Seulgi awoke alone in her bed. Somehow, she had managed to sleep through the incessant knocking on the front door and the loud buzzing of the doorbell, but her eyes flew open the moment she felt the loss of Irene’s body heat. The girl in question was currently shuffling out of the room, wrapping one of Seulgi’s oversized sweaters around herself and grumbling something about killing whoever was at the door. Seulgi quickly regained her senses and ran after her girlfriend, silently praying for whoever had to face Irene’s sleep-deprived fury. To make matters worse, Irene angrily pulled the door open to reveal a flustered Jennie. Seulgi’s eyes nearly bulged out of her head as the two girls at the door faced each other.

“Um… h-hi, Irene,” Jennie stammered nervously, shifting from foot to foot. Instead of answering, Irene turned to give Seulgi a cold look.

“It’s for you,” the oldest of the three said. She stepped aside and held the door open farther, a silent signal for Jennie to come in. The youngest girl did so, thanking Irene in a whisper.

“Jennie, it’s nearly midnight. I’m sure whatever it is can wait until morning,” Seulgi told Jennie, hoping to get the girl to leave in order to placate Irene. But Jennie clearly wasn’t listening.

“What did you tell her, Seulgi?” Jennie demanded, her tone extremely serious now. She looked almost... angry. Seulgi furrowed her eyebrows, confusion painted on her face.

“What are you talking about?” Seulgi asked.

“You know what I’m talking about!” Jennie snapped, her voice spiking in volume. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, forcing her voice back down to normal. “I’m talking about Lisa. What did you tell her?”

“You told me you don’t talk to Lisa outside of dance,” Irene suddenly cut in, glaring at Seulgi.

“I don’t, at least not about anything except dance. Joy, Yeri, and Wendy are the ones that have classes with her and hang out with her,” Seulgi explained, starting to feel nervous under the intense stares of the two girls.

“No, you had to have done something. It can’t just be a coincidence,” Jennie pressed.

“What can’t be a coincidence?” Seulgi questioned, still obviously confused. Jennie didn’t answer, her eyes darting to Irene and then down to the floor. Seulgi immediately got the message and turned to her girlfriend. “Babe, do you think you could give us a moment?”

“Seul,” Irene started in a warning tone, but Seulgi moved forward and took both her hands.

“Please, Hyun. I promise I won’t be long.”

“Fine. But don’t come back to the room unless you have a cup of tea in hand.”

“Deal.” Seulgi leaned down to press a kiss to Irene’s lips. Jennie, who had previously been watching the exchange in silence, found herself looking away and blushing at the show of affection. Once the sound of the bedroom door closing echoed through the apartment, Seulgi turned back to Jennie, motioning for her to sit on the couch. Jennie did so in silence, twiddling nervously with her fingers. Seulgi noticed this and put her hand over Jennie’s to stop the girl’s fidgeting. “What happened?”

“Lisa kissed me,” Jennie blurted out.

“Really?!” Seulgi asked, her face lighting up. “That’s great!”

“No, it isn’t,” Jennie hissed. “Seulgi, I can’t do this. I just can’t. I’m going to end up hurting her.”

“Okay, stop pretending that you’re afraid of hurting her when really you’re just afraid of commitment. You’re afraid of your feelings for her and, quite frankly, you’re being stupid. You like her, you know you like her, and she obviously likes you. What are you so afraid of?”

“What if I’m not good enough?”

“See, that’s your problem. If you don’t believe you’re good enough, then you never will be.”

“I don’t know the first thing about being a girlfriend, especially not for someone as sweet and incredible as Lisa.”

“Jen, you know exactly how to be a girlfriend. You know how to sweep people off their feet and make them feel like they’re the most important person on the planet. All you have to do now is make it personal. Show her how much you care about her. And most of all, talk to her. Don’t be afraid to tell her when you’re insecure and why. She isn’t going to ditch you just because you have issues. We all have demons, and she’ll understand yours as long as you understand hers too.”

“She already understands mine,” Jennie said slowly, her mind drifting back to the moment she'd shared with Lisa only a few hours prior. She remembered what it was like to cry in Lisa’s arms, to put her vulnerabilities on display and somehow still feel safe.

“Just because you can’t see how amazing you are doesn’t mean that she hasn’t already realized it,” Seulgi whispered, breaking Jennie out of her reverie. The younger girl looked dazed, but at least it was a welcome change from the nervous wreck she’d been a few moments ago.

