JENNIE

Taehyung's new job was for a small marketing company that mostly dealt with internet clientele. It was a far cry from the prestigious internship for one of the largest advertising companies around that he had given up. His brilliance, while so welcomed and encouraged at his previous job, was almost looked down upon here. The small minded people around him were intimidated by his ideas. They turned his job into little more than being a glorified gofer, running their errands and stroking their egos.

He hated every minute of it. He would never flat out tell me that, ever wanting to spare me pain or guilt, but regardless, I knew. I could see it in his eyes when he lingered in the kitchen before heading out for the day. I could see it in the slump of his shoulders when he came into the bar at night after his long day was finally over. He was miserable.

One evening at Pete's, after a long day at work, he sat quietly at a back table sipping on his beer, apparently deep in thought. I wanted to go over and talk to him, but there was nothing left to say. I had already told him it would eventually get better, and it didn't seem to be getting any better. I had already told him I loved him eternally for coming back. That garnered a small smile, but not much more. I had even told him to quit and find work somewhere else, but there weren't any openings anywhere. He was still actively looking, but for now, if he wanted to stay in his chosen field, and if he wanted to stay in Seattle…he was stuck.

I sighed, watching him. I looked over to Lisa, lounging with her band mates a few tables away from Taehyung, hoping she would finally sit and talk to him, try to cheer him up. But Lisa was at her usual table with her back to Taehyung, chatting with Lucas. From an outside perspective it probably looked like nothing, but I knew that Lisa was avoiding him still. She didn't even like looking at Taehyung anymore and rarely said more than a few polite words to him. I wished Lisa would just stop it and be his friend again, like she said she was. I understood her guilt, I felt it too, but enough was enough. Taehyung needed us right now.

A cell phone sitting beside Taehyung's beer rang and sighing, he picked it up. The company had felt the need to have twenty-four hour access to him, and gave him the phone with instructions that he could only use it to talk to them and if it rang, he'd better answer it. The whole thing greatly irritated me. It was way beyond what an intern should have to do.

He spoke dejectedly for a few minutes, shut the phone, then stood and made his way over to me. "Hey." He tried to smile, but I could see how forced it was.

"Hi." I smiled at him reassuringly, even though I could feel the irritation in me starting to rise, at the conversation I could sense coming.

"I'm sorry," he stated abruptly. "That was Max. I have to go." Max was an irritating, shrewd little man, who seemed to enjoy nothing greater than sending Taehyung on pointless errands, preferably on off hours. His latest vital assignment had involved dry cleaning and Starbucks.

"Again? Taehyung…" I didn't mean to sound agitated, but I was, and it seeped into my voice. I was getting really sick and tired of the endless tasks that occupied so much of his time and thoughts, and that were so beneath his brilliant mind.

"Jennie," anger flashed in his eyes, "it's my job. I have to do this."

The irritation in my voice was intentional this time. "It didn't used to be."

Sadness washed over his face. "No, it didn't used to be…"

Guilt mixed with my anger, only increasing it. I roughly turned away from him and started picking up empty glasses from a nearby table. "Fine, see you later then."

Anger turned my thoughts dark. He was the one that had dropped everything to rush back to me. If he had given me time, I would have calmed down and we could have worked something out…probably. I hated feeling guilty over his decision. I felt guilty enough over mine…over Lisa.

Saying nothing else, he turned and left the bar. Looking back over my shoulder, I watched him disappear through the double doors. Sighing, I started to turn back to my work, when I noticed Lisa watching me, watching our conversation intently. Great, more fodder for her, I thought, my mind still in a dark place.

She slowly stood up and made her way over to where I was. My irritation soared even higher. Really, I was not in the mood for being attacked by her right now. She had never actually agreed that she was being mean to me, and her attitude towards me hadn't changed much since our brief conversation in the kitchen. Irritation at that conversation flashed through me, yet again. Apparently, according to her, we were never even friends.

Concentrating on stacking the glasses, I decided to just ignore her.

