JENNIE

The next morning, Lisa came into the kitchen after me. She was wearing the same clothes, and her hair was styled back from how it had dried overnight. Her eyes were dreadfully tired and still a little red; she had cried an awful lot last night. I looked over at her uncertainly. She stopped in the doorway and paused, looking at me equally uncertain. Finally, she sighed and came up to the coffee pot where I was standing, waiting for it to finish brewing.

She held her hands up in front of her. "Truce?"

I nodded slowly. "Truce."

She leaned back against the counter, putting her hands behind her. "Thank you…for staying with me last night," she whispered, staring at the floor.

"Lisa-"

She interrupted me. "I shouldn't have said what I did, that's not who you are. I'm sorry if I scared you. I was so angry, but, I wouldn't ever hurt you, Jennie…not intentionally." She met my gaze, her voice was calm, but her eyes looked worried. "I was way out of line. I never should have put you in that position. You're not… You are in no way a…" she looked away, embarrassed, "…a whore," she finished softly.

"Lisa-"

She interrupted me again. "I never would have…" She sighed and in a barely audible whisper, she said, "I wouldn't ever force you, Jennie. That's not… I'm not…" She froze and stopped talking, looking at the ground again.

"I know you wouldn't." I suddenly didn't know what else to say. I was equally responsible, and I felt horrible for my part in what had happened. "I'm sorry. You were right. I…I led you on." I lightly grabbed her cheek and forced her to look at me fully. Her gorgeous face was horribly sad and equally remorseful. "I'm sorry for all of it, Lisa." Her pained eyes broke my heart.

She looked at me oddly. "No…I was just mad. I was wrong. You didn't do anything. You don't need to apologize for-"

I cut her off. "Yes, I do." I lowered my already low voice. "We both know I did just as much as you. I went just as far as you did."

She frowned slightly. "You clearly told me no…repeatedly. I didn't listen… repeatedly." She sighed again and pulled my hand away from her cheek. "I was horrible. I went too far, much too far." She ran a hand down her face. "I'm…I'm so sorry."

"Lisa…no, I wasn't being clear. I sent mixed signals." My words may have been telling her no, but my body certainly had been telling her something else. How can she feel responsible for that?

Her voice heated. "No, is clear, Jennie. Stop, is pretty damn clear."

"You're not a monster, Lisa. You never would have-"

She cut me off again. "I'm no angel either, Jennie…remember? And you have no idea what I'm capable of," she finished quietly, eyeing me warily.

I didn't know what she meant by that, but I refused to believe that she would ever, that she could ever…force me. "We both messed up, Lisa," I said, softly reaching out for her cheek again. "But you would never force yourself on me."

She watched me with a torn look on her face, and then she pulled me to her chest in a tight embrace. I threw my arms around her neck and for just a moment, let myself believe that it was months ago, and we were just two friends giving one another a moment's comfort. But…we weren't. Our friendship had enflamed into passion, and once ignited, that burn was impossible to turn back down.

"You were right. We have to end this, Jennie."

She took a hand and brushed aside a tear on one side, then the other; I hadn't even realized I was crying. Then she cupped my face, stroking my cheek with her thumb. It was such a tender gesture that my heart sped, but I knew she was right. I had known it awhile ago. "I know."

I closed my eyes and more tears dropped to my cheeks. Her lips brushed mine softly. I half-sobbed and pulled her harder against me. She kissed me back, but not in the way I expected. It was so different, soft and tender, in a way our kiss had never been before. It terrified and thrilled me. Her thumb continued to stroke my cheek softly.

She kissed me tenderly for a minute more, then sighing, she pulled away. She moved her hand from my cheek and ran her fingers through my hair and down my back. "You were right, you made your choice." She pulled me close to her, almost touching my lips. "I still want you," she growled intensely, then her voice softened, and she pulled away again. "But not while you're his. Not like this, not like last night." She said it wistfully, her eyes looking even more tired.

"This," she ran a finger down my lips lightly, as more tears fell on my cheeks, "…is over." She exhaled heavily, her own eyes glistening. "I don't seem to be very good at leaving you alone." She dropped her hand from my lips and swallowed. "I won't let last night happen again. I won't touch you again. This time…I promise." Her tone rang with finality.

Then, smiling sadly, she turned to leave. She stopped and paused at the doorway, turning to face me again. "You and Taehyung are good together. You should stay with him." She looked down and tapped the doorway with her hand a couple times, and then nodding her head, she looked back up at my face, a tear dropping to her cheek. "I'll make this right. It will be like it should be."

