JENNIE

The following evening was busy for a week night, and Jackson was again apparently…bored. He had climbed on top of his usual table and was singing along loudly to the jukebox, more specifically, to Sir Mix-A-Lot's 'Baby Got Back'. He was making rather obscene gestures, and gyrating his hips about in a way that was sure to give me nightmares tonight, and a few women around the table were laughing and holding dollar bills out to him. He took them gleefully and shoved them places I did not want to think about.

Evan, Lucas and Lisa had backed away from the table and were laughing hysterically at the idiot. Lisa looked over to where I was standing in the middle of the aisle watching the crude show and winked at me, still laughing. I laughed and smiled back at her.

"Get off the damn table, Jackson!" Pete had come out of the kitchen, where his office was tucked away in an old storage closet, and was scowling at the bassist.

Immediately, Jackson jumped down to his adoring harem, hovering close to his side. "Sorry, Pete," he smiled, not looking sorry at all. Shaking his head and muttering to himself, Pete walked back into the kitchen.

I laughed even harder, until I felt something behind me. A hand had reached up the loose skirt I was wearing tonight and was grabbing my upper thigh. I squeaked and moved away. A dirty looking, middle-aged man leered at me with beady little brown eyes and grinned, showing a mouthful of yellowed teeth. He winked one of those tiny little eyes in a not at all charming way, while his equally scummy looking friend laughed. I quickly darted off to the safety of the bar.

I didn't recognize the men, they were not regulars and they were not pleasant. They were also seated in such a way in my section that I had to pass by them every time I went up to the bar, and every time, the lewd man made a grab for my legs, no matter how far away I scooted. I put it off as long as I could, but inevitably the time came for me to hand them their bill. The larger man, who had felt my leg before, stood up and grabbed my ass roughly, pulling me tight against him while his other hand grabbed my breast.

Angrily, I smacked his hand away from my chest and tried to push him off of me, only succeeding in making him laugh. He reeked of an odor I could only classify as "eau de poor life". It was an unappealing mix of stale cigarettes, three day old whiskey, and I swear – manure. And that mix didn't include his breath, which made the rest of him smell downright delectable in comparison. I looked around for Sam, but then I remembered that he was off today and Pete hadn't thought the bar was busy enough to staff another full time bouncer. At the moment, I was disagreeing with him. I wasn't sure what to do, and I didn't think I could take the guy, when abruptly he was pulled away from me.

Evan stood behind him, with the man's arms held down to his sides. Lisa was instantly in the man's face. She looked livid. "Not a good idea." Her voice was low and ice cold.

Lucas stepped up to the smaller man, who was standing now to defend his friend. Jackson came up to me casually and threw an arm around my shoulders. "Yeah, this ass is ours," he said, with a big smile on his face.

The big guy angrily shook off Evan and roughly pushed Lisa back a step. "Piss off, pretty girl."

Lisa grabbed his shirt in both hands and got right back in his face. "Try it…please…"

The man stared at Lisa, looking like he wanted to pound her into the ground. Lisa stared right back, not afraid in the least. The whole bar was quiet, watching the stare down. Lisa finally released the big man, her hands shaking a little with restraint. "I suggest you leave now. I wouldn't come back if I were you." Her voice was scarily cold.

The smaller guy grabbed his friend's shoulder. "Come on, man. She's not worth it."

Sniffing and looking Lisa up and down once, the man winked at me again, then turned to leave. Lisa relaxed and looked over at me, concern on her face. The man had almost fully turned from Lisa, when he suddenly reached into his jacket. I only saw a glint of metal and heard a flicking sound, before the man was turning swiftly around and lunging towards Lisa.

I yelled her name and looking back to the man, she spun away from him. The knife the man had brought around just barely missed Lisa's body. Jackson immediately pulled me back from the both of them, just as I lurched forward to help. Lucas pushed the smaller man away from his friend as he looked about to join the fight. Evan made a move for the bigger man's knife hand, but Lisa was faster - she landed a hard punch along the man's jaw, sending him sprawling to the ground with a grunt, the knife clattering under a nearby table.

Lisa moved to pick the man up, but he scrambled away from her and turning, stood and fled the bar, his friend quickly following. Everyone in the bar was silent for a good minute, then buzzing noises returned and people started going back to their own business.

Taking a big breath and slightly flexing her hand, Lisa looked over to me. "You okay?" She frowned.

I sighed, relaxing for the first time since the confrontation. "Yeah, thank you, Lisa…guys." I smiled and looked at Lisa, then Evan, and then Lucas. Lastly, I looked over to Jackson beside me. "You can get your hand off my butt now, Jackson."

Lisa, looking pale, laughed softly while Jackson pulled his hand back and held it up in the air. "Sorry," he pointed to his hand, "mind of its own." He winked at me, and then he and a chuckling Lucas went back to whatever they had been doing before the little showdown.

Evan and Lisa stayed near me, and Evan gave Lisa a once over, his face serious. "You okay, Lis? Did he get you?" I startled and looked more closely at her. Was she hurt?

Lisa cringed, and finally turning to face me, put a hand under her shirt. Pulling it back, her fingers were smeared with blood.

"Oh god…" I grabbed her hand and then lifted up her shirt. A good three-inch long slice along her ribs showed just how close the fight had been. The cut didn't look too deep, but it was bleeding pretty well. "Lisa, you should go to the hospital."

She looked down cursorily and smirked. "He barely got me. I'm fine." She half-smiled and raised an eyebrow at me still holding her shirt up.

I dropped it and grabbed her hand. "Come on."

