JENNIE

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I dress myself to go to the Piedmont Park Festival in a strappy linen-colored cotton sundress. It's my favorite. I twist around in front of the mirror in my bedroom, my mind on the upcoming event and a smile on my face.

It's an outdoor festival. I chew my lip as I try to decide on a jacket, since it'll be cool outside this early in the morning. A smile curves my lips up as I pick a light denim jacket, pairing it with light brown leather ankle boots.

I look in the mirror, and my expression twists. A pale redhead peers back at me, her blue eyes anxious.

Do I really look like that?

I need emotional support today, someone to lean on. I pick up my phone and scroll through the contacts and find Jisoo.

She's logical, whereas I'm… emotional. Although sometimes it's vice versa.

Without much time to waste, I put it on speaker once I get to my car.

"Okay, spill it." The first words out of her mouth make me laugh out loud.

"Spill what?" I rest my elbow on the car door and put my head in my hand as I drive down the interstate, listening to the GPS.

"You wouldn't call if it wasn't about Lisa."

"You remember what I told you?"

"How could I forget?"

Deep breath in. "Well, she decided I'm not allowed to back out of our deal and that she wanted to take me on a date," I practically squeal.

Jisoo's reaction is everything I needed. From the: oh my God, oh my God. To asking what I'm wearing and if I put on cute underwear… just in case.

The only time my smile slips is when I remember I haven't told Jisoo about the IVF and baby issues. In fact, Lisa's the only one I've told that to.

Jisoo wishes me all the good luck in the world, telling me she loves me and that she has such good feelings about this before I hang up.

When I park I have to remind myself, I'm on a date with my fake girlfriend.

A girl who isn't right for me, and I know it. Heck, I doubt I'm right for her either.

A girl who doesn't want the same things I want. That much we both know.

It's stupid of me. I'm wasting time.

But I can't help thinking she's someone who'd make a cute baby…

The chill in the air is more refreshing than cold when I get out to search for Lisa. Although I'm distracted, busy scrolling through an email on my phone. My doctor's office emailed me information about IVF and how to find a donor. My eyes widen as I look through it all. There are a ton of big numbers —ten thousand dollars, forty thousand unique donors.

It's too much for me to try to take in right now, especially if I'm supposed to be on this date. Stashing my phone, I wait at the entrance to the park, next to the big white sign waiting for Lisa.

When I see her, everything in me clenches, the good kind of way. From her simple white tee pulled tight across her shoulders, to her worn jeans… she is my kind of girl. I try not to stare at her as I hand her an iced coffee, but her deep green eyes are all over me.

"Thanks," she says, eyes roving down my figure. "You look… nice." Heat creeps up high in my cheeks, all the way to my temple.

"Yeah, well," I can't help but smile, blushing as I play off the compliment. I swear, when Lisa's around, my cheeks are a permanent shade of tomato red, made even more apparent because of my fair complexion. "You don't look so bad yourself."

"You ready?" she says, nodding toward the park.

"I am," I answer. I have to hold onto my coffee with both hands to keep from reaching out for hers with one of mine.

I ignore the feeling that something's different between us as we stroll down one of the paths, under a banner declaring this the Piedmont Park Festival in bright blue scroll. Each side of the path is dotted with individual booths full of food and games or larger showcases of handmade trinkets and art to buy, which take up several tents measuring twelve by twelve feet each.

I sip my iced coffee, but I can't help smiling as Lisa tells me a story about her younger sister Minnie and how she had a fit one year over her funnel cake dropping.

"I mean… she was only, what did you say? Six? And I'd have a fit today if I dropped a full funnel cake."

The conversation is easy. The laughs are genuine. It's different. The small touches, the quick glances. It makes my naïve heart think there's something here.

"Alright, your turn. What about your family?"

"Well, it's just my mom now. My dad died in a car crash when I was little." I talk easily, but stare at the grass as we climb up a bit of a hill. I wish I had a big loving family like hers.

"I'm sorry." I can feel her eyes on me, but I don't look back.

"It's been a long time. But thank you." I want to tell her that I talk to my mom often but she's busy and travels a lot. It's all clogged at the back of my throat though, so I try washing it down with the rest of my coffee.

"What about your parents?" I question her, "What do they do. Your mom seems really sweet."

Her grin is asymmetric and that's when our hands brush for just a moment. Ripping my gaze away so she doesn't see my blush get even hotter, I wait for her to answer. "Dad's a pilot. Ma's a homemaker. And you've met one of my sisters."

"That I have." I can feel my eyebrows raise up, remembering Minnie. "I still have to message her," I admit to her. She only laughs and tells me she'll give me her number. I move the cold coffee cup to my other hand, wiping the water off on my jacket before taking another sip.

"What's Minnie do?"

"She's a nurse. Just graduated two years ago."

"And your other sister?"

"Chaeng's a homemaker, like my ma. She has a fancy English degree, and she'll probably go back to teaching at some point. She loves kids."

"Kids," I repeat the word, feeling a low tension roll over me.

"She have a baby now, so she's adjusting to being at home and all that."

The mention of a baby makes my heart flip. My lips part to ask her more about her sister, but my eyes catch sight of exactly what I want right now.

On cue, my stomach grumbles with hunger, "Want one?" I question

"The pickle on a stick or the waffle fries?" she questions, grinning from ear to ear.

Shrugging I answer, "Either or both." Fried food and big pickles on a stick are exactly what I think of when I think festival. That and funnel cake of course.

"Well what are you getting?" She asks me and I answer, "The doughnuts. They are fried heaven with powdered sugar." My stomach grumbles again as the smell gets stronger and the line we're standing in gets shorter.

Lisa takes her time, eyeing the menu written out on the board to the right of the stand. "It's kind of like funnel cake, but in ball form." I whisper getting closer to her, as if it's some big secret I'm confessing.

"I guess I'll take one and I want the whipped cream too."

I order easy enough and reach into my clutch, ready to pay since I offered. Lisa beats me to it though.

"Hey," I protest watching her hand over the cash. "It was my treat," my tone is wounded.

"Nonsense," she answers, taking the change and then both of our paper boats of dusted donuts. "It's my date," she nods and passes me the fried deliciousness I've been craving.

"Well thank you."

It's obvious by the way her lips part that she was going to say something, but a bit of cream slipped off the top of a hot donut and hits her wrist.

I must be crazy, because Lisa licking off that dollop of whipped cream turns up the temperature around me to about a thousand. A second passes as we step out of line.

My body heats, igniting with desire as I bite my lip, and see her gaze drop to my lips. I suddenly realize that I want her to kiss me. No, need her to kiss me.

I lean in just a fraction, rising on my tiptoes to kiss her and close my eyes, her lips mold against mine. The touch is electric, filling my whole body with a restless energy. The kiss is slow, not pushing for anything more, but that just makes it all the sweeter.

When we pull away, my whole body is covered with goosebumps, my breathing labored.

What really gets my heart racing, though, is the fact that the same expression is on her face. Our eyes meet, and it's so intense that I wimp out.

I look away and laugh, and the tension breaks.

"Is that how you say thank you for donuts all the time?" she asks mildly. "I could add these to the menu."

Another laugh leaves me at her joke. "Maybe," I say with a shrug.

Silence stretches, but it's easy. Everything suddenly feels easy and like it's supposed to be this way.

I try not to think of the details because, right now, it's just perfect.

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