JENNIE

When I got back out to the bar, Taehyung was still chatting with Sam, only now Kate and a couple of the regulars had joined him. They were all laughing as they sat around talking, and I took a moment to just smile and absorb the fact that he was back here. Watching his goofy grin, hearing him laugh, it brought back all the good feelings from when we were together. It made me realize how much I'd missed him this past year. I knew it was going to be hard on me when he left again. And it had been pretty hard the first time.

As Kate squeezed his shoulders and gave him a hug, he looked over to where I was still standing and watching him. His goofy grin changed into a warm smile and he nodded a little at me. Face flushing a million degrees, I stopped reminiscing and headed towards the bar to get him a drink.

Rita eyed me speculatively as she poured a beer for him. At just high enough of a level for me to hear, she murmured, "When the cat's away…"

I rolled my eyes and grit my jaw. Snapping at Rita wouldn't do any good. She tended to think everyone was hooking up with everyone. She saw sordid behavior in just about anything. She'd even told me once that The Little Mermaid was darn near pornographic. I still have no idea why…

Pretending that I didn't hear her, and also pretending that I couldn't clearly see the top of her bra under her deeply cut v-neck, I grabbed Taehyung's drink and headed to the band's table, well, what used to be the band's table.

The front doors squeaked open as I passed by and I halfheartedly glanced over. Seeing someone that usually didn't come into the bar, I stopped. Rachel locked eyes with me immediately. Her tanned skin seemed to glow and her almond eyes sparkled. Lifting a laptop tucked under her arm, her long sheet of dark hair almost obscuring it, her wide smile got even wider. "Oh, hey, Jennie. I'm glad you're here tonight. I wanted to show you and Somi something."

Seeing her roommate enter, Somi walked over to us, curious. "Did you get it up and running?" she asked, pointing her finger to the machine Rachel was disentangling from her hair.

Nodding, she started walking back to Taehyung's table. Natural, I supposed, since her boyfriend generally sat in the same seat that Taehyung was currently plopped in. Wondering what they were talking about, I watched with bunched brows as Rachel set up the laptop across from Taehyung.

As Sam and the regulars left Taehyung and returned to their own evenings, Taehyung tilted his head at the newcomer at his table. "Hello," he said politely, not knowing who Rachel was.

She nervously tucked her hair behind her ears. Barely making eye contact with him, she turned on the computer. "Hi," she squeaked out. "Hope you don't mind if I borrow your table for a second."

Taehyung laughed at her shyness, glancing up at me with a small, knowing smile, like Rachel reminded her of me. "Not at all."

Lowering my eyes, I flicked my hand between Rachel and Taehyung. "Taehyung, Rachel…Rachel Taehyung." They both made brief contact and Rachel nodded her head a little at him. Wanting to laugh that Taehyung sort of had a point, I added, "Rachel is Somi's roommate and Lucas's girlfriend." Looking back at Taehyung, I bunched my brows. "Taehyung's…my ex." I shrugged.

Rachel's eyes flew up to Taehyung's. "You're the ex? The ex?"

She immediately flushed and looked down at her computer. Taehyung flushed as well, looking away. I bit my lip…I guess either Lucas or Somi had filled Rachel in on all the drama that was Lisa and I having an affair behind Taehyung's back. Great. I guess I'd have to have the "don't tell Lucas so he doesn't tell Lisa" speech with her, too.

More because I needed something to do with my hands than anything else, I handed Taehyung his beer. He immediately took a sip. Because we were supposed to, and, because I felt bad, I gave him an apple lollipop. He twisted his lips and shook his head, laughing as he took it. I wondered why until I considered what I'd given him…a sucker. And just when he was probably feeling like a giant sucker.

Sighing a little, I considered asking him what he wanted to eat, but Rachel spoke again before I could. Logging onto the internet, she typed in a phrase. "Lucas asked me to set this up, so I thought I'd do it while the guys were gone." She shook her head, her smile returning. "We just went live an hour ago, and people have already sent me stuff to post."

As the page she'd typed in loaded, my jaw dropped open. It was a D-Bag website. I shook my head as she scrolled around through some of the different pages. Everything seemed to be on there—photos of the guys, a playlist of all their songs, their tour schedule, a short biography on each of the members, feedback from the fans.

