"Another ristretto please, Connor," Jennie called through her open office door, her sunglasses perched on her face and her office lights off.
She was nursing one of the worst hangovers she'd had since college, and yet despite the pounding headache and the queasiness in her stomach, she hadn't stopped smiling all morning.
Some things about last night were blurry, and she'd have to ask Lisa why her back was hurting, but she remembered the important parts. She remembered telling Lisa she wanted to do this and that she could never regret choosing her.
In the light of day, there were contracts and the media and the workplace to consider, but Jennie was ready to consider it. Lisa was worth more than considering it. She was worth it all.
"Ms. Jane?" Connor said softly from the doorway.
"Jennie," she corrected with a small smile, not even lifting her head up to look away from the spreadsheet she was looking at.
"Would you mind if Lisa delivers the ristretto? She said something about coffee with the boss."
Jennie schooled her features and glanced up, giving Connor a small nod.
"She said yes," Connor whispered loudly, holding up a thumbs up for Lisa before she walked in with a coffee cup in hand.
"Hangover express?" Lisa asked, handing over the coffee and dropping into a seat.
Jennie took off the sunglasses and winced at the sunlight that filtered in through the window behind her.
"Thank you for the coffee," she said with a small smile.
"I have something for you," Lisa chuckled, digging through her backpack and pulling out the bottle that she typically drank protein shakes from. "Hangover cure made by yours truly."
"Do I want to know what's in that?"
"Best not to ask, but it's all edible and won't hurt you."
"Well, that's a relief," Jennie teased, grabbing the bottle and letting her pointer finger trail across Lisa's as she did so. "How are you this morning? Sleep like a baby last night?"
"Didn't wake up once. I crashed hard and slept in, something you don't seem to have done," Lisa answered, leaning back in the chair and stretching her legs out in front of her.
"Work doesn't end just because I overindulge," Jennie shrugged, taking a quick sniff of the hangover cure and cringing. "Are sure this won't kill me?"
"It doesn't taste good. It won't kill you, and you don't have to drink it all. I usually start to feel better after only drinking a quarter of the bottle," Lisa assured, watching Jennie grimace at the thought of drinking it.
The CEO blew out a long breath and then readied herself to drink it. She plugged her nose with one hand and upturned the bottle with the other, managing to chug about a third of the bottle before she had to tap out.
"Fuck, that's disgusting," Jennie choked out, setting the bottle on the opposite end of her desk, not intending to drink anymore.
"Give it half an hour," Lisa grinned. "You should chase it with coffee."
Jennie was already picking up her ristretto and taking a long gulp of it, her disgusted expression morphing into relief once she'd downed a few gulps of the coffee.
"So... are you unhappy about overindulging?" Lisa asked slowly, unsure of how to casually ask if Jennie still felt like giving this a shot or if it had been the alcohol talking.
Jennie hid her smile behind her coffee cup, taking another sip before setting it down on the desk in front of her.
"What time is it?" Jennie asked.
"2:19."
"It's still today and I still want to do this," Jennie said softly, her stomach flipping at the admission.
"In that case," Lisa beamed, "you'll want to look at the gross hangover cure again."
Jennie reached out for the bottle and turned it around, catching sight of a sticker on the side of it.
If found return to Lisa. (503) 619-4877
"If I call this, it'll go to you?" Jennie asked, looking up at Lisa with a similarly beaming smile.
"Yes," Lisa nodded. "I'm sure you have it already in a file somewhere, but this felt slightly more special, gross drink notwithstanding."
Jennie let out a warm laugh, tilting her head to the side a bit as she gazed at Lisa.
"This isn't going to be... easy or public or probably what you deserve it to be," Jennie acknowledged.
"Or you," Lisa added, scooting her chair forward just slightly.
"But I want to try. All we can ever do is try," Jennie said, getting up from her desk chair and moving around the front of it, leaning against the front of her desk and bringing herself just a little closer to Lisa.
"I don't need easy. I'm actually a very private person. And while I don't know if I deserve you just yet, I'd definitely like to try," Lisa responded, keeping her eyes on Jennie's.
"In that case, allow me to introduce you to my favorite part of my office," Jennie said, moving off her desk and over to the far corner, next to a bookshelf and a few posters from past Avalanche seasons.
"A bookshelf," Lisa observed, following her to it despite her confusion.
