Today I Met The Girl I'm Going To M... - Chapter 68: Chapter 68

I take the beer that Jennie hands me, but I'm still suspicious.
I eye her and Hanbin very carefully for any sort of clue as to what they are up to.
They're both giving acting normally but I know it's just a cover.
A set up.
A ruse even!
Perhaps I should stop watching so many cop shows because my paranoia is reaching levels even I didn't know it could reach.
"I can't believe you're engaged," Hanbin says to Jennie after he's checked the food to make sure it's not burning.
Jennie smiles that thousand watt smile of hers.
And yes there's a nose crinkle.
I don't really get the big deal about her nose crinkle but Jisoo says it's truly special.
Whatever.
Gay boy and nose crinkle girl better watching out if they think they're going to double cross me. I was, and am, very supportive of both their relationships so I expect them to return the favor.
"Me either," Jennie replies and she's still beaming. "Bring on that ball and chain because I'm so ready for it."
Hanbin scrunches his face up like he's just smelt something weird. "Gross! I don't want to hear about the kinky things you and the misses engage do behind closed doors."
Aw Hanbin!
I don't want to be picturing stuff like that.
Don't get me wrong, Jisoo and Jennie are both hot, but Jisoo is like my sister so that's just plain nasty.
Jennie rolls her eyes before giving Hanbin a shot in the arm. "Bobby is rubbing off on you." He is about to say something in return but he's cut off. "And I swear to god if you make some kind of sexual joke right now, you're dead meat."
Speaking of dead meat, I hope dinner is ready soon.
What?
I know it seems like I should be a vegan or something along those lines seeing as I live in L.A. and work closely with some of today's top celebrities, but I'm not.
Sue me.
"I was bawling when Jisoo proposed," Hanbin confesses with a dreamy look on his face. "It was so romantic."
Ok, I'll give him that.
If a girl went all out for me like Jisoo did for Jennie, I would feel pretty damn special.
"It was," Jennie replies and the expression on her face is also of the dreamy variety. "I really lucked out with Jisoo, she's one of a kind."
Barf alert!
No, no, I'm just teasing. She can gush all she wants about her girl because they just got engaged and I have a sneaky suspicion I might have developed a small mushy side myself.
It's so tiny though you can hardly tell it's there.
"You're awfully quiet," Jennie observes while looking at me.
I glance back to see if Lisa might be headed my way and I'm disappointed when there's no sign of her. "Just thinking," I reply.
Thinking of all the things I'm going to do in the name of payback if my girl is being told embarrassing stories where I'm the star.
Jennie is unfazed by my odd behavior and that makes me even more suspicious.
"Lisa seems nice," Hanbin says.
"She is," I agree. "I'm not going to argue with you on that point."
Jennie takes a big sip of her drink as she makes some kind of gesture to Hanbin. "Tell us how you two met."
Hanbin gets a case of the "shifty eyes" and that's when it hits me.
Paula, Bobby and Jisoo are all in the house.
And so is Lisa.
Meanwhile, I'm out back with Jennie and Hanbin.
I smell a rat!
I jump to my feet so I can get to my girl.
I don't even want to venture a guess as to what those three are doing or saying right now.
"Shit, she's onto us," Jennie tells Hanbin.
"Oh no," Hanbin squeals. "We have to do something."
Are those two for real?
I'm standing right here.
Wait.
They're coming closer to me.
I have to act fast because I may only have precious seconds to save my love.
Ok, I definitely need to stop watching cop shows.
I take off before they can devise a plan to stop my rescue mission.
I get into the house with no problem whatsoever. I'm tempted to shout out Lisa's name to let her know I'm on my way but just in case my imagination is running wild, I don't.
My feet can't seem to move fast enough.
My heart is racing like mad.
I hope that I'm overreacting.
I really, really, really do.
This is one time that I wouldn't mind being wrong.
Just as I get to the entrance of the kitchen I feel a strong pair of arms snag me from behind.
Oh no!
I've been captured by the enemy.
Gah!
I spot Lisa sitting on a stool and I'm sure if I call out her name she'll get the hint and flee.
I open my mouth but I'm not quick enough because a hand covers it before I can utter any type of warning.
Fuck!
I'm now officially a prisoner of war.
Or on my way to crazy town.
I can't be sure yet.
"Nice try, Rosé," Jennie whispers in my ear.
She's not the one holding me though.
I'm being restrained by Hanbin's muscular arms that Bobby loves so much.
I know!
They gross me out too.
I fight valiantly to get out of his grasp, but I'm not strong enough.
I shouldn't have cancelled my gym membership or I wouldn't be in this mess.
"You're not going to interrupt what's about to happen," Hanbin informs me as he keeps me in place. "There's no way we're going to let you."