She came up beside me, pressing her side into mine and staring down at me. The move was decidedly intimate and a strange feeling washed through me. Even though the bar was packed, it was not that packed. It would look odd to someone watching, for her to be standing that close to me. Instinctively I pulled away and glared up at her. So much for ignoring her.

"Taehyung leave you again? I could find you another drinking buddy, if you're…lonely?" she asked wryly before grinning devilishly. "Maybe Jackson this time?"

"I don't need your crap tonight, Lisa!" I said angrily.

"You don't seem to be happy being with him," she responded calmly, an oddly serious note to her tone.

"What? And I'd be happier with you?" I glared at her perfectly charming face, her sexy half-smile, and her oddly cool eyes. She didn't say anything to that, just kept that annoying, enchanting smile on her face. Suddenly I wasn't just angry, I shot right past it - to thoroughly pissed off.

Leaning in close, so no one else would hear, I whispered, "You were the biggest mistake of my life, Lisa. You were right – we're not friends, never were. I wish you would just go away."

I immediately wished I could take the words back. She was being a jerk, but I didn't want to hurt her by belittling what we had shared together. And I did still think of her as a friend, even if she didn't think of me that way. Her smile instantly left her. Her eyes went from cool to ice cold and she roughly brushed past me, nearly making me drop my stack of glasses.

She left shortly after that.

When I came home from my shift, Taehyung was waiting up for me. He was sitting on the bed, watching TV and looking very tired. His face, and the fact that he was waiting to talk to me, softened my anger at our earlier conversation and I smiled over at him. "Hey."

"I'm sorry," he said immediately, shutting off the TV. "I shouldn't snap at you. It's not your fault I'm not happy there."

I went over to sit by him on the bed. He had never admitted he hated it there before. I put my hand on his cheek. "I'm sorry too. I didn't mean to snap either. I just…miss you."

"I know." His accent on the word made me smile. "I miss you too. I'll do better. I promise, okay? No more grump." He smiled for the first time it what felt like weeks.

I laughed at him and kissed him softly. "Okay, I'll try to not be grumpy either then."

The next morning, feeling better after having talked to Taehyung, I had hoped to talk with Lisa. She was her usual self, drinking her coffee and reading the paper, but she didn't look up when I came in. Embarrassed at my outburst yesterday, I wasn't sure what to do. Quietly I made my coffee, and then chickening out, I decided to drink it upstairs. I just couldn't take the awkwardness.

But guilt stopped me before I could completely turn the corner. Not looking, I threw an, "I'm sorry, Lisa" over my shoulder. I walked away quietly and thought I heard a long sigh, but nothing else.

Taehyung did seem to turn a corner. While still really unhappy about his situation, he moped a lot less and we talked a lot more. I still didn't see nearly enough of him, and he got way too many after hours phone calls for my taste, but I tried to not mope about that either. It was going to take both of us to make this work.

Lisa was different as well. For all the moping Taehyung and I were trying not to do, Lisa was making up for it. She avoided both of us for the most part. On the rare occasions we were all together, she said nothing more than a few polite words. She stopped being an ass, which I was grateful for, but her silence made my stomach feel odd. I felt something coming, I just didn't know what. It was unsettling.

One Saturday morning, Taehyung and Lisa were downstairs talking before I got there. I couldn't tell what they had been saying, but as I turned the corner, Lisa was smiling at Taehyung, who had a hand clapped on her shoulder. I had no idea what that was about, but the vision of them both together like that was heartwarming, and guilt-inducing.

Taehyung looked over at me when I entered the room. "Can you get someone to trade shifts with you? We are all going out tonight – mates' night out."

I tried to smile, but my stomach dropped. This was not good. "Ohhhh, that's a great idea, honey. Where are we going?"

"A friend of mine has a band playing at The Shack tonight." Lisa said quietly, looking at me for the first time in days. Her look was a sad one and my stomach hurt again.

"Okay, sounds great. I'll trade with Emily. She normally works days, but asked Somi if she could work some nights… better tips…" I shrugged my shoulders.

"Great!" Taehyung walked over to me and gave me a long kiss. "See, I can still be fun. No more grump, I promised." He gave me a quick hug and moved to leave the room. "I'm gonna shower, then I'll make you breakfast." He tossed over his shoulder with a quick wink.

