Chapter Text
Two weeks had passed since Jennie got… dumped.
Needless to say, Taeyang had, in a very ungraceful manner, yelled at her on the phone the day after Jennie went and… decorated his beautiful vehicle. More precisely, he had to wait until Jennie unblocked his number from her contacts to even be able to get a hold of her. Even then, Jennie had not been in the mood to hear his voice, but she had to hear him whine at some point.
Over the first few days as a newly single lady, Jennie had also received calls from different people in their circle of friends. Friends that, in theory, were both hers and Taeyang’s.
Some questioned why she wasn’t trying to get back with him, assuming she was the one that pulled the plug on their relationship. Others heard about her reaction and called her childish. It didn’t take long to figure out that most of them had taken a side, and Jennie must admit it wasn’t exactly the right one.
Did it hurt being accused of being immature and unreasonable? Like a bitch. But Jennie didn’t spend more than a couple of days feeling betrayed. She took it as some sort of spring cleaning. After all, her true friends had her back all the way. Although, some explanations were overdue, which Jennie gave more than gladly with a glass of red wine in her hands.
If being single wasn't enough of a drastic change in her life, Jennie was also left without a home after the breakup.
A hotel was not exactly the best form of long-term residence, and her bank balance probably felt relieved when Jennie found a place to stay thanks to her kind best friend that she loved with her whole heart and soul.
“Rosie, I fucking love you. I could literally kiss you right now.”
“I have a girlfriend.”
“You know what I meant,” Jennie waved her off. She climbed on the old but relatively sturdy one-person bed and reached for the top corners of the mattress, trying to slip the bedsheet underneath them at the same time.
From the doorway, Chaeyoung watched her friend with a supressed smile. Jennie’s feet were pressing down on the opposite corners of the bedsheet, ones that were perfectly in place a second prior and yet with one single movement from Jennie, they resurfaced from beneath the mattress. Before Jennie could turn around and groan in frustration, Chaeyoung quickly bent forward and placed them right back.
“Sorry about the small room. I wish I had a proper guest bedroom to offer you.”
“Are you kidding? This is more than enough,” Jennie grunted as she pulled back her hands from underneath the mattress. Once she was satisfied with her work, she turned around and sat down on the bed with her legs crossed. “May I remind you that I would be sleeping in the streets if it wasn’t for you?”
“Don’t be so dramatic. Even if that piece of shit claimed it as his own, that’s also your house until the lease is up.”
“Yeah, but I would rather sleep under a bridge than spend the night under his same roof.”
“Fair enough. Do you need extra pillows?”
“No, I’m all good.”
Chaeyoung nodded and joined the other girl on the bed, letting her back rest against the wall. Jennie stretched her arm to grab an abandoned coffee cup that she had left on the bedside table for probably too long. Bringing it closer to her mouth to take a sip, she scrunched up her nose when she tasted lukewarm coffee. Chaeyoung smiled faintly when she saw Jennie’s look of disgust, and yet she wordlessly accepted the drink when Jennie passed it to her.
“When you steal drinks from my café, I expect you to at least pretend you like them.”
“Hey, I always offer to pay,” Jennie protested, “and your coffee tastes amazing when it’s hot and, well, not left untouched for an hour.”
Chaeyoung only smirked playfully as she finished off the left-over drink, temporarily leaving the cup on the floor since she had nowhere else to place it. Her guestroom was easily half the size of her bathroom, and Chaeyoung once again felt the need to offer Jennie her own bedroom to stay. She didn’t bother voicing her thoughts out loud given that her friend had already turned down the idea twice.
“Are you stopping by the café tomorrow after work?”
Jennie stared straight at the wall in front of them in thought. “Actually… I need to go somewhere first. I’ll text you when I’m on my way there.”
“Is it that gross fast-food place again?”
Jennie couldn’t stop a snort. “Yeah, it is. And I wouldn’t call it gross… just not as classy as your place.”
