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

Chapter 8

The sound of the piano cut off, and Jennie's eyes flew open, blinking rapidly the dimness of the evening as her sight adjusted to the bluish-indigo colour of the sky, just the tiniest glimmer of yellow light where the sky met the rolling waves, the water sparkling slightly in the last rays of sunlight. Feeling relaxed, Jennie pushed herself to her feet, groaning slightly at the stiffness that had crept into her joints as she'd sat on the sand, which had cooled beneath her, staying far longer than she'd intended to. Dusting herself off from all the sand clinging to her clothes, she rolled her shoulders and paused at the buzzing in the small pocket of her leggings, pulling out her phone and staring down at the unknown number.

Sliding across to answer it, Jennie hesitated slightly. "Hello?"

"Are you still outside my house?"

"Jisoo?"

"You sound unsure. Do you lurk outside other people's houses too? I thought I was special," Jisoo's amused voice came through the other end, and Jennie let out a quick laugh. "What're you up to?"

"Well I was listening to someone shittily play the piano, but it's stopped now. Thank god," Jennie replied, a smile playing on her lips as she turned to look at the shadowy trees behind her.

Jisoo let out a snort of laughter, "well that's a pity. I'm sure they would've loved to ask if you wanted to come inside. Might've even made you a cup of coffee too."

"Oh yeah? And what's that going to cost?"

"Not too much ... maybe a story."

Smiling as she climbed up the sand dunes, kicking up sand and trampling coarse grass, Jennie wound her way through the dark pillars of trees, mindful of the creeping roots and trailing clumps of moss and ivy, her phone firmly pressed to her ear. "Hm, well that does sound like a good deal. Would it be okay if I came to the back door?"

"Of course. I'll see you in a moment."

The line went dead and Jennie smiled as she slipped her phone back into her pocket, a warm feeling growing in her stomach as she ducked beneath a low hanging branch and walked through the waist high grass, indistinguishable shapes overtaken by nature in the unkempt garden. Jennie silently moved through the overgrown garden, her footsteps drumming on the back porch steps, and she heard a chain rattling as she approached the door. The warm feeling turned into a gentle flutter, a feeling of mild excitement brewing at the anticipation of seeing Jisoo again. It had only been a few days, but each interaction with her left Jennie feeling dizzily entranced, unsure of when and where she'd see her again, or what sharp turn their conversation would take next time. The back door, with its peeling paint and white paint stripping from the wood at the constant salt-tinged breeze swept in from the ocean, was soon creaking open, and Jennie squinted slightly into the darkness, the outline someone moving just visible inside.

"Hi," Jennie murmured, a slow smile curling her lips.

The sound of Jisoo moving away from the door reached Jennie's ears, and she traded the quickly darkening sky and the briny fresh air for the vanilla scented blackness of Jisoo's kitchen. Just before the door was shut behind her, Jennie caught the glimmer of light reflecting off the pots hanging above the stove, and the brief illumination of Jisoo's pale face, a soft look on her face as she blindly stared at Jennie's chin.

"Hi," Jisoo greeted her, pausing slightly as she shut the door, plunging them into darkness. "Lights."

"On it," Jennie quickly said, gliding across the tiled floor and flipping the switch, jumping slightly when she turned to find Jisoo silently passing her by, her eyes unfocused as she moved towards the kitchen counters.