Then she turned and left. I watched her leave, confused, tears dripping from my eyes. Once I couldn't hear her anymore, I sighed and put my head in my hands. Isn't this exactly what I wanted? Why do I feel so sad then, like I had suddenly just lost everything?

Lisa stayed true to her word, she never again made any inappropriate moves towards me. In fact, she tried to never touch me. She stayed as far from me in a room as possible, without being obvious about it. She would make sure we never brushed against each other, and she would even apologize whenever we accidentally did touch each other. She still watched my every move though. I could seemingly always feel her intense eyes on me. In some ways, I would have preferred her touch to the intensity of those stares.

I tried to focus on school, but my heart was only half in it. The lectures, while still interesting and thought provoking, weren't as captivating as they once were, and my mind drifted on more than one occasion. I tried to focus more on Taehyung. He had perked up some since our evening at the club, which made me feel horribly guilty, but he was still miserably trudging through his work day. I listened as he went on and on about Max and the meaningless tasks he had him doing, but in all honesty, I wasn't really hearing a word of it. My mind continually drifted. I tried to focus on Somi and Kate, on being closer friends with them. We sometimes all met for coffee before work, and they would chat about the guys they were seeing. Not really having a whole lot to add to that conversation, I would listen half-heartedly, and my mind would drift…to Lisa.

I even tried to focus on my family, on calling them more often. My mom picked up on my mood, and immediately wanted me to come home and see her. My dad blamed Taehyung for breaking my heart when he left, which I assured him he didn't. If anything, I broke his, when I dumped him for ditching me, even though that had never his intention. And my sister…well, I couldn't even talk to her yet. I wasn't mad at her or anything. I'd even grudgingly forgiven Lisa in my head. Well, maybe not forgiven her, but I had forced the memory to the very back corner of my mind. But I couldn't speak to Jisoo yet. I couldn't even bear to hear Lisa's name pass her lips. Not yet…or ever.

As the days went by, I found myself missing Lisa - missing her touch, missing our quiet conversations, as we cuddled in the kitchen over coffee, missing her laugh, as she would relay a funny story while driving me all over town. I began to wonder if we should try again. Maybe this time, we could find a way to make it work…

"Lisa," I said softly, as she walked by me one morning when I came down for coffee. "Please don't leave. We should be able to be alone together."

She paused and looked back at me, her brown eyes sad. "It's better if we're not, Jennie. It's safer."

I frowned. "Safer? You say that like we're time bombs or something."

She half-smiled and raised her eyebrows. "Aren't we?" Her smile dropped and she suddenly looked exhausted. "Look what happened. I'll never forgive myself for talking to you like that."

I blushed at the horrible memory and looked down. "Don't…you were right. Horribly rude, but right." I peeked up at her under my eyebrows.

She cringed and took a step towards me. "Jennie, you're not-"

I cut her off, not wanting to start that horrid conversation again. "Can't we have just some of our friendship back? Can't we talk?" I made a move towards her, until we were only a step apart. "Can't we ever touch?"

She immediately took two steps back and swallowed, shaking her head. "No, Jennie. You were right. We can't go back to that. It was stupid to even try."

I felt tears stinging. I missed how it used to be, so much. "But, I want to. I want to touch you, just hold you…no more." I was in withdrawals from my addiction. I wanted her warm arms to slip around me. I wanted to put my head on her shoulder. It was all I wanted.

Her tired eyes closed and she took a deep breath before opening them. "You shouldn't. You should only hold Taehyung. He's a good guy for you…I'm not."

"You're a good one too." I couldn't stop the thought of her sobbing in my arms. I'd never seen someone more remorseful.

"I'm really not," she whispered, as she walked out of the room.

Lisa's words echoed through my head as I sat with Taehyung while he got ready for work. He cheerily gave me a kiss as he slipped on his shirt. I wanted to cringe away from him, and then felt guilty for feeling that. It wasn't Taehyung's fault that I was miserable. Aside from how much time he had to commit to his job, which I constantly reminded myself was not his fault either, Taehyung hadn't done anything wrong since he'd come back to me. He was warm, sweet, funny, charming, and constantly trying to make me happy. His moods were near constant, his love and loyalty never wavering. I was always sure of how he felt about me…unlike Lisa. So why did I feel such loss for losing Lisa? And can you lose something that was never yours to begin with? I debated that as Taehyung sat beside me and kissed me softly.

