I caught her looking me up and down, her eyes focusing on my uncovered legs for maybe a little too long, before meeting my eyes again with a smirk and a sly grin. I wondered what was going on inside the taller girl's head, but decided to let it go, at least for the time being.
"What are you doing here?" I asked the girl standing tall in front of me.
"The same thing you are, I guess," she replied, equally as confused.
We were supposed to meet after the haunted house after all and here she was, in front of me. She must've been a part of our group, standing somewhere in the front because I haven't noticed her. Or maybe it was the newly dyed hair that didn't ring any bells.
But why was Rosie alone? Her being here must've meant Jennie and Jisoo were here too, but why weren't they all together. Maybe the same thing that happened to me happened to Rosie and that's why she was all alone in this god awful house. Besides, I knew the red-haired girl wasn't exactly a fan of scary things as she voiced her disapproval with Jisoos idea a week ago. There was no way she was on her own willingly, because she, unlike me, was a scaredy-cat.
She was trying to stay calm and collected, I could tell, but there was distress in her eyes, slight panic even, as she looked around for any inkling of danger.
Just as I was about to ask her more questions or just suggest we should get the hell out of here, a screech of old wood sounded throughout the house and Rosie yelped as she grabbed onto my arm, latching onto it tightly.
Realization seemed to hit her a few seconds later, as she let go of my arm, brushing some nonexistent dust from her dress and putting on a brave face, like she wasn't about to lose it seconds ago. It was adorable if you asked me, trying to convince me and more importantly herself that she wasn't frightened and that she was completely fine.
A smile tugged on the corner of my lips and I let it surface, as I looked at Rosie who was still doing her best not to turn her head around to glance at any potential threats, and in lieu of that letting her gaze roam around her, hoping to stay discreet. I really didn't know why she was even trying, it was so adorably obvious.
Me, being the amazing friend I was, grasped her hand in mine, causing her to focus her distressed look at me, then at our joined hands and I saw her face relax. She looked up, meeting my eyes and smiled, squeezing my hand gently.
"C'mon, let's get out of here," and there I was, with a smile directed at no other than Rosie, entwining my fingers with hers, pulling her out of the hallway and hopefully out of this house that seemed to cause the, now red-haired girl, anxiety. We threaded cautiously, well, I did since I made sure she'd stay behind me so I would endure all the scares. No way in hell was I going to let any idiot dressed in some monster costume or with some plastic weapon scare Rosie. She looked so cute, so innocent and all too vulnerable when she was scared and it made my heart clench out of empathy for my friend.
Even though we didn't know each other for that long, I've developed quite the liking towards her, though she was an idiot at times.
As we were walking the deserted hallways, trying to find our way out, someone crept up on Rosie from the back, causing the older girl to cry out in fright. I and my amazing reflexes, turned around just in time to envelop her in a hug as she jumped into my arms, sobbing softly.
Flipping off whoever the asshole was and mouthing 'fucker', I turned my attention to Rosie, rubbing her back soothingly, whispering words of reassurance into her ear as she clung onto me. I felt sad, my heart yearned for the older, wanting nothing more than to protect her and keep her tears at bay throughout this horrendous experience, she didn't even want to experience in the first place. And so I decided I was going to make this into a joke. I was going to show Rosie there was nothing to be scared of. Just how I got rid of my fright, I would rid her of hers.
And so it began.
Whenever there was someone or something trying to scare us, I'd yell into their faces about how rude they were and called them assholes, making the girl, whose hand I wasn't planning on letting go anytime soon, laugh. And oh God, how infatuated I became with the sound of her laughter.
Ever since that night at the observatory, I couldn't help wanting to hear more of it. To witness her expression when she laughed. To be the only one to make her laugh like this. I was truly smitten with her laughter. With the way her eyes sparkled in the faint light, how every time she couldn't contain her smile and showed her pearly white teeth, she also exposed the mole I became so acquainted with. How every time she laughed because of something I did or say, my heart seemed to beat a little faster or skip a beat even.
