the beat of my heart || Jenlisa Adaption

Chapter 7: day 7

The digits on Jennie's phone tell her it's nearly 2 AM, but she's not tired at all. Her head is still buzzing from the party, even though it's quiet in the car. On her left, Lisa is staring out the window, absentmindedly tracing patterns on Jennie's palm. The feeling sends electric shivers down her spine, and there's something about the gesture that makes her heart swell.

"Where are we going?" Jennie asks, breaking the silence.

Lisa slowly turns her head, staring at Jennie for a moment before answering, "The beach."

"Oh," because wow, that's romantic. Jennie wonders if Lisa knows just how much she's falling in love with her right now, just for saying those two words.

"Is that okay with you?" Lisa asks, scrunching up her face in concern.

"Absolutely."

"Okay." Lisa smiles. She glances out the window again, and Jennie realizes they've been driving along the ocean the entire time. She was just too busy staring at Lisa to notice.

They drive for a few more minutes arriving wherever Lisa told their driver to go, and Jennie breathes in the fresh ocean air. She's not sure why, but it smells differently from the beach in Florida. It smells differently from the last time she was at the beach, too.

Spinning around, her eyes lock with Lisa's, who's just wrapping up paying for their ride. It's insane how much has changed in one week. Just four days ago, Lisa hated her. Now she's slowly walking towards her with that adorable smile on her face.

The only thing that hasn't changed is the way Jennie falls in love with her every second of the day.

"I just wanted you to have one good experience of the beach, since that's sort of what California is known for," Lisa says as she reaches Jennie, her voice soft and raspy. She still feels bad about the photoshoot, Jennie realizes.

She reaches out for Lisa's hand, lacing their fingers together with a certain air of confidence. It feels natural, holding Lisa's hand. She almost doesn't remember not holding it.

"Lead the way," she smiles.

They slip off their shoes, digging their feet into the cool sand as they start walking. It's quiet, save for the sound of ocean waves, and in the far distance the engines of cars. Even at 2 AM, Los Angeles is still wide awake.

Even though she normally hates silence, Jennie doesn't feel the need to say anything. She's comfortable enough around Lisa to not feel awkward when they're not having a conversation. Of course, she loves talking to her, but it's okay if they're not. It's a feeling she could get used to.

Eventually, after they walked quietly for some time, Lisa clears her throat. "I wanted to say thank you, for giving me a second chance, even if I didn't deserve one."

Jennie stops walking. Her coordination has never been the greatest, and meaningful conversations are best when they're not messed up by accidental tripping over air. "Of course. You don't have to thank me."

"I want to, though. I've been a really bad host and an even worse person to you. I'm supposed to be your idol, but instead, I acted like an asshole."

"You're not my idol anymore," Jennie says. "You're something else. I read a quote once, about how there are two ways to dehumanize someone. One is by dismissing them, the other by idolizing them. If there's one thing I learned this past week, it's that you're human. There is more to you than what you show the world, and I'm still getting to know that person. You're my friend, more than you are my idol, now."

Lisa doesn't reply immediately. Her hands have become a little sweaty, but it's too dark to see her face. Jennie starts to get worried she said something wrong, but then Lisa moves and suddenly her face is so close Jennie can feel her breath.