Author POV
There was a moment of silence. A moment filled by Rosé's need to hug the tiny and fragile girl in front of her and Jennie's need to get away from the teenager, but both of them stayed put:
- You.. you need to leave - Jennie said out of breath, not meeting the blonde's eyes
- No - Rosé approached her and the brunette flinched - Are you really going to push away a disable girl?
Jennie looked at the taller blonde worried but soon chuckled when she saw Chaeyoung's sneaky smile.
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- I'm.. I'm so sorry - her voice cracked and Rosé's eyes widened
I hate those glasses.. I can't decipher her emotions if I can't see her eyes - The 17 year old thought
- Come with me - she pointed to the Uber and Jennie denied frenetically
- No Rosé, I meant it when I said that I didn't want to see you again - she took out her keys and put them on the bar's Back door - I mean, if you read the letter then you know..
It was obvious by her tone that she had a slight hope that Rosé had read the letter, and that made Chaeyoung realize that the smallest gesture as reading a letter, was something that warmed the brunette's heart. It seemed like Friendship was a feeling that Jennie was not used to:
- Yes I read the letter a week ago - she confessed and the brunette stopped fiddling with her keys - I care about you Jennie, okay? You might have powers but I'm a stranger in my school, I'm also unusual. Please, come with me and afterwards, if you don't feel comfortable being friends with me, I'll leave you alone for good
Jennie sighed:
- Why are you doing this? Can't you see that I was the one who put you in that condition? - she pointed to her crutches
- Hey, I'm still standing - she sang and Jennie smiled - Now stop being a bummer and come with me
•
- Where are we going? - the brunette asked in the car
Rosé looked at her and smiled softly:
- You'll see
She noticed that the older one was sweating and didn't look comfortable at all:
- Hey - the blonde rested her hand on Jennie's leg - You're not being kidnapped, I promise
- I know I know, it's just I haven't been out with friends in a long time - she said and Chaeyoung pouted with her cuteness - I don't think this is a good idea, specially in these conditions
She closed her eyes and Rosé looked outside, watching the calm weather become unstable and a small amount of wind disturb some people. The blonde wondered if the brunette knew the potencial of her power:
- Nothing bad will happen I promise - she extended her hand - Take my hand if it makes you more comfortable
Jennie looked uncertain but after realizing that this was Chaeyoung, the girl who came back for her after all that she put her through, she took her hand.
Rosé noticed how cold the older's hand was due to the chilly weather of November:
- Are you cold? You didn't bring a jacket
- Oh, I only went out to see if anyone was hiring, so.. I wasn't expecting your presence, let alone going out with you - she confessed
- You're looking for a job to pay for your university right? You wanna go to the same uni as me
- Yeah.. how do you know?
- Well, let's say that Mino likes to talk - she smiled and Jennie sighed
- It's true.. I really wanna go there
- I'm sure you will - Rosé said confident
- I hope I had your optimism.. - she looked at their hands and the blonde squeezed it tightly
- Well, at least you're a fighter and don't even try to deny it, because I, Roseanne Park, have already witnessed your strength
- Tell that to your leg - Jennie made a small joke but quickly widened her eyes - I'm so sorry that was so inappropriate, I said that because it was me who did that—
Chaeyoung enveloped her right arm around Jennie's shoulders and brought her close. Both girls stopped breathing for a second due to their close proximity in the car, and even the Uber driver had to look at his rearview mirror to see if the they were actually okay.
I hug Lisa all the time so it's okay to hug her right? - Rosé thought
- I'm sorry, I know you don't like hugs, but you were about to apologize again and I didn't wanna hear it - she started removing her arm but Jennie pressed her back to the seat, not letting her arm retrieve
- Why? - she asked looking at Rosé, and Rosé could swear she was seeing a shade of pink, which meant that she was blushing, behind those dark lenses
- Why what?
- Why didn't you wanna hear me apologize anymore?
The younger girl looked outside for a moment, noticing that the weather was normal again:
- I don't think you should be apologizing because of who you are. You were apologizing for making an actual good joke. You are always apologizing for being who you are and I don't want that because I won't leave you or push you away. I wanna know more about you, Jen
Jennie looked at her surprised and Rosé looked down again, ready to face those beautiful orbs. Slowly, she reached for the brunette's sunglasses and put them on her nose. She separated their hands and put them on Jennie's face so that the driver wouldn't be able to see her supernatural eyes.