It was then that I set my mind on never letting go and protecting the other girl's smile with all my might. Not just in stupid campus haunted houses, but wherever, whenever. Because, her laugh, her happiness was worth the effort. Because seeing her happy and carefree, just enjoying life made me happy in return. And even though I didn't understand the rush I felt when she smiled at me whenever I looked past my shoulder to make sure she was okay, I knew it was a good feeling. I knew I loved her smile, and one has to cherish the things they love, don't they?
...
After a few more failed attempts of finding the exit and me scaring the assholes trying to scare us, we got out of the house hand in hand with smiles on our faces. I looked around, hoping to see the familiar face of Jungkook, but he seemed to be nowhere to be seen and I couldn't help but worry if he was okay.
All thoughts of Jungkook were forgotten as soon as I felt Rosie's hand trying to slip from my grasp, the warmth of our clasped hands reducing as she freed herself of my hold and I did my best not to frown at the loss of contact. I looked down at her hand that was now hanging down next to her side and a desire of wanting to take it in mine again seized me.
My hand moved toward the other girls subconsciously and just as our fingers were about to brush, my index finger almost touching her pinky, I stopped abruptly at a voice shouting both of our names. I retreated my hand immediately, hoping no one saw the incident that almost took place.
Lifting my gaze up, I saw two girls walking towards us, but I couldn't recognize them due to the lack of my glasses sitting on the bridge of my nose. The voice of one of them sounded very familiar, but I couldn't point it to a face, probably because the girl's fashion was different now that she was wearing a costume. As they were getting closer though, I could see that the girl calling our name was Jisoo and along her was walking no one other than Jennie.
It was delightful, but not so much of a surprise, seeing them together. Anyone with two functioning eyes, not that I had any say in it since I couldn't see anything clearly unless it was less than three feet away from me, that the two dark-haired girls had a thing for each other and quite frankly, they looked pretty good together too. Okay, that might have been an understatement, they looked incredible together. Both had the visuals of gods themselves, so of course, they would look absolutely stunning next to each other. Not that I'd ever admit their good looks. If they knew I thought so highly of their visuals, they would never stop bragging.
A yellow checkered outfit of Jennies Cher filled my vision as well as a lot of black. In front of me was standing Jisoo in a black lace corset top and a black skirt, with her dark hair slicked back and fake blood dripping from her mouth down to her cleavage.
Turns out Jisoo wouldn't be the only one that would have to try their hardest not to stare. With Jennie's white tank top, that did quite the justice to her full chest and Jisoo's corset, both girls were sure to be on edge throughout the night. Did all the girls decide to put their cleavages on display and didn't tell me? Rosie with her strapless dress, Jennie and the tight tank top and Jisoo with her corset. To be fair though, my shirt was ripped in quite a few places, so I guess I wasn't that far behind.
As soon as the two girls stopped in front of us, a shit-eating grin grew on their faces and I couldn't understand the meaning of it. They didn't greet us or weren't surprised to see me, they were just looking us up and down with teasing expressions.
I looked at Rosie who was blushing and looking anywhere else but at me or the two older girls. Turning my head back towards the two, I raised my eyebrows in question, "What?"
"Nice costumes," they said at the same time as if they had it rehearsed, and their smirks grew even wider.
Rosie who was still blushing madly and refusing to meet the eyes of any of us, didn't say a word and so I had to be the one looking for clarification, "Uhm...thanks? Why are you smiling like that though?"
"We just didn't know you guys decided to take the next step already," Jennie quipped and Jisoo snickered beside her.
Next step? What next step? What is going on with these two? I thought and looked down at my costume and then at Rosie's. It took me a few more seconds until the realization dawned on me and the two girls looked at me amused, probably looking for a good teasing worth reaction like blushing or looking away. And that's exactly what they got as I looked to the ground, feeling my face grow hotter.
"How's married life, Lisa?" Jennie teased further and I opened my mouth to argue but no sound came out.
"Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy really are the cutest aren't they," Jisoo joined in and both girls laughed at how 'hilarious' they were.
