A Love in Three Chapters [Completed]

Chapter 2.2

It was pouring when they went outside. For a moment, Jennie was worried about not being able to catch a cab, but knowing Cedric, he would know what to do. He would have called her a cab by now.

"You don't have a driver? I'm surprised." Lisa half screamed into her ear in an effort to talk through the overpowering sounds of the rain, pointing out the obvious. Had she known it would rain maybe Jennie would have brought a driver in tow.

"I didn't know until what time I would be out. Besides, Bobigny is a relatively easy place to get to. Cabs are safe here." Jennie screamed back.

They stood beside each other outside the entrance hall, the pouring rain filling in for their silence. It wasn't really awkward as much as simply, there was nothing to say at the moment. Jennie folded her arms in front of her, pretending to be cold but really just an old subconscious habit kicking in when she's starting to feel unsure. Lisa felt it and started to mimic her subconsciously, crossing her own arms through her coat.

Jennie offered a small smile while Lisa stood stiffly beside her. A few cars were already passing by and a few people milled near the entrance, but the space was mostly just occupied by the two of them.

Such a huge space to hold all the unsaid things between them, to be honest, Jennie thought.

"You look good," Jennie tried to restart the conversation. Lisa just shrugged.

"Looks like Paris is taking good care of you as well. You look better than I remember."

Jennie doesn't know what to make of their dead-end discussions, but more so of Lisa's small compliments. She silently scolded herself for even feeling small butterflies and hoped for a distraction, which came sooner than she expected. She can already see a cab stopping in front of the building. "This is us," she confidently declared. Lisa wasn't sure entirely but followed suit.

"Bonjour, monsieur. Déposez-moi au marais," Jennie ordered the driver after they've settled in, but paused and then looked at Lisa. "Where's your hotel again?"

"Pullman? The one over at Bercy," Lisa replied. Jennie went on to bark more orders at the driver in French. After the whole debacle, Jennie finally settled in, trying to catch her breath. "Your place is just about a few kilometres away from mine, but my place is closer so he will drop me off first and then he will go straight to your hotel. Is that okay?"

"Look, do you want to have maybe a nightcap?" Lisa offered. While she felt suffocated at the thought of going through old memories, she knew it's the last chance to maximize the time with Jennie before she leaves and sees her again in... what's next, a decade? "It's been years, Jennie. I only have available time tonight as I fly off tomorrow."

Jennie hesitated for a bit. "I... can't. I need to be home in a short while, too."

Lisa wanted to point out that she didn't seem like she was in a hurry earlier, but she stopped herself. She looked at Jennie's hand resting on the seat just beside her, and almost in instinct, she slowly touched Jennie's arm then wrapped her hand around her palm.

Jennie held her breath. How do you manage your own supercut of painful events that just jumped out because of a touch of the hand?