Jennie's POV
"Where's Jisoo?" I ask Lisa when we take our seats.
She takes a bite of a croissant. "I don't know." "Um, you said she was looking for me?"
"She was, but I don't know where she is now."
"Lisa, you shouldn't talk with your mouth full." Her grandmother appears behind her.
I notice her take a deep breath before she turns to her. "Sorry," she mumbles.
"I wanted to see you before I go—God knows when I will see you again. Can you save a dance for your gammy?" she asks oh so adorably, but she shakes her head. "Why not?" she asks her with a smile.
I realize now that it wasn't just shock that had Lisa rattled before.
There's a tension between them that I can't quite put my finger on. "I am on my way to get Jennie a drink," she lies and leaves the table.
Her grandmother laughs uncomfortably. "Well, she's something, isn't she?" I am not sure what to say; my first instinct is to defend her, but it seems she is joking.
She turns to me sharply. "Is she still drinking?"
"What? N-no," I stutter, completely caught off guard. "Well, she only drinks every once in a while," I clarify as I see her walking toward us with two flutes full of pink liquid.
She hands me one and I smile and lift it to my lips. It smells sweet when I tip the glass back to take a drink, and the bubbles spritz lightly, tickling my nose. It tastes just as sweet as it smells.
"Champagne," she informs me and I thank her.
"Jennie!" Karen practically shouts right before she wraps her arms around me. She has changed out of her wedding dress and into a white knee-length wrap dress, not that she looks any less stunning. "I am so thrilled that you two came! How was it?" she asks. Karen is the only person who would ask how her own wedding was; she is too kind.
"It was so lovely; it was beautiful." I smile.
Lisa puts her hand on the small of my back and I lean into her. I can sense how uncomfortable she is between his grandmother and Karen, and now Marco is making his way over to us.
"Thank you for coming," Marco says to Lisa and holds out his hand to shake.
Lisa obliges and quickly shakes her father's hand. I notice Marco start to lift his arm up to hug Lisa, but he lowers it before following through. Still, Marco's face is full of excitement and joy.
"Jennie, you look beautiful, dear." He hugs me and then eagerly asks, "Are you enjoying yourselves?"
I can't help but feel a little awkward around him now that I have a deeper insight into who he was all those years ago."Yeah. It's a nice setup you've got out here." Lisa does her best to praise her father. I put my hand on her back and rub small circles to ease her.
Lisa's grandmother coughs and looks at her father. "I didn't know that you two were speaking."
Marco rubs the back of his neck, a habit that I suspect Lisa got from him.
"Yeah. Let's talk about this another time, Mother," Marco says and she nods in agreement.
I take another drink out of my glass and try not to dwell on the fact that I am drinking underage in front of adults. In front of the chancellor of my school.
A waiter in a black vest walks by with a tray of champagne, and when Marco grabs a flute I cringe. But he hands the glass to his new bride and I relax, extremely glad to see that he isn't drinking.
"Want another?" Lisa asks me and I look at Karen. "Go ahead, it's a wedding," she tells me and I smile. "Sure," I say and Lisa leaves to get me another glass.
We talk about the wedding and the flowers for a minute, and when Lisa comes back with only one flute, Karen gets concerned and asks her, "You don't like the champagne?"
"Oh yeah, it's good, but I already had a glass and I'm driving," she replies, and Karen looks at her with adoration clear in her brown eyes.
She turns to me. "Do you have time to come by this week? I ordered some seeds for the greenhouse."
"Yes, of course. I am free anytime after four all week," I say.
The pleased yet astonished look on Gammy's face is obvious as she looks back and forth between Karen and me. "So how long have you two been seeing one another?" she asks Lisa and me.
"A few months," Lisa tells her quietly.
Sometimes I forget that no one outside of our—well, Lisa's—group of friends knows that we despised each other up until two months ago.
"Oh, so no great-grandchildren for me anytime soon?" She laughs and Lisa's face flushes.
"No, no. We've only just moved in together," Lisa says, and Karen and I both spit champagne back into our glasses at the same time.
"You two moved in together?" Marco asks.
I had not expected Lisa to tell them today. Heck, I hadn't even been sure she would tell them at all, given how she is. I am shocked and a little embarrassed at my reaction, but mostly pleased that she has no problem admitting it.
"Yeah, we moved into Artisan a few days ago," she explains.
"Wow, that's a nice place, and closer to Jennie's internship," Marco remarks.
"Yeah," Lisa says, clearly trying to measure how everyone feels about our bombshell.
"Well, I am very happy for you, daughter." He places his hand on his daughter's shoulder and I watch with a neutral expression. "I never imagined you would be this happy and so . . . at peace."