“Thank you, Seul.” Jennie allowed her lips to form a small smile as she stood up from the couch. “I should go now before Rosé starts to get worried. Oh, and please apologize to Irene for me. I wasn’t thinking when I came over. I’m sorry for waking you both.”

“Don’t worry about it. She’ll understand.”

“I doubt it. She still hates me.”

“She doesn’t hate you.”

“Well, she definitely doesn’t like me.”

“We’ll get there eventually. Maybe you should buy her something purple. She’d like that.”

“I’m not bribing your girlfriend into liking me, Seulgi,” Jennie said, rolling her eyes.

“Right, forget I said anything,” Seulgi laughed, walking Jennie to the door. “Text me as soon as you get to your apartment, okay?”

“I will.” Jennie turned to face the older girl. “Thank you again, Seul. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Jen.”

***

“I’m back, Hyunnie,” Seulgi announced as she entered her shared bedroom, a cup of hot tea in her hands. She walked to the bed and handed the mug to Irene before climbing into bed beside her. “Jennie said she’s sorry for waking you by the way.”

“Okay,” Irene replied simply. She drummed her fingers against the side of the mug for a few moments, staying otherwise silent.

“Irene? What’s wrong?” Seulgi asked quietly. At first, the older girl didn’t answer, taking a sip of her hot drink instead. Once she’d downed a large portion of the scalding liquid, Irene finally looked up at her girlfriend.

“Did you talk to Lisa?” Irene demanded, her voice cold and sharp. She regretted the question instantly when she saw the hurt that flashed in Seulgi’s eyes.

“No, I didn’t talk to Lisa. I told you that already. Don’t you believe me?” Irene’s expression softened at the tone of Seulgi’s voice. The older girl put her mug down on the bedside table, shifting her body to fully face her girlfriend.

“Seul, of course I trust you. I just thought maybe you did have something to do with what happened with her and Jennie.”

“Well I did talk to Jennie about it this morning, but I already told you about that. And I didn’t talk to Lisa. Wendy did. I mean, yeah, I asked her to. But I didn’t tell Wendy what to say, and I definitely didn’t say anything to Lisa.” Seulgi paused thoughtfully. “I know you don’t like me meddling in other people’s love lives, but I can’t just sit idly by when I could be helping them instead.”

“I know. Your heart of gold is one of the many things I love about you.” Irene reached out, gingerly tucking a strand of Seulgi’s hair behind her ear. “Jisoo and Rosé are going to be devastated though.”

“I thought about them too, and I think this will work out for everyone.” Silence fell between them once more, Irene staring intensely at Seulgi. After a moment, Seulgi began to squirm under the older girl’s gaze. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You know I don’t hate her, right?” Irene said suddenly. Seulgi blinked in confusion a few times before realization came over her.

“Were you eavesdropping on the whole conversation?” the younger girl smirked. Irene blushed and rubbed the nape of her neck shyly.

“It’s the middle of the night. I was just curious and I--”

“And you don’t trust me with Jennie.”

“Seul, that’s not it.”

“Then what is it, Joohyun? Because you’ve always had this problem with her and I don’t get it anymore. She and I are just friends.”

“I know that. Believe me, I do. And of course I trust you. But I… I just… There are so many intimate moments I know you’ve shared with her and I know you were her first. That’s not just something you forget and--”

“Irene.”

“--she still has feelings for you, I know she does. I want to like her but I just can’t because--”

“Irene!” The older girl immediately stopped talking. She was breathing heavily, trying to catch her breath after that winded rant. Seulgi slid over on the bed, pushing Irene’s hair back and gently cupping her cheeks. The mono-lidded girl stared lovingly at her girlfriend, the pads of her thumbs moving back and forth across Irene’s cheekbones. “Irene--Joohyun--listen to me. What Jennie and I had is nothing compared with what I have with you now. She and I both agreed to remain friends and we’re always going to care about each other, but we aren’t in love with each other. I love you, Hyun, and that isn’t going to change. Not for Jennie, not for anyone.”

“I love you, Seulgi,” Irene whispered.

“I love you too.” Seulgi leaned forward, pressing her lips softly to Irene’s. When she pulled away, both of them were smiling. “Now, can we get back to sleep? I was having a really nice dream before Jennie interrupted it.”

