The Beginning of the End - Jenlisa

Chapter Eighteen

It was only when I could no longer hear my son's little footsteps thumping on the stairs that I approached her, leaning against the counter, beside Jennie.

As expected, Jennie ignored my presence.

I smiled. "So... I heard Riley wants a dog."

Jennie rolled her eyes. "Typical." Jennie said, drying her hands. "That's the one wish I've never granted him and he goes off telling everybody about it."

I laughed. "Stubborn~, eh?"

"Yes." Jennie replied, testily, knowing perfectly well what I hinted at.

"Why don't you get a dog?" I pressed.

The look Jennie sent me clearly asked me whether I was serious or plain-out dumb. "I'm not bringing a dog in a penthouse. And I'm not riding the elevator up and down all day long to take him out."

"Riley could do that," I offered.

"A six-year-old walking his dog, all alone, in downtown Seoul." One hand on her hip, Jennie looked at me blandly. "You're pretty smart, aren't you?"

I smiled. "Why not buy a house? If you have the money to buy a penthouse, you have the money to buy a house, and a Land Rover."

"Your son, as you may already know, spends more time alone than I am comfortable with. He's safe in a penthouse at the top of a building. He's not safe in a house, with a dog by themselves. Enough said."

I laughed. There was a moment of hesitation from my part, before I made my decision and spoke my mind. "Anyway, I was thinking..."

"About getting a dog." Jennie finished for me, moving to the other end of the kitchen.

I grinned. "Partially," I admitted. "But I was also thinking about getting the two of you to move in with me before I got that dog."

Her answer was late, and when it came, it was a breathy whisper. "What?" Turning to face me, Jennie looked at me as though I had grown another head.

I, on the other hand, grinned in such a laid-back manner that I was sure that, if had Jennie been beside me, she would have slapped me.

"Yeah.~" I answered. "I mean, I know you want nothing to do with me anymore, but... Riley is my child, too, and I want to spend more time with him. I want him to have everything I can give him. What kind of parent would I be if I didn't even get my son a dog? And still... I don't want to separate you two."

"Just as he can visit you, Riley can visit your dog." Jennie replied.

"It's not the same, Jennie." I told her, smiling gently.

Heaving a sigh, Jennie leaned against the counter. She didn't take a single step in my direction, but her gaze was locked with me—and it was as if Jennie was right next to me. I was actually surprised to see that she was actually giving the matter a second thought so soon.

Jennie had changed, too—I was slowly realizing. Jennie had matured, as imperceptible as that sometimes was, even more so than me.

"Lisa, I... I understand that you have a big house and that you don't see us moving in with you as a big deal, but—"

"It is a pretty big deal." I argued. "That's why I'm suggesting it."

Jennie swallowed. "Lisa..."

I straightened my posture. "Look, just think about it. I don't want to pressure you—or anything like that. But that pink house is big, and... it's for Riley."

"I still doubt that it's an environment suited for a child." Jennie said as she turned around, resuming her activities.

I knew exactly what she meant. "They aren't there."

"No?" Jennie raised her eyebrows and ignored the tinge of pain in my voice as she moved back to the sink. "I never thought I'd see the day you'd be without your friends."

I shrugged. "I never thought I'd see the day I'd be without you."

That seemed to capture her interest, because suddenly, Jennie was looking up at me, one hand on her hip, the other on the counter, her catlike eyes holding a hardness I saw no reason to be there.

"Won't there be a woman to object to your ex-wife living in your house?" Jennie nearly demanded, taking me by surprise.

I wasted no time in answering, though, with a gentle tone and a smile on my face. "Jennie~..." Huffing an amused breath, I shook my head. "For me, there will never be someone other than you. It's always been you, and it's always going to be you. It took me a while to realize this, and I'm not proud of it, but..."

"No human being can stay alone for so long," Jennie told me, as factual as she was known to be. "Eventually, there will be another woman."

"Will there be another special someone for you?" I challenged.

"I have Riley." Jennie answered immediately.

"Smart~." I observed, chuckling.

"Look, I know what you're trying to do. You have good intentions. But Riley is a child. You're going to give him a big house and buy him a dog and treat him like a little prince, and then the time will come for us to leave and to come back here. And I'm not sure how well he's going to take that."

"That time will never come." I insisted. Three steps, and the distance between us was closed. "I'm going to be honest right now—perhaps more honest than I've been in six years, even with myself. I can come to terms with the idea of never kissing you again, but not with the idea of letting you out of my life."

I straightened then, and buried my hands into my back pockets in the most casual of manners.

"Think about it, alright?" I suggested. "You don't have to answer now."

And with those parting words, I turned around, and left.