Jennie shut her apartment door a little too hard, startling Kuma. She walked over to the couch and flopped down heavily, resting her head on the back of it. Why did I have to blow up at Lisa? Was it because I was jealous of seeing her with that guy? Ugh, I shouldn't have been so rude to her, Jennie thought. She got up, took a shower, and called Jisoo.
"Jendeuk, it's pretty late for you to call me. Gwenchana?"
"Unnie, I messed up," Jennie said, on the verge of tears.
"What's wrong?" Jisoo asked, concerned. She could hear Jennie sigh and sniffle over the phone.
"I was a complete jerk to Lisa today," Jennie confessed.
Understanding dawned on Jisoo. A few days after the party, Jennie had called her, excited and giddy, replaying the entire incident with the roach, how Lisa had saved her, their fall on the couch—everything in minute detail. Jisoo knew about her crush on Lisa and had encouraged Jennie to take the next step by asking Lisa out. But Jennie had explained her concern about Lisa being straight and her worry about ruining their newfound friendship. Now, after weeks of coldness from Lisa, Jennie felt certain that Lisa wasn't interested in girls.
"I saw her with a French guy after our shift, and I guess it made me jealous—not that Lisa was on a date or anything. In fact, she turned him down," Jennie informed.
"Wait, how do you know she turned him down?" Jisoo asked.
"Oh, I eavesdropped on their conversation. Hehe," Jennie replied sheepishly.
"Yah, Jennie pabo! Why did you do that? Did you get caught? Is that why you're so down?" Jisoo asked.
"No, unnie. I ran to the staff room, and we had a little tiff where I accused her of running from difficult situations," Jennie said softly, sighing again.
"You need to apologize, Jen. She doesn't even know her own feelings yet. You can't blame her for running," Jisoo explained.
"Yes, I know. I'll apologize soon, unnie. I should go now. Thanks for letting me vent. Come by this weekend, and I'll make fried chicken," Jennie promised.
"Fried chicken! Count me in! See ya, Jendeuk!" Jisoo hung up, leaving Jennie alone with her thoughts again.
Next Door, at the Same Time
Chaeyoung lay sprawled on the carpet in Lisa's living room, staring at the ceiling after listening to Lisa replay the events of the evening. Chaeyoung was contemplating how to respond when Lisa spoke up.
"Maybe I should say yes to Frederic for coffee. He's been persistently asking me for the past three weeks. He even went through the trouble of finding out my info and stopping by The Bar. It's clear he likes me," Lisa said more to herself than to Chaeyoung.
Chaeyoung was deep in thought and didn't respond.
"Yah, Chipmunk! Say something. I really need your help," Lisa whined.
"Do you think it's possible that Jennie saw you talking to the French guy?" Chaeyoung asked, still staring at the ceiling.
"What? Why would she listen to our conversation? And how is that related to going out with Frederic?" Lisa asked, puzzled.
"Listen..." Chaeyoung sat up. "I think Jennie saw you and got jealous. Maybe that's why she was rude to you," Chaeyoung said, growing excited. Jennie was sweet enough that it didn't make sense for her to be rude without a reason.
"Yah, Park Chaeyoung!" Lisa practically shouted.
"Yah, Lalisa!" Chaeyoung shouted louder, getting in Lisa's face and holding her by the cheeks.
"Listen to me, Lali. You just said that the French guy doesn't even come close to making you feel as gooey and happy as Jennie does. Are you really that blind, not to see that you already like Jennie in a non-platonic way? I know for a fact my friend is far from stupid, and nowhere near homophobic, to accept that you have feelings for another girl," Chaeyoung said, then stopped to look at Lisa.
"So tell me, what is it that you're so afraid of?" she asked softly.
Lisa knew everything Chaeyoung said was true. She'd realized she liked Jennie as more than a friend three weeks ago, when she came home from the gig and found herself scrolling through photos she'd taken of Jennie during their day at the park—the day after the party and before the roach incident.
"Chaeyoung, I'm afraid of getting hurt. My feelings for Jennie are so strong, even though we haven't spent much time together. I miss her. I felt an instant connection with her, and the chemistry we have is undeniable. That's exactly why I'm afraid to admit these feelings," Lisa explained.
"Lisayah, I understand. But aren't you worried this might be the love you were looking for? You won't know unless you try. Trust me, I know Jennie likes you just as much, maybe even more. Give it a shot!" Chaeyoung urged, holding Lisa's hand.
Lisa sighed and looked at Chaeyoung, who was gazing back at her with so much love and support that Lisa's eyes filled with tears. She hugged Chaeyoung tightly.
"Oh god, Lali, no! Now I'm gonna cry too!" Chaeyoung exclaimed before letting out a sob herself.
The two girls cried and hugged each other for a long time. Later, Chaeyoung left, but not before getting a promise from Lisa to talk to Jennie soon and sort things out. Lisa promised, shut the door, and leaned against it. She rubbed her eyes with her hands and settled into the armchair.
She thought back to all the times she'd gone out of her way to see Jennie, to make her smile, to dance with her, how Jennie smelled, and the way her heart raced when she accidentally fell on her. Smiling, Lisa knew she'd fallen hard for Jennie. The thought was... freeing. It felt as if a weight had lifted, making her smile broadly for the first time in weeks.
With renewed energy, she started formulating a plan to get Jennie to go out with her. I'm going to make her mine, was Lisa's last thought before she fell asleep.
----
(A/N)
Finally! Lisayah!
I love Chaeyoung for putting some sense into her.
Wait and watch out for next chapter, it is a slowburn but I promise to add some "Spice" to keep y'all naughty readers engaged. I, myself, love to read smut. Khekhe!
See you in 24 hours with another chapter! <3
YOU ARE READING
More than Neighbours
FanfictionA fresh start is what I need, Lisa though to herself as she settled herself down on the floor of her newly rented apartment in Seoul, South Korea. With her two part time jobs, college and her precious dog, Jennie had her hands full with no time for...
