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

Chapter 4

"Definitely," Lisa deadpans, granting Jennie a teasing look across the table that has her melting back into her chair.

/

"Front or back?" Lisa asks as they approach the car, bags slung over their shoulders.

Lisa has opted to go sleeveless, so her freckled shoulders coupled with the sunglasses effortlessly perched on her nose is enough to keep Jennie sufficiently distracted.

Jennie laughs, feigning surprise. "Wow, Lisa, take me to dinner first."

Lisa's hand stills on the door. "That's... not—"

"Front, please," she adds with a grin.

Jennie still thinks it's endlessly sweet that Lisa asks every time they get in the car. She thinks it's sweet that Lisa does below the speed limit, letting other cars overtake her just so Jennie doesn't feel panicked. And she hasn't felt panicked. Not once.

Lisa's expression grows curious. "Are you sure?"

Jennie nods. "You know I trust you. Besides, feels weird to sit behind you, I want to be next to you."

The faintest of smiles flashes across Lisa's face. "Front it is."

/

When Lisa parks the car in front of what looks like bushland and not much else, Jennie turns to her with a quizzical expression.

"Trust me," Lisa responds with a smile, and Jennie only shrugs before hopping out of the car alongside her.

They grab their belongings and Lisa starts to lead her down a barely-visible dirt path between the trees. They'd checked the weather at breakfast this morning, but the mid-morning humidity on its own reveals the day is going to be hotter than usual. They only walk for a few minutes before Jennie's ears perk up at the sound of rolling waves in the distance.

As the sound grows louder and the smell of salt permeates the air, anticipation shoots through her. They step out of the treeline, and Jennie's surprised when her feet land directly onto sand.

Suddenly, they're standing on a beach.

It's a decent size, definitely not as large as Suncliff, but also far less crowded. The water is a gorgeous blue, somehow even more so than the main beach. Most of the people here are surfers, but there are also others just enjoying the water. Everyone looks like a local — they're all tanned and relaxed.

(Those are Jennie's only parameters for being a local around here.)

"This is Archer's Beach," Lisa's introduces it as if it were a person. "It's a local surfing spot, for the most part. Tourists generally don't venture this far out, so it's a little more laidback than everywhere else in Suncliff."

Jennie smiles, cheekily, before looking towards Lisa. "You're showing me your special spot."

"Well," Lisa blushes, which is always Jennie's intended response, "one of them."

Jennie nudges her shoulder against her arm. "I love it. Thank you for bringing me."

Lisa suddenly appears shy, rubbing the back of her neck with her hand. She's so cute, Jennie thinks, which is irritating because she's also cool and funny and hot and she has absolutely no concept of any of it. The way she wanders through life so unaware bothers her, quite frankly. Only because she wants Lisa to see herself this way, too.

She's patient and she's kind and every day Jennie just wants to wrap herself in the essence of her, if that were remotely possible.

"Would you like to go for a swim?" Lisa's voice cuts through the dense haze of her thoughts.