Jennie's breath hitched for a moment, not used to this kind of contact but regained her posture upon seeing the lovely gaze of her acquaintance:
- Baby pinkeu - Rosé whispered softly with a Korean accent
Jennie couldn't stop blushing with the soft and kind gesture:
- What? - she asked almost gulping
- Your eyes. They have a pink shade - Jennie could feel Rosé's breath hitting her lips - It's beautiful
Suddenly, the car abruptly stopped, awakening both girls. Rosé launched her body backwards and Jennie quickly put her glasses back on. Their breaths were uneven as they tried their best to not look at each other.
What the hell just happened
•
- Can you tell me now what we're doing in this park? - Jennie asked, not recognizing where she was
- You really aren't patient - Rosé chuckled
Chaeyoung was acting like nothing had happened between them and Jennie was gladly doing the same. She was trying not to overthink what had happened but it was indeed hard.
They were in Auckland Domain, one of the largest and oldest parks in the city situated in the central suburb of Grafton. Besides of a few people, they were only surrounded by trees and some cute and small animals while walking up the path. It was a beautiful night, accompanied by a pleasant wind and a starred sky.
- Did you know that this park contains all of the explosion crater and most of the surrounding tuff ring of the Pukekawa volcano? - Rosé commented while looking forward to not stumble on her crutches
- I didn't know that - Jennie said with a soft smile - I didn't know you were dedicated to history
- Well, my mom used to take me and my sister here to relieve the stress. I mean we were really young, and I think she was the one who needed a stress reliever, but it was a nice excuse for me and my sister to run freely and to hide our little bodies in the middle of the autumn leaves - she commented and the brunette listened attentively - But, children get older and eventually my sister left to stay with my dad in Australia. My mom got really depressed that year, but she never stopped supporting me
The blonde stopped talking for a moment, relieving those years in her head. A wave of nostalgia hit her but she took a deep breath, knowing that now wasn't the time to pity herself:
- We only came to this park three more times after my sister left since my mom couldn't handle the memories. In those three times, I remained sat beside her, listening to whatever she had to say and since she wasn't sharing with me her emotions. And, between her childhood and teenage stories, which made me laugh a lot I might add, she shared her cultural knowledge with me
- It's impressive how well you remember all of that since you must have been really young - Jennie commented, selecting her words carefully since she didn't want to interrupt the nostalgic moment of her new friend
- Yeah, I don't know - she shrugged
There was a comfortable silence hanging between them. Rosé decided to forget that moment that happened in the car because she didn't want to ruin this unusual but honest friendship that she had with Jennie, because of her overthinking over probably nothing:
- Thank you for sharing that memory with me. I don't know if you're used to share such a personal memory with your friends bu—
- I don't - the blonde quickly said, which made Jennie look curiously, but at the same time kindly, at her. God, what's with that charming smile of her - I share personal stuff with my best friend Lisa, but I never shared this one with her.. I guess it's too personal
Jennie stopped walking and opened her mouth to say something, but she seemed lost for words. Chaeyoung took advantage of the moment to rest her body in a near bench:
- Then.. why did you tell me?
Exactly. Why did Rosé tell her such a personal story? Was it because she trusted Jennie. Yes of course but why did she? Was it because Jennie showed her something so personal as that story? Was it because of the moment in the car? Was it because of Jennie's way of being?
- I don't know - Rosé answered truthfully - I.. We.. It's different okay? Our.. friendship is different
Jennie sat down besides Chaeyoung and eyed her, not daring to interrupt:
- It seems so natural - she concluded, not knowing what more words to use
Silence again:
- Look Rosé, I'm sorr—
- Nope - Rosé got up - We're not there yet, come on
- Chae—
- No! - Jennie looked at her surprised, a little taken back with the exaltation of the usually calm girl
She ran her hands through her hair while Jennie got up and approached her:
- What's the matter? Is this really only about me?
Rosé eyed her and sighed. Should she really tell Jennie about this?
- Have you ever kissed anyone?
The older one stayed silent for a few seconds and then said:
- Yeah, why?
- Was it how you wanted?
- Well.. It wasn't my Disney princess fantasy, but I guess it wasn't bad
- Did he gave you anything? Like he courted you and then offered you something
- It wasn't anything like that... I don't think I would've accepted it anyway
Am I a bad person for saying yes to him? It's not like I had a choice, I couldn't say no
- I'm not a material person, Jen - Rosé resumed walking and Jennie followed her - I always had the minimum and due to that, these last months I've been currently mocked at. My mom has two jobs to support my university and even that isn't enough, so I have to work as well. But I can't complain. I have my best friend at that school, I'm a straight A student, I have an amazing relationship with my mom, I get to do what I love the most, which is singing.. I just don't have a boyfriend. But that's fine by me, I know that I'm pretty but I guess no one wants to date a poor girl. However there's this guy Chanyeol. He's sweet and charming and I think he likes me... he offered me a Saint Laurent purse
- Isn't that a Goff thing? - Jennie asked, listening closely to her friend's story. She didn't know that Rosé's life was so hard, but decided not to comment
- When he gave me the bag.. damn. I wanted to throw that to his face because it really seemed like he was buying me
The brunette waited for the blonde to continue, but it didn't seem like she was going to.. maybe she was lost in her thoughts. She was telling her everything, but she couldn't say that they kissed. Maybe it was because she was ashamed of maybe it was because she wanted to delete that memory:
- You know, everyone has their way to express their feelings for others - she calmly said - Some prefer to show it through actions and others prefer to buy things with the hope that it will convey what they're feeling. It's not a bad thing if you like those kind of gestures, but if you didn't like his... why can't you just tell him?
