Black, Blue, and Gold (Book 2)

Secrets and Dreams (Part 13)

Jennie was halfway through lunch with Chaeyoung when an unexpected visitor dropped by, abruptly stopping their conversation.

"Hi!" Wendy greeted her two friends cheerfully. "I have an hour to kill before I have to meet Oppa so I thought I'd stop by and visit you. Where's Seul?" she asked, pulling up a chair.

"Um... not sure. Maybe having lunch with the boys or Chu," said Chaeyoung.

Jennie kept shifting her glance between the quiet Chaeyoung and the oblivious Wendy, who had called a waiter over to ask for the menu. She was unsure what to do.

It wasn't until after Wendy had placed her order that she realized the awkwardness that surrounded the table.

"Um... am I interrupting something?" she asked meekly.

"Not really," replied Jennie carefully, measuring Chaeyoung's reaction. "We just... weren't expecting you."

Wendy looked at Chaeyoung and finally understood what was going on when her tall friend couldn't seem to avert her eyes from her plate, looking solemn. "Ah. You're having a one-on-one, huh? About Bambam oppa?"

"N-no!" Chaeyoung quickly said, lifting her head to meet Wendy's eyes and saw the understanding smile. She instantly felt guilty for lying and for being so unwelcoming towards her good friend.

"It's okay. I can take my lunch to go." Wendy raised her hand to call a waiter over but Chaeyoung pulled the hand down, surprising the woman. "It's really okay, Chaeyoung-ah. I can kill time somewhere else, I don't mind."

"No no. Don't do that. I'm sorry," Chaeyoung said, letting go of Wendy's arm. "It's just... well... awkward and kinda embarrassing."

"There is nothing to be embarrassed about," said Jennie. She was relieved that Chaeyoung herself had managed to resolve the small tension between them.

"So it's really about Bambam oppa?" Wendy asked and got a nod from Chaeyoung in reply. "Are you considering getting back together with him?"

"I... don't know."

"But at least they're talking again. Kinda," remarked Jennie.

"That's good. I've always found it such a waste that things between you two ended the way they did." Wendy paused to thank the waiter who had placed her drink on the table before continuing, "Because I actually think that you two are perfect for each other. Reminds me of Lisa and Jennie somehow. Strangely."

"We were never as gross as her and Lisa," argued Chaeyoung, pointing her fork at Jennie who stuck her tongue at her.

"That's true but the way you ended it kinda reminded me of how they started." Wendy gestured towards Jennie.

"See? Told ya," Jennie said, happy for her friend's support. "Now it's up to you, really. Do you still want another chance with him or do you prefer moving on?"

"I can't do what you did," Chaeyoung told Jennie. "I can't handle cold treatments or having to deal with someone who kept distancing himself from me. I want a relationship that comes from both sides, equal interest, equal effort."

"It started out that way, didn't it? He was equally interested and exerted equal effort, if not more. Maybe what happened was just a phase in his life. A rough patch that he had to go through," Wendy spoke again.

"I agree with Wendy yet again," Jennie said. "Let's face it. You gave up. You both gave up. Hate to break it to you, Chaeng-ah, but this won't be the first or the last rough patch you'll go through especially if you decide to get married."

"How did you do it?" Chaeyoung asked Jennie.

"One painful step at a time. I knew that Lili felt the same way too but she was... afraid. She had oppa issues, remember?" Jennie chuckled at the term she hadn't used in a long time. "It hurt a lot. She kept going back and forth with her feelings and actions, and I kept feeling lost, like nothing I did would make a difference. I had thought about giving up many times, to be honest. But then she let me see a glimpse of her true feelings and I just... I couldn't leave. I knew she needed me and I wanted to be there for her."