“Hey.”

 

Lisa looks over her shoulder while her hands are tying the laces of her running shoes. “Hey.” She replies with a smile after seeing who it is. “What are you doing here?”

 

Jennie shrugs as she sits on the bench just right beside Lisa’s black duffle bag. “Got no classes and was on my way to the SC but saw you gearing up. Thought I’d drop by to say, Hi.”

 

Lisa drops her tied shoe back on the pavement before settling her other foot with an undone shoelace on the bench. “I see.” Then proceeds on tying them.

 

 

 

It’s been little under a month since the talk and things went quite pretty well for the both of them. It was weird and awkward at first but they jumped off that hurdle after few meet ups for brunch, lunch or even dinner.

 

They both still want to follow their initial plans to start a new, to start something they had failed to properly do so — friendship. They’re not labeling their status as exclusive but somehow, deep inside them and just by the way they decline dinner requests and date invites from time to time, it had become an unspoken truth between them.

 

They’re friends, of course, but treat each other way more than that. It should makes sense, right?

 

Anyway…

 

Their friends were pretty much delighted to hear the news. Jongin offered to be on the delivery order workload for one shift as his gift to his friend for finally being smart enough to grow up and talk it out — he regretted that though, delivery orders drained the hell out of him.

 

Nayeon was beyond ecstatic to hear it. She promised to make up to them when she visits Seoul next summer or when her time allows her to do so. Before that though, Nayeon had an earful from Lisa but forgave her nonetheless.

 

Chaeyoung, Jisoo, Seulgi and Joohyun were relieved to know it. Lisa also met up with them two days after the talk she had with Jennie to apologize, forgive and start over again. 

 

Chaeyoung cried, after all, she had grown to like the woman as a friend and as someone she could vouch Jennie for — of course she won’t tell anyone about the latter.

 

Jisoo instantly sat right beside Lisa in their shared class the day after, she had missed Lisa and their random, weird and goofy interactions. Lisa makes that class easy, fun and something she always looked forward to so when Lisa avoided her, it was as if there could no longer be a better part of her day. 

 

Much to Seulgi’s delight, Lisa agreed to become part of the dance club again. She considers Lisa as her friend other than someone she could always rely on in the dance club so this reconciliation hits two birds in one stone. Taemin was beyond words when he heard about it too and hosted a small party in their dance club to welcome Lisa back.

 

Joohyun, though being the one that isn’t that close to Lisa, seeing her friends finally got the dark clouds gone above their heads made her very happy. Everything is back to normal again.

 

 

 

 

 

“No dance practice today?” Jennie continues after staring at Lisa for a few seconds.

 

“We do but it’ll be in two hours. I feel like running so here I am.” Lisa does small hops after tying her shoelaces.

 

“Alone?”

 

 

 

Lisa moves back a couple of steps away from Jennie so she could start stretching, unbeknownst to her, Jennie’s having an inner battle with her heart that’s beating so fast and loud. Despite seeing her stretching multiple times, her heart still isn’t accustomed to the sight.

 

Lisa is wearing an above the knee gray running shorts with a black thermal cycling shorts that reached down just a few inches lower than where her running shorts ends, a black dri-fit jersey shirt and her hair tied up in a ponytail. There’s nothing ier and hotter than that in Jennie’s eyes.

 

 

 

“Oh no, I’m running with —“

 

“Hey! Sorry! Did you wait far too long?” A man dressed in almost similar attire with Lisa but instead of cycling shorts, he had a full on thermal joggings under his black shorts.

 

 

Lisa’s face beams upon seeing the man and Jennie could’ve sworn her heart almost stops beating that it hurts and she felt like puking. When did Lisa start seeing him? Why does she have no idea about this until today? 

 

Unspoken truth, my .

 

 

“Oh no. Probably just 5 minutes.” Lisa replies. “Oh, this is Jennie. Well obviously you know her. Jennie this is Jackson Wang.”

 

Jackson looks at Jennie and smiles, he has that manly goofy smile and if she isn’t attracted to the woman across her, she’d probably consider him. “Hey. Sorry couldn’t recognize you. Nice to meet you.”

 

Jackson chuckles. “No, it’s fine. We don’t expect you to know all students here and besides my department building is way further from yours.”

 

“Wait, business building?”