"S-shut up," I stuttered and felt my face grew even hotter at the mishap, "Jungkook is dressed as Joker, it's a couples costume,"
"You know," Jisoo drawled, "Harley and Joker were in an abusive relationship. They broke up eventually and Harley fell in love with Ivy and got married. So technically..." she finished with a smirk not knowing she somehow hit a nerve. Jungkook wasn't abusive...at least not physically, he had never hit me, he just...he was different now.
"It's pure coincidence," I said with a tremor in my voice and Rosie finally spoke up, supporting my statement, not that it did anything about the teasing smiles on the other girl's faces. If anything their smirk has just gone wider because of how unconvincing the red-haired girl sounded. I mean, it really was a coincidence, she had no way of knowing what I'd go as, but the stutter and her blushing face weren't exactly helping.
Deciding on not wanting to endure this embarrassment any longer, I cleared my throat somewhat awkwardly and looked around, "Speaking of Joker, I wonder where Jungkook is."
"Didn't you two come here together?" Jennie questioned, but I paid her no attention, instead, I let my eyes roam the place, looking for the familiar figure of my boyfriend.
"Uhm, yeah...we got separated," I answered her absentmindedly.
There were people all around us and I started to feel the panic, that I was so closely associated with by now, creeping up on me. I couldn't see him anywhere and I started to worry if he was okay. All I could do though was hope he was fine, it's not like I could go back.
Even though I knew nothing bad could happen to him in there, my mind still drifted to the worst possible scenarios. I shuddered and Jennie must've noticed, because she came closer to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, but didn't say anything, probably for the dislike she had towards the slightly younger boy.
Soon enough I got a glimpse of his dyed brown hair and a smiling face. He was walking along with a girl dressed as a police officer in a bodycon latex suit. Both of them were laughing at something that I couldn't hear from the distance and I shot up my hand into the air, waving at the boy for who I was looking just minutes ago.
As soon as he noticed me, he smiled warmly and walked up to me, with the other girl still in tow. He leaned down when came to arms distance and kissed my lips softly, whispering a soft 'Hi' against them, making me smile. He took my hand in his and motioned towards the brown-haired girl standing behind him, who had her arms folded in front of her chest and a beaming smile on her face.
"This is Sooyoung, she got separated from her group too so we decided to team up and escape together." just as Jungkook said the last words, Sooyoung extended her hand towards me first and I shook it firmly.
"Just call me Joy," she smiled and something about her expression threw me off, something about her didn't seem quite right, but I decided not to focus on it too much. I just met her after all, I didn't know anything about her, she might have just been like Jennie and her resting bitch face. She just seemed off even though she might have been a total sweetheart.
"Lisa, nice to meet you," I said as I let go of her hand, mustering up a smile and hoping it looked at least half as convincing and genuine as I intended for it to be.
She shook all of ours hands but Rosies, who she pulled into a short hug causing the latter to go red as soon as her body came in contact with Sooyoung's, as she said a shy hello and asked her about how she's been and I figured they must've known each other. With the still present smile and the formalities of getting acquainted out of the way, she tucked her hands into the pocket I didn't even notice she had, "It seems like its been their intention all along doesn't it. Like they wanted us to separate so we'd interact with people we normally don't talk to. Kind of like matchmaking."
"Yeah..." I laughed awkwardly and scratched the back of my neck because matchmaking really wasn't the term I'd use to describe the situation we got ourselves into.
After a short silence that made me feel a little uncomfortable, Jungkook squeezed my hand making me look at him, "Ready to go?"
"Go where?" was all the commotion he caused after I told him just for show? I thought he understood? I said I would cancel plans if he wanted me to and he said I shouldn't? What was this all about then?
"To my house...?" he asked, sounding unsure with himself but raised his eyebrows nonetheless as if it was, oh, so obvious.
The girls looked at me with confusion written all over their faces and I mirrored their expression while Jungkook looked absolutely pleased with himself and the trace of unsureness gone from his face. Jennie looked at me, her eyes already implying the underlining message for me to explain what the whole thing was about. Not that I could though, not when I myself didn't know what was happening.
"Your house?" I asked, my voice sounding involuntary nervous, "I thought you agreed with me spending the night with the girls?"