Evan clapped her on the back as I led her away. Smiling and looking satisfied with herself, we worked our way to the back hallway while people occasionally stopped her, wanting to talk about it. Men, I thought, as I pulled her past the curious guys and practically drooling girls. I drug her into the backroom with me and grabbed a clean towel and an extra large Band-Aid from the first aid kit in one of the never used lockers. I hoped it was enough, and the cut wasn't deep enough that she needed stitches. Dragging her back into the hallway, I stopped outside the women's bathroom.

"You stay here." I pointed to her chest while she grinned adorably and made an X over her heart. Opening the door, I took a quick look into the stalls and, not seeing anyone, came back out into the hallway where Lisa was patiently leaning against the wall, waiting for me. I could see the red blood stain on her shirt now as it stuck to her wet skin. I swallowed roughly.

"This isn't necessary," she said as I grabbed her hand and led her inside the bathroom. "I'm fine," she insisted.

I scowled at her stubbornness. "Shirt off."

She grinned wickedly. "Yes, ma'am."

I rolled my eyes and tried not to notice how fabulous her body was, as she stretched up to remove her shirt. She held it in one hand and waited patiently by the sink, a slight smile on her face. Her cut wasn't bleeding as badly, but it still oozed a bit down her side. Butterflies danced in my stomach as I thought of what might have happened if she hadn't turned out of the way.

I turned on some cold water and soaked the towel. She inhaled a bit as I started to wipe clean the wound, which made me grin. "You're such a sadist," she muttered and I threw her a dirty look. She chuckled at me delightfully.

"What were you thinking, going up against a guy with a knife?" I asked, trying to be gentler as I cleaned the gash. It was deeper than I'd originally thought and had started to bleed a little more when I touched it.

"Well," she inhaled again, "obviously, I didn't know he had a knife." I finished cleaning the wound on her side and pressed the towel firmly against it making her grunt. "I wasn't about to let him keep touching you like that," she said softly, and I looked up to gaze into her brown eyes. I held the towel there for a moment while I locked gazes with her. Finally, I pulled the towel away and saw that the wound was no longer bleeding. I opened the large bandage and frowned, worried that it would bleed again the moment she moved. She grinned and said, "He can't touch you like that, if I don't get to. It's against the rules." She chuckled and I slapped on the bandage, none too gently, making her groan and flinch. Instantly I felt bad, as I had probably just made it bleed again.

More gently, I stroked my fingers over the bandage, flattening it out over her muscled side. "Well, it was stupid…you could have been seriously hurt, Lisa." I had to swallow the lump in my throat over that thought.

She grabbed my fingers and held my hand to her chest. "Better me than you, Jennie," she whispered. We stared into each other's eyes for a moment then she softly said, "Thank you…for watching out for me." She stroked my fingers with her thumb. My breath caught at the look in her eye, at her bare skin under my fingertips.

I blushed and looked away. "You can put your shirt back on now."

She smiled and slid it back on. I cringed at the bloody stain in the side, the tear in the fabric; that had been much too close. Tears stung my eyes and she noticed, pulling me in for a tight embrace. She inhaled a little and I relaxed my grip, realizing that I was hurting her.

"Sorry," I whispered. "You really should get that looked at."

She nodded and pulled me tighter. I sighed and relaxed into her. We were embracing like that when Somi opened the door. "Oops…just checking to see how your patient was doing."

I pulled away from Lisa and blushed. "We were just…she's fine," I mumbled.

Lisa laughed softly and walked past Somi to the hallway. Stopping just past the door, she turned and looked back to me. "Thank you again, Jennie." My heart stubbornly skipped a beat. She nodded politely at Somi. "I should probably get that knife from Jackson now."

Somi looked at her, puzzled. "Jackson has it?" Lisa raised an eyebrow at her. She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Jackson…yeah, you should go get it." Lisa looked back at me one last time, then chuckling, she walked down the hall.

She looked back at me through the still open door. "Coming?"

I sighed, willing my suddenly shaky hands and surging heartbeat to calm down. "Yeah…I just need a minute."

I ended up taking ten.

I playfully smacked Lisa's stomach as I came up to her in the kitchen the next morning. She grunted and bent over a bit and, too late, I remembered her injury.

"Oh…sorry…" I said, a look of horror surely on my face.

She chuckled and pulled me in for a hug. "I'm just messing with you. It doesn't hurt that bad."

I laced my arms around her neck and frowned at her. "That's not very nice."

She grinned devilishly at me. "No…but I did get you to put your arms around me," she finished with a wink.

I rolled my eyes and smiled at her. "You're impossible."

"True, but you like me anyway." She pulled me tighter.

I sighed dramatically. "I have no idea why."

She grinned and cocked her head to the side, momentarily taking my breath. "So you do like me. I was curious…"

Carefully smacking her chest, I pulled away from her embrace. "Let me see." I motioned for her to lift up her shirt.

She smirked and lifted it up. "Trying to get me naked, yet again?"

I laughed in spite of myself and examined her bandage. There was some red that had seeped through; she had bled more. I frowned at her. "You were supposed to get this looked at last night." I had even made her leave the bar shortly after the incident, but apparently, she hadn't felt the need for professional help.

She shrugged.

"Well, you need a new bandage. Do you have any?" She nodded and left to go get one while I made my coffee. Just as I was taking a sip, she returned with one.

Leaning against the counter, she handed it to me. "Would you like the honors, since you seem to enjoy hurting me so much?"

I grinned and she shook her head, smiling. She lifted up her shirt again and made a go-ahead motion with her hand. I carefully pulled back a corner and looked to make sure that nothing was sticking to the Band-Aid. Seeing that it was clear, I peeked up at her eyes and abruptly ripped it off her.

"Shit!" she exclaimed loudly, pulling her body away from me. Laughing, I shushed her, pointing upstairs to where Taehyung was still sleeping. Grimacing, she looked up then back down to me. "Sorry, but damn it, woman."

