Chapter 38

Lisa's POV

I entered the automatic glass doors of the hotel with only a large bag hanging over my shoulder. I walked up to the receptionist's table and flashed her a smile.

"I need the room number of Jennie Kim?" I courteously requested in English. "I believe she's booked for one more night."

The receptionist scrolled through her list on her laptop and then glanced back up at me. "We're not allowed to give out room numbers here, Maam. It's part of our strict policy. You could call her to ask for the room number instead, and then we'll let you go up."

"Oh," I sighed in disappointment. "You see, I came here to surprise her. She doesn't know I'm here so I'm really hoping you could help me out."

"Well, if you were only planning to see her, then I can tell you that she went to the hotel bar along with some friends. A table was reserved for them a couple of hours ago. Take the elevator to the terrace on the third floor, and then turn left," she said.

"Great!" I snapped my fingers in excitement. "Thank you so much. You're a lifesaver."

I followed the directions she gave me and found myself in a beautiful terrace overlooking the Central Park. There seemed to be a party in every corner of New York City, especially in this hotel. I could hear music and people talking coming from the bar that I was about to enter.

Oh crap. I should have bought flowers on the way here!

I mentally slapped myself for being an idiot.I was so excited that i didn't notice i came empty handed.

Well, nevermind. I hope my presence will be enough for her now. I can just make up for the lack of romance tomorrow and im sure she'll be happy to know my face blindness is gone.

As I walked inside the bar, I eventually spotted Seulgi sitting by the counter with Irene and Taemin. Where was Jennie?

My eyes went to the corner near where they were seated, immediately spotting her talking to some dark haired man. Maybe this was their friend who had an exhibit last night?

I placed my bag one of the tables and observed the situation.

I didn't really like the way he was looking at her, so before anything else could happen, I quickly rushed up to her side and surprised her by pulling her from behind. I covered her eyes with one hand and whispered in her ear.

"Guess who?"

***

Jennie's POV

The moment I felt Lisa's arm around my waist and her warm breath against my skin as she whispered to my ear, I already sensed the inevitable warfare that was waiting to happen.

I wanted to hug and kiss her and say that I was delighted to see her. It could have been one of those romantic stories that I would tell to my grandchildren, "One cold night in New York, she decided to surprise me all the way from Thailand."

But no. That wasn't the case right now.

After seeing the look in Kai's eyes, my first instinct was to push Lisa away from him. What on earth was she doing here? Oh fuck. I should have told Lisa about Kai earlier, but right now it's too late for regrets.

I turned around to face Lisa, nervously licking my lips as I managed to utter the words out. "Lisa, we have to go. We can talk outside."

She gave me a confused stare. "What's going on? I came here to surprise you."

"So was I right all along??" Kai vulgarly interjected. His eyebrows furrowed, clearly frustrated about the current situation. "You've been cheating on me the entire time we were in a relationship, weren't you Jennie?"

"You have a boyfriend??" Lisa gasped as she shot Kai a glare. The look on her face was enough to kill me right then and there. What have I caused?

"I had a boyfriend," I corrected, standing straight between the two. "We're no longer together."

Taemin got up from his seat and tried to pull Kai away but he was being quite tough. "I need to know what kind of trick you're playing here, Jennie." Kai snarled.

"Hey, Jennie never cheated on you," Seulgi interfered. Her body was still wobbly as she made her way towards us, the alcohol being very present in her state. "We didn't meet Lisa until months after you left."

"Stay out of this Seul.." Kai warned him.

Irene jumped out of the bar stool and held on to Seulgi's arm in defense.

I felt Lisa tugging my arm. "Whatever we need to talk about, I'm sure we can discuss here." She sounded very stern, quite the opposite her usual cheerful self.

I was starting to panic.

"Yeah, why don't we all discuss it right now? There's nothing to hide right?" Kai slightly nudged me to the side and stood in front of Lisa. "Do you know who I am? Do you know what you've caused?"

