Jennie

Mino seems absentminded and hurt, and I hate that I did this to us. He's barely spoken a word to me since our argument last night.

He's right. I've become a different person here in Woodstock, and this isn't what I wanted. I worked so hard to become the woman Mino is in love with, yet just a few weeks here in Woodstock have made me feel like a little girl all over again.

"How about I show you around town a little? We can do dinner tonight, if you fancy it? Just you and me," I murmur.

Mino looks up at me, a spark of hope in his eyes, and my heart twists painfully. I've been neglecting him, I realize now. I've settled in so well in my life and my routine here that I haven't paid him enough attention.

"That sounds brilliant," he says, smiling. He walks up to me and cups my cheek gently, his lips brushing against my forehead. He kisses me so sweetly that my heart feels crushed. I feel so bad for not paying more attention to him, for not putting him first while he's here.

"Come on," I say, "let's go."

He grabs my hand and entwines our fingers as we make our way down the stairs, and I find myself tensing. Lisa's words ring through my mind, and a shiver runs down my spine. I don't want him to ever have the honor of falling asleep with you. I don't even want you smiling at him.

I bite down on my lip and shake my head, willing myself to stop thinking about Lisa. I'm so lost in thought that I'm startled when Dad calls my name.

I turn to look at him, my eyes widening when I realize Lisa is standing next to him. Her eyes fall to Mino's hand holding mine, and she grits her teeth, anger flashing through her eyes.

"You heading out, sweetheart?" Dad asks, and I nod.

Mino grins at Dad and throws his arm around my shoulders. "Jennie is showing me around town, and we're grabbing dinner later."

Lisa nods, her expression unreadable. "I'll let Enzo know not to expect you two for dinner either," she says, before turning to Dad. "He'll just be cooking for you, then. Don't even try to get him to cook anything you shouldn't be eating. I'll know."

Dad smiles and shakes his head, the camaraderie between them heartwarming.

"Are you having dinner at your parents' house?" I ask, and Lisa's eyes drop to Mino's arm wrapped around my shoulder, before she looks up at me, shaking her head.

"No," she says. "I've got a date."

My heart drops and my stomach twists violently. I freeze and look up at her in disbelief before forcing a smile onto my face.

"Oh, have fun," I say, unable to look her in the eye. Thoughts of her with Layla fill my head, and jealousy knots up my stomach.

"Ah, Jennie did tell me that you have a girlfriend," Mino says. "I'd love to meet her at some point."

I bite down on my lip hard and stare at the floor, willing myself to gather my thoughts. This is for the best. I should be happy for her.

"Will you be okay having dinner by yourself?" Mino asks Dad.

Dad huffs and waves us off. "I'm not a child," he says, his tone offended, and I smile at Dad.

"We'll see you later, all right?" I murmur, just wanting to get out of here already.

"Everything okay?" Mino asks as we get into the car.

I nod at him and smile. "I don't like the idea of Dad being by himself," I end up saying, lying, covering for my true feelings.

Mino nods in understanding. "We won't make it a late night."

I nod and drive us to my old high school, wanting to show Mino some of the places I spent most of my time at growing up.

I park in front of the building and smile, memory after memory filling my mind. I try to think of some stories to tell Mino, but every single one of my memories involves either Lisa or Rosé. In the end, I end up driving us around town, pointing out various places, but not a single one isn't connected to the Manobans.

By the time I pull up at the restaurant I'm mentally and emotionally exhausted. Mino smiles at me and presses a kiss to my cheek.

"That was fun," he says. "Seeing this town through your eyes."

I smile at him, relieved that he couldn't tell how distraught I was.

Mino holds my hand as we walk into the restaurant, and he seems excited as we wait for the waitress to seat us. This is exactly what we needed, just a bit of quality time. If only I could give Mino all my attention mentally too.

I smile at the waitress as she leads us to our seats, and Mino looks around happily. As we sit down, I finally relax. This restaurant… this is one of the few places where I don't have memories with Lisa. When we were younger, we could never really afford to come here.

Mino reaches for my hand over the table as he checks out the menu, and I smile. He needs to be my focus tonight.

My smile drops when I see a familiar figure approach from the corner of my eyes, and my heart sinks when my eyes find Lisa's.

I blink in surprise, my mind barely comprehending her being here. It's not me she's looking at, though. No, it's Layla she's with. It's Layla's hand that's nestled in her, it's her she's smiling at.

Lisa pulls Layla's chair out for her, and she grins up at her. She's looking at her like she's all she can see, and it wrecks me. It kills me to see her looking at her the way she used to look at me. My heart twists painfully and I feel sick. It takes all of me to pull my gaze away and pretend I didn't see her, but unfortunately for me, the waitress seats them right in front of us, my view unobstructed. Layla's back is to me, but I can see Lisa clearly.

"Everything okay?" Mino asks. I blink and nod, but I've clearly taken too long to respond, because Mino turns around and sees Lisa.

The two of them nod at each other, and Lisa looks at me, her expression blank. She smiles politely, as though I'm yet another acquaintance, and then she turns back to Layla, dismissing me.

"Small towns, huh?" Mino says, shaking his head. He asks me what I want to eat and walks me through some of the dishes she thinks sound interesting, but all I can focus on is Lisa.

I watch as Layla leans back in her seat and slips her foot out of her high heeled stiletto. From this angle I can see the lone shoe between the legs of her chair, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out where her foot might be. I watch Lisa's face as her eyes widen and she smirks at Layla, her eyes twinkling.

I feel sick as I tear my eyes away. She's going home with her, I just know it. Worse yet, she might bring her back to her house. I bite down on my lip so hard that I end up drawing blood, and I inhale deeply as I try my best to stay calm.

I barely eat more than three bites throughout dinner, but somehow, I manage to have a conversation with Mino. Somehow, I manage to keep him from suspecting that something is wrong.

My heart is hurting so badly by the time that dinner wraps up that I'm surprised I'm still able to smile at Mino. He looks happy and content, and that's all that should matter.

We rise from our seats, and I can feel Lisa's eyes on me. Mino wraps his arm around my waist and leans in for a kiss. I freeze, my eyes finding Lisa.

It's not me she's looking at, though. It's Layla. She looks up at me just as I let my eyes fall closed and kiss Mino back, properly, for the first time since he got here.