- Because he's the last thing in my mind these days. I always wanted someone like him, but now that he shared his interest with me, I simply can't give it back. And since last week I can't stop thinking about you - Rosé was being so honest that her shyness and insecurity about expressing her 'feelings' was gone. It seemed like an adrenaline wave had hit her and she couldn't stop - What did you mean by 'they couldn't just let me go'? Why couldn't I see you again? Why don't you let me be there for you? I can't just forget that a supernatural girl saved me from being raped, specially if that same girl has been nothing but kind to me
At the same time that Rosé pronounced those words, they reached a huge cliff. Both of them stopped staring at each other and looked forward, making Jennie's breath stop for a moment as she gasped.
The view was absolutely mesmerizing. If they were blind enough to not notice the thousands of lights filling the street, then they couldn't miss the clear and perfect view of the starred sky. Even though it was around midnight, the city didn't stop, as cars raced down the street; fairs continued selling their food and artifacts; parties kept their music as loud as possible, using all the led lights they had in storage; hundreds of people kept working at the tall buildings and hundreds of houses kept their lights turned on. Maybe midnight didn't signal the end of the day for most kiwis.
Rosé watched attentively as Jennie took a step forward. She didn't know if she should stop her or not, but as soon as she saw Jennie taking another step forward, she wished she had. The older girl rested her foot in nothing but air, like she had some Air Force floor keeping her steady. She had on foot on the floor and the other one in mid air:
- Jennie... - Rosé muttered. She knew the girl was clever and powerful, but she also acknowledged that she still couldn't control all of her strength
- You know.. I never flied. I know I can do it, that's one of the things that they told me I should be able to do but.. I never tried
And there she goes with the They again. Who are they?
- It's not like they tried to teach me or anything, so everything I know was only discovered and trained by me. I don't want to discover more about my curse - the blonde shifted uncomfortable. She hated when Jennie referred to her power as something bad. Of course it wasn't something good, but it didn't have to be taken in as a curse - There's no reason why I should right? I only train what I have to keep controlled, such as my emotions and my hand movements. Of course that whole 'sleeping on air' too
- Jennie - The blonde girl tried one more time, fearful to what could happen
- But I'm pretty sure that if you did online surveys, asking: if people could fly, would they do it, most of them would answer yes. It's everybody's secret and impossible dream, you know? Not so impossible for me tho - She leaned her body a little bit forward and Chaeyoung tried to approach her, but Jennie turned her head to her, making her stop dead on her tracks - Tell me Rosé, If you were given a chance to fly, would you do it?
The answer was obvious. Of course everyone wants to fly, it must be awesome, but Rosé feared that if she gave that straight and expectable answer, Jennie would do something crazy. She knew that the girl wouldn't do something as stupid as jump.. right?
- Yes, but what are you trying to achieve with this?
- Well, if you were to keep being my friend, you would always have your heart as it is right now - Jennie closed her eyes - Beating fast
- You.. You can hear it?
- Well the sound propagates through air and my power is basically that. My power is everything related to air, so yeah I guess I also have super hearing. But that's not the point, the point is: can you live with the constant fear of me, your friend, being hurt?
As she finish her sentence, she took her foot of the solid ground and jumped forward:
- NO! - Rosé reached forward but she was too late. Jennie had already jumped
The blonde could feel tears in her eyes as her body was waiting for a loud thud to come from the end of the cliff, indicating that Jennie's body had hit the ground.
But it never came. Rosé opened her eyes and she saw Jennie slowly appearing from the edge of the cliff. She wasn't exactly flying, more like floating.
