The next day, Jessica woke up bright and early to a beautiful summer day. The air was light and warm, the sky was the perfect blue of Caribbean seas, and the sun shone bright in the sky. Birds chirped in the distance. The sounds of a typical Sunday morning surrounded her – the hissing of sprinklers, the faint, soothing sound of cars driving by, the voices of little kids shouting as they played games. She stretched her arms over her head and smiled, feeling cheerful because of the nice weather.

 

Then she frowned.

 

Today is the meeting with Changmin and Jaejoong.

 

Jessica groaned loudly and flopped back on to her bed. “Can’t I just not go?” she mumbled half-heartedly. Of course, Jessica already knew that she would be dragging her sorry to Jaejoong’s office. If she just didn’t show up, it would be simply unprofessional. She also didn’t want to let Changmin down, especially since he had never been anything but kind and warm to her. But Jaejoong on the other hand…

 

Jessica buried her face in her pillow and sighed heavily. She even kicked her feet. After she had spent all her energy, Jessica just laid there for a few moments, reluctant to get ready for the day. Jessica, you’re being ridiculous. Jessica sat up slowly and tried to untangle her hair from the mess it was now in. You are a grown woman, Jessica told herself, taking deep breaths. You can handle this situation with maturity.

 

And it was true; Jessica was indeed a grown woman who was very mature. In fact, she truly couldn’t understand why just the mere presence of Jaejoong rendered her barely able to speak properly. It was frustrating and embarrassing and she just didn’t know what was wrong with her.

 

She finally hauled herself out of bed and stomped over to her closet. Jessica narrowed her eyes, trying to select an outfit that would show her how professional, demure, and proper she was. She needed to repair the damage done by her outfit yesterday. Even now, Jessica couldn’t shake off the look that Jaejoong had given her.

 

Initially, Jessica had reached out for a black skirt, but then a mental image of the black dress she had worn last night flitted through her mind and she winced, retracting her hand. Instead, she opted for a gray skirt and a simple, long-sleeved white shirt.

 

After placing the clothes on her bed, she ran over to the bathroom to wash up. While she brushed her teeth and ran warm water over her face, Jessica chanted be mature, be mature, be mature, over and over again in her mind. When she ran a comb through her long, light brown hair, she drilled the sentence ‘you are a grown woman’ into her head. And as Jessica ran back outside and pulled on her clothes, she told herself to never, ever, ever blush in the presence of Kim Jaejoong again.

 

Fifteen minutes later, Jessica was in the kitchen preparing a breakfast of scrambled eggs. She wasn’t exactly the best cook – actually, she was far from even an average cook – but in the end, the eggs were edible, which was what really mattered to her.

 

Just as she was about to grab her car keys and leave, her phone went off. Jessica was about to answer it when her eyes landed on the clock on her microwave, which read 9:54. With a yelp, she ran out of her house, locked the door behind her, and practically dove headfirst into her car.

 

Changmin – no, Jaejoong – is gonna kill me,Jessica thought with a wince as she backed out of the parking lot located next to her apartment. She hit the gas and went as fast as possible, barely noticing the dirty looks other drivers shot her. When did time start moving so fast? Jessica could’ve sworn that she had woken up exactly on time. She quickly shook off her extra thoughts and concentrated on her driving.

 

When she arrived in front of the mall at ten fifteen, Jessica’s eyebrows drew together in confusion. The entire mall parking lot was deserted. There weren’t any cars around, not even one to signify Jaejoong or Changmin’s presence. She shook her head and parked in the spot closest to the front. Jessica took a deep breath and climbed slowly out of her car. She smoothed down her skirt and rearranged the sides of her shirt nervously and took another deep breath. Then, after taking another look at the time and gasping at how late it was, Jessica took off running to the front door.

 

When she arrived in front of it and reached out to yank it open, it didn’t budge. Biting her lip in confusion, Jessica tried again. Didn’t Changmin say to meet them at ten? It’s already ten twenty and no one’s here…

 

She sighed and was about to turn back to leave when a honk sounded behind her. Jessica turned around and her eyes widened to see that it was Changmin sitting behind the wheel of a fancy red BMW. He smiled and waved cheerfully before rolling down his window and sticking his head out.

 

“Hi Jessica!” Changmin called out, waving again. He held up a cup of coffee with his other hand and took a long sip. “Beautiful morning, huh?”

 

Jessica stared at him for a moment, a bit puzzled by his friendliness, especially on a day like today, before she shook it off and nodded.  She watched as Changmin made a wide, fast turn and swung easily into the parking space directly next to her own car. As he climbed out, struggling to take out a briefcase and some sort of huge, rolled up poster, Jessica hurried forward.