“Yeah?” Irene asked as the two of them settled under the covers. Seulgi hummed in response, curling up against the older girl’s side. “What was it about?”

“You,” Seulgi whispered, already drifting off to sleep to the sound of Irene’s heartbeat.

***

Lisa closed the gap between them, pressing her lips to Jennie’s. She could feel the older girl’s breath hitch, her lips trembling as Lisa captured them. The blonde could taste the saltiness of Jennie’s tears, but somehow she’d never tasted anything as sweet. After a moment, Jennie finally responded to the kiss. She tilted her head to deepen the kiss, her arms coming up to wrap around Lisa’s neck and hold her in place. Lisa’s hands glided down to rest on Jennie’s hips. She was getting lost in the feeling of Jennie’s lips moving in unison with her own. She was so enraptured in the feeling that she actually let out a whine at the loss of contact when Jennie pulled away sharply.

“Ahem… it’s, um, it’s getting late. W-We should, uh, g-go,” Jennie stammered, trying to scramble as far away from Lisa as possible in the limited space of the back seat. She quickly got out of the car and made her way to the driver’s side, sliding into her seat and fumbling with the keys in trembling hands before finally getting the object into its slot. While the dark-haired girl did all of this, Lisa slowly made her way to the shotgun seat, completely confused by the other girl’s behavior.

“Jennie, are you okay?” the blonde asked quietly as the older girl swore under her breath, struggling to put on her seat belt.

“Yeah, f-fine. Why wouldn’t I be?” Jennie answered shakily.

“Are you sure it’s safe for you to drive like that?” Lisa pointed to Jennie’s hands, which were gripping the steering wheel white-knuckled in order to control the tremors going through them.

“I’m fine!” Jennie barked, harsher than she intended. Lisa immediately ceased talking, turning to stare out of the window instead. The older girl felt guilty for raising her voice but she couldn’t bring herself to apologize, not when was threatening to spill a million other things she wasn’t ready to say. So they drove in silence and, when Jennie stopped the car in front of Lisa’s dorm building, the silence continued for a large stretch of time.

“Can we talk about this now or are you going to snap at me again?” Lisa finally asked. Jennie let out a sigh, running a hand nervously through her hair.

“I’m sorry for snapping. I just… I get so nervous when it comes to you. I can’t even think straight right now.” Jennie blinked in confusion, as if she was surprised at her own words. “I can’t believe I just said that out loud.”

“I’m glad you did. It’s nice to see you not be a self-assured jerk all the time,” Lisa teased, trying to lighten the mood. But Jennie didn’t laugh, she grimaced and looked away. The younger girl ducked her head to try and catch Jennie’s downcast eyes. “I was kidding, Jen.”

“I know,” the older girl whispered, her voice small and unsure. She took a deep, shaky breath, finally lifting her gaze. “Lisa, look. I like you, I really really do, believe me. But I also know what kind of person I am and I’m honestly not sure if I’m ready to attempt a steady relationship. I don’t want to lead you on or string you along because I would never forgive myself if I hurt you in any way.”

“Jennie--” Lisa started, only for Jennie to hold up a hand and cut her off.

“No, please hear me out.” Jennie shifted in her seat, moving closer to Lisa and facing her as much as she could in the small space of the car. She tentatively reached out a hand, brushing back Lisa’s hair before running her fingers along the blonde’s jaw line. Lisa shivered at the gentle touch, reaching up to hold Jennie’s hand in place. “I want to be with you, Lisa. I just need to think about this for a little bit. Do you think you could give me a day or two?”

“Of course, Jennie. Take all the time you need. I can wait. I wouldn’t want you to do anything you’re not ready for.” Lisa shrugged, smiling sweetly. “Besides, a maybe isn’t a no.”

“Definitely not a no,” Jennie chuckled. She became serious again all of a sudden, her eyes shining with an emotion Lisa couldn’t define. Jennie stared at Lisa for a minute, her eyes flicking down for a moment before roaming back up. Lisa could have sworn she even saw Jennie gulp. The dark-haired girl looked nervous as she met Lisa’s eyes. “Can I… Can I kiss you one more time?”