"Hey, I was thinking…"

I startled as I realized Taehyung was speaking to me. "What?" I asked, forcing my mind back to the present.

He half-grinned. "You're not quite awake yet are you?" He shook his head lightly as he slipped his shoes on. "It can wait, why don't you go back to sleep." He looked over and smiled warmly. "You don't have to get up with me every morning, you know. I know you come in late." He leaned over and kissed me softly again. "You need your sleep too."

I cringed, knowing that Taehyung wasn't really the reason I woke up early every morning. Wanting to fight off painful thoughts, that I shouldn't be having in the first place, I made Taehyung continue on his original train of thought. "No, go ahead, I'm awake…what were you thinking?"

He tied his shoes and then sat on the bed with his elbows on his knees. He looked over at me a little sheepishly and ran a hand along his jaw. Insanely curious over what was making him so uncomfortable, and a little worried about what he knew that would make him look that way, I hesitantly asked, "What is it?"

Not noticing the reluctance in my question, he shyly said, "Have you thought about your winter break next month?"

I instantly relaxed. "No, not really. I guess I figured we'd go home Christmas Eve and stay for the weekend." I looked over at him concerned. "Can you not get the time off?"

He grinned widely at me. "I actually demanded the whole week off."

I eyed him warily. Taehyung wasn't the demanding type. "You demanded?" I cocked an eyebrow at him.

He laughed at my expression. "Okay…apparently the office shuts down that week. Nobody works it…not even Max." He grinned sheepishly again. "So I'm truly free for a week…and…" he looked down and laced his fingers together, "I'd like to take you home."

I blinked, confused. Isn't that what I just said? "Okay, I kind of figured…"

He looked over at me, his face serious. "My home, Jennie…Australia. I'd like you to meet my parents."

I looked down, surprised. "Oh." I had always wanted to meet them, even though that thought terrified me. But so much had changed since then. They would know. Somehow, the parental sixth sense would kick in, and with just a glance, they would declare me a harlot and denounce me in front of him. I just knew it. I couldn't go. He wouldn't understand that though.

"But Christmas, Taehyung? I've never missed one with my family." I sighed brokenly, from my previous thought and the thought of the holidays away from my loved ones. "Couldn't we go another time?"

He sighed and I looked back to where he was studying his hands. "I don't know when that will be, Jennie. Who knows when I'll be free from Max again?" He sighed a second time, and ran a hand through his hair before turning his head to look at me. "Will you just think about it?"

I could only nod. Great, one more thing for me to think about. As if my mind wasn't full enough. Taehyung looked at me thoughtfully, then stood and finished getting ready. I was still sitting on the bed, thinking, when he kissed me goodbye.

A big chunk of me was worried about what his parents would think of me, but watching Lisa at work that night brought a different heartbreak closer to the surface. I would miss her…horrifically. Watching her sit at her table with her friends, watching me, I thought maybe I should just talk to her about it. But I didn't. I knew what her answer would be anyway – go with Taehyung, the time apart will be good for us, you should be with him, he's the guy for you, etc. etc. etc. Most of it was what my head was already telling me, but my heart? We could possibly stretch Taehyung's time off to almost two weeks with the weekends, and two weeks away from Lisa's piercing brown eyes…well, just the thought made my addictive withdrawals go into hyper drive.

A couple of days after Taehyung's proposition, I awoke from a deep sleep, feeling confused. I felt odd, and I didn't know why. I must have been dreaming again. I had dreamt about the last painful kiss I had shared with Lisa all this week. Our amazingly tender kiss, I had never wanted it to end. But then afterwards, there was the sadness in her eyes, that final devastating tear on her cheek as she left the room, and her ominous last words. I sighed softly, conflicted.

Light fingers trailed down my hair, my back. I cringed a bit. I always felt so guilty when Taehyung touched me while I was thinking about Lisa, and lately, I was usually thinking about Lisa. I was still turning over the thought of leaving with Taehyung or not. Even if we didn't end up going to Australia, we'd still go home to my parents' place, and Jisoo would be there. It was an almost lose-lose situation for me. I'm either going to another Country, to face people who will surely see straight to the heart of my deception towards their son, or I'm going to face Jisoo, who won't be able to contain the horrid affair she'd with Lisa for an entire week. That brought me full circle to the fact that, either way, I was going to have to leave Lisa for a time. And, god was I going to miss her, even if we had ended things…

"Mornin'." A familiar non-accented voice pierced my heart.

