Miss Bae,” the teacher informed her evenly, pausing to allow Lisa to register the truth to her words. “I need you to come with me,” Miss Bae said, her tone relaxed. “Do you think you can do that?” she asked. Chaeyoung watched Lisa carefully for a response, observing her swollen eyes, her tear streaked cheeks, her flushed complexion.
Lisa’s skin felt warm to touch and Chaeyoung noted that her nosebleed had now slowed; blood visible in an obvious trail from her nostril to her chin. Lisa looked at Miss Bae, her eyelids low and her pupils sluggish, as though she wasn’t quite aware of what was happening around her. “Lalisa?” Miss Bae repeated kindly, brushing Lisa’s cheek with her fingertips gently. “I really need you to come with me now.” She reiterated. “Is that ok?” Lisa’s chest was still heaving, her sobs finally dying down when Chaeyoung felt her nod her head in response to Miss Bae’s question.
“Ok,” Miss Bae said, placing her hand on to Lisa’s shoulder. “Ok, good.” She said gently, turning her head towards Chaeyoung and silently instructing her to release her hold on Lisa. Chaeyoung relaxed her grip on her girlfriend’s small form reluctantly, separating them a little bit so that Miss Bae could take both of Lisa’s shoulders in her hands. Slowly, Miss Bae guided Lisa up on to her feet and Chaeyoung followed suit, standing up opposite them. She watched as Miss Bae put one arm around Lisa’s shoulders comfortingly and out of some kind of primitive reflex, Lisa turned her face to bury it against Miss Bae’s chest, her knees almost giving out as her body threatened to buckle beneath her again.
Miss Bae wrapped her other arm around Lisa’s torso to support her and turned her attention back to Chaeyoung who felt like she was watching the scene before her rather than being an active participant.
“Can you collect her things?” Miss Bae asked Chaeyoung quietly. Chaeyoung nodded in the affirmative, stepping over to the table to pick up both hers and Lisa’s belongings as Miss Bae lead the fragile brunette through the cafeteria and out in to the hallway. Chaeyoung made a move to follow her and came face to face with Jisoo who had an uneasy expression on her face. “Can you call me later?” Jisoo asked Chaeyoung desperately, her tone etched with worry.
“You’re not coming too?” Chaeyoung questioned back. Jisoo turned to look at Lisa who was still wrapped up in Miss Bae’s arms as they disappeared out in to the hallway.
“No,” Jisoo said sadly, her attention once again on Chaeyoung. “I don’t think that’d be a good idea.” Chaeyoung saw Somi come up alongside Jisoo and link their arms together whilst Jennie approached from Jisoo’s other side and started rubbing her free arm supportively.
“Are you sure?” Chaeyoung asked her, throwing a quick glance towards the door, eager to catch up with Miss Bae and Lisa.
“Yeah,” Jisoo said sadly, her eyes glistening with the threat of tears. “You should go.”
“Ok,” Chaeyoung replied. “I’ll call you I promise,” she told her sincerely. Jisoo nodded in acknowledgement before Chaeyoung made a beeline for the door to chase after Lisa and Miss Bae. She caught up to them a little way down the corridor and followed Miss Bae as she led Lisa to the school nurses office.
Miss Bae guided Lisa into a vacant chair before disappearing to talk to the school nurse for a moment and Chaeyoung sat beside her girlfriend whilst they waited for her to reappear. Chaeyoung dropped the assortment of bags in her hands on the floor at her feet before reaching one arm round Lisa’s neck and holding onto her shoulder tightly. She pulled Lisa, who was now staring in to space, her tears having finally ceased, into her side and kissed her on the head lightly, her free hand reaching for Lisa’s left.
She picked up Lisa’s fingers in her own, playing with them mindlessly as she always did, finding the familiarity of the gesture comforting amidst everything that was going on. Miss Bae appeared a few moments later with a damp cloth in her hands and crouched in front of Chaeyoung and Lisa, studying the smaller girl closely, her brow furrowing in concern.
“Lalisa,” Miss Bae said in that same friendly tone of hers. “I’m just going to clean you up a bit alright?” she asked. Lisa didn’t respond and Chaeyoung squeezed her shoulder slightly. Lisa looked up at Chaeyoung who tried to smile at her encouragingly.
