Jennie squinted her eyes open as the sunlight from the open barn door fell through. But she was feeling warm and comfortable.
She sighed and snuggled closer into the warmth, she didn't want to leave it.
She tightened her hand and felt bare skin. Smooth, bare skin.
Her eyes shot open and she flitted her eyes between Jisoo and her. There was no space between them. Her face was pressed into her neck and their bodies were pressed against each other. Jisoo had her wrapped in her arms and Jennie had a hand underneath her tank top probably to keep it warm.
Jennie wanted to pull away. To leave this woman who was affecting her in so many ways...
But it had been so long since she was embraced like this. Warmly. Filled with care.
So she pushed her mind aside and pulled herself tighter into Jisoo's hug and smiled into her neck.
........................
Jisoo woke up with Jennie snuggled into her and smiled. She was so cute.
But it had to be at least 10 in the morning with how much sunlight was coming in.
So she slowly (and unwillingly) pulled away from Jennie's clingy arms and covered her with her coat.
Rosie was nowhere to be found and she went over to the hay stack she had been sleeping on.
There was a note that read:
Hi Jisoo and Jennie,
So I woke up at around 8am and found a mechanic shop about 4 miles from here. I gave them a call and they said they were booked but would take me immediately. I won't be back by the time you wake up, so you can either wait for me until early tomorrow morning or come here.
Your choice.
Here's the address for the shop:
XXX cccccccc
Love,
Rosie
P.S. Both of you looked adorable snuggled up together so I didn't want to wake you. ❤️
"We do NOT look cute while sleeping!"
Jisoo jumped a foot and dropped the letter as Jennie stared angrily at it.
Jisoo placed a hand over her heart. "You scared me!"
The brunette just shrugged and picked it up. "So she abandoned us?"
"No. She said we can wait here for her or find the mechanic shop 4 miles away which shouldn't be hard on foot."
Jennie raised her eyebrows. "You want us to walk 4 miles?!"
Jisoo rolled her eyes and said exasperatedly, "It's not that far! We can easily do it in...what....9 hours?"
Jennie crumpled the letter and threw it at her. "Forget it. Let's find someone else to give us a ride to the airport."
Jisoo raised an eyebrow. "I don't think it works that way, Mandu—"
"Stop with the nicknames. I hate them."
"Whatever Mandu, all I'm saying is that it will be much easier to find the mechanic shop than to find a new driver entirely. Plus, Rosie seems trustworthy."
"Why? Do you suddenly want to stalk her too?"
"Ok, let me set this straight! I completely gave up my interest in you the moment you said no to dancing with me, so go off on your rant. I'm not hearing anything. I'm going to see if there's a fresh pond to wash my face. Then I will go to the mechanic shop. You can sit here, princess."
Jennie's eyes were wide. "You...you aren't interested in me anymore?"
Jisoo frowned. That's the part she's fixated on? "Look Jennie...you're probably an amazing girl to someone else but I don't feel anything for you anymore. So how about we leave this as it is. You obviously don't want me pursuing you and I think it's pointless to try...so let's just be..." Jisoo shrugged "friends until we can get you to the airport."
Jennie looked curiously at her. "Friends?"
The raven sighed and nodded. "Don't worry. We don't have to be in each other's company more than that. Let's just get along amicably until then. Cool?"
The brunette looked like she wanted to say something before nodding slowly.
Jisoo gave her 2 thumbs up. "Ok, let's go wash our faces and start!"
••••••••••
After they managed to find a clean (enough) pond to clean their faces, they asked for directions at a small café.
The woman just widened her eyes. "You're planning on walking there? Are you sure?"
Jennie gave Jisoo a look but the raven just smiled tightly.
"Haha. You see it was my..." she turned to Jennie and wrapped an arm around her shoulders "girlfriend's idea. We are planning on spending a lot of" she squeezed Jennie into her side "quality time together."
The waitress covered her cheeks in her hands. "OMG! You guys are so cute! You make a great couple! Totally visual!"
Jennie smiled weakly and stared at Jisoo as she tightened her hold on the brunette.
The waitress put a order of coffee for both of them and offered them a change of clothes but Jisoo politely declined even though she insisted that Jennie change out of her formal party wear. Luckily, she was able to fit into the white T-shirt and loose jeans she was given.
She smiled at Jisoo who stared for a moment before saying, "We need to start going." She politely said thank you before turning and walking out of the café.
Jennie bowed and quickly followed Jisoo who was already about 50 feet away.
She ran and caught up with Jisoo who was holding her hand above her eyes to block out the sun.
"What?" Jennie asked.
"I'm thinking if we should go down the path which could possibly take longer...or..." she turned to the path into a forest "we can take this risky shortcut and get there before nightfall."
Jisoo raised an eyebrow at her. "Your choice, Jendeuk."
Jennie glared at the nickname but thought about it. Taking the road would be easy and brisk but would most definitely take them a long time. On the other hand Jisoo seemed to know what she was doing.
"Let's take the shortcut. I...I trust you."
Jisoo blinked at her. "You do?"