"Thank you," Lisa says and actually smiles.
"Maybe we could come by sometime and see it?" Marco asks, and Karen's eyes lower.
"Marco . . ." she warns, clearly remembering the time Marco pushed Lisa too far, as am I.
"Uh, yeah, I guess you could," Lisa says, surprising us all.
"Really?" Marco asks and Lisa nods. "Okay, just let us know when is good for the two of you." His eyes are slightly glossy.
Music begins to play through the tent and Karen grabs Marco's arm. "That's our cue—thank you both so much for coming," she says and leans in to kiss my cheek.
"You have done so much for this family, you have no idea," she whispers in my ear before pulling away, tears shining in her eyes.
"Time for the bride and groom's first dance!" a voice announces through the speakers. Lisa's grandmother walks away as well, following the crowd to watch.
"You just made their day," I tell Lisa and kiss her cheek. "Let's go upstairs," she says.
"What?" My head is a little fuzzy from the two glasses of champagne I just finished.
"Upstairs," she repeats, sending that familiar electricity through me. "Now?" I laugh.
"Now."
"But all these people . . ."
She doesn't respond; instead she takes my hand and leads me through the crowd and out of the tent. When we get inside the house, she grabs me another glass of champagne, and I try not to let it spill as I rush up the stairs to keep up with her.
"Is something wrong?" I ask her as she shuts the bedroom door and locks it.
"I need you," she says darkly and pulls her jacket off.
"Are you okay, though?" I ask, my heart already beating out of my chest. "Yes, I just need a distraction," she groans and steps toward me, grabbing the glass and setting it on the dresser. She takes another step, encircling my wrists in her hands and then lifting them over my head.
I will gladly be her distraction from the overload of everything downstairs—seeing her grandmother for the first time in years, watching her father get remarried, agreeing to let them come to our apartment. That is a lot for Lisa in such a short period of time.
Instead of asking her any questions or pushing her further, I grab her by the collar of her shirt and push my hips out to meet her. She's already hard. Groaning, she lets go of my wrists, allowing me to comb my fingers through her hair. When her mouth moves over mine, her tongue is hot and sweet with the lingering taste of champagne. Within seconds she is reaching into her pocket and pulling out a foil packet.
"We've got to get you on birth control so I can stop using these. I want to really be able to feel you." Her voice is husky and she pulls my lower lip between her, sucking lightly and seductively, making my body crave her even more.
I hear her unzip and she hisses as my hands reach down and push her pants and boxers down to her knees. Lisa's hands go up the front of my dress and she hooks her long fingers around my panties and pulls them down. I clumsily step out of them, using her arms to steady myself. She chuckles lightly before connecting her lips with my neck. Her hands squeeze my hips before she lifts me up and I whimper a little, wrapping my legs around her waist.
My hands grip the top of my dress in an attempt to pull it down, but she pleads into my neck, "No, leave it on. This dress is so incredibly sexy . . . it's so sexy, yet white and virginal looking . . . and fuck . . . it's so hot. You're so beautiful." She lifts me up farther, then lowers me onto her. My back is against the smooth door and Lisa begins guiding me up and down. There is a fever and a desperation in her that I have not seen at this level before, and I feel as though I am ice and she is fire. We are so completely different, yet the same.
"Is . . . this . . . okay?" she stutters, her arms wrapped around my back to keep me steady.
"Yes," I moan. The feeling of her taking me this way, against the door, my legs around her waist, is very intense but heavenly all the same.
"Kiss me," she begs.
I slide my tongue across her lips before her mouth parts, allowing me access. Tugging at her hair, I do my best to kiss her as she moves in and out of me faster and faster. Our bodies are moving vigorously, but our kiss remains slow and intimate.
"I can't get enough of you, Jen, I . . . fuck. I love you," she says into my mouth and I gasp and moan, that feeling growing in the pit of my stomach. A few grunts escape her lips and I cry out, both of us reaching our climaxes. "Let go, baby," she instructs, and I do just that. She leaves her lips pressed against mine, swallowing my moans as she tenses and spills into the condom.
With a few heavy breaths her head falls onto my chest and she continues to hold me in place for a few seconds before lifting me and then lowering me to stand on my own feet.
I tilt my head back against the door and catch my breath as she neatly puts the condom back into the wrapper and puts it into her pocket before pulling her pants back up.
"Remind me to throw that away as soon as we get downstairs." She laughs and I giggle. "Thank you," she says and kisses my cheek. "Not for what we just did, but for everything."
"You never need to thank me, Lisa. You do as much for me as I do for you." I look into her bright green eyes. "Actually, more."
"No way." She shakes her head gently and takes my hand. "Let's go back down before someone comes looking for us."