"Nobody can see this part of my office from the hallway," Jennie replied, leaning back against the wall and smiling as Lisa got closer.
"I love this bookshelf," the player grinned, propping a hand on the wall beside Jennie and leaning close. "Good morning," she murmured.
"Good afternoon," Jennie corrected in a quiet voice, reaching out to gently grab hold of Lisa's hips.
"I missed the good morning kiss, though. I have to make up for that before I get the good afternoon one."
"I won't fight you on it," Jennie chuckled, nuzzling her nose along Lisa's and finding herself completely enamored with this adorably romantic side of her.
—
[Lisa 3:17PM]
do you want to go out on a 'stay at home' date?
[Jennie 3:17PM]
my answer hinges upon your answer to this question:
will i have to drink that gross hangover thing again?
[Lisa 3:20PM]
are you hungover and in need of help?
[Jennie 3:20PM]
definitely not
[Lisa 3:21PM]
then no, i can offer better drinks
[Jennie 3:21PM]
i'd hope so, considering you're supposed to be wooing
[Lisa 3:21PM]
ive a surprisingly extensive wine collection for someone who rarely drinks
[Jennie 3:21PM]
maybe i'll bring the drinks since i am also supposed to be wooing you
[Lisa 3:21PM]
you worried about my taste in wine?
[Jennie 3:22PM]
on the contrary, hoping to be as impressive as your wine collection
[Lisa 3:22PM]
you're very impressive. you have me sitting in an empty locker room because I don't want to put my phone down and drive home
[Jennie 3:22PM]
want to be even more impressed?
[Lisa 3:22PM]
pls
[Jennie 3:22PM]
cell phones have this amazing ability to connect people while otherwise occupied, via phone calls
boom
mind blown, right?
[Lisa 3:23PM]
so sassy. u want me to interrupt your workday with a call?
[Jennie 3:23PM]
give me five minutes and we can talk while i "peruse" the travel itineraries and expense reports for september
[Lisa 3:23PM]
fancy
Lisa finally put her phone in her pocket and grabbed her bag, heading out of the locker room and to the parking lot. By the time she had her bag in the back of her car and her seatbelt buckled, it had been four minutes and a few seconds. So, she drummed her fingers on the steering wheel and waited.
She didn't particularly want to seem overeager even though she was. She wanted to seem calm and relaxed about everything despite having spent the day thinking about kissing Jennie and being alone with her in a space where they could actually show their true feelings for one another.
Suddenly, her passenger's side door was pulled open and Jennie slid into the seat.
"Sorry, the elevator took forever," the brunette huffed, dropping her bag and her heels onto the floor of the car in front of her.
"Is this what people are calling phone calls now?" Lisa asked with a dopey smile as Jennie pulled one bare foot onto the seat and tucked her leg under her.
Jennie rolled her eyes and put her seatbelt on, fighting off a smile of her own. "Start driving before I kiss that smile off your face and blow our cover on the second day."
"The boss is bossy, who knew?" Lisa teased, backing out of her parking spot and following Jennie's request.
"I could always just ask to get out here and walk back to the office if you don't like the surprise visit?" Jennie teased back, pulling out her laptop and returning to the expense reports she did actually have to look over.
"I love the surprise visit. Where would you like to go?" Lisa asked as she pulled out of the parking lot. "Are you doing work?"
"I wanted to see you, so I'm working from home for the rest of the day," Jennie replied.
"Your home or my home?" Lisa asked, slowing down before choosing to go straight or turn toward her apartment.
"Your call. It's your date from home day," Jennie grinned, reaching out to squeeze Lisa's leg softly before returning her focus back to her computer.
Lisa thought for a moment and then moved into the turn lane to head to her apartment. "You haven't seen your fancy design job in person."
"Let's remedy that then," Jennie hummed, sinking happily into the passenger's seat of Lisa's car.
—
"Just give me one second," Lisa said, slipping into her own apartment and leaving Jennie in the hallway, probably about to protest.
"Shove everything into the closet!" She yelled teasingly through the closed door, holding her heels in one hand and her bag in the other.
Lisa wasn't messy, but there was organized clutter. She raced into her bedroom and threw the pile of dirty clothes into the hamper. Then, she put as many dishes as she could into the dishwasher before ditching the rest in organized piles in the sink. While Jennie laughed from the other side of the door, Lisa threw a blanket slightly more neatly over the back of the couch and then skidded to a stop and opened the door with a smile, her breathing a tiny bit more labored than usual.