Instantly snapping out of my thoughts, I spun around to come face to face with a very sexy, very satisfied looking Lisa, staring right back at me. I instantly became more aware of my surroundings. I glanced down to the strange sheet barely covering my naked chest, barely above Lisa's naked waist. I glanced around the room…her room. My heart raced as I watched the late-morning light filter through the window.

"Oh god…" I whispered, as she casually brought a hand to my cheek and pulled me in for a kiss.

She laughed, deep in her throat. "No…just me," she teased, kissing me softly.

I pushed her back, all too aware of her naked chest under my fingertips, the rest of her bare body just inches from mine. "What happened? I don't remember. Why are we…? Did we…?" Great, now I wasn't forming complete thoughts.

She pulled farther back, looking confused. "Are you okay?" She grinned mischievously. "I know this morning was pretty intense, but did I break you or something?" She winked at me and went in for another kiss.

Panic swept through me. "Oh god, we did. Lisa, we ended this. We aren't… We can't…"

"Jennie, you're starting to freak me out." Her brow scrunched together in concern.

"Just tell me what's going on!" My voice was a little too high, and loud. I quieted it with great effort. "Where's Taehyung?"

"He's at work, Jennie. We always do this when he's at work." She sat up on her elbow and looked at me, frowning. "You really don't remember this?"

"No…" I whispered. "What do you mean…always?"

She leaned over me, lightly stroking my cheek with her finger. "Jennie, Taehyung leaves for work, we come in here, we have…" she bit her lip and smiled seductively, "…hot…sweaty…sex…before you have to leave for school." She ran her fingers back through my hair. "Sometimes, like today, you skip school, and stay in bed with me for most of the day." She kissed me gently, tenderly. "We've been doing this for weeks. How can you forget something like that?"

I stared at her, shocked. "But…but, no. After the fight in the car, we ended things. You ended things. You promised…"

She smiled wryly. "I also said I wasn't good at staying away from you. We're meant to be, Jennie. We need each other. Staying away was, impossible. It's been so much better since we gave in." She kissed me again, slowly, even more tenderly. "I'll show you…"

Confusion overwhelmed me, froze me. I had no memory of anything intimate, other than our last painful embrace in the kitchen. Wouldn't I remember sleeping with her every day? Was she drugging me or something? I could no longer ponder it, as she was kissing me so lovingly and cupping my cheek in her hand. I relaxed into it. I returned her kiss fully, eagerly. I did miss this. She leaned over me, forcing me to my back and slid her hand down my neck, my chest, my waist. My breath quickened, my heart raced.

She smiled and kissed my cheek, my jaw, my neck. "See…you do remember…"

I closed my eyes, trying to have some recollection of how I got here. She moved on top of me, her knee sliding between mine. She brought her lips back to my mouth and her kiss intensified. I gasped at the sensations running through my body. I didn't know how to stop this. I didn't know if I should. I considered caving, and giving in to something I was apparently frequently giving in to anyway, when suddenly, the door burst open.

Taehyung stood there, watching us in horror, his eyes enraged. "Jennie?"

I sat up quickly and pushed a very calm looking Lisa off of me. "Taehyung…wait, I can explain." I had no idea how to explain any of this.

He strode over to the bed, eyes wild with fury. "Explain?" He leaned over me. "There is no need for you to explain that you're a whore! I can clearly see that for myself!"

I started to sob. Lisa slowly sat up on the bed, looking at me amused.

Taehyung grabbed my arm and shook it. "Jennie?" His voice was gentle and tender, but his eyes were still enraged. He did it again and I gaped at him in confusion, his soft voice, in no way matched his enraged face. "Jennie?"

I woke up with a start. It was night. I was in my pajamas. I was in my room…and Taehyung was calmly lying beside me in bed, lightly shaking my arm. "You're having a nightmare, it's all right." His accent was warm and comforting.

I blinked back tears. Oh thank god…just a dream. Suddenly, I blinked back tears of sadness. Just a dream…

"You want to talk about it?" he asked sleepily.

I shook my head. "I don't… I don't remember." I looked over at him cautiously. "Did I say anything?"

He shook his head. "No…you were just whimpering, shaking. You looked scared."

Relief washed through me. "Oh." I sat up on the bed, and he started to rise with me. "No, go back to bed. I'm just going to get some water."