I frowned when she clicked over Lisa's bio. At the bottom of her description there was a photo of her on stage…without a shirt. It was an older photo and I couldn't see any trace of her tattoo, just lean, toned, etched muscle. It was an incredibly hot shot. Whoever had taken it had gotten her running a hand back through her hair as Lisa twisted towards the camera. Her head was down, but her eyes were up, looking right at the photographer. With eyes that promised satisfaction, a soft, seductive smile played across her lips. I was fairly certain that the person who'd captured this moment, had gotten a very private performance later.

Wondering if these were Rachel's personal pictures, I crossed my arms over my chest. "Why's Lisa the only one half naked?" Glancing over the photos of the other boys, all of them dressed normally, I frowned a little deeper.

Rachel looked back at me, her cheeks flushing. "Lucas gave me these pictures. He's been collecting them from fans over the years." She pointed at Lisa's body, then clicked back to the homepage, where I finally noticed that her mostly bare image had also been seamlessly blended into a good chunk of the wallpaper. Shaking her head as she shifted her gaze from the screen back to me, she quietly said, "Lucas told me to work with what they've got…to play up their best features."

Shrinking away from my gaze, she muttered, "Lisa's body is…one of their best features, even I'll admit that."

Sighing, I shook my head and rolled my eyes. Taehyung stood up and walked over to look at the screen. Chuckling a little, he nodded. "She has a point." Glancing over at me, he raised an eyebrow. "Marketing-wise, it's a solid strategy…sex sells."

Hating that the "sex" being sold revolved around my girlfriend, and sort of hating that my ex was the one defending it, I blurted to Rachel, "You said people were sending you stuff? What stuff?"

Rachel sat up straight and clapped her hands. "Oh, I'm so excited to show you this part." Giggling, maybe glad that I wasn't going to go off on her or anything, she headed over to a section entitled "Videos." I scrunched my face, confused. The band hadn't made any videos. At least, none that I'd seen.

Running past a few, she settled on a thumbnail of the guys on stage. As she started playing the video, I laughed a little. It definitely wasn't a professionally done video, more like something a fan had created on their cell phone. Slightly wobbly and almost overpowered by the sound of screaming nearby, it looked to be taken from a recent show. Rachel confirmed that when she said that the footage was dated a couple of weeks ago.

Somi giggled and leaned in, her eyes focused on her man in the back banging away on his drums. Rachel sighed happily as she watched Lucas stringing through his guitar so fast that you could barely register his fingers moving. And my eyes were glued on Lisa. It seemed a lifetime ago that I'd watched her perform onstage. Truly, it had only been three months, halfway through our allotted separation, but it seemed much, much longer.

Leaning back on a hip, I sighed again, but contently this time. Wherever this had been filmed, Lisa commanded the stage with her presence. Just like when she did it here, on our comparatively smaller stage, she seemed completely comfortable, perfectly at home. It was still miraculous to me.

Not thinking about what I was doing, I leaned into Taehyung's side. He straightened, and took a half-step away from me. I muttered sorry, but he wasn't looking at me, his eyes were glued on Lisa too. I had no idea how he felt, watching the person he'd lost me to, thriving in her chosen profession.

Pushing it from my head, I turned back to Lisa strutting across the stage, belting out lyrics as she interacted with the crowd—reaching out for them or playfully holding a hand to her ear. I swear she even winked at a couple of people. I tried to ignore the twinge in my stomach.

When the song ended, I wanted to clap along with the crowd. They'd all done so great, not that I'd really been concerned that they wouldn't—the guys always did great—but it was nice to see that the constant traveling, and the tiredness that can come with it, hadn't hampered their talent at all.

Just when I started to ask Rachel how many more videos there were, and if I could borrow her computer over my dinner break, the cell camera focused on Lisa. I stopped talking, staring at the image of her, so close, yet so far away. Smiling to the crowd, she thanked them all, bowed and then blew out a kiss. She twisted to head off the stage and the fan recording the footage followed her progress. Apparently the fan found Lisa the most appealing one to watch.

Just as Lisa started to round a corner that must have led to a behind the scenes area, a woman darted out from around the corner first.

She startled me, showing up on the screen like that, but Lisa didn't react to her appearance at all. Like she knew she'd be there. Lisa only smiled at her, Lisa's grin a breathtaking one. As I felt all of the blood draining from my body, I watched Lisa playfully grab both of her elbows. Shaking her head, her face still showing nothing but joy, the woman animatedly said something to her.