"May I come in?" Jennie asked with a playful smile on her face, leaning against the doorframe.
"Welcome," Lisa grinned, stepping aside and giving Jennie room to come in.
Jennie vaguely recalled the mock-ups she'd done for Lisa a few months ago, and she was fairly certain she had taken every suggestion she'd made. The space looked lived-in and homey, the small bits of mess making it even more welcoming. The pile of shoes near the hall closet and the soccer balls on the living room carpet made Jennie smile.
"Looks like a home to me," Jennie observed, ditching her heels next to the pile of running shoes and Nikes.
"Nothing homier than an under-the-table design that goes against a contract," Lisa hummed.
"You paid. We're top six in the league," Jennie grinned.
"I don't think I paid. You made a good program," Lisa shrugged, watching Jennie in her space and feeling her stomach flutter in the best way, in the way it had been since kissing Jennie for the first time.
Jennie shrugged off the compliment, moving past Lisa into the apartment. She walked into the living room, dragging her fingertips along the soft material of the throw blanket slung across the back of the couch as she looked around.
"I should have gone with a different pattern for the rug, I think. It clashes a bit," she murmured, almost to herself.
"You didn't get a chance to walk the space. Plus, I kinda like it," Lisa assured, ditching her bag from practice in the front closet.
"Did you really remodel your shower?" Jennie asked with a smirk, leaning a hip against the back of the couch.
"Yes," Lisa answered with a smirk of her own.
"That wasn't just... suggestive flirting?"
"Oh, it was completely suggestive. I already had the contractor's number, and the remodeling was in the works. I just wanted you to know about it," Lisa admitted.
Jennie cleared her throat softly, feeling Lisa's words dance across her skin and encourage her slow-burning desire to burn hotter and brighter.
"I didn't stand a chance," she replied with a small shake of her head, knowing a light blush was heating her cheeks.
"Neither did I," Lisa murmured, walking across the room and wrapping her arms around Jennie's waist.
The CEO couldn't deny how natural it was for her own arms to find their way around Lisa's shoulders. It was like second nature to hold her close, to exist so intimately in her space.
"You should work from home more often," Lisa whispered, leaning forward to brush her lips against Jennie's forehead, along her eyebrows, down the bridge of her nose, across her cheekbones.
"You make a very compelling case," Jennie whispered back, her eyes fluttering shut at the feeling of Lisa's lips on her skin.
"I can be very convincing," Lisa hummed, trailing kisses along Jennie's jaw and down the side of her neck.
"Can we please stop talking about work?" Jennie sighed happily, lolling her head to the side to give Lisa more room to work.
"Mhm," Lisa mumbled, continuing to move her lips until she was nibbling softly against Jennie's collarbone, her hands tugging gently at her shirt so that her thumbs could slip under the hem and rest against the top of Jennie's hip bones.
Jennie settled one hand dangerously low on Lisa's lower back, the other threading into the slightly-damp waves at the back of Lisa's head and scratching gently against her scalp.
"I have a vague memory of telling you you're better at this than you are at football," Jennie husked, feeling a breathy gasp leave her lips when Lisa sucked none-too-gently on a spot below her collarbone.
"I remember that," Lisa teased, slipping her tongue into the hollow at the base of Jennie's neck.
"I was definitely right," Jennie chuckled, her voice low as her grip tightened on the back of Lisa's head.
Lisa just hummed as she moved to the other side of Jennie's neck, flicking her tongue against her pulse point as her hands slid up to her sides.
Jennie bit back a moan at the delightful combination of sensations that came from Lisa's tongue and her strong hands flexing against her ribs.
"Do not start something we can't finish before my conference call at four," Jennie panted, her words holding a warning that her own hands weren't following.
"You want me to stop?" Lisa asked, stilling her lips right below Jennie's ear.
"Are you getting a weird sense of deja vu, too?" Jennie asked, turning her head to press a fleeting kiss to Lisa's cheek.
"Yes," Lisa answered, pressing her smile against Jennie's skin before she removed her lips and stood up straight.
"Then you'll know I don't want you to stop, I just need you to if I want to get any work done," Jennie murmured, pulling Lisa back in for a brief kiss, no more than a gentle brush of lips.