“Lili?” Chaeyoung asked carefully. “Is that ok?” Lisa looked puzzled for a moment before turning her attention to Miss Bae who held up the cloth in her hands as if in explanation. Lisa made no sound or gesture to protest, so Miss Bae placed the cloth against the skin beneath the youngsters’ nose and held it there for a moment before gently wiping at the quickly drying blood. Lisa bought her head back a little at the moment, surprised, a curious look on her face as she dipped her chin slightly to look at the cloth, her hand reaching up as if to take it.
“Do you think you can do it?” Miss Bae asked her, holding the cloth out patiently. Lisa took the cloth and held it in her hand for a moment, studying the small red stain which soiled the otherwise white flannel. As if finally realising what had happened, Lisa reached the hand that Chaeyoung was playing with up to her nose, Chaeyoung releasing it to allow her to touch the side of her index finger to her nose. She held it there for barely an instant before lowering it again to look at the faint red mark which had transferred across on to her skin. “Shhhhiiitt.” Lisa drawled as she lifted the cloth to her upper lip and began to rub at it lightly.
Lisa had managed to clear most of her face when she lowered it again, but had missed her chin completely, so Chaeyoung took the cloth from her grasp and carefully cleaned the blood which was currently sullying her otherwise perfect features.
“There,” Chaeyoung said when she’d finished. She handed the cloth back to the already outstretched hand of Miss Bae who received it without hesitation.
“Lalisa,” Miss Bae started her voice caring. “The nurse has called your mom. She’s going to come and get you alright?” Lisa nodded her head, not saying anything and Chaeyoung wasn’t sure if she was mute or just too disorientated to really understand what was happening. “Do you remember what happened?” Miss Bae probed softly; keen to understand Lisa’s perception. Lisa turned her head to look up at Chaeyoung who lifted one side of her mouth in a smile.
“I…ugh,” Lisa said, squinting her eyes together and dropping her head. She reached her right hand up to her forehead and massaged her brow roughly as though trying to will the memory back into her consciousness.
“That’s ok,” Miss Bae said, placing a hand on Lisa’s knee to stop her from dwelling on it. The words seemed to strike a chord with Lisa though because she lifted her gaze from the floor to look at the teacher, her eyes darting from side to side as if she recollecting the events that had just happened. “It’s not…” Lisa said and tears appeared in the corners of her eyes again as she turned to look at Chaeyoung.
“I’m sorry…” she sobbed remembering. “I’m sorry…God, I didn’t… you shouldn’t…”
“Shh…” Chaeyoung soothed, pulling Lisa into her side again and kissing her brow softly with her lips. “You don’t need to apologise. It’s fine.”
“I’m sorry,” Lisa apologised again, reaching the heel of her hand up to her head and pressing it against her temple firmly. Lisa grimaced and Chaeyoung shared an understanding look with Miss Bae.
“Do you have a headache Lalisa?” Miss Bae questioned sensitively, placing the back of her hand to Lisa’s forehead as if checking her temperature.
“I always have a headache,” Lisa commented, pressing the heel of her hand in to her temple once more. “It never really goes away, not completely.”
“You feel a little hot,” Miss Bae noted matter of factly. “Are you feeling alright otherwise?”
“She’s not been sleeping,” Chaeyoung answered on Lisa’s behalf as she dropped her head in to her hands, covering her eyes with her hands for a moment. “Her doctor has changed a lot of her medications around and the new prescription isn’t really helping to manage her symptoms. She’s been in a lot of pain recently.” Miss Bae nodded in acknowledgement.
“How bad is your headache at the moment?” Miss Bae asked Lisa who had lifted her face out of her hands once more.
“Bad,” Lisa admitted. “It’s…like a nine out of ten.”
“What do you normally take for it?” Miss Bae asked. “Can you have something?” Lisa shook her head, her eyes closed.
“I’ve already taken what I can,” Lisa informed her. “I can’t take anything else for another couple of hours.”
“Ok,” Miss Bae said, her eyes narrowing in thought. “Let me see what I can do.” With that Miss Bae stood up and made her way back into the school nurses office to speak to her. Once she’d disappeared, Lisa lifted her gaze to meet Chaeyoung’s and she pushed herself back a little so that she could look at her properly.
