She's not mine | 𝔍𝔢𝔫𝔩𝔦𝔰𝔞

Chapter 25

Jennie

Rosé's door swings open moments after I press my finger to the scanner, and I walk in with my arms overflowing with snacks.

"Jennie?" She sits up on the sofa and puts her laptop away, a frown on her face. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be all loved up with Lisa?"

I huff as I sink down on the sofa, and she holds her arms open for me, offering me a hug. I throw myself into her arms and squeeze tightly, not sure what to say to her.

"That bad, huh?"

I nod and tighten my grip on her. "She's with her right now."

Rosé pulls me off her to look me in the eye. "She's what?"

"She's having dinner with her tonight."

"You must be kidding," she says, her voice terse. "She went for dinner with her a day after you two got married? What the hell? Where are they?"

"Don't," I warned her. "Don't be crazy today. I'm here because I didn't want to be alone in the Irene Shrine she calls home. Can we just watch some stupid reality TV show and eat snacks that I shouldn't be eating at all?"

Rosé narrows her eyes before she grabs my bag of chips and throws it across the room. "Now is not the time for snacks, Jennie. You spent years loving my sister quietly. You're her wife now, Jen. In the Manoban family, that actually means something. All we need to do is make sure Grandma finds out where she is right now, and I can guarantee she'll never even attempt to see her again. You're Grandma's eldest daughter-in-law, and there's no way she'll allow Lisa to mistreat you in any way."

I hesitate for a moment, wanting to choose the easy road but knowing it isn't the right thing to do.

"Rosé." I shake my head. "Let's not do that, okay? Forcibly keeping her away from her won't work in my best interests. She'll just want to be with her that much more, and the last thing I need is for her to go behind my back."

Rosé purses her lips but manages to bite her tongue. "Come with me."

I sigh as I follow her into her bedroom. I can tell by her terse posture that she's concocting some kind of plan, and I'm not sure I should get caught up in any of her nefarious ideas.

"Here." She holds up a department store bag. "I bought this for you earlier today. I had a feeling you'd be needing it."

I peek inside the bag, my eyes widening when I realize what I'm looking at. I pull the lacy sleepwear out and chuckle.

"This is... this is outrageous." I burst out laughing as I stare at the scraps of fabric in my hands. "I've done a lot of underwear modeling and this is ridiculous even for me." I reach into the bag and hold up one of the thongs she bought me. "What's the point of this even? It doesn't have a crotch."

Rosé wiggles her eyebrows. "Easy access." She takes the bag from me and rummages through it, taking out two nightgowns she bought me, one white and the other red. "These are both going to look beautiful on you. They're revealing enough to make it impossible for Lisa not to notice your body."

I bite down on my lip as I reach for the red nightgown. "I'm not sure," I tell her. Irene and I have very different body types.

She's a little shorter than I am, and when she isn't on a strict diet for a role, she's much curvier than I am. I'm not sure Lisa would find me appealing after being with someone like my sister. "I'm not sure highlighting my body is a good idea."

Rosé snatches the gown back from me, her eyes flashing with anger. "You're an idiot," she snaps. "You're one of the most beautiful women alive, and I'm not even being biased. You've been named that by several magazines. Channel the confidence you exude on the runway, Jen."

I bite down on my lip and look down. "Look, Rosé... there's something I haven't told you."

She frowns, and I sit down on her bed. "Remember that night we went out and Lisa came to pick us up because we were so drunk?"

She nods and sits down next to me, her eyes on mine as I tell her all about how I climbed onto her lap, the way I tried to seduce her, the things I said. "She wasn't even remotely tempted, Rosé. A small part of me thought that I could get her to fold if I truly gave it my all, but I couldn't. She wasn't moved."

She looks away and shakes her head. "I really doubt that, Jen. Even if that's the case, it's different now. You were unattainable to her before, but you're her wife now. If she repeatedly sees you in various states of undress, she's going to end up wanting you, even if she doesn't right now. She won't be able to stay away from you for three years, and she won't cheat on you."

I cross my arms and nod hesitantly. "Yeah," I admit. "I don't think she'll cheat."

She smiles at me and holds up the nightgown she bought me.

"If you two end up sleeping together, she'll end up falling for you. I know you think she'll never stop loving your sister, but I call bullshit. She's always looked at you a certain way, and there's always been this unshakeable bond between you two. She just needs a push. Lisa is a woman of morals, and so long as she thinks she's doing right by both Irene and you by staying away, she will. Give her a reason to fold. Honestly, if you just outright tell her you want her to meet your physical needs, she'd fall as fast as a house of cards. I know she wants you. She just won't admit it to herself."

I stare at Rosé, wondering if it's all just her own wishful thinking, or if she might be right. I feel like I played my hand and lost the night she took us home. I'm scared to put myself out there in the same way again.

"Trust me," she tells me. "I know my sister, and she does not just see you as Irene's sister. If you aren't comfortable with pursuing her directly, then just do this much, okay? Just wear the nightgowns I bought you and see how she responds to that. Just seduce her, slowly, until she gives in and comes to you. Watch her actions, Jen. I'm certain she'll betray herself sooner or later. She wants you... and the line between lust and love is thin."

I reach for the white nightgown she bought me and examine it. It'd barely cover anything... it's too much.

"Just try it, Jen."

I nod. "Fine. I'll try it, but if it backfires, you'll never hear the end of it."

"It won't," she promises. Rosé seems so sure... I wish I could borrow some of her confidence.

What is it that she's seeing between Lisa and me that I'm not seeing?

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