“Didn’t you already go there a few days ago?”
Jennie hummed. “She wasn’t there. I spoke to this grumpy pink-haired girl instead, she wasn’t very helpful.”
When Jennie had passed by Lisa’s workplace for the first time after the night , there was only one person behind the counter, and sadly, it wasn’t who Jennie was looking for. When she dared to ask about Lisa’s work hours, the girl had firmly told her that she wasn’t allowed to discuss any employee’s private information. Jennie didn’t really understand how asking about the next time Lisa would be working was considered too personal, but she had left the place shortly after without further questions. Frankly, Jennie was really glad that her breakup meltdown was during Lisa’s shift. She would have definitely clashed with Miss Pink Hair and No Smiles had it been otherwise.
“Was the girl cute at least?”
“You have a girlfriend, Rosie.”
Chaeyoung gently slapped Jennie’s knee. “I meant for you, dumbass.”
“She looked quite young and bitchy, so definitely not for me.”
“Alright, what about this Lisa girl?”
“What about her?”
“Why are you looking for her?” Chaeyoung questioned. “Is she, you know, your type? Attractive?”
“I’m not interested in her in the way you’re implying. I just want to say thanks, I guess. I don’t really know. It feels weird to just make her go through all that with me and disappear after.”
“You’re acting like you had a one-night stand with her.”
Jennie laughed and shook her head. Regardless of people always assuming Jennie had an active sex life, she actually didn’t get intimate with strangers. It happened a few times, but Jennie didn’t find it fun. And although Lisa was, in theory, a girl she spent the night with right after her breakup, Jennie had crazier ideas than angry sex with the first girl she met.
“Oh no, that would definitely be a disappear after situation,” she assured. “Also, you know exactly what happened that night.”
“You should have called me. I would have paid good money to key Taeyang’s car. I never told you this, but I never really liked him.”
“You always said he was a good guy!”
“A good-looking guy! Hot but completely empty in the head. It’s about time you find someone else that meets all the standards.”
“Yeah, well, I just got out of a relationship and I kinda feel like shit. I will avoid dating for a long while.”
Chaeyoung put her arm around Jennie’s shoulders and gave her a warm side hug. “You’re going to be fine, Jennie. You don’t need anyone to prove your worth.”
And while her friend had a point, Taeyang’s words left a bad taste in Jennie’s mouth. One she still had not managed to alleviate.
----
The following day, Jennie headed to Kim’s Fried Chicken and Burgers (a rather long name, she noted) just like she had informed Chaeyoung.
Unknown to her friend, she had actually been stopping by the place every day that week. The first visit was the only time she had entered to ask about Lisa. After getting that cold response, Jennie merely paused on the street across from the shop and looked through the glass windows. Lisa was never there, and so Jennie continued walking as if she had never stopped in the first place.
This time, the pink-haired girl was still there. However, even from a distance, Jennie could still spot a taller figure leaning on the far-left of the front counter and fiddling with a very old-looking stereo system. Just like the first time Jennie met her, Lisa was wearing her uniform’s cap and apron, both rather untidy. But unlike that late night, there were actually a few customers sitting on the indoor tables, and Jennie felt slightly guilty for initially thinking the shop was a bit of a failure.
Although Jennie had wished for less of an audience, it didn’t take her long to cross the road and push the door open. After all, she couldn’t tell if that would be her last chance to speak to Lisa again.
When she entered, the pink-haired bitch worker was the only one that bothered to glance at her. Jennie was not surprised to be greeted by a bored look, although she could tell that the girl remembered her.
Lisa had not looked up from the stereo. She was still trying to get the thing working by pressing buttons at random and holding her ear close to the speaker. Jennie returned her gaze to the younger employee and mirrored her cold stare.
“Are you a stalker or something?”
“Is that how you greet your customers, kid?”
Hearing the familiar voice, Lisa’s head finally turned towards Jennie, facing her with an obvious look of surprise.
