JENNIE
I awoke the next morning gloriously achy. As I stretched out my tight muscles, my hip hurt a little bit from sleeping on the hard floor. My arm was mostly numb from partially lying on it. My more womanly parts were also feeling the dull strain, renewed from weeks of being ignored by last night's powerful reconnection. But none of that truly bothered me, because a warm arm was flopped over my stomach.
I turned my head and snuggled into the warmth of Lisa's neck, missing the feeling of waking up next to her. Her arm tightened around my waist and the words I'd missed even more brushed against my ear. "Mornin."
She inhaled deep and stretched out her muscles. I had to imagine that she was every bit as sore as I was, although, her man parts probably weren't. That was just a side effect for women…it was nice, though. A reminder.
I leaned in to kiss her neck. "Good morning yourself." Popping my eyes all the way open, I propped myself up onto my elbow. Smiling down at the half-dozing beauty beside me, I whispered, "Merry Christmas, Lisa."
She opened her eyes and reached up for my face. "Merry Christmas, Jennie." Her hand threaded through my hair and wrapped around my neck. As she started pulling me down to her lips, my bedroom door opened. I froze, wide-eyed, suddenly remembering where I was.
"Jennie? Where are you?"
Hearing my sister's soft voice, I peeked my head up. Her luxurious hair was piled into an adorably cute ponytail on the top of her head. Jisoo laughed when she saw where I was hiding. Dressed in pink and green camouflaged pajamas, she giggled as she laid down on my squeaky mattress. Propping her face into her hands and clicking her heels together, she looked over the edge of the bed, to our love nest on the floor.
Smiling down at the two of us as I lowered myself back down to Lisa's arms, she laughed out, "Well, I was going to wish you a Merry Christmas and ask if you wanted to head downstairs with me, but I can clearly see that you've already unwrapped your present." She smiled over at Lisa peering up at her with an amused grin. "Hey, Lisa, glad you finally made it."
She chuckled, squeezing me tight. "Hey, Jisoo. Thanks."
Pulling the blankets up Lisa's chest, hiding her tattoo as well as her marvelous pecs, since Jisoo was clearly enjoying the visual that she'd walked into this morning, I sighed at my sister. "What time is it?"
Jisoo swung her perfectly emerald eyes to me. "It's breakfast time…Mom's making eggs."
I sat up straight, clutching the sheet to my chest; it fell off Lisa a little in the process. "Breakfast…is Dad up?"
Jisoo clicked her heels together, smiling devilishly. "Yep." She pointed at Lisa. "And she better get out of here, before Dad realizes she's not on the couch."
I scrambled into action, pushing Lisa out of the blankets. she squirmed and fought me, obviously wanting to stay where she was. "Jennie, relax."
Shaking my head, I pushed her harder. "No, Jisoo's right, he's gonna kill you if you're up here."
Twisting her lips at me, Lisa raised an eyebrow. "What's he going to do, really? Ground you?"
Shoving her shoulder, I nodded. "Yes, right after he castrates you."
Sighing, Lisa stood up…not bothering to hide herself at all. My sister grinned at her nakedness and I slapped my hand over her eyes. Narrowing mine at Lisa, as I kept Jisoo from prying away my fingers, I watched her slip her clothes back on. Smirking at me, she muttered, "Fine, I'll sneak into the hallway so he'll think I was in the bathroom."
I shook my head. "No, you should sneak out the window. Make him think you went for a walk or something."
Zipping up her jeans, Lisa dropped her mouth open. Since she was mostly dressed, I stopped fighting with Jisoo to keep my hand over her eyes; she scowled when she noticed how covered Lisa was, then smiled at how uncovered she still was. Holding her shirt in her hands, she pointed at the window with her thumb. "We're on the second story, Jennie."
Wrapping a sheet around me, I shook my head. "Please, he won't believe that you were just in the bathroom." I pointed out the window. "There's a store about a block from here that should still be open. You could pick up some milk…my mom would love you for that."
She shook her head, her hands on her hips. "My shoes and jacket are downstairs in the living room?"
Jisoo brightened, popping her head up. "No they aren't. I put them outside when I woke up."
I looked over at her, surprised. Jisoo shrugged as she giggled. "It's not the first time I've had to hide someone, Jennie." She winked at me and I shook my head at the adventurous girl.
Lisa groaned, slipping on her shirt. Frowning, she muttered, "Damn it, I haven't snuck out of a woman's window since I was fifteen."
I rolled my eyes at her, but Jisoo giggled. "Lisa, I think you and I seriously need to swap some stories someday." She looked back at Jisoo with a crooked grin and she winked at her. I rolled my eyes at the adventurous pair. Standing up, I shoved her towards the window.
She sighed, opening it. Glancing out at the wintery landscape before her, the frozen trellis she'd have to climb down, she looked back at me with a pitiful expression. "You're an adult, Jennie. He really would probably get over it quicker than you think."
I bit my lip. I hadn't told Lisa how hard it had been to get Dad to let her even stay in the same building as me. "He was going to have you sleep in a tent, Lisa…in the backyard." I raised my eyebrow at her, my expression completely serious.
She started to laugh until she realized that I wasn't joking. Sighing, she rolled her eyes. "Fine," she leaned in to kiss my cheek, "but you owe me, big time."
