Chapter 21

"Come on in," Lisa told Jennie after she pushed the door open, revealing to Jennie her abode. "Feel at home."

"Thank you," Jennie said and took off her boots in exchange for a comfy home slippers that Lisa offered.

The first thing that caught Jennie's eyes when she finally stepped inside Lisa's living room was the huge couch in front of the large TV set. It looked old but grand. Behind it were two big sash windows with big white curtains draping majestically from the ceiling to the floor. There was also a colorful puffer ottoman between the sofa and the TV set and a soft-looking polyester carpet was spread beneath it. And directly above the ottoman was a small old Victorian chandelier hanging from the high ceiling.

The walls were made of bricks and concrete, painted with the shade of whites and deep reds. The floor was covered with polished wooden floorboards and printed canvass of Lisa's monochromatic photography of different sizes were hung in the walls, strategically apart from one another.

A winding staircase made of brass and painted in black stood in the middle of the floor area, leading to the loft where Lisa's bedroom and mini-library were located. And there, in the middle of the staircase was a grown-up cat. Sitting in one of the treads and looking at Jennie with wide eyes and curious look.

"Leo!" Lisa said excitedly in a rather high-pitched voice that earned her a funny look from Jennie, when she spotted the white and gray feline and quickly sprinted towards the staircase in long strides.

The cat was about to run for his life to get away from Lisa as quickly as possible. He was clearly not as excited as Lisa was. But Lisa, with her long strides and long arms, was able to sweep the cat first before the cat could run away from her.

The cat was acting all stiff and pulling his face away while being held captive by Lisa's tight embrace and too much kissing. Leo clearly looked unhappy that he was imprisoned inside Lisa's arms. Lisa, meanwhile, was looking giddy and excited to snuggle the uncooperative cat.

"Leo, meet Jennie. Jennie, this is my Leo," Lisa said while keeping her hold of the fat cat on her grasp and held Leo's front paw and waved it to Jennie. "Hello, Jennie! I'm Leo!" Lisa said in a small, meowing voice.

Jennie laughed at Lisa's childish antic and swoon over Leo's overall being. "He's so cute!" Jennie cooed and stared at Leo endearingly, who was staring back at her with pleading eyes. As if asking Jennie to help him get away from Lisa's embrace. "Can I hold him?" Jennie asked.

"Sure," Lisa answered and nodded. "But be careful, though. Leo doesn't like to be snuggled, as you can see. He still hates it when I carry him in my arms like this," Lisa said knowingly, while handing her pet cat over to Jennie. "He might scratch you, since you're practically a stranger to him and..."

Lisa's voice was drowned when Leo purred excitedly and a little too loudly. He curled and snuggled comfortably as soon as he was inside Jennie's arms. Lisa was gaping in disbelief, looking hurt and feeling betrayed.

"Yes, Lisa? What were you saying?" Jennie sniggered when saw the look on Lisa's face and played her fingers on top of Leo's head.

Leo purred even more loudly, indicating that he liked what Jennie was doing to him. Which made Lisa scoff louder than Leo's purring.

"What a traitor. He never do that with me," Lisa said acrimonously, shaking her head in total disbelief

"Well, looks like Leo has finally found his real mommy now," Jennie said happily. "Isn't that right, Leo, my love?" she purred and touched her nose on Leo's nose, and earned another purr from Leo.

"Whatever. I still have Luca, anyway," Lisa said bitterly, still staring at Leo, who was now sleeping inside Jennie's arms. "You heard that, Leo? I'll have Luca," Lisa said childishly with a pout.

Jennie chortled and asked, "And Luca is Leo's younger brother?" while walking towards the velvet Chesterfield sofa and settled herself down while still cuddling the sleeping Leo.

"Adoptive younger brother," Lisa corrected and followed Jennie. She chose to sat in the puffer ottoman in front of Jennie, facing Jennie and Leo; her elbows resting on her knees. "He's still months old, so he's literally just a baby," she added and tickled Leo's paw with her long fingers, trying to get his attention and win him over.

"And does Luca want to be snuggled?" Jennie asked with a smirk.

"He's still too young to know what he wants to do with his life, to be honest," Lisa answered matter-of-factly that made Jennie laugh out loud.

