Once In A Lifetime - Landon Austin

“There they go again.”

“Must be stressful.” Chaeyoung notes from across her, taking a long sip of tea. Her eyes linger curiously at Nayeon and Jeongyeon bickering on the other side of the street. They’re standing outside of a flower shop- no doubt trying to agree on a color palette for their wedding that’s happening in six months.

Jennie tilts her head. “Weddings, huh?”

“Weddings.” Chaeyoung affirms simply, picking at some nonexistent piece of dust on her saucer.

Jennie doesn’t take her eyes off the other. “Imagine how nice our tax deductions would be if we got married.”

“Tax deductions? I’d have to marry you first.” Chaeyoung snorts at the dry joke.

“Would you ever consider it?”

“What?”

“Marrying me.” Jennie says like it’s the most normal thing in the world.

Chaeyoung finally looks at her, eyes blinking much too rapidly to be considered normal. It makes Jennie smile a little.

“Wh-What??”

“You heard me.”

“Marry you?!?”

Jennie tilts her head curiously. “Would it really be the worst thing?” She asks, somewhat amused at Chaeyoung’s uncharacteristic flusteredness.

Chaeyoung looks like she’s at a loss for words. “That- that’s not the problem-“

“So what is the problem?”

“It’s just- I just- you? Me? Together?”

Jennie leans across the table, one hand resting under her chin. “You don’t like it?”

Chaeyoung preserves enough composure in her social tank to at least roll her eyes at Jennie. “Well I wouldn’t be dating you if that were the case. I just- marriage?!”

“Marriage.” Jennie affirms simply. She stares at Chaeyoung amusedly.

Chaeyoung makes a poor attempt to hide her flushed cheeks behind her teacup. “You- you’ve never said anything about it before.”

“There’s a first for everything, isn’t there?”

“Fair.” Chaeyoung reluctantly acknowledges. “I don’t know what you want me to say though-“

“I’m not asking you to marry me right now or anything.” Jennie cuts in, leaning forward. “I’m just saying- if you actually agreed to marry me one day, I’d make sure it was the bombest wedding you’ve ever been to in your life.”

Chaeyoung blinks as she tries to process Jennie’s words. “The bombest wedding I’ve ever been to in my life- oh, you mean including the ones I’ve been invited to?”

“Yeah, of course. I mean, how many of your own weddings are you gonna have?”

Chaeyoung scowls darkly as she vengefully swipes the last piece of Jennie’s pastry from their shared plate. “Shut up. It’s your own fault for not being precise with your wording.”

“Whatever. You know what I meant.”

“Well now I do.”

Their heads turn back to the flower shop across the street, where Nayeon and Jeongyeon have reentered the shop. Jennie chuckles lightly as she notes Chaeyoung’s fondly exasperated expression at their mutual friends, and she turns her attention back to the tall blonde sitting across from her.

“So, weddings?”

It’s too early for anything so serious, but it just might be the one thing that Chaeyoung can already wrap her mind around in terms of forever.

“Weddings.”