Still laughing, I smiled and shook my head. "Big baby…" I inspected the wound. I was no nurse, but it looked okay, not inflamed or anything. I carefully cleaned it off and smiled when no blood came out, it must have closed sometime last night. Good, she probably didn't need stitches then.

I opened the bandage slowly, enjoying the long sigh she gave me, since she knew that that one would have to come off too. I gently pressed it against her side, laughing softly to myself. My fingers started drifting a bit from the wounded area and she chuckled quietly.

"Dang, man!" I spun towards the entryway where Taehyung was standing there, yawning and looking at Lisa's side. "What happened to you?"

Smoothly, Lisa dropped her shirt and leaned back against the counter. She looked casual and perfect, not in the least ruffled that Taehyung had just walked in on me practically stroking her chest. I backed away from her, trying to mimic her casualness.

"Some fan…she went nuts, wanted a piece of me…literally." She smiled. "Luckily, Jennie here is a good nurse." She nodded over to me.

Taehyung smiled too. "Yeah, not the gentlest though." He smiled wider as I scowled and Lisa laughed. He walked into the kitchen, frowning at Lisa. "Is that really what happened?"

Lisa chuckled and shook her head. I watched her, amazed that she could joke and be so casual with Taehyung, when we were being…well, not casual. "No, I'm kidding. Some stupid drunk last night pulled a knife on me."

"Damn." Taehyung walked over to me and slipped his arms around my waist, oddly making me blush. "You do his girl or something?"

I looked back at Taehyung, he was smiling, so I knew he was joking, but Lisa gave her an odd look before bringing back her casual smile. "Maybe. Sometimes it's hard to tell, who belongs to whom." She flicked her eyes down to mine when she said that, but Taehyung didn't notice, he was too busy kissing my neck.

Laughing softly, he looked back up to Lisa and clapped her on the shoulder. "Well, I hope you got him back good." Lisa gave her a quick grin and nodded. "Good on-ya. Glad you're all right, mate." Taehyung gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and asked me, "I've got time. Are you hungry?"

"Sure." He turned in for a kiss and I gave him a quick peck, sneaking a peek at Lisa, staring at the floor.

Taehyung moved to the fridge and leaned in, searching for something in the back. Lisa came up behind me, grasping my fingers with hers and pulling my hand behind me. I looked over at her, but her face was unreadable, her eyes watched Taehyung intently. She stroked my fingers for a second, then clenched my hand in hers. She dropped my hand just as Taehyung popped up from the fridge.

"Aaahh, good…strawberry pancakes?" he asked sweetly, showing me the carton of berries he had found in the fridge.

I nodded and looked down while Lisa quietly left the kitchen. Waves of guilt washed through me and I had no idea who I felt it for…Taehyung or Lisa?

--

Somi and Kate both approached me once I got to work that night. They wanted to hear about the knife fight yesterday, as they had both been too far away to really see it. They asked how Lisa was doing and I blushed lightly when I told them she was fine, even a little proud of her war wound. They both shared my concern over how close that had been, and how much worse it could have been for Lisa. My heart squeezed at that and I glanced back to her table, where she was eating and waiting for the rest of her band to show up. A few girls across from her were looking like they were going to join her, but she was ignoring them, talking to Sam instead. Yeah, that had been much too close.

The three of us went back to our customers and I smiled as I glanced at Lisa again. She noticed my gaze and smiled back. My heart stuttered and I had to look away. Eventually the evening progressed, and Lisa was no longer the only D-Bag at her table. Pete caught me on my way out of the kitchen and asked me to tell Lisa they were up. Smiling, I nodded and made my way over to her table.

She smiled widely at my approach. She was sitting laid back in her chair and slightly away from the table, making her lap an almost irresistible draw. For a moment, I wanted to be like her more forward fans and plop right down for a snuggle. I imagined her arms wrapping around me. I imagined being enveloped in the smell of her. I imagined the warmth of her skin as I kissed her neck…

"Jennie?" She cocked her head and looked at me curiously, and I realized my inappropriate thoughts had caused me to stare at her without saying a word.

I blushed and looked away. "You guys are up," I said to the general vicinity of the band's table.

I heard chairs squeak as the guys stood up. Lucas and Evan thanked me and hopped on stage to loud fanfare. Jackson just hopped on stage, sometimes basic niceties escaped him. I turned to watch Lisa finish her beer and then slowly stand. She stood at the table for a second, smiling at me and looking like she was waiting for something. I frowned and looked at her quizzically.

"So…aren't you going to wish me good luck?" she said, coming over to stand close beside me. She leaned back against the table as she waited.

I relaxed my face and then grinned at her. "You don't need my luck to do great up there."

She smiled widely and I felt a little dizzy. "True, but I like it."

I laughed and gave her a swift hug. "Well, good luck then."

She pouted charmingly. "I generally get more than a grandmotherly hug from girls when they wish me luck." She raised an eyebrow at me suggestively.

I laughed again and smacked her shoulder. "Well, I'm not just any girl."

She smiled adoringly and shook her head. "No…no you're not." She turned and hopped up on the stage and I had to lean against the table for a second, as I felt dizzy again.

As per usual, the band was amazing. The bar seemed to double in size as the band played on, and I didn't have as much time as I would have liked to watch Lisa play. But in-between orders, I did steal a glance or two. It thrilled me when I caught her watching me. It also concerned me a little, but I quickly pushed that to the back of my mind. I had to admit to myself, I liked her attention.

I sang along softly to the songs that I knew, as I helped the many thirsty people in the bar. Near the end of their set, a song the band was playing caught my attention. I hadn't heard the intense song before, but the crowd was singing along so it must have been an old one. I glanced over at Somi and she was singing along too. The lyrics were intensely serious and so was Lisa's face. She almost looked mad.

