Apathetic

Chapter 26

LISA'S POV

I was working on Christmas Eve. Somehow Jennie got out of working tonight, which was weird because I knew it would be busy and they'd need her, but I didn't question it because she said that she was going to finish setting up our place for Christmas because Jisoo, Chaeyoung, Hanbin, and his girlfriend were invited to Christmas dinner and we didn't want to look lazy and like we hadn't done anything. Or like we'd been having too much sex and cuddling and things.

I had another few hour until I could go home, but I didn't mind too much, the restaurant business was as much my life as Jennie's. I enjoyed work; I enjoyed moving and having something to do, so the time really flew.

I was driving home later than I thought I would be, it was about 11:30 now and I wouldn't have been surprised if Jennie fell asleep on the couch waiting for me. I smiled a bit at the idea of walking in on her sleeping on the couch with the TV on to the Food Network showing some Christmas special, she always fell asleep before I came home if she had to stay up later.

I parked in our little parking space and looked at our place.

Ours.

I felt my lips curve up into a smile at the word. She asked me to live with her. Jennie, the girl who used to not want to sleep with a woman twice, asked me to move in with her.

It had to be impossible.

But it wasn't, here I was, looking up at our little place with lights strung up along the door and the edge of the roof. It looked nice, plain white lights in the usual places, but it was nice because it was ours. Because Jennie had spent time out here putting them up before I got home.

I walked up to the door and looked at our wreath as I stuck the key in the lock, turning it to unlock the door she probably locked before going to sleep. I was about to turn the knob when I noticed something.

Taped to the door in the center of the wreath was a piece of thick paper, like cardstock, folded closed. I hesitantly reached up and pulled the flap up to see, in Jennie's sloppy yet neat handwriting, I love you.

I smiled and was glad for the privacy out here because I knew my cheeks were bright red and I pulled the note off the door and held it tightly in my hand as I opened the door and walked in.

My breath caught my throat at the sight.

The only lights were white Christmas lights hanging on the walls, but it was bright enough to illuminate the thick, red, velvety ribbon that went down the small hallway.

I looked over at it, then at the lights, my confusion growing as I tried to figure this out when I noticed another little white card tied to the ribbon.

I spent an hour trying to think of how to attach this to the ribbon, so glad you bought that hole puncher. I shouldn't have called it useless, it's my favorite thing in the world.

Other than you.

I smiled and trailed my finger along the ribbon, following it until I saw another envelope just a foot away.

Remember our first night?

I looked at you and I couldn't think about anything but you.

You've always been the girl I can't get out of my head.

There was yet another about a foot away and I couldn't help but laugh a little at this. She must have spent forever on this, but I couldn't figure it out. Sure, Jennie was romantic, but this was odd, I didn't know what it was about. Perhaps she's more romantic than I thought.

I wondered if this would be a regular thing as I opened the next little folded paper.

Lavender and vanilla.