With You By My Side -Chaennie FF-

Part 10

Jennie's spirit improved the moment we walked into the shop.

Mine, on the other hand, was a different matter entirely. My stomach churned and my heart ached at the thought of her going on tour again. I'd known about it from the very start, and yet, I'd grown attached. As much as I didn't want to admit it, her almost-daily visits had become a part of my routine, one of which I looked forward to every single day.

The entire time my sister's told me to get laid, all I needed was a friend. I needed someone to talk to, someone who'd always have my back if I ever needed the support. Someone like Jennie.

It wasn't just our loss that made her easy to talk to. She was understanding, kind, and seemed as interested in my life as I was in hers. She didn't act like a big-name celeb at all, not that I ever met any of them, but she didn't fit the image. Sure, she concealed herself the best she could whenever we went out to eat, but once we were back in the shop or up in the tower, she was just like everyone else.

She had dreams, aspirations, and a great deal of stress pressing down on her. She didn't talk about it, but I could tell the upcoming tour worried her, especially considering how her manager treated her. Instead of being her friend or working for her like I'd imagined, he was demanding, impatient, and rude.

Some of the texts he'd sent her while we were out to see her mom were above and beyond the worst I'd ever seen. He sounded like an angry ex-boyfriend instead of the manager he was supposed to be.

"I should probably go," Jennie said as we neared the front of the shop. She had her phone in front of her, her fingers tightly gripping the device.

"If you ever decided to change managers, would it interrupt your touring schedule?" I asked, curious as to why she kept him around.

"It might cause a small hiccup, but it wouldn't interrupt the shows. Those are already scheduled and completely planned out. But anything having to do with the promotion and such like that... that might not be as effective as it is now."

"With a manager who treats you like a child more than anything else?" I asked, gesturing at her phone. "I get it. He discovered you when you were young, but you're a grown woman now and-"

"Don't," she said, her voice clipped at the end. "Please. Let's just enjoy the rest of the day. I know you aren't fond of him, and sure, he gets on my case sometimes, but he isn't the villain you make him out to be."

"I never said-"

"You didn't have to." She released a shaky breath and shoved the phone back in her pocket. Once she did, she took my hands in hers and held them between us. "I love that you're looking out for me, I truly do, but right now what I really want is a friend to sit and be with me, even in silence."

I squeezed her hands tight and smiled when she squeezed back. "That's something I can definitely do. Just let me get things situated down here, then I'll come up."

She looked from me, my hands, at the front doors, then back at me again. "You really need to get back to work." She didn't sound convinced, but then neither was I.

I didn't move. "I'll put a note on the door and-"

"Turning customers away?" She tilted her head to the side and gave me a half-smile. "That doesn't sound like the Rosie I know."

It wasn't. It wasn't like me at all. "Today's different."

"And tomorrow will be better," she promised, referring to everything she'd faced today. "We can have lunch in the tower tomorrow, but you really should open the store."