Chapter V

“Jennie, wake up,” a soft voice whispered in the darkness.

Groaning, Jennie shifted in her sleeping bag to the other side. But the person became even more persistent, shaking lightly her shoulder.

“Come on, I'll show you something cool.”

Jennie pulled onto the offending hand. With a started yelp, a warm body fell into her arms. Burying her face into the crook of a neck, Jennie sighed in content.

“Uhm, Jennie...?” Hot breath tickled Jennie's ear, and it finally registered in her sleepy mind that she was clinging onto Lisa.

Slowly, so as to hide her internal panic, she lifted her arms, stretching them above her head. The pleasant warmth was gone, and Jennie took off her eye-mask to see Lisa kneeling next to her.

Sitting up, she avoided her friend's mirthful gaze.

“What time is it?” she grumbled, picking up the earplugs that fell out of her ears.

“Five o'clock.”

Jennie arched her eyebrow. “I assure you there's nothing I have to see at such an ungodly hour. ”

“Please, I promise you won't regret it.” Lisa puckered her lips in a pleading pout, clasping her palms under her chin.

Her face was puffy, hair tousled and static; a ridiculously adorable sight that made Jennie grimace in defeat.

“Fine,” she muttered.

Lisa clapped her hands, blinding Jennie with her toothy grin.

* * *

Dusk still veiled the forest when they climbed further up the mountain. Jennie didn't bother to ask where they were going. She knew the answer would be a mischievous 'it's a surprise'.

Stifling a yawn, she pulled her hoodie closer to her body and glanced at Lisa. The girl had a peaceful smile on her face. She was back to her normal self. Jennie had thought that the impromptu morning trek had something to do with Seulgi, but then it would involve less smiling and more brooding. So she guessed it was just Lisa being random and spontaneous. Nothing new.

They walked in silence but it wasn't unbearable like yesterday. It was filled by the forest's murmur, chirping birds and rustling leaves, and Jennie didn't want to interrupt that quiet conversation. She felt a bit like an intruder, almost as if the forest was opening at eight and here they were three hours earlier.

The silly thought made her chuckle under her breath.

Lisa raised her eyebrow, giving her a sideways glance. Jennie just shook her head, and no questions were asked. Perhaps Lisa felt the same? Jennie wasn't sure.

Actually, she wasn't sure about lots of things lately. Like how would Lisa react to Rosé's suggestion of them being together? Would she find it ridiculous? Laugh it off? Or maybe, her reaction would be completely opposite?

She didn't want to ponder on that last option. And she didn't like how she suddenly began trying to guess Lisa's thoughts. For some reason, it felt wrong.

The trees gradually gave way to a more rocky landscape and soon they reached their destination, a viewing point on a rocky cliff. Beneath them stretched a green valley, shrouded by a cloak of a morning mist.

Lisa sat down cross-legged on the ground and Jennie did the same. Together they watched as the first sun rays peeked over the horizon. Brilliant, golden streaks crossed the skyline and spilled into the valley, awakening the forest from its slumber.

Jennie marveled at the sight. Never in her life had she seen something so enthralling. At that thought her eyes veered to the side. Lisa must have felt her gaze because she turned to her with a smile. And Jennie had to retreat her statement because Lisa's smile was just as mesmerizing, if not more.

“Isn't this a perfect spot to have your first kiss?” Lisa mused, staring off into distance dreamily.

Her words brought smile to Jennie's face, but it faded the moment she remembered her own first kiss. At a party with some girl who wanted to try 'something new'. Jennie was drunk so she easily relented. Not the most romantic experience.

“Isn't it a bit too late for that now?” she scoffed, flicking a pebble over the cliff's edge.

“Let's get going,” Lisa blurted suddenly and stood from the ground, dusting off her jeans.

Mentally scolding herself, Jennie caught her wrist. “Sorry, I'm grumpy from the lack of sleep.”

Lisa sighed, her shoulders slumping. She looked at the horizon, then back at Jennie.

“Grumpy cat,” she muttered through pursed lips, earning a chuckle from Jennie, and sat back down. “How was your first kiss anyway?”

Jennie shrugged. “Drunk and sloppy,” she answered. “Yours?”

Somehow they'd never discussed the topic. When they met in the second year of high school, they both had that experience behind them. And Jennie wasn't the type to pry into people's private lives. Neither was Lisa.

“With a boy,” Lisa said, making a wry face.

“Was it that bad?”

“Ughh, it was like kissing a dead fish.”

Jennie snorted with laughter at the comparison.

“How about your first kiss with a girl, then? Any better?”

“Yeah, definitely better.” Lisa's lips stretched into silly grin tinged with bashfulness. “Gentle and sweet,” she murmured, gazing into distance again and most likely, reliving the experience.

