Jennie

I wake up to the loud blaring of an alarm clock and groan. I blink lazily, my gaze settling on Lisa. For a second I think I'm still dreaming, and then reality catches up on me. I freeze, my eyes widening. Last night slowly comes back to me, and I pull away from Lisa.

She groans and pulls me back, my body flush against her. My cheeks redden when I realize she's not wearing her suit trousers like she was last night. She buries her face in my neck and kisses me where I'm sensitive. I shiver when she throws her leg over me, her hardness pressing up against me. My heart is racing, and desire washes over me.

I bite down on my lip and push against her chest. "Lisa," I murmur. "We've got a meeting in an hour," I tell her. She spent all night consoling me. I woke up countless times, bursting into tears all over again, and she was there every single time I woke up. She held me and consoled me until I fell back asleep, over and over again. It's no wonder she's exhausted now.

"Just a few more minutes, Minx," she whispers. I pull away from her and slip out of bed carefully, my heart twisting painfully, equal parts in guilt and pain. I breathe in deeply, my thoughts turning to Dad. Sadness washes over me, the feeling so intense that it almost brings me to my knees. I brace myself against the wall and inhale shakily. Lisa is right, there will be a way. These things do take time. I need to have a little bit of faith.

I think back to my phone call with Layla as I step into the shower. I can't help but wonder if she called me because she heard I went on a business trip with Lisa. Did she call me when she did in an attempt to ruin this trip? Surely not… she's a medical professional. She must've just called me when the tests came back in, and this must've been a coincidence. I bite down on my lip and drop my forehead to the wall, the water hitting my back. I can't be this person… I can't assume the worst of people, for no good reason.

I'm absentminded when I walk back into my bedroom, my towel wrapped around me. My eyes move to Lisa, and I freeze. I expected her to have gone back to her own room by now, but instead she's sitting up in my bed. she smiles at me and runs a hand through her hair lazily. Her eyes roam over my body hungrily, and I suddenly feel nervous, almost in a giddy way.

"How do you feel," she asks, and I look down, forcing myself to get my feelings in check.

"I'm fine," I murmur. "I'm sorry about last night. Thank you for staying with me. You really didn't need to."

Lisa rises from my bed, and my eyes roam over her body. She's no longer wearing the suit trousers she wore last night, and I struggle to keep my eyes off her and the boxer shorts that do nothing to hide her morning erection. A fierce burst of desire courses through me, settling between my legs. Lisa walks up to me and places her index finger underneath my chin, lifting my face to her.

"Minx, I'm glad I was there. I'm glad I was the one to hold you when you fell apart. There's nowhere else I'd rather have been last night."

I look up into her hazel eyes, and my heart starts to race. How come being around her still feels like being home. She's still my safe haven.

"I'd better get ready," she says, her hand cupping my cheek. "We leave in ten minutes, okay?" she says.

I nod, and Lisa takes a step closer. She presses a soft kiss to my forehead, and my eyes flutter closed. "Everything will be okay, Jennie. I'll do everything in my power to make it so, all right?"

I nod, and Lisa smiles at me. She takes a step away and then turns to walk out, leaving me standing here breathlessly. I sit down on my bed, my eyes roaming over the clothes she left on my floor.

She's still able to take me from sadness to desire, from pain to happiness, from hopelessness to optimism, all in a couple of seconds. No one else has ever been able to do that to me. I inhale deeply and run a hand through my wet hair.

My phone buzzes on my nightstand, and I reach for it, expecting to find a text or call from Dad. Instead, I find ten missed calls from Mino, the last one just a couple of minutes ago. My heart starts to hammer in my chest, and I'm instantly filled with so much guilt that I physically feel sick. I needed Lisa with every fiber of my being last night, and I didn't even think of Mino. I didn't, but I should have.

I call him back, my hands trembling. He picks up almost immediately, and my guilt increases further yet.

"Jennie, where have you been? I haven't been able to reach you in hours. Is everything okay? Did you get to New York okay?"

"Yes," I say, quick to reassure him. "Everything is fine. I'm sorry. I just… I just tuned out last night. I was going to call you, but I just… I couldn't."

Mino is silent for a beat. "What do you mean? What's going on?"

I inhale deeply, tears threatening to spill down my cheeks all over again. I draw a shaky breath before I speak. "I got a call from the clinic last night. I'm not a match," I whisper.

Mino exhales, almost as though in relief. "God, I thought you were going to tell me something happened with Lisa," he says, and I frown.

I bite down on my lip harshly before speaking again. "Did you even hear a word I just said? I cried myself to sleep over and over again last night, and the news still wrecks me, yet your first reaction is to worry about Lisa?"

A spark of anger ignites within me, and I clench my jaw. I understand where his worries stem from, but at the same time I'm hurt that he's glossing over what I just told him.

"Shit, I'm so sorry, Jennie. I just… I don't know. My first thought was just God I hope I don't lose her. What you told me didn't even register until now. I'm so sorry, honey. I'm sorry to hear the news, and for the way I reacted."

I grit my teeth and try my best to calm myself, my anger turning into fury. I shake my head, feeling disappointed and hurt. "I gotta go," I tell him. "I need to get to work."

"Jennie, no. Please, honey. I'm sorry. Don't hang up like this."

I shake my head. "Bye, Mino. I'll speak to you later."

I can hear him still speaking as I pull the phone away from my ear, but I end the call nonetheless. I'm hurt, confused, and heartbroken in so many ways. Mino calls me back, but I reject the call instantly before turning my phone off entirely.

Part of me feels relieved about not having to speak to Mino. He's the one I should be reaching for, the one that should be my greatest support in these trying times. Yet it's someone else that soothes my soul.