I giggled as she pinched my butt. Jisoo giggled too. Saluting us with two fingers above her eyebrow, she ducked out the window. I held my breath as I watched her, hoping she didn't fall. When she was at the ledge of the roof, I whispered, "Be careful."
She looked up at me, a puff of air leaving her mouth as she shivered in her long-sleeved t-shirt. Jisoo came to join me as I stared out the window and Lisa smirked at the two of us. Twisting her lip devilishly, she muttered, "You're lucky last night was completely worth this…"
I flushed and Jisoo let out a throaty laugh. As Lisa began descending, I quietly said her name. When she looked up at me, light snowflakes falling on her rosy cheeks, I smiled and said, "Pick up some eggnog too."
She closed her eyes and shook her head, continuing her retreat from my bedroom. Laughing at the look on her face, I silently closed the window. After I quickly shrugged out of my sheet burrito, I threw on some I-just-woke-up pajamas. Jisoo helped me put all of the covers back onto my bed. We were sitting on the edge of it, laughing over Lisa's sullen expression, when my door swung open. Smoothing my hair into a pony tail, I smiled as Dad poked his head in.
Staring at him warmly, I watched his light brown eyes scour my room for intruders. The thinning hair on his head was streaked with gray, and as I watched him frown at me, at my empty room, and then at my sister, I was pretty sure we were both to blame for the color change.
"Merry Christmas, Dad," I said brightly, hopping up to give him a hug.
Seeing my room with no trace of Lisa in it, he relaxed and hugged me back. "Merry Christmas, sweetheart." Pulling apart from me, she did his best to contain a smile. "Did that Lisa fellow decide to not stay here then? I see that she's not downstairs."
I frowned as best as I could and looked back at Jisoo sitting on my squeaky mattress. "She's not? she was there last night when I went to bed?" I looked back at Dad, keeping my voice as even as I could. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the last year had made me a better liar than I'd ever wished to be.
Dad frowned but Jisoo stood up and joined us at the door. "I ran into her this morning. She said she was going to run to the store and get some milk for Mom, since we're almost out." She tilted her head at Dad. "Wasn't that nice of her, Daddy?"
Dad twisted his lips, but had no argument against Jisoo. Shrugging, he mumbled, "Yeah, I guess…"
Smiling at each other, Jisoo and I shepherded our clueless Dad downstairs. I secretly thanked her when we got to the bottom. In my ear she whispered, "I heard you guys last night…no need to thank me, you needed that."
I turned beet red as we entered the kitchen.
Mom was there, whisking a bowl of eggs into a yellow, frothy mess that matched the frilly bathrobe she was wearing over her flannel pajamas. Over the smell of greasy, crackling bacon was the undeniable aroma of cinnamon rolls. It made my mouth water. As my mom worked away on the breakfast, I came up beside her and rested my head on her shoulder. The comforting smells and sounds instantly brought me back to every Christmas morning I'd ever had with my family.
Mom's hair was the same color as mine and Jisoo's, but not because she had good genes or anything and she hadn't started graying yet. No, her secret weapon came from a product whose tagline was —Fight the good fight. It always made me giggle when I saw the hair color box in her bathroom. The slogan was like something Taehyung would come up with. Oddly, I paused a moment to wonder if he was enjoying his Christmas day with Abby.
Squeezing my waist, Mom looked over her shoulder at Dad sitting at the table and reading the paper while Jisoo gushed about how excited she was for us to open her present; she'd gotten the same thing for every member of our family. As Dad absentmindedly nodded at Jisoo, Mom looked back to me. Her green eyes, a gift she'd passed to Jisoo, sparkled as they met mine.
"Did you have a good night last night?" I flushed a bit, wondering if she knew what really happened. She had woken up before Dad…
Playing with the end of my ponytail, I tried a nonchalant shrug. "Yeah, it was nice to see Lisa again. I've missed her."
Mom smiled, returning to her cooking. With a knowing smile, she nodded. "Uh-huh." Biting my lip and praying to God that she hadn't heard us too, I twisted to leave.
Mom looked back at me before I completely turned around. Frowning a little, she shook her head. "I'm sure she's a good person, Jennie, and I'm sure you are deeply in love with her, but…not in the house, okay?"
Needing to block out the sudden image of my mother explaining the birds and the bees to me when I was thirteen, I briefly closed my eyes. Not able to answer, I only nodded and quickly walked over to my sister.
Jisoo smiled and wrapped her arm around me. Changing her topic of conversation, she started talking about a cute boy that frequented her work. I wanted to frown at her but I didn't. Jisoo and Jackson certainly weren't exclusive and could date whomever they pleased, but really, I had to wonder about a guy who frequently dropped by Hooters. Sure, it may not be a strip club or anything, but single guys dropped in for one reason and one reason alone…and it wasn't for the hot wings. And Jisoo deserved better than a horn dog like that.
Shaking my head, I rolled my eyes at myself. Jisoo was already involved with a horn dog. Well, at least I knew that particular dog, and he was pretty harmless. I mean, he wasn't some creepy stalker guy and he wasn't violent. Compared to the potential rapists that Jisoo could be involved with, Jackson, with all of his gross, obnoxious behavior, was actually preferable. God, did I just defend Jackson?
