the pizza girl | p.js

10-a visit from mom

Jisung woke up in an unfamiliar room. It wasn't long before he realized where he was and how he got there. He looked next to him to see the girl responsible for his arm being asleep. She was sleeping peacefully compared to what he saw last night. He didn't have the heart to move or wake her even though his arm was begging him to.

Thankfully her alarm went off and she rolled over with her eyes open. She was surprisingly calm despite seeing a 5 foot 11 male in her bed. She smiled at him. "Thank you for staying with me." She said. "Anything for you." (He totally learned that from Mark.) The two get out of the bed and tiptoe into the living room where everyone is still sleeping.

They were grateful for that. Neither of them wanted to deal with the squeals or extreme questioning from anyone who would've seen them walking out of the same room.

Their attempt at being stealthy was proved useless when Chenle instantly woke up. Heeyeon blamed the squeaky door. "Good morning, lovebirds," he said with a smirk. "Did you two sleep well?" He asked widening his sly grin as if he knew something.

"Lele, spill it." Heeyeon demanded. "I got up to use the bathroom but it was occupied, so I went to use yours. I saw Jisung with his arms around you and you were cuddled so cutely into his chest."

"If you must know, yes. I snapped a few pictures. No, I will not delete them." He sassed. "Fine. But if you post them," she faked a smile. "You die." She said dropping her smile. Chenle gulped and nodded his head. Even though Heeyeon was smaller than him, she was still scary.

Heeyeon went into the kitchen to make some toast. Jisung beckoned Chenle over to a corner, out of earshot of the girl in the kitchen. "She had another bad dream. That's why I was in there. She didn't want me to leave, so I didn't."

"She told me about her dad." Chenle was arguably the most protective person over Heeyeon. Her dad was why. Heeyeon and Chenle's moms were also really close as teenagers. So when Chenle's mom heard the news, she was right at her side. That's how Chenle and Heeyeon met. It was until they were older that Chenle finally learned about what happened. He just saw a girl crying and wanted to hug her.

Chenle noticed Jisung's knuckles turning white from clenching his fist so hard. He knew that feeling all too well. "Hey, I know how you feel but there's no use in getting angry about it now. The best thing for you to do is be there for her. From the looks of it, you're doing that pretty well."

"Heeyeon is very important to me. I'm glad you're with her. I'm trusting you, Park." Chenle said patting him on the back. "Don't worry, I'll take care of her."

"I know you will."

~

Everyone went home to celebrate Thanksgiving with their families. Jisung was reluctant to leave because he thought Heeyeon would be all alone but she reassured him that her family was on the way.

A ring on the doorbell made Heeyeon jump up and run to open it. She was greeted by a woman and a girl, who both resembled her. "Mom! Heejin!" She shouted pulling them into suffocating hugs. "I'm so happy to see you guys." She whispers trying not to cry. The hug tightens as they squeeze her back.

Finally breaking away, Ms. Jung takes a look at her daughter, cupping her face. "You've been crying." She frowns. "I'm alright mom, I promise." Heeyeon reassures her, grabbing her hands. "Heejin, I've missed you so much." She says, turning to her younger sister. "I've missed you way more, it's been so boring without you at home. No offense mom." They all giggle at her comment.

Heeyeon helps them get their bags inside and they set the table up for dinner. Heeyeon fills them in on how everything has been going. School, work, and friends. "I'm still a straight-A student, I work at a pizza place, and I've made a few new friends recently."

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Heejin asks, blatantly. Heeyeon nearly choked on her water. "Umm, no but I am dating someone. I really like him." She admits smiling to herself. However, her mother was not smiling. She trusted her daughter but she was not so trusting of the male race. After Heeyeon's father and her ex, Ms. Jung couldn't help but worry.

She didn't want to crush her daughter's spirits either. She saw Heeyeon smile genuinely for the first time in forever. "Just be very careful, Yeonie. I trust you to take care of yourself." She said that last part out loud to remind herself. "Yes ma'am, Chenle acts as my personal bodyguard so you shouldn't worry." She says trying to reassure her mom. It works.

Ms. Jung has always trusted Chenle with Heeyeon and Chenle knows this. That's another reason why he was so protective of her. He didn't want to let her mother down. "So, what's his name? What's he like?" Heejin asks impatiently. She had been dying to learn more ever since Heeyeon announced she was dating someone.

Heeyeon told them all about Jisung and both parties seemed to approve of him. It was quite relieving. She couldn't wait to tell Jisung that he had won the approval of both her sister and mother.

Ms. Jung looked around the apartment. She didn't enjoy the fact that her young daughter was living alone but she was reassured by knowing that she has people looking out for her. She just wished that her job didn't stop her from seeing her more often.

"Has he tried to contact you?" She asked, shifting the light atmosphere to a serious one. "No ma'am." She was pretty sure her mom was referring to her ex, who was the reason she had to move in the first place. But she also had suspicions that she was partially referring to her father. Either way, the answer was still no. At one point, Heeyeon longed for her father back. But that man he had become was not her father.

Part of her is angry at him, but the other part of her feels like he could come back and fix everything. Then, they could go back to the way things used to be and they could go to the playground again and be a happy family. But she knew that was close to impossible. So she chose to be thankful for the family she had. The family she shared blood with and the family she didn't. They weren't perfect but she was happy with them and she wouldn't trade them for anything in the world.

The rest of the night was filled with laughs and reminiscing on old memories. It was a sweet moment that Heeyeon would cherish. She noticed her mom's eye wrinkles when she laughed, Heeyeon and Heejin both inherited them from her. That's also where they both got their signature curly hair from. Their mom had natural curls slightly tighter in texture than the two younger girls.

Heeyeon couldn't help but smile at the sound of her mother's laughter filling the air. It was the sweetest sound she'd ever heard.

~

The next morning, Heejin and Ms. Jung packed their things and left before noon. They had to get back at a decent time and they had a long ride ahead of them. All of them wished to be able to stay together but they unwillingly exchanged their goodbyes and gave each other tight hugs.

Now the apartment was empty again. It had been nice to have some company around for the past two days. Her apartment seemed so big now. Heeyeon sighed as she walked into her room to get ready for work.

This story is becoming quite dark...