Apartment 34 // Jenlisa

Chapter 23

Jennie's late for dinner for the fifth day in a row and Lisa has to admit that it's slowly starting to piss her off a little bit.
She knows that there's a lot going on at the Korean's workplace at the moment and she would never condemn Jennie for that, but she just really misses their cozy evenings and most of all, she misses her girlfriend – her scent, her gummy-smiles, her lazy kisses and her cute baby-voice when she talks to Leo.
But with all the pressure and workload, Jennie was doing a lot of overtime lately and she was tired and sleepy once she got home – sometimes she even came back to the apartment so late that Lisa was already asleep by then.
Lisa tried though – really, she did. She tried to stay awake until the dark-haired girl arrived, prepared dinner for her that she only had to heat up in the microwave and even gave her massages until Jennie fell asleep and she was happy to do all these things for her – but today Lisa felt annoyed.

She had texted Jennie about four times – asking her when she would get back, so she could run her a relaxing bubble bath, only to never get a reply from the other girl.
Lisa didn't want to feel this way – she knew that life sometimes got in the way of a relationship, but she had been so determined to not let that happen with Jennie that it now somehow felt like a defeat.

Lisa sights and reaches over to where Leo is sound asleep – purring away as his legs kick out from time to time due to his dreams.
"I would do almost everything to switch lives with you right now, dude.", she mumbles to the cat and strokes his head lovingly. "All you have to do is eat and sleep and being cute as hell."
He quivers again and almost wakes himself up in the process – his eyes fluttering open for a second, but when Lisa continues to pet him, he closes them again.
"You think I'm being stupid too, don't you?", Lisa asks without expecting an answer of course. "I know, I know. It's not my place to be angry or something, but I just miss her. I don't want us to become this couple that only ever really sees each other on the weekends."
Leo purrs when Lisa caresses his tiny ears and a sight escapes the Thai-girl's lips – her eyes wandering to the clock on the kitchen-wall. It's 10.40 p.m. and there's still no sign of the Korean girl.

She's almost tempted to call Jennie again, but she doesn't want to be that type of girlfriend, so she just stares at her phone laying on the coffee table – hoping that it would somehow miraculously light up or something. It doesn't and the queasy feeling in her stomach intensifies.

"Stop being so stupid, Manoban. What the fuck is wrong with you?", Lisa mumbles to herself after another moment she spends in silence and lost in thoughts. "Pull yourself together and don't be a crybaby!"

Leo's ears perk up then and Lisa almost wants to apologize for talking too loudly – but before she knows, Leo is wide awake and his head snaps in the direction of the front door.
Lisa watches him as he brings himself into a standing position – his eyes glued to the entrance and when some seconds later the sound of keys in the lock are audible, he jumps off the couch and runs to greet whoever just arrived.

Lisa can't help but grin at his unwavering sense of knowing when Jennie's about to get home and the way he greets her at the door every night.

The Thai girl can hear the other woman hang up her coat on the rack and then talk to their kitten in a hushed voice. She's probably aware of the time and thinks that Lisa might already be asleep, so she tries to enter the living room as quietly as possible – a little startled when she finds her girlfriend sit on the sofa wide awake.

"Oh, hey. You're still awake.", the smaller girl realizes and checks her watch real quick before moving closer to where Lisa is sitting.

"Yeah. I waited up. I wanted to see you.", Lisa explains and she hates the fact that her voice sounds somewhat harsh.
Even though Jennie looks tired as fuck, she's quick to pick up the tension and her shoulders fall just like her face does and Lisa immediately feels like the biggest jerk on the planet.

"I'm sorry I'm late... Again.", the Korean mumbles and bites her lower lip as she watches the other girl's face closely. "I know I said that the last few days as well and nothing changed but please believe me there's nothing I can do at the moment. Work's just.... crazy."

Lisa shrugs and nods at the same time – but her heart is not really satisfied with this answer.

"I know that, and I wish I could do something to help, but... I also have stress at work sometimes but I still make time to come home at a reasonably normal time or at least call or text you back, Jen."

Jennie blinks and clenches her teeth before moving her hand over her face.

"Do we really need to do this right now? My day has been the worst already and I'm so not in the mood to fight with you.", she sets straight and watches the other girl get up from her spot.
Lisa walks over to her with her head low and only stops when she's right in front of Jennie. She presses her lips together before looking up into squinted feline eyes.

"I too don't want to fight with you, Jennie. And I'm sorry that your day hasn't been good. We don't have to talk about it, it's just.... I'm afraid that we might drift apart and I.... I just don't want us to.... I don't know. I'm just scared to lose you."

She closes her eyes because she's a little bit afraid of what she might discover in Jennie's dark orbs – but the girl in front of her doesn't let her.
Jennie places both of her hands on Lisa's face – cupping her cheeks.

"Look at me, Lisa. Please.", she murmurs and softly strokes her thumbs over the smooth skin beneath them. She's so close to the Thai girl that she could count all of her eyelashes right now and when her lids flutter open, she's met with a look that almost breaks something within her.
She wants to scream into her pillow for being the reason Lisa looks so broken right now, but Jennie realizes that it's not solely her fault.
She sends the taller girl a gentle look before speaking her mind.

"I know you're afraid. I know you're scared that life might come in the way and that we'll somehow lose each other. You're afraid because that's what happened with Minnie. But Lisa... I'm not Minnie and what happened with you both won't happen with us. Do you want to know why I know that?"

Lisa only nods – too tongue tied to say anything right now, the tingling sensation in her abdomen almost too much to handle.

"I know it because I love you. I love you so much already that it kinda scares me, because if I feel this way after some months, then imagine how much I'm gonna love you after some years? I love you so much I'd quit my job tomorrow if you'd ask me to. Maybe I'm not the best yet at showing you – but I see and appreciate everything you do for me when I come home stressed out but Lisa, there'll always be times like this, when we don't have much time together. But they're just limited time periods. It's never going to just stay this way – we'll both prevent that, because we love each other, okay? I won't let us loose each other. I promise."

Jennie moves her thumbs over Lisa's cheeks again – this time wiping away the tears that are falling whilst the Thai girl just nods over and over again.
She still can't speak – a huge lump in her throat but her hands finding Jennie's waist and pulling her closer and closer until they are merely inseparable, is answer enough for now.