I was distracted by my musings from a knock at the door. Jisoo gave me a tiny smile then stood up. "I'll get it."
Dad pointed at her, a frown back on his face. "Sit. I'll get it."
I bit my lip and sighed, hoping Dad went easy on Lisa. It was Christmas and all, and even if we'd sent her away as a cover story, she had been nice and gone to the store to get the family some milk…and hopefully some eggnog too.
Jisoo and I followed after Dad as we made our way to the front door. Adjusting the button-up pajama top that he was wearing and trying to stand as tall as he could, Dad prepared himself to open the door. I had to smile at the show; Dad was closer to Taehyung's height and Lisa was still going to tower over him. If he was going to try and intimidate Lisa through size, it wasn't going to work.
As Dad slowly opened the door, Mom came up behind us all, wanting to join in on the welcome party. The winter wonderland behind Lisa made for the perfect backdrop as the door swung all the way inward. Her black leather jacket matched her black shirt and the confliction with the scenery made her impossible to miss. The movie star good looks didn't hurt either.
From very quietly behind me, I heard my mother mutter, "Oh my…"
I flushed as Jisoo giggled. Mom had seen pictures of Lisa, of course, I'd sent more than a few care packages back home, but seeing her in person was something else. Dad, obviously not having heard his wife's reaction to my girlfriend, eyed Lisa up and down. Throwing on an effortless smile, Lisa extended her hand, the one not currently holding the plastic grocery bag. "Mr. Kim, it's very nice to finally meet you. I'm Lisa Manoban."
Dad sniffed a moment before taking the gorgeous girl's hand. He shook it for a long time while he silently judged to see if Lisa was worthy of me. I knew from experience that Lisa wouldn't pass Dad's test today. It had taken three months of almost daily interaction for Dad to not say Taehyung's name with a sneer. And until Taehyung had taken me away, Dad had really liked him.
"Uh-huh," was Dad's response to Lisa's introduction.
Mom sighed irritably and stepped around us. Maybe feeling that her husband wasn't being quite as hospitable as he could be on Christmas morning, she walked over to the door. Placing her hand on Dad's shoulder, she addressed Lisa. "It's nice to meet you too, Lisa." Motioning into the warmth of the house, she added, "Please come in, it's freezing out there."
Lisa smiled at her as she forced Dad to step aside so Lisa could enter. Glancing at me quickly, a wry smile touching her lips for a moment, Lisa muttered, "I know."
I looked away before I started laughing. When I looked back, Lisa was extending the bag to my mom; Dad had his hands on his hips, clearly not thrilled that another person was in his home, trying to sweep away his little girl. I didn't bother telling Dad that I'd been swept away long ago…
"Mrs. Kim, I noticed that you were low on milk so I got you some more." Mom smiled as she took the bag and Lisa looked over at me again, adding, "I got some eggnog, too, just in case anyone wanted some." She smirked at me as she turned back to my mom.
A flake of snow in her hair melted, dropping to her cheek and rolling down her skin. Every female in the house watched its progression. Snapping out of it first, my mom smiled and took the bag from her. "Thank you, Lisa. That was very thoughtful of you."
Shrugging, Lisa looked down at the floor, a soft smile on her lips. "It was the least I could do, since you're letting me stay for a few days."
Dad dropped his hands from his waist and twisted his head to stare at me. "A few days?"
I'd sort of failed to mention that when I'd asked about Lisa staying. Honestly, I hadn't been sure how long I'd get to have her. My insides squirming at the thought of all the time we'd have together, I frowned at my father. "Dad!"
He sighed and shook his head, but didn't complain any further. I was sure I'd hear more later, but for the moment, he was being nice enough to not say anything around Lisa. My mom watched the showdown between Dad and me with a raised eyebrow, then encouraged Lisa to take off her jacket and make herself at home. I slung it up on the coat rack for her, bouncing a little as I took her hand. It was just so nice to have her near me again. I knew the next separation would hurt…but I'd deal with that when it happened.
Lisa smiled once she smelled the combination of coffee, cinnamon and bacon. Looking perfectly at ease with my family, she sat at the table across from Dad. While I made Lisa a cup of coffee, Dad eyed her like she was going to go mental at any moment, pull out a WMD or something. Lisa only smiled at him, asking if she was a Cincinnati Reds fan or a Cleveland Indians fan. Dad brightened, then stopped himself. Shrugging, he said the Reds were alright.
Mom and I both looked at each other and rolled our eyes. Dad was glued to the television whenever his favorite baseball team was on the air. It was well known in the house that if you wanted anything from Dad, you waited to ask for it until the Reds were winning… and didn't even bother asking if they were losing.
I returned to the table just as Lisa started going into specifics of the game. I listened to her deep voice, enraptured. She knew more than I realized she did. Lisa had never struck me as the athletic type. That had been Taehyung. He'd always been watching highlights on TV. Taehyung and Dad had bonded together over a few amazing plays. But Lisa knew enough to keep up her end of the conversation and had Dad engaged until Mom and I set the plates of food down.
Pouring myself a huge glass of eggnog, I sat beside Lisa. She glanced over at my glass and smiled to herself. I squeezed her thigh under the table, thanking her for the treat she'd gotten just for me. As we gazed at each other for a moment, I had to firmly resist the urge to lean up and kiss her. My father cleared his throat.
