earning it back // chaelisa

chapter 8: a whole lot of first part one

The days where she could get through an entire one hour kickboxing class with a barely noticeable increase in her heart rate seems like a distant delusion as Chaeyoung drags two large painting from the elevator, her breaths coming out in ragged puffs. This is as much cardio as she gets these days, but the sharp pain in her side tells her it's not nearly enough.

Taking a moment to catch her breath when tiny dark spots show up in her vision, Chaeyoung smooths down the kraft paper wrapping both paintings, securing the knot in the twine keeping it in place. It serves both as a protection against the weather and to give it a more mysterious vibe for when Jake gets it - she imagines him ripping the paper with his tiny fists and being awed by having his paintings back.

The thought puts a smile on her face.

Chaeyoung grabs the painting and wills her muscles to hold it up as she makes her way towards the front desk on the floor where the three head lawyers have their offices. The chairs meant for brief waiting are all empty, the only sound in the room being the secretary typing away on her keyboard. "I'm here to see Lisa."

The woman barely spares her a glance before clicking something in her computer, "Do you have an appointment with Ms. Manoban?" Her voice suggests that she's familiar enough with Lisa Manoban' schedule for the day to know very well that she doesn't.

"Um, no," Chaeyoung stutters, trying and mostly failing to think on the spot. The secretary - Gaia, her name tag says - gives her a studying look, as if waiting for her to either tell her what she's doing here or leave. "I just told her I'd come by. To give her something."

"Name?" she sounds bored, annoyed at Chaeyoung for interrupting her tasks.

"Chaeyoung Park."

Gaia grabs the phone and types what should be the extension line for Lisa's office, resuming her typing and only stopping when Lisa picks up. Chaeyoung only hears one side of the conversation - Gaia all but warning Lisa that there's a certain Ms. Park here that doesn't have an appointment - but the way her face falls is quite telling.

There's a beat before Gaia tells her to go inside and Chaeyoung can barely hide her smirk as she drags the paintings towards the door with a plaque that reads 'Lisa Manoban, Attorney at Law'. She knocks once before opening it more with her shoulder than anything else and settling the paintings against the heavy wood a second before her arms give out on her - she definitely needs to start working out again, anything that won't make her look so weak in front of the girl she's trying so hard to impress.

She takes a moment to get her breathing under control, because this is honestly ridiculous, and, before she can look around the office for Lisa, her voice floats towards her, with a hint of amusement to it. "Hello, Chaeyoung."

"Hi. The paintings are heavier than I thought they'd be," Chaeyoung answers, smiling sheepishly and watches Lisa smile back, feels her heart blooming at the sight. It's nothing much, just a slight tilt of the corner of her mouth, just a glint in her eyes, but it's everything. She has to take yet another deep breath to steady herself, but for a completely different reason now, "I don't think your secretary likes me that much."

Lisa crosses the distance between them, strutting from her desk with both her hands on her pockets, her chin up, her whole being exuding a power that Chaeyoung is dying to give in to. "She might not, but she doesn't have a say in whether or not you can come in without a set appointment," Lisa says, but Chaeyoung registers little more than half, her eyes darting from Lisa's heels to her rolled up sleeves to the flesh her two undone buttons show. "Which you can and are welcome to."

The vulnerability to her voice brings Chaeyoung back to the present, forces her to find her eyes. "Oh," Chaeyoung lets out with an exhale after a moment, when her words finally sink in. She stops feeling underdressed in her jeans shorts with oversized tee tucked inside and lets herself feel all the fondness and devotion Lisa is offering her. "Can I-" the words catch in her throat and she swallows them, tries again, "Can I kiss you hello?"