"How do I look?" I ask, running my fingers through my hair and wiping under my eyes.
"Freshly fucked," she teases and I roll my eyes. "You look beautiful." "So do you," I tell her.
ALMOST EVERYONE IN THE TENT is dancing by the time we return, and it seems that our absence has gone unnoticed. As we take our seats another song begins. I recognize it: "Never Let Me Go," by Florence and the Machine.
"Do you want to dance?" I ask Lisa, even though I am sure I already know her answer.
"No, I don't dance," she says and looks over at me. "Unless . . . you want to?" she adds.
I am surprised by her offer and thrilled that she would dance with me. She holds her hand out for mine, but really I'm the one who leads us onto the checkered dance floor, moving quickly in case she changes her mind. We stay in the back, a good distance from the crowd.
"I don't have a clue what to do." She laughs.
"I'll show you," I assure her and place her hands on my hips. She steps on my feet a few times, but she catches on quickly. Never in a million years would I have even entertained the thought that Lisa would be dancing at her father's wedding.
"Sort of a demented song to play at a wedding, isn't it?" She laughs into my ear.
"Not really; it's sort of perfect," I say and lean my head on her chest.
I am aware that we aren't actually dancing as much as we are just swaying back and forth holding each other, but that's fine with me. We stay that way for the next two songs, which end up being two of my favorites. "You Found Me" by the Fray makes Lisa laugh as she holds me close to her. The next, a pop song by a boy band, plays, making me smile and her roll her eyes. During both, Lisa, gives me some background on her grandmother. She still lives in Thailand, but she hasn't seen or spoken to her since she phoned her on her twelfth birthday. She took her father's side during the divorce and defended her drinking, essentially blaming Lisa's mother for everything, which was enough for Lisa to not want to speak to her again. She seems very comfortable sharing this information with me, so I stay quiet, only nodding and humming in acknowledgment of her remarks.
Lisa makes a few jokes about how annoying and whiny all the songs being played are, and I laugh at her.
"You want to go back upstairs?" she jokes and lowers her hand on my back.
"Maybe."
"I'll have to give you champagne more often." I move her hands back up to my waist and she pouts, which makes me laugh even more. "I'm actually having a pretty decent time," she admits.
"Me, too. Thank you for coming with me." "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."
I know she doesn't mean the wedding but just with me in general. The thought sends warmth through me.
"May I cut in?" Marco asks as the next song begins.
Lisa frowns and looks at me, then back to her father. "Yeah, but only one song," she grumbles.
Marco laughs and repeats his daughter's words: "One song." Lisa lets go of me, and Marco's hand goes around my back. I swallow down the uneasy feelings I hold for him. He keeps the conversation light as we dance and my ill feelings are further muted as we laugh at an obviously drunk couple swaying back and forth next to us.
"Would you look at that?" Marco then says, his voice full of wonder.
I turn to see what he's referring to and hear my own small gasp as I spot Lisa awkwardly swaying back and forth with Karen. She laughs as she steps on her white shoes, and she smiles an embarrassed smile. Tonight has been better than I could have dreamed.
After the song ends, Lisa quickly finds her way back to me, and Karen follows. We tell the happy bride and groom that we're going to go, and we all exchange hugs once again, Lisa's being maybe incrementally less stiff than earlier. Someone calls Marco's name and he nods at them. He and Karen say their final goodbyes and thank us once again for coming to the wedding before disappearing into the crowd.
"Oh, my feet are killing me," I say. This is the longest I have worn heels in my entire life and I am going to need a week to recover.
"Would you like me to carry you?" she says in a mocking, babylike voice. "No." I giggle.
As we are leaving the tent, Taehyung walks by with Mr. Vance and Kimberly. Her smile is bright and she winks at me after looking Lisa up and down. I try to stifle my laugh and end up coughing.
"Did you save me a dance?" Mr. Vance teases Lisa. "No, absolutely not." Lisa laughs back at him. "You're leaving so soon?" Taehyung looks at me.
"We have been here for a while, actually," Lisa answers for me and pulls me away from them. "Nice to see you, Vance," she calls over her shoulder as we walk out of the tent.
"That was rude." I scold her when we get to her car.
"She was flirting with you. I am entitled to be as rude as I please." "Taehyung wasn't flirting; he was just being nice."
Lisa rolls her eyes. "He wants you, I can tell. Don't be so naïve."
"Just be nice to him, please. I work with him and I don't want any problems," I say calmly. Tonight has been too good a night to ruin over her jealousy.
Lisa smirks evilly. "I could always just have Vance fire him."
I can't help but laugh at her cocky response. "You're insane," I snort. "Only when it comes to you," she says and pulls onto the street.