so, do we like each other or not? // JENLISA

Chapter 13

While Jennie was in the shower, Lisa brushed her hair out and put on some underwear before finally unpacking her suitcase. She felt very strange sliding open the glossy wooden doors and hanging up her dresses next to Jennie's - the difference between their clothes was immediately obvious, and she forced down another wave of embarrassment. After the Diane von Furstenberg dress that she'd bought the week before, she hadn't had enough left from her allowance to buy anything anywhere near as nice. She'd have to be much smarter with her money next month.

She snorted to herself, wondering whether she would have believed someone if they'd told her three weeks ago that living off $10,000 a month would be a struggle. It was the stupidest fucking thing she'd ever heard.

She realised then that in spite of the frantic online shopping she'd done, she had no idea what she was planning to wear that evening. The very thought of picking something out made her want to lie face-down on the bed and scream. She pulled out one dress, eyeing it with a mixture of uncertainty and disgust, and then pushed it far back into the closet again. It settled next to her various pairs of skinny jeans and she looked longingly at them, wishing she'd chosen to date someone who lived in a world where women were actually allowed to wear pants to formal occasions.

Instead of selecting a fancy dress that she knew wouldn't suit her no matter what she did, it was far easier to pretend they didn't exist and skulk over to the vanity table. She sat down with a thump, wrapping her robe tighter around her, and pulled out her tatty collection of expired make-up.

Jennie reappeared 10 minutes later wrapped in a towel, her hair tied into a short ponytail at the base of her neck. Lisa hadn't made much progress in the way of getting ready: she was now just staring at her own face, which was wearing foundation but not much else, wondering what the next step was when she'd only just realised she didn't own any lipstick. The second Jennie had stepped back into the room, however, her resolve to get dressed abandoned her entirely.

She could see the muscles in Jennie's toned shoulders shifting as she moved. She swept around the room so easily, either not noticing Lisa's eyes on her or simply not caring about them, and the mere sight of her dried Lisa's mouth out completely. After pausing to untie her hair and shake out its residual flatness, Jennie went to the closet and began to rifle through her clothes.

Lisa swallowed before asking in a quiet voice, "What are you going to wear?"

Jennie pulled out a grey shift dress and pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Probably this."

She tugged it free of its hanger and turned, draping it over the bed. There was something so effortless, so confident about the way she did it, and Lisa felt her posture slump. A wave of homesickness that she'd never felt before washed over her.

"What about you?" Jennie asked, and Lisa looked up.

"What about me?"

A flicker of concern crossed Jennie's face when she heard the flatness in Lisa's voice. "What are you going to wear?"

Lisa shrugged, then reached out for her make-up bag and started fiddling around with its contents. She had zero intention of putting any more on, but she needed to do something that would stop her from looking morosely back at Jennie's confused reflection.

She heard movement behind her, and when she glanced up, she saw that Jennie was looking through the other half of the closet. After a moment, she pulled out a black dress not too dissimilar to the one she'd selected for herself. "How about this?"