 

“Let me help you grab your coffee,” she called out, reaching him and helping him balance the things he was holding. Jessica reached inside the car and neatly plucked the coffee mug from its place in the cup holder before turning back to face him with a smile of her own.

 

“Thanks,” Changmin told her with a sigh as Jessica nudged the car door closed with her elbow. “You’re a life saver, Jessica.” He chuckled and paused for a moment before adding, “Literally, a life saver.”

 

“It’s no problem,” replied Jessica with an embarrassed half-smile. It was barely true; more like Jessica had caused the things that he needed saving from. “So, why is the mall empty?” she asked, looking around the parking lot.

 

“Oh right, I’m sorry that I forgot to mention it to you,” he said. When they reached the door, Changmin balanced the poster in the crook of his elbow and fished out a key ring from the pocket of his black blazer. He was dressed in a suit, as usual. Once they were both inside, Changmin veered immediately to the right and brought the two of them through a door that said Employees Only in huge red letters.

 

“On Sunday, the mall opens at eleven, so I thought ten would be a good idea to start.” He grinned ruefully as they came to a stop in front of an elevator. “Unfortunately, I ran late. Sorry about that, by the way. I’m sure Jaejoong’s furious,” he added, giving his watch a glance.

 

“Ah…” Jessica’s eyes dimmed with worry.

 

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure that Jaejoong knows you were on time and that it was my fault you couldn’t enter,” he assured her quickly.

 

Jessica shifted her weight from foot to foot uneasily. “About that,” she said, glancing at his face with an embarrassed smile. “I actually wasn’t here on time. I arrived probably only two or three minutes before you did.”

 

Changmin stared at her for a moment, his brows furrowed, before he burst out laughing. When he finished, he took a deep breath and gave her a wink. “Jaejoong doesn’t need to know that.”

 

Jessica shook her head. “But you can’t take the blame alone.”  

 

“Don’t worry about it, we’re friends,” he reminded her. “Besides, if he is in a bad mood, you don’t want to make him angrier.” The elevator dinged as it came to a stop in front of them. As its gleaming steel doors slid open smoothly and they stepped inside together, Changmin gave her a grin. “Brace yourself, Jessica. I have a lot planned for today.”

 

--------

“All right, Jaejoong, reach out and touch Jessica’s face,” Changmin instructed from his spot next to the huge whiteboard. Written on it in black dry-erase marker were the words Couple Lessons. Written directly underneath it was Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, and Stage 4. He held a ruler in his right hand, which he used to periodically slap his other hand for emphasis and to point something out on the whiteboard.

 

The “Couple Lessons” had already been going on for over an hour and, now that it was 11:50, Jessica could add the word ‘hungry’ to her list of current moods. They had just finished Stage 1, which consisted of Changmin forcing Jessica to gaze lovingly into Jaejoong’s eyes, and then vice versa, for the past hour.  Stage 1 was supposed to teach the two of them how to look and act like a couple. By now, Jessica had perfected faking a shy, sweet smile.

 

Although she had hated every minute of it, now that they had started Stage 2, Jessica was willing to trade anything she owned to go back to Stage 1. Stage 2 was skinship and Changmin seemed all too happy to see the two of them suffer.

 

“Jaejoong,” Changmin prompted, tapping his foot impatiently. “Did you hear me?”

 

“This is ridiculous,” Jaejoong muttered under his breath. He complied, reaching out and holding a limp hand against Jessica’s cheek. She stared directly ahead, her facial features fixed in a scowl. Jessica barely even noticed the touch of his hand; all she wanted to do was go home. Jaejoong turned to shoot Changmin a glare. “Is this okay?”

 

Changmin sighed and rolled his eyes. “Please, Jaejoong, try to remember what you learned in the first lesson.” He crossed the room until he was standing directly in front of the two and reached out, adjusting their positions on the couch.

 

First he twisted Jaejoong’s head so that he was looking at Jessica instead of glaring at him. Then he took Jessica by her shoulders and leaned her body forward. Changmin arranged Jaejoong’s limp hand into one that gently cupped the side of her chin. The two of them sat there silently and accepted his modifications without comment. When Changmin leaned back, satisfied with his work, he gave them both a thumbs up.

 

“Good work, you two,” he told them, clapping his hands. Changmin walked back over to the whiteboard. “All right. Now we’re going to move on to holding hands.”

 

Jessica collapsed backwards into the couch and groaned. “Can we take a break?” she asked hopefully, giving Changmin a pleading puppy-dog face.