"Kai, it's not even her fault!" I snap at him. "It was my fault, okay? Blame me for it! Yell at me all you want but don't you dare blame her for this!!"

I felt Kai's tight grip on my arm. "What is it about this girl that makes you turn your back against everything else?"

Then that was it. Lisa was already fuming.

"Let go of her," She commanded, her face only a few inches away from Kai's.

"What are you going to do?" Kai shot back. "Take her away from me again?"

"She's already mine," Lisa glared at him. I could see her jaw clenching as she tried to contain his rage.

If the situation weren't as heavy as it is now, my heart would've fluttered upon hearing her say that I was hers. But now wasn't the time to pay attention to the butterflies I was feeling in my stomach. These two could kill each other if I didn't do anything about it right this second.

Taemin placed his arm around Kai's shoulder, attempting to pull him back once again. "Bro, I don't think we should discuss this here. We can go upstairs and have a proper talk."

"Oh no, absolutely not Taemin," Kai pushed Taemin' hand off his shoulder. "We can talk about it here, so everyone can here how this son of a bitch ruined our lives. My life."

"How is your life even ruined?" I retorted. "Look at your life now! You're practically king! You talk like you're royalty, you've got all the money in the world; everybody in New York knows who you are. Maybe this was meant to happen because you deserve a lot of better things in this world, but unfortunately, I'm not one of those. We weren't meant to be together, that's the truth that you should accept right now."

"That's because you were my life, Jennie!" Kai shouted. "You were my life until this fucking bastard took your heart away from me!"

"That's not even true," I strongly disagreed. "I always came second to your career. We wouldn't even have met if it weren't for your love for art. It was always your number one priority and don't you even dare deny that."

"Right, so you decide to turn to this home-wrecker right here!" Kai growled, pointing his finger towards Lisa.

Lisa shook her head and snickered sarcastically, "You better watch your mouth, mister! All I know is that I met Jennie when I needed her the most. I know for a fact that I did not steal her from anyone. I don't even fucking know who you are."

Kai gritted her teeth and sneered at her. "Well, I know who you are and I don't like you very much." Before Lisa could even react, Kai swung his fist against Lisa's jaw with full force, causing her to fall back against the wall in pain.

"Lisa!" I shrieked.

Seulgi, Taemin, and Irene all came to the rescue, forcibly pulling Kai out of the bar before Lisa could even hit back in defense.

"Take your fucking hands off me!" I heard him yell, but I didn't really care anymore. I knelt by Lisa's side and softly touched her jaw.

"Baby, I'm so sorry..." I cried. "I can explain everything, please just come up with me and we can talk about this."

She just looked at me with a mix of pain and puzzlement in her eyes. I thought she was going to decline, but she eventually got up and allowed me to lead her to our room.

***

Lisa's POV

"Ouch!" I flinch as Jennie gently dabbed the icepack on my jaw. I was sitting on the edge of the hotel bed while Jennie stood in between my legs.

"I'm sorry," she sighs deeply. There was a great amount of concern written all over her face. I wish I didn't have to feel so lost right now, then maybe she'd feel less stressed.

"For what? Hurting my bruise or not telling me about your ex-boyfriend?" I calmly retorted while raising one brow. It was the only thing I could think of saying after getting hit by some guy who happened to be her ex-boyfriend.

She sighs again in defeat, resting her hand on my shoulders. She looked like she had no idea where to begin. I wasn't planning on yelling at her or forcing her to talk. I was just waiting for an explanation.

"Kai and I broke up three months ago," she finally spoke. "We haven't really spoken nor seen each other until last night at the exhibit."

So he was Kim jongin. I was able to take a good look at the invitation before I found out that I wasn't going to be able to attend the exhibit.

I still felt confused somehow. "What is he so mad at me for? How does he even know me? I am quite certain that he is not a familiar face."