''I've seen what you've done to her…I know your secret. You may break her, but it won't last, you won't last. She holds herself tight, waits for the pain to be over. It won't be long now, until the angels hover."

She concentrated more on her guitar than the crowd while she played, and I couldn't help but shake the feeling that the song had nothing to do with a woman.

"You took everything, left her with nothing. She was supposed to be loved. What's wrong with you? She'll find strength, she'll be free. It won't be long…for her…for me…"

I felt the sudden inexplicable need to hold her, comfort her. I watched her from the corner of my eye as I tended to my customers. Eventually the song ended, and she switched to a happy, upbeat one. All trace of the emotion in the previous song evaporated from her face, but I couldn't shake the image of her ire.

--

"I'm sorry, babe." Taehyung was looking at me dejectedly as he sat on the edge of the bed. He was removing his shoes and rubbing his feet.

"It's fine, Taehyung. It's just one weekend. Really, I can handle that."

"It's really just one night apart. I'll be back late the next night, probably before you get home from work." He sighed and put his feet on the carpet. "I am sorry though." He rolled his eyes. "It's ridiculous, the only reason Max is making me go to this conference instead of him, is because he's flying to Vegas for a bachelor party." He shook his head, irritated. "If his Uncle knew, he'd be racked off."

I shrugged. "Why don't you tell him?"

He looked at me with a wry smile and shook his head. "I really don't need to make my job any worse." I cringed a bit, remembering why he had this job in the first place and noticing, he immediately said, "Sorry."

I shook my head, clearing away the memory. "So you're leaving Friday morning and you'll be back late Saturday, right?"

He came over to sit beside me on the bed. "Yeah. I'll miss you." He smiled at me and leaned over to kiss my neck.

My thoughts started drifting as his lips ran down my skin. I'd have an entire afternoon alone with Lisa. Maybe we could go somewhere…take a drive somewhere people didn't know us, where our flirting didn't have to be quite so contained behind closed doors. She had spent nearly all last weekend with Taehyung and I. The three of us had gone exploring downtown, Lisa showing us all of her favorite places. Lisa would sneak my hand when Taehyung wasn't looking, or hold me close in a quick embrace. We would gaze at each other discreetly and we smiled…a lot.

Taehyung's lips were trailing down past my neck. It was jarring me from my pleasant memories and I pushed him away a little. "Are you hungry? I could make dinner this time?" I had a feeling that wasn't what he was "hungry" for, but I really wasn't in the mood.

He frowned slightly, but pulled away. "Yeah…sure."

"Okay," I said cheerily, as I hopped up and kissed his forehead quickly.

I glanced at Lisa's room as I exited our room, but she wasn't there. Her band was playing tonight at a small club in Pioneer Square. I had racked my brain, wondering how I could go without making Taehyung suspicious. It was my night off, and I rarely got to see Lisa play anywhere but Pete's. I remembered the one time I had watched her at Razors. She was amazing in a smaller, more intimate setting like that…not that she wasn't always amazing when she sang.

I sighed as I stepped off the last stair and walked through the empty living room. The house was so quiet without her. She was constantly playing or humming or singing. She filled our home with music, with her presence. It felt a little empty here with her gone. I had considered telling Taehyung that I was spending the evening with Somi…but that would require a lot of lying. For one, Somi was actually at work, and if Taehyung got bored and went to Pete's…well, that wouldn't be good.

I sighed again as I entered the kitchen and started rummaging for food. I didn't want to be a liar anyway. That wasn't me. I could wait. I would see Lisa soon. We'd have almost all this coming weekend together. I frowned a bit, as I realized that we'd also have a whole evening alone together too. I shook my head. That didn't matter. We were just friends. We weren't going any further than that.

My smile returned as I thought back over the last few days with Lisa. I found something intricate to make for dinner and let my mind wander back through the memories, as I started the process of preparing our meal. Not only had our weekend been great, she had been sweet and charming this whole week too. She always took me to school and walked me to class. Women now looked at the door expectantly to see her enter with me, which now made me laugh a little. She usually picked me up too, and either took me home, or to Pete's if I wanted to go in early to study. I usually didn't, I preferred to study with her on the couch, although, sometimes it was just too distracting to lie on her lap and try and read Pride and Prejudice while she stroked my hair. I usually found myself staring into her eyes instead, making her laugh and point at the book. Then I'd hand the novel over to her and make her read it to me. She'd happily do it, her voice nearly lulling me to sleep it was so smooth, and at times, I swear, purposely husky.

Taehyung joined me downstairs right as I finished, and we ate our dinner together at the table. He told me some more details about this conference he had to go to and I told him about my classes. We talked about my Econ class for an absurdly long amount of time (I really never needed to study for that class, since I learned more just talking it over with Taehyung, than from reading the books or my notes). After dinner, he cleaned up while I answered the ringing phone. It was my sister, and we talked long into the night. She was excited to come up and wanted to make sure Lisa was still coming when we all went out together. I sighed and swallowed my frustrations at that -it would be fine - and then we moved on to her current flings.

I was still chatting with her on the phone when Taehyung came up and kissed my cheek to say goodnight. I don't know if I was waiting for Lisa to come home from the bar or not, but I stayed on the phone with my sister for hours after Taehyung went to bed. Lisa did finally come home, and I finally hung up with her, melting into her warm embrace.

--

"So, Taehyung's gone tonight?" Lisa asked, holding my hand over the kitchen table while we drank our coffee.

I eyed her suspiciously. "Yes…he's in Portland until tomorrow night. Why?"