Jennie nodded confidently. "I do. So let's go." She waved her hand into the forest and Jisoo grinned before leading the way.
••••••••••
Jisoo had been lying when she said she didn't feel anything for Jennie.
She very much felt something that wasn't friendly in the least.
Yet, constantly arguing and getting rejected by her, hurt a lot.
Jisoo wanted nothing more than to grab Jennie's face and kiss her until they both couldn't figure out where her breathing started and Jisoo's ended. She wanted to lace her hands through her tumbling dark locks and drag her lips along the smooth column of her neck. She wanted to pinch those adorable mandu cheeks and kiss her cute nose.
She wanted Jennie so much, she would almost give up everything just for a taste of her soft—
"Jisoo?"
The raven looked up at the brunette who was ahead of her, holding onto a tree branch and smiling at her.
"Are you ok? You seem to be thinking hard about something..."
Jisoo gulped. Is there any thought of mine that doesn't occupy you? "It's nothing important. I was just thinking about if Seulgi was ok since she was sick when I left."
Jennie's smile dimmed a bit but she nodded in understanding.
They walked for another half an hour in silence before Jennie said, "I'm bored. Tell me something about yourself."
"I-huh-what?" Jisoo was flustered by the sudden question.
Jennie gave a heavy sigh. "Fine. I'll tell something about myself and then you share something. I realized I never told you how old I am: I'm 28."
Jisoo's eyes widened. "I'm 4 years older than you."
Jennie shrugged. "It's not that big of a difference since you still aren't at the maturity of a 32 year old. Your turn."
Jisoo rolled her eyes but still thought of something. Then she smiled and said while pushing a tree branch out of the way, "I love bunnies."
Jennie smirked. "Bunnies? Why?"
"I don't know. It's been something I've liked since I was a kid. It was one of those things that 'hey, I like this. Nothing else feels quite the same.' You get what I mean?"
Jennie nodded. "Yeah...mine is a capybara."
"A what?"
"Have you not heard of a capybara? They're adorable! When I was little, my parents took me to Venezuela and I saw them. I immediately took a liking to them!" She had a wondrous gummy smile that stretched her cheeks.
It warmed the raven's heart. "When we get Wi-Fi, show me a picture of it."
Jennie gave her a thumbs up and jumped over a rock.
"My turn right?" Jisoo asked and Jennie nodded with a small smile.
"Hmmm....I guess it's probably the fact that I've been dating since I was 20."
"Wow...12 whole years....how many dates?"
"10."
Jennie stopped in her tracks. "In 12 years...you've been on 10 dates? What? Why?"
Jisoo hesitated for a beat and stared at her, wondering whether she should tell the brunette her dream and risk scaring her away or....just open up to her.
Finally, Jisoo started walking ahead with Jennie close behind her.
"I...I never had a relationship last more than a few months and it was getting hard to trust people so that's one reason why the number of dates are few."
"The second?" Jennie asked softly.
Jisoo gave a low chuckle. "I guess it had to do with them finding out I was dating them with marriage in mind. And you have to know, these were all women in their mid to late 20s, maybe early thirties?....I don't know, the moral of the story is that they weren't interested in having a family especially the painful process of it with being a lesbian."
They found a small downhill and held each other's shoulders as they carefully walked down.
Jennie listened to Jisoo talk and didn't interrupt or question. Just listened and it made Jisoo comfortable.
"Eventually, I thought I had given up. I wasn't going to meet another woman again. I had just come off a horrible blind date who invited me to her baby shower—"
"WHAT?!" Jennie shouted and Jisoo winced playfully.
"That's a story for another time. Anyway, I was working late and Seulgi feeds me dinner and grabs me because she says she found the perfect girl for me."
She hesitantly glanced at Jennie who was staring at the leaves on the ground with slightly pink cheeks. That emboldened Jisoo and she continued, "I actually didn't want to come. I was tired and hopeless so why throw it on another woman again, you know? But the way Seulgi looked as she spoke excitedly threw me off and I decided I needed to give it a chance. She drove me to your house because she secretly stalked you."
Jennie punched her arm playfully and Jisoo smiled. "No really! She followed you car then drove all the way back to get me."
Jennie came closer and walked beside her, her hand brushed Jisoo's slightly without meeting her eyes while saying, "Then what happened?"
Jisoo felt her heart skip a beat at the curiosity laced in Jennie's voice. After all, it was the story about how she met her.
"Well, like any good k-drama, it started raining and thundering, and I ran in the rain to see you playing with it outside your bedroom window."
Jennie finally looked at her with a secret smile.
"And the petals from the cherry blossom tree fell down around me."
Jennie rolled her eyes with a blush. "Haha, very funny."
"I'm serious," Jisoo almost shouted, urging the brunette to believe her. "Then Seulgi gave me the bracelet to give to you....and you know everything from there."
"So everything you did was to get ahold of me?"
Jisoo nodded. "More like....maybe just a chance? Although you didn't seem ready....and still don't so, I'm content with being your friend for now."
Jennie paused and strayed her eyes to Jisoo before nodding and pushed a tree out of the way and saying, "Oh shit!"