I laughed then looked back over at Lisa and stopped. She was looking away from us, her face pale. She didn't look good at all. "You okay?" I whispered, not really wanting to ask in case ass-Lisa popped back up again.

She looked over at me, her eyes sad but a smile on her face. "Sure. This will be…interesting."

Suddenly worried, I walked closer to her. "Are you sure? This doesn't have to happen. Taehyung and I can go alone."

Her face suddenly serious, she gazed at me intently. "I'm fine, and I'd like to spend one…night, with my roommates." She turned away from me and headed upstairs through the living room and the ache in my stomach increased ten-fold. She had said that oddly and it terrified me.

The night started…awkwardly. Lisa disappeared not long after the announcement that we were having a night out. She had left the house with an, "I'll meet you guys there" and Taehyung and I didn't see her for the rest of the day. Really, that suited me just fine. Her new sad, quiet behavior was causing my stomach to do strange, panicky things that I didn't have the heart to analyze.

Instead, I turned my attention to Taehyung, trying to focus on just having a good time with him, like we used to have together. He seemed in a better mood than usual. Maybe he had noticed things were strained around the house with Lisa, and was trying to compensate. He seemed excited for us all to go out and do something together tonight. I wasn't quite as excited, but I faked it for my man.

The day went slowly, peacefully, but eventually it was time to get ready for the evening. It was still pretty warm for this time of year, so I chose a loose, flirty black skirt and a pink button up short-sleeved shirt with a light sweater-jacket. I left my hair loose, casual and slightly wavy. Taehyung smiled at me and kissed my cheek as I put on my lipstick. He picked out my favorite blue Henley that I loved on his tan skin. Adorably, he held out a small jar of style gel and let me go crazy with his hair, shaking his head when I was satisfied with it. He was trying to please me tonight and it was working; I was very touched by the gestures.

When we arrived at The Shack, Lisa's car was already there and we parked next to her Chevelle in a side parking lot. Making our way to the front doors, I noticed that the bar was about half the size of Pete's. I wondered where the band was going to play, until I noticed the wide open doors in the back of the bar and the crowd of people outside. We made our way out the back to a large, fenced beer garden. There were tables all along the sides of the fence and along the wall of the bar, with a wide open section in front of a large stage opposite the building. A band was setting up their equipment and Lisa was over there, talking to one of the guys. She saw us and motioned to a table along the fence that already had a pitcher of beer and three glasses.

Taehyung and I waved back and walked over to the table reserved for us. Taehyung held out my chair like we were on a first date and I smiled at him. "Thank you, sir." I teased.

"Anything for a beautiful girl." He smiled and kissed my hand gallantly.

Playing with him a little, I said in mock surprise, "Oh, are you Australian? I love Aussies."

"Ripper! Pash a bloke before joining him for a grog then, Sheila?" he said back, massively over-exaggerating his accent.

I laughed at him and bent in to give him the kiss he'd asked for. "You are such a dork."

"Yeah, but you love me anyway." He kissed me back.

"Hmmm…yeah." I smiled, then turned when I felt eyes on my back.

Lisa was behind me, watching us blankly. I was trying to get things back to normal; I wished Lisa would at least try too. Her melancholy was really starting to get to me. She sat down and poured everyone a beer, not looking at either of us.

Taehyung didn't seem to notice her mood. "When does your friend go on?" he asked her cheerfully.

Lisa briefly looked over at him. "Another twenty minutes or so." She took a long drink from her beer while a woman passed by and not-so subtly eyed her up and down. Surprisingly, she only gave her a cursory glance, and then returned her attention to her beer. In a noticeable huff, the woman stalked off.

The twenty minutes it took for the band to finally start felt like twenty hours. Our little trio was pretty quiet. Taehyung would try to start a conversation with Lisa, only to have Lisa give him one or two word responses. Eventually Taehyung stopped trying. My irritation at Lisa was growing minute by achingly long minute.