The statuesque woman smiled back at her and nodded, her face equally joyful. She wasn't what I expected a band-following groupie to look like. She seemed high class, well put together, with dark ebony hair in a loosely held back bun and clothes that screamed money. She had creamy, mocha skin, with perfect bone structure beneath it and lips that were undeniably full and soft. She was…gorgeous. Model gorgeous. Celebrity gorgeous. Halle Berry gorgeous. Squinting my eyes, I wondered for a second if maybe it was Halle Berry? Wouldn't that just be my luck? If she'd hooked up with an A-list actress already.

Just as she twisted her face and I saw enough of it to know that it wasn't the actress, Lisa leaned into her ear. I had no idea if she was leaning in to tell her something, or if she was leaning in to nibble on it. And I couldn't tell what happened next, since the video shut off. The screen now back to the tiny thumbnail of the band, I blinked. Did I really just see what I think I saw? I didn't want to believe it, but it had looked…suspicious. Then there was that odd text over Christmas that she wouldn't let me read. She'd said it was from Jackson. Was it?

Anger boiling in my stomach, I pointed to the computer. "Could you…play that last part again please?" I asked, my voice short and tight.

Rachel tucked her hair behind her ears repeatedly. "Jennie, I'm sorry. That one just came in…I was so excited to show you guys, I hadn't watched it all the way through yet."

Glaring at her, even though I didn't mean to, I snapped, "Play it again, Rachel." Calming myself, since I really didn't know what I was seeing, I added, "Please."

I felt Taehyung put a hand on my shoulder, but I couldn't look at him. I was sure he wouldn't gloat, but I wasn't equally sure that he wasn't that surprised. Maybe I'd been dreaming about having a monogamous relationship with Lisa. Maybe that just wasn't possible. Closing my eyes tight, I shook my head. No, I couldn't leap to conclusions without talking to her. I couldn't condemn her without letting her fail first. Isn't that what I'd convinced my dad?

Feeling another hand touch me, I opened my eyes at Somi. Biting her lip, she shook her head. "I'm sure there's a perfectly logical explanation, Jennie. I'm sure that was nothing…really."

I felt my eyes sting as I nodded at her. Sure, it may have been nothing, we really didn't know. But it was enough of something for every single one of them to wonder about it. And that made my stomach start to churn.

Somi went back to work, excitedly telling Kate all about Evan's performance, while I watched the clip again. Taehyung stayed by my side, not saying anything, but not making any move to walk away. I shook my head as I watched Lisa lean into the beauty again. Seeing it was riling up my stomach. I really should stop myself. I really shouldn't watch. But I felt frozen in place, staring at the screen over Rachel's shoulder.

After playing it again, Rachel tried to move to a different area of the website, maybe to get my mind off it, but I was too deep in my jealous fit to just let it slide off me. I was as patient as I could be, and I'd grown a lot in the last year, but I still had a lot of room for growth. I grabbed the mouse from her and clicked the video again.

Sighing, she stood up, inching her way between Taehyung and I. "I'll just…give you a moment," she murmured, walking away from the table.

Biting my nails as I watched the clip again and again, I wondered what it all meant. Lisa seemed to be very comfortable with a person that I didn't know. A person that I was sure I'd never heard her mention in all of her phone conversations. Just as I was rewinding the moment where Lisa leans into her for about the twentieth time, the laptop was snapped shut in my face.

Blinking, I looked up at Taehyung. Still standing behind me, he crossed his arms over his chest. "You're going to give yourself an ulcer, worrying about something that you have no proof to support." He raised his eyebrows. "Trust me…I know."

I flushed and started to look away but Taehyung quickly added, "And besides, you promised me dinner, and I'm starving." Peeking up at him, I managed to smile a little. Seeing my mood lift, he shook his head. "Do you think you could get me one of those world-famous burgers that you guys have?"

Biting my lip, I glanced at the closed laptop. I wanted to watch it again, but Taehyung was right, I had no proof that Lisa was doing anything wrong. I couldn't do anything but make myself angry as I watched a brief moment that I was probably taking out of context…hopefully. I'd have to wait and ask Lisa later, and I'd have to ask her in a way that didn't make it obvious that I wasn't flat-out asking her if she was sleeping with her. I'd have to bring it up subtly…and subtleness wasn't my strong point.

Letting the video go for now, I stood and placed my hand on his shoulder. "Of course." I sighed. "I'm sorry it took so long.

Taehyung glanced down at the computer on the table. "Not a problem, Jennie…I understand," he whispered.

