As If We Never Said Goodbye (JENLISA)

The last scene of hardship

A/N: Wow, we only have three more chapter to go until this story ends. Anyway, sorry for posting so late, I've been really busy with school and relationship problems. I'll try to release two new chapters by this week.

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The dark streets passed quickly behind the painted windows, the lights of the street lamps flashed and spread glitter across the damp asphalt. It left both girls in a leftover as Lisa watched long fingers play with a loose thread on the seat between them. They ran along the frayed seam, mechanically squeezing the thin cotton. Lisa stared at them dejectedly, keeping her eyes on the gray leather, not wanting to look into those perfect brown eyes.

She didn't know what she would find if she raised her gaze.

Anger.

Sadness.

Regret.

But she'd preferred not to know, in view of the afternoon they had. Instead she looked at Tia, the man silently in front of the two busy sending a message on his phone. She knew he could sense the tension between the two; he would have to be an idiot not to notice. It hovered beneath them like a thick cloud.

It had been like this since Jennie had left her side. Lisa followed her, as soon as she could pull herself together, but it made no difference. The brunette didn't even look in her direction. She took deep breaths every few minutes, the blonde keeping her eyes on the wooden floor and away from the girl. The feeling in her stomach didn't improve either.

She tried to swallow the lump in her throat as the Vietnamese boy led them along dirt roads, through the local village, and over old bridges that overlooked the rest of Delta. Under normal circumstances it would be peaceful and beautiful. But the atmosphere was heavy, stretching the afternoon for the three of them. And when they finally got into the van, the silence was unbearable.

And yet no one seemed prepared enough to break it.

Lisa was still recovering from Jennie's blunt words, each syllable repeating itself in her mind. A part of her knew it was true, but she still couldn't accept them completely. If she did, the last three years would have been her fault. And things shouldn't be that simple, just following her shouldn't be that simple.

Could I really have dropped everything for you?

The fact that Jennie expected her to do so was hard to swallow. Frankly, it irritated Lisa. It caused the pain in her chest to spread to her shoulders and then to her arms so that her fists clenched in her lap. Lisa had to take a deep breath, forcing her eyes not to search for the brunette sitting next to her.

Lisa was once again in the middle of this war with Jennie. Battling with feeling guilty for not even considering the idea, and angry at Jennie for being so stubborn and not asking the question herself. And even more, for keeping silent for years and only bringing up the subject again as if it were a reason to push her further away.

This is a mess.

Lisa glanced at Jennie out of the corner of her eye. Her gaze was fixed on the dark street of Saigon, her forehead against the cold glass. She was running her fingertips over the smooth surface, her eyebrows furrowed. Sighing audibly, Lisa shifted in the leather seat, looking out her own window at the long river parallel to the street.

Why didn't I just go with you?

Was I scared?

Or was I as stubborn as you?