The Red Bow [Chaelisa]

45. A very Merry Christmas

In the previous chapter of The Red Bow:

"What do you have to lose?" Lisa almost pleaded in a naughty voice.

Chaeyoung cups Lisa’s face in both hands and rests their foreheads.

"Everything.” She smiled sadly and kissed her.

It was a kiss of longing, love, commitment and the promise of forever. There was no tongue, just a brush of lips that made sure they belonged to each other.

“I’m afraid of what you might think tomorrow,” the blonde said as she broke the kiss. "I’m afraid you’ll wake up and be afraid to be with me again and I don’t know if…"

"Marry me then." Lisa asked hopefully and Chaeyoung froze.

December 20, 2021. – New York, NY.

Brooklyn’s tiny tiled 17th Century Street was caught in the frigid breeze that heralded the arrival of winter. Despite the silence of the street, in the distance it was still possible to hear children’s songs from Coney Island Park and the hysterical screams – muffled by the wind – of those who challenged the roller coaster. But that night wasn’t about the homeless person sitting under a woolen blanket seeking shelter under a barbershop awning, or the mother across the street carrying her teenage son who was probably on drugs, or about the man who relentlessly yelled at the woman inside the house number 109.

It was all about two women standing on the sidewalk inert in the world they inhabited, searching each other’s eyes for the dwelling they always found when they were together. It was about how the older woman was still processing the order she’d just received with her mouth open.

"What did you say?" The steam that came out of her mouth slapped against Lisa’s cold, dry lips.

The Thai smiled serenely and hugged Chaeyoung’s body gently to protect her from the cold.

"I know it seems rash after everything that’s happened. But, Chaeyoung…“ She sighed, bringing her hands up to cup her lover’s face. "We’ve already waited too long to be together. I love you and you love me, that’s enough for us." She smiled and ran her thumb over the blonde’s full lips. "Just let me put a gold band on your finger, I like the symbolism and if it means we are officially each other's then so be it. We can have a small ceremony, I haven’t…"

"Lisa." Chaeyoung called, resting her index finger on the Thai’s lips. "You’re rambling.” she saw Lisa close her eyes in defeat and applied a long peck. "I do."

And before they knew it, they were once again kissing without caring about the location. Nothing mattered right now, they were engaged. They were together. They were just one.

***

They needed to decide what to do from now on, and it was only fair to go back to Lisa’s apartment and let the others know about tonight’s events, they knew that everyone, especially Somi and Olivia, would be pulling their hair out without any news from them. And then there was Ethan, the innocent boy who had no idea what was going on around him, and again, just thinking about the boy made Chaeyoung’s heart warm like a nice cup of hot chocolate on a blizzard morning. She would finally enter Ethan’s life as his mother, and that night she hadn’t just gotten her Lisa.

She had a family now.

Lisa dropped Chaeyoung off in Central Park and from there the blonde drove through the never-sleeping streets of New York in her car. Halfway through, the blonde decided to check the messages on her cell phone and was not surprised when she found a total of 5 voice messages.