He nodded and slumped back down, closing his eyes. I leaned over and kissed his forehead, making him smile, and then I stood and made my way quietly out the door. That had been one hell of an intense dream. I couldn't even look at Lisa's door as I walked past it. What had brought that on? I wasn't sure, that worried me…

I quietly walked into the kitchen, still thinking about the dream, and stopped dead in my tracks in the doorway. Lisa was in there and surprisingly, not alone. She was pushing a tall, leggy brunette up against the fridge. One bare, feminine leg was wrapped around one of her and her hand was sliding up the brunette's short skirt. They were voraciously kissing, the woman completely lost in her thrill of being with her. Lisa was more aware; she glanced over at me as I entered the room.

Shock passed her face for a second, as the woman turned her attentions to her neck, her jaw, her ear. The woman's hand stroked down her chest coming to rest on her jeans. The woman's hand slid firmly down and back up the front of her jeans and the woman moaned, rather loudly. My stomach rose and I wanted to leave the room, but I couldn't stop staring at them.

Composing herself, Lisa turned to the woman. The woman tried to kiss her, but she deftly pulled away from her. "Sweetheart…" Lisa cooed at her, and the woman gazed at her adoringly, biting her lip. "Could you wait upstairs for me? I need to speak with my roommate."

The woman never once even looked at me. The woman never took her eyes off of her, only nodded and gasped as Lisa leaned in to kiss her deeply again. She looked about ready to lose herself in her again, but Lisa pulled away from her and led her firmly to the entryway. "The one on the right. I'll be up in a second," Lisa cooed again and the woman giggled, practically fleeing the room to get to her bed.

I felt like throwing up. I considered bending over the sink and just letting it happen right there. Lisa paused for a moment at the entryway, her back to me. "Do you think Taehyung would be intrigued or upset, if she opens the wrong door?" she said over her shoulder casually.

I gaped at her, speechless. She finally turned to look at me, an odd look in her eyes for half a second, before calmness settled in her features. She took a few steps towards me. I felt like backing away, but I held my ground. "You said before, that you wanted to know when I was…seeing someone. Well…I guess I'm seeing someone."

I still couldn't find any words in me, so she continued. "I'm going to date. I told you, I wouldn't keep it a secret from you, so…" She paused for a deep breath. "I'm going upstairs now, and-"

I made a face that could only have looked like horror and disgust, and she immediately stopped explaining just what she was going to do. I had pretty much figured that out anyway.

"I said I wouldn't hide it. I'm not. Full disclosure, right?"

Irritation flashed through me. I hadn't exactly wanted her bringing home strange women for me to listen to through our very thin walls when we had talked about this. I guess, I had just meant that if she found someone she liked, and dated her for months and months, then maybe, they could go to a hotel room far, far away from me and I would then…understand. I suppose that scenario had been a bit unrealistic.

"Do you even know her name?" I whispered heatedly.

She stared blankly at me for a second before answering. "No, I don't need to, Jennie," she whispered. I gave her a cold, icy look. She returned it, as she snapped, "Don't judge me…and I won't judge you." With that, she turned and left the room.

My thirst completely gone, I practically ran back up the stairs once I could move again. The laughter and erotic noises that later came from her room, turned my stomach for the rest of the night…

The next morning, I stayed in bed and waited for Taehyung to wake up. The image of that woman's hands running up and down Lisa's jeans wouldn't leave me, the sounds still echoed in my head. I swallowed back tears at the memory of hearing them last night; she had not been quiet. I had heard her leave in the middle of the night (apparently, sleepovers were not encouraged), but I had no desire to be alone with Lisa this morning. I wasn't sure what was more surreal to me, my odd dream of us together, or seeing her with that woman. Was that really what she considered dating?

Taehyung woke up awhile later and smiled over at me still in bed with him; I usually ducked out while he was still sleeping. He reached over to me and started kissing my neck. I stiffened, and he stopped with a sigh. I was not in the mood right now. I waited patiently for him to sit-up, stretch, and stand, and then I sat up and walked over to him, smiling as best as I could.

"Are you all right? You look tired," he asked, sweetly running his hand through my hair.

I nodded and tried to brighten my smile. "I just didn't sleep well…I'm fine."

We both got dressed and ready for our days. I took as long as I could, without making Taehyung late, and he watched me get ready with a soft smile on his lips; always patient, always willing to spend a little time with me where he could. I swallowed the lump in my throat from that thought, and taking his hand, we went downstairs to the kitchen together. Lisa was awake, of course, and was watching TV in the living room. Upon hearing us, she shut the TV off and walked into the room. Taehyung smiled at her while I rolled my eyes and stifled a sigh.

