JENNIE

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I move to London.

Get settled into our new place.

Get settled into my new job.

Then Lisa sends me a copy of the divorce decree. We are officially divorced.

I fold it into a million little pieces, a pathetic attempt at origami, and shove it into a drawer.

Since I left Atlanta, she's been posting more on Instagram. I like to think it's for me and not Yeri. It's no longer just photos of #pilotlife. She shares photos of her family, especially her adorable niece. Photos of her tiny house, which is adorable in its own right. Last week she was in France, and she posted a photo of Amiens Cathedral—a gothic cathedral.

The week before that, she posted a Halloween photo of her dressed as Iron Man. When she's not posting about her life, she's liking and commenting on mine. In some ways, I feel closer to her now than I did when we lived together—when we were married. But I know … I know one day I'm going to see her post a selfie with a woman who is not her mom, her sister-in-law, or her niece, and it's going to break my heart again. I think hearts are the one thing in life that work better broken. All those cracks and holes let the love inside. Love is fluid, filling every space, moving with time, a solvent for all other emotions. Until it breaks, I'm not sure we really feel true love.

A week before Thanksgiving, Lisa texts me that she'll be in London tomorrow, but just for the day.

Jen: I don't think I'll be wrapped up until four. Would love to see you though.

Lisa: Let's grab an early dinner.

Jen: Okay. I'll let you know when I'm done.

She replies with a thumbs-up emoji.

Jisoo and I spend the day in Oxford at a photoshoot for the magazine.

By the time we get back to London, it's a little after four-thirty.

"Dinner with Lisa isn't going to make you relapse, is it?" Jisoo asks, stopping in front of my place.

"She's my friend, not a drug." I laugh, opening the door.

She rolls her eyes. "Just great. You're already lying to yourself."

"It's a simple dinner. I've never been at a better place in my life. And I think she'd say the same thing. Be proud of me. Bye, babe." I blow her a kiss and shut the door, quickly sending off a text to Lisa as I climb the stairs to my flat.

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An hour later, I arrive at the restaurant she chose. After a quick glance around, I take a seat at the bar and order a drink. The bartender pours my glass of wine while I text Lisa.

Jen: You almost here?

Lisa: I'm here. Just watching you.

I swivel on the barstool, unable to hide my grin as I scan the restaurant again. It's crowded, and I can't see her.

Jen: Stop. Lol. Where are you?

Lisa: I've missed you.

I look like a fool laughing to myself as I search in every direction.

Jen: Then stop hiding.

Lisa: Before Rosé died, she said, "Jen is a good soul. A survivor. A giver. A nurturer. Any guy would be lucky to have her."

She's drunk. That's the only explanation. I call her.

"You look stunning tonight," she says.

Holding my phone to my ear with one hand and my wine glass in my other hand, I start to navigate the restaurant. "How much have you had to drink?"

"Too bad your shirt is on inside out."

I glance down at my blouse. I'm not sure why because there's no way to put a button-down on inside out and actually button it. "Ha. Ha. What are you doing? Seriously, how much have you had to drink?"

"Did you know you don't actually have to be British to work for a British airliner?"

My nose wrinkles. "What are you talking about?"

"Since you have no family, I went to Rosé's grave and got permission."

"So drunk, Captain Manoban. You are so drunk with your gibberish. Where are you?" As I continue to weave my way through the restaurant, patrons begin to stare. I'm sure they're wondering what I'm doing. Until … they stop.

Stop eating.

Stop talking.

Stop moving, like someone pressed pause on all life.

Silence.

So I stop because something is wrong.

"Lisa," I whisper, feeling uneasy. "Where are you?"

"I'm here," she says, but her voice isn't coming from my phone, it's coming from behind me. I quickly turn, so freaked out by what's happening around me.

"One knee?" she asks.

I can't breathe when I see her, when I see Jisoo ten feet away with her camera held to her face, barely hiding her huge grin and the tears on her cheeks.

"I think your next proposal was supposed to involve one knee. Correct?" She gets on one knee and pulls a ring from the pocket of her best suit—cranberry tie. "Jennie …"

Jyen-ney

"You should get the lamb tonight. I hear it's phenomenal," she says as if she can help ward off my tears.

A nervous laugh rattles my chest, eyes burning with indescribable emotion. Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I nod and try to hold back the inevitable. "Your mom should have told you to get a haircut before you came here."

Her grin swells as she nods. "I'll get a haircut."

"I'll order the lamb," I whisper.

"But the real question is … will you marry me? Because it's all I think about … all day … every day. I dream of a long engagement. Getting measured for the perfect tux with a tie in some shade of pink. I dream of gothic cathedrals and private islands. I try not to imagine you in a white wedding dress because just the thought takes my breath away—but not as much as imagining you having my babies." She places her free hand over her heart. "Can you just imagine? Can you imagine traveling the world together? Making love on grassy hilltops? Picking out Christmas trees? Hiding chocolate eggs for our kids?"

She lets all the just imagines linger in the air around us as I spell out my answer in tears.

"I love you," she says. "I love you as much as one human can possibly love another human. I have never loved anyone more than I love you. So just … marry me, Jennie."

"Lisa," I glance around the restaurant. She planned this. I don't know how she did it, but she has exceeded my dreams times a million. "We just got …" I lower my voice. "Divorced."

"Is that a yes or a no?"

"Lalisa …" I shake my head, wiping my cheeks. This is insane.

She gets up and cups my face, kissing my tears, whispering over my cheek so that only I can hear her, "Be my wife, Jen …"

With a shaky lower lip and several tiny nods, I whisper back, "Yes. I'll be your wife … again."

She grins just as she kisses me.

Just as the restaurant erupts into applause and whistling.

Just as Jisoo snaps a slew of shots of this moment to capture the exact one where I hand Lisa the rest of my heart.

At this moment, I hear Chaeng so clearly. "You are courageous. You found your soulmate. Humans are interchangeable puzzle pieces. We fit into more than one space. You fit with Lisa. I always knew you would. Be happy, my dear friend."

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