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

Chapter 14

They saw each other every day that week, having no other obligations to be doing anything else, but they didn't do much besides sit in Jisoo's kitchen, or sit on her back porch, drinking tea and learning more about each other while they danced around their feelings. Saturday had been the agreed upon night of their date, because even though neither of them had jobs, Jennie liked to think of the weekend as a good time to go on a date, but if she was being honest, a part of her reason why she put it off until the end of the week was so that the bruise around her eye would go down. It wasn't that she was particularly vain, but this was her first date with Jisoo, and she wanted to look nice, even if Jisoo couldn't see her. So when Saturday finally rolled around, Jennie was locked in her bedroom, rummaging through her meagre supply of clothes she'd brought with her, trying to decide between the blue dress or the casual suit as she kept glancing at the clock. She was still a little flustered from her conversation with Minzy, having to explain why she wanted to borrow her car on a Saturday night, blushing as she told her adoptive mother she was going on a date, with a woman. Minzy hid her surprise well, and told her to have fun and be safe, and Jennie was still a little rosy cheeked from the conversation, her heart beating a little faster than usual as she stood before the mirror, holding the two up against herself. In the end, she decided on the casual black suit with the ruffled white shirt.

At six, she popped her contacts in and slung a little bag over her shoulder, pausing in the living room to say goodbye to Minzy, and then she was sliding into the front seat of the car, a tight ball of nerves growing in her stomach as she started driving towards Jisoo's house. It was a cool night, with a frigid wind blowing in from the sea, and Jennie took a deep breath as she walked up the pathway leading to the front door. Jisoo had heard the car pull up and was already opening the door when Jennie approached, standing in deep shadow as Jennie squinted into the dark, trying to catch a glimpse of her. And then Jisoo stepped outside, and in the dimness of the early evening, Jennie smiled at the sight of Jisoo in a black dress, foregoing her sunglasses for the evening, and smiling back at Jennie as she stepped outside and fumbled for the lock, closing up behind herself.

"Hi," Jennie quietly greeted her, feeling a little shy, despite the feeling of calmness that swept over her at the sight of Jisoo. It was soothing and comforting and she was right at ease in her presence. "You look ... very beautiful."

Ducking her head down as she brushed her tamed dark hair out of her face, Jisoo let out a quiet laugh, "thank you. I'm sure you do as well."

Smiling, Jennie reached out for Jisoo's arm, her fingers gentle but firm against her elbow, and she started leading her towards the steps, slow and careful so that Jisoo didn't trip in the little kitten heels she'd put on for the occasion. Jennie couldn't help but smile at the hints at the effort she'd also clearly gone through for their date. Jennie couldn't stop sneaking peeks at her as they walked towards the car, and she opened the door for Jisoo and helped her in, before she rounded the car and climbed into her own side, buckling herself in and turning the car on, letting it idle for a few moments. "So, the place we're going to is about an hour away, but I also made reservations at a different place in town in case you're not okay with cars."

"I'm fine with cars ... as long as I'm not driving," Jisoo said, turning to give Jennie a wry smile.

Quietly laughing, Jennie shook her head and pulled away from the curb, turning the radio to a classical music station and letting the comforting sound of a piano and violin wash over them as they passed roads lined by pine trees, with clusters of flowers and shrubs illuminated by the yellow headlights as they flew by, mostly in silence, but with the occasional comment of question about each other's day. Approaching orange rusted train tracks, Jennie lifted her feet slightly off the pedals, a faint smile on her lips as she turned to Jisoo. "Train tracks. Lift your feet," she told her as the car bumped over them, and Jisoo's brow wrinkled in confusion.