Lisa
"Easy, sweetheart, I know your low potassium makes you thirsty, but you got to take small sips until your stomach settles." She nodded in agreement and placed the bottle on the ground next to them, leaning back onto Lisa's chest with her eyes closed and brows drawn in as if she were trying to convince her body not to throw up.
Lisa gathered Jennie's long dark hair and held it at the base of her neck with her hand, just in case. "Just squeeze my leg if you feel that drink coming back up. All I got to do is tilt you forward." Lisa said down into Jennie's ear. Giving her another nod against her chest, Jennie agreed without opening her eyes and relaxed her body against Lisa's. After a few minutes of silence, Jennie decided making small talk was better than waiting for her drink to make a second appearance.
"You know, I went to college with a girl from Tennessee, but she didn't have a heavy southern drawl like you."
"I think I can explain that." Lisa said with a grin.
"My dad was from Tennessee, but my mom, she was all Thai even though she grew up in Texas. Her family has a ranch in South Texas and we spent every summer there. In fact my pops moved there when I left for the Navy. So I may have picked up a little Texas twang." Lisa said exaggerating her accent against Jennie's ear.
"You went to college in the States?" Lisa asked.
"Yeah. After my mom died, dad was too scared to have us here, I spent most of my childhood and teenage years in the United States, coming here for a few months at a time, but never staying for good." Jennie said softly with pain in her voice. Lisa wrapped her arms around Jennie a little tighter when she mentioned her mother and rested her cheek on the side of Jennie's head.
"Which one is home to you?" Lisa asked with genuine curiosity.
"Home is where my family is." Jennie answered confidently.
"I can identify with that."
"Do you have a big family Lisa?" Jennie asked, tilting her head up to try and look at her.
"Yes ma'am. Hell you've already met a few of my brothers - they're standing right outside." She smiled up at Lisa, which was a sight she'd been anxious to see for hours.
"I love that your friends are your family." Jennie said warmly.
"Family isn't about blood lines or who you live with. Your family is who you'd die for... that's how I look at it at least."
Jennie stiffened slightly at Lisa's words and tilted her head further to get a better look at her eyes.
"And you'd be willing to die for Bambam, Hoony, and Marcus?" she asked.
"In a heartbeat." Lisa responded immediately and she meant it.
"I don't think I've ever had a genuine friendship before, much less someone who would die for me." Jennie said in amazement as if the concept of true friendship was completely foreign to her. "Well if genuine friends are something you'd like, I'll introduce you to Bambam and Hoony's girlfriends, Mina and Ji-eun. They are about as genuine as they come and would absolutely fucking love you." Lisa gave her a squeeze as she spoke.
Jennie smiled up at her with a bright smile that reached her eyes and Lisa's heart ached as she realised how deeply Jennie yearned for a true connection with someone. That armour of hers was always on, shielding her from the bad, but also from any potential good, which broke Lisa's heart.
She sat there cocooned around Jennie, letting her rest her eyes and lean into her chest, as they discussed what had transpired that evening. Jennie explained some of the dynamic and bad blood that her father faced with the jopoks when suddenly she pushed against Lisa's legs, shooting her body forward as she gasped.
