Jennie

I wake up feeling like I haven't slept a wink. I kept tossing and turning, overthinking everything. I ended up questioning everything I thought was important. My job in London, my trust in Lisa, my dad's recovery. I feel like I've been functioning purely on hope, and it all came crashing down at once.

I sit up in bed, and I notice movement through the window from the corner of my eye. I turn to look into Lisa's window, and my heart skips a beat when I see her walking into her bedroom, a towel wrapped around her.

Did she spend the night at her parents'? I didn't see her when I went to bed, so she must have come in after I fell asleep. I sit back and watch her for a moment, instantly thrown back to our childhood.

I didn't think I'd ever get to experience this again. I didn't think I'd ever see her through our windows again. My heart wrenches painfully and I tear my gaze away. When I look at her, I can't stay mad at her. While I don't want to be mad just for the hell of it, I need a moment to think through everything that happened. I need time to myself, to decide whether the choice Lisa made is one I can live with. Whether it affects my ability to trust her.

I slip out of bed and into the shower, my thoughts on both Lisa and Dad. I feel like I'm at a turning point in life, and there are some big choices ahead of me. I haven't been scared of the future in years, but right now, right here, I am.

I walk back into my bedroom absentmindedly, my thoughts whirling. I pause when I notice Lisa standing by her window, a large piece of paper in her hands.

Minx, it says.

She notices me looking and turns it over.

I'm sorry.

I clutch my towel tightly, my heart aching as she bends down to write something down. She holds up three pieces of paper, one after the other.

I was wrong.

I thought I was doing the right thing.

Allow me to earn your forgiveness, please.

I inhale deeply, my heart wavering. I know Lisa, and I know her heart. I know it wasn't her intention to hurt me, but that's what she did nonetheless. Sometimes it's good intentions that hurt the most.

My phone rings, Lisa's name lighting up the screen, and I hesitate before picking up.

"Minx," she murmurs, and my heart skips a beat. "I'm sorry," she says, leaning against the window.

I walk up to mine and sigh. "I know you are, Lisa. But that isn't enough. What hurts the most is that you knew how much this would impact me, yet you chose to make a decision on my behalf that you just didn't have the right to."

She falls silent and nods. "I know, Jennie. I can see that now, but at the time, I thought I was doing the right thing. Baby, this is something your father wanted to take to the grave. It wasn't my place to tell you. It wasn't my secret to spill. I promised your dad that you wouldn't find out through me. I love you, Jennie… but I owed your dad this, at least."

I inhale shakily. "Even after all these years, Lisa, I always thought you'd be the one person that'd never keep anything from me. A lie of omission is still a lie, Lisa. And this… this wasn't something small. I would've gotten over it if you'd just kept your silence, but instead of that, you purposely obstructed my access to medical files that would have told me the truth. That's not okay, Lisa."

Lisa rests her forehead against the window and inhales deeply. "I know, Jennie. I just didn't want you to get hurt. You've had to go through so much since coming back, that I wanted to do everything in my power to keep you from hurting any further. You're right to say it wasn't my place, and I apologize for overstepping. I had no right, and I don't know how to make this right, Jennie. I don't know how, but I'll do whatever I can to earn your forgiveness. Will you let me?"

I spent years loving her, wanting her, missing her. I can't take more of it. I close my eyes and drop my forehead to my window.

"Yes," I whisper. "I won't forgive you easily, Lisa, and this isn't something I'll forget. But I… I love you. I still love you."

Lisa straightens and turns away. I watch in disbelief as she walks out of her room, the call disconnecting. I stare at my phone in confusion, bitterness filling me.

I'm still staring at my phone when my bedroom door opens and Lisa walks in, startling me. She walks up to me and grabs my shoulders gently, her eyes flashing.

"Say that again."

My eyes roam over her body, my heart racing. It feels like I haven't seen her in years. I lift my hand to her still wet hair and brush it out of her face before looking into her eyes.

"I love you, Lisa."

She exhales and drops her forehead to mine, her arms wrapped around me. "I love you too, Jennie," she says, pulling away to look at me. "I don't know how to make this right, but I'll do anything."

I look into her eyes and my heart starts to ache. She looks so panicked, so anxious, so desperate to make things right. I cup her cheek gently, and Lisa presses a soft kiss to my forehead.

"Time," I whisper. "I just need a little bit of time."

Lisa nods, her fingers brushing over my hair. "Whatever you need, Minx," she says, her eyes blazing with sincerity. I look into her eyes, and I see my entire future in them. The road ahead of us might not be easy, but it's a road I want to walk with her. No one else will ever do.