"Yeah well, I thought you wanted to do the sleepover since you didn't get to spend time with them during the haunted house." he shrugged nonchalantly and from the corner of my eye, I saw Jennie fixing him with a glare. And trust me, if looks could kill, Jungkook wouldn't be among the living anymore. Ever since Jennie learned about what was happening, the dislike she felt for the boy just seemed to increase rapidly every time he opened his mouth. Or did as much as breathe for that matter.
"You spent some time with them didn't you? I mean, it was supposed to be our time here but since we got separated you spent time with the girls, so there's no need for you to go to the sleepover is there?"
Everyone felt uncomfortable, I could tell. Even Sooyoung, who was standing next to us and up until now seemed unbothered by the fact that she probably had no idea what we were talking about and kept her confident look, was now stepping from one foot to the other uncomfortably. Laughing a little in hopes of easing the only building up tension, I looked at Jungkook with a pleading look in my eyes.
But he didn't seem to get the message I tried to convey to him through my pleading gaze, for him not to cause a scene and make everyone uncomfortable. He scoffed with a roll of his eyes looking absolutely annoyed with the current situation and spat, "You're unbelievable."
He started walking away from us with Sooyoung following behind as he called for her, "Jungkook wait!" I ran after him. Once I caught up, I grabbed his arm causing him to spin around and look at me with a look so bored and uninterested, I let go of his hand immediately.
"Have fun, Lisa." and with that, he resumed walking, his figure growing smaller and smaller the further away he got. I assumed he would probably go to the party that the rest of his roommates were surely throwing, bringing his newly made friend with him.
Sighing, I looked back to the other girls, who still looked discombobulated, playing with their hands or looking around probably hoping to find something interesting, so they could say something and break the growing awkward silence.
"Sorry about that," I said when I walked up to the other three, "let me just get my bat back and we can head over to our place. I and Jennie already bought all the snacks," I smiled genuinely at visualization in my head of the piles of junk food lined up on our kitchen counter.
That seemed to put the others to ease as they smiled and nodded their heads in approval, following me towards the stand in front of the house so I could collect my deadly weapon. I walked up to the boy who I vaguely remembered as Jason from the last years' haunted house and smiled innocently.
"Not even taking your weapons away can stop you from beating people up can it," he said and pinched the bridge of his nose that I managed to break with my plastic combat knife last year when he scared the shit out of me.
"It's not my fault. What do you expect when you scare someone to death?" I shrugged.
"It's a haunted house, Lisa, the whole point is to scare you not get your nose or any other body part for that matter, broken," he seethed through gritted teeth as he motioned towards a boy whose name I didn't know, sitting on a chair clutching to his finger that was now covered with so much bandage I couldn't help but wonder if his finger even got blood pumping into it and wasn't turning blue as we spoke.
"As I've said, it's his fault for coming at us from the back. All I did was self-defense." I shot a somewhat apologetic glance to the boy on the chair though, but he flinched as soon as he noticed me, Oops?. "Now can I please get my bat back?" I smiled at the blonde-haired boy kindly and extended my hand forward.
"Please try not killing anyone tonight alright?" he sighed as he put the wooden object into my hand.
"Don't worry Jason, I had my fair share of stress relief for one night," I winked as another boy approached the stand with a gauze taped to his eye.
And with that, I left the miserable-looking boy behind, as I joined the girls with whom I was about to spend the night with.
Jennie and Jisoo walked in the front while Rosie and I, trailed behind them, making easy conversation. All of a sudden she grabbed my hand, causing me to halt in my step at the strange sensation that ran through my body upon the contact that only intensified when I looked into her eyes that held an emotion I couldn't exactly distinguish.
"I hope it doesn't get you into trouble, but thank you," she smiled warmly and leaned closer, "for keeping me safe,"
And suddenly the giddiness I felt in my stomach when with Rosie got enhanced by a thousand, as her soft lips landed on the apple of my cheek.
-
As soon as we entered the apartment I and Jennie called home for the past two years, Jisoo plopped down on the yellow couch in the living room that she became quite familiar with, during the few times she visited.
Jennie, as the whipped future girlfriend she undoubtedly was, plopped down right next to her making sure there was enough space between them. God forbid if her elbow touched the other Kim, that would've been a world-class catastrophe in Jennie's book.
