READY FOR LOVE | JENLISA

Chapter 37

Lisa

I walk into the anatomy lecture hall, feeling surprisingly confident, given the circumstances. Drowning out all the low, ominous, and anxious murmurs, I walk passed students who have their noses shoved in textbooks, cramming in a last minute study session, and make my way to my seat.

Halfway up the stairs, a pair of warm brown irises catch mine and I smile, jogging just a tad bit faster to reach my seat. "Hey, Finch." I greet her once I take a seat, sitting one chair away from her since it's test day. She flashes me a nervous smile. "Ready?"

"So ready." I smirk confidently. "You better start planning out your outfit for The Library."

She rolls her eyes, pressing her lips together to suppress a smile. "Only if you get an A, remember?"

"I've got this. C'mon, Finch, have some faith in me. You are my tutor, after all." I tease.

Her eyes soften, a look in them I can't quite decipher. "I believe in you." she says sincerely.

I smile. "So, what are you going to wear?" I press, quirking a brow.

She rolls her eyes again, shaking her head in amusement. "You're impossible."

I grin, but it quickly fades when I catch rat boy walking in with Rosé, his beady little eyes shooting daggers in my way.

"Where were you yesterday?" rat boy demands an answer from Jennie as soon as he makes his way to our tier of the lecture hall.

Jennie blanches. "Uh... I was busy studying for this." she says, awkwardly avoiding eye contact by pretending to look for something in her pencil bag.

"Really?" rat boy asks in a demeaning tone that makes me clinch my fists. In my opinion, he might as well should have just said bullshit. "Jennie, you know this stuff like the back of your hand, and you're telling me that you blew off the Medical Honour Society meeting just to study?" He looks at her incredulously.

She gives a weak shrug, still avoiding eye contact. "You guys were only meeting up to get coffee and discuss a few things. It was more of a social event than an actual meeting. You didn't really need me there."

"But you're the president!"

"Let it go, Taehyung." Rosé says, sounding tired and annoyed.

He throws her a glare.

Wait, did Jennie skip her meeting just to tutor me? Yesterday afternoon, Jennie and I met up in the library, cramming in a last minute study session to prepare for today's test. Our study session lasted for three hours, not including our impromptu little dinner date that I may have talked her into halfway.

Before any more questions can be asked or accusations thrown, our anatomy professor walks in and a hush falls over the classroom. Once the rules and guidelines are explained and established, test papers start getting passed out.

I look over at Jennie and she gives me a soft, reassuring smile. "Good luck." she mouths, just before copies of the test papers are passed down our row.

I walk out of the lecture hall, feeling oddly confident. Just as I suspected, I find Jennie waiting for me, sitting on a bench down the hall. She finished her test about twenty minutes ago, but I stayed back, not rushing and triple checking my answers.

Sensing my presence, she looks up from her phone. She sits up straighter, eyes wide, anxious. "Well, how did it go?" she asks impatiently.

I let out a dramatic sigh, plopping down beside her. I practically fall on top of her, purposefully sitting halfway on her lap. Not enough to crush her, though.

"Lisa!" she squeals, playfully pushing me off.

I chuckle, scooting over to fully sit down on the bench, but I sit close enough so that our sides are pressed up against each other. Casually, I throw my arm over her shoulders, rubbing the soft fabric of her sweater between my fingers. "So I'm thinking you should wear something strapless. Maybe tease your hair a bit and throw it up into a high ponytail." I muse. "It can get pretty hot and sweaty inside the club."

She deadpans, arching a brow. "Someone is awfully confident."

I lazily grin, continuing. "Some tight leather pants would be nice, too. They're in, you know."

She gives me a bland look. "I'm a twenty-two year old girl going to a club for the first time, not a forty year old man that just bought a Harley and is going through a midlife crisis."

I laugh and give her a sharp, impish grin. "So you think you're going?"

"So you think you're my stylist?" she counters, crossing her arms over her chest, avoiding my question.

"Touché, Finch. Touché." I stand, stretching my limbs before extending my hand out to her. "But I know I aced that test, so you're definitely going."

She suppresses a smile, accepting my outstretched hand, and I help her up. "You're going to need an A, remember?"

"You believe in me, remember?" I counter, smugly throwing her words back at her.

She bumps her shoulder against mine. "Touché." She begins walking down the hall, her grip on my hand loosening. I can tell that she's going to let go of my hand, but I don't let her pull away. I keep my grip casual but firm, my stride cool as I follow beside her hand in hand.

I feel her eyes burn down at our conjoined hands, and I sneak a quick glance at her out of the corner of my eye. Her cheeks have a noticeable blush on them, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't love that I have this sort of effect on her.

"Lunch?" I ask casually, shoving my free hand in my pocket.

She looks up at me, blinking once, processing. "Lunch? Uh, yeah, sure." she says, clearly flustered, but she still doesn't pull away. She shyly holds my hand all the way to the cafeteria.