Take My Mask, I'm Home

i'm yours, if you want me

Tuesday.

Jennie took a deep breath. It had been far too long since she had last had the opportunity to stand in the middle of a wood, surrounded by a colorful carpet of wildflowers on a fresh spring morning. She closed her eyes and let her other senses take over. The air had the sharp tang of the sea in it, coupled with the faint smell of the wildflowers and the bark of the tree she was standing next to; she took another long, deep breath, letting the clean air fill her lungs. She hadn't been to her cabin in a long while, and the air in New York wasn't exactly fresh, even when she was up high in her apartment.

The seagulls made themselves known by their cawing, and wheeled through the sky; Jennie watched a couple of them land on the lawn and waddle towards the tree with the swing. There were other birds flitting in and out of the trees, carrying material for building nests. Jennie spotted magpies, sparrows, and woodpeckers, among others that she didn't recognize. The air was full of the sounds of the birds and the sea breeze through the trees, and in the distance, the faint sound of the water falling upon the shore.

The peace here was unparalleled.

She looked down at the bunch of wildflowers that she had in her hand with a smile on her face. She'd picked a variety, whichever looked the prettiest; she wasn't familiar with their names, but she could learn them later. The point was that she'd picked them for Lisa.

The thought made her nervous; sure, Jennie had given Lisa flowers lots of times before, but Lisa had never really acknowledged them to her. This time, she'd be handing her the bunch she'd picked herself, and handing them straight to Lisa. This was different, deliberate. Perhaps, more obvious.

Jennie had a plan. She was going to try to be brave in a way she'd never really been before, not when it came to someone who mattered to her as much as Lisa did. She still wanted to let Lisa cross the line first, if she wanted to cross it at all, but she figured that she hadn't made her more romantic intentions clear enough yet. Lisa was aware that Jennie wanted to be friends, but perhaps hadn't clued in to the fact that if it were up to Jennie, they'd definitely be more than friends.

So her idea now, as scary as it was, was to be a little more obvious about her feelings for Lisa, starting with the flowers. Then, she was going to make Lisa breakfast; Lisa loved to eat, and Jennie loved to cook. It was perfect. She wasn't sure what Lisa had planned for their day, so her plan didn't exactly extend very far, she thought with a huff, but it was a start. She'd have to wing it after breakfast.

Jennie was a fact-driven person. She liked a solid piece of evidence, and so in general, assumed that other people did, too. If Lisa didn't have any evidence that Jennie liked her in more than a friendly way, then Jennie was going to give her that proof on a plate. At least, she thought with a bout of nerves, as obviously as she could without being obvious.

Get it together, you useless lesbian, Jennie chastised herself, as she stood outside their bedroom door with her hand poised to knock.

She looked down once more at the flowers. They weren't just a symbol of Jennie's intentions. Jennie also very much wanted them to be a thank you for the day before; for their talks, for the hanging out in the pub, and the way that Lisa had taken care of Jennie after she'd had her impromptu swim in the sea. But unless Lisa- Jennie shook her head. For now, right now, she would say thank you for yesterday, that was all. Unless Lisa indicated that she wanted something more, Jennie wouldn't be the one to step over the line. Not since dragging Lisa into this messy situation.

Jennie knocked on the door.

"Hello?"

Jennie opened the door a fraction. "Are you decent?"