our gentle sin

only you

8.

LISA POV

I had been thinking about where I could take Jennie on Sunday, I still wasn't exactly sure which places she would feel comfortable going to, but I figured a museum of some kind would be a safe option.

After my morning duties which finished at around 11:30, I was free until 13:00 before seeing Jennie. I knew I wanted to spend all day out with her, so I took a quick power nap before heading over to the Convent.

To my dismay, it was raining today, I still wanted to take Jennie out though but of course, it was up to her.

When I arrived inside, I spotted the Sisters filtering out of the hall that I had first been in when we ate lunch together and I realised that I was here a little earlier than usual today.

I waited until I spotted Jennie come out. I didn't have to call to get her attention because she spotted me right away.

"Hi, Lisa."

"Hi, Jennie- I mean Sister Jennie."

She smiled a little which made me smile. It felt good to make her smile, especially when it had been hard to at the beginning and now something so small got one out of her. We had only spent a short amount of time together, but it showed that our friendship was quickly blossoming and that made me happy.

"It's raining today. What should we do?" She asks.

"I'm taking you out."

"But it's raining," she says again, a little frustrated at having to repeat herself. Cute.

"So then wear a coat."

"Where are you taking me?"

"I was thinking of taking you to this art museum, or we could go somewhere else if you don't want to go there, whatever you want."

"An art museum sounds cool."

"Let's go then."

Whilst Jennie was grabbing a coat I ordered a cab. We didn't talk much on the way there, but Jennie seemed excited when we stepped out.

Instinctively, I slipped my hand into hers. I never really thought about it, I always held my friends' hands whilst we were out. Plus, Jennie didn't protest or give any indication that it made her uncomfortable.

An art museum was the right choice; Jennie loved it. I found she had something insightful to say about almost every piece we looked at. I hadn't realised before, but Jennie was beyond smart, but I guess that was expected; she had told me that she spent most of her free time studying for years.

I didn't really understand the full extent of what she was saying. I grasped most of her spoken thoughts but found myself not able to match her style of speaking enough to engage in a solid conversation. Maybe under other circumstances, I would have felt embarrassed, but I was more than happy to just watch Jennie talk so passionately and she was more than happy to do so.

It also felt good considering how quiet she had been when we first met and how quickly she had opened up to me. I wondered if she would open up to other people this easily. A weird part of me hoped not and liked the idea of her feeling more comfortable, in such a short space of time, with me than anyone else.

At one point, we stopped at a particular painting that was constructed during colonial Korea, whilst it was under Japanese rule. Jennie was talking about how the piece conveyed violence and devastation through concepts of possession and ownership. She had just begun voicing her own opinions on capitalism and socialism when she turned to me and her words faded off.

"What?" She asked.

"What?" I imitated, confused.

"You're staring at me."

"You were talking, so I was listening."

"I feel like smiling at me like that wasn't necessary for this particular case of active listening."

I felt my cheeks heat up slightly. I don't doubt that I was smiling at her, but I wasn't sure what she meant when she said "like that'.

"I'm just happy you're enjoying yourself so much. I wasn't sure if you'd like an art museum." I quickly say.

The corners of my mouth tug when happiness washes over Jennie's face and she nods at me eagerly.

"I do! I really like it. Thank you for bringing me here."

"Good, I'm glad. We're nearly at the end. Are you hungry?"

"Starving."

"Then let's go."

+

Jennie wasn't a huge fan of pizza we discovered. I was in disbelief when she had told me she had never tried pizza, and even more so when she ate a slice and told me that it wasn't that good and that I had overhyped it.

However, she thoroughly enjoyed the chicken wings I ordered for her.

"This is the greatest thing I've ever tasted," she claimed after her third one. I couldn't help but giggle.

"They don't have this stuff at the convent?"

"I wish! It's mostly bread, rice, beans, the fruit and vegetables we grow ourselves and some perfectly healthy and plain chicken dishes once in a while. It's not bad, but in the face of this! It's ironic that it isn't an option at the convent, since it's clearly a blessing from God."

I laughed out loud at her joke. Her reaction to this was her cheeks flushing red and turning her eyes to the table, a small grin playing on her lips. I couldn't help but smile warmly at how shy she was.

After our plates were wiped clean, Jennie claimed she was full, at least that was until she spotted a waiter carrying a slice of chocolate cake, drizzled in sauce and topped with strawberries and cream. Then her eyes widened and she snapped her head back around to face me, unspoken desire for the chocolate treat in her eyes.

"You want some chocolate cake?" I giggled at her.

"Please? I mean, if you can. It looks really good."

"Of course." I smiled, silently letting her know that it wasn't a problem.

The dessert came, and Jennie was silent as she worked her way through it when a text from Mina reminded me that she wanted to meet Jennie.

"Hey." I got her attention. "How do you feel about a friend of mine joining us next week?"

I could tell by the look on her face that her first instinct was to say no, then she paused for a second.

"I don't know, Lisa."

"She's really nice! I promise. I think you'll like her." I tried to convince her.

We had never outwardly talked about it, but I knew meeting new people was out of her comfort zone, and the last thing I wanted to do was make her feel uncomfortable, but at the same time, I wanted her and Mina to be friends.

For some reason, I wanted them to like each other. Jennie had grown on me enormously in such a short amount of time, and I figured it would be nice if I could spend time with both of them simultaneously.

On the other hand, I only wanted this to happen occasionally. I was quite happy with spending time with Jennie alone, just the two of us.

I let her consider it in silence. She didn't speak for almost two minutes and had finished her cake in between. I almost thought she had forgotten about it altogether before she looked back at me.

"Just one friend?"

"Yes!" I was a little too enthusiastic and cleared my throat. "Yes, just one friend."

"Okay then," she nodded, still seeming a little unsure. "Okay, I'll meet your friend next week."

I smiled reassuringly at her, or at least I hoped. Next week had to be perfect; I didn't want Jennie to recoil from all the progress we had made in our friendship. That meant Mina and I had to be on our best behaviour.