She looked down, considering something, then spoke without looking back up at me. "Stay with me tonight."

"I stay here with you every night?" I asked, confused. We did share a house after all.

She looked up at me, amused. "No…sleep with me tonight."

"Lisa! That is not going to-"

She interrupted me. "I meant literally…fall asleep with me on my bed." She laughed at my assumption.

I blushed and looked away, making her laugh some more. Finally my embarrassment cooled, and I looked back over to her. "I don't think that's such a good idea, Lisa."

She cocked her head and smiled brilliantly. "Why not? Completely innocent, I won't even get under the covers."

I raised an eyebrow. "Completely dressed too?" Why was I even considering this? It was not a good idea.

"Sure." She laughed again. "If that is what you'd prefer." She stroked my hand with her thumb.

I laughed, and then smiled at the thought of falling asleep in her arms. "It is." I frowned, it really wasn't a good idea though…too many things could go horribly wrong. "You'll let me know the moment it gets too hard."

She chuckled and looked away, barely containing her laughter. Immediately, I realized how that sounded and blushed deeply. "You know what I mean." I whispered, mortified.

Laughing softly, she said, "Yes, I know what you mean…and yes, I will." She sighed. "You really are adorable…do you know that?" Her face seemed sincere when she said that, so I smiled and looked away.

"Okay…we'll try it." I whispered, thinking this was a really bad idea.

Taehyung came downstairs awhile later, looking freshly showered and holding one of our duffel bags. His normally warm brown eyes looked flat with sadness. He seemed reluctant to leave and I gave him a long kiss goodbye, hoping to cheer him up a bit. He did give me a half-smile when he finally left the house. Oddly, my stomach was fine as I watched him drive off at the window near the kitchen. I decided it was because he was only going to be gone for one night. It was a finite period, unlike the last time he'd left me. But then Lisa came up behind me, putting her arms around my waist as she stared out the kitchen window with me. I melted back into her embrace and wondered why I was really okay with Taehyung being gone?

Later at Pete's, I stopped wiping down a table and listened without looking to a song I'd never heard the guys play before. It was the closest thing to a love song I'd ever heard from the band. It was catchy and upbeat, with lyrics about 'not being alone now' and 'feeling happy when you're around'. I wondered if the song was new, and my heart raced a little at the thought of Lisa writing something just for me. I was smiling contently as I continued wiping down the table, lost in dreamy thoughts.

"Huh." Somi came up beside me and I startled as I looked over at her. She was watching the band curiously. I glanced over at them too, worried that maybe Lisa had looked at me inappropriately and she was suspicious. Lisa flicked a glance in our direction, but was mainly smiling at the crowd of girls near her, like she usually did.

I relaxed. "What?"

Somi turned and smiled at me. "Evan must be in love again."

"Oh…why?" I asked curiously.

She laughed a little and nodded her head towards the stage. "This song, they always play it whenever he's swooning over some girl." She looked over the crowd. "I wonder which lucky lady it is?"

My spirit deflated a bit. "Hmmm…don't know." Okay, so Lisa didn't write it for me. That's probably for the best anyway. I really don't need her gushing over me. She had a hard enough time with just being attracted to me (for some odd reason), no need to throw love on top of that. We're just friends anyway. Flirty friends, who were snuggling in bed later tonight. I frowned. It really was not a good idea.

"Do you need a ride home tonight?" Somi asked politely.

"No, Lisa's giving me a ride back." I smiled and tried hard to not look overly excited about that. "Thank you though."

"No problem." Someone paged Somi on the other side of the bar and she politely excused herself.

I took a few more orders. A nearby couple, obviously on a first date, the man horribly nervous, the woman cutely shy, made me smile. While I was waiting at the bar for their drinks, Lisa's song ended and upon hearing her speaking voice, I glanced up at the stage.

"Ladies…" The crowd went wild and she smiled. "And you guys, of course." A few ruckus cheers in the back at that. "Thank you for coming out tonight." Lisa grinned and held up a finger. "We got one more for you, then we're baggin'." She flicked a glance at me discreetly. "Plans and all." She laughed and some girls in the front screamed loudly.

She winked at them and taking her shirt, used the bottom to wipe some sweat off her face; it was rather warm in the packed bar. The move exposed a good chunk of her excessively defined abs and the girls around her went – nuts! The scream was so loud, I actually flinched.

From directly behind me, Rita yelled through cupped hands, "Take it off! Woooooo!"

Lisa stopped and grinned widely at her, then over to me. The crowd screamed even louder at that prospect and Lisa laughed. She looked over at the guys beside her for a second. Jackson grinned, Lucas frowned, and Evan laughed. Lisa shrugged and actually took her shirt off! I gaped at her as she casually stretched it over her head, like she was in her room alone, not up on stage, in front of a packed crowd.

The sound in the bar was deafening! The earlier loud scream paled in comparison. Rita was hollering loudly behind me, and I was a little surprised to find that Somi and Kate had come up to the bar and were leaning back on either side of me, hollering and whistling with her.

I was still gaping open-mouthed at the whole thing, when Somi laughed at me. She nudged my shoulder. "Oh, come on. Even you have to admit she's hot! You're with Taehyung, but you're not dead." She grinned and went back to screaming.

I looked back up to the stage. Lisa had casually tucked her light t-shirt into the back of her jeans. She had her back to the crowd, her broad shoulders gleaming in the stage lights; I thanked the fates that the scratches I had left down her back were completely healed, and not noticeable. I blushed at that memory.

She was talking to Evan, who laughed then nodded. Then Lisa spun her finger in the air twice and pointed at him and Evan started to play. I flicked a glance at Lucas, who was shaking his head and smiling. He waited a few more beats, then joined in with Evan.