It still took me a while to adjust to this Kim the shy gay mouse version. Her usual extroverted, confident self replaced with the sheepish girl who barely spoke a word being completely unknown to me.
I knew full well they needed a little push to get things started and I was hellbent on doing everything in my power to make sure the two would grow closer. They would surely find themselves in a situation that would slowly change things for them even without my help, but a little speeding up process never hurt anyone, especially not when both of them were so clearly whipped for one another.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew I should be thankful for this shy stage of their soon to be a relationship though because soon enough it will surely be replaced by them being adorable and so gay with each other, that it will annoy me to death. But so was watching those two idiots accidentally brush their knees against each other, when they were making themselves more comfortable, and blushing furiously like they petted the other ones kitty. It was all just a big old gay mess.
Pinching the bridge of my nose in despair when the two started stuttering and apologizing to each other, I looked over to Rosie who was standing by my side looking around the joined space of the kitchen and living room awkwardly. It was only then, that I realized Rosie haven't seen the dorm I and Jennie shared, and I had yet to give her a tour. Perfect timing, I could give the two idiots on the couch some alone time for a minute or two, and I could share the idea of 'operation Jensoo' with Rosie.
My hand found its way to hers, fingers wrapping around her wrist delicately as I gently tugged her towards the hallway, "C'mon, let me give you a tour."
She wordlessly nodded her head and followed behind me as we reached the empty hallway away from the two girls situated in the living room and stopped in front of the first door. I took a hold of the doorknob and twisted it to the left, successfully opening the door to the bathroom. Walking inside I motioned to the shower, "This is the bathroom. We have both a shower and a bathtub so you can use whichever you prefer," I shrugged as Rosie stepped forward, taking a peek behind the walking-in shower to see the freestanding soaking tub.
"This is a pretty luxury bathroom for a college dorm," the redhead commented as she eyed the rest of the bathroom along with what Jennie called, the make-up corner with a padded stool.
"Welcome to my humble abode?" I chuckled nervously and Rosie turned around rewarding me with one of those huge smiles that made her look even prettier if that was even possible, "Let's get out of here so I can show you my room,"
Taking a hold of my extended hand, I led her out of the bathroom, down the hallway again. We came to a stop at the end of it where there were two doors on each side.
"This is Jennie's room," I motioned towards the door on the right side, "I won't show you the inside of it though cause Jennie would kill me for showing you her 'mess' that most definitely isn't a mess cause she's a neat freak."
That elicited a chuckle from the slightly taller girl and I once again experienced sheer happiness at the mere sound of it, "Welcome to my humble abode, part two," I winked and opened the door on the left leading to my room.
Rosie walked inside and I followed, closing the door behind me as I did. She turned around to face me with her mouth wide open trying to form words, "Jennie pulled some strings," I said smirking, full well knowing the question on her mind. How was it even possible to get a room this big in a college dorm.
My king-sized bed was lined up to the wall, with a bunch of pillows not so neatly on top and the bed covers along with the softest blanket I've ever touched, messily spread out on the mattress. Rosie seemed to agree with me as her fingertips grazed the soft fabric of the grey blanket and groaned as they dipped into it like into a pile of fresh snow, not that we experienced any in Los Angeles.
She moved into the middle of the room and looked back at me questioningly after running her hands across the boho hammock chair hanging down from the ceiling as if asking if I was serious. Going around the hammock she walked up to the balcony door to look at the view I had but gasped softly instead as her attention was stolen by the picture frames in the corner between my bed and the balcony.
"Did you take these?" she asked softly as she gingerly crouched down, or attempted since the dress she was wearing didn't seem to provide her with much space for movement. As soon as I noticed the way her dress rode up her thighs I averted my gaze, feeling heat rush to my cheeks, and walked towards my build in closet.
"Uhm, yeah. They're not much. They are the ones I wasn't too sure about but grew quite a liking towards. My pictures are usually much better though so please don't judge," I laughed nervously as I picked out a pair of sweats and a dark grey shirt with some rock bands name on it that I probably never listened to.
