JENNIE

I was excited. Lisa was going to pick the kids at six. All four children were in their rooms packing their bags while I sat the living room, my phone in hand and my bottom lip between my teeth. Lisa's last text read:

Fr[Lis]

On my way. I got the milk.

I stood up from the chair and began to pace. Me and Lisa have been texting since the night after the show. Lisa didn't ask about Jiyong and I never brought him up.

Was Lisa going to bring it up today? Should I say anything about it? Nah. I ran my hand through my hair and sighs. I didn't have to explain myself to Lisa, she have eyes and had seen me and Jiyong so she should know that I was dating.

Fuck. Where was Rosé when I needed her?

I taps the home button and slid to Rosé's number, typing out a message to her.

To[Rosieposie]

Drop the book tour and come home so we can binge watch Brooklyn Nine Nine.

I couldn't wait. I was nervous but I didn't know why. I leaves the living room and headed straight to the kitchen, I pulls out a couple of fruits and a large tupperware, I starts chopping the fruits and placing them in the plate. Pineapples, grapes, watermelon.

"Mom...?" Lily calls and I looks up.

"Have you packed, sweety?"

Lily drops her backpack onto the table. "Just have some books. I've got enough clothes at Dada's house." Lily said as she takes a seat on one of the stools. Her blonde hair was let down and she had one dark jeans and an orange jumper.

I narrowed my eyes at my little girl and she does the same to me. I lets out a laugh as I throws the grapes into the Tupperware. A fruit salad never hurt anybody.

"Whatcha doing Mom?"

"A salad."

"But we are going to dada's." Lily points out, her cheek on her palm, elbow resting on the table. "She has food there."

"Baby, I'm making it for your dada."

"She can make it. She made one time, when we were at her house." Lily said, tilting her head to the side, her lips pursed. I closes the Tupperware and placed it in a large bag as I talked to her..

"I know she can. If you don't want it, I can eat it."

"We could share until dada comes. Kuma is listening to music and Lego is with Luca." Lily hops down from the stool and came over to my side. I smiles at her before reaching for two forks. I hands her one and together, we dug into the salad.

"So, how was school today?"

"Not interesting. Recess is my favorite part, this time I got someone to push the swings for me." She said as she popped a grape into her mouth. "Caleb spent the whole recess with me but he was too scared to swing."

I laughs at this. I knows Caleb, the little boy was my Lily's friend. He was a little boy who couldn't do much because of his asthma. I has seen Caleb, infact the boy has been over for two sleepovers and Lily had just fallen for him.

"Maybe next time."

"Can we have another sleep over? When I come back from dada's house?" She asked, her eyes wide and lips pulled in for a pout.

"I'll check with Caleb's parents and get back to you."

"Promise?" She said, raising her pinkie. I nods, we locks our pinkies, curved my hand up until our thumbs touched.

"Promise."

We were pulled out of our bonding time by the bell going off. I walked over to the screen beside the door and couldn't fight off the smile when I sees its Lisa.

"Sweety, go tell your brothers, dada is here."

Lily takes off immediately and I opens the door for Lisa. Lisa stays at the door a small smile on her face. She was dressed in a baby blue button up shirt, tucked into black jeans.

"Coming from work?"

"Yeah. Eugene and I had to review a client's contract." She replies. "How are you?"

"Come in." I said, heading to the kitchen with Lisa behind me. "I'm good. Still working on Dark Moon and the kids." I closed the tupperware me and Lily has been eating out of, pushed it into a paper bag and hands it to her who stared at it with an unreadable expression.

"Before say you can make fruit salads, Lily already informed me."

"It's not that." She starts. "It's just been a while since I've eaten something you made."

Lisa takes the bag and held it close to her side. The kitchen was silent and I couldn't look Lisa in the eye.

The kitchen was still quiet by the time Lego walks in with just his phone charger in his hand and headphones around his neck.

"Lego..."

Lego doesn't even look at her dada, he just gives me a hug and walks out of the kitchen and out the door. Lily comes next with Kuma and Luca behind her, Luca resting on Kuma's side. Luca cheered when he sees his Dada.

"Dada dada dada." He screams, making grabby hands.

I watched Kuma. He didn't quickly move away from Lisa like he always did. He doesn't smile at Lisa , no, but he didn't move away. It's a start.

"How's my little man?"

"Big boy, dada. No little." Luca pouts, cupping Lisa's cheeks with both hands. I honks our a laugh as I moved closer to Lisa and pressed a kiss to Luca's cheek.

"Have fun, baby."

