With You By My Side -Chaennie FF-

Part 9

Weeks passed since Jennie last spoke about her mother, and even though she visited the store on a regular basis to hide out in the tower, it felt as though a wedge had forced its way between us. She still had the same smile, the same soft voice, and always brought me a coffee from Dakgalbi in the morning, but something was still off.

When she spoke, there was an edge to her words, and whenever she managed to meet my gaze, she looked away soon after. It wasn't in that shy, I like you kind of way, either.

No. It was almost as though she was guarding herself, slowly pushing away from me to avoid discomfort later on. I used to do the same thing, so I honestly couldn't blame her.

Even so, it hurt seeing her with her eyes down and very few words shared between us.

"I finally did it," she said one morning after handing me my coffee. "The storage from my mom's house is empty."

I looked at her, unsure of what to say. Was she pleased to have the weight off her shoulders? Or was she like me and regretted getting rid of some of her mother's things in the first place?

"It's surreal," she said, oblivious to my thoughts. "I knew it would take time, but I sort of pushed it from my mind and simply went through the motions. I can't remember where I dropped half the stuff off, but it's empty." Her voice was tight and hard to read.

Definitely not a happy occasion. "I'm sure her things went to those who needed them most," I assured her. "I remember sorting through everything before giving them away. I don't remember all that much aside from how hard it was to sort through someone else's life."

She offered me a curt nod. "It's strange. In the end, all our lives come down to are an assortment of boxes, packaging tape, and bubble wrap."

"And those who are still around to remember us," I added, forcing a smile.

"I'm sorry if I've been distant," she apologized, her brows furrowing the slightest bit. "I was stuck in my own head."

"It's okay. I figured it was something like that and I didn't want to bother you in case it was something you had to do it on your own."

"Thank you for that. Thing is, I still can't bring myself to visit her by myself. It shouldn't be that hard but..." She blew out a frustrated breath. "It's not that I need to go, but-"

"You don't have to explain," I told her, walking around to her side of the counter so I could take her hand in mine. It was something I'd done before, only this time, instead of easing her mind, it only seemed to make matters worse.

Her body tensed, and after gently pulling her hand away from mine, she played with the top of her coffee cup. It was easy to see she didn't want me to notice, but I knew what it felt like when someone blew me off, which was exactly what she was doing.

"My offer from before still stands," I told her, forcing back the tension in my throat as I turned away, tidying up behind the counter once I did. "Everyone can use a friend," I told her when she didn't say anything. "And even though I might not be the friend you'd like to take with you, I'm not about to let you go on your own when you could use the company. Heck, I could just drive you over there and sit in the car until you're done, whatever you like."

"Could we go during lunch?" she asked hopefully, passing me a small smile as she continued to fidget with the tab on the top of her coffee lid.

I glanced outside and checked the time. With less than an hour to go until lunch, closing up early wouldn't hurt. "We can go right now," I told her, walking over to the door so I could lock up.