Finally the band did start to play, and Taehyung and I left the sulking Lisa at the table while we laughed and danced by the stage. In-between twirls and dips, I cast glances at the table, only to see Lisa watching us with an unreadable expression on her face. Girls occasionally tried to get her out with the dancing group too, but she seemed to be turning everyone down. Again my irritation with her grew. What was her problem?

During the set break we came back to the table, to hastily finish our beers and relax for a few minutes. I noticed that it was starting to cool down outside, but I felt warm from dancing around with Taehyung. Lisa sat quietly, staring at the empty glass in her hand when suddenly Taehyung's cell phone started ringing. Startled, I looked over at him as he sheepishly answered it. I hadn't realized he had brought it. I tried to not be irritated at that. It was his job, I guess. He spoke for a few seconds with someone before he started saying "hello" a couple times.

"Damn," Taehyung muttered as he shut the phone. "Battery died". Glancing over at me, he shook his head apologetically. "Sorry, I really need to call Max back. I'm gonna check inside, see if I can use their phone."

I smiled over at him, forcing down my irritation. Tonight was about having fun, not being bitter. "No problem, we'll be here." I nodded my head over to Lisa's chair. Lisa still wasn't looking at us. She sat awkwardly, still staring at the glass in her hands with a slight frown on her face.

Taehyung stood and kissed me on the cheek before turning to go back inside the bar. Lisa sighed quietly and shifted in her chair. I watched Taehyung disappear into the crowd and turned to look at Lisa. Sudden irritation at her odd behavior, and quite honestly, Taehyung's phone call, finally made me snap. "You said you were fine with this. What is with you?"

Lisa looked over at me, her brown eyes intense. "I'm having a fabulous time. What could you possibly mean?" Her voice was flat, cold. I looked away and worked on keeping my breathing constant and even, my anger in check. I didn't want to ruin this night for Taehyung, by fighting with Lisa.

"Nothing, I guess."

Lisa set down her glass and abruptly stood up. "Tell Taehyung that I was feeling ill… " she paused as if she was going to say something more, then shook her head slightly and only said, "I'm done." Her voice was still very cold and the words came out with a finality that knotted a ball in my stomach. I suddenly felt that she wasn't just talking about tonight.

I slowly stood and looked her in the eyes. Hers were narrowed slightly as she watched me intently. Without another word, she turned and headed for the gate in the fence behind us, that led to the side parking lot where we had all parked earlier in the evening. I watched her leave for a second. Tall, lean and muscular in just the right way, she was beyond good-looking, closer to perfection. I couldn't help the sinking feeling in my gut as I watched her open the gate. I just knew that once she closed that door, I would never see her again. Something started to break inside me as I considered that.

I should let her walk away. She was moody – always cold and silently brooding. And before that she had been a total ass - poking and prodding my relationship with Taehyung, making suggestive comments about our one night together, and the secret we kept from everyone. Glimpses of that night passed in my head - her strong arms, her tender hands, her soft lips. I tried to think past that, to a time when she had only been a friend, a good friend. Fighting the sudden tears that stung my eyes, I darted to the gate after her.

She was halfway to her car by the time I was closing the gate behind me. "Lisa!" My voice sounded too high to me, too panicked. Get a grip, I thought angrily. Say goodbye, let her go and get your ass back to the bar to wait for Taehyung. "Please, wait."

She slowed and looked over her shoulder at me. I couldn't quite tell from the distance, but her shoulders seem to slump in a sigh. "What are you doing, Jennie?" The question seemed full of double meaning.

I caught up with her, grabbing her arm to stop her and turn her around towards me. "Wait, please stay."

She knocked my hand away, almost angrily, and ran her fingers through her thick hair. She looked up at the sky for a brief moment before locking her eyes to mine. "I can't do this anymore."

Expecting one of her flippant, suggestive remarks, the sudden seriousness in her voice caught me off guard and turned the knot in my stomach to ice. "Can't do what…stay? You know Taehyung would want to say goodbye to you." The words sounded feeble and wrong, even to my ears. This had nothing to do with Taehyung…or maybe everything.

She shook her head slightly and looked over my shoulder before again returning her gaze to mine. "I can't stay here…in Seattle. I'm leaving."

