Jennie
I waited in my room until I was certain that Lisa had left for work before making my way to the kitchen in an effort to grab a muffin and a glass of milk before anyone noticed. Unfortunately, this house was crawling with servants and Nan caught me immediately. I made some excuse about sleeping in, tired from the flight and the time change, and slunk back to my room to be alone.
But being alone had meant a night full of no sleep and thoughts about my spouse that had me questioning my own rules already. I needed to get out of my head and, maybe, out of this house. But first, I needed to call Chahee.
She answered on the second ring.
"Girl, spill." she snapped the second her face popped onto my screen.
"We have been staring at your gorgeous hottie of a spouse for twenty four hours now." Jimin added from nearby and Chahee turned the phone to show an image of Lisa filling the screen of her MacBook.
"I'm here too!" a familiar voice shouted from off-screen and Chahee adjusted the camera so I could see Sungwoon as well. "And not at all threatened by Jimin referring to another person as a gorgeous hottie."
"I'm sorry but you do have eyeballs, yes?" Jimin queried.
"Great, you've called the council together." I groaned from my end and Chahee turned the camera back onto her.
"Sorry babe, but this is some serious shit you're in. We just want to help."
"I know." I told her and I did.
"So... how was night one in the Malibu Barbie dream house?" Jimin gushed, while leaning into the frame.
"It was... unexpected."
"How?"
"I didn't think things would be so... easy. I mean, I was intimidated. I scrolled through news article after news article about the sexy self-made billionaire all the way here and got myself worked up into a panic attack. But then, actually seeing her, and talking to her, I realised that she's still a person, you know? And not just a person but the same person that I married six years ago. I mean, not the same. She's... definitely different. But she's still Lisa. Our friendship is still there. Like it never stopped. Sure, it has some added complications now..."
"Like the sexual tension you can literally cut with a knife?" Jimin asked.
"Yes." I replied with a grimace. "That."
"What are you going to do about that?" Chahee asked.
"I might have... made my stance on that matter uncomfortably clear at dinner last night." I confessed and she raised a brow. I sighed and continued. "I made her agree to some ground rules."
"That's good. Ground rules are good. What are we talking about here?"
"No talking to the agent without informing the other person. No making arrangements for me without my knowledge. She already had everything planned out when I got here. My day was scheduled the moment I stepped off that plane, it was so ridiculous. Also, no dating other people. I don't want to look like a fool, you know. And, err... no sex."
I said the last part quietly, hoping that they wouldn't catch it. But they did.
"What!!?" Jimin exploded. "You said that to that hottie's face on day one? You just looked her dead in the eyes and said 'no sex' just like that? To your spouse?"
I winced. When he said it like that...
"I want to set firm boundaries. I don't want her expectations to differ from mine. This is what's right, Jimin. It's what's fair." I told him.
"I don't disagree." Chahee said carefully. "And generally, I would be all for setting firm boundaries with people but... babe, she's your spouse. Would it... really be so bad to sleep with the person that you've been married to for six years? Especially if you... well, do you want to?"
I blinked at her. Did I want to? Did it matter? Because none of it mattered if she didn't want to. And why would she? It had never been that way between us before. But then, she'd never flirted with me before like she did last night. And I hated to admit it but I'd enjoyed it much more than I should have.
"Uh, okay, I'm going to take this hauntingly long silence as a yes." Jimin interrupted and I sighed, leaning back on my bed with a groan. Why was this happening to me?
"Mrs. Manoban." Nan called suddenly from the hall outside my room. She was still calling me that despite the countless times I'd asked for her to call me Jennie. "Ms. Manoban has left a message for you. Would you like me to read it?"
"Yes!" Jimin exclaimed in an overly-excited manner.
"Um... hold on, Nan." I called back. "Guys, I've got to go."
Without waiting to hear their disappointed pleading, I tapped the end button and stood from my bed. I walked over and swung open my door to a waiting Nan.
"She wishes for you to know that her company is having a launch party tonight. It is an important event, very exclusive, and she wants you to go with her." Nan said. I just blinked at her, processing the information embarrassingly slowly.
"A party," I repeated. "Tonight."
Nan nodded.
"I don't have anything to wear." I told her. Without hesitation, she handed over a black credit card. I stared down at it in awe.
"Ms. Manoban says to get whatever you need." she replied. "Kevin will pick you up at eight this evening." With that, she turned and disappeared down the hall. I stared down at the card in my hands, knowing that I was currently holding the access to more money than I'd ever seen in my entire life, combined. Chahee would have passed out at the thought of an unsupervised and unlimited shopping spree but all I was feeling was anxiety. A party, an important and exclusive party with some of America's richest people. If I were going to be prepared, I had to start now. I was already late.
"Prija!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, hoping that I wouldn't frighten the poor girl. She appeared a second later, with her eyes wide.
"I need your help." I told her, while striding forward and grasping her hands in my own. "Desperately."
Without hesitation, she nodded.
Prija helped me find everything I needed to properly shower and dress. Then I asked her to call Kevin and, when he arrived, begged her to come with me for moral, emotional, and fashion-related support. She seemed surprised but agreed when I plead so much that I embarrassed us both.