Lisa turned back to the mic, the crowd losing it again at her spectacularly defined chest. She took the mic in one hand and ran her other hand through her hair, the movement twisting her muscles pleasantly. Jackson started playing and I automatically flicked a glance at him. I couldn't stop the laugh; he hadn't hesitated in taking his shirt off too. Anything Jackson could do to get naked. Jackson's body was decent, his tattoos intriguing to look at, but he came nowhere near Lisa's perfection.

Rita, Kate and Somi were all watching Lisa intently, and momentarily ignoring every customer, so I relaxed and decided it wouldn't look odd for me to watch her either. Lisa started the song low and husky. Her voice sent a shiver down my back…well, I'm pretty sure it was her voice. The song quickly picked up intensity. The crowd loved this song, and their half-naked rock-god, and were quickly all dancing and singing along. On the chorus, Lisa would lean with the microphone over to one side and stretch out to the crowd, the move doing amazing things to her body, making the crowd scream even more.

Occasionally, Kate or Somi would holler and they were both dancing at the bar, so I joined them and we all laughed. Pete ducked his head out from the kitchen and I thought he might get mad at Lisa for being shirtless, but he looked around the crazy-excited bar and back up to Lisa and smiling, went back to the kitchen.

Lisa got to a section in the song where the lyrics ask the question, "Is this all you want?" She put a hand playfully up to her ear and the crowd went nuts again in answer. Lisa laughed through the next couple lyrics; she was having an exceptionally good time. I laughed at her enjoyment.

My eyes naturally drifted down to the injury at her side. Even from this distance, I could see the pink line across her ribs; she would probably always have a scar there. Her hand suddenly running across her lower abs and down the front of her jeans completely distracted me from that thought. It was a casual move, one she probably hadn't even thought about, but…damn, that was hot. She was so hot. I blushed again as more intimate memories of that fabulous body popped into my head.

She got to the last section and Lucas and Jackson dropped out, so it was only Lisa and Evan. Lisa's voice was lower, the words more intense, and she locked eyes with me. "I know there's something here…I know you want more. Tell me…and it's yours."

She only sang it once in that low intense voice, then Lucas and Jackson joined back in and she picked up the volume, sweeping her eyes back over her adoring crowd. I sneaked a glance at Kate and Somi, but they were laughing and dancing, and hadn't noticed that part directed solely at me. I thought for a moment on the lyrics. Maybe I should cancel tonight? It really wasn't a good idea, especially after watching her incredible body moving on stage. I laughed and bit my lip. My sister should have come out this weekend; she would have loved this. Then I was suddenly very glad she hadn't.

Finally the song ended, and Lisa took a small bow to very loud fanfare. She laughed and slipped her shirt back on - Jackson left his off. The crowd booed at their rock star covered up again, especially Rita right behind me, and Lisa laughed again and shook her head. Kate and Somi giggled and went back to their customers. I watched Lisa for a moment longer, long enough for her to look back at me and smile breathtakingly, before jumping off the stage and instantly being swarmed by fans. My heart beat double-time as I finally brought my first-daters their drinks.

At the end of my shift, I grabbed my bag from the backroom and said goodbye to Kate and Somi, who were just entering. As I walked into the main bar, I spotted Lisa sitting at a chair backwards, talking to Sam. My heart flew up into my throat; I was suddenly very nervous to be alone with this stunning person. She looked over when she noticed me and smiled warmly. Her smile relaxed me enough that I was able to calmly walk to her table.

"Ready?" she asked casually, but with a huge grin on her face.

"Yep," I managed to squeak out.

She stood up, chuckling slightly, and turning said goodbye to Sam. Placing a hand on the small of my back, she led me to the front doors, waving goodbye to a smirking Rita.

"Good show tonight, Lisa," she said suggestively. Lisa nodded her thanks to her and I swear I heard her mutter, "I'll think about you later."

I blushed, but Lisa either didn't hear her or was ignoring her. Lisa grabbed my fingers once we were alone outside and led me to her car, lightly singing the last song she'd just done. Her a capella version was beautiful to listen to, but I frowned at her.

She looked over at me and stopped singing, a charming smile on her face. "What?"

I put on my best pout. "Didn't we have a conversation once, about the nature of your singing?"

She laughed and tried to look innocent. "What was wrong with that?" She pointed back to the bar. "I was fully dressed for nearly all of the set." She scooted away as I tried to elbow her. Still laughing, she ran up to me and picked me up. I squeaked and squirmed, but she had me tight. She set me down, but kept her arms firmly around mine as we walked, locked together, over to her car across the lot. "I did that for Pete," she laughed into my ear.

I stopped walking and she ran into me. I turned my head to look at her, surprised. "Oh…OH!" I hadn't realized Pete would…enjoy seeing Lisa that way.

She looked confused for a second, then the look on my face registered with her and dropping her arms, she backed away, clutching her stomach she was laughing so hard. "Oh my god, Jennie! No, that's not what I meant." She wiped a tear away from her eye and sighed. "God, I can't wait to tell Jackson about that." She started laughing again.

I blushed furiously, feeling rather stupid, and getting a little irritated at her enjoyment of my misunderstanding. She noticed my expression and tried to compose herself, but then giggled again, not able to do it. "Ahhh…and you think I have a dirty mind." She chuckled as she slipped her arms around me. I frowned and she puffed out her cheeks and blew out steadily, trying to stop her laughter.

Finally able to speak normally, she said, "Didn't you hear the response when I did that? You watch, tomorrow the bar will be twice as full. He'll have to turn people away. I did it to help him, Jennie." She shrugged and rocked back and forth with me in her arms.

"Oh…well, I guess that makes sense. You bring in more people, he makes more money, you get more exposure, and I'm assuming more money as well…"

She grinned. "Something like that."