Lisa glanced up at him as Jisoo handed Lisa a plate of bacon. As Lisa took some, my dad pointed at her with the serving spoon. "So, Jennie tells us you are in a…band?"
Dad said the word like it was foreign, like he wasn't sure how to pronounce it. His face held an equally confused expression. To Dad, bands were something you did as teenagers. To Dad, you have to go college, got degrees, and joined the stereotypical work force. Dad just didn't understand Lisa's life choices at all. I frowned as I looked across the table at him. He might understand better if he knew Lisa's history, knew just what music had helped her through, but that wasn't my story to tell. And it wasn't one Lisa told openly.
Passing the plate of bacon to me, Lisa gave me a warm smile. "Yes, sir. We're on tour right now. Our next show is on New Year's Eve in D.C."
My shoulders slumped a little at the news. Having a definite departure date kind of sucked. Dad brightened a little, though. Slopping a mess of eggs on his plate, he casually said, "Oh, so you'll be away a lot…on this tour-thing?"
Grabbing the plate of rolls from Jisoo, who rolled her eyes at Dad, Lisa quietly said, "Yes…" she grabbed a roll and handed the rest to me. Our fingers touched under the plate and Lisa stroked my thumb with hers. The expression in her eyes screamed an apology—that she'd be leaving soon, that she'd be gone for so long, that we'd be separated again. Swallowing, I nodded at her encouragingly.
Digging into the plate of bacon, Dad smiled. "Oh, well, that's good that you're finding success." Lisa nodded at him, taking the eggs as they made their way around the table. As Dad loaded his fork with food, he asked, "So what do you guys call yourselves anyway?"
I cringed, knowing my dad wasn't going to like this. Jisoo laughed while Lisa looked down, seemingly unsure if she should say it to the man she was trying to impress. Maybe understanding that lying would do no good right now, Lisa picked up her fork and muttered, "D-Bags."
Dad sputtered on the food he'd just attempted to swallow. Coughing a little, he leaned over her plate. "Excuse me?"
Clearing her throat, Lisa looked up at him. "Um, the band…we're named…D-Bags." She shrugged. "It's just…supposed to be funny." As Dad narrowed his eyes, clearly not amused, Lisa murmured, "We might change it…if we go mainstream."
Jisoo looked between the two of them and laughed. Spunkily shaking her head, her high ponytail flipping around her face, she told Lisa, "You better not. I love that you're Douchebags."
Lisa bit her lip to hide her amusement while my mother gasped. "Jisoo!"
Teasingly shoving Lisa's shoulder back, Jisoo laughed again and dug into her food. Dad frowned at my sister, but said nothing more about the band's name. There was a moment of silence around the table as we all ate in peace. Mom's food was incredible and I nearly purred as I popped a gooey piece of cinnamon roll in my mouth. Lisa watched me eat it, a slightly devilish look in her eye. I smacked her leg under the table, warning her as quietly as I could to behave herself.
When she playfully grinned at me, popping a segment of a roll into her own mouth, I had to look away. I'd suddenly envisioned licking cinnamon and sugar off her skin, and that was certainly not a thought I should be having on Christmas morning…at my parents' table. While Lisa chuckled, I met eyes with my dad. He was watching us with a furrowed brow. His eyes darted past me for a second, into the living room, and I held my breath, hoping he didn't piece anything together.
What he did say, though, made a cold wash of nerves go over me, and I suddenly would have preferred him asking about last night. "Lisa…is it true what they say about rock stars?"
Lisa finished her roll and looked around the table. Bunching her brows, she shook her head. "What do you mean?"
Dad paused to take a bite of his bacon while I tensed. There were so many different paths he could take this conversation down, and all of them were bad. "You know, about the women that follow the bands around, trying to…get to know them."
Jisoo dropped her fork and stared at Dad while Mom brightly exclaimed, "Would anyone like some more eggs?"
Lisa ignored her question, keeping her eyes locked on Dad's. "Some women are like that, yes, but it's a lot less than you would probably think—"
Dad cut her off, waving his bacon slice in the air. "But it is true, though, you do have women trying to seduce you? To lead you away from my daughter?"
I flushed, hating that our life was being discussed so openly. "Dad!"
Dad ignored me, focused intently on Lisa. As Lisa unwaveringly met his eyes, I suddenly saw my dad's true fear with me dating a rock star. It wasn't really that he considered the job frivolous, or that there was an alarming potential for drug or alcohol abuse. It was that my dad didn't think Lisa could possibly be faithful to me. It was my own fears reflected back to me. Somehow, that made them seem all the more possible.
Beside me, Lisa whispered, "Yes."
I blinked and looked over at her, not expecting her to answer so honestly. It stung, too, knowing that she was getting offers. Even if she was rejecting them, it still hurt to know that they really were out there. My eyes started watering and Lisa purposely avoided looking at me.
Dad leaned forward in his chair and I looked back at him, begging my eyes to calm down. I did not want to cry in front of my parents. They would never trust Lisa if I didn't trust her. As Jisoo sputtered that none of this was Dad's business, Dad pointed the last of his bacon at Lisa. "Don't you think it would be better for Jennie then, if you paused the relationship while you were away…so she doesn't get hurt by your…admirers?"