Jennie would have greeted Lisa in response, but she was rudely interrupted by a sarcastic scoff.
“Weird old ladies that stand outside my workplace are not considered customers.”
“Old ladies?” Jennie repeated, offended. “Excuse me?”
The girl had a worse attitude than Jennie already imagined, and she was ready to start a fight then and there if Miss Bitchy Customer Service couldn’t keep her mouth shut.
From her peripheral view, Jennie could see Lisa looking awkwardly back and forth between the two girls, but she had no intention of getting insulted without any sort of rebuttal.
“At least I don’t look like a fourteen-year-old going through a rebel phase to piss off her parents.”
The girl took a step closer ready to continue the argument, but Lisa was quick to step forward and squeeze past her colleague to exit the front area and walk around it until she was next to Jennie.
“Ryujin, I’ll take my break now. Is that cool?”
Giving Jennie one last dirty look, Ryujin nodded and stepped away. Jennie’s expression didn’t change as Lisa gently pushed her towards a nearby table and sat her down, taking a seat opposite her in the process. She took her cap off as Jennie crossed her arms and stole glances behind her to ensure the other girl was not looking at them.
“Listen, you can’t argue with everyone that works here the first time you meet them. Not everyone is like me.”
Jennie eyed Lisa with a questioning yet annoyed look. “And what are you like?”
“I’m like, an angel.”
A small smile started to appear on Jennie’s lips, and she mentally scolded herself for letting herself get carried away by an ill-mannered girl in a matter of seconds.
“Right. An angel that participates in illicit post-breakup activities.”
“That’s correct.” Lisa grinned playfully. “You see, my manager is not as cooperative. If she had been on shift that night, you would have probably had the worst counselling ever.”
Jennie raised an eyebrow at the new information.
“That kid is your manager?”
“She’s not a kid, technically. Just a few years younger than me. Dropped out after a month of university and started working here about two years ago. She’s, uh, good at bossing people around nicely, I guess.”
“Wasn’t your manager on a date last time I was here?”
Lisa chuckled. “She’s not as bad as she acts. When she’s with her girlfriend, she melts completely.”
“People around here skip work to go on dates as they please?”
“Not quite, Ryujin’s situation is a bit different. Her girlfriend is studying abroad so they don’t see each other often. That’s why I cover for her the few times she’s visiting.”
“Am I supposed to feel sympathy?” Jennie asked disinterested. “Because I have not had a single civil interaction with your Romeo manager.”
Maybe it was dealing with Jennie’s petty grudges again or maybe it was witnessing her manager’s fake tough persona, but Lisa simply laughed and dismissed Jennie’s unnecessary rage.
“I don’t care about what you think about her, to be fair. I doubt she’s the reason why you’re here to begin with, Jennie. What brings you back?”
“I, uh,” Jennie stumbled on her words. She didn’t have an answer. “I just thought I should come by to see you again.”
“How come?”
Jennie shrugged silently. Whatever happened that night was over the moment they parted ways, but for some reason she felt as if she ought to come back. It was not every day that Jennie met strangers willing to go along with petty revenge plans just for the sake of it.
“Did you get fined?”
Jennie sighed just by hearing the alarmed tone.
“No. It all went well.”
“You didn’t get caught?”
“Depends on what you define as getting caught.”
“Hey, you know what? I don’t care. Not my business anymore.” Lisa leaned back on her chair and folded her arms. “In fact, I don’t even need to act like I know you.”
“Is that what you want?” Jennie questioned calmly. “Would you like me to walk out the door right now and never come back?”
Lisa stared at her blankly.
“Are you really not going to tell me why you’re here again?”
Jennie huffed in annoyance but answered the question earnestly. “I just wanted to thank you. I know it was a one-time thing, but I feel like I owe you.”
“You paid me,” Lisa pointed out. “You don’t really owe me anything.”