I half-grinned at her and her breath actually caught. "I guess I'll just have to allow it then." Not thinking, I kissed her cheek and she immediately kissed mine back.

I blinked in surprise, but she only smirked at me. "If you get to break a rule…so do I." Then she winked and pushed me towards the car.

"You're awful perky tonight," I said, as we got in the car.

She grinned widely at me. "It's not every night that I get to sleep with a beautiful woman."

I blushed, both at her calling me beautiful again, and knowing that she could pretty much have her pick of a half-dozen actually-beautiful women, who were probably more available than I was. What was she doing, wasting her time with me anyway?

She started the car and then noticed my odd expression as I puzzled that out. "Hey, I said sleep, not fu-"

"Lisa!" I interrupted her, staring at her severely.

She stumbled over the word, quickly thinking up a new one. "Fu…or…ni… cate?" She shrugged with an 'I'm innocent, don't hate me' look.

I laughed and scooted over to sit against her side in the car, putting my head on her shoulder. We were silent for a moment, while she pulled out of the parking lot. Finally, I asked her a question rattling in my brain from earlier. "So…who is Evan in love with?"

She laughed, her face breaking into a breathtaking grin. "God, who knows, could be anybody." She looked down at me. "Why? Who told you he was?"

I frowned at her seeming lack of knowledge on the subject. "Somi mentioned it earlier."

"Oh, I'll have to ask him." She turned and looked back at the road. "I haven't heard anything about it." I frowned as I considered that, all the way home.

I crawled into her bed fully dressed. I actually put on an extra sweater, just in case, which she found greatly amusing. Then she laid her fully dressed body down on top of the covers next to me. I felt a little stupid about the whole thing. It was odd to lie in a bed fully clothed, and even odder for her to be on the outside. I considered telling her to just get underneath as well, when she suddenly rolled to face me, putting a leg casually over mine and an arm over my stomach. I decided then, that the more layers that were between us, the better. This really was not a good idea.

She reached across me and turned the lamp on her nightstand off. The instant darkness was overwhelming, and the sudden electricity in the air was immediate. All I could hear was our soft breath, and my obnoxiously loud sounding heart. I could feel her settle down in the pillows next to me, close, her arm and leg pulling me in tight, her head right beside mine, breathing softly in my ear. In was too much…too intimate. I needed a minute.

"Lisa…"

"Yeah?" Her voice was low and husky in my ear. It sent shivers down my spine.

I resisted the urge to turn into her, to find her lips. No, not a good idea at all. "Could you please turn the light back on?"

I could feel her chuckle, but I still couldn't see her yet. I felt her reach across me again, and then the room was suddenly too bright, and I was blinking. Normalcy returned, and I no longer felt the overwhelming electricity between us that had been there, just a pleasant warmth at her nearness.

"Better?" she asked, almost playfully, as she settled back down on her pillows, snuggling up close to me again.

I stayed on my back and looked over at her, as she propped herself up on an elbow to gaze at me. Her eyes were a warm, brown, the kind of eyes you could get lost in for hours. I forced myself to focus on something else, and blurted out the first thing that popped into my head. "Who was your first time?"

She looked at me quizzically. "What? Why?"

I swallowed my embarrassment at asking her that, and as calmly as I could manage, said, "Well, you asked about Taehyung and me. It's only fair."

She smiled and looked down at the sheets. "I guess I did, didn't I." She looked back up at me. "Sorry about that…that really wasn't any of my business."

I smiled back. "Just answer the question." I was so glad she had used that line on me now, since I was getting so much use out of it.

She laughed and thought for a moment. I raised my eyebrow; she had to think about it? She laughed again at my expression. "Well…she was a girl from the neighborhood, sixteen, I think…very pretty. She seemed to like me…" She smiled and shrugged. "It was just a couple times one summer."

"Oh…why, what happened?" I asked quietly.

She brought her hand up, to run her fingers through my hair. "I got her pregnant and she had to move in with her Aunt to have the baby."

I flipped over on my side to face her. "What!"

She laughed and touched her finger to my nose. "I'm just kidding, Jennie."

I pushed her back on the pillows and grunted at her. "That's not nice."

She sat back up on her elbow. "You bought it though. You must think the worst of me." She sighed softly and looked sad for half a second. "I'm not a monster, Jennie." Her tone was serious.

I propped myself up on an elbow as well. "You're no angel either, Manoban." I smiled at her wryly, which made her smile return. "So, what really did happen to the girl?"

"Nothing so dramatic. She went to her school, I went to mine." She shrugged. "Different paths…"

I looked at her, confused. "I thought you said she was a neighbor. Why were you in different schools?"

She looked at me blankly. "We weren't in the same grade."

I tried to comprehend what that meant. "But, she was sixteen…how old were you?"

She looked at me oddly. "Not sixteen…" she whispered.

"But…"

"You should get some sleep, Jennie…it's late." I could literally hear the door closing on that conversation. I was still trying to figure out the math in my head. If she wasn't in high school with her, then that put her at the very oldest, fourteen. It hurt my heart a little.

I brought a hand out from the covers and held her with it, and her warm smile eventually returned. We both settled back on the pillows and she reached out for me, pulling me to her chest. I sighed with contentment as I listened to he4 steady, slow heartbeat. She really was fine with this, maybe it wasn't such a bad idea after all.

She brought both arms around me, one hand stroking my hair, the other rubbing my back. It felt warm and nice. I smiled and nestled more into her chest. I felt her kiss the top of my head. Well, I guess that was okay, relatively safe…still pretty innocent. I ran my fingers along where she had been hurt on her side, and then lightly trailed them up her chest. Even with her shirt on, I could feel the lines of her defined muscles. I could also feel her heartbeat increase and she sighed softly as she pulled me tighter to her.