What in tarnation is he blabbering about?
"We had to go through this." Jennie keeps her voice low so our presence is not detected. "And so does Lisa."
My eyes go wide as I accept defeat.
I mentally wave a white flag and the only thing I can do is watch, as my girlfriend is put to the test.
I'm confident she'll pass.
For the most part.
Paula, Bobby and Jisoo all have their arms folded across their bodies in what I'm guessing is supposed to be an intimidating pose. Bobby is flagging Paula's right and my ex-friend Jisoo is flagging her left.
You'd think after everything I did to help her and Jennie get together, I'd get a little bit more gratitude shown to me. It's not like those two were the easiest to help out either. They really did do everything possible not to be a couple.
Ok, ok, I might be exaggerating just a smidgen, but I feel I'm justified because of how everyone has plotted against me.
Lisa doesn't seem fazed in the slightest. She even has a smile on her face, which is a miracle because if I was her, I'd be terrified of the psycho people about to give me the third degree.
Paula takes a step forward and it's clear she's in command. "So, Lisa..."
"If that is your real name," Jisoo butts in.
Oh god!
This is so embarrassing.
"Yeah!" Bobby adds for no reason whatsoever.
So fucking embarrassing.
I can't believe Paula is the one leading this whacked out-, actually I don't even know what I should be naming what I'm being forced to witness.
This is insane.
They're insane.
Each and every one of them.
Lisa keeps smiling like she's amused.
She is one brave woman.
Or they've drugged her with something to keep her happy.
What?
It's possible.
Paula places both her hands on the counter as she leans forward. "Why exactly are you smiling?" She doesn't wait for Lisa to give her an answer. "I don't see how this is a funny situation at all."
"Yeah!" Bobby pumps his fist in the air and I want to die.
"Are you smiling because you plan on breaking Rosé's heart and you're getting your kicks out of fooling everyone?" Jisoo asks as she snarls.
Jesus!
I knew the Kims were a little bit out there but I didn't realize just how off their rocker they actually are, until now.
"We don't take too kindly to anyone hurting a member of this family," Paula informs Lisa.
Aw!
That's sort of sweet.
In a crazy, out of their mind kind of way.
"Yeah!" Bobby chimes in and I'm beginning to wonder if that boy has been spending too much time out in the sun.
"We know people," Jisoo warns Lisa. "And all it will take is one call from me for them to take care of any sort of problems we might have."
Oh my god!
I'm going to kill her.
Seriously.
She's going to get it so bad when I'm not being held against my will.
Paula pats her daughter's shoulder. "Easy, Jisoo, there's no need to get so carried away."
Ha!
Like she's one to talk.
"Sorry, mom, but I don't want anyone thinking they can hurt Rosé," Jisoo replies as she keeps her eyes trained on my girlfriend.
"Can I say something?" Lisa asks.
I take it back, she's not brave, she's also lost her marbles.
This isn't going to go over well.
That I'm certain off.
"Go on, spit it out," Paula hisses.
"When I met Rosé, I was skeptical about entering a relationship because my last one ended very badly," Lisa starts.
Whoa.
I'm in shock that she's bringing her ex up.
Even if she's not going into specifics.
It took a month of us being together before she revealed all the details of their split to me. It was probably one of the hardest conversations I've ever had because of what I learned that night.
Let's just say her ex had a violent streak that she took out on Lisa.
Yeah, that was my reaction too.
I couldn't and still can't understand how anybody could harm and cause pain to somebody as amazing as her. I was literally sick to my stomach after she told me about all the things she had gone through.
It was not a good situation that she lived in, to put it mildly.
By the end of her tale I was in tears.
She didn't cry though.
Her composure allowed me to not freak out.
I wanted to.
So badly.
I felt a rage inside me that I can't really describe or put into words. I was already head over heals for Lisa at that point. I fell for her hard and very fast. An overwhelming need to protect her came over me and I wanted to find her ex and teach her a lesson she would never forget.
But when I looked into Lisa's kind eyes all my rage vanished.
It was clear to me that violence of any kind would not sit well with her. She told me that she had dealt with her past and she wanted it to stay there. It took a lot of hard work by her to let go of that part of her life.
She learned from her mistake of staying with her ex and she would never let herself be put in that situation again.
Lisa explained that she didn't want my pity or for me to look at her differently. She went on to tell me how she felt completely safe in my presence and that I was the first person she'd been with, since her ex, that she felt comfortable around.
I wanted to feel happy.
I wanted to feel honored that she trusted me.
I wanted to feel good about the kind of foundation we were building, but I couldn't.
I couldn't because it didn't seem fair that she had to live through that kind of thing. I realize now that I was just struggling to reconcile the person she was with the person she is today.
It took a couple of days for things to return to normal between us.