"I can let you get work done. I'll be super quiet, and I'll give you feet of space," Lisa promised, moving out of the brunette's arms.
"No need for feet of space," Jennie said with a smile, delighting in the flush she could see in Lisa's cheeks, the one she knew she had in hers as well.
"Do you want a smoothie or something?" Lisa asked, unable to wipe the ridiculously happy look off her face.
"If you're making one, that sounds good," Jennie nodded, grabbing her discarded bag and setting up shop on the couch.
"Is there anything you'll be upset about being in your smoothie?" Lisa asked, moving through the kitchen to get the ingredients that she usually used.
"Nope, surprise me," Jennie said with a smile, watching her move around the kitchen instead of looking down at the laptop in her lap.
"Who's the conference call with?" Lisa asked, feeling her smile get bigger whenever she caught Jennie in her periphery, sitting in her space, on her couch.
"The leaders of our fan base, community outreach, as well as local sports activists," Jennie answered.
"Super interesting," Lisa teased, putting frozen fruit and some kale into the blender along with some protein powder. "Do you have to show your face or is it just a call?"
"We have these bi-monthly, and we always are on video, so," Jennie replied.
"I'll hide," Lisa chuckled.
"Actually..." Jennie trailed off, checking a few things on her computer. "Your input might be beneficial. We're discussing strategies to grow the game in the community, and we've been brainstorming partnerships that would help us put on a few clinics. I'm sure they wouldn't mind hearing your thoughts on the potential of the ideas we've been bouncing around."
"Ah, now I see why you snuck into my car," Lisa smirked before turning the blender on.
Jennie narrowed her eyes at her playfully, having been cut off by the blender.
"It's thick," Lisa hummed as she repeatedly pressed the pulse button.
"I'm sure it is!" Jennie called over the mechanical whirring with a laugh.
"So you want me to talk to people about growing the Denver football scene?" Lisa asked, finally shutting the blender off and grabbing glasses from the cabinet.
"We're going to pitch you some ideas, and I want your honest feedback," Jennie corrected, having already sent off an email to the women she was meeting with in a few minutes to let them know about the change in plans.
"Okay," Lisa nodded, sticking a straw into each smoothie and carrying them over to the couch.
Jennie got up with her laptop right as Lisa set their drinks onto the coffee table.
"We're not videoing in from the couch," Jennie chuckled, walking over to the small dining room table Lisa had.
"You want me to video from a different room?" Lisa asked, her smile playful.
"No, just don't do anything with your hands off camera," Jennie warned, equally as playful.
"Now that's even more tempting than it was five seconds ago," Lisa teased, putting coasters down before setting the smoothies on the dining room table.
Despite the temptation, Lisa did keep her hands to herself during the conference call. Jennie and the other women on the call were quick to discuss their ideas for community engagement, a plan which would need to be spearheaded by a select few players on the team. They would start with skills clinics, completely open to the public, and hopefully grow that into an academy program which would be completely funded, so anyone could participate.
"And that's what we've been talking about, really, since May-ish?" Jennie finished, sharing excited and proud smiles with the other women on the call before looking over at Lisa. "What do you think?"
"I love it. It's exactly what I would have wanted as a kid, and it's something a few clubs have started to do. I helped with Portland's clinics."
"The goal is to dismantle the pay-to-play system here in the Denver area with this academy, but that will take at least a few years," Jennie replied, something the other women on the call echoed.
"It's the right goal, though. Coming from a privileged background shouldn't be a prerequisite for success in football," Lisa added, forcing herself to keep her heart eyes off of Jennie.
"Exactly!" Jennie grinned, going off on another tangent that led into aspirational goals for growing the other areas of the sport — the fan base, the community outreach, hiring practices.
Her passion was palpable and it was easily picked up and carried by the other women on the call, each of their unique backgrounds and voices lending to the conversation and elevating it.
And Lisa couldn't stop herself from falling a little more for the energetic way Jennie gestured with her hands as she spoke or the way she had to take deep breaths after finishing a long-winded explanation. Lisa couldn't stop herself from reaching out just a little bit and brushing the tips of her fingers against the side of Jennie's knee under the table and far away from the camera's view.
"All right, well that's our hour. I won't keep you. Let's plan for this meeting to happen in person in two weeks, okay?" Jennie asked, her hand hovering over the keyboard to end the call.