The sound of her laughter echoed throughout Lisa's house. It reverberated through the thick walls and the floorboards. It was beautiful and melodic and Lisa thought she was, indeed, crazy enough to invite Jennie in and let her inside her apartment, and allowing that sweet strawberry scent to invade her home and her cat. Leo must have liked the scent, too.

"Or maybe Luca hasn't yet decided if he likes you or not?" Jennie asked. Her foot was teasingly prodding on Lisa's foot.

"Don't be so mean, Jennie. I'm still jealous that Leo's snuggling with you right now," Lisa said grouchily and prodded back her foot unto Jennie's. "He never do that with me or to anyone."

"That's because he likes me," Jennie said haughtily. "Don't you, Leo?"

Leo purred and buried his face deeper on the fabric of Jennie's plaid overcoat. Yep, he liked the strawberry scent, too.

"I'm pretty sure that's just pure initial reaction. I'm still his mommy," Lisa responded scournfully.

"I can be his mommy, too. Do you like that, Leo? Do you want me to be your mommy, too?" Jennie asked the napping cat.

Lisa looked at Jennie with a smirk and a weird expression was on her face. She suddenly felt hot all over. Like, the humidity have risen all of a sudden. Despite the freezing February weather outside.

"Oh, really now? You want to be his mommy, too?" Lisa asked, her brows raising.

"I mean, that's...that's all up to..." Jennie stammered and cleared her throat, realizing the impact of what she have just said, "...to Leo, of course. He's old enough to choose what's best for him. Anyway, I want to meet Luca, too," Jennie said, avoiding Lisa's gaze.

"And do you wish to be Luca's mommy, too? Because you know, they go in pair," Lisa asked, leaning forward, closer to Jennie. She wanted to see how those cat-like eyes would dilate and stare back at her.

Jennie, to Lisa's surprise and liking, have decided to put Leo down on the soft upholstery and leaned forward to meet Lisa's gaze, crossing the gap between them and conveniently leavibg a small amount of space to let their warm breathing to meet halfway and then dissolve into nothingness.

Jennie leaned closer and mimicked Lisa's stance--elbows resting on the knees. She was so close that Lisa have started to trace the little freckles on Jennie's nose with her eyes and occassionally throwing glances on Jennie's rich red mouth and would then avert her gaze to Jennie's eyes.

"Do you want me to?" Jennie asked softly, like a fluttery whisper of some butterfly wings in the meadows. Soft and featherlight. The kind that would tickle your skin and would then send goosebumps all over your body.

And Lisa, indeed, had goosebumps all over, while her eyes travelled from Jennie's eyes to Jennie's mouth. Her pair of soft browns lingered at those luscious red lips a second longer than necessary, studying how it was moving so delicately, forming into a little 'o' when Jennie uttered the word 'you', and went back up again to delve into Jennie's pair of dark browns.

"I actually think I do," Lisa said softly. Her eyes gazing and getting lost and dizzy at those deep shade of brown of Jennie's. Her heart was hammering in full speed against the cavities of her chest.

The gesture sent Jennie into a flying frenzy. She felt dizzy and weak and excited and every other feelings that she haven't felt before. It was hilarious and overwhelming how she wanted all of it and not wanting all of it at the same time.

Jennie could hear the ridiculously loud pounding of her heart inside her chest. It was painful and yet rhythmically beautiful. She could hear the blood pulsating on her ears. Loud and nagging. Every part of her body where a pulse should be was rapidly beating. A little more all of it and she might just drop on the floor and roll on her sweats due to hyperventilation.

Jennie knew what's going to happen next. She had been dreaming about it every night and day, for the last entire week. She was wondering what it would be like, how it would feel like, to be kissed by those plump lips. Eversince Chaeyoung's outburst of declaration and well, bragging, about Lisa being a good kisser, Jennie often wondered how actually good of a kisser Lisa was. And if she could ever keep up and live up to it. Considering that she didn't know how.

And the thought that she absolutely lacked experience in the kissing department and the possibility that she might embarrass herself because of it, brought her back to her senses. Besides, who knew who else Lisa was kissing with those plump lips of hers, other than Chaeyoung? Considering that Lisa was a woman of the world, who have travelled to countries and met different people.

