JENNIE

Lisa had walked silently to the cafeteria, as she processed what had happened. Her parents stayed behind. The cafeteria was a huge room with windows from floor to ceiling. An acerbic smell of a hand sanitizer mixed with coffee and mashed potatoes. The well-worn chairs were mostly occupied; a family tried to sound upbeat, while their faces were tired; a group of doctors in white scrubs discussed something hurriedly over the paper cups of coffee, dark stethoscopes hanging uselessly on their chests. A low murmur hung in the air, prickled with someone's exclaim from time to time. We bought coffee and settled in the far east corner. A white dented table was scrubbed clean, the chair uncomfortably cold.

"Wow," Lisa said, sitting in front of me.

"Yes, wow." I smiled.

"Will you allow them back?" I asked.

"We'll see what they do. Maybe nothing will change."

"They looked pretty desperate out there," I remarked with a shrug.

"Yeah." Lisa stirred her cappuccino, deep in thought. "And you know, the stupid thing is that I want them back, even after all they did."

She watched me, so close. How I had missed those eyes, her open face? I still couldn't believe I was here, by her side. I took her hand.

"It's not stupid. They are your parents. They have deep faults. They made a grave mistake they didn't know how to fix. I am not saying you need to forgive them now, but if you are willing to give them a chance, it might do you some good. We all make mistakes."

I was stroking her palm. She moved her hand and entwined her fingers with mine.

"Oh, we'll see. But it was nice when they said all those things." She shook her head, leaning in. "How did you find me anyway?"

"I called Jack," I said, and her eyes widened in surprise. "He thinks we are two parts of one organism."

She laughed. After the good news about Mary, Lisa was relieved, like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"I wanted to ask you one thing." My hand started trembling a little, and I squeezed Lisa's fingers, but she saw. She nodded slowly.

"Can,"—I took a deep breath—"can we skip Barcelona for now and go straight to your home? If you still want to, that is, if you still need me." I dropped my gaze to her cup; my heart beat at the speed of light. "If you'd have me."

She was silent.

"Are you sure? Are you sure about Kai?" she asked after a few moments.

"Lisa, I was always sure. Even though it took me longer to come and find you, I was always sure about one thing: My future is with you."

She nodded, her face unreadable. "Okay."

I raised a curious brow. "Okay means okay, I hear you, or okay you can come live with me and be my partner?"

"The latter," she said nonchalantly with a shrug, but a light was playing in her eyes, the lips in a soft curl.

I laughed, feeling weightless that she was taking me back. I pressed her hand to my lips and watched her.

"I'm happy you came back." She was glowing.

And we stayed like this, looking at each other in the bustling cafeteria of the Tel Aviv hospital.

"How did Kai take it?" Lisa broke the silence after a while.

"Pretty good actually. He said it didn't hurt him as much since I was leaving him for a woman," I laughed. "Anyway, he agreed that we wanted different things, and deep down he knew I won't give him what he wanted."

"Kids," Lisa said with a frown.

I nodded. "It took him by surprise, but we both knew deep down inside that we would go our different ways eventually. And I am so sorry I kept you waiting, but he needed me. I just wouldn't have forgiven myself if I left him there broken in the hospital."

"I thought you might want to stay with him."

"I know, you gave me space. But all I wanted all this time was to be with you. That dull pain that was with me all the time was the missing piece. And after getting that goodbye message from you, I woke up. I'm sorry you thought I had chosen him."

"That message was the hardest thing I ever did. But I couldn't breathe anymore. I couldn't breathe without you, so I had to cut myself off from you."

I understood the twisted feelings she had and faulted myself.

"Do you want to meet my family? Since we are pretty close to Kyiv. On the way back to LA, we could swing by," I said.

"Do they all know about me?"

"My mom was on team Lisa from the beginning, and my dad knew I was bisexual long before I knew. They will be so excited! My brother, it will be a surprise for him, but he's so busy with his son that he won't pay any attention to us, and his wife, Christina, will be thrilled."

"I would love to," Lisa replied, a huge smile on her face.

After an hour in the cafeteria, we went back to Mary's room. Lisa's parents were in the same spot where we had left them.

"They still didn't bring her back," Eve said, rubbing an eyebrow and pacing between a narrow hall.

Jonathan looked at me, cleared his throat and said, "Sorry, we didn't get a chance to introduce ourselves." He stepped closer to me and stretched out his hand. "Jonathan."

"Jennie," I said, finding his hand was big and warm.

"I would hug you, but it's probably too early. I see how she looks at you," Lisa's mother said, shaking my hand with a wink. "Eve."

They were nice, and they were trying. It would take them time to win Lisa back, but I was sure they'd make every effort possible.