"Thanks for letting me crash," Lisa added with a genuine smile.
"Come anytime!" one of the women called out, earning a few laughs from everyone on the call.
After saying their goodbyes, Jennie hung up the video call and closed her laptop, sinking back against the chair she was sitting in with a happy smile.
"You're cool," Lisa murmured, tracing her fingers over her knee.
"That's what happens when you show up to a meeting with the team's leading scorer on the call with you," Jennie chuckled, looking over at Lisa with a grateful smile. "Thanks for indulging me and my passion project."
"I was calling you cool because of your project," Lisa said softly.
"It's early days yet, so we'll see what happens when we take it to investors," Jennie replied, reaching down to catch Lisa's hand and thread their fingers together.
"You could just say, 'Thank you, Lisa. I am cool. Glad you noticed,'" she teased.
"Thank you, Lisa. I am so cool. I am glad you finally noticed," Jennie teased back.
"Do you have more work to do?" Lisa asked, lifting Jennie's hand up to her lips.
"I do have something I need to do," the CEO sighed.
"Call a sponsor? Schedule a media day? Design a living room?" Lisa guessed.
Jennie clicked her tongue and got up from her chair, pivoting a little and sinking down into Lisa's lap, her arms falling onto broad shoulders.
"Keep guessing," Jennie grinned, dodging the kiss Lisa was going for and ghosting her lips across her cheek.
"Player relations?" Lisa wondered, letting her hands settle on Jennie's lower back before they sank lower.
"Getting warmer," Jennie chuckled into Lisa's skin, nipping gently at the back corner of her jaw as she used her grip on blond hair to move Lisa's head to the side, giving her more room to work.
"Relations with one specific player," Lisa husked, squeezing Jennie's ass and pulling her closer in her lap.
"Warmer," Jennie murmured, sucking at the sensitive spot beneath Lisa's ear.
"Care to share?"
"I don't think I need to explain it further," Jennie said with a breathy laugh, taking Lisa's earlobe between her front teeth and tugging on it gently, rolling her hips down into her teasingly just once.
"No, you don't," Lisa rasped before standing up from the chair with Jennie still in her arms. She walked over toward the couch and laid Jennie down on the cushions before propping one of her knees on the couch and hovering over her.
"We could order take out?" Jennie suggested with a smile, fisting her hand in the material of Lisa's t-shirt to pull her down.
"We can do that," Lisa nodded, catching herself on an elbow so she wouldn't smush Jennie.
"Mind if we order in a little bit?" Jennie asked, tangling her legs with Lisa's and lifting her head up to nuzzle the woman's nose.
"It's kind of early for dinner," Lisa mumbled, catching Jennie's bottom lip between her own and kissing her with more passion and desire than she thought possible.
—
Despite the take-out boxes littering the kitchen island, the two of them had plated their food and Lisa had even grabbed a few candles and thrown them on the dining room table.
They sat across from each other, knowing they'd be too tempted not to eat if they sat next to one another. Their feet continually touched under the table as they talked about everything and nothing, starting at where they'd grown up and spiraling into their favorite summertime activities and the best kinds of milkshakes.
If Jennie had any worries that their easy banter would slip away once they acted on the tension that existed between them, they were proven to be ill-formed. It seemed as if the banter was even easier now, words shared between them effortlessly as they slipped into this new level of intimacy.
Conversation and quips continued as they did the dishes, as they both pretended to pay attention to the movie Lisa had flipped on, as they sat pressed up against one another on the couch, the soft throw blanket over their laps.
It was simple in a way Jennie had always longed for it to be with another person. She felt at ease, comfortable. She wasn't second-guessing her words or her decision to reach out and tuck a wayward strand of hair behind Lisa's ear. She just was in the moment and feeling more like herself than ever before.
"You're very fun to spend time with," Jennie hummed, still completely turned away from the TV, her focus on Lisa.
"Lounging on a couch at 7:00 on a Friday night?" Lisa chuckled, draping an arm over the back of the couch and around Jennie's shoulders.
"Yeah," Jennie nodded with a small smile. "Best date I've ever been on."
"This is the best date I've ever been on too," Lisa admitted quietly, leaning over to kiss the CEO's shoulder.