Lisa shook her head. "I never…I don't…" she closed her eyes, taking a moment to collect herself. Just as I felt my eyes starting to pool over, Lisa opened hers and looked over at me. "I love your daughter, and I'd never do anything to hurt her."
My mother stood up then, collecting Dad's plate. "Of course you wouldn't, dear. Martin's just being an ass."
Dad frowned at Mom and I blinked, staring up at her. Mom never swore, not even the mild ones. When Dad looked about to object, Mom gave him a glance—the glance. It was a pointed look that said so much. It was a full-on sentence in just a second of connection. She may as well have screamed—You have said enough, and if you open your mouth again there will be hell to pay in this house for the next six months! It is Christmas morning and I will not let you make my baby girl cry while she is here visiting us, for quite possibly the only time until next winter, by making her doubt the person that she is clearly head-over-heels in love with!
Dad wisely said nothing.
When a strained quiet fell over the table, Mom looked around. "Should we open presents then?"
Lisa slapped on a smooth smile as she stood up. "Sounds wonderful, Mrs. Kim."
Mom smiled at Lisa around her hands full of plates. "Caroline, dear."
Lisa nodded at her. "Caroline, thank you for breakfast. It was incredible." She motioned around the house with her hand. "Is there a bathroom…?"
"Oh, sure." Mom motioned upstairs with her one free pinky.
Lisa smiled and looked around the room as she excused herself. She seemed happy and unperturbed, but I saw her fingers go to the bridge of her nose as she turned the corner to head upstairs. I knew enough about her to know that the conversation had bothered her. She was taking a minute.
My eyes snapped back to Dad when Lisa was out of earshot. "Dad! What was that all about?"
Jisoo crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. Dad looked between the two of us. For once, his face was almost sheepish. "I'm sorry if I stepped over the line there, Jennie." He leaned forward and pointed his finger to where I could hear water running upstairs. "But these are questions you need to ask yourself if you are going to be in a relationship with her. Is she on the same page? Does she really love you? Can she turn down woman after woman? If you take the relationship to the next level, will she soil your marriage bed?"
I flushed and looked down, too flustered to say anything. Jisoo spoke up in my silence. "She's a good person, Dad. You don't even know her."
Her hands free now, Mom came up to rest her palms on my shoulders. "That could have been handled more privately, Martin."
Dad glanced up at her. "I'm just looking out for our daughter."
I peeked up at him then. "I can look out for me, Dad." Glancing over my shoulder really fast, I leaned in and whispered, "I've had all of the doubts that you have, okay. I think about it. I worry about it." I shook my head. "But I love her. Shouldn't I give her the chance to fail before I condemn her?"
Dad's eyes widened as he sat back in his chair. A hand rubbed over his jaw as he softly smiled at me. Fatherly pride stretching over his face, he shook his head. "You always were too smart for your own good."
I relaxed back into Mom behind me and shook my head. "Not really…but I'm trying to be smarter." I bit my lip, not wanting to let too much truth about my vast failings slip out. My parents still didn't know the real reason Taehyung and I broke up. They assumed he had left the country for a job, and I was content to let them think that. "I'm in love with her, Dad. Pausing…isn't an option for me."
I heard a sniff from the doorway and looked back to see Lisa standing there, head down as she listened. She looked up and met my eye, a genuine, peaceful smile on her face. Dad sighed, maybe finally seeing that he really had lost his little girl. I stood up and walked over to Lisa. Cupping her cheeks, slightly moist, like she'd splashed water on them, I searched her unique eyes. "Not being yours isn't an option anymore," I whispered.
She nodded, and leaned down to kiss me. I let her, Dad be damned.
Twenty minutes later, you wouldn't even know the conversation had happened. Lisa let it slide off of her and Dad even seemed a little chagrined that he'd brought it up. He even stopped his sullen, disapproving looks at Lisa. He didn't suddenly turn warm towards her or anything, but he did stop being the brutish, overprotective father.
Jisoo had forgotten about the moment the minute we stepped near the tree. Honestly, eating breakfast first was the hardest part about Christmas for her. We'd only started doing that in the last couple of years, when the presents part of the holidays started taking a back seat to the family part of the holidays. But she was still a giddy little girl when it came time to rip open stuff.
Lisa sat beside me on the couch as Jisoo started doling out gifts. She handed everybody a similarly wrapped, flat square and made us all open them together. Lisa laughed as she looked around at all of us opening Jisoo's gift. I laughed when I saw what it was. We were all now proud owners of next year's Hooters calendar. I blinked as I stared at the three orange and white clad vixens on the cover.
Dropping my jaw, I looked up at her. "You got the cover?"
Jisoo clapped and giggled, stomping her feet in her excitement. "Yes! I was hoping you didn't see one in the stores, I wanted to surprise you."
I stood up and gave her a hug, Mom and Dad and Lisa following suit. I knew she'd made the calendar, April, from what she'd told me, but the cover was an even bigger deal. Sitting back down, I flipped to her page. God, she was pretty. I immediately closed it. Lisa set her aside and grabbed my hand, leaning into me. Smiling over the fact that she hadn't peeked at her picture, I kissed her cheek.
