Undercover Affection

Chapter 14

The following morning, Lisa found herself once again in front of her bathroom mirror, only this time, her pep talk was on another level.

"Okay, Lisa. You did it. You and Jennie basically had a mutual confession in full costume. Pirate-Chicken romance. Classic. Now, you just have to keep being your awesome, goofy self, and everything will be fine. No pressure."

She squinted at her reflection, mentally running through the events of the previous day. They had admitted their feelings for each other—sort of. It was more like a feelings buffet, where they sampled different levels of emotional vulnerability between jokes. But still, it counted. It totally counted.

"Alright," Lisa said, straightening up. "Today’s mission: no overthinking. Just vibes."

Her phone buzzed, and she scrambled to grab it, half-expecting another heart-pounding message from Jennie. Instead, it was a group text from her best friend, Jisoo.

Jisoo: Lisa, I swear, if you don’t show up to game night tonight, I’m never speaking to you again. We missed you last week, and someone has to bring the snacks.

Lisa: Relax, Ji. I’ll be there. And I’ll bring the snacks. Also, if you think you’re winning this time, think again. I’ve got strategy moves you’ve never seen.

Lisa hesitated, her thumbs hovering over the keyboard. Normally, Jennie wasn’t part of game night, but now? Now everything was different. Maybe Jennie would want to come. She was part of her life now, after all.

"Do I invite her? Is that weird? Am I overthinking this?"

Lisa groaned, flopping back on the couch. “Why is liking someone so complicated?”

She quickly fired off another text to Jisoo.

Lisa: Can I bring someone to game night?

Jisoo responded almost instantly.

Jisoo: Is it a date? ARE YOU BRINGING A DATE?

Lisa: Calm down, it’s just Jennie.

Jisoo: Oh. OH. Okay, yes. You absolutely have to bring her. This will be amazing.

Lisa shook her head, smiling. Jisoo was going to make a big deal out of this, but maybe that wasn’t the worst thing. After all, Jennie meeting her friends? That was a solid step forward, right?

Lisa hesitated for a moment, then sent Jennie a quick text.

Lisa: Soooo, what are your thoughts on game nights?

Jennie’s reply came just as quick.

Jennie: I’m intrigued. Why?

Lisa: Because I’m inviting you to one tonight. My friends are a little... intense, but it’ll be fun, I promise. There will be snacks. Lots of snacks.

Jennie’s response made Lisa grin.

Jennie: Intense? Now I’m curious. Count me in.

---

Later that evening, Lisa showed up at Jisoo’s apartment with two bags of chips, three kinds of dip, and a small panic bubbling in her chest. "What if this is weird? What if Jennie doesn’t get along with my friends? What if this whole thing crashes and burns in a flaming ball of awkwardness?"

As she approached the door, she caught sight of Jennie walking toward her, looking effortlessly cool in her casual black jacket and jeans. Lisa felt a sudden rush of nerves, even though she had seen Jennie in far more intimidating outfits—like, for example, a pirate costume.