black ribbons (jensoo)

chapter eight

Jennie had been happily sunk into the couch with another refill of wine, Chaeyoung beside her alternating between fiddling with her phone and sewing the last of the endless ribbons onto her tenth pointe shoe, when the dancer suddenly locked the phone and rolled the shoe up abruptly. 'Right. Bedtime. Sorry to throw you out, Kim, but. You know. Gala week.'

'I haven't finished my -'

'No exceptions. I have a very strict sleep schedule before opening nights.'

'In which you go to bed at -' the designer blinked at her watch '- 11.07? Precisely?'

'Yes.'

Jennie narrowed her eyes. 'Is everything okay?'

'I'm fine, honestly. I just realized how late it is.' Chaeyoung smiled encouragingly and made a 'drink-up' gesture as she tossed various sharp objects back into her shoe-bag. Jennie hastily obeyed. 'Tomorrow's so full-on, we both need our beauty sleep. You are coming in for the dress runs, right? My rehearsal's just before yours.'

'Wouldn't miss it.'

Jennie couldn't work out how she was meant to feel about the dress rehearsal. She knew she should be looking forward to it, and she was, but it was only half the professional excitement of seeing her clothes on stage for the first time. The rest was the strange downwards tug in her stomach whenever she realized that, despite everything that she'd said, she'd still been counting down the hours until she'd see Jisoo again.

Chaeyoung held out Jennie's coat and bag while she hastily squashed her feet into her shoes, and before she knew it the designer found herself being hustled out the door. 'Take the stairs, the elevator's broken.'

'I came up here in the elevator.'

'Right. Well, not broken broken. Temperamental. You were lucky. Sometimes it just. Um. Stops.' Chaeyoung gestured briskly at the stairwell. 'Stairs. Be safe, text me when you get home. Night!'

Jennie stared at the door as it closed behind her. She had a distinct feeling that she'd just been kicked out. Chaeyoung had always been religious about getting enough sleep before shows, but this was a new level of crazy. The pressure was really getting to her.

'Jennie.'

The designer spun round fast enough to almost lose her balance. Jisoo was standing a few steps below her, hugging her sides, coat spotted with rain and stray curls escaping from her bun. She was half in the shadows, like an apparition or a dream, and for a moment Jennie wondered if she was the one going crazy.

She gestured mechanically up the stairs. 'Were you looking for Chaeyoung...?'

'I was looking for you.' The ballerina sounded tired, but her gaze was level. 'Jinyoung said you were here.'

' Jinyoung did - oh, right. Chaeyoung.' That made more sense. Paralyzed by nerves, no. Scheming and manipulative and willing to do anything to get Jennie laid, yes.

'I can go if you don't -'

'If I'd known you were -'

'After you.'

'No, I interrupted.'

Jisoo nodded and started to take a step forward, hovering on the balls of her feet before changing her mind. 'I heard what you said yesterday, and I think I understand where you were coming from. And for the record, of course I respect any decision you make about...me. This. And this isn't an attempt to guilt-trip you, and you need to stop me right away if you feel like I'm pressuring you, or bothering you, or pushing in where I'm not wanted. And now I've said so many words that I'm starting to realize why my chosen art form is silent.' She held Jennie's gaze for a moment while she tried to organize her thoughts. Jennie realized she'd barely been breathing. 'But I was hoping you'd give me a chance to explain.'