"Don't judge? Lisa these are amazing," she praised with genuine admiration in her tone as ger fingers grazed the frame, her gaze intent on the black and white picture of a winter forest. Her eyes were sparkling and I could tell she wanted to trace the trees with her fingers but was too scared to leave stains on the glass.
"Don't worry, you can touch it. I don't mind," I smiled as I sat on the edge of the bed and watched with held breath intently how she brushed her fingertips against the tallest tree, tracing its outline and then moving on to another.
"It's beautiful," she whispered and my heart swelled with pride at the compliment my work received. The truth was that even though I didn't consider the picture to be much it took me a long time to get the shot. I liked it, it was one of my favorite shots but the teacher rejected it for being too mainstream and having, as he said, no artistic value. Since then it was just taking up space in the corner with dust falling on it, covering the snow-covered scenery with a layer of grey-ish, snowlike coating of dust.
I was in a trance-like state, watching her look at something that was rejected and considered as not worthy like it was the most beautiful picture she ever saw. At that moment I caught myself thinking that maybe, as much as I liked the photo, I found something that was right in front of me even more beautiful. And suddenly without thinking, I grabbed the camera on the side table at the foot of the bed.
Reaching for it carefully, as not to startle the girl or knock down the plant placed on the table as well, I removed the lid and the sound of the shutter broke Rosie out of her thoughts as her previous position appeared on the small display of the camera.
"I couldn't help it," I said quietly when her eyes met mine in question. I could tell she wasn't mad that I snapped the picture, she just looked surprised and confused about why I did it in the first place. But I couldn't give her an answer, especially if I didn't know it myself. Maybe it was the lighting, I thought, the way the light hit her face so perfectly, illuminating all the distinctive features of her face or how her eyes followed every branch of every tree so intently, her fingers grazing everything she laid her gaze on.
It was beautiful to me, she was beautiful to me.
I cleared my throat awkwardly, hoping to break the silence as well as the intense eye contact by dipping my head down and extending my hands with the pile of clothing forward, "I got you some clothes you can change into, I bet the dress is starting to get uncomfortable."
"...yeah, thanks." she breathed and took the clothes from my hands before standing up and heading to the bathroom to change.
As soon as she moved out of earshot, I sighed and fell down on my back, discarding the camera along the way and cupped my face in my hands instead. What were you thinking, taking her picture like that? You should've at least asked. What if she gets freaked out now?
Regardless of these thoughts though, I turned on my side and picked up the camera, bringing it closer to my face with my right hand. Taping on the gallery button, all the pictures I took on my newest SD card popped up and I guided the cursor towards the most recent picture. Clicking once, the photo came to view as it spilled throughout the whole display.
Since the camera, I used to take this photo was bit of a vintage one, the colors were slightly faded but the red color of her hair still outbalanced every other. And there it was again. The smile, the damn smile that seemed to make an appearance whenever I laid my eyes on the girl whose hair was now the same color as the name of the beautiful flower that was so similar to her own. She had her thorns too, she could be cold if she wanted to, she could be distant but just like a rose, if you treated her with care and gentleness to your touch, you'd get to see her up close. You'd get to see what was underneath that cold presence she held to shield herself from the world.
Sure, I didn't know her well, not yet that is, but I could tell what someone with issues looked like. I could tell Rosie was scared to be alone too. I might not have known the reason but I wanted to be here in case she'd decide she'd let me in. I had yet to let her in too, but something in my gut told me she might be the one to open my cage and get me out, that she might be the one to understand what others failed to, what they disregarded. It was a weird way of thinking, I was aware, I barely knew the girl after all, but something deep within me felt as if I knew her. As if the one proper encounter we had on the night of the party, changed everything and I knew her for forever when in actuality I haven't.
She grew on me. Her voice, the sound of her laughter. It all seemed so close, so familiar. The feeling was unexplainable so I didn't even bother trying to think about it and looked at the photo instead. She really was beautiful. I felt that the picture didn't do her justice, but it was still a great shot and I already started making a plan on which parts to edit before printing it out and assigning it with its own frame.
A gentle smile graced my lips as I zoomed in the picture a little with only one thought in mind, I might just have a new favorite.