“I’m so sorry Rosie,” Lisa apologised again. “Jesus…I’m such a mess…”
“You are a mess Lili,” Chaeyoung replied her tone serious but her features demonstrating a warm smile. “You’re in one hell of a fucking state to be honest.”
“I know,” Lisa acknowledged a small smile creeping on to her own lips at Chaeyoung’s expression. “I know…I’m sorry…”
“I want to help,” Chaeyoung told her earnestly. “I really want to be able to help you but, I don’t think I can.” Chaeyoung shared with her. “I don’t know what to do Lili,” Chaeyoung continued. “It scares me when I see you like that, when I hear you saying those things…”
“I’m sorry,” Lisa repeated again, because it was true and she didn’t know what else to say.
“Please tell me that you didn’t mean them?” Chaeyoung asked her hopefully, although she knew deep down that Lisa did.
“I…can’t,” Lisa told her as Miss Bae came back outside with an ice pack which she’d wrapped in a towel.
“Here,” Miss Bae said gesturing for Lisa to tilt her head forward slightly. “Try this.” She placed the ice pack on the back of Lisa’s neck and held it there for a moment until Lisa reached up with her own hand to take over. They sat there for a while, in relative silence, Chaeyoung not wanting to broach the previous topic with Lisa whilst Miss Bae was present. Lisa’s headache eased a little bit with the use of the ice pack but she still had that dull ache which always pressed at her temples oppressively.
Eventually Lisa’s mom arrived and Miss Bae explained what had happened during lunch. Amy took Lisa home after promising Chaeyoung that she could visit after school but no sooner, knowing that she’d ideally want to accompany her home now. Once they’d left, Chaeyoung made a move to head to her next class but Miss Bae stopped her.
“Chaeyoung can I talk to you for a minute?” she asked, gesturing for her to return to the seat she’d recently occupied. Chaeyoung descended into it hesitantly as Miss Bae sat herself down in the vacant one beside her.
“Is something wrong?” Chaeyoung asked nervously. “I’m sorry about what happened? I don’t even know what happened really…one minute she was ok and the next…well, you saw…”
“You don’t have anything to apologise for,” Miss Bae reassured her compassionately. “What just happened, it wasn’t your fault, ok?” Chaeyoung nodded her head in acknowledgement of Miss Bae’s words. “Lalisa has a lot of problems,” Miss Bae commented, watching Chaeyoung’s face for her reaction. “She can’t control her emotions sometimes. It’s nother fault.” She added. “She is dealing with a lot, probably more than any other student at this school.” Miss Bae noted.
“She’s trying,” Chaeyoung said feeling like she should defend Lisa. “She is…”
“I know,” Miss Bae interrupted. “I know she is. I’m not blaming her or upset with her about what happened. I spend a lot of time with Lisa and I understand what she’s dealing with and how well she is doing by just being present at school some days.” Miss Bae shared. “I’m just concerned.” She finished.
“I am too.” Chaeyoung admitted.
“No,” Miss Bae said placing a hand on Chaeyoung’s knee. “Not about Lalisa,” she clarified, “about you.”
“Me?” Chaeyoung asked surprised. “Why?”
“Don’t get me wrong,” Miss Bae explained. “I’m obviously concerned about Lalisa too, but, her problems and her struggles are obvious and she has a lot of support from various different faculty members and professionals. She’s got her family and her friends…” Miss Bae paused for a moment and Chaeyoung just stared back at her in return, waiting for her to continue. “Who do you have supporting you Chaeyoung?” Miss Bae asked her sensitively.
“I’m fine,” Chaeyoung said, “I have my friends and my family,” she informed her teacher but Miss Bae could hear the doubt in here voice and Chaeyoung read it on her face. “I don’t need any help.”
“Chaeyoung,” Miss Bae said sadly. “Lalisa is depressed. She has a lot of residual physical disabilities and some behavioural problems as a result of the accident. Her mood fluctuates depending on the day and that’s ok, because she’s still recovering but, I’m worried about how being around her is affecting you.”
