I Think I Love You •Chaennie•

Chapter 8

Rosé's POV

"That is not going to be our logline," Tae says for the sixth time. We're only in the first half hour of our meeting, so it's not exactly going great.

"Why not?" Kai protests. "If we're going to go for an artsy French thing, we might as well lean in to it."

"We can be artsy without being pretentious," Tae says, pushing his glasses back up his nose.

I groan, flopping onto Tae's bed to stare at his ceiling. It still has faded outline stains from the glow-in-the-dark stars he had stuck up there when we were kids.

"I don't see what's so pretentious about it," Kai says. He's sitting on the floor, the laptop balanced across his thighs. " 'A girl seeks to find her soul in-' Okay, yeah, I hear it now."

I snort a laugh, covering for the discomfort I still feel around Kai after the way he treated Jennie at the dance, and force myself to agree. "Fine. It's not the best."

"It would probably help if we had a stronger story line in place," Tae says, clicking his pen.

I sigh. Given that it's my fault that the groups are split, this comment feels directed at me. I'm the one who felt strongly enough about doing this project to divide the group, after all. But I have no ideas.

"You know what would be cool?" I say, sitting up. "What if we pitch it as an improvisation project? A girl explores herself as she explores the city in a semi-improvised discussion of self."

"Yeah, 'cause that's not pretentious at all," Tae mutters.

Kai nods along, though. "I think that could totally work. Festivals like a bit of pretension."

Tae rolls his eyes but waves a hand at Kai. "All right. Type it in."

Kai's fingers fly over the keyboard as I repeat what I said so he can take it down.

"All right. I'm ready to go," he says.

Tae and I leap off the bed to join Kai on the floor, crowding him on either side so we can see the screen as he submits our entry. I twist my fingers together as the confirmation page loads, and then I start when it pops up on the screen. Your entry into the NYC-LA Film Festival High School Student Competition is confirmed. And there it is. Just like that, we're making a movie.

___________________________________________

The afternoon confirms my disgust in love. I agreed to accompany Tae and Kai when they meet up with Jisoo at the teen center, as I was promised dinner after her shift ends. This, I realize as soon as I look up at them, was a massive mistake.

Tae joins Jisoo on her chair at reception. They're so intertwined, it's a miracle they're not expecting a child from this position alone. Jisoo's head rests on Tom's shoulder, his arm is wrapped around her shoulders, her foot is permanently tucked around his ankle, and their lips touch so often, they're going to fuse together any second.

I mean. Seriously. This is a place for youths.

I grimace at them, wrinkling my nose. "Can you two please chill?"

They kiss again, the nauseating smack of their lips drowning out my words. They're even louder than the rain pattering steadily against the window opposite Jisoo's desk. At least there's no one else in the lobby to see this, though I can't believe Jisoo would act this way at work. I thought she liked her job.

I clear my throat, as loudly and as drawn-out as I can make it. Jisoo turns to look at me, but she doesn't raise her head from Tom's shoulder.

"It's our first official day as a couple," she says, her voice oozing with...ick. What is it about love that makes people act so dopey?