-
After the both of us washed up, with Rosie's hair being back to blonde as all the red hair make up washed out, we went to the living room where we joined the other two women.
"So what are we watching?" I questioned as I tossed myself on the soft cushion of my favorite couch in the whole wide world, and spread out my limbs.
"Move," Rosie said with a giggle and poked me in the ribs making me sit up in a mere second, glaring at the older who sat down next to me. Making sure there would be no more space on the couch for Jennie or Jisoo to sit on, I spread my legs out as much as possible, same as Rosie who happily agreed with the operation when I told her about it.
"I thought we could watch IT, it's a horror classic," the cat-eyed girl answered, as she moved towards the couch me and Rosie were currently occupying, "Move guys, there's enough space for another person," she said and attempted to push my legs to the side, but I didn't budge and flashed her a grin instead.
"Why should we Jen? I don't know about Rosie, but I'm pretty comfortable. Why don't you sit down on the other couch? It's just as big as this one so you and Jisoo can share it just fine," her glaring didn't go unnoticed by either me or Rosie as we both snickered.
"I can just sit on the ground if it's a problem," Jisoo mumbled out and I had to try my hardest not to groan in annoyance and slap either myself or the older out of the two Kims.
"No! I mean, it's fine, the couch is big enough for both of us to fit in," she said sweetly and glared at me again before sitting down on the opposite side of the couch.
In any other circumstances, I would be once again annoyed by how they were acting, but knowing that Jennie got scared pretty easily (and despite that still enjoyed horror films), I wasn't worried. I knew that by the time the movie ended, she would be clutching onto Jisoo for her dear life. Therefore instead of groaning, I smiled in satisfaction instead.
The smile was soon gone though as I looked over to my left where Rosie was fidgeting nervously, looking really distraught. I moved closer to her and placed my hand on hers causing her to snap her head to me, "You okay?"
Instead of an answer she shook her head from side to side adorably with a pout on her lips, "I hate scary movies," she admitted quietly so the other two didn't hear her, probably being scared of being a nuisance.
"I can just tell Jennie to play something else and-"
"No!" she cut me off, only confirming what I already thought. I knew there was no point in trying to tell her it was okay because I knew she wouldn't listen anyway. Even though I might have not known her the longest, I certainly picked up how stubborn she was.
"We can just go to my room and watch something together if you'd like?" I tried instead, but she shook her head again.
"It's okay, I want to watch it, it's just that I'm scared. Scary movies give me nightmares..." her voice was sounded so vulnerable like she was embarrassed to ever admit such a thing, "and it's stupid because I know its just a movie, that it's not real but-"
"Shh, it's okay. I get it," I stopped her from rambling any further and reached for the blanket I took with me when we exited my room to join the others on the couch. I moved closer to Rosie, our bodies touching slightly as I spread out the soft grey blanket Rosie seemed to grow quite the liking to and laid it across our bodies as if shielding us away from whatever monstrosities that would appear on the screen anytime now.
"Just like in the haunted house," I whispered as I leaned closer to her, my lips almost grazing her ear, "I'll keep you safe."
...
It happened just like I predicted it would.
I watched everything happen from the corner of my eye and oh boy was it awkward. The way every time Jennie shook with fear at a jumpscare, Jisoo reached her arms forward but retreated as soon as she almost touched the brunette. It was frustrating, to say the least.
The other one wasn't any better though as every time any of her limbs brushed against the older she jumped and put as much distance as possible between the two. If it wasn't for Rosie's body curled up to mine, I would've stood up just so I could lift Jennie up and dump her down on Jisoos lap. But in the end, they found a way to each other and Jisoo looked very content with her arm around the younger girl, smiling down at her every once in a while.
As for me and Rosie...well, all I can say is she really did hate scary movies. Her body shook violently at the smallest, most innocent scares (as innocent as they get for a horror movie) and during one particularly bad scare, she even sobbed a little, burying her face into my shoulder. And God, how much I wanted to just get up and turn the stupid movie off. How much I wanted to stand up and take her to my room where we'd watch something far more family-friendly, but every time I suggested it Rosie shook her head and just clung onto me tighter.
