L
My phone ringing on the table next to my bed pulled me from the best sleep I had in years. Jennie was draped around me, our legs intertwined like vines. Rolling her with me, in an attempt not to wake her, I reached for the phone.
"Yeah?" I answered.
"It's Seokmin." I blinked my eyes open, trying to focus an wake up enough to understand what he was going to say. "Church in an hour. Make sure everyone is up."
"Yeah, copy that."
J
I was picking at my breakfast, trying to eat, but I couldn't focus on the food. I was hungry. But that wasn't anything new. Taehyung didn't starve me or punish me by denying me food, but it also wasn't like I was consistently allowed three meals and snacks a day. There was too much mind to focus on eating. At least the kids were eating well.
When the front door opened, my eyes snapped up, seeing Marie and Megan walk in. My heart softened immediately. They'd been my best friends. They raced to the booth. Lisa moved quickly, letting me out without me having to ask. She always knew what I wanted and needed before I asked for it. Arms were thrown around me, and excited greetings. We were all talking over each other, hugging, and I was crying.
Marie pointed out her kids, but there was no way I was going to remember their names on the first pass. Five kids? Wow.
I could feel Lisa's eyes on me, and when I turned to look at her, she was staring at me, head tilted to the side. She had a look in her eyes. I couldn't figure out what it meant.
"I gotta go to church," she said, grabbing me and dragging our bodies close together.
"We'll take care of her," Marie promised her. "Get her some clothes and make sure the kids settle in okay."
"Thank you." She said the words with so much sincerity my heart clenched.
"Thank you," I murmured, eyes cast down.
"I'll come find you as soon as church is done."
"Okay." She looked like she wanted to kiss me, but she was unsure where we stood, if that was what I wanted with all eyes on us, with my kids sitting right there. I couldn't let her go without one though, so I kissed her. I felt a small smile against my lips and then she was gone, leaving me with friends I haven't seen in years.
"Come sit with us," Megan said, pulling my hand. I looked back at my kids, but I saw they were already being welcomed by Marie's kids. My heart clenched and the worry seeped out of my skin, making me relax.
I let them pull me to a booth. And then, instantly, we weren't alone. There were women everywhere, all shapes and sizes, welcoming smiles on their faces.
"Hi," a pretty brunette said. She looked intimidating. "I'm Rachel. Seokmin's old lady."
I remembered Lisa saying most of the men had old ladies now, and I didn't know what I was expecting from the woman who landed Seokmin, but Rachel seemed to fit the bill: welcoming, confident, but...lethal. Yeah, I'm a little terrified of her.
"I'm Charlie," a blonde said. "Jaehyun's old lady." Last I knew Jaehyun was fucking Brenda. She was sitting there too, huge ring on her finger. Who did she belong to? "Carrie," another blonde said. She was gorgeous, the biggest of the group, and had the most warm smile of anyone I'd ever seen. "Ten's old lady."
"Been a long time," Brenda said. She was obviously pregnant, and was eyeing me cautiously. We were never overly close, friendly, but not like I was with Megan and Marie. "I'm Lucas's old lady now."
