Tales | jensoo

Teach Me Well - III

Jennie only stood, still as a statue. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Jisoo found the muster in her voice, "Take it off."

"Miss Kim," Jennie insisted, chuckling slightly, "I don't think it's necessary-,"

"It's necessary," Jisoo could feel her voice want to beg, "What? Can't handle a little eye contact?"

"I can handle it," Jennie cut in, "But can you? I am your teacher, after all."

"I can handle anything just fine," Jisoo's blood burned, "What? Can't I see what you're thinking? You're my teacher, I pay you to teach me. I think I can handle your eyes."

"I just don't want to make you uncomfortable-"

There it was again; the fine line Jennie had established as a higher up. Comfort and security. Never crossing the lines, always sure to define them. So hopelessly sweet and kind it made Jisoo's heart flutter, but the agonizing annoyance was still leeching its way up her spine.

"Does Roseanne get to see you like that?" Jisoo felt how dry her voice was as she asked. Jennie took a step back, obviously unprepared for the interrogation. "What does she have anything to do with this?" Jennie questioned, Jisoo could feel the way her walls rose up.

"Nothing," Jisoo raised her hands in mock surrender, "But am I not your.. second.. best dancer in the studio? What makes her and I different?"

"I-," Even through the cap, Jisoo could see the way Jennie's cheeks burned the same color as her dark lipstick, "She's a former ballerina for one. She had more training. I've known her for years, secondly. And thirdly-"

"Take it off," Jisoo challenged, finding the vigor to take a step closer, the distance growing smaller between them, as Jennie made no move to move away. Jisoo took this as a sign, she had to, needed to, "It's just a cap."

"You sound.." Jennie mumbled, "Jealous."

Jisoo didn't squawk, nor argue. She could not feel it in herself to even try to challenge and deny her instructor, not even when every ounce of her body was begging to argue, to kick and deny vehemently.

"So what?" Jisoo challenged one more time, "I'm paying you to observe.. to watch."

"You're paying me to teach you," Jennie corrected softly, "Whatever my method be."

Wordlessly, Jisoo lifted her arm, careful to grab the end of the cap, awaiting Jennie's incessant arguing. It never came. It was deadly quiet, except for the slight sound of Jennie's breathing, which nearly echoed in Jisoo's ears, tense and tight.

They were close, closer than Jisoo remembered, wondering if it was her own need to try to dominate or Jennie's unintentional essence, that brought them like magnets, shoes just scraping against one another.

She lifted the cap, watching as Jennie's mess of a few hair strands against her forehead, a bit damp from the sweat. Jisoo felt the air leave her lungs, staring into deep, dark brown cat-eyes, darker than her own, staring.

Staring straight into Jisoo's eyes, locking into them as they endlessly searched.

"You're insanely.. childish," Jennie suddenly said, snatching the cap away from Jisoo's hands, though her eyes never left Jisoo's own eyes. "It's just a cap."

"You have pretty eyes," Jisoo blurted out, when the background music had just ended, leaving them in a tension filled silence, where Jisoo could hear her heart pounding in her ears, and it felt as if she might not actually be standing on the floor.

Jennie's eyebrows raised, Jisoo could actually see them this time around. They were dark and expressive, just like the woman's eyes, which still never left Jisoo's eyes.