I'd like to say that I let the video go after that moment. I'd like to say it, but it wouldn't be true. I snagged the laptop from Rachel, telling her that I'd give it back tomorrow. Taehyung shook his head at me as he ate his dinner, but he gave me a sympathetic smile too, like he understood. He told me he'd call me tomorrow and see how I was doing. I marveled that he was still my caretaker, even after everything. Even after being physically separated from me for a year. Giving him a swift hug, a hug that made a swirl of whispers flash around the bar, I told him to tell Abby hi for me. The smile on his face was the largest I'd seen all night and I noticed him pulling his phone out of his pocket as he headed out to the parking lot. I figured he was going to call her right then and there.

After my shift, I went home and watched every clip available on the band's website. While I enjoyed seeing Lisa in action again, I also saw that woman two more times. From what I could make out by the background, all three videos that had glimpses of her were shot in three different locations, like she really was following them around as they'd headed from town to town.

It burned my blood and I couldn't sleep that night. I watched the videos over and over, cell phone in hand, barely stopping myself from calling and demanding an answer. My sister plodded into my room near dawn, crashing into the bed with me. Like Taehyung, she slammed shut the laptop, letting out an annoyed grunt.

I sighed, leaning back on the pillows, my hand tight around my phone. "What are you doing up?" I muttered.

Removing the computer from my lap, she laid her head there and glared up at me. "I could practically hear you fuming through the walls. What's going on?"

I shook my head. "Nothing." It had to be nothing…she'd promised.

Seeing my face, she sat up. "No it's not…what happened?" She glanced over to the computer, picking it up and opening it. "Something in here?" she asked, her silky locks falling over her shoulder.

I bit my lip and nodded, then shook my head. "Just a girl that keeps popping up in some fan footage of the band." I sighed as Jisoo navigated to the page I'd been staring at all night. "I just…don't know what it means."

When Jisoo looked up at me with furrowed brows, I sighed and showed her which video to play. She silently watched the video, then looked up at me and shook her head. "I don't know, Jennie." Glancing at the cell in my hand, she shrugged. "Why don't you just call and ask?"

A wistful sound escaped me as I stared at my phone. "I wish I could…but I don't want to be that girl." Sitting up, I locked my arms around my legs. "Plus, what would I say? I saw you touch a girl in a video…care to explain?"

Looking down I shook my head and remembered Taehyung's words. "I have no proof that she's cheating, just a short glimpse of…familiarity…with a girl that I don't know. That's not enough to start cornering her with questions." I peeked back up at her and smiled sadly. "I don't want to be the jealous girl back home who can't handle the fame of her guy. That's how couple's like us break apart."

Sighing herself, she reached up to tuck some hair behind my ear. "Yeah, I suppose." Brightening, her face way too attractive for the insane hour, she exclaimed, "I could ask Jackson? I'm sure he knows who that girl is." She frowned right after she said it, like if Jackson knew her, then he knew her intimately.

Biting my lip, I shook my head. "No, any answers need to come from her. I can't be the girl who uses her friends to spy on her, either." Closing my eyes, I pushed the computer away from the both of us. "No…I need to let this go. I need to trust her." I opened my eyes and shrugged. "That's the only way we're going to work, if we start trusting each other…and it's probably nothing anyway."

She nodded, agreeing with me. "Yeah, I'm sure. She's way too crazy in love to do anything as stupid as cheat on you."

I nodded, smiling softly. As Jisoo gave me a hug, a stray thought entered my brain and I asked Jisoo about it on a whim. "Hey, what's Jackson's cell number?"

Her eyes got wider as she stared at me, the perfectly emerald shade more than a little surprised that I'd want to know that; Jackson and I didn't exactly talk. I generally avoided any conversation with him. I just couldn't get that weird text out of my head, not with this new information exposed to me.

"I just…I need…Lisa got this…" I sighed. "What's his number?"

She rattled it off instantly and I sighed and closed my eyes. The number that had been on Lisa's phone was burned into my brain…and the number Jisoo had just given me wasn't it. The text hadn't been from Jackson. Lisa had lied.

When I finally passed out from exhaustion, I had a dream. Well, nightmare really. In it, I kept running into women wearing matching promise rings. Then I kept finding notes tucked all over her house that were addressed to other girls. I think I even dreamt that she proposed to the Halle Berry lookalike on National TV. My dream version of Taehyung was there, giving me sympathetic, supportive glances, like he knew my pain. It only made me feel worse. When I startled awake, I felt like I hadn't slept at all.

Irritated at myself, I knew I was overacting. One plus one didn't always equal two.