But now when I look at her, I don't see a victim.
I see a survivor.
She is so incredibly strong. Probably one of the strongest people I've ever met.
I feel grateful that she's in my life more than I can properly explain. She shows me in a variety of ways what an inspirational person she is.
I am in awe of Lisa a lot.
She has changed her life around from where it was about a year ago. A lot of people don't get out and she did. A lot of people would retreat inside themselves but she's a very open person.
Maybe that's why she's not panicking in this situation.
Despite the Kims' wacky side, it's easy to see and feel how genuinely nice and kind they are. I remember my first time coming over for dinner and I remember being welcomed with open arms.
Literally.
Paula and Arthur both hugged me goodbye that night and it was so strange because my parents weren't very affectionate with me growing up. I've been lucky to have two role models in my adult life to teach me how to treat someone you care about.
I'm not saying I was horrible or anything before I had the Kims in my life but I was much more guarded and they changed that about me.
I might protest in my head when they do something crazy but I know they love me like one of their own, just like I love each and every one of them.
Yes, even Bobby.
"But right away I could tell there was something different about her." Lisa continues and she has all of our attention.
I'm still wondering where she's going with all of this.
"She's always treated me so well." I feel my heart expanding. "With respect, with kindness and with a lot of love."
Dang.
How am I supposed to be mad at anyone when Lisa is talking about me like that?
My face is turning red.
And a lump might be forming in my throat.
I venture a look at the three stooges in the kitchen with Lisa. They are listening intently to what my girlfriend has to say and I think she's getting to them.
"Rosé is a very special person and I'm so grateful she's in my life." Lisa sits up straighter and her composure is still in tact. "More than you'll probably ever know."
Being with Lisa has been a lot easier than I thought it would.
That's not to say we don't have issues or arguments but nothing has ever threatened to tear us apart. I'm more myself with her than I've been with any of my past girlfriends.
She doesn't judge my past and I don't judge hers.
The only thing I do is love her, fully and with my whole heart.
I lied to Jisoo yesterday.
I don't think Lisa might be "the one"; I know she is.
I'm just not ready to verbalize that thought.
I will be soon.
But there's no rush and neither one of us feel pressured in the slightest to take any next steps in our relationship. We've been together for three months and we're progressing quite nicely.
"You guys are so important to her and I know that she wants all of you to approve of me." Lisa has such a sweet smile on her face as she speaks. "So, if you need to interrogate me or do anything else to ensure I'm good enough for Rosé, then let's do it."
I feel Hanbin relax his hold around my body and Jennie's hand isn't on my mouth anymore.
I do believe Lisa just accomplished the impossible.
She's rendered Paula, Bobby and Jisoo speechless.
It's a miracle!
"It's ok, I can take it," she assures her captors. "I love Rosé very much and she means the world to me." She keeps going because nobody else is talking. "And I think it says a lot about her that there are so many of you who want to make sure she doesn't end up heartbroken."
I think I see Paula's eyes mist over.
Yeah, she's a really softy.
"I'm going to try my hardest to never do anything to hurt Rosé," Lisa pledges.
And then there's silence.
A long silence.
A very long silence that scares me.
I hope nobody thinks Lisa went...
"Oh my god!" Bobby girlishly squeals. "You are just the most precious thing ever!" He yanks Lisa out of her chair to give her a big old hug.
"Thanks," Lisa replies as Bobby squeezes the life out of her. She starts laughing at Bobby, like most people do and I love her so much right now.
Maybe more than I normally do.
She's faced this bizarre situation and these bizarre people so wonderfully and so honestly.
Have I mentioned how I think she's amazing?
Yeah.
Well, she is.
"Bobby, put her down," Paula orders as she shakes her head. After he does, she puts one hand on Lisa's shoulder. "I'm really sorry if we made you uncomfortable."
A little too late don't you think?
Jisoo looks very sheepish and she should.
I would never have agreed to this kind of lunacy when she first started dating Jennie.
Ok, that's not completely true.
There was this one time...
I'm brought back to the present when I hear my best friend's voice. She may tick me off occasionally but she's still my best friend. Unless she has any other tricks up her sleeve. "I'm sorry too," Jisoo says and I can tell she's being very sincere.
Lisa shakes her head. "Don't be. Honestly, I'm fine."
Could she be any more awesome?
"We should probably head back outside before they notice we're here," I whisper to Hanbin and Jennie.
There's no need to make our presence known, and it's clear that Lisa can take care of herself.
Both of them nod in agreement and we're able to slip outside without any one of them realizing we witnessed what went on.
Whatever happens next I'm not worried.
At all.
I think it's safe to say that Lisa has made a great impression on everybody.
But not as great an impression as she's made on me.
Not even close.