“Haven’t I made myself clear that you should never go near Sehun again?!” Jennie almost shouts the words to Lisa, “Didn’t I tell you to stay put, to stay with me and not go wandering off?! Haven’t I made myself clear that you should never let Sehun go near you?! Haven’t I?!”

Lisa’s mouth remained open as Jennie throws angry words at her, “Why are you so worked out about it, Jennie?”

Lisa sees Jennie twitch from her question, but then Lisa continues, “We were just talking.”

“You were flirting!!”

“Even if we were, what is it to you?!”

Lisa surrenders, Jennie is really complicated.

“I am saving your ass! Sehun is a goddamn player! Do you want to be treated like one of his girls?!”

“We weren’t doing anything, Jennie!”

“I won’t wait for you to!”

Lisa sighs exasperatedly, “You… You’re confusing!!”

She racks her head, “One moment you’d be pushing me away, then in another moment you’d be pulling me back! I don’t know what to feel anymore, Jennie!”

Jennie holds her head as she shake it, “What?! I’m the one confused here! What are you even saying?!”

What was Lisa even saying?

Lisa stops when Jennie asks her, because she was afraid that any more word out of her mouth would accidentally spill the feelings she was not even sure herself.

“I…” Lisa shakes her head low, as to shake any more thoughts off and just finish their pointless argument, “I’m sorry. I’m just tired and I, I really just want to sleep, okay? I’m sorry.”

Lisa breathes sighs, “Let’s just continue this tomorrow. We’re both tired already.”

Jennie’s eyebrows are still laced together, “Are you alright?”

No. Lisa was not.

Lisa hasn’t forgotten how low Jennie thinks of the relationship they have and that makes her feel mad and furious and sad and disappointed all at the same time it tires Lisa to the point that she doesn’t even want to think about it anymore.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Lisa lies, “Just go to your relatives and I’ll go upstairs. I can’t accompany you anymore, I’ll rest. Sorry.”

With that, Lisa starts walking. Not waiting for Jennie to respond anymore.

------------------

“Hey.”

Lisa opens her eyes, she’s not sleeping.

Not with all her thoughts, she won’t.

Thoughts that bothered her in unreasonable senses and unexplainable reasons.

“Hm?” Lisa hums, but she does not acknowledge the person she’s talking to.

Not even a nod, nor a turn of the head.

“What happened there?”

Lisa feels the side of her bed lower the moment weight has been set upon it.

Lisa asks, “What do you mean?”

Silence.

“… There.” Jennie finally says, “What happened… to us?”

Lisa doesn’t answer. She was too tired of this tug-o-war with Jennie, this constant push and pull of feelings Jennie imposes on her.

So Lisa simply says, “I don’t know.”

Lisa listens as the silence becomes louder than any sound. She only blinks and breathes waiting for a response to her passive answer.

When Jennie doesn’t reply for more seconds did Lisa only close her eyes again. This whole conversation was pointless, Lisa convinces herself.

But then Jennie continues to surprise Lisa, because Jennie suddenly says,

“I’m sorry.”

Lisa might have continued facing away from Jennie but she can’t help but clutch her hand under the pillow, Jennie really is confusing.

Lisa doesn’t reply at once so she feels a light smack at her hip, “Hey, are you listening?”

Without Jennie having to see it, Lisa smiles, “Yeah, I am.”

“Then say something. I sound like a jerk talking to herself here.” Jennie gives her another light slap.

“You are a jerk.” Lisa’s smile gets wider and wider.

Lisa tries to hide her smile when Jennie decides to finally flip her so she’d be facing the brunette.

“Are you accepting my apology or what? Because you know I’m not going to say it twice.” Jennie raises her eyebrows at Lisa who was still trying hard not to give out a smile.

“Admit that you’re a jerk first.” The amount of control Lisa is obliging herself is more than imaginable. She was dying from having a giggle escape her.

Lisa sees Jennie cringe from the blonde’s sudden request.

And Lisa finally lets her laugh out when Jennie abruptly asks in a baffled voice,

“What the hell?!”