The standard gifts went around the room—clothes, books, music, movies and games. The merriment in the air was palpable as we all laughed and enjoyed each other's company. Lisa silently watched the whole affair, her eyes soft and speculative. When it got near the end of the pile under the tree, Jisoo handed her a present from my parents. she blinked at the gift, surprised, like she hadn't been expecting to receive anything from them. Honestly, I was pretty surprised, too.
My dad was wrapped up in playing with a new, techy gadget, but Mom watched Lisa as she turned the present over and over. I elbowed her gently. "Open it."
She looked up at me, then at my mom. "You didn't have to…" she shrugged and Mom smiled.
"I know."
Swallowing, Lisa unwrapped the present. Inside a simple, white box, was a small scrapbook. Lisa smiled as she started to flip through the pages. I blinked as I looked over her shoulder. It was a book about the two of us, about our life together. There were pictures of just me, some taken when I was pretty young. There were pictures of Seattle—her house, the bar, the Space Needle. And then there were pictures of the two of us.
Most of those pictures were candid, like we weren't aware that we were being photographed. There was one of her staring at me at work. I had my back to her, helping a customer, and the look on her face was nearly reverent as she secretly watched me. There were others where we were smiling at each other, laughing at some private moment. A few were of us softly kissing each other. And the very last photo was a close-up of the two of us cuddling together, sleeping on my ugly, orange sofa. Even in sleep, Lisa had a soft smile on her face.
Jisoo giggled and I glanced up at her and Mom. As Lisa shook her head in disbelief, Mom quietly said, "Jisoo helped me put that together for you, Lisa. So you could take a piece of home with you on the road."
Lisa looked up at her, her eyes a little glossy. "Thank you…so much."
Mom nodded at her. Sniffing a little, she brightened and reached over the back of the couch to dig through her bag. "I have presents, too."
I smiled and tilted my head at her. Grinning, Lisa dispersed gifts to Jisoo, a joint one for my mom and dad, and one for me. Grinning myself, I pointed to where I'd been hiding one for her at the back of the Christmas tree. "Don't forget yours."
She smirked at me, grabbed it, then sat beside me again. As my family opened her presents, laughs and thank yous going around the room, Lisa and I stared at each other. "Together?" she whispered, lifting my gift in her hands.
I nodded, and we started tearing into each other's gifts at the same time. I watched her more than opened mine, then laughed when I saw she was doing the same. Shaking my head, I stopped and pointed at the gift she was halfheartedly opening. "You first."
She frowned, then laughed. A few minutes later she was holding what I'd purchased for her. She was hard to shop for; she didn't really need or want anything. But there were a few things she cared about and I'd played on those when I'd started looking around for presents. One, she liked to write. She was constantly scribbling lyrics into spiral notebooks that were shoved into her dresser drawers. So I'd gotten her some really nice journals to write in, maybe for the lyrics that were keepers. She was also trying to be more involved with writing the music, so one of the journals was just music sheets.
Second, Lisa liked the classics. Being stuck on a bus with lots of noisy boys, I thought she might like a reprieve. I'd gotten an outstanding deal on a Discman, and loaded up some CDs with all of the classic rock songs that she'd occasionally sing around the house. The technology was out of date, MP3 players being all the rage now, but considering Lisa still had a tape player in her car, I figured it was about as far as I could push her in that area.
Thirdly, Lisa liked sex. Not wanting to give her something that would embarrass me in front of my family, I'd taken a picture of the moderately sexy outfit that was awaiting her when she got back home. I'd picked it up right before heading out here, after she'd jokingly mentioned buying me something. For some reason, I knew our style levels would be completely different, and if I was going to wear something…like that…I wanted to be the one picking it out.
Finding the picture tucked in one of the journals, she glanced at me with a raised eyebrow. When I pointed to the cuffs in the very top corner of the picture, her grin turned heated. I flushed, knowing I would have to be very, very drunk to ever, ever use them, but the look on her face was worth it.
The last thing I'd tucked into the box I'd gotten on a whim. It was a Hot Wheels car. And not just any Hot Wheels car, but a classic muscle car. I wasn't sure if it was a Chevelle, but it was close, and it was shiny black. Lisa's car was the last thing that Lisa really cared about and I'd gotten the toy as a way to let her know that I was taking care of her baby.
When Lisa spotted it, she picked it up and stared at me. Her mouth dropped open and she looked completely thrown. I bunched my brows as I watched her eyes start to tear up again. She shook her head and muttered something that I swear was, "How did you know?"
I opened my mouth to ask her what she'd said, but she grabbed me, hugging me tight. "Thank you, Jennie…you don't know how much I love this, all of this." She pulled back to gaze at me, her heart in her eyes. "How much I love you."
I swallowed and nodded. Palming her toy, she pointed to the box in my hands. "Your turn."
Exhaling in a rush, I concentrated on the box in my fingertips. Biting my lip, I wondered what she could have gotten for me as I finished unwrapping the partially opened gift. Once I saw the shape of the box, my heart started thudding. It was a ring box. I paused, unsure if I should open this. Was she proposing? What did I say if she was? Honestly, a part of me thrilled over the idea of being her wife, but my dad had a good point. Lisa and I still had issues to work through before we could even think about heading down that path. I mean, we hadn't even gotten to the point where we could live together again. This step seemed too big.