The tears that threatened before were now there in force. Damn, what was wrong with my body? Isn't this exactly what I hoped she would do? I should be slapping her on the back and saying, "Great, have a good time." Things would be so much easier here with her gone - her coldness, her irritating comments, the never-ending line of women fawning over her, her insanely-brown eyes following me everywhere, the intimate memories that sometimes popped into my head…

I grabbed her arm again. She stiffened, but didn't knock me away. "No, please, don't leave! Stay…stay here with…with us. Just don't go…" My voice broke at the end and I couldn't understand why I was saying these things to her. I meant to say goodbye. Why were the words coming out so wrong?

She looked at the tears coursing down my cheeks like she was trying to solve a problem she didn't understand. "I… Why are you…? You said…" She swallowed and stared over my shoulder, like she couldn't bear to watch anymore. "You don't… You and me aren't… I thought you…" She exhaled slowly, composing herself, and looked back to my eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I've been cold, but I can't stay, Jennie. I can't watch it anymore. I need to leave…" Her voice trailed off in a whisper.

I blinked in disbelief, still waiting to wake from this weird dream. Feeling at my silence that the odd conversation was over, she started to turn away from me. Gut wrenching panic made my body react faster than my mind could follow.

"No!" I practically yelled at her and gripping her arm even tighter than before, I pulled her closer to me. "Please, tell me this isn't because of me, because of you and me…"

"Jennie…"

I brought my other hand to her chest and stepped closer to her. "No, don't leave because I was stupid. You had a good thing here before I…"

She backed up a half-step, but left my hand on her chest. "It's not…it's not you. You didn't do anything wrong. You belong to Taehyung. I never should have…" She sighed sadly. "You…you and Taehyung are both…"

I stepped closer to her again and pressed myself against her, tears still lightly falling on my cheeks. "Both what?"

She froze and exhaled brokenly, gazing at me intently. "You're both…important to me," she whispered.

I leaned in closer, bringing my head closer to her as she looked down at me, breathing slowly through her parted lips. "Important…how?"

She lightly shook her head and retreated another half step. "Jennie…let me go. You don't want this…" she whispered. "Go back inside, go back to Taehyung." She moved her hand to pull me off her arm, but I smacked it away.

The word slipped out before I could stop it. "Stay."

"Please, Jennie, go," she whispered, her beautiful eyes suddenly glistening, her perfect face torn.

"Stay…please. Stay with me…don't leave me," I begged quietly, my voice breaking on the last word. I didn't know what I was saying. I just couldn't bear the thought of never seeing her again.

One single tear rolled down her cheek and the thing inside me broke completely. Her pain, her suffering, awakened feelings in me for her that I had never felt before. I wanted to protect her, I wanted to heal her. I would give anything to take her pain away. The coldness, the irritation, the women, Taehyung, right and wrong - the pain in her eyes, made everything in mine slip away.

Softly, she still pleaded, but with me or with herself? "Don't. I don't want…"

Thoughtless, I placed my free hand upon her cheek and wiped the tear away with my thumb. Instantly I knew it was a mistake. The touch was far too intimate. The heat of her skin seemed to radiate all the way up my arm, igniting my whole body. Her breath stopped as our eyes locked and I knew I needed to turn and run back to the bar as fast as I could. I also knew it was too late.

"Jennie, please…let me go," she whispered.

I ignored her and brought my other hand to the back of her neck. I pulled her to me until my lips brushed hers. I couldn't bear to look at her face, to see what she was thinking – I didn't know what I was thinking - so I closed my eyes tightly and softly pressed against her again. Her body stiffened, but she didn't resist me.

"Don't do this…" she whispered, almost too softly for me to hear, and I still didn't know which one of us she was talking to. I pressed harder against her lips and she made a noise, almost as if in pain. "What are you doing, Jennie?" she whispered her question again, her body still rigid.

I paused with my lips barely brushing hers. "I don't know…just don't leave me, please don't leave me," I whispered breathlessly, keeping my eyes firmly closed, not wanting to see her reaction to my begging.

