Stay With Me

Chapter Seven

When our s'mores-making ran a little later than we had expected, Jennie suggested we have a sleepover. The first thing that crossed my mind was 'What if I had another dream about Lisa?' I would not be able to face either girl in the morning if that happened.

So, me being the stupid airhead I was when I was nervous, I asked, "Uh, wouldn't it be a little awkward for Lisa. You know, since she's, you know." I immediately regretted it when I said it. My face burned bright red and Jennie gave me a look. I'm so stupid, we all thought.

Lisa feigned a look of offence and joked along with me, which made me feel slightly less stupid. "Dude, I like girls, but that doesn't mean I want to sleep with every girl I see. Especially not my best friends!"

I blushed and looked away, laughing nervously even though I was totally embarrassed. I seriously couldn't believe I asked that out loud. "I knew that," I muttered.

"It's alright. Anyway, I wouldn't try anything on you guys because I've already got my eye on someone." Lisa shot us both a wink and my heart skipped a beat. She couldn't be talking about me, could she?

Jennie gasped, mocking a little tween who just found out some 'juicy details' and she chirped, "Ooh! Who is it?"

Lisa chewed on her bottom lip, looking between the two of us before replying, "You know the girl in our 5th period class? Sorn?" The three of us have the same 5th period class, so I thought back to the class to try to remember who Sorn was.

"Oh yeah! That girl with the bangs and the really straight hair? I know her." Jennie said, nodding her head as if she said something impressive.

Lisa grinned widely at Jennie. "Yep, she asked me if I wanted to study with her this weekend and she also invited me out to dinner. Some place called Genie's." The last word came out more like a question, probably asking if that place was a big deal.

"Damn, that place is a pretty big deal," I said. I tried to make myself sound excited for her, but something in me felt like crap because of her excitement.

"Wow, that's really exciting. So, do you think she's, like, interested?" Jennie asked, leaning in like they were sharing a big secret. I wished I could be just as enthralled like Jennie, but I just wasn't.

I wasn't about to admit I liked Lisa in that way, but I wished she would somehow know that I did and make it easier for me and not be with Sorn and just... I felt like screaming into my pillow.

Lisa smiled as if it were a pleasant thought, then shrugged her shoulders. "I hope so." I didn't want to be a part of this conversation, so I kind of zoned out until my phone started singing FXXK IT by BIG BANG. The girls got quiet and looked over at me. I quickly pulled out my phone and answered it, knowing exactly who it was.

"Hello?" I started to stand up to walk out of the room to talk in quiet, but Lisa pulled on my arm to sit back down and I glared at her. She glared right back at me.

"Hey, it's me." Jimin's voice said from the other end of the phone. Jennie mouthed 'who is it?' I just rolled my eyes and I knew she knew exactly who it was because she scowled.

"You have the same number." I replied, not knowing what else to say. I didn't know what he wanted and I was still confused about the girl I'd seen him with.

"Yeah. And so do you. I was hoping the number I had in my phone was still the right one."

Butterflies erupted in my stomach and I looked down at my lap, hoping my cheeks were still the same normal white color. He'd kept my number in his phone this whole time? I mean, so did I, but...

"Well, lucky you." I joked, my smile sounding in my voice.

"Lucky me," he repeated in agreement, the butterflies having another go at their laps in my stomach. "Anyway, listen. Since I'm back in town, I was wondering if you wanted to go out and catch up."

This boy better stop talking or I was going to be a red tomato for the rest of my life and these butterflies would be a permanent part of me. I looked up the girls, asking with my eyes for their advice, but they didn't even know what we were talking about. "Uh, would your girlfriend appreciate that?"

He paused for a long moment and I could hear the confusion in his voice as he spoke his next words. "My girlfriend? I have a girlfriend?"

Confusion settled on my face, scrunching my nose and furrowing my eyebrows. "The girl you were in the bus with? You two looked pretty cozy to me." I sounded too defensive and I mentally slapped myself.

He paused again, probably trying to remember what the heck I was talking about. I figured I was quite forgettable, but that had only happened about a week ago. "A few days ago? She wasn't my girlfriend--" I heard him grinning as he spoke, "--that was my sister. I had to go pick her up from a party. She was smashed and could barely stand up on her own."

I took a moment to take it in. Now that I thought about it, she didn't really look like she was cuddling up to him romantically. She did look pretty exhausted and he did look pretty protective.

"Chaeyoung, are you... jealous?" He sounded too amused, I did not like this.

"I am not!" I argued, my face shamelessly turning red and my voice becoming even more defensive. For a moment, I forgot Jennie and Lisa were sitting in front of me until Jennie grabbed Lisa's arm and shook her slightly, pointing to my tomato of a face. I rolled my eyes and faced away from them.

"I bet your face is really red right now. I remember when that used to happen to you all the time."

Once again I rolled my eyes, but the smile was still apparent in my voice. "Maybe I'm going to hang up on you and you can just text me later. I'm pretty busy."

"Okay, okay," Jimin laughed on the other end of the line. "I'll send you the information for tomorrow."

I nodded and told him that'd work and we said our goodbyes. I hung up the phone and kept my gaze on the screen. I knew the girls were watching me, expecting.

"What did he say?" Lisa asked in an excited voice, sitting in her knees and shimmying over to me.

I was too overwhelmed by the talk with Jimin to have my thoughts clouded by the presence of Lisa and the effect she had on me. I looked up and my gaze flicked between the two, my grin wide and proud. "He asked if I wanted to hang out. He doesn't have a girlfriend. That was his sister I saw him with."

Jennie gave me a smile and a slow nod that said 'proud of you, kid.'

Lisa squeaked. "That's so cute! I'm happy for you." She wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me. Not letting her cloud my thoughts... yeah, that didn't last too long.

Authors Note:
How do you feel about Chaeyoung's and Jimin's relationship changing?

Thanks for your love and support ❤

-Chaewoo