(A/N) : Hue, I am always on time. 9 months later, huh huh huh.
I don't know if there people still reading this XD. I'm finishing tomorrow's chapter (the epilogue).
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Lisa's POV:
The night before...
"I should have realized sooner, Lisa, I'm so sorryyyyyy," Rosé sobbed, her arms wrapped around my neck.
She was slightly taller than me, and it made it difficult to carry her on my back. Especially when she was this drunk.
After I had confessed, the Aussie apologized numerous times, feeling guilty and sad for not noticing sooner. It only made things worse, as I had held onto the hope that my confession would make her consider a relationship with me.
I was wrong.
"It's fine, Chaeyoung-ah. I'm a strong and independent coconut," I tried joking. "But as my supporting best friend, you were supposed to be the one taking care of a drunk ME."
She suddenly threw her arms on the sides and started slapping the air around her face, making me lose balance.
"Stop! What the hell are you doing?!"
"Something bit meeeeee, it hurts!" She whimpered.
"If you didn't want it to bite you, you should have avoided having something to bite."
"Lisa, pabo," Rosé chuckled, pulling my ear.
I held my tears back, trying to find comfort in our remaining friendship. I couldn't cry just yet. Not in front of her.
"You are the idiot, drinking so much when you are a lightweight."
Once we managed to reach our place, I stumbled into the apartment, smashing Rosé against a wall.
"Sorry, I tripped," I apologized hurriedly. "Are you okay?"
"No, I feel like throwing up."
"You what?" I exclaimed, before feeling a foul-smelling liquid sliding against my back. "Omg gross. Rosé, did you vomit on our clothes?"
"No?"
Sighing, I entered her bedroom and dropped her in the bathroom.
"This is a living hell," I sighed, observing the drunk and nasty woman before me.
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Back to the present...
Jisoo's POV:
"Please, tell me this is a nightmare," I begged in disbelief, not noticing the tears flowing down my cheeks.
Rosé shook her head, biting on her lip. Her blood-shot eyes were looking at me with despair in them, showing me how confused and broken she was.
Memories of my ex-husband cheating on me crossed my thoughts as the same feeling of betrayal weighted down my chest. However, this time, the wound seemed deeper and more painful.
"What did I ever do for life to be this cruel with me," I sighed with a ragged breath.
"Jisoo..." Rosé croaked.
She tried to reach for my hand, but I slapped it away in annoyance.
"WHAT DID I DO?!" I yelled at her, anger and pain swirling in my mind and obscuring my judgment.
The Aussie flinched at my sudden outburst and took a step back, her arms wrapped around her waist. She looked so vulnerable, so frail, that it triggered the part of me that wanted to embrace her.
I suddenly hated myself for feeling this way.
And I also hated that I was in love with her.
"Why do I always get hurt?"
Rosé stayed silent, not knowing what to say. She ducked her head down, biting on her lip until the flesh busted open. Blood strimmed down her chin but she paid no attention, shaking.
Anger suddenly giving way to worry, I took a step forward and put my hands on her forearms.
"What's going on? Chaeyoung?!"
The young teacher was trembling of all her members, her face turning paler and paler.
When it became clear that Rosé was having difficulties breathing, I immediately pulled her inside my building and rushed towards my apartment.
Chaeyoung stumbled over and I caught her before she hit the floor.
"Jisoo..." She murmured weakly, on the verge of passing out.
"Hang in there, please. Stay awake," I begged.
"...I'm sorry, Jisoo."
* * *
Enraged, I did not wait until the door opened to enter the apartment Rosé shared with Lisa.
The Thai woman, intrigued by the noise, opened her eyes wide when she saw me walking towards her. The sight of her only face was unbearable, and before she could react, my hand flew to meet her cheek in a loud slap.
Lisa's head snapped on the side because of the blow, features hidden by strands of hair.
"You piece of shit," I spat angrily, fisting her shirt in my hand. "It takes me everything to not kill you, right now."
My whole body was trembling with rage. I had never been this furious in my life.
"How dare you call yourself Rosé's best friend after what you did to her?"
"Aren't you mad at her for cheating on you?" Lisa interrupted me, suddenly lifting her gaze towards mine.
Her eyes were empty of any emotion, yet dark with something I couldn't decipher.
"So, you decide to keep lying," I scoffed, then laughed bitterly. "I expected more from you, Miss Manoban."
"What do you mean?" She frowned, struggling not to look guilty.
