Reaching My Star | A Chaennie AU

Chapter 36: Hard Question (Jennie 28; Rosé 31)

For almost two weeks, Jennie and Rosé had fallen into a routine. Every other day, Jennie would sneak away to Rosé's apartment during breaks, and they'd spend hours wrapped up in each other, enjoying the warmth of their newfound intimacy. It was perfect, in so many ways. Neither of them had addressed the elephant in the room—the question of "what they were"—but Jennie couldn't shake the nagging feeling in her chest. And while she didn't want to rock the boat, a part of her longed to solidify what they had.

One evening, Rosé invited Jennie out for a simple dinner, choosing a cozy little restaurant about 30 minutes outside of Seoul. It was a quiet spot, away from the busyness of the city, offering the privacy they both seemed to crave. Rosé had told Jennie she had a photoshoot the next day, staying at a hotel nearby, and asked if Jennie would accompany her. With Hayoon staying at Jennie's parents' house for the night, it was the perfect excuse for them to have an uninterrupted evening together.

But the truth was, there was no photoshoot. In fact, she had planned the whole night with something else in mind. Something that had been building in her heart. Rosé had been nervous, her mind swirling with the thought of asking Jennie to officially be her girlfriend. She had been replaying the speech in her head over and over again, and yet, as they sat down to dinner, her nerves kicked in, threatening to derail everything.

Dinner passed with easy conversation, though Rosé could feel the butterflies in her stomach growing stronger with every passing minute. She kept wanting to ask, kept opening her mouth to say the words, but nerves held her back. Jennie seemed so happy, so content, and Rosé didn't want to ruin the moment by putting too much pressure on them.

After dinner, they took a long walk in a nearby park. It was late, and the stars were faint above them, barely visible through the thin veil of clouds. Rosé tried again to bring up what she'd been thinking, but every time she did, something else came up—a stray dog wandering by or a sudden gust of wind that made Jennie laugh and bury her face in her scarf.

By the time they arrived at the hotel, Rosé's nerves were on edge. She had to say something. They both changed into comfortable clothes, settling down on the bed with glasses of wine. But there was a certain tension in the air, an unspoken weight that both of them could feel.

Rosé glanced over at Jennie, her heart pounding in her chest. Now or never, she told herself. She couldn't keep pushing this off. They were already sitting close, their bodies nearly touching. Jennie caught her eye and smiled softly.

"You okay? You've been quiet tonight," Jennie said, her voice gentle.

Rosé took a deep breath, setting her glass aside. "Yeah... I'm okay. I just... I've been thinking about something."

Jennie turned fully toward her, concern flickering in her eyes. "What is it?"

Rosé looked down at her hands, fidgeting slightly before reaching into her bag and pulling out a small velvet box. Her heart felt like it was going to leap out of her chest, but she pressed on. "Jennie, I've been thinking about us. About what we are. And I know we haven't really talked about it... but I want to."

Jennie's breath hitched as she eyed the box in Rosé's hands, her mind racing. She wasn't sure what to expect, but her heart started to beat faster.

Rosé swallowed hard, her voice soft but steady. "I don't want to wait anymore. I don't want us to just be... undefined. I want to be with you, Jennie. Officially. I want to call you my girlfriend. And I want to give you this as a promise... that I'm serious about us."

She opened the box, revealing a simple but beautiful silver promise ring. Jennie's eyes widened, and she felt her heart swell. Rosé's words hung in the air, and for a moment, Jennie didn't know what to say. She had been waiting for this, wanting it, but now that the moment was here, it felt even more real than she had imagined.

Jennie's eyes softened, and a smile slowly spread across her face. "Rosie... I—yes. Yes, I want that too. I've wanted it for a while. I just didn't know if..."

Rosé let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, a huge wave of relief washing over her. "You didn't know if I felt the same?"

Jennie nodded, her voice shaky with emotion. "Yeah. I didn't want to assume. I didn't want to ruin what we already had."

Rosé chuckled softly, taking Jennie's hand in hers. "Trust me, I've wanted this for a while too. I was just too nervous to say it."

Jennie blinked back the tears welling up in her eyes, laughing lightly. "You? nervous?"

Rosé squeezed her hand, gently sliding the ring onto Jennie's finger. "I guess we're both just a little scared. But now... we don't have to be."

Jennie stared at the ring, her heart full, then looked back up at Rosé with a wide, beaming smile. "So... I'm officially your girlfriend now?"

Rosé laughed, leaning in to press a soft kiss against Jennie's lips. "Yeah, you are. And I'm yours."

They stayed close, their foreheads touching, breathing in the moment. Jennie kissed her again, and this time it was slow, deep, filled with all the feelings they had kept bottled up for so long. When they finally pulled apart, Jennie's voice was barely a whisper.

"I'm so happy right now. You don't even know."

Rosé smiled, brushing a strand of hair behind Jennie's ear. "Me too. This is... everything."

The room was quiet as they sat there, letting the moment sink in. And then, as if a switch had been flipped, the tension between them shifted. Rosé kissed Jennie again, more urgently this time, her fingers gently tracing along Jennie's back as she pulled her closer. Jennie responded, pressing herself against Rosé, their breathing deepening as the intensity between them grew.

Rosé's hands wandered to Jennie's waist, pulling her down until Jennie was lying on top of her, their bodies perfectly aligned. Jennie's heart raced as she felt Rosé's fingers move lower, a subtle but undeniable shift in the atmosphere.

"Are you sure?" Jennie whispered, her voice breathless as she looked down at Rosé.

Rosé smiled, her eyes dark with affection and something more. "I've never been more sure," she whispered back, pulling Jennie into another deep kiss.

The rest of the night was a blur of warmth and softness, a culmination of everything they had been holding back for so long. The connection between them deepened in ways that words could never capture, as they allowed themselves to be completely vulnerable with each other for the first time.

And by the end of it all, they lay together, wrapped in each other's arms, the quiet of the room settling around them like a blanket. Jennie sighed contentedly, her head resting on Rosé's shoulder, the weight of the world lifted from both their hearts.