Midnight Angel [Jenlisa FF]

~'~'~ Chapter 18 ~'~'~

A blush crept up her cheeks at the intimate connotation of her imagination. What in the world was she thinking? She had no business thinking fantasies like that. Lisa was just...a friend. she was only helping her clear her name and get her life back on track. That was all Lisa was doing. She didn't even really want to consider anything beyond that.

The memory of the kiss they'd shared rose in her mind. That hadn't exactly been a friendly thing, had it? It hadn't seemed like a strictly platonic gesture at the time. It had seemed like...everything. But what did it mean to Lisa? Why had she done it? Maybe she had only been trying to be nice to her because she felt sorry for her. She hoped that wasn't the reason. Then again, maybe it was better if that was the case. She could handle something like a platonic kiss between friends. Anything else...Jennie shuddered, dark memories surging to the surface.

A loud meow shook Jennie out of her thoughts, making her realize she'd found the cat food, but gotten so sidetracked thinking about Lisa she'd forgotten to pour some into the kitten's bowl. She'd simply been standing there at the counter, cat food in hand, mind wandering. Good thing no one was around to see her act like a fool.

Walking over to the silly porcelain bowls Lisa had bought, she poured some of the special kitten formula dry food for Shadow. As soon as she moved away, the kitten happily crouched and starting munching away.

After replacing the cat food, Jennie's stomach growled again, reminding her of her own hunger. She strode over the refrigerator and poked around inside. There was some leftover fried chicken in a bowl that looked appetizing, but she worried that it would make her too full and then she wouldn't be hungry when Lisa came back with the pizza.

She put the bowl covered with plastic wrap back on the shelf and looked around for something else. In the dairy drawer, she found some packaged cheese. If Lisa had any crackers to go with the cheese, it would make a good snack. Grabbing the block of cheddar, along with a can of diet cola, Jennie closed the fridge and set her selection on the counter.

A short search later, she'd found some cracked wheat crackers and had seated herself at the kitchen table. She was just about to slice off a piece of cheddar when a knock sounded on the front door. Her hand froze mid-cut, panic seizing her instantly.

Who in the world would be knocking on Lisa's door in the middle of the day? It didn't matter who, though. Nobody could know that she was here – or that she was alive for that matter. Luckily, whoever was at the door couldn't see into the kitchen where she was. She hoped they went away quickly.

The knock came again, increasing her worry. To be on the safe side, she quietly stood from the table and inched her way over toward the pantry. She could hide there if necessary. She had reached the slatted doors when yet another knock sounded. Whoever it was didn't seem to be going away. Would they try to come in? Peek in the windows?

As Jennie was about to slip into the pantry, she heard familiar voice call out.

"It's Jisoo!"

Jennie slumped against the wall in relief, and let out a heavy sigh. It was only Jisoo, someone who knew she was live and didn't believe she was a murderer. And actually, she wouldn't mind seeing Jisoo. Ever since things had changed, she hadn't had a chance to really talk to her friend.

Even though she knew it was Jisoo at the door, Jennie was still cautious as she approached. She took care to peek out the curtained side windows just to be safe. The flash of red hair assured her that it was indeed Jisoo. Still, when she opened the door, she made certain to stand behind it so that she couldn't be seen from the outside.

Jisoo scooted in, allowing Jennie to close the door quickly. For several drawn out seconds, the two could only stare at each other, feeling an awkwardness between them. Jennie's eyes darted around the foyer while Jisoo shifted nervously on her feet. Neither knew what to say to the other.