and there it is, a mark of the divine | JENLISA

Chapter 2

There's a tranquillity to Lisa that she can't quite pinpoint. Like she's just stepped off a cloud, weightless and unburdened. Jennie's seen her at work, on a boat, in the morning, in the evening, gazed at her from across the dinner table with a glass of wine in hand, but here... Here is where she exudes radiance. Here is where she becomes the sun, and Jennie just wants to be caught in her gravity.

A part of her doesn't even want to approach in fear of disturbing the energy. She wants to capture Lisa in this light, in a painting or a photograph. She wants to remember her this way. So that when she leaves, she'll have the most unadulterated image of her preserved in her mind.

When she leaves.

Fuck.

It's that thought that surges her forward, the sand kicking behind her. She doesn't want to waste another second of their time together. She doesn't know too much about her, but she does know one thing: this is Lisa, and she wants more.

"Hey," Jennie greets her, and she surprises herself with how coy she sounds. She's never had a problem trying to be casual. She's also never had a problem coming across as a little goofy. Today, she's struggling with both.

"Jennie, hi." Lisa looks up, and Jennie's original observations are confirmed. She seems so at ease, with her hair slightly damp and the waves rolling towards them both in the background. "You're early."

"Yeah! Is that okay? Guess you probably weren't expecting that from me."

Lisa nods, stepping off the board and dusting the errant sand off of her body. She looks towards the kids, who all appear to be somewhere between the ages of eight and twelve. "Keep practicing that, I'll just be a second."

"I can come back—"

Lisa turns towards her again, and now that they're face to face, Jennie is slammed with bright eyes and freckles. Somehow they're even more spectacular in the sunshine, especially her eyes, which seem to house flecks of gold. She's beginning to think that all light sources were created specifically with her in mind. "No, it's alright. I just have to finish up with this class. We've yet to get in the water, so we're running a little behind."

"That's okay, don't rush," Jennie says quickly. If she doesn't rush, then she gets to watch Lisa in her element and she is more than happy to wait for that. She feels privileged just to be able to see this side of her to begin with. "Please, go ahead."

She expects Lisa to turn back around to continue her lesson, but instead, she lingers. "It's good to see you."

"Yeah," Jennie breathes. "You look good. Happy, I mean." She bites the inside of her cheek. Keeping her mouth shut will make it much more difficult to shove her foot in it.

Jennie doesn't have verbal confirmation on Lisa's sexuality, but the fact that they're conversing like they haven't seen each other in three years when it's only been twelve hours tells her a lot. That, among other things.

Lisa's expression remains relaxed. "I am. It's a lovely morning." She looks out towards the ocean briefly, as if it's the third person in their conversation. "I wasn't sure I'd see you, I thought maybe you'd change your mind after last night."

"Honestly? I wasn't sure either." She doesn't particularly want to talk about the night before, but she doesn't think she can wait for Lisa to finish her lesson without at least acknowledging the elephant in the room. "Did you get home okay last night?"

Except, she has a feeling she's the only one in the room with said elephant. If Lisa has any negative feelings about the matter, it doesn't show on her face, and it's not disclosed in her tone. "I did, thank you. Yasmine's a good friend like that." She scans Jennie's features, before her gaze lands on her hat, an amused smile taking over. "Another great choice, I see. You'll have to tell me how you discovered that one."