I Think I Love You •Chaennie•

Chapter 10

Rosé's POV

Tae said to meet at Georgie's at noon, I'm sure of it, but I've been here for ten minutes already, and no one's showed. Not even Lisa is here yet, and she's paid to be here.

I pull my phone out of my pocket to text Tae, but before I can hit send, the door opens and Jennie comes in, fanning herself with one hand.

"Hey," I say, half rising out of my chair. She stops to order before walking haltingly over to me, and sits across from me at the table. I nod at my fingertips, unsure what to say.

"They said noon, right?" Jennie says after a long pause.

I nod, grasping for conversation. "Yeah, definitely. I don't know where they are. It's not like Tae to be late."

Inwardly I cringe. It's not like Tae to be late? I sound like a complete moron.

"Yeah, Jisoo is the most punctual person I know," Jennie says. "And Lisa's literally paid to be here."

"That's what I was thinking," I say, too loudly. I shrink into my seat, and silence falls over us once again. I pick at my short fingernails, and each tiny scritch is deafening, the longer I don't say anything. One of Lisa's coworkers brings a mug of tea and drops it off in front of Jennie.

"So, I, uh-" I start, at the same time that Jennie says, "Well, what do-"

We laugh, and then fall silent again. Jennie gestures for me to go on. I was about to apologize for all the fights we had about the movie, but the wind has left my lungs. I nod to her instead.

"How's your movie going?" she asks.

I shrug. I don't want to admit that it's going badly. She's still the enemy when it comes to the film competition. Besides, what if she suggests reuniting the groups as a peace offering? I might not have any idea where to take my film, but that doesn't mean I want to return to the world of rom-coms and disgustingness.

"Fine," I say with a shrug. "How's the rom-com?"

"Wow, did you just say that without a trace of disdain?" Jennie says with a smile. "I'm impressed."

"Thank you, thank you," I say, laughing as I give a tiny bow over the table. She giggles.

"So, what got you into film, anyway?" I ask, straightening. If we're going to be stuck here alone together, might as well make conversation.

"My family and I are really into watching stuff together," she says. "And things have been kind of weird with-"

She cuts herself off, flushing, but I nod. I know she's not out to her parents yet. I know what that can do.

"So, anyway, I guess it's nice to have something that still bonds us. A thing we can all escape into," she says.

I raise my eyebrows. "Yeah, I get that. When I was in Paris..." It's my turn to trail off. Jennie looks up at me, a question in her eyes, but I ignore it. "An escape is nice sometimes."

She holds my gaze, smiling sheepishly, and I can tell she's thinking the same thing I am. Us? Something in common? After the week we've had, who would've guessed?

She drops her gaze, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah."

She reaches across the table, and my heart jolts for a second. Is she going for my hand? Our fingers brush against each other, but she only grabs a sugar packet from the container between us and rips it open, dumps its contents into her tea.

"You don't hold back," I say when she reaches for another.

She laughs. "I think of it more as sweet milk with an herbal aftertaste than actual tea."