She exhaled softly and whispered, "Jennie…please…" Then, finally, and with a shudder passing through her entire body, she roughly pressed her lips to mine, kissing me intensely.

She brought her arms firmly around my waist and clutched me tightly against her. Her lips parted and her tongue brushed mine. I made a noise at the sensation, at the taste of her and eagerly sought her again. Through the mental fog of feeling my lips move against her and my fingers locking into her thick hair, I was vaguely aware that we were moving. She was pulling me slowly forward. I didn't know where or why and I didn't care, as long as she didn't stop touching me. I felt her bump against something solid and took the opportunity to press her back into it, pushing myself as close to her as physically possible. Her breath quickened along with mine, and she groaned as she pulled me against her.

Her hands slipped under my shirt to clutch at my lower back and I sighed as her skin caressed mine. One of her hands pulled away and reached behind her, to whatever she was pressed against. I heard a click and finally cracked my eyes open, to see where we were.

She was leaning against the closed door of the espresso stand that sat in the middle of the parking lot. Somewhere in my head I knew it was nearby, I just hadn't realized we were that close to it. The hand she had removed from my back was twisted around behind her, turning the doorknob. Miraculously the door was unlocked and opened easily. The part of me that could still perform rational thought, wondered what she would have done if the door had been locked? The majority of my brain couldn't care less. I just wanted to be somewhere slightly more private than this wide open parking lot.

She pushed back from the door slightly, so she could shove it open. Our lips stopped for a moment and I risked a glance into her eyes. My breath stopped at the passion I saw in them. I couldn't think. I couldn't move. All I could do was stare into those brown, blazing eyes. She brought her hand around to my back and then slid both of them down. Clutching my upper thighs, she effortlessly picked me up and we backed into the dark stand.

Gently, she released me and closed the door. We stood in the dark for a moment - my arms tight around her neck, one of her hands around my waist, the other lightly pressed against the closed door. It was quiet and our breathing seemed amplified in the stillness. Something about the darkness, the feel of my body pressed against her and the intensity of our breath, snapped my brain off, and the last portion that held any rational thought left me. All that remained was passion, no, need…intense, burning need.

She moved then. Slowly, and gripping me very tightly, she sank us to our knees.

My hands flew to her jacket, hastily pulling it off before attacking her shirt, almost frantically tearing the fabric off her body. My eyes had adjusted well enough to the soft light coming in through the high windows, that I could see her sculpted chest. Her muscles were surprisingly hard, yet her skin was astonishingly soft. Perfect. I ran my fingers down that skin, grazing my fingertips over the deep lines, while her chest rose and fell with her heavy breath. I traced every defined crease of her abdomen, lingering on the long V at the bottom. She groaned deeply and sucked in a quick breath. I felt my body respond instantly, felt the ache for her building, and made a pleasant noise of my own when she brought her warm mouth to my neck. Her lips trailed down my skin as she slipped off my jacket and unbuttoned my shirt. I was getting overwhelmed, almost impatient, I wanted her so much. I ripped my shirt off once she undid the last button, so I could feel our skin press together.

She exhaled heavily and raking her eyes up and down my body in a way that made me shiver, she ran a palm down my neck, down my chest, and down to my waist; my skin burned pleasurably wherever she touched me. I moaned so loudly that, if I'd have had a conscious thought left, I'd have been really embarrassed about it. She exhaled again and ran her hand right back up my skin, pausing to cup my breast and tease the nipple through the light fabric. My breath was almost a pant and I arched against her hand. I couldn't take any more of this. I needed her, now. I found her lips again; her breath was coming as quickly as mine.

Reaching out with one arm, she lowered us both to the floor and I didn't even care that it was filthy. The aroma of coffee assaulted me. It mixed with her enticing scent in such an appealing way, that I knew I would forever combine the two. I lightly raked my fingers down her back and she made a deep noise in her throat that thrilled me. I eagerly pushed her hips away from me, so I could get to her jeans. She groaned with need and inhaled through her teeth, as I unbuttoned and unzipped them. I pushed them down her hips and paused a moment to take in the sight of her. She was incredibly ready for me, hard and straining against her clothes, and the knowledge that my body did that to her, made me ache, desperately ready as well. My fingers lightly traveled down the length of her and she gently pushed her hips into me as her forehead dropped to touch mine. I curled my hand around her, through her shorts, remembering what her being inside of me felt like, needing to feel it again. Her lips attacked mine as her hands suddenly got very busy, scrunching up my loose skirt and roughly pulling down my underwear. I couldn't think. I wanted her so badly it hurt.