We heard noises from the adjoining corridor, and a hospital bed rolled into view. The nurse we had met before was leading the way with two nurses in tow.

On the bed lay an older woman. Her skin was pale, and her long, curly grey hair sprawled on the pillow. Brown eyes, Lisa's eyes but darker, scanned the group, and a smile spread on her face. Her eyes lingered on me for a moment, and she nodded slightly.

The nurse rolled the bed into the room and started working with the machines near her, each press accompanied by a beep. Finally, she finished. After explaining a few things about them, she left.

Mary looked at the people surrounding her. "So, my heart needs to stop beating in order for you all to get back together."

Eve glanced at Lisa, and Lisa took my hand.

"How are you? Does it hurt?" Lisa asked.

Mary waved slightly. "Ah, it's okay. I am not that young anymore. Introduce me to your girlfriend." She winked at me as I felt my cheeks burning. "I hoped you'd have good taste."

Lisa put her hands around my waist and moved me closer to Mary.

"This is Jennie," Lisa said, beaming.

"Hello." I smiled nervously, my pulse fastening, a deep rolling feeling in my stomach. Mary's eyes searched my face, and I knew how important it was for Lisa that she liked me. But all I could do was stand there, Lisa's hand anchoring me.

"How's your boyfriend?" Mary asked me; of course she knew.

"We broke up," I explained, swallowing over the lump in my throat.

"Finally," she murmured, the slight crease of her elbow smoothing. "It was a difficult thing for you to do, but I guess it was the right thing."

I nodded. I knew it was the right thing, it just took too long.

Mary turned to Eve. "Did you talk to her?" she asked.

"We did."

"And I suppose it went well since you all are in the same room," Mary said, giving a satisfied sigh.

"We hope so," Jonathan chuckled and turned to his daughter. She shook her head but smiled.

"Perfect, so now I can go."

All heads turned to Mary with a gasp.

"What?" Lisa whispered, her hands trembling.

"Oh, okay, not now, but the second stroke may come when I am in a less crowded place. I did what I wanted, and I am happy to see you all together. Now, I need to rest." She pressed a button to call a nurse as everyone looked incredulously at her.

A minute later, the nurse appeared. She said that Mary should stay at the hospital for a week. And when Lisa asked about the possibility of a second stroke, she said it was possible, but if Mary took her pills, it might never happen.

Mary was already sleeping lightly in her bed when the nurse finished. Lisa kissed her cheek and said we'd be back the next day. Eve did the same, and Jonathan squeezed Mary's hand.

"We are going to stay in the hotel," Eve said when we stepped out of the room.

"Jennie and I will stay at Mary's," Lisa told her.

"Sure."

Lisa called a taxi, and we said an awkward goodbye. Outside the hospital, I noticed the heat. Summer was in full force here already.

Through the taxi window, I watched the city. The cafes were full of people as we crawled by, the savory smells of frying food wafted in the car. When we turned to the road that ran by the seashore I looked up, two seagulls were circling in a slow dance. It had all started here. Lisa watched me closely.

"I still can't believe you're here," she murmured.

I reminded her happily, "With you."

We got out of the taxi near a white five-story building. Lisa led the way to the entrance, punched the code, and we stopped before the elevator doors. You could feel the energy cracking between us; our eyes were locked.

When the elevator doors closed, I couldn't take it anymore. I needed to feel her skin on mine, and I rushed to kiss Lisa, pressing her to the wall. Mercifully, the elevator slowly rumbled upwards, giving us a few minutes. Her full lips were on mine, my tongue was touching hers, and we were both stealing breaths in-between.

Out of the elevator, we were breathing hard. While Lisa fumbled with her keys, I touched the bare skin of her arm, sending goosebumps all over it. And then finally we were inside.

Lisa pressed me to the door, slipping my shirt over my head, unlatching my bra. Her arms caressed my body, trying to cover every inch of my skin, while our mouths crushed each other, fervently moving. I took off her shirt and threw it on the floor. Her breasts, peaked, held some kind of magic over me. I sucked her nipples while fumbling with her zipper and reached into her pants. She was so wet that I growled with pleasure.

Lisa found her way into my jeans and cupped my chin to connect our lips. We touched each other, our bodies pressing together, feeling everything. I felt liquid spreading under my fingertips as Lisa moaned my name. Her fingers sent waves of desire through my body, moving faster, till my knees almost buckled when I came. But I wanted more, I needed her taste in my mouth. Going down on my knees, I got what I wanted, making her scream and beg.

Our bodies were covered in sweat, and they radiated heat. I kissed her thigh and whispered, "Welcome to Tel Aviv."

"Oh, I love your welcomes," she breathed with a laugh.