 

Jackson nods. “As expected from the Vice. Yes, I’m taking Finance.”

 

“Oh, cool.”

 

“Pleasure to meet you up close, Jennie.” Jackson looks at Lisa and continues. “I’ll meet you in the oval. Gotta stretch.”

 

“Okay, I’m doing mine anyway.” 

 

“Great.” Jackson places a hand on Lisa’s shoulder which made Jennie frown in displeasure. “Race to 5?”

 

Lisa smirks. “Sure. You still have to beat me, Mr. Wang.”

 

Jackson smirks back. “I’d probably do that today, Ms. Manoban.”

 

“Good luck.”

 

Jackson released Lisa’s shoulder and Jennie didn’t even know she’s holding her breath until her lungs screamed for oxygen. “Well, I need that. See ya. Bye Jennie!” He says before jogging his way to the oval.

 

Jennie nods with a small smile at him as Lisa turns her attention back to Jennie. “He’s part of the track team.”

 

“Nice.”

 

Lisa tilts her head while observing her and that made Jennie fidget on her chair just a bit. “W-What?” She inwardly curses because that obvious stuttering.

 

“You okay?”

 

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

 

“I don’t know.” Lisa shrugs. “You’re going to stay until I finish beating his to ashes?”

 

Jennie chuckles. “Cocky.”

 

Lisa laughs. “Well, he did not, not even once, beat me so I’d say confident rather than cocky.”

 

“Alright alright, Miss Athletic.”

 

Lisa grins. “So, stay?”

 

 

There’s something in the way Lisa said it on top of her eyes begging her to say ‘Yes’ that drives Jennie to a hot turmoil. Yes hot because her body is overheating now.

 

 

“You want me to?”

 

“Yes.” Yes, confident. Very very confident.

 

“Well then, I guess I have to.”

 

Lisa beams and oh boy it was brighter than it was earlier. “Awesome! I’ll be right back.”

 

Jennie waves at her. “Okay. No go. Shoo. Don’t make him wait.”

 

Lisa nods, smiles before jogging away but she stops just probably about 5 steps and turns around. “Hey Jennie?”

 

Jennie looks up from fixing her bag right beside Lisa’s. “Yeah?”

 

“Don’t worry. There’s no one else other than you.” Then sprints straight to where Jackson is standing.

 

 

Jennie probably now has a smoke emerging from her head. She did not expect that. What the hell.

 

Well, 1-0.

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

“Beat your to pulp again. That’s 4-0.” Lisa says whilst panting in between words as they walk back to where her bag and Jennie are — and Jennie is already looking at her.

 

Jackson pulls out his face towel from the back of his shorts to dry his face and neck. “I’ll get one soon, I swear.”

 

Lisa laughs. “You’ve been saying that. I need results.” She smiles at Jennie and was about to dig down her bag to grab her towel only to get handed by the latter. “Oh, thank you.”

 

“No problem.” Jennie replies. “4-0, huh?”

 

Lisa smirks. “Uh huh. That’s what he gets from not being smart in conserving energy.”

 

“I am trying!” Jackson pouts.

 

“Try harder.”

 

Jackson rolls his eyes. “This is unfair. You have your girlfriend here to cheer on you so of course you’ll do well!”

 

Both Jennie and Lisa started blushing at that. Jackson immediately noticed it. “Ops, did I jinx anything?”

 

Lisa is the first one to recover and tries to hide it by wiping her face. “No.”

 

“Oh, phew. So courting stage?”

 

“There’s no such thing! We’re friends.. yes.” Lisa replies, obviously being cautious.

 

Jennie is still in her blushing feat and can’t even talk. 

 

Jackson raises an eyebrow. “Friends, huh?”

 

Lisa nods, still blushing. “Yes.”

 

“I see because I could’ve sworn you don’t act and look like it around here. Even my girlfriend says the same thing.”

 

If it’s humanly possible to blush even more, Jennie would probably look like a ready to erupt volcano at the moment. Not only she’s being cornered but she assumed the wrong assumption. Great.

 

“I’m going to kick Mina’s .” Lisa grumbles.

 

“You’re Mina’s boyfriend?” Jennie asks.

 

Jackson smiles, a proud and genuine smile. “The one and only.”

 

“Oh.”

 

There was a brief silence in between and Lisa had enou