"You too, Miemie."

Lisa locks gaze with me and offers a smile. I bit my bottom lip and turned over to the fridge. I checks the freezer and pulls out one of my packed sauces and adds it into the paper bag I had given Lisa.

"Just a little something."

Lisa's grin was blinding. "I- thank you."

I walks them to the car, helps Lisa strap in Luca and stands a bit to the side so I could wave goodbye to them. Seeing Lisa smile have I a fluttering feeling in my stomach. I can never understand why it always feels like me and Lisa were meeting for the first time. All the excitement, the butterflies, the tingles. Even after the obstacle of three years ago, it was starting to feel like a bump in the road they had hit.

Just as I walks into the house, my phone went off and I picks the call.

"Babe, do you have dinner plans?" Jiyong's voice flits through the tiny speakers.

"Not really. I was planning on ordering pizza." I replied as I made my way to the living room. I falls onto the couch and sighs.

"Would you like some company?"

"Only if you do come with pizza. I want a mix of all of them." I said, moving a bit so I could lie down on the couch.

"Pizza, ribs, I'll stop at The Chu' Chicken, I have a craving for rice and chicken."

"Ooh, can you get me a bucket of chicken too? Spicy and lemon?"

"Have I ever told you, you have a black hole for a stomach?" He laughs and I smiles. According to Lisa, back when we were in high school, my eating had been what had attracted Lisa to me.

"You don't have to. I already know."

"I'll add a little something for you." He said and I laughs. We talk for a few more minutes before Jiyong says, "see you soon, babe."

I rests my phone in my stomach and reached blindly for the remote. I knew I needed to clean up the house a bit but I didn't feel like standing up. Thankfully I was in a pair of shorts shorts and a large white shirt.

I stays seated for a few minutes before finally getting up. I pick up Luca's start toys and dumped them into the small box near the east wall. It takes me a few more minutes to clean up the sitting room and by the time I had showered and changed into a fresh set of clothes, a large yellow shirt and another pair of shorts, Jiyong pressed the bell.

I pull open the door, accepts the brief kiss to my cheek from him and lets him in. This wasn't the first time Jiyong was coming into my home, he has only been here a handful of times. I still wasn't sure if I wanted to introduce Jiyong to my children yet.

"Quiet." Jiyong said as he placed the bags of food on the center table. He takes off the leather jacket he had on, leaving him in a white chanel shirt and tight jeans.

"Yeah. My kids are with their dada." I replied as I made my way closer to GD. We had gone on a couple of dates, jumped, kissed, touching but it just can't get further than that. And there's the tiny fact that, Jiyong hadn't asked me to be his girlfriend. So our relationship is just hanging in the air.

Jiyong stalks closer to me, grabbing me tightly by the waist and pulling me in for a bruising kiss. I rests my hands Jiyong's arm and sighs into it. We pull back a couple minutes later.

"You look amazing."

"I'm just in shorts and a plain shirt." I chuckles, shaking my head at the ridiculous me in front of him.

"You know what they say. Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder." He says, smiling as he leans forward to rub

his nose against mine in an Eskimo kiss.

"You are ridiculous."

"A ridiculous boyfriend that you like." Jiyong tried to nip at my cheek, wiggling my fingers a bit and earning a laugh from me who tries to push him away a bit.

"Boyfriend huh?"

He smirks, wiggling his brow at me. "Only if you want. I'd love to have you as my girlfriend and for you to call me yours. I want us to be serious."

This man sitting beside me was different from the stories the gossip magazines posted. Not once had me or my kids been posted on any new sites, paper or blogs but I had read stories of Jiyong. His party and playboy says and not once has he seen Jiyong show that part of himself.

He was staring at me with an open expression and couldn't find it in myself to say no. I nods and tried to smile as brightly as it could and it must have worked because Jiyong lifts me and twirls us around for a bit.

I cackles, my hands resting on Jiyong's shoulders.

"Alright. Alright." I smiles. "Let's do this later, it feels like my stomach is about to eat itself and that's the last thing I want."

"Let me feed you, my darling girlfriend."

"No." I laughs. I shakes my head before adding. "I draw the line at that."

"Let me f-"

"I will push you out of my house if you don't seat down and just eat with me like normal." I said, poking Jiyong in the chest.

Jiyong raised a brow at me. He takes a threatening step closer and attacks my side, wiggling his finger. I jerks back, laughter spilling past my lips as I tried to run away from him.

I didn't notice my phone buzz, nor did I see the message.

Fr[Lis]

I forgot to give you the milk.

~~~~~~~