Never let you go

Chapter 23

Lis?! Yah, you gotta wake up!", I heard a voice say and for a second I thought I was still dreaming.

Slowly focusing my eyes, I saw Jennie waking up just as hesitantly but then turned my head to see Jisoo. Jisoo?! I jumped a little when I realized I wasn't dreaming and the younger one was in fact standing at the edge of Jennie's bed where we had fallen asleep.

"Look, I know I'm probably the last person to talk but you can't sleep right now", she said and referenced her own, infamous sleeping habits. They had always been an inside joke in the group. I sat up and took a deep breath. It took me a few seconds to realize what was going on. I hadn't even known Jisoo was going to come to Ella's birthday as well.

"Alright, I'm up", I said and then saw Jisoo smirking at me. "What?"

"Damn girl, you're ripped", she exclaimed and looked at my stomach. It was only then that I realized I wasn't wearing a shirt! Neither was Jennie but she just grinned. "Maybe I should do some of that tai-chi stuff, too."

"Yoga, Jisoo. It's Yoga", I corrected her but felt my cheeks blushing. It wasn't like either of them hadn't seen me like this before. We had been on the road together and Jisoo and I had been roommates several times. Still, I felt a little busted because it was so obvious what Jennie and I had been doing. The youngest handed me my shirt and I pulled it over my head quickly before Jennie basically jumped off the bed.

"Oh my God! Is it really that late already?", she exclaimed panicky.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you, Jendeuk", Jisoo replied as I watched the both of them. There had been a time where I had been extremely jealous of their friendship because they had been friends consistently. Unlike my friendship with the light-haired one which had a lot of ups and downs.

"We really have to go and set up. Lisa, do you want to come with or are you coming later?", Jennie asked and put on her blouse, allowing me one last look at her body.

"I'll meet up with you at the party. You both go ahead", I said and saw her nod. They disappeared in no time after that and I stayed for a couple of minutes in Jennie's bed; reminiscing the way I had watched her sleep before drifting off myself. After a while, I decided to go back to my hotel and start getting ready for the birthday bash. I wasn't sure what to expect because there was no clear dress code, I assumed. How formal could a teenager's party be, though? I was overthinking this and decided to wear something not too dressy but still alluring since the woman of my dreams was going to present nonetheless.

I went with my favorite pair of black, leather pants, a white tunic that showed off some cleavage, dark brown leather jacket and matching brown boots. It was a good combination of rock and chic; I thought and added a rather elegant white watch to make it complete. Eyeing myself in the mirror, I was satisfied with my choice and went on to put on some make-up. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what was going on with my eyes these days. They appeared even lighter today and seriously looked grey. It was starting to freak me out a little bit because they had never changed that much. I had heard once that it was possible, they varied in tone depending on the mood. Was Jennie brightening up my eyes, the way she brightened up everything else in my life?

"Wow that was so cheesy", I muttered under my breath and could not believe I had just thought that. I focused on my make-up and put on the red lipstick. I wasn't going overboard and dropped the lip stick in my purse before heading out.

Arriving at the Kim's house, I was surprised how many cars were parked outside. Apparently, there were a lot more people invited than I initially thought. I rang the doorbell and was greeted by Jennie's big smile. With no hesitation whatsoever, she leaned forward and planted a little kiss on my lips. I was surprised by the gesture because it was the first time, she greeted me like this but I smiled instantly after that. Another step, I thought. I entered the house and was a little shocked to see so many teenagers. It felt like a meet & greet almost. I heard squeals and shrieks from the younger ones when they recognized me and was immediately bombarded with them asking for selfies and autographs. Of course, I did what they wanted me to do but I was slightly overwhelmed by the group ambushing me.