“Yeah, but—” Jennie pinched the bridge of her nose lightly. She took a deep breath and started again. “It wasn’t my money. Taeyang had given me some cash to find a place to stay that night, and I just wanted to get rid of it all as soon as I could.”
“Right.” Lisa paused and lightly tapped her chin. “But… I don’t really ask customers where they get their money from, so I don’t think that’s an issue.”
“Listen, I still want to return the favour somehow, so if—”
“It wasn’t a favour,” Lisa interrupted calmly. “It was a paid service. It’s really not a big deal to me.”
Perhaps Jennie should have never returned. Being turned down hurt her pride, even more so when she had been so determined to do the right thing for once. It wasn’t just about Taeyang’s money. If Lisa had not been there with her, Jennie was certain that she would have gone to bed with a huge weight on her chest. Instead, that night she was able to sleep feeling pleased and without regrets.
“Okay,” she let out with a sigh. It was frustrating to admit defeat, but Jennie had nothing else to offer. “That’s it, then.”
“I guess it is,” Lisa responded rather softly.
Jennie gave her a resigned smile as she stood up and picked up her bag. She said a brief goodbye and headed towards the exit, but just before she could make it to the door, she heard Lisa’s voice calling her back.
“Wait!”
Jennie turned and watched as the girl reached for something behind the front counter. When Lisa faced her again, Jennie moved her gaze to the black umbrella that Lisa held out to her.
“It’s raining. You might need it.”
Jennie really didn’t understand where the kindness was coming from. She stared down at the object with pursed lips, and then glanced back up again.
“That would be a favour,” she stated with a smug grin. She didn’t wait for Lisa’s words of protest, simply turning and walking out of the door.
It was clear from the huge puddles of water on the sides of the road that it had been raining heavily, but by the time Jennie stepped outside, the rain was barely noticeable.
And still, Lisa rushed out right after her with the umbrella still in hand. “Just take it!”
Serves her right , Jennie thought as she continued to walk away. The light rain was nothing compared to the slightest feeling of success caused by turning down Lisa’s offer after she had turned down hers.
“Nope,” Jennie repeated.
She was so content with herself that she had completely missed the expensive sports car driving at the speed of light on the road next to her, passing through an enormous puddle and creating a loud splash…
…drenching Jennie from head to toe in the process.
If God had favourites, then Jennie sure as hell wasn’t one of them.
“Motherfucker!”
It took less than a second for Jennie to explode, yelling out all kinds of profanities to whoever was the asshole that drove past her. Her coat, her shoes – even her brand new jeans for fuck’s sake – were all soaked with dirty water, and Jennie was somewhere between screaming and crying. She was blinded by so much rage she had temporarily forgotten about her one-woman audience that most likely witnessed the whole thing.
Lisa didn’t laugh at her. Well, she didn’t really react at all. When Jennie silently turned around to face the girl, Lisa simply stood, once again, with a blank expression. The arm that was previously stretched out with the umbrella was now dropped down her side.
Jennie let out a tired sigh.
“Do you happen to have a towel by any chance?”
----
If it was any other person leading her to their shady apartment above a fast-food shop, Jennie would have been running by now. But since Lisa had kindly offered her a shower and dry clothing after seeing Jennie looking like a whole mess, there wasn’t really any reason to say no.
After all, it was just Lisa. The same girl that helped her egg and key Taeyang’s car, earning a fraction of Jennie’s trust.
It was a very old building, Jennie had realised that much the first time she saw it. What she assumed used to be painted walls were now dirty and covered in vines. Jennie had to flinch and wave her hands around at the moths flying around the only wall light on that side of the building, trying her best not to trip and fall over. She had enough misfortunes for one day, a broken leg was not in her plans.
However, as she followed Lisa up the somewhat hidden staircase behind the fast-food shop, Jennie had to hide a gasp of surprise when she saw the small terrace on top. It wasn’t anything big or fancy or luxurious, but considering the poor maintenance of literally everything else she saw, a clean roof terrace with a small seating area and even a pretty flower bed looked like an oasis in a desert.
