Wait for me to come Home

Chapter 40

It was their last night in Midvale, as Jennie had insisted that they return to National City tomorrow so that Lisa would be able to attend the Veteran's Day parade the day after. Yuri had managed to get a few days on work to come with them, so that she could spend Lisa's last four days with her too. In Jennie's opinion, the past ten days had gone by far too quickly, and she was trying not to think about how she would have to say goodbye to Lisa again. Her time with Lisa had felt like a dream, and she had only gotten used to her being back over the past few days. Their time in Midvale hadn't been eventful, but they'd spent almost every moment together, reading books, drinking tea on the porch, watching movies or taking Kuma for long walks. Every moment had been so precious to Jennie, even the stolen private moments in the morning where she would watch Lisa sleep, unwilling to get out of bed because she was trying to make up for all the mornings where she hadn't woken up beside Lisa.

They made the most of their last night by driving out to the field they'd come to when Jennie had first visited Yuri. The headlights lit up the field as the two of them sat on the bonnet of the car, cuddled up under a blanket for warmth. At Lisa's insistence, Jennie was reading aloud from the book she'd brought along and she lay with her head on Jennie's shoulder, eyes half-closed as she clutched a thermos of hot coffee to her chest.

"Hmm, I like that poem, quote, whatever it is," Lisa murmured as Jennie got to the end of it. "Can you read it again?"

"Again?" Jennie asked with a small smiled. She pressed a kiss to the top of Lisa's head. "Of course."

And so she read it again, and again, and Lisa smiled as she listened to the lilting sound of Jennie's voice. It wasn't a particularly cold night, but eventually the chill found its way through the blanket and their coats and left them shivering slightly, but neither of them wanted to move. When Jennie's hands were shaking from the cold, she closed the book and buried her hands under the blanket, holding Lisa close as they stared up at the stars.

"I know we said the stars are the same no matter if I was here or there, but they're a lot more beautiful here," Lisa murmured.

"I would've thought the pitch black of the desert would've made them better over there," Jennie said.

"But you're not there to watch them with," Lisa told her, turning her head to the side to smile at Jennie. She leant in for a soft kiss before turning her attention back to the stars. "And wherever you are is where it's the most beautiful."

"That's not cheesy in the slightest," Jennie quietly laughed.

Lisa joined in with her laughter as she gently bumped Jennie's shoulder. "I mean it though. You make me feel whole, and alive, and I didn't realize it until I met you, but you were everything I was missing. You're stubborn, and organized and brilliantly smart, and you lift me up and help me be better. And you're so selfless, Jennie, you would give me the entire world if I asked, I know you would. You put my happiness before your own, even when I don't want you to, and I want you to know that I appreciate that more than you know. I know how hard it was for you to tell me to go back if I wanted to, I know it killed you inside to not make the decision for me and I love you more than ever for letting me make my own decision, even if it was the one you didn't want to hear. You are everything good in this world, Jennie."

"I love you," Jennie said simply. There were no other words for it – she loved Lisa with every fiber of her being. She loved her so much that sometimes it terrified Jennie because she'd never felt anything this intensely before, and the power that that love had over her was terrifying. If Lisa ever broke her heart, Jennie wasn't sure she'd be able to come back from the heartbreak.