Knowing she was watching me intently, and not wanting her to think I was doubting her in any way, I popped the box out and opened the lid. Inside were two silver bands, one clearly bigger than the other one; the smaller one was elegantly lined with small diamonds. Confused, I scrunched my brows and looked up at her. She smiled, peering down at me.
Reaching down, she grabbed the bigger ring. "They're promise rings," she whispered. Picking up the smaller, she lifted my right hand. Sliding it on my finger, she softly said, "You wear one," she slipped the bigger on the ring finger of her right hand, "and I wear one." Smiling contently, she shook her head. "And we promise that no one comes between us. That we…belong to each other, and only each other."
As I stared at her, amazed and warmed, a tear rolled down my cheek. "I love it," I whispered, leaning over to kiss her.
We tenderly kissed on that couch for a long moment. We probably would have kissed longer, but a wadded-up piece of gift paper smacked me in the face. Frowning, I turned to glare at my sister. She grinned, giggling as she lifted a box of very expensive perfume…her favorite kind. "Thanks, Lisa, I love it."
She nodded at her, laughing lightly as she snuggled into my side. From the other couch, my dad cleared his throat and pointed at what Lisa had gotten for them. "Yes, thank you…Lisa."
Mom grinned as she hugged what looked like plane tickets in her hand. As I scrunched my face, trying to figure out where they were going, Lisa leaned down to my ear. "I got them tickets to Seattle, so they could see you graduate in June."
My mouth dropped open as I looked back at her. She grinned and laughed at the look on my face. "Lisa…you didn't have to…"
She shrugged. "I know, but your parents should see all of your hard work pay off, and tickets are expensive, so…" she shrugged again.
As the relaxation of a successful Christmas morning flowed throughout the room, I leaned into Lisa's body. Lacing our hands together, I watched where the rings lined up and smiled. Sighing at the physical representation of our commitment to each other, I noticed that Lisa was still fingering the toy car in her other hand.
Pulling back, I looked up at her. "When I gave you that toy, you said something. What was it?"
Lisa looked down at our hands, smiling to herself. Shaking her head, she murmured, "It's nothing."
I kissed her jaw. "Tell me anyway."
She looked over at me and then at the room full of the family that I loved. Jisoo was snuggling with Mom, thanking her for a cashmere set that had probably cost my parents a small fortune. Dad was flipping through Jisoo's calendar, telling her that she looked very…pretty.
Absorbing the feeling in the room, Lisa shook her head. "This is so nice…so peaceful. Kind of idyllic." Her voice low, almost inaudible, she whispered, "I keep waiting for the yelling to start." She glanced over at me and then looked down at our hands again. "It means so much to me that you let me…be a part of this." She looked back up at me, her face content. "I think this may be my new favorite Christmas morning."
I smiled, jabbing her in the ribs. "Even though you had to climb down a trellis?" I whispered, careful to not let Dad hear me. "Even being…interrogated?" I said more seriously.
She smiled down on me and nodded. "Yep…still the best."
Knowing that she probably hadn't had too many bright spots in her childhood, I wondered what memory had been her favorite up until this point. When I asked her, she turned her head, her eyes getting a faraway look as she remembered. "I was five. It was Christmas Eve. My dad was angry at…something…I don't remember what, and he tossed me into a wall, broke my arm."
My eyes widened as Lisa's contented smile grew. This was a good memory?
Not reacting to my face, she glanced at her arm slung around me and ran our laced together fingers over a bone under her shirt. "It broke here." In my horror, I realized it was the exact same spot Taehyung had broken his arm.
Lisa shrugged, her face still serene. "They took me to the emergency room, my mom complaining the entire time that they were going to be late for a party. I don't know why I remember her saying that…" Looking over to the Christmas tree, Lisa shook her head. "Anyway, they checked me in, then left. I didn't see them again until Christmas night."
Leaning back on the couch, Lisa smiled wider as her story grew more and more awful. "There was this nurse there, and I guess she felt sorry for me or something, because I was all alone on Christmas morning." She looked over at the toy car in her hand, lifting it up to examine it closer. "She gave me a set of three Hot Wheels. A fire truck, a police car, and…a muscle car." She grinned as she met my eye. "Just like this one."
Shaking her head, she laughed a little. "I played with those cars all day…" Running the toy down my arm, she murmured, "But this one was my favorite. It was the only thing I wished I'd remembered to take to L.A. when I left home. But I forgot, and my parents…tossed it."
She met eyes with me again. "That Christmas was the best one I'd ever had, because I wasn't at home. That toy was the best gift I'd ever received, even better than my guitar I think, because the guitar was mainly a ploy from my parents to keep me out of their hair…" She lifted the car again. "This…was pure."
She swallowed, searching my eyes. "I thought I'd never see anything like that car again…how did you know to get me this?"
I shook my head, tears stinging the edges of my eyes. "It just…seemed like you."
Lisa frowned as she watched my eyes water and fill. "Hey, I didn't tell you that to make you feel sorry for me." She cupped my cheek. "I'm okay, Jennie." I nodded under her fingertips but a tear escaped me anyway. Brushing it aside with her thumb, she smiled at me. "I just wanted to let you know what it meant to me. To…thank you for letting me have this experience with you and your family. It means more than you'll ever really understand."