Jisoo frowned and followed her.
It was a river, flowing between the forest in a slow but rushing pace.
Jennie looked worriedly at her. "How are we going to get across?"
Jisoo frowned and looked at the rocks that were 2 feet apart in the water. She pointed to them and Jennie shook her head. "No way! We could fall and die!"
Jisoo had to admit that the water looked a bit deep. She tapped her chin thoughtfully and got an idea.
She kneeled in front of Jennie and held her hands behind her in a gesture for Jennie to get on her back.
The brunette's eyes widened. "You idiot! You'll break your back!"
"How about you give me a chance to prove you wrong?"
Jennie stoped for a beat and the said, "Don't complain once you have me." She climbed onto Jisoo's back and wrapped her legs around her waist.
Jisoo smirked and tightened her grip on Jennie's thighs. "I think I can handle you..."
Jisoo heard Jennie's breath hitch and clutch Jisoo's shoulders desperately. Jisoo tightened her desires when Jennie pressed her chest against her back.
It's okay Jisoo. You can get through this!
Jisoo bit her lip and hooked her arms underneath Jennie's legs before carefully stepping on a stone and letting the water wash over her shoes.
Jennie pulled an arm around her neck and nearly gagged Jisoo.
"Jen-ACK! LET! GO!"
"OH MY GOSH, JISOO IM SO SORRY!" She let go and wrapped her arms under her armpits and hooked them around her shoulders. She rested her head on Jisoo's left shoulder and turned her face to the side so that her lips grazed her neck.
Jisoo closed her eyes. I'm going to die.
Jennie raised her lips while dragging them along her neck to her ear. Once her mouth reached the edge of her ear, Jisoo could hear the smile in her voice when she said, "Are you going to move forward?" Her warm breath was tickling her skin and making goosebumps appear.
She took another step on a stone and grunted out a breath of relief. Then she took another step and hoiseted Jennie back comfortably on her back and Jennie's breathy gasp nearly killed her.
She stepped onto another stone and muttered, "Almost there."
"I can see that, Turtle Rabbit."
Jisoo froze. "Hey! Why'd you call me that?"
"Because you're getting across this water very easily and I'm like a shell on your back. Also you like bunnies."
Jisoo couldn't help the smile that was twitching on her lips.
Jennie chuckled in her ear and it sent a warm feeling through her whole body.
She jumped to another rock.
"Ok one more and then we can start walking again."
Jennie nodded.
Jisoo huffed out a breath and focused on the next rock.
She reached with her leg and found a gripping before moving her other one and finally stepping on land.
Jennie immediately got off her back and Jisoo had to stretch it.
I am 32 after all. I'm not going to be forever young.
Jennie was staring at her with wide eyes. "I can't believe you carried me across the river like that."
Jisoo smirked and stood up. "I didn't get these abs for nothing, Mandu." She patted her abdomen.
Jennie rolled her eyes and started walking forward with Jisoo following close behind.
••••••••••
They spent the next few hours, walking and chatting about their lives.
Jennie made sure to circle around the fact that she was a princess but Jisoo just stuck with a smile on her face while freely talking about her life.
It was hard for Jennie to explain how she traveled to so many places in the world and how her parents died in a car crash. What happened to her. Why she was visiting Jeju.
Everything was covered in half-truths and Jennie wanted nothing more than to just shout to Jisoo, "I'm a princess who likes women and I want to date you except you aren't interested in me anymore!"
Until then, Jennie never understood the pain of not telling the truth to someone you care about.
And she cared about Jisoo.
A lot.
She seemed like the type of person Jennie could easily come home to if she was a normal person. She could come home from work, and Jisoo would already be home from hers. They would curl up together on the couch and talk about their day with kisses and intimate touches.
Maybe they could be drinking hot chocolate....
A tiny little girl or boy sleeping in the next room.
After all, what princess didn't want her happily ever after?
"We're here." Jisoo said mildly.
Jennie looked ahead. It was the mechanic shop and they could see a familiar blonde discussing something with a man.
Jennie tamped down her disappointment. Spending the whole day with Jisoo was exactly what she needed to see that the raven wasn't everything she had thought her to be.
She's a smart, caring, beautiful, interesting, and loving woman who was interested in me....and, of course, I messed it up by being a doofus!
Jisoo looked at Jennie with a small smile. "I guess we don't have to get along anymore...Jennie."
Jennie noted the hesitation and Jisoo started to walk forward but the brunette caught her hand. Jisoo's skin was soft and warm in hers and her body hummed with pleasure.
"Jisoo...I..."
Jisoo turned around to face her with a soft look.
Jennie cleared her throat and met Jisoo's eyes. "I was wrong about you. I shouldn't have been such a judgmental jerk and not give you a chance...I...I like your company. This whole day passed by so fast and...I don't want it to be done. So...can we start over?"
Jisoo chuckled with relief and nodded. "Yes...I'd like that."
Jennie smiled. "Good."
Then she started walking forward before turning back around to the dark-haired beauty. "Also...I like the nicknames."
••••••••••
To be continued 😉