The blonde didn't waste a second and grabbed the brunette's hand, bringing her to her arms. Since she had discarded her crutches in the process, both girls fell harshly on the ground behind Rosé. Jennie landed on top of Chaeyoung, but as soon as she tried to separate her body from the latter, the two strong arms held her and didn't let her move:
- You're not leaving me - Rosé said with a teary voice, her face glued to Jennie's neck
The brunette widened her eyes and pushed Rosé's face out of her neck:
- Hey look at me - she said worried
The blonde quickly denied and looked everywhere but the supernatural girl:
- If you don't even have the courage to take off your glasses, then why should I show you this side of me?
Silence.
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Rosé felt a bright grey light flashing on her face, so she looked up and gasped as soon as she saw Jennie's eyes shining on her face:
- Grey means I'm worried right? - she said and wiped off her friend's tears with her thumb - It means that I care about you
Chaeyoung couldn't process what was happening. Jennie was on top of her, showing her true self while wiping off her tears. She didn't know how to feel about all of this, it seemed so overwhelming, but so.. good:
- I'm sorry Rosie - Rosie. That's her favorite nickname from now on - I thought that if I scared you, you would finally leave me alone. But that's so stupid because.. I don't want you anywhere but here, next to me
- Then why? - she still had this huge urge to cry - I thought that I'd lost you for a moment. And I know you for like a week and a half, but everything stopped for me. Why would you do that?
It was obvious that Jennie was shocked with Rosé's words, but the blonde wanted to know if it was in a good or bad way:
- You have to admit that you're better off without me - the younger one was about to protest, but Jennie quickly continued - I mean, you're safer without me. I was the one who put you in crutches and let's be honest, two weeks ago, your life was perfect within your limitations
Rosé kept quiet. It was true, two weeks ago, everything was normal and nothing was bothering her. But now, her head was a mess and she couldn't even concentrate in a simple English test:
- Look, I don't care what you're gonna say next, I accept your apologies or whatever, just don't shut me out okay? - Jennie's eyes changed to a darker shade, meaning that her preoccupation was slowly disappearing. She rolled to her side, much to Rosé's disappointment and looked up to the sky - I wanna help you Jennie. I wanna be your friend and be here for you, no matter what it costs me. We have so much in common, but in so many different ways
Jennie remained quiet, but Rosé could see the doubt expressed on the older's face:
- I told you all these beautiful and nostalgic stories about this park, but I didn't tell you why I brought you here - Chaeyoung added which captured Jennie's attention - What usually calms me down when I'm at my most stressful times, is music. So I put my earphones and go for a walk, while listening to the greatest songs on my playlists. But I know that music in not your passion. I'm pretty sure that it's art, right?
The brunette simply nodded, which gave Rosé permission to continue:
- Well, I can't take you to a museum to distract yourself. Maybe you like museums, and I like them too, but that's not what I wanted for our first time out together. So I thought 'Why not show her the most beautiful art?'
Rosé pointed to the sky:
- I.. I always preferred night time over day time. With so many free time that I have, I always have the opportunity to watch everything really closely and the stars are an example - both girls were looking at the sky - But wow, this cliff really does give you a whole different view
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- I like many things about you Jennie - Rosé said out of the blue. She was really surprised with how honest and abrupt she was being with her feelings and emotions - But one of my favorite is your eyes. You always hide them, and I know you have to because not everyone is as accepting as me
- If someone saw them, I would probably be sent to one of those crazy labs to be experienced on - the brunette grabbed her glasses and was about to cover her face, when Rosé grabbed her hand. Jennie looked at Chaeyoung and the latter brought their hands down to rest on Jennie's stomach
- We're all alone in here. Let me see them
Rosé's heart started madly racing when she saw those beautiful orbs being painted with a deep pink, meaning her new friend was blushing. She decided not to comment since she didn't want to ruin the moment:
- Your eyes shine like the stars - the blonde added with a big smile
Jennie covered her eyes and Chaeyoung turned her body to the older girl:
- Did I say something wrong?
- God no, nothing like that.. it's just.. I'm feeling really overwhelmed right now
Rosé backed away a little and felt bad:
- Do you want me to leave?
As soon as she pronounced those words, Jennie pushed Chaeyoung down by her hand:
- No okay? - she looked at her with those pink orbs - I.. thank you
- No need to thank me - Rosé smiled and looked to the sky again
- But it's not going to be easy okay? I.. I can't control this
- Pfff girl shut up, you just jumped off a cliff and you're lying here next to me in one piece
Jennie smiled and sighed:
- I'll call my Mino to come pick us up - the younger one said
- No wait.. let's just.. stay here okay? Just for a little while
Rosé didn't say anything and simply nodded, not really caring about the time.
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- Is it my impression or am I earning a soft spot in that cold heart of yours?
- Wha— You are not and I don't have a cold heart Roseanne! - they both giggled
- Sure Jennifer Sure
- THATS NOT EVEN MY NAME!