Apartment 34 // Jenlisa

Chapter 21

"Do you have everything? Passport? Ticket? Water? Something to read?"

Jennie scans her best friend with her gaze and then moves to fix the scarf around Jisoo's neck, so it's perfectly centered.
Lisa's hands find their way around Jennie's waist as she slowly pulls her girlfriend back a little bit – Jisoo's laugh audible to their ears.

"Yes Mom. For the tenth time: I'm all set. I even packed the sandwich you made me and no I won't eat it because it looks like it's already been eaten once before."

"Hey!", Jennie cries as she leans back into Lisa – sending Jisoo a death glare. "Stop being so mean. At least someone here is looking out for you and your stomach."

"More like someone here wants to kill me and my stomach.", Jisoo snorts and sidesteps the smaller Korean's foot who's trying to kick her.
Meanwhile, Lisa pulls something out of her back pocket and hands it to Jisoo swiftly – failing miserably at the attempt for Jennie not to realize what she's doing when the oldest one squeals, and her eyes light up.

"Oh my God. Thanks Mom number two. That's much better."
She puts away the ten Dollar bill, but not without waving it in front of her best friends face first.

"Lisa-ya!", Jennie scolds and turns around to give the Thai girl a pointed look. "Way to undermine my attempt to get her to eat healthier."

Lisa shrugs and raises an eyebrow at the girl in front of her. "Please, like one meal is going to change her eating habits."

"At least it's a start."

"She's old enough to decide on her own."

"Okaaay...Enough.", Jisoo interrupts – one hand flying up as she puts it on her forehead. "You guys are like an old married couple. It's giving me a headache."

She doesn't suppress the grin that creeps on her face as she watches her two friends blush simultaneously. It's only a second later that Jennie rolls her eyes, like she often does when Jisoo calls her out.

"Just eat the damn sandwich, Chu.", she mumbles – her face getting softer again when Jisoo nods and sends her an apologetic smile.

"I'm going to miss you, stupid." The older Korean's voice is mellow and it's a very clear sign of her candor.
She takes a step forward and wraps her arms around her best friend's tiny body – squeezing her as tight as possible. She's never been a girl of grand gestures – she's more a person of words – but with Jennie it always had been quite different. Since Jennie had been all touchy-feely even when they were little kids, Jisoo had learned that her best friend needed physical contact in certain situations. And farewells were clearly part of it.

"I'll miss you more. Call me as soon as you land, okay? Promise."

"Of course, Jen. I promise.", Jisoo replies and presses a small kiss to the side of her best friends head.
She watches Lisa, who's standing beside them, while she's still hugging Jennie and the soft look on the Thai girls face soothes her to a huge extent. It's never easy to leave behind her best friend – never was and never will be – but now that Jisoo knows Lisa and the way she loves, respects and protects Jennie, she feels oddly calm.

"Take care of her, will you?", Jisoo whispers into the Thai girl's ear nevertheless, once she releases Jennie and moves over to give Lisa a hug too.

"Sure I will. Don't worry, Chu."

They break their embrace and Lisa's by Jennie's side not a blink later – holding her hand and stroking her thumb over the back of it reassuringly. She can feel the tenseness in Jennie's body and she knows that it's not easy for her to let Jisoo leave again this quickly.

"We're going to miss you here. It was nice having you around."

Lisa's words are not much – but they hit something inside Jisoo that almost makes her choke up. She shakes her head tongue-tied and sends the other girls a tight-lipped smile.
She had to tell herself to pull it together because she's not a sentimental human being - but the way Jennie and Lisa both look at her with sad eyes make the resolutions fly out the window faster than expected.

"Funny thing.", she tries to wrap it in a joke, but her shaky voice betrays her. "I'm sad about leaving you guys."

"Aw, Chu.", Lisa coos and Jennie takes a deep breath as she has to withhold going in for another embrace again – already feeling the tears behind her eyelids, but also knowing that they wouldn't help Jisoo in this moment.

"I knew you liked me.", Lisa smiles and somehow, she's able to lighten the tension with that, because Jisoo's quick to reply: "I'm not talking about you. I meant Jen and Chaeng."

Jennie chuckles – her heart full when she watches her girlfriend roll her eyes and her best friend stick out her tongue, the mood shifting into something she's felt a lot these past few days.

"Where is that girl anyway?", Lisa asks and for the first time they all look around the departure-hall where a lot of busy people go about their day.

"I think she went to the bathroom?", Jennie shrugs and then side-eyes Jisoo who seems rather disinterested in Chaeyoung's whereabouts. In fact, she even looks pleased when they can't seem to spot here in any of the crowds.

The voice coming from the speakers above them calls out for Jisoo's flight to Seoul and the oldest girl picks up her huge Dior backpack in a swift move.

"That's my cue.", she says and bites her lower lip – her eyes on her best friend once again.

"Thanks for everything, you guys. And give Chaeng my regards, yeah?"

"Sure.", Lisa retorts and Jennie knows that she's silently hoping for Chaeyoung to turn up right this second – but she doesn't and it's Jennie whose hand moves to ruffle the older Korean's hair one last time.

Jisoo grunts and flips her off – before disappearing into the direction of passport and luggage control – leaving behind two waving friends.

The line for border control is quite long and Jisoo sights when she realizes that she's likely to be late to board the flight today. Maybe she even misses it. It's not like she would be mad at that. It would give her a few more hours in New York and a few more hours with....

"Were you really going to leave without saying goodbye?"

Jisoo jumps when a warm hand suddenly pinches her arm and she has to suck in a lot of air when she's met with soft, light-brown eyes and a blonde mane.

"I... I'm already late...", she stammers a little embarrassed but Chaeyoung is smiling at her nonetheless and is eases her immediately.

"Sorry. I.. I guess I didn't know how to say goodbye to you, so I just..." "Chickened out.", the blonde girl finishes for her – the smile on her face never fading.

"Yeah.", Jisoo answers truthfully and shrugs.

Chaeyoung nods and lowers her gaze before reaching back into the bag that's hanging from her shoulder. With a quick move she pulls something out and holds it out in front of the older Korean.

Jisoo blinks a few times – not really knowing what's happening but feeling her own heartbeat increasing at the sight.

There's a slight blush of red on Chaeyoung's cheeks when she mumbles: "It's so you won't forget me."

Jisoo is reluctant to take the flower from her hands – a chuckle escaping her mouth as she does.

"A rose?"

"Yeah."

The Korean grins and closes her eyes for a moment, before nodding once more.

"Thank you. It's beautiful. But it's not like I could ever forget about you anyway. Just so you know."

Chaeyoung's eyes meet hers and it almost makes Jisoo breathless for a second. And then she's completely out of breath when the blonde steps forward and places a kiss on her lips. It's soft and chaste and short, but it's everything Jisoo could've ever dreamt off and more.

"You better not. Take care, my Chichu."