I built this Home for me, for you

Chapter 7

Two weeks passed by, and things progressed as usual, except for the fact that Lisa was still trying to cover up the fact that she was struggling. It wasn't anything obvious to anyone else – staring blankly at nothing for a few minutes, jumping at loud noises, and restlessly tossing and turning in her sleep – but Jennie had gone through this with her before, and through the relapses into these behaviours half a dozen times over the past twenty years, and Lisa couldn't fool her. The puppy helped a little, and she smiled whenever Lisa took her jogging, or let her curl up on her lap while she scratched her behind the ears. At least she had some form of support that didn't ask any questions or want anything from her except belly rubs and for a ball to be tossed across the garden. It wasn't enough though, and on Friday morning, Jennie shot upright at the loud shout, her heart pounding in her chest at the sudden disturbance of the silence.

"Lisa," she quietly said, immediately turning to her wife, who was already sitting up, her back to Jennie as she sat on the edge of the bed. Jennie slowly reached out, carefully touching Lisa on her shoulder, feeling the tense muscles beneath the shirt she wore. Lisa's breathing was ragged in the silence, and Jennie heard the shuddering breath she took as she tried to calm herself down.

"I'm fine," Lisa told her.

Jennie bit back the retort on the tip of her tongue, slowly crawling across the bed so that she could be closer to Lisa. "Can I hug you?" At the nod, Jennie gently wrapped her arms around Lisa, placing her chin on her shoulder and rocking them slightly as she felt the rise and fall of Lisa's chest slow beneath her touch. They were silent for a few minutes, and then Lisa sighed. "Come back to bed, love," Jennie quietly murmured, but Lisa reached up to undo Jennie's grip, and climbed to her feet.

"I think I might go and take Orsa for a jog," Lisa quietly said.

"Lisa, it's still dark out," Jennie murmured, frowning slightly as she squinted up at the pale face looking back at her in the dark room. Quietly laughing, Lisa leant down, brushing Jennie's hair out of her face and placing a soft kiss to her lips. Jennie smiled slightly against her warm lips, pushing back against them as much as she could. Lisa pulled back after a moment, gently pressing the tip of Jennie's nose, while Jennie pulled her closer. "You don't have to go jogging. It's freezing outside, and it would be so much warmer in bed, maybe even too warm. You might have to take your shirt off."

Letting out a quiet snort of laughter, Lisa leant down and pressed a lip to the corner of Jennie's mouth, "not today."

Jennie smiled slightly, reaching for Lisa's hands and giving them a quick squeeze as she felt a dull ache in her chest, "be safe. I love you."

"I love you too," Lisa murmured, before she pulled back and quietly padded over to the closet, turning the light on and rummaging around for some sweatpants and shoes. Jennie stayed wrapped up in the warmth of the covers as she watched Lisa's silhouette dress and head for the door. Listening to the quiet echoes of Lisa's footsteps on the stairs, Jennie sighed, rubbing her tired eyes and hearing the faint sound of the door being shut. Climbing out of bed, she peeked outside, taking in the sight of the tiny puppy excitedly pulling at the leash as Lisa jogged on the spot for a moment, lit by the automatic light near the door. A moment later, she slipped back into darkness as she quickly walked down the steps, and Jennie let the curtains fall back into place, before padding over to the bathroom for a shower.

The warm water washed away some of her frustration, but she still felt tense when she stepped out, wrapping a fluffy towel around herself and heading towards the closet. Rummaging through her drawers for something comfortable, she pulled out a worn t-shirt and a pair of Lisa's sweatpants and quickly changed into them, before messily putting her hair up and walking downstairs. She stifled a yawn as she set the coffee pot on and powered up her laptop, before making herself some porridge and sitting down on one of the bar stools lining the kitchen counter, getting a head start of her work for the day while she ate breakfast alone and waited for her wife to come home. It was nearing seven o'clock when the front door creaked open, and Jennie was just in the process of waking up two grumpy teenagers who had inherited Lisa's love of sleeping – although she wasn't so much a fan of it these days – and refused to get up until Jennie had started tickling them, much to Seolhyun's irritation. She was just walking downstairs, dressed for work in a stylishly cut dress, when Lisa stepped inside, with Orsa running around in circles, the leash clipped onto her collar dragging on the floor in the process. She watched as Lisa knelt down and whistled for the dog to come to her, and the puppy eagerly went to her, wagging her tail and shifting excitedly while Lisa unclipped the leash and playfully riled her up. Quietly laughing, Jennie walked down the last two steps, smiling at the sight, and Lisa straightened up, winding up the leash and setting it down on the unit near the door. Her sweater was tied around her waist, and her hair was stuck to her sweaty forehead, but Jennie was glad to see the rosiness in her cheeks as she kicked off her sneakers and picked them up, heading towards Jennie.