A painful sting of jealousy tugged at Jennie's heartstrings. Not because Lisa had her first kiss with someone else than her, but because there were people who kissed Lisa and she wasn't one of them. It wasn't the first time Jennie felt like that but somehow she always managed to ignore the feeling. However, with Rosé messing with her head lately, it became harder to do so.

“Let's go back and catch some sleep before breakfast, hm?” Lisa tilted her head, catching Jennie's far-off gaze.

Jennie gave a small nod.

Illuminated by the morning sun, the forest looked more inviting on the way back. However, they spent their trek in silence again. Mostly because Lisa was deep in thought, and Jennie was focused on not thinking about what the other girl was thinking.

“Jen? Can I ask you something?” Lisa's voice came so sudden that Jennie almost tripped over a fallen branch.

“Sure,” she answered after regaining her footing.

“Have you ever been in love?” Lisa cast her an unsure glance.

Jennie blinked stupidly, caught off guard by the question and Lisa's serious tone. But seeing as the girl waited for her answer, she began to ponder. But the problem was, she wasn't sure what Lisa considered as being in love. Their definitions would probably differ.

She scoffed inwardly at her own thoughts. Who was she kidding, really? She had no idea what love was, or how it felt. She never wanted to be with someone longer than for one night. No one except with Lisa. But that was different because Lisa was her friend.

“No, I don't think so. What about you?” She said, but the words felt oddly like a lie and it scared her.

“I thought I was,” Lisa muttered dejectedly. “But I guess I was wrong,” she trailed off, stopping where the forest ended and the meadow began. “Love shouldn't feel like a struggle. It should be easy, you know? Something familiar that makes you feel happy and safe. Don't you think so?”

The wise words struck Jennie mute and she just stood there staring dumbly at her friend.

“Never mind,” Lisa sighed, obviously disappointed and made a move to leave.

“Y-yeah, I think so too,” Jennie's voice came with a slight tremor.

Lisa stared at her, surprised by her words, before her lips broke into a grin. Jennie smiled back and together they went back to their tent for a quick nap before the breakfast.

* * *

When Jennie woke up, it was already noon, and Lisa was nowhere to be found. For a minute or two, she considered falling back asleep, but her stomach began rumbling loudly, reminding her of the breakfast she skipped.

She dragged her body out of the tent and went to refresh herself and grab some lunch. She noticed Rosé waving to her and made a mental note of her spot to later return to her.

Once she satisfied her hunger, Jennie returned and sat down on the grass next to Rosé. The girl was tuning a guitar, plucking its strings. Not far from them, Lisa and Jisoo played volleyball with a group of freshman girls. Sooyoung was among them. She cast Jennie a fleeting glare when she saw her. Guess, she didn't take well her rejection.

“Whose guitar is this?” Jennie asked, leaning back on her elbows.

“The hostel's owner. He let me borrow it, said he can't play it anyway,” Rosé said, but Jennie tuned her out as she became engrossed by the game. She even pumped her fist in a gesture of triumph when Lisa spiked the ball, scoring a point.

Only when she heard Rosé's snicker, she turned her attention back to the ginger-head.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Rosé said and returned to strumming the guitar.

Plucking the leaves of grass, Jennie glared at her friend because she knew that 'nothing' always meant 'something' in Rosé's dictionary.

Just then Lisa scored an ace from a serve and Jennie did another fist pump. But became slightly flustered when Lisa noticed her.

“How did you know that you love Jisoo?” The words rushed out of Jennie's mouth before she could stop and rethink them.

Rosé stopped playing and looked up at her, an infuriating smirk curling her lips. “It was love at first sight, mate.”

Jennie rolled her eyes.

“What? It really was. I saw her dancing in the practice room. You know, acting all cool and badass one second, just to become a total dork the next. And just like that I knew that she was the one for me,” Rosé said as she watched her girlfriend burst into giggles after a terrible attempt at serving.

The ball hit one of their teammates on the head. Horrified, Lisa rushed to the girl to check on her. Jisoo came up to her as well, apologizing, albeit still laughing.

“You aren't going to ask why I asked?” Jennie muttered, staring absently at how Lisa fretted over the girl, who, by the way, was obviously fine. It wasn't like Jisoo decapitated her or something.

She stopped watching when she felt her fingers dig into the ground. Glancing down, she saw a grass-less patch of soil under her palm.

Rosé tilted her head. “But I know why you asked.”

“I hate you,” Jennie mumbled, standing up and leaving to clean her hands.

“I love you too!”

Hearing the words, Jennie's lips twitched up in a small smile.

* * *

“Remind me, why are we doing this?” Jennie huffed, after picking another dry branch from the ground.

“Because I offered to help,” Lisa stated as a matter-of-factly. She had already collected so many branches that she was barely able to hold them in her arms.

Jennie grimaced. “Sometimes you're too good for your own good.”

“I take it as a compliment.”