Lisa could meet a cute Parisian girl or a shy Japanese woman and they would eventually fall down on their knees and get drowned and lost into Lisa's soft, round eyes. That's what Jennie had been thinking, because that's exactly how she is when she's around Lisa.

Flirting with Lisa inside Lisa's apartment would automatically mean that Lisa would have the advantage and upperhand in the situation. Jennie didn't want that. Not yet, anyway. She had to build and equip herself with the right artillery first before they both would cut the chase.

"I'm hungry," Jennie declared out of the blue in a panicky voice and stood up as quickly as she could. Leaving Lisa a little disappointed but a wide smile was plastered on her face, which then quickly faded when she realized that there wasn't any decent food that she could offer to Jennie.

Gone were the fluttery butterfly wings and everything that tickles. Just like that.

"Ah, about that. Do you want to head out so we could grab something to eat? Or maybe we could just call for a delivery? I know a place that offers good food and fast delivery..."

"Lisa, you don't cook, do you?" Jennie asked, cutting Lisa's attempt for a quick and subtle cover-up of her lack of cooking skills.

"As a matter of fact, I don't. I haven't inherit the cooking genes of my parents. I can't even fry an egg, to be honest," Lisa said.

"Well, today is your lucky day," Jennie said and started to roll up the long sleeves of her turtleneck. She may have found the kind of weapon she was looking for.

"Oh, really? Why is that?" Lisa asked.

"Because I know how to cook, Lili. And I'm quite good at it. Come on, take me to your kitchen," Jennie said and held and pulled Lisa by the arm towards Lisa's kitchen.

"Lily?" Lisa asked incredulously.

"You'll be my Lili from now on," Jennie said nonchalantly, dismissing the matter.

"Since when have you decided to name me after a flower?" Lisa asked, laughing.

"That's Lili with two 'i's' and no 'y', actually. And the sound of it looks cute on you. So," Jennie responded as if it already settled the matter.

"No one ever called me Lili before, though. I've always been 'Lis' or Lisa to everybody," Lisa said stubbornly.

"That's because I'm not everybody, Lili. What's in your pantry, by the way?"

"Oh, just, you know, the basic. And in the fridge are some vegetables and spices that my parents insist that I should always have. 'Just in case', they both would say. As if I know what to do with them."

"So, if you don't cook, then what do you eat, most of the time?" Jennie asked.

"Anything that won't require me to spend an entire hour chopping ingredients and measuring the right amount of seasoning and spices," Lisa said. "Or I usually head out to Chaeng's place. She's finally started to learn how to cook these days."

"I honestly wonder how you're able to live with that," Jennie said, shaking her head in a patronizing way, as she started to rummage through Lisa's cupboards and fridge.

"When you're living in hotel rooms or cheap lodging house when you're outside the country, cooking is the least of your priorities, to be honest," Lisa said coolly, trying to explain and justify her lack of cooking skills.

"I don't believe that," Jennie said stubbornly. "Anyway, so, what do you want to have for lunch?" Jennie asked and started to take whatever she found useful and edible from Lisa's cupboards and fridge out and laid them at the table, trying to decide what to make out of them.

"Anything hot and delicious," Lisa said. And by hot and delicious, she meant a hot stew and maybe a Korean pancake. And perhaps a warm egg roll or a hot ginger bread to compliment the stew.

Lisa was leaning on the kitchen sink and watching Jennie maneuvering her way around the kitchen. Pirouetting and moving around like she was already familiar with all the cupboards and drawers and the edges of the table. Taking out cutleries and a pan and finally found an unused apron from one of the drawers.

"Can you help me with this?" Jennie asked after she wore the strap around her neck and holding the ties on her hands as she walked towards Lisa.

"Sure. Turn around," Lisa said and took the waist ties from Jennie's hands.

Lisa was standing behind Jennie. Their distance a little too close for her comfort. Too close that she could see the beating pulse at the base of Jennie's neck. And too close that she could sniff the stronger strawberry scent whenever she inhales.

Her eyes couldn't seem to stop staring at Jennie's nape. It was pearly white, smooth-looking and exposed for Lisa's eyes to feast on, with the little strands of hair falling and slightly veiling it, because Jennie was wearing her hair in a clumsy bun. Lisa wondered how could an innocent nape be so sexy when all it ever did was being a nape.