 

Jaejoong leaned back next to her and closed his eyes. “Let’s get lunch. I’m hungry,” he agreed. Then he opened his eyes and looked over at Jessica lazily. “Changmin and me, I mean.”

 

She would’ve snorted, but she found that she didn’t even have the energy to. Instead, Jessica settled for rolling her eyes. “Jaejoong, I don’t want to eat lunch with you. I wouldn’t go even if you paid me.”

 

“Funny, I believe I’m paying you right now to pretend to be my fiancée,” he replied, turning his head to look at her. There was a hint of grudging acceptable in his eyes now. Jessica was grateful for it, even though it was mostly because of their mutual dislike for these damn Couple Lessons.

 

“You’re lucky I agreed,” Jessica retorted, but she couldn’t stop herself from smiling slightly. Then, thinking back to what started all of their troubles, she grimaced. “Who’s the stupid reporter that wrote that article anyway? If I ever get my hands on him – “

 

“What, you’re going to try to hit him?” Jaejoong chuckled, reaching down and holding her arm up. “Your arms are toothpicks, Jessica.”

 

“So?” She stood and pulled her arm out of his grip with a scowl. “I don’t see you making any efforts to avenge this injustice.”

 

He chuckled again from his spot on the couch. “Actually, I’ve had a spot in gossip magazines for almost a whole week now. Although I initially lost a few members in my online fan café, I checked it again this morning and I’ve gained almost two thousand new members. I’d say he did me a favor,” said Jaejoong. Then he glanced at her. “Wait, nevermind, he also forced me into this contract engagement.”

 

Jessica’s jaw dropped open. “You – you – “ she spluttered. “I’m not happy about this either!”

 

“You don’t have to lie,” he replied, smirking. He stood up so that Jessica was forced to tilt her head back in order to continue glaring at him. “Of course you’re happy about this. After all, I am stunningly attractive.”

 

She stared at him, wondering if she had really just heard right.

 

“And rich,” continued Jaejoong, not seeming to notice the disbelieving expression on her face. “And tall. Not to mention honest and kind-hearted. I’m really the complete package.”

 

Jessica’s eyebrows drew together as she continued to stare at him, completely floored by how full of himself he was. “Unbelievable,” she mumbled.

 

“What, you don’t think I’m perfect?” Jaejoong asked. He leaned forward suddenly so that their faces were mere inches apart. Jessica instinctively took a step back and her eyes darted around, looking for Changmin. But he wasn’t there; Jessica and Jaejoong were alone in the room.

 

Before she could wonder where he went, Jaejoong took another step forward, effectively trapping her between his body and the wall. Just as he was about to move again, Jessica put her hands out to stop him, only to have drop open as she realized her hands were pressed against his stomach.

 

“Jaejoong,” she said through gritted teeth, not wanting to keep her hands there but unable to remove them. “I don’t understand where you’re going with this, but the size of your ego – “

 

“The size of my ego goes perfectly with how attractive I am,” he told her, leaning forward. His dark eyes smoldered as the corners of his mouth lifted in a smirk. Jaejoong suddenly burst out laughing. He brought a hand to her cheek and laughed again. “You’re blushing,” he told her, stepping away and straightening out his suit. His lips spread in a self-satisfied smile as he shrugged, nonchalantly tugging at his tie. “I’m so charming.”

 

“Unbelievable!” Jessica burst out, giving him a death glare. She could still feel the warmth in her cheeks and it only made her angrier.

 

Just as she was about to step forward, the door to Jaejoong’s office swung open and Changmin stepped inside.

 

“Hello, children,” he said cheerfully. “There wasn’t any fighting while I was gone, right?”

 

Jessica scowled. “Can I go eat lunch?”

 

“Now?” Changmin looked at her with wide eyes. “But we just got started with Stage 2! Oh yeah, that reminds me. We were on the holding hands section, right?”

 

Jaejoong and Jessica both let out a huge groan, suddenly on the same team again. Changmin rolled his eyes, stepping forward to lead the two of them back to the couches.

 

“This will be relatively painless,” he told them. “Just cooperate, and it’ll be over before you know it.”

 

“Yeah right, Stage 1 took an hour and a half,” Jaejoong muttered. Jessica nodded in silent agreement.

 

“Now, Jaejoong, take Jessica’s hand,” instructed Changmin. Jessica looked away, still miffed and embarrassed about the events that had just transpired between them, as Jaejoong slowly reached down and grabbed her hand. He shifted his feet while Jessica kept her eyes firmly on the ground.