“Ah! You dumb monkey!” Jennie smacks her again, bit harder this time.

Lisa continues to laugh but she still manages to say the least, “Come on, Jennie. I haven’t taken your sorry yet, say you’re a jerk first.”

“You’re a jerk.”

Lisa deadpans, “Jennie.”

Lisa's smile starts creeping up her lips again when she sees Jennie roll her eyes, exhales first and says, “Fine. I’m a jerk.”

Lisa giggles then teases, “What did you say? I didn’t hear you.”

That only gets her a soft punch at the gut, “No.”

“Then I won’t take your apology.” Lisa starts turning away again.

And another chuckle betrays her when Jennie says, “Damn it, Lisa!”

Lisa faces Jennie again, “Are you going to say it?”

“Tch.” Jennie closes her eyes then looks at Lisa, “I’m sorry. I’m a jerk.”

Lisa has already forgiven Jennie even before Jennie apologized, Lisa only really just want to hear it from Jennie. Lisa teases with a smile again, “Who’s the jerk?”

And even if Jennie doesn’t want to return that hideous smile of Lisa’s, she can’t help but do so,

“I am.”

That left both of them laughing at each other –with each other.

---------------------

The next morning, Lisa takes breakfast with the Kims as usual. Though this time, some of Jennie’s relatives eat with them.

They just multiply in number by the nights Lisa stayed at Jennie’s place.

The only thing that makes Jennie’s day brighten is that even if the number of people in the household increases and increases, it was still her that Jennie yanks down to sit beside with.

And this is what you do with your plain school mate?

Today, they plan to have a picnic and a tour around the temples and shrines, and then hopefully, hiking.

By that time, Lisa has gotten accustomed to small talks initiated by Jennie’s mother and to eager and earnest replies by Jennie to her mother.

But one peculiar talk that Jennie’s mom initiated took – to what it seemed to Lisa – all the excitement and eagerness in Jennie’s replies.

Because then Jennie’s mom says, “Jendeuk-ah, Sehun has asked me to ask for Lisa’s number.”

Just like the first time Lisa had dinner with the Kims, she nearly choked on the food she was eating.

Lisa doesn’t stop smacking her chest for air when she looks at Jennie, and imagine Lisa’s surprise when Jennie was throwing daggers of piercing stares to her own mother.

But Lisa knows it was not Jennie’s mother she was glaring at, or who made her glare like that.

Jennie’s mom doesn’t seem to notice – or doesn’t seem to mind – because she continues, “He told me you already told him off.” She takes a spoonful of food, “So now he’s asking me for help. Can you believe your cousin?”

“No.” Jennie says as she stuff her mouth with the food she’s eating, “That jerk. I already told him to leave Lisa alone.”

“I don’t know, honey.” Jennie’s mom wipes her mouth, “Though he keeps on telling me that he would make Lisa a ‘real’ part of our family.” She giggles like how all other mothers giggle.

Jennie blatantly scoffs, “How? Through him?” She scoffs again, “Please.”

“I’d take that you don’t like the idea, Ruby Jane?” Jennie’s father speaks all of a sudden.

“Dad, don’t you know Sehun?” Jennie turns to her dad, as Lisa could only follow with her eyes.

“Well, I’m most certain that you don’t like him with how you asked me now.”

Jennie says firmly and truthfully, “Yes, I don’t.”

So Jennie’s mom decides to speak again, “But he’s your cousin, and Lisa's a fine lady. I think it’s a good idea.”

“No, Mom!” Jennie suddenly blurts, shocking all of those present in the dining table – her parents, her cousins, their housekeepers, Lisa.

Lisa quickly snaps her head to look at Jennie, and when Jennie sees this she repeats in a calmer manner, “I-I mean, no, Mom. Sehun’s, Sehun will find another ‘fine lady’ who’ll endure his ways.”

Lisa is not quite sure where she blushes more after what Jennie said, if it was because of how Jennie acts and sounds right now or the fact that Jennie doesn’t deny how Lisa is a ‘fine lady’.

Awkward silence went along after that.

It was only broken when one of Jennie’s younger cousins asks to pass the bread.