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chapter three

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The atmosphere feels like it's déjà vu and Rosé is transported to a year prior. More or less, it's a similar scenario. She and Lisa are enjoying a night without the unnies, watching Netflix, a bowl of popcorn in the middle, and the main difference from a year ago is that the laptop is on Rosé's lap this time and they are currently in Lisa's room instead of Jisoo's (she habitually locks her door now after complaining that her sheets smelled like buttery popcorn).

They were laughing beforehand, both slapping each other whenever a particularly funny scene shows up. Lisa has been immersed in a giggle, bits of popcorn darting out of her mouth, unbothered that they have scattered all over her bed. Then she backpedals a little, lips flattening into a tight line as if something bothersome is pulling at her subconscious.

"Um, Rosie?"

"Hmm?"

"I wanna talk to you."

Rosé has never heard of her voice so gentle (a foreign concept to Lisa; her voice might as well have a built-in air horn). There's this urgency in the manner the Thai says it, so Rosé pauses the movie, transfers the laptop from her lap and gives her undivided attention to Lisa. "What's up?"

Lisa gulps thickly, her hands toying with the material of Rosé's blanket. Anxiety is creeping onto her features and she lets out a long, dragging huff.

"Something happened in Thailand. With Jennie."

Rosé's mouth hangs open. The words echo in her head over and over again. This shouldn't come off as astonishing to her, but she couldn't restrain the surprised gasp that has escaped her (and it would be inappropriate to yell: "I knew it!").

"Whaaat?"

"I'm not sure if you could tell. I have been acting really, really weird."

"There were some signs." Rosé confesses. "I did have a hunch."

"How'd you know?" Lisa angles her head to one side, as if she hadn't given them anything to doubt about.

"You told me: nothing happened in Thailand!" Rosé mocks Lisa's sudden outburst, which causes the younger girl to blush at the memory. Rosé couldn't ever erase that from her recollection. As embarrassing as it was, it's embedded in her mind forever.

"Yeah it was eating me alive."

"And what is it exactly?"

Lisa stirs to fold her legs underneath her with Rosé mimicking her movements and it's beginning to look a lot like Lisa's a shy middle schooler in the midst of sharing to her best friend a potentially earth-shattering secret.

"So Jennie's mom was out with a friend and Jennie wasn't feeling like going with them so she called me up. They had a two-bedroom suite and she said I could sleep in her room if I wanted to. Then I went to her hotel and when I got there, Jennie was drinking this expensive wine and she's sorta tipsy but manageable. She said we each had a bottle to ourselves." Lisa pauses for a moment to recollect her thoughts. She continues, "I can't recall how many glasses I was in and you know I'm a weak drinker and I'm blabbering and blabbering so I...so I-I can't say it!" Lisa shuts her eyes.

Rosé scowls. She's been wanting, waiting for an explanation for months. Out of impatience, she throws her hands up dramatically and says, "For the love of God! If you kissed Jennie, it's totally cool as long as you don't make out in front of us—"