 

It was suddenly quiet in the room; Jessica could hear the sound of Jaejoong’s secretary typing on her computer and taking calls outside. Why isn’t Changmin talking? She looked up, just to make sure that nothing had happened to him, and found him watching the two of them suspiciously.

 

“Did something happen between you two while I was gone?” he asked, raising his eyebrows. Jessica returned her eyes to the floor. When neither of them answered, Changmin continued, “You guys seem…you guys seem…hmmm, what’s the right word for it…”

 

At that, both Jaejoong and Jessica fixed him with a blank look. What is he talking about? Jessica wondered. She swore that she could practically feel Jaejoong thinking the exact same thing.

 

“You guys seem like a real couple!”  Changmin suddenly exclaimed, clapping his hands excitedly. “Have you guys finally decided to stop making my life miserable?”

 

“Uh, what?” Jessica’s stare turned into one of confusion.

 

“You two look like a high school couple!” he said, giggling like a five-year-old girl. “Really, just look at Jessica’s shy smile. And Jaejoong, you’re blushing! I’ve never seen you blush before.”

 

“Oh, good lord,” muttered Jaejoong. “I am not blushing. There must be something wrong with your eyes.”

 

“Yeah, what ‘smile’ are you talking about, Changmin?” Jessica asked, feeling more confused than ever. She hadn’t been smiling…right?

 

“You know, maybe we won’t have that hard of a time convincing those reporters that you two are engaged,” mused Changmin, ignoring their words. “At first I was really worried, but after forcing the two of you to touch each other, I think the press conference on Tuesday will go really well,” he finished, beaming at both of them.

 

Jaejoong rolled his eyes and just nodded along noncommittally, not even bothering to reason with Changmin, but Jessica felt her eyes bug out.

 

“Press conference?” she squeaked, glancing back and forth between Jaejoong and Changmin. “Tuesday?!”

 

“Yup, it’ll be the first event that you and Jaejoong will appear at as a couple!” Changmin shot her a huge, excited grin. “We also have an engagement party planned, as well as some strategically placed dates in cafés, museums, and stuff like that.”

 

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!

 

“Are – are you crazy?” Jessica blurted out before she could stop herself. She wished the floor could open up and swallow her whole. Turning to Jaejoong to clock his reaction, Jessica was shocked to see that he had a casual, almost bored expression on his face.

 

Of course he’s not shocked though, he and Changmin definitely talked about this beforehand, she thought bitterly.

 

“Crazy?” Changmin laughed. “Of course not! You’re the one who’s looking a bit pale, Jessica. Do you feel okay?” He stepped forward and held a hand to her forehead. Then he leaned back and raised an eyebrow, looking amused. “Surely you haven’t forgotten section 4, part A of the engagement contract?”

 

Jessica frowned and looked down at her shoes sadly. That damn contract. Then she remembered a bigger, more pressing concern. “Wait! Tell me about the press conference on Tuesday.” Suddenly, all of her unwillingness and annoyance were replaced by nerves and stress.

 

“Don’t worry about it, it’ll go perfectly,” assured Changmin. “After all, Jaejoong and I planned it together. What could possibly go wrong?”

 

Jessica stared at him. I guess Jaejoong’s not the only one with a prince complex…

 

“Anyway,” he continued, walking forward until he stood a few feet away from them. “Jaejoong will do all the talking, so don’t even think about that part. The most you’ll need to say is probably…one sentence? Two? Maybe three or four.”

 

That doesn’t make anything better! Jessica wailed in her mind. “So…what else do we need to do?” With a bit of dread, she added, “Hold hands?”

 

“Well,” started Changmin, looking deep in thought. “We don’t want to overdo the skinship, of course. That will make you guys look too…cheesy and over-the-top. Although there will be a section of the press conference that will be specifically about your relationship with Jaejoong, so, yes, there will need to be a bit of skinship there.”

 

Jaejoong held up his right hand. “Enough, enough, all this talk about it is giving me a headache. Jessica, I’ll be picking you up at around three on Tuesday, all right? The press conference is scheduled to start at five and we’ll go over everything then.”

 

She nodded numbly in reply. Changmin walked over to Jaejoong’s desk. There was the sound of shuffling papers and soon he was back in front of them with two blank sheets of paper and two pens.

 

“Well, good thing that’s settled,” Changmin said cheerfully. “Ready for Stage 3?” 

 

 

 

A/N: hi guys! :) i JUST got my wisdom teeth pulled out earlier today, so i'm hoping to take advantage of it and the weekend to write as much as i can. thanks everybody for subscribing and leaving me lovely comments, they always make my day :)