“This is quite nice.”
Lisa made a barely audible hum of acknowledgement. She continued to walk until she reached the only door that could be seen, and Jennie followed her steps without making further comments.
The apartment was, well, small. The corridor (if it could even be considered a corridor) between the front door and the living room was very narrow, and Jennie didn’t manage to make two steps before she tripped on something. Luckily for her, Lisa’s back was right in front of her nose, preventing yet another embarrassing moment.
“Sorry, you might want to walk on the left side.”
Jennie looked down to see a few pairs of shoes all lined up in a neat row against the right side of the corridor. They were mostly trainers alongside a single pair of slippers, which Lisa put on after she took off her current shoes and pushed them around with her feet until they were neatly sitting next to the others. Jennie bent down to slip off her boots, but Lisa stopped her.
“You can keep your shoes on if you want.”
Ignoring her suggestion, Jennie undid the zip at the sides of her boots and took them off, also leaving them in the shoe line-up against the wall. She also removed her semi-dry socks and left them just beside her boots. “They’re wet and filthy, I couldn’t possibly walk around your place with them on.”
“Oh.” Lisa paused, and then started to take off her slippers for her guest to take.
Jennie honestly didn’t understand much about Lisa. She had been nothing but kind and considerate since she met her, but at the same time she was a blend of very awkward and very confident during their interactions. Jennie couldn’t figure her out.
“It’s okay, I need to shower anyway.” Jennie nudged the offered slippers back to Lisa with her toes.
Lisa hesitated, but ended up with the slippers back on her feet.
When she got a glance at the living room area as they made their way inside, Jennie once again thought that it was… small. There was a single black sofa that could fit two people (or three if they were cuddling, Jennie thought), and in front of it there was a low coffee table with an empty pizza box and a few cans of coke lying on top. Lisa didn’t seem to have a television, which Jennie guessed was either because she didn’t watch it or because there was hardly any space to fit one.
Lisa squeezed past the coffee table and Jennie finally noticed there were three doors on the other end of the room. Two of them were closed and the third… well, it wasn’t really a door. The doorway that didn’t have a door on the right of the living room led to the kitchen, from what Jennie could see.
Lisa pushed open the door across from Jennie and turned a switch on, illuminating what looked to be the bathroom. It would have been completely normal, if it wasn’t for one thing.
“Why is the light switch outside the bathroom?”
Jennie wouldn’t have mentioned it if she didn’t feel so dumbfounded. Who had a bathroom with a light switch that was outside the bathroom itself?
Lisa briefly looked at her own hand resting on top of the switch, and then turned to face the other girl with the slightest hint of red on her cheeks.
“There’s also a switch inside. It just doesn’t work.”
“I see,” Jennie nodded. “Aren’t you worried about someone switching the light off while you’re inside?”
“I live alone.”
Right. No reason to worry about anyone. Jennie had gotten used to living with Taeyang for most of their relationship. Everything she planned, she had to plan for two. Everything she cooked, she had to cook for two. Everything she cleaned, she had to clean for two.
Back then she thought there was a balance in their co-habiting, but thinking about it now, it probably wasn’t always that harmonious. The worst of all was that she had liked living with someone else. Waking up with somebody holding her and coming home to someone she could tell how her day went. But whenever she started to remember the good parts, the bad parts soon followed, and Jennie was left feeling pain all over again.
So, she decided not to think about it at all.
When she returned her focus to Lisa, she saw the girl opening the only door left. Jennie quietly waited outside of it, not wanting to intrude the privacy of Lisa’s bedroom. She could hear wardrobe doors opening and closing, and drawers being pulled and slammed shut. A few minutes after, Lisa re-emerged from her room holding several pieces of clothing in her arms.
“Here, you can wear these after you shower.” She handed the clothes over and returned to the bathroom, which was technically only two steps away.