It took Lisa every ounce of her being to not give in to whatever was urging her to touch her lips on Jennie's nape, to finally find out if Jennie's skin would taste like strawberry, too.

She shook her head to stop herself from imagining things.

"Done," Lisa said in a voice she didn't recognize because she was shaking badly on the inside, after securing the ties on Jennie's small waist and stepping sideward before she would pull Jennie by the waist and bury her face on the hollow of Jennie's neck.

"Thank you, Lili," Jennie said and smiled, oblivious of Lisa's internal battle. "Now, you sit back and enjoy the show. This won't take long. I promise," Jennie said as she started to wash the vegetables she took from Lisa's fridge.

"What will you be cooking?" Lisa asked.

"I'm going to try to make a vegetable stew out of these," Jennie answered and started chopping the carrot that Lisa bought two days ago out of total boredom. "Next time, I'm going to cook something more delicious than a vegetable stew."

Lisa felt weird while watching Jennie doing her thing around her kitchen. She have never used the kitchen before, unless she would count boiling water for an instant noodles or reheating a pizza in the oven.

And now, while watching Jennie doing her magic in front of her--if chopping a carrot efficiently without worrying that she might cut her finger was considered magical--silent and serious, with those furrowed brows and lips tightly sealed? It brought a whole lot of overlapping and overwhelming thoughts to Lisa's mind.

She suddenly felt a little rueful why she had never put an effort to learn how to cook, despite the nagging of her parents, her mother, especially, while she was younger. She could've had whipped a delicious meal for Jennie in a minute. Just like how her dad would usually do to impress her when she was still a kid.

But still, it was good that she didn't learn how to cook, Lisa thought. Because if she did, then Jennie wouldn't have volunteered to cook and Lisa wouldn't have been given the first-row privilege to watch Jennie chopping carrots and onions and celery, taking out the anchovies that she have put before boiling the water and mixing bean paste and chili powder into the pan, gracefully and without so much effort.

"What are you thinking about, Lili?" Jennie suddenly asked.

"Where did you learn how to cook?" Lisa asked in return.

"I spent almost half of my life abroad, Lili. I studied in a boarding school in Auckland and lived in an apartment in New York City for five years. I had to learn how to cook and fend for myself. Otherwise, I'd die from starvation," Jennie answered.

"Really? No personal cooks or a butler or whatever, to attend to your needs while you were living abroad?"

"Nope. I tried to stay as lowkey as possible in exchange for a little amount of liberty," Jennie replied.

"From your parents?" Lisa asked.

"From who I am," Jennie answered

"And who would you be?"

"Someone that I don't wish to discuss with you just yet, Lili. I mean, no offense, but my mother have been constantly nagging me about it for a year now. It's stressing me out, to be honest. And talking about it with you would only mean that I'm taking it out on you and I don't want that to happen."

"You're not part of a mafia or any of that sort, are you?" Lisa asked suspiciously. The words of the old waitress were ringing on her ears.

Jennie laughed and shook her head.

"Do I look like someone from the mafia?" Jennie asked while stirring one last time the stew that she was making before turning off the heat to prevent the vegetables from becoming soggy.

"I don't know. I haven't met one yet, actually. Besides, looks can be deceiving," Lisa answered.

Jennie was about to point out to Lisa that mafia people would look like people from The Godfather film, but a pair of furballs were simultaneously and affectionately brushing against and circling around her legs.

She crouched down and saw Leo with another cat. They both purred at the sight of Jennie's face hovering at them. Lisa followed suit.

"Hello, handsome! You must be Luca?" Jennie asked, which Luca answered with an affectionate meow.

"He likes you already," Lisa said.

"What about you?" Jennie asked, holding her breath and daring to look straight into Lisa's eyes, before she stood up straight to set the table.

Lisa opened her mouth to speak and then close it immediately. She stood up and hesitated but chose to move and crossed the distance between her and Jennie.

"Shub Jennie mak mak ka," Lisa said, meeting Jennie's gaze. Her lips then broke into a wide grin when she saw the confused look on Jennie's face.

"It means 'I really really like you, Jennie," in Thai," Lisa explained.