Forcing myself to shower and get ready for the day, I was instantly grateful that my class was this afternoon; I'd have slept right through it if I'd had a morning one. Leaving my hair damp and dripping, I shuffled out to the living room, where I could hear Jisoo watching cartoons while she slurped down a bowl of cereal.

Pushing all doubt out of my brain, I sat beside her, laying my wet head on her shoulder. She glanced over at me in-between spoonfuls, then nonchalantly said, "Do you remember when I came home and you and Lisa were seriously making out on the couch?"

I straightened, staring at her with wide eyes. "Yeah…" How could I forget, I'd been mortified.

It had been back when we weren't having sex yet, but we were definitely pushing the envelope. She'd been shirtless, jeans unbuttoned. I'd had a light tank top on but she'd scrunched it all the way up my stomach. The memory of her lips on my belly assaulted me as I rewound back to that night.

Her hands on my hips, pulling at the fabric of my light shorts, like she'd wanted to tear them off. My fingers tangling in her hair, as I yanked her mouth back to mine. The moans I made as her lean body pressed against every square inch of me. Our breaths fast as we both considered how far to take the moment. We'd been going slow, together for more than two months, but we'd still held back, wanting it to be perfect. And holding back with Lisa was hard.

As was her body, as she rhythmically pressed her hips into mine. I remembered momentarily losing control, and grabbing her hand. I'd just needed her to touch me again. I'd led her fingers up my thigh, wanting her to feel the swollen ache that I had for her, wanting her to know that I needed her. It was the first time she'd touched me down there since the affair.

Understanding my directive, her hand had quickly darted under my clothing. When her thumb circled over my wet flesh, we'd both sucked in quick breaths, groaning. I can still clearly remember her dropping her head to my shoulder and huskily telling me that she'd missed feeling this…that she'd missed me.

Knowing just the right amount of pressure to use, knowing just the perfect pattern to follow, she'd had me on the brink of releasing in just a few seconds. Wanting to please her, too, I'd ducked my hand into her open jeans.

And, of course, that had been when my sister had unexpectedly come home. It had been as close to being caught in the act that I'd ever been. It was also the last time Lisa and I ever took things that far in a public room.

Blushing horribly, I averted my eyes to the TV. Jisoo laughed huskily, slurping another bite of sugary green circles. "God, that was pretty hot. I did feel really bad for ruining your climax though." I glared at her and she laughed again. "Remember? I told you I'd duck into my room for a few minutes if you wanted to finish."

As she laughed again, I blushed even more. When I'd finally noticed that she was home, I'd scrambled to get Lisa disentangled from me and redressed. She'd chuckled, not bothered in the slightest, and had wanted to take Jisoo up on her outlandish offer. I'd made her go for a walk with me. Anything to douse the fire in my lower body.

Dropping my head into my hands, I shook it. "Why are you bringing that up?" I glared at her again. "Just to humiliate me?"

She twisted her lips, then tilted her head. "No." Dropping her spoon into her bowl, she leaned back on the ugly couch where the intimate moment had happed. "Do you remember what Lisa said?"

I bunched my brows, trying to remember anything aside of embarrassment. Seeing that I didn't, Jisoo smiled. "She said, don't worry about it, Jennie. When we're old and gray, you'll look back at this moment and laugh. We'll tell our grandkids about it…and completely gross them out."

I looked down, finally remembering her saying that. Jisoo grabbed my chin, making me look back at her. My eyes felt misty when I did. "I brought it up to remind you that Lisa is thinking long term with you. You're not just a girl she's seeing. You're THE girl. You're it for her. I see it in her eyes when she looks at you." She sighed, wistfully. "She's completely, madly, deeply in love with you, and she wants a lifetime with you…so stop stressing."

Exhaling slowly, I felt a weight lifting from me. She was right. I was fearing the fear…everything was okay. Nodding at her, I considered calling Lisa, just to tell her I loved her, when the front door was knocked on.

Jisoo ruffled my hair and went back to her cartoons while I got up to see who was here.

Opening the door and seeing Taehyung's warm smile behind it surprised me almost as much as bumping into him yesterday. It was one thing to hang out for a little while last night, it was another for him to just drop by. I guess he'd missed the friendship just as much as I had.

"Hey, Jennie. I was going to call, but I thought I'd stop by instead since I was in the area. You doing alright?" He tilted his head as his dark eyes searched my face.

Feeling better after talking to Jisoo, I shook my head and laughed a little. "Yeah, I'm fine. I overreacted last night." I flung my hand towards where the offending laptop lay in my bedroom; I was definitely returning it today. "I flipped out over nothing."