Lisa greeted us, then looking at me oddly, asked Taehyung. "I was thinking of having a couple friends over tonight. Would you guys be okay with that?"

Taehyung answered for us, "Sure, mate, whatever…it's your place." He smiled and clapped her on the shoulder, as he went to the fridge to make a quick breakfast for us.

Lisa glanced over to where I was silently standing by the table. "Are you okay…with that?"

I blushed and looked down, catching the pause in her question, and what she was really asking me. "Sure…whatever." Looking back on that later, I probably should have been honest and said, no.

My head was in a fog the remainder of the day. All throughout school, and all throughout my shift at work, my mind kept flipping between our last tender kiss in the kitchen, my dream of having an affair with her, and her leggy brunette pressed against the fridge.

In the middle of my shift at Pete's, the D-Bags rolled in, but Lisa wasn't with them. She must already be home, entertaining. If she wasn't having the band over, I wasn't sure who I was going to find at our house. The anticipation tied my stomach into painful knots. I honestly had no idea what to expect. I had no idea what Lisa had meant by "a couple friends".

I was handing the band their beers, when Evan noticed my fog. "You okay, Jennie? You seem kind of out of it?" he asked politely.

Jackson was not so polite. "Yeah, you raggin' or something?"

Lucas smacked him across the chest, in a move so similar to what Lisa would have done, that I had to swallow. "No, I'm fine…just tired." I looked at them thoughtfully for a second, then blurted out, "Are you guys going to Lisa's thing at our house?"

Lucas looked over from Jackson, surprised. "Lisa's having a party?"

I frowned. "She didn't tell you?"

Jackson looked affronted. "We do have lives outside of Lisa Manoban, you know."

I blushed and Evan quickly answered, "No. I'm not going anyway. I have a date." He winked at me, his warm brown eyes sparkling at the prospect of a new love.

Lucas shook his head too, running a hand back through his spiky hair. "No, I don't feel like hanging out with Lisa's groupies tonight." He looked over at Jackson. "You?"

Jackson surprisingly scowled. "Hell, no! Fuck Lisa and her stupid-ass parties."

Lucas laughed at him. "Dude, are you still mad about that? That was forever ago."

He crossed his arms over his chest, pouting like a five year old, and glared at Lucas. "I clearly called dibs."

Evan sighed. "You can't call dibs on a human being, Jackson."

Jackson shot him a look, while I blushed deeply, realizing what they were talking about. "Yes, yes you can…and I did, and she clearly heard me. She even said 'whatever, Jackson' in total agreement. But who did that fucker take to her room later?" He pointed angrily to his chest. "My chick!"

Lucas laughed again. "Since when is 'whatever' total agreement?" He laughed some more and Evan joined him.

Jackson took a swig of the beer I had just handed him. "Dude, it's not cool to kype another man's dibs. I'm not playing on her home turf anymore." He sulked in his chair while Lucas laughed hysterically.

Evan chuckled and said, "Riiight….that's why Lisa got the girl, home field advantage."

Jackson exhaled loudly and then scowled at the both of them. "Shut it…fuckers." Then he chugged his beer.

Blushing deeply, and sorry I even brought it up, I quickly left the table. Now I was really dreading going home.

Somi gave me a ride that night after my shift. "Want to come in?" I suddenly asked Somi, as she pulled up to the extra-packed street and driveway. "Lisa's having a…thing." I shrugged. I just had a feeling I would need her support tonight, even if she didn't realize it.

"Oh…sure, I can come in for a little bit." She smiled, and managing to squeeze in behind Taehyung's car, parked hers, and we made our way to the front door.

I held my breath as I opened it. The first thing I noticed was Taehyung and Lisa on the couch, chatting and laughing easily. I walked into the entryway, set my bag down and hung up my jacket, feeling more relaxed. It was wonderful to see them happy together again. It felt like ages ago that they had really talked to each other. As I started walking towards them, however, my mood suddenly shifted. A dark-haired, dark-skinned and outrageously beautiful girl, plopped right down onto Lisa's lap and kissed her. She laughed and kissed her back. Taehyung smiled and looked away from them, and over to me. He smiled warmly at me and waved, but then he frowned. I realized I was scowling at Lisa and her hussy, and attempted to fix my face.

"Wow…do you know all these people?" Somi asked, as she moved up beside me.

It was only then, that I realized there were a good dozen people in the living room, with more voices drifting over from the kitchen. A few friends, huh? I looked over at her. "No."