“I don’t understand,” Chaeyoung said honestly. “It doesn’t affect me…Lalisa’s the one that…”
“You think that,” Miss Bae cut her off smoothly, her voice kind. “Chaeyoung I know that you really care about Lisa…”
“I love her,” Chaeyoung admitted and Miss Bae tilted her head to the side a small smile on her lips. “I’m in love with her.”
“I can see that,” Miss Bae replied, not judging, not shocked or disgusted, but understanding and empathetic. She’d known that Lisa and Chaeyoung had been dating ever since it happened. It didn’t bother her in the slightest. She paused for a moment lifting her hand and placing it on Chaeyoung’s shoulder. “I’ve spent a lot of time with Lalisa over the last few months Chaeyoung,” Miss Bae eventually went on. “You are such a positive influence in her life and so supportive of her. She depends on you for a lot. I’m just concerned that she is too dependent on you.”
“I don’t mind though,” Chaeyoung responded without hesitation. “I want to help her.”
“That’s very admirable of you Chaeyoung,” Miss Bae praised, “but you have to think about yourself in this as well. You have to look out for you.”
“I am,” Chaeyoung said feeling tears prick at her eyes but uncertain why. “It’s not too much for me. I can manage…”
“Now,” Miss Bae agreed, “but Chaeyoung, depression is hard on any relationship, whether that be friends or other. Even grown adults struggle to navigate it easily. Lalisa’s moods, her words, over time they’ll start to get to you.”
“They won’t,” Chaeyoung said, her voice quiet, lacking the conviction of before.
“Chaeyoung I think that they already are,” Miss Bae observed as a tear slid down Chaeyoung’s cheek.
“She doesn’t mean them,” Chaeyoung defended. “It’s not personal…it’s…she’s just…she’s so angry sometimes…at herself.”
“You take it personally though,” Miss Bae said rubbing her arm comfortingly. “You get hurt because of her.”
“It’s not her fault,” Chaeyoung said in defence, wiping at her eyes. “She doesn’t know how else to express herself so she…lashes out sometimes and she shouts…not at me…it’s never aimed at me, not really, I know that.”
“Watching her hurt herself, is just as painful, if not more sometimes, than being the recipient of her irritation and her rage.” Miss Bae said knowingly. “It upsets you because you feel like you’re failing at making her happy, but, her depression is not because of failure on your part. You need to know that.”
“She is happy,” Chaeyoung said crying openly now. “Sometimes there are days where it’s almost like nothing ever happened to her…”
“They’re rare though aren’t they?” Miss Bae asked perceptively.
“They’re there,” Chaeyoung countered wiping at her eyes. “They might be few and far between but they make all the bad days’ worth it…she’s like a different person when she’s happy….she’s…” Chaeyoung swallowed hard, her words failing her, unable to explain. “I love her,” Chaeyoung said simply. “All of her. When she’s at her worst and her best…” Miss Bae sighed sadly.
“Chaeyoung I’m not asking you to stop seeing her,” Miss Bae reassured her, sensing Chaeyoung’s obvious concern. “I just want you to be careful. Lalisa leans on you for everything and she doesn’t understand or realise the affect that her mood has on you. It’s not because she doesn’t care, she’d be devastated if she knew she’d hurt you because, you can see, she really cares about you too, but, she can’t…”
“I know,” Chaeyoung interrupted. “I read up on head injuries and traumatic brain injuries, I’m pretty much an expert now.”
“She can’t perceive how her behaviour affects other people sometimes,” Miss Bae went on. “If you’re not careful Chaeyoung you could end up growing to resent her and I’m worried what she might do if she doesn’t have the person that she’s become so reliant on.” Miss Bae left the implication hanging between them but Chaeyoung understood. Miss Bae was worried that if Lisa’s depression didn’t resolve, if she continued to lash out and push back at Chaeyoung then she’d start to resent her and they’d grow apart. She was concerned that if that happened Lisa wouldn’t have the support that she’d become so dependent on and that with her previous history and suicidal thoughts it might be the straw the breaks the camels’ back, so to speak.
“Talk to me,” Miss Bae encouraged. “Any time you need to get something of your chest, or you need some advice, please come and find me.” She offered kindly. “I want to be that support for you Chaeyoung alright?” she said. “As strong as you think that you are and as much as you don’t think you need any help, everyone needs someone to look out for their interests. Lalisa is incapable of doing that for you, as much as she might want to.” Miss Bae explained. “She has to focus on herself. She needs to in order to move past this and get better.”