"Look, Lisa, there is one detail that I purposely did not include when I told you about my dreams," she began, nervously tracing her finger along my jawline. It felt comforting, I have to admit. "Not because I wanted to keep it from you forever. I was going to tell you, it's just that I really didn't know how."

"What is it?"

She steps out of the little space she had in between my legs and distanced herself from me for a while. She paces back and forth, glancing at me from time to time.

I slouch my shoulders and sigh. "Jennie, do you seriously think I won't believe whatever you're going to tell me? I believed that we've already met in our dreams. I doubt anything will shock me at this point."

"Unless you say you're a time traveller," I add. "Not sure if I'd believe that one."

"I'm not a time traveller but I don't really know which one is crazier," she responds with a cute smile. I must have made her laugh a bit right there without even trying. "You see, when we were together in my dreams, I was still with Kai. We shared the apartment I have in Busan"

"Was that why he was accusing you of cheating on him?" I ask.

Jennie nods, finally staying in one position all the way at the end of the room. "I didn't really know that he knew about you until I found out that he was dreaming about us too. I know I was a horrible girlfriend. I didn't tell him that I was in love with someone in my dreams. I mean, how could I?"

"Just like how I was having the same dreams, right?"

"Exactly," she replies. She still looked apprehensive even after telling me about him. Her eyes kept looking around the room as her fingers fiddled with the ends of her dress.

"Is there anything else?" I ask her.

She buries her face in her hands. "He hates you so much," she blurted out.

"Now I'm not surprised he threw a punch at me," I breathed, finally connecting all the dots in my head. "He's got killer tendencies."

"No, not really!" she says in his defense. "He was just really hurt. I mean, I did fall in love with someone else. It was like cheating, in a way...I g-guess..."

She sinks down to the floor and lets out a sigh. She folds her knees and rests her chin on top. "He's not like that," she stammers. "At least I know he wasn't like that. He has changed a lot."

I get up from the bed and sit on the floor facing her. "You don't have feelings for him anymore, right Jennie?"

"I don't," she shook her head. "But of course I've known him for years, and I still care about him, I think."

When I didn't say anything, she reaches out for my hand and asks, "Are you upset?"

"I don't really know exactly what I'm feeling right now," I admit, taking her hand in mine. "You were really willing to take me with you to his exhibit?"

She shrugs, moving closer to lean on my shoulder. It felt nice, despite the current situation. "I just really wanted to go on an adventure with you. I wasn't thinking clearly. Taemin and Seulgi told me that it might be a bad idea since Kai doesn't really know that you're real, so that's why I didn't force you to come anymore when you told me that you had to visit your nan."

Jennie looks up at me and tilts my chin to face her. "I'm sorry," she softly cries. "I'm really sorry for not telling you everything right away. This was all my fault. You came here to surprise me, which I am absolutely grateful for... I just... wow I'm officially the worst human being – "

I cut her off my kissing her lips. It was a mild and soft kiss. It was beautiful, just like her. "It's okay, Jennie. I don't hate you or anything," I say. "Getting punched in the face isn't exactly the best way to be welcomed after surprising you here in New York, but again, it's okay. I don't regret coming here to see you."

She looked dumbfounded as she stared at me. "Are you even real?" she says.

"I am now," I grin. It was supposed to be a pun, but she wasn't really laughing. She looked rather amused.

"Why are you so kind? And understanding?" she mused. She gazed at me like as if I was some character that she was trying to figure out. Maybe I was. After all, it's only been more than a week. But despite that, I've never felt this open to anyone until she came.

I smile, slowly guiding her body towards my lap, allowing her head to rest on it. "I'm no angel. I'm not perfect either. Most certainly not a saint, that's for sure. But I know a diamond when I see it because it stands out among all the rocks and stones surrounding it. You, my love, are the most precious and most probably the only piece of diamond I've laid my eyes on."

She draws a breath as she gazed into my eyes. She looked like she was about to cry.

"And once I lay my eyes on a diamond, I know it's not possible to let go," I finish, bending down to kiss her lips again.