I pushed up to look at her; her face was still serene, and she was watching me adoringly. "Lisa, maybe we shouldn't…"

"I'm fine, Jennie…get some sleep," she whispered, still smiling softly.

I lay back down, but nestled into her shoulder, instead of her chest. I grabbed the hand that had been stroking my back and laced my fingers through her, then brought our entwined hands up to my cheek and laid my head on them. She sighed happily and kissed my head again.

"Lisa…?"

"Really, I'm fine, Jennie…"

I looked up at her face. "No, I was just wondering…why do you want to do this with me? I mean, you know it's not going anywhere…why waste your time?"

She shifted to look at me better. "No time with you is wasted, Jennie." Her voice was soft, the way she said my name, like a caress. "If this is all…" She smiled sadly and left it at that.

I couldn't stop gazing at her achingly perfect face. I started remembering every touch, every word… If this is all she had with me, then she would take it. Is that what she meant? It broke my heart. She had wondered if she was hurting me…was I hurting her? Did she just want me, or did she care for me? I released our hands and reached up to stroke her cheek. She looked so sad. I hated it when she looked so sad…

She suddenly leaned over and kissed the very corner of my mouth, barely brushing my bottom lip. She left her head there and breathed lightly down my neck. I was too shocked to react; my thumb was still stroking her cheek. I held my breath. She lowered her lips to my jaw and kissed me softly, then she kissed under my jaw. Her hand slipped under the covers and moved to my waist, pulling me closer to her. Her breathing increased, as she made a noise in her throat and trailed her lips down my neck. Her hand clenched and unclenched my skin and she stopped kissing my throat, pulling back to rest her forehead against mine. Her breaths were shallow, her face looked torn; this was clearly against my rules.

"Jennie…?" She struggled for control.

The look on her face, the lingering feeling of her lips on my skin, froze me. She was giving me a chance, right now, but all I could stare at were her eyes, quickly filling with passion, her lips coming closer to mine. Her gaze flicked to my eyes, my lips, then back to my eyes. She was so torn, I was mesmerized by it.

My hand still on her cheek moved over, so I could run my fingers across her amazingly soft, partially opened lips. She made a noise and closed her eyes, her breath shallow and fast. I left my fingers there across her lips and she pressed our lips together, my fingers in-between, like we were kissing, without actually kissing. We were going way beyond innocent now. I needed to end this. I needed to get up and go to my room. This was a horrible idea…

I couldn't move though. My breath sped up in response to hers. She kissed my fingers softly, her eyes still closed, her breath intense. Just a few more seconds couldn't hurt anything, I convinced myself. We weren't really doing anything that wrong. Her hand from my waist came up to my wrist. She started to pull my fingers down from her lips.

"I want to feel you…"

She got them partway down, and fully pressed against my upper lip. That's when I woke up. I pushed her as far away from me as possible and scrambled out of the bed. She sat up, breathless, and I was startled to realize I was breathless as well.

"Jennie, I'm so sorry. I won't…" She swallowed a couple times to try and control her breathing.

"No, Lisa…this was a really bad idea. I'm going to go to my room." I pointed at her. "Alone."

She started to get up. "Wait…I'm fine, just give me a minute. It will pass…"

I put both arms up. "No…please stay here. I can't…I can't do this. That was too close, Lisa. This is too hard." I backed up to the door.

"Wait, Jennie…I'll do better. Don't…don't end this…" Her eyes were instantly so sad, that I paused.

"I need to be alone tonight. We'll talk tomorrow, okay?"

She nodded and said nothing further, so I turned and left. Mentally I berated myself. What did I think was going to happen? That was a really stupid idea…this whole thing is a bad idea. As nice as it might feel, it's not fair to all three of us.

I stared at my ceiling for most of the night, wondering what she was thinking about, what she was doing, if she was sleeping, if I could just crawl back into bed with her, if I should… When I did fall asleep, I dreamed about her in vivid, glorious detail. In my dream, I did not get out of her bed. In my dream, we did very little actual sleeping.

She knocked on my door early the next morning and opened it when I answered her. She walked into my room and sat on the edge of the bed. She was in different clothes, dressed and perfect for the day already. "Mornin'," she said quietly. "Are you still mad at me?"

"No…" Having her on my bed was too much. The memory of last night, and my vivid dream, still had me weak in the knees. "You shouldn't be in here, Lisa. It's disrespectful to Taehyung."

She chuckled and looked away. "You think, of all the things we've done together, that me sitting on his bed is what he would find the most offensive?" She looked back to me as I glared icily at her. "Sorry…okay." She backed off with her hands held up and stopped in the doorway. "Better?"

I sat up on the bed, feeling stupid. She was right of course, but still… "Yes, thank you."

She sighed and I looked up at her, still standing in the doorway. "I can't talk to you from here," she quietly said, holding her hand out for me.

Sighing, I walked over and took it. She smiled and led me downstairs. On the way, she spoke softly. "I am sorry about last night. You were right, that wasn't a good idea. I did try though." She looked over at me hopefully, like she should get a reward for at least trying.

I sighed again as I looked over at her. "This isn't a game, Lisa," I said quietly.

She stopped on the bottom step and turned to face me on the step above. "I know that, Jennie." Her tone and look were more serious.

I laced my arms around her neck and she relaxed. "Then don't take it that far again." I wasn't ready for this to end either. "Innocent, remember."

She smiled and lifted me down to the bottom of the stairs, to stand beside her. "Innocent, right. I can do that."

Still smiling, she grabbed my hand and led me to the kitchen. Mentally I sighed, this wasn't a good plan. I was being an idiot.