“Of course, you do...” Jennie mumbled under her breath, smiling.

The sun was slowly sinking behind the horizon and another campfire was about to start. Hence, their hunt for the dry branches. Jennie was about to reach for one when it moved and hissed, slowly lifting its black head from the ground.

“L--lisa...” Branches spilling from her hands, Jennie forced the name through her numb lips. Her heart hammered in her chest and she broke into cold sweat.

The beast produced another hiss, bearing its forked tongue.

“Yeah? Holy-- okay, just stay calm Jennie,” Lisa said but her voice felt so distant to Jennie as though she was speaking to her from miles away.

And all she could think of was that she was going to die in agony bitten by that slithery abomination. In front of the person she cared the most for. But what was even worse was that she would never get a chance to tell her that. To tell Lisa just how much she meant to her and how badly she wanted to kiss her each time she saw that bright, sweet smile lit up her face.

“Look at me!”

Jennie's eyes flickered to the blonde.

“Remember how we've met? No one wanted to speak to me after I transferred. Everyone just whispered behind my back and laughed at my accent. You were the first one that approached me and you didn't care that the others would target you as well. You said that I should smile more, and I did. Back then I thought that you were so brave, and I know that you still are.”

Shaking her head, Jennie felt tears stream down her cheeks. Because Lisa was wrong. So, so wrong. She was a coward. A big, ing coward who couldn't even confess to the girl she loved.

At that thought something snapped inside Jennie. “I-I need t-to tell you s-something,” she stammered, eyes fixed on Lisa who had hers on the ground.

“It's gone,” the blonde said and for a second, Jennie didn't understand what she meant until she looked to the ground and saw that the viper was nowhere to be found.

Her knees buckled, but before she was able to collapse, she found herself enveloped by a pair of skinny but surprisingly strong arms.

“It's okay. I've got you,” Lisa whispered against her temple.

Clinging onto the girl, Jennie gradually relaxed and her tears subsided.

“What was it that you needed to tell me?” The blonde asked once Jennie was able to stand on her own.

And just like that all the hesitation and fears came rushing back as Jennie looked into Lisa's expectant eyes.

“I-- Rosé was right, you're a major badass.”

Lisa chuckled lightly. “Let's go back,” she said, slipping her hand under Jennie's arm to hold her.

In the end, Jennie regretted not being bitten by that viper because she very much deserved it...

* * *

Jennie asked Lisa not to tell Jisoo and Rosé about what happened. She didn't want them to worry. But most of all, she didn't want to relive the experience. Of course, Lisa complied. She asked, however, whether there was anything she could do for her and Jennie suggested that she could get them some alcohol. She needed something that would let her forget about the viper and the revelation it accidentally brought upon her.

She wasn't ready to face her feelings. And she wasn't sure whether she would ever be. Even if she always had been subconsciously aware of them.

Lisa was quick to grant her wish, getting a bottle of soju, two beers and a bottle of wine for herself from the freshman boys. Sitting by the campfire, they drank in silence. A bit later, Rosé joined them with her guitar and began singing in her soft, soothing voice.

“All I knew, this morning when I woke...”

The crowd broke into a teasing howl but soon enough everyone was swaying to the music, because after all, Taylor Swift was everyone's guilty pleasure. And Jennie swayed too, or rather her vision did. A pleasant, relaxing numbness overcame her mind and body. Four soju shots and a bottle of beer successfully washed away her fears and anxieties.

Just as Jisoo joined to sing Ed Sheeran's part, Lisa appeared in Jennie's hazy vision with an outstretched hand and a tipsy, but dazzling as ever, smile. Jennie chuckled drunkenly. She put aside her bottle and took Lisa's hand.

They danced in a loose embrace like a high school couple on a prom, until Jennie leaned a little closer into Lisa's body. Resting her head against blonde's shoulder, she inhaled the sweet scent of wine that further intoxicated her. And then the song ended, all too soon.

Lisa took a step back, but Jennie tightened the grip on her flannel shirt, not letting her go just yet. A small smile illuminated Lisa's features and she leaned her forehead against Jennie's.

With their faces just inches apart, Jennie felt her heart quicken its pace again. She didn't know how it happened but the next second, her eyes slid shut and Lisa's soft lips met hers. Gentle at first, the kiss soon grew in its intensity. Lisa tugged at Jennie's bottom lip, easily gaining access to .

Heat threatened to consume Jennie's body when she felt the blonde's hands rest slightly above her hips, thumbs lifting her shirt and her skin lightly.

And as they pulled back, forced by the lack of oxygen, just one word passed between them:

“Tent?”

“Tent.”

I'm sorry it took so long. I was really busy this week and tired. But at least, the chapter is a bit longer than usual. Thank you very much for all your kind comments! They really motivate me so keep them coming ;) See you in the next chapter!