Between Love and Time | Chaelisa

Chapter 18 More than Identical

Would she listen to her? Could she trust her and take refuge in her arms? These were the thoughts assaulting Rosé. Was Lisa Manoban only speaking for herself, or was her former self, a peasant woman, inciting her to say those words? The blonde girl felt this was a sign, a clue, a piece of the puzzle piece. She wanted to ignore those signs now; Rosé feared her own reaction if she discovered why she had time jumped and how she would return. The girl had to gasp for air before locking eyes with the model again. Did she have any doubts that this was the same farmer girl from the 18th century?

"Lisa." She inhaled. The green-eyed girl had her hands on the blonde's waist. One of the model's cousins had his hand on the same spot, which had made her uncomfortable, but with Lisa, Rosé didn't say anything or flinch away. "Why are you so kind all of a sudden? What are you planning to achieve?"

"Can't a person acknowledge that their previous behavior was awful and change?" Rosé didn't say anything; the model had a point. "I'm not a saint. On the contrary, I'm cruel to women, and I'm not interested in a serious relationship, but..." Lisa closed her mouth before she said anything stupid. She, of course, didn't see Rosé as something more. The girl was simply someone she was trying to help find her way again, but she felt she couldn't continue treating Rosé with disregard. "Well, I don't think you deserve to be mistreated, not when you haven't done anything wrong." The blonde noticed Lisa's tense jaw. The model wasn't used to recognizing her own errors, asking for forgiveness, or speaking that way. "Should we go back?"

"Am I not a woman?"

Lisa was perplexed; she hadn't understood what the question meant. Rosé innocently shook her head with a bashful smile.

"Thank you, miss Manoban. For...for this." Rosé caressed the coat draped on her shoulders and didn't notice that she had brushed up against the model's body as she walked away.

Lisa moaned and turned to see the small figure disappearing along the cobblestone path leading into the mansion. Perhaps Rosé had asked that question because she felt Lisa didn't see her as a woman. After all, the model had decided to stop being cruel to her. Was she crazy? The truth was that Lisa wasn't used to women who showed a shy and sweet side that triggered her to protect them. The women she had slept with had strong personalities; they were erotic and only for one night. Rosé, in some form, deserved the respect she didn't give to the other girls.

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Tuesday, September 9th, 2019, Days later.

The smile on the girl's lips deflated when she remembered she had a pending conversation after her class ended. Her class was made up of fifteen students; twelve girls and three males eager to learn how to play such a beautiful instrument, such as the piano. Rosé's melodic voice and infinite patience encouraged her students to follow her directions to the tee without reproach nor distractions.

The instructor snuck a glance at her watch. It was four in the afternoon, and she only had five minutes to end the class and face what she had committed to. Rosé had gathered enough courage the week beforehand to dial the number on the card the gypsy had given her. She needed to talk about how she was feeling, what she had discovered, and what she knew was coming. Rosé needed advice from the only person from this century that had an insight into who she really was; someone who had the supernatural ability to look into the future; a sincere woman who didn't use her gift for profit.

They had their first reunion Saturday night in a café near Manoban's apartment so the blonde wouldn't get lost. The psychic had understood the girl's fear. That night Rosé found out that the gypsy's name was Jisoo and that she had gained her gift at a young age. Jisoo's gift had made her life difficult when she was a child because she did not understand her powers; she asked herself continuously why she would know when people would die. Rosé told the psychic how she had run into someone who had mistaken her for someone with the same name and apparently the same face. How was she supposed to act? Was it part of her destiny or someone she should avoid? Just as she figured, the psychic didn't give her much information because anything she said could affect her fate. Nevertheless, Jisoo encouraged her to sum up the same courage she used to contact her to reach out to the other girl.