My Chemistry Tutor

CHAPTER 9

LISA'S POV

After I finish my Saturday shift, I head over to Jennie's house. She had texted me the address a while ago.

When I get there, her mom opens the door with a warm smile.

"Welcome, Lisa! It's so good to finally meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Kim," I say politely, bowing with a smile.

"Hello, Lisa," Mr. Kim greets me as he notices me stepping inside their home.

I enter, admiring how cozy and welcoming their house feels. Just then, Jennie comes downstairs.

She smiles the moment she sees me, and I can't help but smile back, my chest warming.

Her parents kindly offer me a drink, but I follow Jennie up to her room.

"Here, I made you flashcards. I think they'll be the most helpful things," she suggests, handing me a thick stack of cards.

"Wow, thanks, Jen. How long did this take you?"

"Hold up, did you just call me Jen? What's with all the nicknames? Did you forget my real name?" she teases, narrowing her eyes playfully.

"Of course not," I reply, rolling my eyes.

"Okay, then pick one name to call me from now on," she adds with a smirk.

I smirk back and answer, "Okay fine, love."

She instantly blushes a deep red and tries to distract herself by shuffling through her notes, pretending to be busy.

We study together for a good two hours. Of course, I love having her tutor me because I actually learn from her, but this is the longest I've ever studied in one sitting and we don't even have a test tomorrow.

"Love, let's take a break, please," I whine, dragging out my words like a child.

"Okay, are you tired?" she asks, tilting her head.

"Not really, but I don't want to go home," I say honestly, surprising myself with how vulnerable it sounds.

"You can stay here if you want. I can ask my parents, but they'll most likely say yes," she says as she gets up and heads out of the room.

I get up too and walk around her room, chuckling when I come across some framed baby pictures. Jennie looked so unbelievably cute.

"My mom said you're welcome to stay here. They don't want you driving home at this hour," Jennie says as she reenters the room.

"What are you doing?" she asks, narrowing her eyes when she sees me hide something behind my back.

"Nothing," I reply with a mischievous smirk.

Jennie rolls her eyes at me.

"I can clearly see you holding something behind your back. What is it?"

"If you want to know what I have, then come and take it," I say seductively, challenging her.

Jennie raises her eyebrows in surprise and gives me a half-smirk before taking a step closer.

"Okay, two can play at this game," she says, her confidence radiating as she steps even nearer.

Her boldness makes me a little nervous, and I instinctively back up. She doesn't stop until she has me cornered against her drawer.

"What's wrong, Lisayah?" she teases.

Before I can answer, she slowly places her hands on my waist. My breath hitches as her fingers graze against me, tracing gently around my waistline. And then, suddenly, she pulls away with a cheeky grin.

"Ha! I got it!" she says in triumph, holding up the baby picture I was hiding.

"Wow, what a tease," I say, smirking as I try to calm my racing heartbeat.

"Hey! You're the one who took this in the first place," she replies, looking down at the picture in her hands.

"Oh god, I can't believe you saw this."

"You were an adorable baby," I say softly, and she plops down on her bed, groaning.

"Too bad I grew up to look ugly," she jokes.

Her comment sparks anger in me for some reason. How dare she think she's ugly?

"Don't say that, you're beautiful."

Jennie looks up at me in shock. "Oh, umm... thanks? You are too."

Her awkward reaction makes me soften, and I can't help but laugh.

"Hey! Don't laugh. You caught me off guard," she protests before breaking into laughter herself.

We lay down next to each other on her bed, laughing until our voices fade into silence. But it's not awkward silence it's peaceful, comfortable, like being exactly where we're meant to be.

"Hey, want to look at the stars?" Jennie suddenly asks.

"If that means leaving this room, going downstairs, and heading outside, then no," I tease.

"I have a small balcony. My dad built one after he caught me climbing onto the roof every night to look at the stars," Jennie explains with a sheepish smile.

"Cute. I wish my dad would do things like that for me," I say quietly, a hint of sadness slipping through.

Jennie glances at me with concern.

"What happened to your dad? Or how is your mom? You never really talk about either of them," she asks gently.

I sigh and get up from the bed. "How about you show me your balcony?"

Jennie rolls her eyes. "You can change the topic for now, only," she says, but still gets up to lead me outside.

The balcony is small, but just big enough for two people to stand shoulder to shoulder, gazing up at the stars.

The night air is chilly, and I notice Jennie shiver as the breeze brushes against us. Without thinking twice, I take off my leather jacket and drape it around her shoulders.

Jennie chuckles. "You know I have a jacket in my room. You don't need to give me yours."

"Well, maybe I want to be a gentlewoman," I reply smoothly.

"Well, there's no need. I don't want you to be cold," she says softly.

I lean closer to her, lowering my voice to a whisper. "What if this is part of my plan? What if I'm doing this so I can put my arms around you for warmth?"

Jennie shivers again but surprisingly leans in closer to me.

"You know, saying your plan out loud kind of defeats the purpose," she teases, smirking as she takes off the jacket and hands it back to me.

"It's late. We should probably go to bed," she says, heading back inside.

What the fuck just happened? Did she just deny me the chance to hold her? Shit, this girl drives me absolutely crazy.

"You can sleep on my bed... next to me, if you want?" she suddenly offers, her tone softer now.

Seems like this night just might turn out to be my favorite after all.