Jennie held the neatly folded clothes with the tips of her fingers, making sure not to make contact with her wet, dirty coat. She then moved to the bathroom doorway and waited for Lisa to fix… whatever she was fixing. Jennie curiously glanced inside and noticed the other girl turning the taps of the shower while testing the water temperature with her fingers at every turn.
“It’s a bit tricky because sometimes the hot tap becomes the cold one and vice versa,” Lisa explained. Jennie just nodded and continued to wait. When the temperature was good enough, Lisa let out a satisfied hum and stepped back. “I think this should be fine. I advise you not to touch the taps while in the shower, but if you need hotter water, just follow your gut with choosing the tap to turn.”
Jennie had a hard time holding back a snort of disbelief, but she still laughed quietly under her breath. Everything about Lisa’s apartment seemed absurd, and yet Jennie didn’t have it in her to make comments about it when she was the one that got splashed with rainwater in the middle of the street.
“Thank you.”
“No worries,” Lisa shrugged. “There are two towels in the cabinet above the sink, and you can leave the wet clothes in that laundry basket.”
“Okay, got it.”
“I still have one hour left of my shift, so I’m gonna head back down. Feel free to stick around until your hair dries, I don’t mind. It’s not good to be out in the cold with wet hair. You might get sick.”
Always.
So.
Considerate.
“Are you ever going to let me repay you?”
It was annoying. Jennie felt indebted. Lisa had been helping her over and over without much thought, and Jennie really didn’t like not being able to return such kindness.
“I’ll think about it.”
----
Showering took around 40 minutes, more or less. Jennie had decided to wash her hair too, and she was pleasantly surprised by the fragrance of Lisa’s shampoo. It was a mix of honey and vanilla, a combination that seemed to work beautifully. Everything about Lisa’s life seemed to work in one way or another, as opposed to how Jennie's one was going at the moment.
Once she was done cleaning herself up thoroughly, Jennie exited the shower and wrapped the towel she had taken out of the cabinet around her frame. She then looked through the clothing Lisa had given her, sighing in relief when she saw clean undergarments shoved in between. Lisa really knew how to handle everything and anything, it seemed.
Jennie carefully put on the clothes, noticing that they were a bigger size than what she would normally wear. The black sweatpants were crumpled at her ankles, but the elastic around the ends prevented them from going over Jennie’s feet. The hoodie was also quite large, but Jennie liked wearing oversized comfy clothing, so it wasn’t really an issue.
Walking (well, stepping) back into the living room, Jennie dried her hair with the towel as she plopped herself down on the sofa. The coffee table that was previously messy was now perfectly clean, and Jennie assumed Lisa took care of it before she left. Having nothing to do while her hair dried, she reached for her bag and took out her phone, frowning slightly at the missed calls from Chaeyoung.
Shit. Jennie was supposed to meet her at the café before she got drenched and changed plans. She knew it had only been around an hour since she was supposed to see Chaeyoung, but that was enough to make her friend worry. Still with the towel on her head, Jennie dialled Chaeyoung’s number and held the phone to her ear.
“Thank you for letting me know you’re still alive, bitch.”
“It’s been like an hour, my love,” Jennie teased with a smile. From Chaeyoung’s tone, she could tell that she wasn’t mad, but still relieved to hear from her. “And don’t swear in front of the customers.”
“There’s literally no one here, you were supposed to be my company.”
“I’m sorry Rosie, I had the worst two hours ever.”
“What happened?”
And so, Jennie went on to explain the series of events that took place that night, whining and complaining dramatically like a good narrator. Even though she received plenty of ‘my poor baby’ and ‘that’s so sad’ from her friend, Jennie knew that Chaeyoung was having a blast hearing about what happened. After all, Jennie was usually considered lucky in life, so having so much shit on her plate in such a short time was partially amusing.
“Where are you right now?”
