“I’ll cook lunch.” Jennie pats Lisa’s lap before standing up as notice when they decided to stop watching the movie and just – as much as Jennie’s embarrassed to admit it – cuddle instead.

“What?” Jennie hears Lisa ask – an exaggerated tone on how she asked it, “You’ll cook?”

Jennie ties her hair as she turns around to face Lisa still rooted on the couch.

“Do you have problems with that, Manoban?” Jennie crosses her arms as to intimidate Lisa but she knows that the smile on her lips is already betraying her.

Lisa stands up and Jennie feels the blonde put a hand on her forehead before teasing, “Are you sick, Jennie Ruby Jane Kim?”

“Then don’t eat.” Jennie slaps Lisa’s hand away before making her way towards the kitchen.

“Oh, come on, I was just playing with you.” Lisa follows suit, amusement still present on her voice, and Jennie thinks Lisa’s enjoying this way too much.

Jennie doesn’t want it any other way.

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“Taste this one.” Jennie blows on the ladle first before directing it to Lisa.

Lisa does what she’s told before Jennie asks, “Does it need more salt?”

“It’s okay.” Lisa nods before turning back to cutting more vegetables, “It’s already good.”

Jennie nods as she takes one last taste and goes back to stirring.

It feels all too ‘domesticated’ for Jennie, too much of a real home and Jennie can’t help but wonder if she’ll build one of her own in the future.

She looks back to see Lisa so absorbed with the task given to the taller girl and Jennie smiles at the sight.

In that moment, Jennie knows she wants to build a family of her own in the future,

And with Lisa, hopefully.

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Jennie thanks all the heavens that lunch wasn’t that bad, it’s either that or Lisa’s just kind enough to shut up and not tell Jennie how it really tasted.

Either way, lunch is an hour done and they decided to take a stroll outside for a while.

Jennie’s sure it’s somehow cold but with how Lisa carefully circles a scarf on her neck as cover is enough to warm Jennie’s heart.

“Ready to go?” Lisa asks her as Lisa fixes Jennie’s coat.

Jennie shyly nods before asking, “Hold my hand?”

Jennie sees how the question startles Lisa yet again, and Jennie thinks that it’s already going too far and so she wants to take it back, but Lisa beats her to it by also asking with a soft smile,

“Do I have a choice?”

And Jennie returns the same smile by saying, “Yes or hell yes.”

Lisa lets a low laugh escape her lips before saying,

“Hell yes.”

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“You are surprisingly a lot clingier today.”

Lisa slightly pushes Jennie to create even the littlest bit of distance from her arm, but it seems Jennie won’t let her because Jennie quickly latches back.

“No.” Jennie’s swift to pull Lisa’s arm back as she cheekily smiles at the blonde.

“Ah, stop it, you koala.” Jennie hears Lisa say next, and Jennie knows Lisa’s teasing with how playful Lisa’s pushing her by her temple repeatedly.

Jennie then jabs Lisa by the arm to tease back, “Stop complaining! You like it!”

She sees Lisa’s eyes widen for a bit before Lisa’s able to stutter a, “I-I don’t!”

And Jennie knows she’s won the argument because Lisa stops pushing after that.

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Not even for a second did Jennie let Lisa’s arm go – with her poor excuse that it’s really cold outside and that she needs ‘human warmth’ – and Lisa submits into letting her cling to the taller girl all throughout their walk.

And Jennie feels like smiling widely again because she sees Lisa rubbing the blonde’s own two hands together as Lisa breathes on to them before placing them on Jennie’s cheeks to warm Jennie when she mindlessly said that she’s still feeling cold.

“Better?” Lisa asks – hands still on Jennie’s cheeks – and Jennie resists the urge to giggle, and blush, with how worriedly Lisa had asked.

But Jennie does let a smile smear on her lips as she covers Lisa’s hands with her own,

“Better.”

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They decide to go home after that, with Jennie still basically glued to Lisa until they reached the house itself.

With Lisa assisting Jennie in taking off Jennie’s coat before taking off hers.

“Sit on the couch first,” Lisa points to the living room, “I’ll make hot chocolate for you.”