“She’s not selfish though,” Chaeyoung protested. “She’s so generous and thoughtful when she’s happy.”
“When she’s happy,” Miss Bae emphasized meaningfully, “because when she’s not, all her thoughts are preoccupied on herself and that’s when she doesn’t consider her actions or words towards you.” She finished. “It’s not intentional I know, but, that’s when I want you to talk to me. You’re not alone Chaeyoung. We all want the same thing for Lalisa.” Miss Bae paused momentarily. “It’s just that I want something for you too.” Miss Bae finished and Chaeyoung nodded her head in understanding.
“Ok,” she promised. “Thank you. I will. I know we discussed it before but I promise I will this time.” Chaeyoung continued. Chaeyoung stood up to go to her next period but Miss Bae stayed her by reaching up and pulling gently on Chaeyoung’s wrist as she too stood up.
“Chaeyoung,” she said seriously. “I’m really proud of you. I just wanted to tell you that. I really admire who you are.” Chaeyoung smiled through her tears. “Stay in there,” Miss Bae said seriously. “Stay true to who you are through all this and you’ll be fine, you and Lalisa. She might not seem it sometimes but she is a fighter and she loves you. If she can’t do it for herself she’ll do it for you.”
“How do you know that?” Chaeyoung asked.
“She depends on you,” Miss Bae stated simply. “You might not realise it yet but you depend on her just as much as she’s does you, and despite what she lacks, Lalisa is perceptive to that.” Chaeyoung smiled before throwing her arms around Miss Bae grateful for her words. Miss Bae, initially surprised, soon wrapped her arms around Chaeyoung, hugging her comfortingly.
“Thanks,” Chaeyoung said appreciatively.
“You’re welcome,” Miss Bae said releasing her and she accompanied Chaeyoung to her next class, providing an excuse to her teacher for her tardiness in person. Chaeyoung suffered the rest of school in a state of fervent agitation, desperate for the final bell to ring so that she could finally go and see Lisa. Finally, the blessed signal came and Chaeyoung hastily made her way over to Lisa’s house, knocking lightly on the door, her feet hifting beneath her anxiously whilst she waited for an answer.
After was seemed like a lifetime, Lisa’s mom opened the door and greeted her, inviting Chaeyoung inside and informing her that Lisa was upstairs in her room.
“How is she?” Chaeyoung asked tentatively. “Is she any better this afternoon?”
“She’s…about the same,” Amy answered honestly, gesturing for Chaeyoung to go on upstairs. Chaeyoung made her way up the familiar stairs to Lisa’s room, pushing the door, which had been pulled to; open quietly, the lock having been removed immediately following the events of two weeks ago. On entering the room, Chaeyoung saw Lisa lying on her left side in the bed, her small form enveloped by her duvet, her hoody visible at the back of her neck as she slept.
Chaeyoung smiled to herself at the sight of her girlfriend, Lisa’s relaxed expression and soft features temporarily concealing her inner turmoil. Chaeyoung stepped further in to the room, pushing the door closed gently behind her and made her way over to Lisa’s bed, kicking off her shoes and crawling onto the mattress to lie beside Lisa. Chaeyoung lowered herself on to her right shoulder so that she was facing her girlfriend, their faces only a few feet apart.
Chaeyoung treasured Lisa’s peaceful appearance, enjoyed watching her chest rise slowly, her breathing easy and unperturbed rather than fast and panicked as it had been earlier. Chaeyoung reached her hand up and gently stroked Lisa’s brow with her fingertips, powerless to abstain from contact when she was so close and her soft, smooth skin was beckoning her like the beacon of a lighthouse. Lisa’s face twitched a little under Chaeyoung’s touch and her eyes flickered for a moment causing Chaeyoung to hold her breath, worried that she’d woken her.
She released it slowly when Lisa remained asleep, only to curse inwardly when the sensation of Chaeyoung’s exhaled breath on her face caused Lisa’s eyes to flutter open drowsily, their faces so close together. Lisa smiled sleepily at Chaeyoung, her eyelids only half open, her mouth pursed slightly, her features still relaxed.
