YOUNG LOVE || 𝐉𝐄𝐍𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐀 ✔︎

four

“Let me help with that,” Lisa offered as Irene brought the salad to the table.

“I’ve got it. Open the other bottle of wine,” she suggested instead.

Seulgi was bent over the stove, inspecting the huge pan of lasagna. “Smells great. How much longer?”

“When we finish our salads, it’ll be ready to serve.”

Lisa slapped her hand away as Seulgj reached out to grab a taste. “You know her rules,” she said.

“If only I’d learned to cook, she wouldn’t be able to hold all those rules over me,”
Seulgi said with laugh. She linked arms with Lisa as they made their way back outside to the patio. Irene had already served generous portions of salad onto their plates.

“I want to hear more about you and Jennie,” Irene said as she took the wine bottle from Lisa. “Were you falling in love with her at thirteen and you didn’t even know it?”

“It was around that time that I started to get a clue,” she said with a smile. “The butterflies in my stomach thing only happened around Jennie. Never around guys. The thought that I might be gay terrified me.”

“You’ve said you’ve always had a close relationship with your mother,” Seulgi said. “You talked to her about it, right?”

“Are you kidding me? I couldn’t talk to her about that,” Lisa said with a grin. “At least not when I was that young.” She took a bite of salad and glanced at Irene. “This is great.”

“Thank you.” Irene raised her eyebrows. “So did you talk to Jennie about it?”

“No. And she didn’t talk to me about it either.”

“Ah. So you were both feeling that way,” Seulgi stated.

“Yes. We simply didn’t talk about it. We never talked about it.”

Irene leaned forward and smiled wickedly. “Did you kiss her?”

Lisa nodded. “I was fourteen.”
* * *

“I don’t want to go out with Mino,” Jennie complained as they sorted through her clothes. “Why is she making me?”

“You said yourself when you got into high school you’d have to start dating,” Lisa reminded her.

“I don’t even like Mino,” she said as she tossed yet another blouse onto the bed. “Do you like this one?” she asked, holding it up to her chest.

“Yes. It's gorgeous on you..”

Jennie stared at her for a moment, her head tilted. She tossed that blouse on the bed with the others as she walked closer. “He’s going to want to kiss me.”

Lisa nodded. Even though she had no idea who Song Mino was, other than the boy Jennie's mother had picked out for her years ago, she still felt a twinge of jealousy.

Jennie took her hand and their fingers linked together. It was something they did often—hold hands. Sometimes, it was casual with Jennie leading her this way or that. Other times, they would stare at each other, their fingers moving softly against the other’s skin, touching, memorizing, tracing. Those were the times Lisa loved. Now, Jennie's thumb was trailing across the back of her hand, and Lisa swallowed nervously.

“I don’t know how to kiss,” Jennie said quietly. “I’ve never kissed anyone.”

“I’m sure it won’t be hard to learn,” Lisa said, hearing her voice crackle with nervousness.