She waved at Taehyung sitting on the couch and laughed a bit. "Well, Lisa sure seems to know them."

Grudgingly, I looked back to the couch. Lisa was still kissing the girl, rather intently, her hand running up her thigh. I turned away from the sight, when flashes of her tongue in the woman's mouth made my stomach rise and fire burn through me. I slid my eyes over to Taehyung, who was still watching me curiously. He stood and walked over to us as we entered the living room.

"Hey Somi," he said politely to her. Then he turned to me. "You okay? I know there's kind of a lot of people here. Lisa said we only had to tell her, and she would kick them out." He smiled warmly at me and pulled me in for a hug.

I managed a weak smile as I hugged him back. Over his shoulder, I could see Lisa. She'd stopped making out, and was now running her fingers through the dark-haired girl's locks, while talking to a strawberry-blonde girl in the spot Taehyung had just left. To my surprise, she leaned over and gave her a soft kiss; the woman on her lap didn't seem to care in the least.

"No…it's fine. I do need a drink though." I hoped there wasn't too much venom in my voice. My anger was starting to simmer, which I didn't quite understand.

"Sure, come on." He pulled me through the crowd, while Somi followed behind our wake.

Taehyung grabbed a beer from an open pack on the counter and handed it to me. I thanked him and quickly opened it, taking a swig. Really, I needed to relax. So what if she's…spreading herself around. No great shock there. I already knew she was like that.

Forcing myself to get through the next couple of hours without making an embarrassing, and question-inducing scene, I sat in an empty chair at the table and concentrated on making polite conversation with Somi and Taehyung. I watched the half-dozen strangers around us. I was a little surprised that the band hadn't shown up here anyway. Surely they would have enjoyed something like this? But the group, ninety percent of which was women, were people I hadn't seen before. Actually, now that I was watching them more closely, a couple did look vaguely familiar…fans maybe?

I was listening to Taehyung talk to one of the few guys in the room and watching the crowd, when I turned to people-watch in the living room. A break in the bodies gave me a view of Lisa. She was standing and dancing with the strawberry-blonde, the dark-haired woman watching them from the couch. My jaw dropped in remembered surprise. She was dancing with her, exactly the way she had danced with me at the club. Lisa was behind her, her arm around her waist, hand resting on her jeans, pulling her into her hips, and they were moving together in a way that made me blush. Smiling, Lisa lowered her head to her ear and whispered something to her, making her bite her lip and sag against her. Our intimate moment being used on another, made me curiously furious.

Still smiling, she glanced up and for the first time, caught my eye. Her smile slipped for half second and she looked at me oddly, almost sadly. Then the smile was back and her eyes warmed. She nodded politely to me, and turned her attention to the dark-haired woman, who had come up behind her and was pressing against her back. Lisa grinned widely at her and leaning back, kissed her deeply. I turned away, sickened and furious.

Somi, who had been watching me watch her, noticed. "Are you okay?" She glanced at Lisa dancing with her two floosies, then back to me. She whispered, "Is that bothering you?"

Panicked, I wasn't sure how to explain why that made me angry. I shook my head and looked down at my bottle. "No, no of course not. It's just…it's gross." I looked back up at her, trying to look prudish. "Two women…really? That's just asking for trouble."

She laughed a little and looked over at Lisa. "Yeah…I suppose it is." She shook her head, like it didn't really matter to her. "Well, she says she's careful, so, I guess, whatever floats your boat, right?"

That surprised me a little. "You asked her about…that?"

She laughed again. "Noooooo… Lisa's love life is not something I want to talk with her about." She laughed again at my confused face. "Evan asked her once and I overheard her answer. Evan…he's always looking out for Lisa." She smiled at the thought.

"Oh," I said quietly. I couldn't help but think of the times that Lisa and I had been together. She hadn't been careful at all. The first time we were too drunk to think about being safe. The second time we were…overcome…by it. Every time was so intense that safety kind of went out the window. It hurt me a little, that she hadn't cared enough to be safe with me. That thought increased my anger at how many girls she was being "safe" with.

I kept my head down and purposefully away from the living room for the rest of the party. Not too much later, people started heading out; it was pretty late for a weeknight. Somi gave me a hug and said she'd call me tomorrow. I watched her give Taehyung a hug and looking into the living room, smile at Lisa and wave goodbye to her. I resisted the urge to see if Lisa's harlots had left yet. Eventually, everyone else filed out.

After everyone had left the kitchen, Taehyung yawned and looked over at me. "Ready for bed?"