He nodded and smiled and I put my hand on his arm. "Thank you, for…being a friend. I can't think of too many guys who would have been as…supportive in the situation."

He looked down at my hand on his arm then shrugged. "You and I have been through a lot, Jennie, and most of it was good." His eyes flashed back up to mine. "I don't want to see you in pain. I don't have a…vendetta against you." In a whisper that I almost didn't hear, he added, "You're my best friend, still, and I'd do anything for you, Jennie."

I swallowed, hating and loving the sentence he'd just said. Knowing I shouldn't, I reached up and gave him as friendly and platonic a hug as I could. He held me back, equally platonic, with a huge gap between our bodies. "You're my best friend, too, Taehyung. I know it may not seem like it sometimes…but you are."

Just as I was thinking that maybe that had been our problem all along, that we'd been more friends than lovers, an explicative sounded from the couch.

Taehyung and I released each other and twisted to look back at Jisoo. Her mouth was wide open as she stared at Taehyung in our doorway. With everything that had happened, I'd forgotten to tell her that he was back in town. She was looking at him like he'd magically materialized into the room.

I stood aside and motioned for him to come in while she sputtered, "Taehyung? What the hell? Did I wake up three years ago?" She looked over to the window with a view of Lake Union. "God, we're not back home in Ohio are we?" Her brow bunched into a perfectly adorable pout. "Because I cannot go through living with Mom and Dad again, Jennie."

Taehyung chuckled at her while I rolled my eyes. "No, Jisoo, you didn't time travel in your sleep. Taehyung's back in town for work."

She narrowed her eyes at him, eyeing him both suspiciously and a little unhappily. Taehyung wasn't really Jisoo's favorite person anymore, not since he'd beaten Lisa to a pulp and rattled my melon. I don't think she'd ever forgive him for kicking me. It really wasn't his fault, I was the one that had stupidly used my body as a shield, and Taehyung hadn't exactly been in his right mind. But Jisoo couldn't get past the fact that he'd hurt people she cared about…even if we had sort of asked for it.

"Hey, Taehyung…long time, no see." She said it with a very slight edge, like she'd preferred the "no see" part.

Taehyung looked away, guilt flooding his face. He knew how Jisoo felt about him. She'd bluntly pulled him aside and told him. My sister wasn't one to mince words. If she had a problem with you, you'd know it. "Hi, Jisoo."

Not liking the tension building, I twisted to Taehyung. "So, shouldn't you be at work or something?" I glanced at the button-up shirt he had on, the coordinating slacks. He looked like he'd just stepped away from a GQ photo shoot.

"I'm on lunch break." Hands causally tucked in his slacks, he nodded his head at the door. "Care to join me?"

Seeing that I had just enough time to squeeze in lunch before class, I nodded and grabbed my bag off the table. Jisoo frowned at me, but didn't say anything in front of Taehyung. I mentally reminded myself to ask her to not say anything about this to Jackson. I wasn't sure how often they communicated, but I didn't need that particular D-Bag mouthing off to Lisa about Taehyung. I would tell Lisa, when the time was right, and in a way that wouldn't be hurtful to her. I was sure Jackson wouldn't be so tactful.

Thinking of Jackson reminded me of Lisa's odd text, a text that she'd said was from him, but I pushed the thought away as Taehyung led me to his company car. Lisa may have fibbed, or maybe not. Maybe Jackson had gotten a new number that Jisoo didn't know about, or maybe he was sending gross pictures from Lucas's phone. That seemed plausible.

Just as I was feeling better about the strange text, Taehyung stopped us in front of his sleek, two-door sports car. It looked like one of those cars that they always show doing 360s in the commercials, like real people drove that way.

I let out a low whistle as Taehyung popped the passenger's side open. "Now I see why you don't need your Honda back," I muttered, sliding in to the creamy, leather seats.

Taehyung softly laughed as he got into his side. "Yeah, it's not bad." He started it, revving the engine. Giving me a crooked grin, he shrugged. "There are some perks to being in charge."

I laughed at his expression as he drove us along the roller coaster steep hills, happy that he was thriving too. At least I hadn't damaged the men in my life so badly that they'd never recover from it.

My bag rang as we headed out to a café that Taehyung liked when he'd been here before. I reached in and grabbed it, wondering if it was Jisoo, about to give me a mouthful for heading out with Taehyung. I stared at the screen and hesitated, just for a second. Taehyung eyed me curiously as I answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, gorgeous…guess where I woke up today?"