Jennie let out a long breath and ran her fingers through the soft strands of hair at Lisa's temple.
"You really aren't going to mind how complicated this will be to navigate?"
"I'm pretty sure most rela- things between two people are complicated," Lisa answered, feeling a blush rise on her neck.
"The relationship itself won't be complicated, everything outside of it will be," Jennie pointed out, using the word Lisa had shied away from with a matching blush in her cheeks.
"I'm a professional athlete who unfortunately sometimes gets recognized off the pitch. Everything is complicated, and every relationship is complicated."
Jennie leaned her head onto Lisa's arm along the back of the couch, continuing to brush her fingers through the hair at her temple.
"Did anything about tonight feel complicated?" Jennie wondered in a quiet voice.
"No, this is easy. Being with you is so easy and natural," Lisa whispered, pulling her arm closer around Jennie's shoulders.
"I agree," she whispered back. "So, let's try not to let all the other complicated business outside of us, complicate us. It won't always be easy, but I think it's worth the work and the risk."
"You really liked the sushi, didn't you?" Lisa teased, leaning forward and pressing her forehead against Jennie's.
"I liked who I shared sushi with more," Jennie replied softly, a smile making its way onto her face.
"Me too."
"At work, we work. And when we're not at work, we're just... this. You and me... and occasionally sushi," Jennie murmured.
"At work, we work," Lisa agreed, leaning forward and kissing Jennie's neck, all the way up to the base of her ear. "Unless you need someone to organize your bookshelf."
"Exactly. You're a footballer, and I'm the owner of your club and we- um, we- should keep our- our hands and other- umm, parts to ourselves," Jennie sighed happily at the feeling of Lisa's mouth on her skin once more. "As often as we can."
"As often as we can," Lisa hummed, sucking gently on the underside of Jennie's jaw, just soft enough not to leave a mark.
"We can talk about the rest of the rules later," Jennie decided, pulling Lisa's head away from her neck and capturing her lips with her own.
"I love rules," Lisa mumbled against Jennie's lips, her head foggy with desire.
Thankfully, there were no rules to abide by on their own personal time.
—
"We're back in Buzzfeed!" Phoebe sing-songed, joining Jennie on the top row of the stands overlooking the practice field.
"Oh yeah?" She wondered, moving her attention between the designs in her binder and the players on the field. Well, one player in particular who kept shooting her surreptitious smiles and winks every so often.
"Yep, our star player made the list," Phoebe hummed.
"For what?" Christen asked, watching Lisa receive a pass, do a few moves, and send a shot blazing into the back of the net.
Phoebe quickly scrolled to the top of the list and read it aloud, "50 hottest young queer relationships to keep an eye on."
Jennie went rigid beside Phoebe, quickly snatching the phone out of her hand. She scrolled past pictures and descriptions, her stomach tightening with worry.
Maybe they hadn't been careful enough.
Maybe someone had seen them out somewhere. They had accidentally run into one another at the grocery store three nights ago and they'd definitely kissed in the bread section.
"She's number thirteen."
Jennie relaxed when she realized the photo beneath number thirteen wasn't of her and Lisa. But then she felt something prickly and irritating replace the worry in her gut.
"Who even is this with her?" Jennie asked in a tight voice, taking in the casual arm slung across Lisa's shoulder and the way the later was leaning into the other woman's space. It made her skin crawl.
"Fiona Zeus," Phoebe answered.
"Huh," Jennie managed, keeping in every other comment she wanted to make as she handed Phoebe back her phone.
"Apparently, Fiona spent Christmas with Lisa's family last year. Kinda shitty for Buzzfeed to assume they're dating, but they do make an adorable couple," Phoebe commented, scrolling further down the list to see other couples.
"I've seen better-suited couples," Jennie said nonchalantly, taking a few, calming deep breaths.
"Like Jisoo and Rosé, I know," Phoebe sighed, getting to the number one spot on the list and looking down at the picture of the couple.
"Definitely," Jennie replied, her eyes lifting from her binder and finding Lisa juggling a ball on her own, working on a few moves. "Was that all, Phoebe?"
"Yeah, should I repost this or is it an invasion of privacy?" Phoebe asked, holding up her phone for Jennie to see.
"Invasion of privacy. Don't post it," she replied quickly.
"Got it," Phoebe said, pocketing her phone. "Are you okay?"
