Love Galore (Chaennie)

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

In a taxicab zipping along the Williamsburg bridge, Jennie rubs at her temples, attempting to relieve the pressure there as she stares at the barrage of incoming text messages from Jisoo and Irene.

The messages are variations on the theme of 'why the fuck are you going to your ex-fuck buddy's housewarming party for the place she shares with her boyfriend?' It's a valid question, but Jennie has no answer. No rational one, anyway.

She knows. She knows that this whole thing is a disaster. She knows that she shouldn't. That every day, every moment, every second she spends with Rosie is just another hook burrowing its way beneath her skin, past her rib cage, and into her heart.

Jennie silences her phone as the cab pulls up to a brick rowhouse, its red exterior darkened with varying layers of grime. Even from inside the cab, Jennie can hear the booming bass of the music coming from inside. It's a far cry from the scene she usually finds herself in, but her nervousness has nothing to do with her environment.

She gains admittance easily, although she doesn't recognize the man who answers the door. The man makes no introductions either, just waves her in, and it's not clear to her whether this man lives there or if he's even an invited guest. She finds herself in the middle of what feels like a frat party. It looks like a frat house too. Red solo cups everywhere, rescued curbside furniture, a neon light of a topless barmaid hanging on the wall. It's strange for Jennie to be here, and even stranger to think of Rosie living here.

Luckily, it's a small place and it doesn't take her long to find familiar faces. Or, more accurately, one particular familiar face finds her, picking her out of the crowd like a Jennie-seeking missile.

"Jennie!" With her arms outstretched and poised to come in for a hug, Rosie lurches to a sudden stop, enthusiasm extinguished by apprehension. And although Jennie wasn't privy to the conversation Rosie had with Alice about physical boundaries, she nevertheless arrives at the correct conclusion as to the cause of Rosie's strange behavior. She is, after all, an intelligent woman, even if her interactions with Rosie seem to suggest otherwise.

"We can hug." In demonstration, Jennie closes the gap between them and gives Rosie a quick, friend-appropriate embrace. "So. This is your new place?"

"Well, the basement is. The rest of the house belongs to Scooter and his roommates. Hey, come on, there's something I want to show you." Rosie loops her arm around Jennie and starts guiding her.

They've barely taken two steps when Mark seemingly materializes out of nowhere and throws his arm around Rosie. "Hey, babe, there you are." He swoops down and kisses Rosie full on the mouth. When she nudges him, he backs off, and only then feigns surprise at seeing Jennie. "Oh, hey, Jennie. What are we up to?"

Rosie answers, "I'm just taking her downstairs."

It's barely noticeable, but Mark's smile falters slightly. "You're going to show her the thing that I couldn't look at earlier?"

A flash of annoyance crosses Rosie's face. This is clearly something they had discussed already, evidently not pleasantly. "Mark, I'll show you later."

Mark shrugs and starts backing away. "Fine. Come find me when you're done."

Rosie takes Jennie down to the basement to her new bedroom, which is spacious - at least by city standards - though sparsely furnished. Jennie sits down on the bed, the only place there is to sit, and Rosie retrieves a thick manila envelope from her dresser. She takes a seat next to Jennie and hands her the envelope.

"This came earlier this week. Um, I wanted- I wanted you to be the first to see it."

Jennie turns the envelope over. She sees the YG stamp on the upper left hand corner, and that triggers a wave of realization and excitement. "Is this what I think it is?"