“Hi,” Lisa greeted her voice raspy and deep from sleep.
“Hi,” Chaeyoung smiled back, reaching up and brushing Lisa’s brow with her fingertips again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.” Chaeyoung apologised.
“I wasn’t sleeping,” Lisa protested lamely, closing her eyes again.
“Oh you weren’t?” Chaeyoung questioned teasingly, “my mistake.” Lisa opened her eyes to look at Chaeyoung and she felt her heart flutter at the sight of Lisa’s bleary eyes as they fixed on her. Lisa reached her hand up, her control uncoordinated and searching, to find Chaeyoung’s face and she stroked the tip of Chaeyoung’s nose with her fingertip once she found it, a sluggish smile on her face.
“I like your nose,” Lisa said still half asleep. “It’s cute.”
“You’re cute,” Chaeyoung countered and her heart fluttered again at the sight of Lisa’s mouth lift up into a smile once more. Lisa moved her hand, lightly touching Chaeyoung’s face, studying every line, every feature through sleep glazed eyes. Her fingers gently traced the contours of Chaeyoung’s lips before making their way up to Chaeyoung’s brow and tracing the outline of her brown eyes.
“You’re really pretty,” Lisa said finally as though she’d been drawing that conclusion for the last few minutes. Chaeyoung shuffled a little closer to Lisa on the bed, resting her forehead against her girlfriends' so that the tips of their noses were touching. She reached up her hand to stroke Lisa’s cheek and smiled when she saw her close her weary eyes again. Chaeyoung dipped her head to plant a soft kiss on Lisa’s lips and wasn’t surprised when she didn’t reciprocate, her chest rising slowly and evenly as she settled back to sleep again. Chaeyoung stroked the bridge of Lisa’s nose lightly and she scrunched it up in response an adorable expression on her face as she opened her eyes again to look at Chaeyoung.
“Hi,” Lisa said still sleepy.
“Hi again,” Chaeyoung replied smiling and this time Lisa was the one to initiate the kiss, her aim sloppy in her exhaustion. Chaeyoung laughed a little as Lisa shifted here position in the bed to rectify her aim and reached up to place a hand on the side of Chaeyoung’s neck, brushing her skin there rhythmically with her thumb.
“I’m glad that you’re here,” Lisa said, her voice quiet and throaty, her eyes flicking closed once again spent.
“I’ll always be here Lili,” Chaeyoung told her sincerely, reaching a hand up to rub Lisa’s uppermost arm. “I told you that. You won’t get rid of me that easily you know.”
“I know,” Lisa yawned and she kissed Chaeyoung again sighing in to it contentedly.
“We need to talk about today,” Chaeyoung said to her seriously, her hand finding its way up to Lisa’s forehead to trace the outline of her scar like it always seemed to do. She was grateful for Miss Bae’s support, for her kind words and her concern but Chaeyoung had made a promise to Lisa and although she’d kind of reneged on it in regards to her nosebleeds, Chaeyoung was going to stay true to her oath. If she was going to talk to anyone about things, it would be Lisa.
“Ok,” Lisa acknowledged, her eyes still closed. “Tomorrow though,” Lisa said, her eyes fluttering half open again.
“Lili you’re depressed,” Chaeyoung stated simply and Lisa reached up to try and remove the creases of Chaeyoung’s furrowed brow.
“I know,” Lisa admitted her eyes dropping closed for a minute before they reopened. “I’m sorry, I don’t want to be.”
“It hurts me to see you in pain,” Chaeyoung shared with her, running her fingertips through the long strands of hair on the right hand side of Lisa’s head. Lisa closed her eyes again in response to Chaeyoung’s touch.
“I never want to hurt you Rosie,” Lisa said, opening her eyes and placing a hand on Chaeyoung’s side, beneath her shirt, which still had traces of Lisa’s blood on it from earlier. “You are the last person that I would ever…want to hurt,” she said, her voice trailing off as her eyelids dropped closed again.
“Lili…” Chaeyoung started but she was stunned in to silence by Lisa’s next words.
“I love you Rosie,” Lisa hummed sincerely, her eyes still closed, her lids too heavy to lift, exhaustion evident in every fibre of her being. “I love you.” She breathed.