I stood and stretched. "Yeah." Instinctively, I stretched to my side and glanced into the living room. I stopped moving. The two girls were both still there. In fact, they were the only two "friends" still there with Lisa. They were sitting on the couch, on either side of her, and both had their hands on her chest. The dark-haired girl was kissing her neck, while the blonde entertained her lips. She pulled back breathlessly and Lisa smiled over at the other girl. The dark-haired girl stopped sucking on her neck and looked up at the blonde, and then she leaned over and kissed the blonde, while Lisa bit her lip and watched them with hungry eyes.

I forced my gaze away and back to Taehyung, my stomach full of fire. Taehyung was grinning like an idiot at them, which increased my anger. "Come on." I grabbed his hand and pulled him roughly through the kitchen and up the stairs. He was laughing at my reaction, and pulled me in for a kiss as we reached our bed. I pushed him down moodily and changed into my pajamas. The thought of what was going on downstairs burned me with the intensity of my anger.

Taehyung noticed my mood. "What, Jennie?"

"Nothing," I spat back at him.

"Hey…are you mad at me?"

I spun around to face him. "I don't know? You seemed to really enjoy seeing that. Should we invite the girls up here when Lisa's done with them…into our bed?" I knew he wouldn't do anything with any of them, but I was really mad, and needed an outlet.

He blanched. "No, babe. I wouldn't touch them. That's not me, you know that."

"Oh? And what were you doing at this little orgy before I got here? Did you sneak a couple up here for a quickie?"

He looked at me with blank shock. "I sat on the couch and talked to Lisa. That's all, Jennie." His voice got a little irritated. "I didn't do anything."

"Whatever." I angrily got into bed, shoving him out of my way, and pulled the covers around me. "I have a headache. I just want to go to sleep now."

He sighed. "Jennie…"

"Goodnight, Taehyung."

He rolled over to his side, then undressed and crawled under the covers with me. "Okay…goodnight." He tenderly kissed my head and I pulled away a bit. I knew I wasn't being fair, Taehyung hadn't done anything wrong, but my anger was swelling not decreasing. My imagination was going crazy, picturing Lisa with her whores. Taehyung sighed and rolled over.

I lay there, fuming, and listening for sounds from downstairs. Eventually, Taehyung's breathing slowed and evened…he was asleep. A little while later, light laughter and footsteps, three sets of them, made their way upstairs, and I heard Lisa's door lightly close and music being turned on.

I sat up. I couldn't take it. I couldn't listen to it. I hurried as quietly as I could out of the room and down the stairs. I considered leaving…but had no idea where to go, or how to explain that to Taehyung in the morning. Instead, I went to the kitchen and poured a glass of water. I gulped it, leaning against the counter, begging my body to calm down. Lisa had every right…

My head was down, both hands on the counter and tears starting to form, when I felt a body join me in the kitchen. I couldn't turn to look. Either way, I was screwed. Taehyung wouldn't understand my being so upset. Lisa…well, I just didn't want her to see how much she bothered me.

"Jennie?" Lisa's voice broke through my dark thoughts.

Of course. Of course it would be her. "What, Lisa?"

"Are you okay?" Her voice was soft, concerned.

Angry, I spun to face her, and stopped and stared. She was half-naked, bare-chested with her jeans unbuttoned. Her hair looked freshly played with and distractingly sexy. I swallowed the lump in my throat at her gorgeousness, and who she was half-dressed for. "What are you doing down here? Shouldn't you be…entertaining?" I could feel the tears in my eyes, I prayed for them not to spill.

She smiled shyly. "The girls wanted…" She pointed to the fridge, then opened it, and grabbed a can of whipped cream. She shrugged and left it at that.

I rolled my eyes and exhaled loudly. Of course the hussies would want to make it as horrifying as possible for me. I closed my eyes and prayed that she would just leave me alone, and go back to her porn set.

"Jennie…" She said my name so tenderly, that I opened my eyes. She smiled sadly at me. "This is who I am. Before you got here…this is me." She pointed upstairs to where Taehyung was sleeping. "That, that is you. This is how it's supposed to be…"

She moved towards me, like she was going to hug me or kiss my forehead, but at the last minute she seemed to change her mind and turning, she started to leave the room. At the doorway, she turned and softly said, "Goodnight, Jennie."

She left then, without waiting for a response from me, and the tears brimming in my eyes finally fell. I spent that night on the couch, with the television turned up as loudly as I thought was possible without waking Taehyung.