THE HAPPIEST GIRL | JENLISA

Chapter 51

Jennie

I run my hands over the front of my lavender dress, checking my appearance in the mirror one last time. Grabbing one more bobby pin, I stick it in my hair to make sure my loose bun stays in place, and I pull out a few tendrils of hair to frame my face. Satisfied with my appearance, I walk out of the bathroom and into the hotel suite.

Peeking into the bedroom, I find Lisa standing in front of a full length mirror struggling to get her tie on, eyes squinted in concentration and tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth. I lean against the doorframe, deciding to let her adorably struggle for a few more minutes. When she has the tie in complete knots, I can't help but giggle, catching her attention.

"Help me." she whines, a pout forming on her face.

"I think I still remember how to do this." I say, pushing myself off the doorframe to stand in front of her. Taking the tie in my hands, I recall the last time I did this for her during the fashion show she attended months ago. After a couple of tries, I finally manage to get the tie securely around her neck, flattening it against her chest.

"Thanks." she softly smiles, grabbing her black suit jacket off the back of a nearby chair and shrugging it on.

"You look beautiful by the way."

"Thank you." A small blush makes its way onto my checks.

"Ready to go?" she asks, grabbing our winter coats.

"Ready."

After layering up, we go outside to brace the bitter cold, early December Maine air. There's a thin layer of snow on the ground and a few flakes swirling around in the wind. Lisa sticks out her elbow and I loop my arm with hers, the both of us huddling together for warmth on the short walk to the venue. Jessi's wedding is two blocks down the street from our hotel, so we decide to just walk there.

When we get to the wedding venue, we shed our winter apparel at the door, and Lisa grabs my hand to claim seats towards the back on the bride's side. The venue is beautiful and elegant all decorated in white, gold, and blush tones. It screams Jessi.

While the venue has the heat on, there's a slight draft that flows in whenever the front door opens, causing goose bumps to rise on my skin.

"Cold?" Lisa asks, already shrugging off her suit jacket and handing it to me.

Normally, I wouldn't take her jacket from her, but I'm so cold that I don't think twice about taking it since the straps on my dress are so thin, providing zero warmth. I slip on the jacket, the material engulfing me and shielding out some of the cold.

"Wow, you really are freezing." Lisa lightly chuckles while taking my small, cold hands in her large ones. Her hands are by no means warm from walking around in the cold, but they hold a little more heat than mine, so I'm grateful when she holds them for a while.

"Damn, it's cold out there." Hyun-suk says, walking to our row and straightening out his suit jacket.

"What are you doing here?" Lisa asks, brows pulling together in confusion while I'm sure mine are raised in shock.

"I decided to come after all." He casually shrugs. "Is this seat taken?" he asks, pointing to the empty chair next to mine, and I numbly shake my head, instinctively shifting a little closer to Lisa. Hyun-suk never acted like he was coming to Jessi's wedding. When she gave him an invitation, he seemed to just brush it off, uninterested. Jessi was happy about it because she didn't want him to come in the first place, but she had to invite him because he's her boss.

Sitting down next to me, I can feel Hyun-suk's eyes staring at Lisa's hands that are still holding mine. Gently, I pull my hands from her grasp and shrug off her jacket, the ceremony is starting soon anyway. Feeling Hyun-suk's eyes still burning on me, I keep my gaze straight, looking at the altar. I keep my hands in my lap, trying my best to not anxiously fidget my fingers, especially when Lisa drapes her arm around the back of my chair, slightly pulling me into her side to keep me warm. I don't have to look at Hyun-suk's face to know that he's not happy.