it's always ourselves that we find in the sea || jensoo

Chapter 4

            She was sitting at one of the round metal tables outside the diner, soaking up what she expected to be the last of the sunny weather, a battered book open on the table before her while she absentmindedly stirred her latte. Over the past week, Jennie had become more broody, hidden away inside the house except for her evening jogs, feeling more and more frustrated with her situation, until Minzy had kicked her out for some fresh air with a few dollars pushed into her hand to buy herself lunch. Jennie hated feeling like she couldn't support herself, and she knew her adoptive mother only meant to help encourage her to enjoy herself, but to Jennie, it almost felt like she was being pitied. Still, she'd taken her advice and pedaled into town, returned a few books to the library and checked out some more, and parked herself at the table for the rest of the morning. The smell of fresh coffee was a constant companion as she read, her eyes quickly skimming the pages while she enjoyed the clean air and the gentle breeze. Being outside always managed to clear Jennie's head, and after the thick air of Seoul, it was a welcome change to sit outside and not be assaulted by the smell of the sewers or choking car exhaust. If she'd come back to Auckland for any other reason, Jennie would've enjoyed herself a lot more, but with the constant fear of being seen as a failure weighing down on her shoulders, the most she could manage was to shake away her negative thoughts and peacefully read for a while.

            By the time she'd finished her coffee and packed away her books, she found herself more relaxed and in a slightly better mood, thanking the waitress who was cleaning up dirty cups outside, and collecting her bike from where she'd propped it up against the side of her table. Wheeling it down the sidewalk, Jennie swung a leg over the bike and placed her bag in the basket, before she started pedaling down the sidewalk, her dark hair streaming out behind her as she rode through the middle of town. At the sight of a bright blue coat out of the corner of her eye, Jennie whipped her head around, a bright smile crossing her face at the familiar dark hair, and she narrowly avoided crashing into a man wheeling boxes into the supermarket as she drifted. Shouting a quick apology at the man, who yelled after her, Jennie cycled across the street, breaking as she reached the opposite curb and climbed off her bike.

            "Jisoo!" she called out, pushing her bike up the curb and walking towards her.

            "You know my name," Jisoo smiled at her, immediately looking up at the sound of Jennie's voice.

            Jennie laughed, her cheeks turning slightly pink as she rubbed the back of her neck, "yeah, I, uh, I asked my... mom."

            "Are you sure about that?" Jisoo laughed, fumbling with her bags as she tried to unfold her cane, two segments snapping together.

            "About what?"

            "That you asked your mom."

            Reaching out towards her, Jennie hesitated slightly, "can I hold your bags for you?"

            Relinquishing them over to Jennie's hands, Jisoo managed to get the rest of the stick connected, holding it tightly in her right hand as she let the round ball on the end rest on the sidewalk. Jennie held the heavy bags in one hand, the other keeping her bike balanced as she stared at Jisoo's sweatpants - black with bright purple stars - smiling slightly to herself.

            A pale hand reaching out towards her made Jennie look back up, and she realised that Jisoo was waiting for Jennie to hand the bags back to her. "Oh, um, I can carry them for you if you'd like. I was heading home anyway," Jennie offered, a hopeful look on her face.

            "Oh, no, I couldn't let you," Jisoo declined her offer, a small smile playing on her lips, "I'm fine. Really."

            "I know," Jennie softly replied, "but I do have my bike here, so it would be nothing to hang them off the handlebars. They're a bit heavy." At the hesitant look on Jisoo's face, Jennie let out a quiet laugh, realising that her mystery girl wasn't sure if she wanted to accept her help, and Minzy's words about how she did everything herself came to Jennie's mind. "How about we take one each?"