Lost Stars | Chaelisa

Chapter 3

Rose's POV

I'm supposed to meet my friend here, but she hasn't replied to any of my texts yet. I decided to go inside the bar while I wait for her. I sat on an empty stool by the bar counter. Suddenly, the bartender approaches me.

Her hair's in a ponytail and she has bangs. She is really pretty, too. We were talking when a girl suddenly orders a drink.

"Be right back," she says.

My phone starts ringing. It's my friend, Mina. I went outside so I could hear her better.

"Hi, Rosé."

"Hey, Mina. Where are you?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't think I can make it tonight. I have a family emergency right now. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. I'm really sorry," she says.

"No, it's fine. You do what you gotta do, Mina."

"Thanks, Rosie. Bye!"

"Bye."

What do I do now? I thought. For a second, I wondered if I should go back inside or just go home. I decided to just go home. Tonight is cancelled.

I got to my apartment in a couple of minutes.

I lied on my bed and checked my phone. I saw that I got a few messages from my ex-girlfriend, Jisoo.

Why don't you just block her if you're not going to respond to her anyway? I thought. I was about to block her number, but stopped. I decided not to give her another chance, but somehow I just couldn't seem to completely delete her from my life.

Suddenly, I could hear my stomach growling. I checked the fridge, but there was no food inside. I decided to order food and it arrived about 20 minutes later.

I don't usually order fast food, but I'm not in the mood to cook. When I was done with my chicken nuggets, I dipped my french fries into the vanilla soft serve. Just like how Jisoo and I used to eat this. Oh shit.

All of a sudden, tears started welling in my eyes. I think I need some fresh air. I went to the rooftop so I can breathe. I started sobbing. I'm such a goddamn crybaby.

Then I heard someone coughed and I realized I wasn't alone. I wiped my tears.

"Hi, I think I heard someone crying. Are you alright?"

To my surprise, it was the bartender I met tonight. "I'm fine. Um, I think we've met earlier tonight. Lisa, right?"

"Oh yeah, you were the at the bar. My shift just ended. You're Rosé, right?"

"Yup, that's me," I said trying to speak calmly, but my voice broke.

"You disappeared all of a sudden. Didn't think I'd see you here. Why are you crying here, by the way?"

"It's nothing. Sorry if I bothered you."

"It's fine, I always come here to cry, too," she said. I turned to her and she said, "Nah, just kidding. Want a cigarette?"

"No, thanks. I don't smoke," I said.

"Okay, Rosé."

"Actually, you can call me Chaeyoung or Chaeng. That's my Korean name."

"And they call you Rosé in Australia?"

"Yeah, short for Roseanne."

"Must be cool having lots of names. I'm just Lisa everywhere I go."

"I like your name."

She just shrugged.

There was a moment of silence. Then I said, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"No. Never mind."

"Go ahead, ask me," said Lisa.

"How do you get over someone?"

"Oh, that's easy. Delete all their contacts and fuck somebody else," she said. Then she blew a smoke.

I chuckled. "I don't actually do hookups."

"Then try it."

"Did that ever work out for you?"

"Yeah... Is that why you were crying? You can't get over someone?"

"Yeah, I just broke up with my girlfriend."

"Girlfriend, huh?"

"Yup. We've been dating for like three years. Then I caught her cheating on me."

"Man, that sucks."

"It does. Actually, it wasn't the first time she cheated."

"So, she'd done it a lot of times before?"

"Yeah."

"Good riddance. People suck, you know. That's why I don't do girlfriends."

"You've never been in a relationship before?"

"Yeah, I don't get attached. They will love you until they don't. People just come and go."

"Are you really that pessimistic about love?"

"I'm not pessimistic. I'm just being realistic," she said.

"I never see things that way even though I've been hurt so many times."

"Well, that's you. All I'm saying is you won't ever see me crying on a rooftop... Uh, no offense."

"None taken. Anyway, I should probably go now. Sorry for oversharing," I said.

"I don't mind, really."

"Okay. See you around, Lisa," I said with a smile.

"You too, Chaeyoung."