I smiled as Lisa's sultry voice met my ear. "I have no idea." And I really didn't, I'd lost track of her exact location ages ago.

Lisa chuckled and I glanced over at Taehyung, his eyes back to the road. It gave me a weird sort of guilt to be back in a situation that was eerily similar to last year. Different though, since Taehyung and I weren't doing anything inappropriate.

"Kansas…know what's in Kansas?"

I leaned back in my seat and shook my head. "No."

"Nothing," she dryly said. "Miles and miles of nothing." I laughed at her answer and she sighed. "God, I've missed your laugh. It's just not the same over the phone, you know."

Closing my eyes, I twirled a lock of hair around my finger, imagining that it was hers. "I know…I've missed you, too." I heard Taehyung shift beside me, but I kept my eyes closed, biting my lip as a little more guilt flooded me.

Just as I was thinking of ways to tell Lisa that Taehyung was back, Lisa asked, "So, what have you been up to lately?"

I opened my eyes and tensed, wondering if someone had told her already. "Uh…just work and school. Did I tell you I started my new quarter last month? I have a poetry class now."

I rolled my eyes, hating that I'd chosen the most trivial fact to tell her. By her reaction, though, you'd have thought I'd just told her I'd won the lottery. "Really? I like poetry…it's a lot like lyric writing. Less cursing though."

She chuckled again and I relaxed. If she knew about Taehyung, she probably wouldn't be joking. I glanced over at Taehyung studiously studying his driving, maybe uncomfortable, maybe just giving me privacy, I wasn't sure. As I watched him, Lisa added, "So what are you up to today?"

I flushed, not wanting to lie, but not ready to tell her. "Nothing really…"

She sighed softly. "Well, I've just got endless driving in front of me…please tell me your life is more interesting than that. One of us needs a good story to tell."

I smiled, knowing her current life was much more interesting than most people would ever experience, even if it did involve endless driving. Biting my lip, I studied Taehyung again. "Well…I'm on my way to have lunch with a friend."

Taehyung looked over at me, raising a dark eyebrow and frowning slightly. I knew he wanted me to expand on that to Lisa, but I couldn't yet, not over the phone. I felt like this conversation needed to be done in person.

Lisa brightly said, "Good, it's good that you're getting out, having a life."

I looked straight ahead and twisted my lips. "Of course I still have a life. Do you think my world revolves around you?"

I said it in an obviously teasing way, but Lisa paused a moment before answering. "No, no I don't think that at all." her voice was quiet, introspective, and I again wondered if she knew something. Maybe I should tell her over the phone anyway…

"You alright?" I asked quietly.

She inhaled a deep breath, taking a very long time before answering. "Yeah, I'm fine." There was so much in her voice that she wasn't saying. Even though Lisa was good at it, I knew she was lying to me.

"Lisa…is there something you want to tell me?" My heart started pounding, the ice in my stomach so painful I nearly doubled over. That woman's face flashed in my mind, the look on her as she'd leaned in to whisper in Kisa's ear. The mysterious text number rang through my brain on a never-ending loop…

She sniffed and took another long moment. "It's nothing, Jennie…just the stress of the road. I'm sure you can imagine what life on a bus with Jackson is like." She chuckled, her voice back to light and happiness, and I didn't believe a word of it.

I bit my lip as I stared at Taehyung, now giving me concerned glances. Lisa was holding back from me, that much I could tell. I didn't know what or why, but I couldn't open up to her about Taehyung now. I just couldn't. "Okay, well…if something was going on, you know that you could tell me…right?"

She sighed softly. "Yeah, I know…" Her voice trailed off, then brightened. "But really, nothing is up, aside from the fact that I miss you like crazy."

A sad smile touched my lips. "Yeah, me too." As we pulled into the parking area of the café, I sighed. "Hey, I'm here at the restaurant…I need to go. I'll call you later?"

"Yeah, okay." With a humorless chuckle she added, "I'll be here, on the road through nowhere, wishing Jackson didn't need to let The Hulk breathe quite so often."

I laughed, the release of it easing the knot in my belly. "I love you, Lisa."

"I love you too, Jennie." She said it immediately, with no hesitation or trace of deceit. If anything else, she at least honestly meant it when she said it.

I hung up the phone as Taehyung shut off the car. Twisting to me, he shook his head. "You didn't tell her I was here." It was a statement, not a question.

I sighed, fingering the cool contraption in my palm. "Not yet, it didn't feel right yet." I peeked up at him. "I will…soon. I promise."

