"Sorry, traffic was uncooperative." Lisa said whilst giving Nayeon a brief hug.

The bunny teeth lass shakes her head in understanding, she had only been waiting for about twenty minutes anyway. "Totally fine." She then stares at Lisa up and down for a quick minute before grinning.

"You were like nowhere from the woman I saw on the stage couple of hours ago."

Lisa finally takes a sit across Nayeon's. "You expected me to wear that outfit coming here?"

Nayeon wiggles her eyebrows, automatically receiving a disgusted facial expression from Lisa. It resulted to a laughing fit for the both of them though.

"Have you ordered?"

"Not yet, was waiting for you." Nayeon replies.

Lisa raises a hand to attract servers. "Then let's order."

 

Lisa and Nayeon had been on casual video calls for the past two weeks as per Nayeon's request. Apparently, the woman can no longer wait until they see each other physically the day after their first call. Other than that, Jennie had been telling her that Lisa was nowhere near how she looked like back then. Well, considering they were toddlers way back, of course puberty is inevitable however Jennie's way of describing Lisa made Nayeon so so damn curious.

As soon as Lisa's face appeared on the screen that one afternoon, Nayeon had to agree that Lisa had indeed changed a lot. Just two years of no contact, Lisa's puberty hit her to the right places more than as it should be — whatever that it should be is. Her fluffy cheeks are somewhat still there but her facial structure had developed so well.

Two years ago, Nayeon was still towering Lisa but two years after, there's no signs of that at all. Lisa's height used be around the mid-section of her face but now she's just right under Lisa's chin.

All in all, Lisa had truly become a beautiful, charismatic and stunning woman — nowhere near that snotty kid back when Lisa just turned eleven that Nayeon used to giggle at.


 

"Are you staying for good?" Lisa asks, she just finished her main dish and now slowly devouring her dark chocolate mousse cake.

Nayeon takes a sip from her juice before she replies. "Unfortunately, no. I have good college offers back in Auckland and it's too good to say no."

"Good for you. Are you still going to pursue law?"

Nayeon's eyes suddenly lit up and Lisa had to smile. It's always been Nayeon's dream to be able to practice law. "Uh huh, and I passed."

"Oh my God! Congratulations! Why didn't you tell me? We could've celebrated more than just this!"

Nayeon shakes her head while smiling. "It's just an entrance exam, no big of a deal. I'd take that celebration when I pass the bar though."

Both of them grin. "Oh sure you could!"

"By the way." Nayeon places her glass back down. "How's Aunt Faith?"

Lisa smiles, a smile that Nayeon had grown to love ever since they became friends. A smile full of affection, trust and loyalty that is only visible when the topic is about Faith. "She's good. Just having fun and enjoying her retirement in her hometown."

"Have you visited her?"

"Not yet but I plan to during the fall break."

"Ah, I wish I could see her before I fly out next week. I miss her apple pies."

"I could give her a call if you want to though. You can just ask around, their family is pretty well known there."

"She's a Lee so I am not surprised."

"True so would you want to?"

Nayeon takes a bite from her cake. "I'll think about it. I might be busy this week before the flight. Too many family reunion as if we did not see each other for decades when it had been just a year."

Lisa laughs. "You're lucky you're not part of a Southeast Asian family or else you'd be stuck in family reunions and outings every chance they get."

Nayeon snorts. "Reminded me the first time I saw how your pops and nana hugged you when we were little. I was convinced you'd never seen each other for years only to find out it was just a week."

Lisa laughs again. "True. I miss them, they were the only ones that made me feel like I'm a family." The longing in Lisa's eyes is still very much evident even after years.
 

Her grandmother passed away when she was 11 and her grandfather followed two years after. It was trauma after trauma in her early teenage years and it broke her because those two are the only grandparents she got. Her father's parents had both long gone even before she was born.

Others would've turned rebel at some point when happens to your life almost simultaneously but with the guidance of Faith and her promise to her grandparents that she would never do anything that will make her regret later in life, Lisa strived to become a better human.

 

"You have any clue about your parents though?"

The affection and longing in Lisa's eyes are gone right in an in