“I’d be mad if you didn’t,” Lisa smiled. Once given permission, Jennie leaned forward, somewhat hesitantly, and gently captured Lisa’s lips with her own. Unlike before, neither of them moved to deepen the kiss. The only point of contact between them besides their lips was Jennie’s hand still cupping Lisa’s cheek, the blonde’s hand overlapping hers. This kiss, unlike the one preceding it, was feathery and chaste, lasting only a few seconds but feeling like an eternity. It took all of Jennie’s power to pull away and not devour the full lips softly pressed against hers, but she managed to break the kiss and retract her hand before she could do something she’d regret.

“Goodnight, Lisa,” Jennie whispered.

“Goodnight, Jennie,” the blonde replied, a smile ghosting her lips as she got out of the car.

“Lisa?” a voice called, snapping Lisa out of her reverie. She was sitting on the staircase just outside of her dorm room, reliving the night in her head. When she looked up, she found Jisoo standing over her, fully dressed and with car keys in hand.

“Jisoo?” Lisa asked, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “Where are you going?”

“It was getting late and you weren’t answering. I thought maybe you were still in the studio and you lost track of time. I was going to pick you up, but I obviously don’t have to,” Jisoo explained, looking equally confused. “Why are you sitting out here?”

“I just needed to think.”

“Think about what? Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, I think it is. I think things are more than fine actually.” Lisa ran a finger over her lips, smiling to herself as she remembered kissing Jennie.

“Aren’t you gonna come inside?” Lisa looked up at Jisoo, who was holding out a hand. Lisa took it and let herself be pulled to her feet. Together, the two girls made their way towards their room.

“Oh, and by the way,” Lisa said, stopping at the door to look at Jisoo. “You’re wrong about Jennie. She isn’t just a player and she isn’t going to hurt me.”

“What are you talking about? How do you know?”

“We talked a lot today. You judge her too much, just like everyone else. But, as tough as she seems, she’s actually really vulnerable.” Lisa paused to think for a moment before shooting Jisoo a smirk. “And she’s an excellent kisser.”

“Wait what?!” Jisoo demanded, eyes wide. But Lisa was already headed for the bathroom, completely ignoring the older girl calling to her.

***

“Here, drink this. Maybe it’ll calm you down a little,” Rosé said, handing Jennie a cup of hot chocolate. “What happened anyway? Why are you so anxious and jumpy?”

“I want to ask Lisa out,” Jennie blurted out. Rosé nearly spit out her own hot chocolate, opting instead to choke on the hot liquid. Once she managed to control her coughing enough to breathe, she stared at Jennie in disbelief.

“You want to do what?!”

“I want to ask Lisa out. Like on a date. And I want to do it properly.”

“Okay, what the hell happened at dance practice today.”

“Lisa and I kissed. Twice.” This time, Rosé really did spit out her hot chocolate and she had another coughing fit as she tried not to die then and there.

“You and Lisa kissed?!” Jennie nodded silently, unable to look Rosé in the eyes. “So now you want to date her? What happened to not wanting to hurt her?”

“I talked to her about it and she seems to believe that I won’t hurt her, and I don’t want to anyway. And then she kissed me and… wow. Something about it just felt so right.” Seeing Rosé’s expression, Jennie rushed to finish explaining herself. “Look, I told Lisa I needed some time while I figure everything out. But then I talked to Seulgi--”

“Wait wait wait,” Rosé interrupted. “You went to talk to Seulgi about this before me?”

“No. I mean, yeah I did but it’s not like that. I thought Seulgi had something to do with what happened. It’s a long story.” Jennie dismissed the topic with a wave of her hand. “Anyway, point is that I realized that time is the last thing that I want. Time means the opportunity for me to talk myself out of this, and I can’t do that. I really want to try to make this work, and I think it could with Lisa.”

“Okay…” Rosé said slowly, trying not to let the skepticism seep into her voice. “So when are you planning to ask her?”

Rosé tried to convince herself that Jennie’s answer didn’t hurt. She tried to pretend that Jennie’s feelings for Lisa didn’t affect her at all. But the truth was that she was aching on the inside, and the worst part was that she wasn’t even sure why. All she was sure of was that she felt a pang in her chest when Jennie looked up, a firm resolve glistening in her eyes, and replied, “Tomorrow.”

Okay my lovely readers, here is another chapter! I didn't take too long, did I? I feel like I could've done better with this chapter but I wasn't sure how to so... here it is. I hope you enjoy it!

~unsungpoet <3