Echoes of Forgotten

Uppat

It was lunchtime, and Lisa decided to surprise Jennie at her office. She hadn't done this in months, but today felt different. Maybe it was a desire to reconnect, or maybe it was the growing ache in her heart that made her think being near Jennie would soothe it, even if only for a little while.

With a small bag of Jennie's favorite snacks and coffee in hand, Lisa approached the door of her girlfriend's office, her heart a confusing mix of hope and dread. Maybe they could have lunch together like they used to. Maybe they could talk, laugh, and be close like before. As Lisa approached the door, she heard something that made her stop in her tracks—a man's voice. Kai. Her heart immediately dropped. Without thinking, she stepped closer, the door slightly ajar.

There they were. Jennie and Kai, wrapped up in each other, making out as if nothing else in the world mattered. As if she didn't matter.

For a moment, the air was knocked out of Lisa's lungs. She wanted to scream, to cry, to rush in and demand why Jennie was doing this to her. But she didn't. She couldn't. Lisa stepped back, her eyes burning but refusing to let the tears fall. She couldn't let them see her like this. Not now. Not ever. She took a deep breath, her grip on the coffee cup tightening. Then, she gently cleared her throat, forcing herself to knock on the door.

*Knock. Knock.*

Lisa stood outside the door, her knuckles lightly rapping on the wood to give them a chance to pull apart and compose themselves. She heard the rushed shuffle of movement inside, Jennie's panicked voice, and Kai's low murmur.

A few seconds later, Jennie called out, her voice surprisingly calm.

"Come in!" Jennie said.

Lisa pushed the door open slowly, forcing a smile to mask the whirlwind of emotions inside her. Jennie and Kai were now sitting at a respectable distance from each other, looking casual. Kai glanced at Lisa briefly, flashing a charming smile that made Lisa's skin crawl. Jennie, on the other hand, looked nervous but quickly covered it with her usual warmth.

Jennie's smiling, though her eyes flickered with something deeper "Hey, honey! What brings you here?"

Lisa stepped into the office, casually holding up the bag of snacks as if everything was fine, as if her world hadn't just crumbled once again.

Lisa's voice light, her smile is practiced "I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd drop by. But actually..."  she hesitated, the words catching in her throat for a second before she steadied herself "I won't be able to do lunch today."

Jennie's smile faltering slightly "Oh? Why not? Everything okay?"

Lisa nods, forcing an easygoing tone "Yeah, I just wanted to let you know—I'm heading to Jeju later tonight for work. It came up kind of last minute, and I'll be gone for a few days. I'm shooting a famous model and singer out there."

Jennie's eyes widened slightly in surprise. Lisa usually didn't take these kinds of last-minute jobs, especially not far away.