He shook his head again but didn't comment any further. Just as he cracked open his door, his cell phone rang. He glanced back at me, a small smile on his lips. "Well, aren't we popular?" I smiled at his comment and watched as he checked the screen. The small smile on his face grew about a million times brighter. He looked up at me real quick. "It's Abby, I need to take this."

I nodded as he answered, "Hey, babe." Pushing open his door, he stepped out to the parking lot. Before closing his door, I heard him say, "No, you caught me heading out to lunch with Jennie…"

He shut the door and I didn't hear any more than that, but it marveled me a little that he'd confessed so openly to her that he was with me. I guess they didn't have the same trust issues that Lisa and I had. I guess that's what you get when your relationship starts by betraying someone—a never-ending well of doubt. If we could do it to someone, it could be done to us.

Giving Taehyung a private moment to catch up with his faraway girlfriend, I ran my fingers back through my mostly dry hair and stared at my phone. I wanted an explanation to magically appear on it, but it didn't. Sighing, I typed a message into it and pressed send.

I watched Taehyung through the window while I waited for a reply. He was leaning against the hood of the car, laughing at whatever conversation he and Abby were having. He seemed genuinely happy, his eyes practically glowing as he spoke to her. I wondered if he'd looked like that when he'd talked to me so long ago. I wondered if he'd tenderly made love to Abby before he'd left her. I was pretty sure he had…and it had probably been a lot more romantic than getting sloshed and having sex in a bathroom at a party.

As I watched Taehyung run a hand back through his hair in warm, familiar way, my phone buzzed in my hand. Pressing the screen, I read the message from Lisa. 'I love you too…more than anything. I can't wait to see you again…soon, hopefully.'

I repeated the sentiment, then opened my door to join Taehyung, since his conversation looked about over. Sighing peacefully, he nodded over to the café doors. "Sorry about that, she was getting ready for work and I didn't want to miss her." Looking down, he kicked at a rock as we walked along. "I make sure to talk to her as often as I can…"

He looked up at me from the corner of his eyes and a flash of guilt ran through me. I was the reason he kept in constant contact. My cheating spree with Lisa had started while he'd been gone. The experience had made him all the more attentive to his current girl. I guess something good had come out of the whole mess after all.

Not commenting, I only nodded as we made our way inside. Sitting down, I tried to keep the light smile on my face. "So, Abby…what's she like?"

He looked at me blankly before picking up a menu. "You don't really want to talk about this, do you?"

Watching him absentmindedly flip through the pages, I nodded. "Yes, I do actually." When he looked up at me, I shrugged. "We're friends, remember, and that means sharing our lives. She's obviously an important part." I shrugged with one shoulder. "I saw your face while you were talking to her…"

Sighing, he looked over my shoulder. A reminiscent smile on his face, he shrugged. "She's…she's great. She's warm and sweet…loving."

He looked at the table, a small flush coloring his cheeks. I felt the same mild embarrassment, but I did my best to ignore it. We should be able to talk about the people who were important to us. His fingers flicking over the menu pages, he exhaled softly. "I was really…broken when I got home. She helped me through it, made me smile again."

His warm brown eyes looked up at me and I clenched my stomach, willing my eyes not to water. I'd done that. I'd broken him. Smiling softly, he shook his head. "I think I love her, Jennie…really love her. I think she's the one," he whispered.

Then my eyes did water and I couldn't possibly stop the reaction. I nodded as I swiped my fingers under my eyes. "Good, I'm glad, Taehyung."

And I was happy…and devastatingly sad too. It was hard, watching someone you had once loved, loving someone else, and loving them more than they'd loved you. But, really, that's exactly what I'd done to Taehyung with Lisa.

Taehyung's hand stretched across the table to rest on my arm. "I'm sorry if that hurts you. I just wanted to be honest with you." He stressed the word honest.

As I considered all of the multiple things that I hadn't been honest about in my life, Taehyung tilted his head and asked, "What about you and Lisa? Are you guys really okay?" His hand on my arm squeezed it. "Are you happy, Jennie?"

Shaking my head, knowing I was worrying about things with Lisa before their time, I smiled as effortlessly as I could. "Yeah, I am." I nodded, remembering all of the good times Lisa and I had shared. "I mean, being with her has its challenges…but…we're good."

I absently stroked the ring on my finger and Taehyung's eyes locked onto it. The dark depths glossier when he met my eye again, he smiled effortlessly too. "Good, I'm glad, Jennie…I really am."