I built this Home for me, for you

Chapter 33

The rest of March passed by in a flurry of blooming flowers and a shock of green as all the skeletal trees flowered again, and spring well and truly came. With it came the light feeling that accompanied the fresh air and the weak sunlight, and at the Kim estate, everything was getting better and better, on an upwards trajectory after their deep downwards spiral. Jennie went back to work full-time, home by five every day, and Lisa worked alternate days with Chaerin, choosing to stay home and focus on their family while she let her work take a backseat. Every day, the five of them ate breakfast together, before they all went their separate ways - Jennie to the office, Seolhyun and Ryujin to school, and Chaerin either stayed at home or went to the lab - and then they'd start coming home, one by one, finding the house smelling of whatever Lisa had cooked for dinner, looking neat and tidy after a day of her fussing around the place. They fell into a comfortable routine of therapy, dinner with Rosé and Jisoo, chemo treatments for Chaerin, and the girls' extracurricular activities, and every night, Jennie fell asleep in Lisa's arms, her heart feeling lighter with each perfectly normal day.

It was a Saturday - a day they reserved for family time - but for now, everyone else was in bed, and it was just Lisa and Jennie taking a stroll through the gardens in the early morning light, watching as the peachy sky started turning to an eggshell blue as the sun rose higher and higher. Orsa ran ahead, before doubling back, run laps as her owners walked after her at a leisurely pace, Jennie's hand holding onto Lisa's arm as they made their way towards the stables at the far end of the estate. They stopped at the wire fence enclosing their few grazing horses in the field of fresh long grass, leaning against it as they watched the horses wander around aimlessly.

"So, there's something I want to talk about," Lisa hesitantly started after a few moments of silence, and Jennie immediately turned to look up at her.

"Oh? It sounds serious."

"Well, it is."

Arching an eyebrow, Jennie gave her an expectant look, "please don't tell me there's something else wrong now. You're not dying of something are you? Thinking of divorce."

She gave Lisa a wry smile, and Lisa burst into laughter, reaching out to cup Jennie's cheek and run her thumb over her prominent cheekbone. "No. It's actually quite the opposite. I was just thinking... let's get married again."

"Married again?" Jennie spluttered.

"We've had a rough time, but we came out the other end loving each other just as strongly," Lisa explained, "let's just... renew our vows. We'll have all our family there again, and the girls. Just the nine of us. We need something fun and light."

"Was there something wrong with our vows the first time?" Jennie laughed, reaching out to brush a short lock of Lisa's hair out of her face.

"You know they were perfect."

Looking out at Ryujin's grey mare, Jennie pondered Lisa's idea, thinking back to their wedding in the south of France, with the small church, the butterflies and the cobbled streets. And Lisa. Lisa in a white dress, waiting for her at the altar, the feeling of her soft lips beneath Jennie's as they tied themselves to each other, the tears in her eyes the moment she had laid eyes on Jennie. It had been perfect - one of the most beautiful moments in their lives - and Jennie realised that she wanted that feeling again. Why shouldn't they renew their vows? Why shouldn't they have that happiness again? Turning to look at Lisa, Jennie gave her a crooked smile, her face softening slightly, and she leant in to steal a quick kiss from her wife.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Let's do it."