"I thought you were nipping this thing in the bud."
Jennie took a sip of her green apple martini and eyed her friend over the rim of the glass. Jisoo had taken the train into the city this evening to meet her for drinks at a trendy new lounge near Times Square. It was Jennie's first chance to fill her best friend in on all the details since Lisa's return to LA.
"I tried." Jennie replied.
"And?"
Jennie shrugged and set down her martini glass on top of the bar. "She didn't take no for an answer."
Jisoo rolled her eyes.
"Oh, come on." Jennie protested. "You saw what she tweeted. That playlist? You can't tell me that wasn't the most romantic thing ever."
"Right, so her story is that all those songs on the playlist were about you?"
"They were about me."
Jisoo laughed and took another sip of her pink Cosmopolitan. "Seriously? And you believe that?"
"I swear to God, Jisoo, you are the most cynical person I've ever met."
"You do know that she's dated, like, every actress in Hollywood, right? Not to mention the swimsuit models."
Jennie shook her head. "She's not making it up."
"How do you know that?"
"Because there are things in the songs - in the lyrics - that I recognise. I mean, I've always felt that way. All these years, I always felt like they were about me, but I just thought I was being narcissistic."
Jisoo studied her for a moment before replying. "Recognise, like what?"
"Little girl?"
"Oh, sure," Jisoo replied, raising her martini glass at Jennie in a salute. "You mean her marginally degrading nickname for you."
"It's not degrading," Jennie said, pursing her lips. "I'm petite. It's a term of endearment."
"Uh huh. Whatever gets you off, Jennie."
Jisoo had finished the last of her cocktail and was signalling to the bartender for another round. Jennie felt the slight buzz from the first drink going to her head already, but she allowed her friend to order for her.
"Whatever." Jennie said when the drinks arrived. "That's what she always used to call me when we were together. And it's in songs from all of her albums over the years. Not just the first one."
Jisoo narrowed her eyes and squinted into her martini glass for a moment before replying. "So maybe... and I'm just floating this out here now, you know, just as an alternate interpretation... but just possibly she did not reserve the misogyny for you alone? Maybe there were a few other 'little girls' somewhere along the line?"
"No." Jennie shook her head. "That's what I always thought too, but I know it's not that."
"Oh ok then, if you say so." Jisoo took a long gulp of her cocktail.
"I know, Jisoo. You weren't there."
"No, I was not."
Jennie could feel the scepticism dripping from her friend's words. "You didn't see the way she looked at me." she argued. "The things she said."
"I'm sure she can be very persuasive."
Jennie looked away in annoyance. "You know if anyone's degrading me here, it's you. You're the one who seems to think I'm a total idiot."
Jisoo smiled at her. "I don't think you're an idiot, Jennie. I think you're a smart lady who happens to be infatuated with the wrong person. And that can have a tendency to make very smart people do very stupid things."
If you only knew, Jennie thought to herself. It had only been a couple of days since Lisa proposed, and Jennie had been so close to making the stupidest decision of her life. She'd wanted so badly to say yes. It was right on the tip of her tongue.
She'd relived that afternoon drive at least a thousand times in the three days since it happened. The way Lisa had pulled over into the gas station and gotten out of the car. All those words she'd said - those beautiful words. The way she'd made it seem like they were a couple of 19 year olds again. Like no time had passed, and nothing had changed. Like Jennie could go back in time and have that Lisa again after all. That charming and gorgeous Lisa that she used to love with all her heart. That Lisa that she had left behind and lost forever. It had been so tempting...
