If It Hurts This Much (Chaelisa)

Chapter 11

"Miyeon's back."

The words are still lingering in the forefront of her mind, mocking her and clenching her heart. It's been four days since Chaeyoung left, four days since her best friend smiled weakly, wiped away the stray tear from the skin of her left cheek and made up an excuse that she had to be somewhere with Jisoo. Lisa knew better though, little did Chaeyoung know she'd just seen the short brunette – but it wasn't like she was in the position to say anything.

Miyeon had talked at her for about three hours straight, telling Lisa about her trip and how Beijing is 'amazing with all its skyscrapers and buzzing atmosphere'. Personally, Lisa's never seen the attraction to walk around in a place full of strangers that practically breathe in your own personal oxygen. Chaeyoung once said it was ridiculous of her to think that, considering she lived in one of the busiest cities in the entire world, but hey, she's just like that. So instead of listening, she zoned out about two words into the 'epic trip of a lifetime' as Miyeon had called it.

But the one thing that had caught Lisa's attention was the way Miyeon avoided the reason for coming back early. Wasn't she supposed to have gone for a week?

"Hey, Miyeon?" Lisa asks, kicking her feet up onto the coffee table as she flicks through the TV channels, "Why did you come back early?"

Miyeon stills, pausing as she pours a cup of coffee. "They didn't, um, need me anymore."

"They didn't need you anymore?"

Feet pad along the floor and next thing she knows, Miyeon's sitting next to her, legs swung over her lap as she blows the steam off her coffee. "Nope, hey, did you want a cup?"

Lisa shakes her head; it would've been nice to have been offered a cup when Miyeon was up, but hey, that would just be selfish, wouldn't it? "Nah, I'm good."

She finds Desperate Housewives on TV, one of the few episodes she hasn't seen and chucks the remote onto the coffee table. Something interesting happens on screen, like a murder or the very likely event of a plane crashing into Wisteria Lane, but she doesn't focus as her mind wanders. It's like when Miyeon went away, something happened inside of Lisa and despite it not even being two weeks since their wedding, she doesn't feel that buzz anymore. That buzz she always used to get when she saw Miyeon smile, or laugh, or brush a piece of hair behind her ear, the one that made her stomach flip and heart spin.

But now?

Nothing.

Now the once adorable actions like twiddling the hem of her t-shirt between her fingers, or the way Miyeon calls Lisa babe, now does Lisa's head in. It's like signing that marriage certificate has flipped a switch and now turned everything she once found endearing and adorable about her wife into irritating habits. Not to mention Miyeon's crude comments and suggestive innuendo's that make her sound like she's been hanging around Taeyong too often. Those qualities inside a man are incredibly unattractive, Lisa assumes, but at least they can put it down to their constant libido and sexual cravings. In a woman it just makes her look desperate and up for anything.

"Babe?" There it is. That damn nickname that gives Lisa the irrational urge to make a fist-shaped hole in the Styrofoam wall behind the headboard of the bed. "Why was Chaeyoung here? When I came back?"

Lisa freezes, she was kind of hoping Miyeon wouldn't bring Chaeyoung up. "Uh, her family couldn't come back from Australia. Seojoon’s ill. I already told you this." Her tone drops as guilt fills her chest, she's the worst best friend ever.

"Who's Seojoon?" Miyeon half-scoffs, sipping loudly on her coffee and swallowing it with an equal volume. Oh God, another annoying habit to put on the list.