The Red Bow [Chaelisa]

7. Look at the stars

Chaeyoung was focused on her old book by Juilliard’s window while Jennie practiced some notes on the piano, and mumbled audible expletives when she failed. They had just returned from lunch with Jisoo and were waiting for the professor in the rehearsal room, each trapped in their own world. It was another sunny afternoon where students walked from side to side fanning themselves with the leaflets for the third-year dance group’s Tuesday event; winter seemed very distant that day.

The blonde girl was too focused on deciding whether to love or hate the book – for making her cry more times than she was allowed to admit – to notice that the sound of the keys had ceased and that now Jennie was with her arms resting on top of the piano lid watching her closely as an old fortune teller analyzes her future.

“You mean you spent the night with Lisa?” She finally asked, holding on too long to get into the subject, as her curiosity would not allow her another second to wait.

Chaeyoung smiled to herself, convinced that Jennie would not last long in silence when she saw Lisa leave her at Juilliard’s door that morning, even though across the street and with tinted windows, Jennie would know that Dodge anywhere.

“I didn’t spend the night with her,” she explained, closing the book with the bookmark and turning to her friend. “I slept on the bottom of Lisa’s bunk, which is quite different.”

“Oh! Somi was certainly not very happy to see Lisa in her bed.”

“We left before she arrived, anyway.” The younger girl continued walking to the piano and leaning on it. “Lisa brought me to Juilliard and went back to Columbia, end of story.”

Jennie’s smile grew twice when her friend finished counting. Maybe Chaeyoung and Lisa didn’t realize it, but they looked more like a couple of girlfriends than they imagined and it was no longer a secret that Lisa was shamelessly investing in Chaeyoung.

“I can’t believe there wasn’t even a kiss, Chaeyoung.” The older girl complained pouting, which made Chaeyoung roll her eyes and blush. “You look like two dumb cockroaches not knowing what to do.”

“Jennie!” Chaeyoung exclaimed, making a disapproving face at the comment. “Lisa and I are getting to know each other better, I think I might really like her in the future and-“

The girl was cut off when a small boy from the theater department knocked timidly on the door asking for Park Chaeyoung. He held a huge bouquet of red roses and handed it to Chaeyoung, who had her mouth open and almost forgot to thank the boy with the paralysis her body suffered. The blonde girl left the bouquet on the piano and took out the pink card with blue musical notes that was embedded among the roses.

“It would be strange, if I didn’t fall in love with you. – Nando Reis.”

Chaeyoung’s eyes quickly changed to surprise while an intense glow delivered what she had been trying to hide from herself. Brazilian music. And again Lisa had nailed it. She finished reading and put the paper down, letting her eyes rest on the red roses she liked so much, her heart betraying the orders of her reason not to be shaken.

“In the future, uh?” Jennie joked taking the card from the blonde girl’s hands and reading it again. “The feeling involved is more than obvious, Chaeyoung. If you think you can change that … I think it’s too late.”

She was more than sure that she was flushed enough to be noticed across the room by a few students who were beginning to enter into the conversation, carefree and entertained.

“I like her, Jennie.” she confessed low so that only her friend could hear. Jennie spread her arms as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “I just don’t want to jump on someone who may be too shallow for me.” She lowered her eyes, feeling the guilt invade her. “What, I’m pretty sure that’s not the case with Lisa. She makes me feel like a real woman, like my body wakes up for her, you know?”