At those times, I felt my heart hurt at the sight of her. It was cute in the beginning when she'd just laugh it off, but towards the end of the movie, it was just hard to watch and I felt as if I failed her. I said I'd protect her and I didn't. But I at least, I did my best by running my hands through her hair soothingly or stroking her back every time she buried her face into the crook of my neck, eliciting goosebumps on my body that I blamed on the temperature. Rosie seemed to appreciate me more than I thought though. Every time she got scared she calmed down almost immediately as she curled up into the warmth of my body and I was glad that my sheer presence provided her with the needed comfort.
I heaved a sigh of relief as soon as the movie ended and looked down at the girl in my arms, "Hey, the movie's over," I whispered and she looked up from spot above my chest she seemed to claim as hers by spending the majority of the movie with her face buried in it. She sniffled and looked around the room before her eyes met mine and I smiled at her gently, still caressing her back soothingly.
"I don't know about you guys," I heard Jisoos voice and looked up at the oldest girls who was now standing up, stretching her hands above her head, "but I'm pretty tired."
"Yeah me too," Jennie said as she yawned with her back slouched, "all the scaring wore me out."
The realization seemed to hit her as Jisoo shifted awkwardly and she opened her mouth just to say the most stupid thing I've probably ever heard her say, "You can have the bed in my room, I'll just take the couch"
"What? No! I'm the guest I'll take the couch-"
"Oh for fuck's sake, Jennie you have a huge ass bed why should you or Jisoo sleep on the couch. Just share," I threw my hands up in the air in frustration, no longer being able to contain it on the inside, with the two older girls but added a teasing remark anyway, "you didn't seem to mind during the movie."
At that, both of the girls blushed heavily. Even though the lighting was dimmed, I could still see the radiant red color of their cheeks and Jennie cleared her throat, desperately trying to act tough like she always did.
"I mean we could if you don't mind..." she tried.
"Y-yeah, I mean, if you're cool with it,"
"O-okay, uhm...let's go then?" Jennie asked and glanced at me and Rosie who still didn't move from her position, therefore I didn't either, "Goodnight guys, see you in the morning," and with that, they left us alone.
"You feeling okay?" I asked quietly and tucked a loose strand of hair, that was shielding her face, behind her ear.
Instead of getting an answer I felt her nod against my chest and it was like second nature to me to tighten my hold on her, "Let's get you to bed," I attempted to stand up but Rosie didn't seem to want to budge and remained in her position.
With a sigh, I slid one of my hands under her knees and stood up, apparently startling the older girl as her hands shot up to fold around my neck with panic crossing her face, "Don't worry, I won't let you fall, I got you" I said as I maneuvered my way out of the living room, out to the hallway where I struggled with opening the door until Rosie reached one of her hands down and twisted the doorknob.
Kicking the door behind me, making sure the sound wouldn't be too loud to startle the girl in my arms, I walked up to the bed where I gently laid Rosie. Adjusting the pillow under her head, I covered her weary body with the bed cover and made a move to leave the girl alone, letting her have the sleep she seemed to desperately need since her eyes were already barely open. Suddenly I felt the warm sensation spread through my body again as her delicate fingers wrapped around my wrist, stopping me from moving any further. Before I had a chance to react her honey voice filled my ears and my expression softened.
"Stay with me," she whispered sleepily and I couldn't do more than nod my head and slide under the covers next to her.
Her body seeking the heat of mine immediately, she moved closer to me, closing the distance I put between us to not make her uncomfortable. As she moved to adjust her body, trying to get more comfortable I slid my right arm under her head and wrapped it around her back as she snuggled into my side and draped her arm across my waist.
"Goodnight Rosie," I whispered softly against her hair.
"Goodnight Lis," she said and buried her head into my chest even further, "thank you for keeping me safe"
Always
-
A/N: Guess who got the tickets to Jeremy Zucker's concert?!? Just 83 more days UGH I'm so excited. If you don't know who he is, do yourself a favor and look him up. He's crazy talented...and one of the plots might be inspired by his song, but I won't say which one cause spoiler alert, duh.