"Oh god…please, Lisa…" I moaned in her ear.

She quickly adjusted her clothes and pushed herself into me before my addled brain could even process what had happened. I had to lightly bite her shoulder to keep from screaming out with the pleasure of it. She buried her head in my neck and paused to catch her breath. In my impatience, I raised my hips to her and she groaned, pushing hard against me. I wanted it harder. Surprisingly I told her so, and she roughly, and eagerly, obliged.

"God, Jennie…" I heard a faint, "god…yes," and then she muttered something else incomprehensible into my neck. Her words, her tone, and her hot breath across my skin, sent a shockwave through my body and I gripped her even tighter.

Scorching heat raged through me and I shook lightly from the intensity. It was familiar, but new. It was so much different than the first time - more intense, harder and rougher…yet inexplicably sweeter, all at the same time. She plunged hard and deep, and I eagerly met her for each thrust, neither one of us caring about prolonging this – just needing to satisfy the ache that was building second by second. As every sensation in my body started rising, as I could feel the end of the crest approaching, I lost control of what very little control I had left. I couldn't hold back the sounds my body demanded I made, and it pleased me greatly that she had given up as well, her groans and cries matching my own.

In the final moment of pure ecstasy, when I could feel my body clenching around the length of her deep inside of me as I came, my fingers once again raked down her back…but this time hard - very, very hard. I felt the wetness of her blood as I cut through skin and she gasped in…pain… pleasure? It only intensified the moment for me, and I let out a long cry as I rode out the warm sensation expanding deep within my core. She answered with a deep moan of her own, and clutched my thigh so hard I knew I would bruise, as she drove into me a final few times with her own release.

In the very next moment, that very instant that all of the passion leeched from my body, my rational brain woke up. With an icy blast that made my whole body shiver, I realized in horror what we had just done - what I had just done. I closed my eyes. It was a dream, just an intense dream. Any second, I'll wake up. Only…it wasn't. I brought shaking hands to my mouth and tried in vain to choke back the sobs that were now unstoppable.

Lisa looked away from me. Pulling back slightly, she fixed her jeans before sitting back on her heels. Staring at the floor, she grabbed her shirt and limply held it in her hands while her whole body shook lightly from the cold.

My stomach clenched and I feared I might vomit as I struggled to fix my skirt and slip my underwear back up. I found my blouse and managed to slip the shirt back on, redoing the buttons with one hand, while clutching my mouth closed with the other, afraid that if I let go, I would lose the battle with my stomach. My whole body shook with racking sobs. Other then lightly shaking, Lisa never moved, never looked up from the floor, made no attempt to help me in any way.

My mind couldn't process anything. I couldn't understand what had happened, how my body had so vehemently betrayed my mind. Why would I let her touch me that way? Why would I so eagerly touch her, want her, beg her? And god…Taehyung… I couldn't even finish that thought.

Sniffling, I muttered, "Lisa…?"

She looked up. Glistening, her eyes met mine, the passion that had flared in them such a short while ago, now completely extinguished. "I tried to do the right thing. Why couldn't you just let me leave?" she whispered roughly.

Her question fractured my heart into a thousand pieces and the sobbing started yet again. Shaking, I grabbed my jacket from the floor, stood up and moved towards the closed door. Lisa looked back down to the floor and made no move to stop me. I quietly opened the door and took one last look at her. Still kneeling with her shirt in her hands, I finally noticed the thin, bright red streaks down her back, ending with fine trails of dripping blood. I gasped and made a move towards her.

"Don't," she murmured quietly, never moving her head. "Just go. Taehyung has probably noticed your absence by now." Her tone was flat and very cold.

In tears, I threw open the door and ran into the cool night air.