Lisa
Jennie is on edge as I carry her luggage to my car. I know she's having second thoughts yet again, and I'm hoping she won't change her mind at the last second. I've had to convince her to come to the summer cabin about a thousand times now. She hasn't missed a trip in years, so why should she start now?
Rosé glares at Jennie's luggage in dismay and walks to Dad's car, slamming the door. Jennie and Rosé have barely spoken in two weeks now. No matter what Jennie tried, all that's been coming out of Rosé's mouth has been pure venom. I haven't been spared either, but I don't care as much as Jennie does.
She stares at Dad's car with such a sad expression that I'm wondering if it might've been better if she and I both just stayed here. Dad and John walk up to us, and I stare at John with raised brows. Why the hell is he carrying luggage?
He grins at me and throws his bag at me. "Thought I'd finally join for once," he says. "Your Dad has been inviting me for years. Besides, heard you're taking two cars this year, anyway."
I blink at him in disbelief. He hasn't explicitly said that he doesn't like me, and until I started dating Jennie I never once felt like he didn't. Yet these days he's always popping up everywhere, unwanted. So long as he's home, there's not a chance of me seeing Jennie. I was hoping we could spend some nights together over the summer, but she doesn't want to come over thanks to Rosé, and John has banned me from his house when he's not present. Since I'm planning on spending the rest of my life with Jennie, I don't really want to cross my future father-in-law by disobeying his rules. I haven't had much alone time with my Minx at all. I was really looking forward to finally sharing a room with her, but I have a feeling that won't happen now.
John walks over to the passenger side of the car and I freeze. I'd been planning on holding Jennie's hand while driving and singing dumb songs with her at the top of our lungs. Guess that's not happening either.
Jennie sees my crestfallen expression and bursts out laughing. She rises to her tiptoes and presses a quick, sly kiss to my lips. I grab her and pull her back, kissing her properly. She pulls back with a mischievous smile. "I miss you," I whisper. "You're right here, yet it feels like we've barely spent any time together."
She nods and grabs my hand. "I know, babe. Hopefully, we'll be able to spend some time together at the cabin."
I glance back at my car and grimace. "Not with your dad there, we won't."
Jennie chuckles and presses another kiss to my cheek. "We'll find a way," she whispers.
I'm tense as I get into the car. I want Jennie sitting next to me, not in the back. She winks at me from the mirror and I inhale deeply. I've played football games with thousands of spectators, yet now I'm suddenly nervous sitting here next to John — the same guy I've known almost all my life.
He fiddles with the music for the first couple of minutes, touching every single button he can get his hands on. I have a feeling he's doing it to wind me up, but I honestly couldn't care less about the music.
"So, Lisa," he says eventually. I tighten my grip on the steering wheel and glance at him. "What are you planning on doing after college? You going pro?"
I shake my head. "No, I don't think so. I obviously have high hopes, but realistically I know my chances aren't that high."
"So what are you going to do?"
I glance at him nervously. "I told you about the company Jaehyun and I are building, right? I'll probably be doing that full-time. We're looking to end up in Silicon Valley."
John frowns. "I thought that was just a hobby of yours. You're actually planning on doing that full-time? What a waste of a degree. How many of those companies even succeed? Are you really willing to take on all that risk? What kind of stability will you have? How much debt will you end up with?"
I hear the questions he isn't asking. What kind of stability will I be able to give Jennie? It's a question I've been asking myself more and more often. I don't see my future as just mine anymore. Every vision of the future I have includes her.
"Jaehyun and I are limiting the amount of personal debt we're taking on. We bought an apartment together that we've put up as collateral. I know the odds of us succeeding aren't as high as I'd like them to be, but we have something amazing. If we pull this off, the return will be unimaginable."
I glance at Jennie through the mirror, and she nods at me proudly. She's always believed in me, and I'm working as hard as I can to make sure I don't let her or myself down.
"How about just getting a job? A steady income. The market is tough as it is, why risk it when you've got a perfectly respectable degree?"
I nod. "I know. I do understand your concerns, but our business plan is solid. If I didn't follow through on this, I'd regret it for the rest of my life."
John stares at me and nods before looking away. I've never been the type to strive for someone's approval, but I want his. I want to make Jennie feel the way she makes me feel whenever I see her with my Mom.
John is quiet for the remainder of the journey, but I can tell he's gearing up to question me more. He probably just can't think of anything right now, but it'll come. Part of me can't help but wonder if freaking Taehyung got the same treatment.
I inhale deeply as I park the car. I feel like I'm going from the frying pan into the fire. John in the car and Rosé at the cabin. I'm sure Jennie is feeling just as emotionally worn out as me. I wink at her as I lift our luggage out of the trunk and she smiles up at me sweetly.
"So," John says as we walk into the cabin, and my hackles are immediately raised. "I understand there are three bedrooms? One for you, one for Rosé, and one for your parents?"
I nod warily. John tips his head to the two large sofas in the living room. "How about you give your bedroom to Jennie, and you and I can sleep on these sofas? Even a big one like you will fit on one of these."
I close my eyes in defeat while Jennie jumps up. "Oh, no, Dad. You take Lisa's room. She and I can sleep on the sofas. No problem."
John looks at us through narrowed eyes and shakes his head. "No way, kiddo," he says, before looking at me. "You and I will be sleeping on the sofas, far away from Jennie."
I look down in amusement. Message received, loud and clear. I nod at John and Jennie groans as though she wants to argue with him, but I place my hand on the small of her back and shake my head ever so slightly.
"Go on, you go upstairs. I'll be fine here."
Jennie looks into my eyes and I nod at her as reassuringly as I can. She glares at her dad and crosses her arms.
"Dad, you know we're not kids anymore, right?"
John shrugs. "You'll always be a kid in my eyes. Besides, you aren't even old enough to drink yet. How about we have this discussion again when you're actually old enough to enter a bar, kiddo?"
Jennie huffs and turns around, stomping up the stairs in annoyance. I smile to myself, wishing I had her guts. I'd have loved to try and convince John to let me share a room with her, but I'm too scared to be disrespectful.
I guess I'll have to try and sneak into my bedroom at some point…
