23: For Old Time's Sake

5K 206 79
                                    

Lisa

When it came to Jennie, Lisa didn't bother with subtlety. Her countdown to Jennie's graduation (and her subsequent move back to the ranch) was prominently displayed on the kitchen calendar. She had even bought a special pen to write the countdown in—none of her other markers were quite bold enough. At the beginning, writing 250 days on the calendar had been like a punch to the gut. But the number slowly (ever so slowly) shrank down. Jennie had teased her about the calendar when she had visited for Christmas, but Lisa broke the news that she had seen a similar calendar hanging on Jennie's wall in one of their video chats.

Jennie's return wasn't the only countdown that Lisa had. They had decided on a date for another milestone too: their wedding.

For months, Lisa couldn't even think the word without her heart practically beating out of her chest. It would occur to her all of a sudden and take her completely by surprise every time. She was going to marry Jennie—actually marry Jennie!—and it would first shock her, then amaze her, then make her grin like a fool.

But there were details to work out: where they were going to have the ceremony (the ranch was an obvious choice), what their reception would look like (snacks, drinks, and dancing), who they would invite (pretty much everyone, as it turned out), color schemes and flowers and a whole list of things that Lisa had never even considered. Gratefully, even a thousand miles away, Jennie was able to take on most of the overarching planning, while Lisa handled the on-the-ground logistics. It was a good partnership, which reminded Lisa for the thousandth time how well they worked together.

After months of waiting, after crossing days off of the calendar and wondering how 250 could ever come down to zero, after missing Jennie's laugh and her smile and the warmth of her kiss more than she could ever explain, Lisa made the drive to Colorado for her graduation. When she arrived, she barely had enough time to change into a smart button-up and slacks before the ceremony. She found Jennie waiting for her outside the auditorium.

"You made it," Jennie said in obvious relief, her smile wide beneath her black graduation cap.

Lisa pulled her in by her graduation robe and let her kiss demonstrate just how much she had missed Jennie after all those months. With Jennie's lips eagerly meeting her own, it took Lisa almost no effort to ignore a woman nearby whistling and yelling "Get it, Jennie!"

But Jennie pulled away and sent a glare toward a tall brunette also wearing graduation garb. "Let me make out with my fiancee in peace, Tzuyu."

"Sorry, right." Tzuyu waved at Lisa. "I'm Tzuyu. It's starting in a few minutes..."

Lisa waved back but was immediately drawn back to Jennie. She wore her dark hair loose underneath the cap, and quite frankly it was begging to be touched. She heard Tzuyu clearing her throat.

"I'll just..." Tzuyu motioned behind her to the auditorium. "Go find my girlfriend, I guess."

"I'll be there in a sec," Jennie responded as she tugged Lisa in by her belt loops.

Lisa let herself be pulled in. After five months away from her, every touch from Jennie was electric. "You shouldn't be late to your own graduation," she reminded her, even as she craved her presence.

"It means a lot to me that you're here." Jennie's eyes roamed over her face, as if they were relearning the shape of her.

Jennie's tight grip on her waist only made Lisa want to stay away from the stuffy room and ceremony all the more. "You know I wouldn't miss this," she said, feeling herself being drawn in by the swell of Jennie's lips.

But their kiss was interrupted by a voice on the loudspeaker in the room behind them, urging everyone to take their seats. Jennie gave one last nip of her lip before taking her hand and leading her into the room. "Plenty of time for that later," Jennie said, a downward flash of her eyes leaving no interpretation to what she meant.

Head Over Boots For You // JenlisaWhere stories live. Discover now