I stared at the blond in disbelief. Did she want to play dumb with me? Taking a deep breath, I poked an accusing finger on her chest and pushed the photographer against the wall.
"She walked to my apartment like a zombie, completely drenched by the rain," I started. "When I arrived, she was barely able to stand on her feet."
Lisa looked away once again and buried her hands in her pockets.
"Rosé was convinced that she cheated on me, and I believed her..." I continued. "... until she started having flashbacks of Yin doing all those... things to her."
Suddenly, her head snapped in my direction.
"You have known her for a while. Rosé may seem sweet, but she has a strong character. And now? She is terrified. She thought that, as a friend, she could trust you, rely on you."
The Thai stayed silent, and tears started filling her eyes.
"Having no memory of what happened the night before, waking up naked and thinking you took advantage of her drunk state... That triggered bad memories."
"I didn't..." Lisa croaked. "I would have never taken advantage of her. When she first thought I did, it made me angry. So..."
"So you decided to lie to her? To hurt her and me even more in return?!" I grimaced. "Bullshit."
I shoved her shoulder and walked to Rosé's room, opening every drawer and closet. Grabbing the suitcase she kept under her bed, I put all of her clothes and stuff inside, tears of anger strimming down my cheeks.
My mind was a mess.
Yesterday, I was in love with Chaeyoung.
Hours ago, I wanted to forget everything about her.
And right then, the mere thought of leaving her was killing me.
She was the soulmate I was born to find, and there was no way I would let go of her. She was the air to my lungs, the light of the sun; and every time our hands brushed, love filled my chest with overwhelming sensations.
We would be alright as long as we kept loving each other. This was everything I knew.
"Is she going to stay with you?"
"Yes," I answered coldly.
Lisa stayed silent behind me while I kept packing Rosé's stuff. The atmosphere was tense. So tense I could have cut it with a knife. After some moments, she walked towards the shelves and held one of the books.
"This is the novel you signed for her. She put pictures of her childhood between some pages."
I took the novel gently without looking at the Thai. I didn't want to damage Rosé's belongings, despite the urge I had to snatch the book from her hand.
Once the luggage was zipped closed, I walked to the bedroom's door. Lisa was sitting on the floor, her head leaning back against the wall. She was holding Rosé's customized helmet on her lap.
"Once you pull yourself together, I think you should apologize."
The Thai nodded weakly, eyes closed. She was crying silently, features writhing with pain and remorse. I turned around and walked away, holding tightly the luggage's handle.
The last things I heard when leaving the apartment were screams and angry banging against the wall.
And then, it was like the world stopped.
Silence wrapped around me as the elevator's doors closed.
* * *
"Rosé?" I called her name, softly nudging her arm.
She hummed in response and opened her reddened eyes on me. Eojin was passed out on her chest, his small fists tangled in a strand of hair.
"I'm sorry for waking you up."
"I wasn't sleeping."
The beautiful blondie moved towards the left side of the bed and I laid down beside her.
"Lisa and I talked. She admitted setting up this plan to make you believe you slept together."
Rosé leaned against my shoulder, letting out a ragged sigh. The moon barely illuminated her face, yet I could see the dried tears on her cheeks.
"She made the hickey on purpose too?"
"I don't think so. It must be an insect bite or an allergic reaction. I didn't ask what happened in details."
"Why do I not feel relieved?" She let out in a breath, staring at the wall facing the bed.
Silence answered her question as I didn't know what to say.
"I'm so useless. I hurt my best friend to the point she betrayed me, and I hurt you too in the process."
"No. Stop saying nonsense. Lisa has no excuse for what she did. Her own decisions hurt all of us. You deserve our apologies more than anyone else."
"Our?"
"I yelled at you when you were in distress. And I should have trusted you."
"How could you trust me? I was the one to admit my fault!" Rosé exclaimed softly.
I threw a glance at my sleeping son, making sure he didn't wake up.
"Perhaps, but I should have known better. There was obviously something off."
"Please, don't blame yourself." She begged.
We stayed silent for a moment, just holding hands, finding comfort in each other's presence.
"Are we okay?" She asked, doubt straining her voice. "I almost lost you today. And it felt like my heart was ripped out my chest."
"As long as we are together, everything will be okay."
The Aussie turned her face towards mine, eyes shining with a glimmer of hope.
"I knew we belonged together when our eyes crossed for the first time," I whispered, leaving a light kiss on her forehead. "I want to stay by your side. Always."
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(A/N): Next time I publish a story, I won't do it before it's completely finished, as to avoid such... delays. College hit me harder than I thought.