I shook my head. "No, I think I get it."
I kissed her lightly but my lip was trembling. Knowing I was going to start sobbing for her if I didn't change my thoughts, I shook my head and inhaled deep. "I could use some eggnog. You?"
Lisa smiled peacefully and shook her head. "No, I don't need anything."
I nodded, kissed her head, and hurried out of there. She didn't need or want my pity. She had dealt with her past a long time ago.
Brushing my fingers under my eyes, I ran into my mom in the kitchen. She smiled as she made another pot of coffee. "Lisa seems to be enjoying herself?"
Yes, more than she'd ever realize. I shook my head, forcing on the effortless smile that Lisa always wore. "Yeah, thank you so much for getting Dad to let her come. I know it was you, and I'm really…" I swallowed, the emotion of her story still with me, "I'm really grateful."
Mom frowned then came over to give me a hug. "Hey, it's alright. No need to get all blubbery."
I sighed at myself, hugging her back. "I know." Releasing her, I rested my head on her shoulder. She patted my arm then glanced down at the ring on my finger. She frowned for a moment and then looked back into the living room at Lisa.
Looking back with her, I could see that Jisoo had joined her on the couch and was flipping through her calendar with her. They were peering at something intently, Lisa laughing a bit and shaking her head. Watching the naturally beautiful pair, I sighed. Then I rubbed my ring with my thumb and smiled. She'd chosen me.
"Is that from Lisa?" my mom asked quietly.
I looked back at her and nodded. "Yeah, she got us both promise rings. Sweet, huh?"
She bit her lip, tilting her head. "Honey, I may disagree with how your father broached the subject, but I don't entirely disagree with him about Lisa." She shook her head, watching Lisa and Jisoo get into a playful wrapping paper fight. "She's so…attractive, Jennie, even more so in person than her pictures." Looking back at me, she frowned. "That sort of thing gets noticed by women and attractive person aren't always good with…one relationship. And even if she doesn't stray, it takes a special person to be able to handle all of the attention she'll receive. Are you sure you can be that woman? Are you sure you want to date her?"
She looked back at Lisa and my sister, and I suddenly felt like what she was really saying was that Jisoo, my beautiful, provocative, spontaneous, easy-going sister, was a better match for her. Frowning, I crossed my arms over my chest. "Yes, I'm sure. I know what you guys think of me, but Lisa sees more, she loves me."
Mom took a step back and narrowed her eyes at me. "What are you talking about, Jennie?"
I stiffened, not really wanting to talk about the constant references that I heard, not wanting to talk about the major differences between Jisoo and me, differences that had been pointed out to me my entire childhood. Mom squeezed my shoulder when I didn't answer her. When she repeated her question, I sighed, and muttered, "You know…that Jisoo's the beautiful one and I'm…I'm the smart one."
Mom sighed and squeezed me tight. "Oh, Jennie, honey. I hope we never made you feel that way, it was never our intention." Pulling back, she looked me in the eye. "That's not what we think. We're always telling people about both of our beautiful daughters, and they always agree with us. You're every bit as attractive as your sister, Jennie. I think you're the only one that doesn't see it."
Looking back into the living room, Mom shook her head. "But Jisoo…relies on her looks. It's become how she defines herself. Sometimes I worry that her looks are all she'll have, and when those eventually fade…"
Smiling, she looked over at me and smoothed back my hair. "But you are beautiful and smart, and you'll do well with whatever life hands you." She leaned in to place a kiss on my forehead. "Your father and I are both very proud of the woman you're becoming." Sighing, she shook her head. "You're our baby…we don't want to see you hurt is all."
I smiled, looking back at Lisa. Jisoo was admiring her ring. Lisa smiled at her and then looked up at me. Tilting her head, she nodded a little, like she was telling me that everything would be okay. As Mom kissed my head and walked back into the living room, I heard Lisa's jacket ringing. Thinking maybe it was the guys wishing us a Merry Christmas, I walked over and plucked it out of her pocket. It was a text from a number I didn't recognize; the name just said 'private.' I was about to hit the read button when the phone was yanked from my hands.
Surprised, I looked over at Lisa standing beside me. Smiling, she glanced at the screen, hit a button, then tucked the phone in her pocket. Ice washed through me; she hadn't even looked at the message, like she was going to when she was alone. A downside to giving her a cell phone struck me as my curiosity piqued.
Ignoring the look on my face, she pointed over to Jisoo. "Want to play a game? Jisoo thinks she can beat me at Monopoly." She laughed a little and shook her head. I frowned. No, I didn't want to play a game, I wanted to know who had just texted her.
"Sure," I muttered. As she started leading me away, I started to wonder if maybe my parents were wiser than I wanted to believe. Before I could stop myself, I asked, "Who was that text from?"
Lisa effortlessly smiled back at me and shook her head. "It was just from Jackson." She leaned in and laughed. "Trust me, with the stuff he's been sending me lately, you don't want to see it."
I frowned, but nodded. It was a completely plausible story and she had just given us promise rings. She wouldn't do that if she wasn't living up to her end of the promise…right?