Right, that was something she had omitted. Chaeyoung already teased her enough about having adventures with a random stranger, and therefore Jennie had tried to save herself from more jokes about her being wild and free. But if there was something she could never do was to lie to her best friend.
“I’m in Lisa’s apartment. She let me use her shower and change clothes. I’m just waiting a bit for my hair to dry.”
She really tried her best to ignore the low whistle from the other end of the line.
“Jennie Kim making moves, I see.”
“I made no moves whatsoever, don’t even start.”
“What now? Are you planning to stay overnight?”
“Oh, shut up!” Jennie laughed alongside her friend.
They continued the conversation for a few more minutes, thankfully moving away from the Lisa topic. Jennie listened to Chaeyoung complain about her girlfriend’s lack of communication and how it was driving her absolutely insane. Considering how Jennie’s last relationship ended, it didn’t really feel appropriate to give love advice. She felt as if Chaeyoung was not fully happy with her girlfriend, but she also remembered all the times she spoke about how in love she was, and so Jennie just decided to mind her own business until Chaeyoung actually asked for advice.
At some point, other voices could be heard from Chaeyoung’s end, meaning that there were customers to serve. After saying her goodbyes, Jennie hung up and dropped her phone beside her, letting herself lean back completely on the sofa with a content sigh.
Lisa was supposed to be back any minute now, and Jennie decided the least she could do was to thank her in person before leaving. She also wasn’t sure about what to do with her damp clothes, and so waiting for Lisa seemed like a reasonable choice.
It took about two seconds for Jennie to get bored.
She stared at the ceiling with a small pout on her lips, and then started tapping her fingers on the sofa’s armrest. What could she do inside a stranger’s house? Snooping around was definitely not an option, so Jennie was confined within the living room. She took a quick glance around, but due to the small size of the room there wasn’t really anything that she had not seen when she first came in. The walls were plain with the exception of a small area with a few picture frames hanging. From her position, Jennie could barely make out the people in each picture, which she assumed were Lisa’s family and friends.
Suddenly, the front door was unlocked, and Lisa walked in. There was a slight look of surprise when she noticed Jennie sitting with her legs neatly crossed, most likely expecting her to have left by then.
“Hey,” Jennie waved as a greeting. “I was just about to leave, but I was wondering if there was anything I could use to carry my clothes?”
“Hi. Yes. Uh,” Lisa took off her shoes and jacket, leaving the latter on the other end of the sofa beside Jennie. She then moved into the bedroom, and Jennie got up to follow her.
Once again, Jennie didn’t want to overstep, and so she remained just outside the room. When Lisa returned, she handed her a decently sized plastic bag, one that was usually given when shopping in clothing stores.
“Perfect, thank you. I’ll just grab my stuff really quickly.”
Lisa simply nodded in approval and returned to pick up her jacket in the living room. While Jennie entered the bathroom again (remembering to switch on the light from the outside), Lisa carried her jacket to her room and pushed the door until it was almost closed. She hung the jacket on one of the four hooks behind the door, and then opened the door again. As she passed by the bathroom, she stopped at the doorway and leaned on the frame briefly.
“Do you want coffee or tea? I also have orange juice. And milk.”
Jennie was crouched on the floor in front of the laundry basket, placing her clothes one by one into the plastic bag she had been given. When she heard Lisa’s question, she looked up and shook her head while smiling. “I’m alright, thank you. I’ll leave as soon as I’m done.”
“It’s only going to take a few minutes.”
Again, Jennie shook her head and dismissed the offer. “It’s fine, really. I won’t bother you any longer,” she then added with a small grin. She had definitely accepted too much from the girl, it wouldn’t feel right to overstay her welcome.
Lisa just stood in place, silently thinking for a few more seconds. Then, she crossed her arms and smiled relaxed. “You said you owe me a favour, correct?”
Jennie paused. “Uh, yeah?”
“Cool. Staying for a drink will get that solved. What can I get you?”
----