Jennie
Chahee and Jimin came from baggage claim waving and shouting my name as if I should be happy to see them. Honestly, I was. But I was determined to be mad at them at least long enough to scold them for their behaviour in not warning me of their visit. Though, in reality, it couldn't have come at a better time. Things had never been so confusing between Lisa and I, and I needed my friends here to help me parse through all the drama. So I pushed off their hugs and crossed my arms.
"You're both crazy inconsiderate." I snapped. Chahee's face fell. Jimin raised a brow. "You didn't even warn me! I had to tell Lisa just an hour ago that your plane was landing and you were staying with us."
"It's not our fault you were on her fancy ass yacht in the middle of the Pacific without cell service." Jimin clapped back. My gaze shot to Chahee.
"Of course you told him." I rolled my eyes, dropping my hands to my side, somewhat deflated.
"Honey, I had to." she assured me. "We were both so worried about you. And then we got drunk and Jimin started to convince me that the 'murder you and throw you overboard' plan might not have actually been a joke so I booked a plane ticket high on post-alcohol paranoia and woke up with a flight notification."
"Besides, you need us." Jimin added. "Less than a week in and you've got yourself stranded in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with a perfect stranger."
"I wouldn't call Lisa a perfect stranger." I argued.
"You wouldn't?" Jimin asked, loudly. I looked around. People were looking at us now. "I would, Jennie!"
"Okay, let's go." I said, lowering my voice so he would get the hint to lower his too. "The limo is waiting and Kevin doesn't have all day..."
"Limo?" Chahee asked, excitedly.
"Kevin?" Jimin echoed.
I just rolled my eyes and smiled, while opening my arms and pulling them both into an embrace.
"Okay, I'll admit it. I've missed you." I said.
"Good. So we're done with the whole you pretending to be mad at us thing?" Chahee asked.
I snorted and nodded before answering, "Yeah. We're done with that."
"Good. That was a rough thirty seconds."
"Darkest thirty seconds of our friendship." Jimin added as I led them out of the airport and to the arrivals lane where Kevin was waiting.
"Um, darker than the time when you drank my kale smoothie?" Chahee questioned. "And then immediately spit it all out in the sink?"
"It was disgusting."
"Maybe you shouldn't take other people's snacks then."
"That wasn't a snack. It was garbage water."
Chahee opened her mouth to retort but I interrupted.
"Guys." I said, gesturing to where Kevin was holding the door open for us. He tipped his hat as I entered and Chahee and Jimin exchanged a can-you-believe-this glance before sliding into the backseat after me.
We rode all the way back to Lisa's mansion while catching up on our time apart. Chahee told me about taking on two more yoga classes a week. Jimin informed me that things with Sungwoon were going well and his job had finally allowed him to start working partially remote. I was just thrilled to see them and hear all about their normal lives again. Living so outside of the bubble of normal for a week now, it was nice to be firmly grounded in reality again. That is, until the limo pulled up in front of Lisa's mansion and my friends' jaws dropped in the same way mine had when I'd first arrived.
"Holy shit!" Chahee spat once we were standing in the driveway in front of it.
"Yeah." I said, walking off toward the door. "That's what I said."
They followed after me as Kevin unloaded their bags. Nan opened the door and Prija came scurrying into the room a moment later. I turned my attention to her as Chahee and Jimin took in the elaborate foyer and elegant rooms just off of it.
"Prija, our guests are here. If you could take their bags to their rooms." I ordered kindly. She smiled and nodded and bounded off to assist Kevin.
"Would your guests like a snack, Mrs. Manoban?" Nan asked with a smile. I shook my head and sent her off.
"That's alright, Nan. We can manage ourselves. Thank you."
"Maids?" Chahee asked, stunned.
"Mrs. Manoban?" Jimin repeated, just as stunned.
"Yeah. It's all... a bit much, I know." I answered.
"Um, I'm moving in." Jimin announced as Prija and Kevin passed us on their way to carrying the separate bags toward the rooms down the hall that I had been staying in when I first arrived. Chahee took a few steps down the foyer, watching down the hall after them.
"That's a long hallway." she remarked. "Is your room down there too? Because I could totally use some late night, sneaking into bed with you to gush about hotties and eat sour patch kids time tonight."
"Um..." I started, blushing. "I don't think Lisa would like that very much."
"Why not?" She asked, with her brow furrowed as she snapped her gaze back to me. "She have something against sour patch kids candy?"
"Um, no. But I imagine she has something against an extra woman in her bed."
"Doubt it." Jimin joked but then realised what I had just said and he and Chahee turned their gazes slowly onto me. "Wait..."
"Are you saying... that you two are... sleeping in the same room?" She asked.
"The same bed?" Jimin added.
I glanced around to see if Nan, Prija, or Kevin were nearby.
"Well, you know. Married couples... sleep together." I told them. "And... sleep together."
I pumped my eyebrows and bit my lip to exaggerate my point but they just stared at me in confusion.
"What?" Chahee asked.
"Spit it out." Jimin demanded at the same time.
"Not here." I said and then pulled them both through the house to the back door.
There was a pool outside that I'd never used and an outdoor seating area that the maids never paid any attention to. It was the only place in the whole mansion to avoid being heard.
"A pool!" Chahee exclaimed as soon as she saw it. "See? I told you to pack your swim suit, Jimin. You're welcome."
"I packed my swim suit because I thought we were going to be swimming out to sea, to pull Jennie's lifeless body to shore, Chahee."
"It's all yours." I waved in the direction of the pool. "Enjoy it. Can we talk about Lisa now?"
"No." Chahee said with the shake of her head, crossing her arms in the way she always did when she meant business. My brow furrowed in confusion as I looked at her. Even Jimin turned her way, surprised. "All you've done for a week now is worry yourself sick over her. Jimin and I just flew all the way across the country on a rescue mission that turned into an extravagant vacation. What we're going to do now is slip into our bikinis, yours is optional, Jimin, obviously, make some Pina Coladas, and float our asses in that pool until you're calm enough to talk about this without going all Jennie over it."
"Going all Jennie?" I asked.
"Oh yeah, that's a good idea." Jimin agreed, already heading back to the mansion. "And I didn't pack a bikini. Sad face. But will a speedo work?"
Chahee whooped and danced her way back to the mansion, pulling me along with her. Jimin went off to his room while Chahee pulled me into hers. I helped her pick out a bikini, she always packed multiple, and then she demanded to be led off to my room to help me select mine. Not that I had many options. Only the fuchsia triangle one that Prija had bought and another she'd selected in case I didn't like the first. It was cherry red and covered a bit more on top but much less on bottom. It's was one of those bottoms that was basically a thong which, of course, was why Chahee picked it.
