JENNIE

Lisa and I began seeing one another most days. It was as if I was her escape from reality, and she was mine—or more so, we were each other's escape from the façade of superficiality in Chester. The town had been my home all my life, but lately, it felt as if I didn't fit there anymore. The only time I felt like anything made sense was when I was with Lisa.

In her darkness, I found my light.

We began doing all types of activities together as a way of learning more about each other and ourselves. Her life was spent caring for her father, and mine was spent being perfect for my mother, so for the first time ever, we took the time to learn who we were as individuals—together.

We went to movies we would've never seen before and loved them. We went hiking, which I hated. We tried to build furniture just to say we could do it. (She could. I couldn't.)

Some of my favorite times, though, were sitting in the back of The Silent Bookshop beside one another, flipping through different novels together. It was so easy to be quiet with her. The silence felt a little like home.

My other favorite moments were spent on her couch doing nothing but talking about anything and everything. Those were the times when I felt as if I learned the most about the woman across from me. Those were the small moments I adored.

"I didn't learn to swim until I was seventeen years old. I've only ever had one pet, and it was a cat named Mouse. My two front teeth got knocked out when I fell face first during the Founder's Day parade one year. I can understand Spanish but can't speak a word of it, and I think cardinals are my favorite bird," I told her, giving her random facts.

She melted into the couch cushion a bit. "I was named after the famous painting MonaLisa. I almost fell in love once when I was nineteen with a girl passing through town. I think I chose her because I knew she wouldn't stay. I hate peas but think they work fine in beef stroganoff. I'm obsessed with Game of Thrones, and I secretly judge anyone who isn't."

"Confession: I've never seen Game of Thrones."

Her eyes darted over to me before quickly looking away. "Oh, well, that's okay."

I laughed. "Stop it."

"Stop what?"

"Secretly judging me."

She arched an eyebrow. "I'm not."

"You totally are! I see it in your eyes."

"No, I mean, I get it—it's not your fault you're shockingly uncool."

I snickered and shoved her. "Screw you."

"Nah, I don't screw people who don't fuck with Jon Snow."

My cheeks heated at her comment, and I hoped she couldn't see the redness of my face in the partially darkened room.

"I bet you're the type of person who's never seen Breaking Bad or The Walking Dead either."

"Guilty as charged."

"Sons of Anarchy?"

"Um, never heard of it."

Her eyes bugged out. "Geez, Jennie! What exactly do you do with your time?"

I smiled and shrugged. "I don't know, live life?"

She grimaced. "I bet you crochet for fun."

I blushed.

She narrowed her eyes. "You do crochet, don't you?"

I bit my thumb.

I freaking loved to crochet.

"Oh my gosh, you're an old woman," she groaned, slapping her hand against her face. "Well, hell, if we are going to keep crossing paths, you'll have to sit through a few episodes of Game of Thrones. I'm going to un-old you."

I kept laughing. "Well, if we're watching Game of Thrones, I'm crocheting as I do it."

"You can't crochet while watching. You need to be one-hundred-percent focused on the show, otherwise it's just a waste of time. You won't know what's…Jennie?"

"Yes?"

She glanced down, and I saw that somehow, at some point, my hand had found its way to her. I'd laced my fingers with her fingers. I'd moved in close enough to touch her, and I hadn't even noticed.

I quickly pulled my hand away and took a deep breath.

"Sorry," I whispered.

"Don't be," she replied. Her hand slowly inched closer to me, and her pinky finger brushed against mine. "You miss this, yeah? The small moments?"

I closed my eyes at the touch. "Yes."

Her hand slowly slid on top of mine, our fingers intertwining. "And this?" she asked, her voice deep and smooth. "Holding hands?"

Take a small breath…

"Yes."

She moved her body closer to me then took her other hand and placed it on the nape of my neck. Her fingers slowly began to massage my skin, making me tilt my head to the side. "And you miss this?"

Yes…

Oh, yes, I missed that.

Our thighs brushed, our breaths sawing in and out in sync.

Yes…yes…yes…

"I miss this," I confessed, placing my hands on her chest. "I miss being touched…miss being held without the hooking up and all."

"Let me do this," she said softly, placing her forehead against mine. Her gentle breaths caressed my lips as I kept my eyes closed. "Let me hold you."

She lifted me into her arms and placed me on her lap. My legs wrapped around her, and she held me close. I was so close that my head fell against her chest. We were so close that each time I took an inhale, I could listen to her heartbeats.

One breath, one beat.

Two breaths, two beats…

"Lisa," I whispered as her fingers played with my hair. "Can I ask you to do something crazy?"

"Say the words."

"Can you carry me to your bedroom and lie down with me and just…hold me for a little while?"

Without another word, she placed her hands beneath my legs and lifted me into the air. We moved to her bedroom and she gently lay me down then climbed right beside me. As she pulled me closer, I curved into her body. Her warmth covered me whole, and I took in her scents. She felt like my favorite blanket, and I wanted to stay wrapped in her as long as I could.

There were no sounds around us, only her inhalations and my exhalations. She nuzzled her lips against my neck, and for the first time in a long time, I felt as if I were exactly where I was meant to be.

"Lisa?" I whispered, moving my body even closer to her. We were from two different puzzles, yet still, we seemed to fit perfectly together.

"Yes?"

I took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. "I like the way your heart beats."