MMH(Jenlisa Adaptation)

Part 18

Lisa fiddled with her thumbs as her hands clasped around a take-out mug of hot chocolate. She concentrated on the steam bellowing from its spout and the ripples in the cardboard of the cup's sleeve, anything to prolong the inevitability of the conversation she was meant to have with the woman across from her, sitting stoically and blankly as she sipped her own spiced cider.

Her stomach had tightened and her lungs constricted simultaneously in anticipation and relief when she had seen Jennie slide into her car less than five minutes after departing with Gold. As soon as they had driven away, though, neither of them had spoken. Lisa didn't want to just leave her engine running and talk in the car, so she had driven them to where they were seated now, inside a quaint little cafe across the street from an outdoor skating rink and seated at the furthest most isolated table at the back. The most either woman had spoken since Lisa's sudden confession outside the gallery was in ordering their drinks, but now that they were placed in front of them, there was nothing stopping them from getting things out in the open.

Lisa swallowed hard as she caught Jennie's eye. Here goes nothing, she thought.

"Jen-"

"How-"

Lisa chuckled nervously. "You go first."

The brunette glanced down at her cider briefly before gazing back up at Lisa. "How is Wo Jin?"

Lisa smiled softly. "He's good. He misses you." She paused when the smallest of smiles touched Jennie's lips. "He got you something for Christmas. I was supposed to drop it off, but..."

Lisa trailed off, unsure how to further proceed. Thankfully, Jennie caught on and nodded her head in understanding. "He mentioned that when we spoke."

Another awkward silence overtook them. They both knew they needed to talk. Most of the important things had been laid out on the table, especially with Lisa coming clean, both about the check and her feelings. God, that was an unexpected twist she hadn't planned for, but all through the car ride she couldn't help but realize that it was true. Lisa loved Jennie, and she wanted to make things right again.

"I should have told you sooner," Lisa said suddenly, dipping her head to meet Jennie's eyes. She noticed the brunette had begun flicking the ring around her finger, a sign of her nerves, but she had Jennie's attention just the same. "About everything, the money, how I felt, just, I should have said something sooner."

"Why didn't you?" Jennie questioned.

"I didn't think the money would matter, I didn't use it."

"It just pushed you into believing my mother's lies."

Lisa frowned, sliding the sleeve off her cup and picking at the corrugated cardboard as she muttered. "So did you."

"Sorry?"

Tiny little pieces of cardboard littered the table, and with a deep sigh, they scattered, some falling to the ground while others found their way over to Jennie's end of the table. Lisa looked up again, a combination of hesitation, fear, and hurt written all over her face. "You said your mother warned you about people like me." Her tone was flat, but the way she repeated the words were enough to let Jennie know that Lisa had committed those words to memory. And she had. Lisa had repeated them to herself for the better part of three weeks, unable to turn off the memory that held Jennie's sickened face and disgusted tone.

Jennie's cheeks reddened as she placed her hands against the table, furiously playing with the ring to provide a distraction. When she didn't respond right away, Lisa panicked and immediately told herself to get out while she still had her dignity and before her eyes could betray her with tears in this very public setting. What if Jennie still agreed with that? What if Jennie still thought she was scum?