Garden of Love [ Chaennie ]

12. Step by Step

"My theory is about moments. Moments of impacts. These moments of impact, these flashes of high intensity that completely turn our lives upside down, actually end up defining who we are. A moment of total, physical, mental, and every other kind of love. But what I never considered was what if one day you could no longer remember any of them" - The vow

***

Jennie groaned and opened her eyes. That song was playing in the background. Her head throbbed. The warm liquid dripped down her face. She knew where she was. It always came back to this. This moment of impact. She could hear the screeching of tires, the sound of crunching metal, the sound of breaking glass. She could feel the pain erupting throughout her body as she struggled to try and stay awake.

"Ro... Rosie." She breathed as she tried to bring a shaky hand to her pocket. She was looking for something. Her head felt like it had its own heartbeat. Her eyelids never felt heavier. She just wanted to sleep but she knew she couldn't. She couldn't reach her pocket. She grunted as she tried to get a bearing for her surroundings. That's when it happened. The headlights, the sound of tires trying desperately to stop. She sucked in a breath and everything went black. She tossed in her sleep before falling into a dreamless slumber.

There laid the most beautiful woman Rosie Park had ever laid her eyes on. Her childhood best friend, her high school sweetheart, the love of her life, the mother of her child. So many moments and memories wrapped up with this sun-kissed girl. So many moments of utter love were shared with this woman. Her wife had seen her at her very best and her absolute worst and loved her just as much on either day.

She had never believed in love at first sight. She remembered that about herself as a child. She would crinkle her nose when watching the cheesy Hallmark movies with her parents. She never understood how someone could fall in love with a stranger. Yet here she is, loving an absolute stranger. She may have her wife's face and body but the woman asleep in her bed is not her wife. She doesn't know who she is now but she knows she loves her with every fiber of her being. Because those green eyes speak such volumes. Her tiny half-smiles lit her body on fire. The accidental brushes of skin make her heart soar as high as the clouds in the sky.

She was once a simple girl with a plan. That was until she laid eyes on Jennie Kim. That plan was tossed, burned, forgotten, rewritten. It was no more. Whatever she envisioned for herself was a blip in her existence. Because all that mattered to her now was getting to know that beautiful girl who couldn't say her name right. The shy girl, who only seemed to smile for her. The reserved girl who only let her brush arms with her or intertwine their hands. She fell for the girl more and more each day. She'd beg her parents to drop her off earlier each day so she'd have more time with her new friend. She was so fascinated by the girl with the green eyes that she could hardly focus on anything else.

Her mother was very concerned when the teacher called to discuss Rosie's lack of attention in class. Her daughter was supposed to grow up and be a doctor like her. That's what a young Rosie wanted. That's what her mother wanted for her. But then came Jennie Kim. She turned her life upside down and she had never been happier. Never felt more loved and cared for than when the little girl would share what little food her guardian packed for her. She was always selfless and so so caring. Rosie had always loved that about her.

When she was sitting in the hospital, she thought the worst thing was the thought of Jennie dying. She never even thought about her wife not remembering her. Not remembering the life they shared. The trials and tribulations. Those moments of pure bliss entangled in one another or those moments of anger when they disagreed. Though their disagreement rarely lasted more than a day or two, she still had a hard time wrapping her head around the idea that she now carries all of these moments alone.