The Quiet Contract

Couple-y things

Lisa followed Jisoo to the café down the street, her mind still spinning from her earlier conversation with Jennie. She couldn't help but replay the last few moments in Jennie's office, the subtle shift in her expression, the sharpness in her tone when she told her to leave. Was Jennie mad at her again? Had she done something wrong?

"Earth to Lisa," Jisoo's teasing voice broke through her thoughts.

Lisa blinked, realizing they were already seated at a cozy table by the window. Jisoo was waving a menu in front of her face.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. What?"

"You've been zoning out since we got here," Jisoo said, smirking. "What's on your mind? Or should I say, who's on your mind?"

Lisa's cheeks flushed slightly, and she quickly grabbed the menu to hide her face. "No one. Just thinking about work stuff."

"Work stuff," Jisoo repeated, clearly unconvinced. "Sure, because 'work stuff' makes people blush."

Lisa groaned, peeking over the edge of the menu. "Can we not do this right now?"

Jisoo leaned forward, her grin widening. "Come on, Lisa. Spill it. You and Jennie alone in her office—what happened? Did she yell at you again? Or did she actually smile for once?"

"She didn't yell," Lisa muttered defensively, setting the menu down. "And no, she didn't smile. Not really."

"But you're still thinking about her," Jisoo teased, wagging her eyebrows.

Lisa sighed, rubbing her temples. "I just... I don't get her. One second she's cold and intimidating, and the next... I don't know. There's something else there. Like, she's not as scary as she wants everyone to think."

Jisoo raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh? You're reading between the lines now?"

"No!" Lisa protested quickly, shaking her head. "It's not like that. I'm just trying to figure her out so I don't mess this up. I don't want to make things harder for her—or for me."

Jisoo tilted her head, her smile softening. "You're overthinking this, Lisa. Just be yourself. You're not as bad at this as you think."

Lisa laughed humorlessly. "Tell that to Jennie. Every time I try to be myself, she looks like she wants to strangle me."

Jisoo chuckled, leaning back in her chair. "That's just Jennie. She's always like that at first—guarded, critical, impossible to impress. But trust me, she's not as heartless as she seems."

Lisa frowned slightly, resting her chin on her hand. "You really think so?"

"I know so," Jisoo said confidently. "Just keep doing what you're doing. She'll come around eventually."

Lisa didn't respond right away, her thoughts drifting back to Jennie's sharp eyes and the way her tone softened ever so slightly during their earlier conversation. Could Jisoo be right?

Before she could dwell on it too much, the waiter arrived with their food.

"So," Jisoo said, digging into her meal. "Enough about Jennie. Let's talk about something more fun. Like, how's your Pokémon card collection coming along? Did you get that rare Pikachu yet?"

Lisa's face lit up, the tension in her shoulders easing. "Oh, you have no idea. I finally found it last week! It's in perfect condition too."

Jisoo gasped, genuinely impressed. "No way! Show me later!"

The two of them dove into a lively discussion about their collections, the conversation flowing effortlessly. For a little while, Lisa forgot about her worries, laughing and joking with Jisoo like they were old friends.