Real and not Pretend : Book 2 - The Reality

[TW] XV. Hammered

Trigger Warning : Deals with a slight sexual assault. If you feel very uncomfortable with this topic, you can skip this chapter and wait for the next update. I have no intention to make you uncomfortable in any way but this had to be added in the story. Thank you.

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More than a week had passed since that awkward and baffling encounter with Julio in the elevator and honestly, it didn't sit right with Lisa. Julio is not a type of person who throws warnings just for the sake of having to say something.

Thinking about it, Jackson was one of the rare persons Julio never really liked being with when they were still together. She remembered that one time when Jackson was being too much for her comfort, Julio told him to back off in a way Lisa never recognized, it was borderline dangerous. Jackson laughed it off but Julio was totally not having it.

She never got a proper reason nor answer from Julio back then, all Julio told her was that he dislike him and the conversation was never opened again - because first, Jackson never dared to touch the boiling water that was Julio and second, they broke up few months after.

However, Jackson had been always like that since their university days. Yes, she knew he had a thing on her despite him not confirming it but the man was never a jerk to begin with. She sometimes thought Julio was just being irrational when it comes to Jackson but didn't dare to confront Julio about it. Lisa hates confrontations, she still does.

It's also unfair to Jackson if she would suddenly avoid him, the man had done nothing to endanger her. And other than that, she won't let Julio's opinions affect how she should react to things he disliked - he never once forced her to do so while they're in the relationship by the way, it was all Lisa's decision to just follow what he wanted to avoid getting into arguments.

With those things in mind, Lisa decided to ignore what Julio told her. Jackson also didn't try to do anything to make her uncomfortable throughout the traveling and performance period.

Loud round of applause filled the theater stadium while the casts made their final bow to end the show - it is also their last show in their Asia Tour and they could also go back to their respective homes and country as they're given 1 week worth of break before they gear up once again for their Europe Tour.

Applause and compliments filled the back stage as they all congratulated each and every cast and crew for having a successful tour. Although some of them got sick during the entire span of 5 weeks, which includes Lisa, none of them showed even a single sign of exhaustion and illness while they're performing.

"Congratulations everyone!" says one of their directors which received claps, cheers and whistles from them.

"To celebrate our successful Asia Tour, we've booked an entire restaurant for us to have dinner together. We can't go clubbing unfortunately.." This was answered by playful 'boos' and 'aws' from the casts making the directors laugh. "We have early flights back home tomorrow, children. Now get yourself cleaned and hop in the bus, dinner is just waiting for us."

Lisa grabs her phone soon after sitting on the chair where her make up artist is so she could start prepping Lisa's face. Lisa starts texting Jennie about what happened, just basically telling her how things went like she usually does everytime a show ended. She also told Jennie about the dinner and of course her arrival by tomorrow.

She didn't wait for a reply as she stands up from the high chair, thanked the make up artist and goes straight to the changing room to be in comfortable clothes. Black straight jeans, topped with a loose dress shirt having the front section tucked under her jeans, paired up with a beanie and a loafer before she goes out and went straight to the bus where the others are settled.