"I didn't have lunch, so I think I'm a little hungry," Jennie said, standing up with her binder. "Want to go get some Thai?"
"Oh, that sounds amazing! And I can show you the posts I've designed for Halloween, which I'm very aware is more than a month away."
Jennie shot Lisa one final look, still feeling stubbornly irritated and more than a little jealous about a stupid article, and led Phoebe away from the practice fields.
—
Lisa was attempting to make dinner. She'd diced an onion, only knicking her finger twice, taken a break to put a BandAid on her finger, chopped up some bell peppers, mushrooms, and tomatoes, and was now she was trying to get one of her gas burners to light in order to boil water for pasta.
She'd made a New Year's resolution to try and cook more, but so far, she'd been pretty unsuccessful, making inedible dishes, burning her dinner at the very last minute, or just being lazy and ordering in from a spot on the couch.
This dinner seemed slightly more successful than usual. Maybe it was the happy mood she'd been in that was motivating her to actually cook and even enjoy it. Maybe it was practice that had left her energized. Maybe it was the music playing from a bluetooth speaker on the coffee table. Regardless of what it was, Lisa knew for a fact that it was Jennie Jane who was making her face hurt from smiling so much.
"Who is Fiona Zeus and why was she at your family's Christmas last year?" Jennie asked the moment she stepped through the front door, dropping her purse on the counter and locking the door behind her.
"Hi, how was your day?" Lisa laughed, pouring pasta noodles into the now boiling water.
"Oh, lovely. I saw a wonderful Buzzfeed article that featured you and your girlfriend, Fiona Zeus, in it. How was yours?" Jennie replied sarcastically with a huff.
"Are you jealous?" Lisa snorted, tossing the now empty plastic bag that had held pasta noodles into the trash can.
"Says the woman who ignored me for almost a week because my ex-wife was hanging around," Jennie pointed out, leaning against the counter with her arms crossed.
"Touché," Lisa conceded, moving to place a soft kiss on Jennie's cheek.
"Ex-wife? Ex-girlfriend? Ex-fuck buddy?" Jennie guessed, not uncrossing her arms just yet.
"Current friend. Ex-nothing," Lisa answered, heading back to the stove to stir veggies. "She didn't spend Christmas with my family. She and her very private boyfriend asked to use my family's beach house, so I showed them around, kind of like an Airbnb host, before going to my sister's."
"Well, Buzzfeed sucks and their article made my Thai taste bad," Jennie grumbled.
"We can get Thai that tastes better," Lisa grinned. "I don't know what I'm doing over here."
Jennie managed her first smile in hours and pushed off the counter, joining Lisa by the stove. She encircled Lisa's waist with her arms, propping her chin on her shoulder and looking down at the various pots and pans.
"It looks right to me. Did you salt the pasta water?"
"Is that a thing?" Lisa asked, her eyes widening as she reached for salt.
Jennie reached up and caught Lisa's wrist. "Can't add it once the pasta's in."
"Who says?"
"I'm... not entirely sure, to be honest," Jennie chuckled. "Go ahead."
"Trying to make up rules," Lisa scoffed, putting salt in the water and then turning to focus her attention on Jennie.
"At least I don't fabricate relationships in a published article," Jennie pointed out with a smile.
"I didn't do it," Lisa laughed, turning her head and pressing a kiss to her cheek.
Jennie moved her head to the side and caught Lisa's lips in a kiss, sinking into the sweet feeling that always accompanied kissing her.
"You like me," Lisa mumbled.
"Mhm," Jennie hummed, deepening the kiss with a few brushes of her tongue along Lisa's bottom lip.
"You were jealous," Lisa added, her lips quirking up into a smile.
"Mhm," Jennie hummed again, moving back in for another kiss.
"You barged into my place to ask about someone I literally only talk to at camps."
"And now I'm trying to kiss you in your kitchen, if you'd be so kind as to stop talking," Jennie teased.
Lisa turned around in Jennie's arms and sank fully into the kiss, sliding a hand to the back of her neck and scratching gently at the base of her head.
"Thank you," Jennie said with a smile.
"Thank you," Lisa replied before brushing her tongue along Jennie's bottom lip.
They ended up burning the veggies and pasta, too caught up in each other to notice, and had to order Thai food for dinner, which tasted much better than the Thai Jennie had for lunch.