“No need!” Jennie grabs onto Lisa’s hand, because Lisa’s warmth is enough, “Just… Just stay with me in the living room.”

Jennie doesn’t let Lisa respond when she starts leading the taller girl in the said room.

“Let’s… Let’s just stay here.” Jennie speaks again once they’re settled into sitting.

“Okay,” Lisa shrugs as she lets an arm dangle by the edge of the couch.

Jennie mimics Lisa’s movement and lets her own arm hanging also, with her head resting on it.

Jennie decides to stare at the girl in front of her again, but to her surprise, she already finds Lisa staring at her.

They do it in silence – not the awkward kind, and Jennie’s once again thankful – and when no one seems to break the contact, it’s Jennie who decides to do something foolish once more.

She slowly lifts a finger of her dangling arm to touch Lisa’s own dangling one as to test the waters. When Lisa didn’t flinch, did only Jennie raise a second one to hook with another of Lisa’s, until she finds herself already tangling her fingers with Lisa’s own.

And Jennie starts to smile because she then feels Lisa reciprocating – with how Lisa’s thumb continuously swipes on her palm, or how it circles with one of her fingers.

And it’s all too relaxing and all too soothing, especially when Lisa’s smiling back at her.

Jennie would have closed her eyes because of the sensation, but she isn’t able to do so because she then sees Lisa raising her free hand – and she sees Lisa hesitating at first – to reach out for Jennie’s cheek.

And Jennie feels happy that Lisa’s being bold also, even taking the initiative now, to pad a thumb across her cheek as to caress it – as to caress Jennie.

Jennie feels Lisa’s fingers by the back of her ear as Lisa continuously draws circles by her cheek, to her jaw line, to her chin – with Lisa’s eyes following the trail that her thumb leaves – and Jennie tries to not melt under Lisa’s touches once more.

To not gulp so loudly in anxiety and in anticipation when Lisa moves to touch her lips, eyes trailing up to meet Jennie’s gaze.

And the blissful moment lasted only for a second before Lisa clears her throat and retreats both her hands to keep them on her lap instead – body shifting to sit properly, to turn away from Jennie, eyes casted down on the floor.

But Jennie won’t let her.

Not when the same uneasy feeling starts to swallow Jennie’s being and consumes her once more.

So Jennie’s fast in taking one of Lisa’s hands again and placing it back on her cheek – seeming more desperate with how both her hands are clutching onto Lisa’s.

“J-Jennie,” Lisa mumbles and Jennie knows she startled Lisa with her actions again, but Jennie doesn’t care anymore. She can’t will herself to care anymore.

“Please, Lisa,” Jennie closes her eyes as she keeps Lisa’s hand close to her, sounding more and more hopeless as she says – begs, “Just let me do this.”

And Lisa does let her. Because Lisa shifts closer to her – facing her properly once more as Lisa lets her other hand delicately tuck Jennie’s hair behind an ear before resting it on Jennie’s face as well.

And they stay like that for a while, until Jennie loses track on how long they’ve stayed like that.

Only for her to feel Lisa pulling back again, but with one of her own hands this time.

With Lisa being the one in placing Jennie’s hand on Lisa’s own cheek – pressing Jennie’s hand lightly on it over and over until Lisa turns her head slightly – lips resting on Jennie’s palm as to kiss it.

And Jennie would like to think – to hope – that there is also the same sadness inside Lisa – the same one that burns inside Jennie – with how Lisa closes her eyes as she continues to let her lips linger on Jennie’s palm.

And Jennie tries not to let the sadness win over her when Lisa manages to finally look up at her – Jennie’s hand still being pressed on a cheek – before Lisa says,

“Jennie,”

And the sadness – the grief, the sorrow – finally wins over Jennie when Lisa says, with what Jennie thinks and prays – no matter how wrong that sounds – a sad smile on Lisa’s face, the words that breaks Jennie’s heart, boring holes and crushing it into pieces,

“I’m leaving in an hour.”

⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️

Should I just publish all the chapters left and end this story? ༎ຶ‿༎ຶ