Tulips and Roses

Chapter 18, the performance

As the lights dimmed in the old theatre, a slow hum of an electric bass slowly grew louder. Jisoo sat next to Rosie, trying her best to focus of the dancing silhouettes, due to turn into her friend and her back up dancers any second. Every now and then, her eyes, against her own will, would stray away from the performance and to her cherished lover. Every time, her breath would be taken away.

As the performance progressed, Jisoo felt her hand reach over from her lap to the arm rest, placing itself on top of Rosie's. The florist intertwined them, making sure Jisoo could not pull away. Occasionally, Jisoo would glance down at their hands, the sight comforted her in a way she was not used to.

Why don't you take your own advice?

Jennie's words rung in her head once again. She had been unable to shake them. It was a bleak, unanswerable question, shining a light on her own hypocrisy. The mere thought of it alone was near unbearable. She wanted to believe she was better than it, that she was smarter than to fall victim to her own paranoia of the people around her. Jisoo knew better than to subscribe to that false ideology.

She glanced around the large, auditorium, the other patrons completely transfixed on the show. It relieved her. She knew none of them truly cared about the two of them, most would just see them as rich university students, the ones that knew who Jisoo was would assume she was out with a friend.

There was a flash on the stage, causing Rosie to tighten her grip slightly before relaxing. The break in Jisoo's thoughts caused her to look over at her florist. The stark light shone on her face, taking all the fears and suspicion from Jisoo's mind, and putting it to rest. Jisoo noticed a small smile on her lover's face, causing her to calm down. Finally, her thoughts settled.

I'm being ridiculous, Jisoo thought, I should enjoy the show too.

And so she did, her eyes became completely transfixed on the performance below her.

Pride. That was the only emotion that filled Jisoo as the stage curtain dropped. She had never seen Lisa perform with so much emotion, passion. Her movements, though bright and colourful, seemed to be tainted with small, purposeful flaws; an off centre spin, a slightly contorted pose. It sobered the mood of the performance. It made the story seem more human; a girl trying to be what everyone else wants her to be, but always falling short. It was by far the best thing Jisoo had ever seen.

Because they were far away from the doors, the couple decided to wait until the crowds dispersed, lest they get crushed against a wall, or worse, separated in the sea of people. As they fumbled with their jackets, Rosie kept glancing up at Jisoo.

The business woman raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"Oh, nothing," A flustered Rosie responded.

Jisoo raised an eyebrow, "Am I truly that pretty? Goodness, it truly is a curse."

Lightly, Rosie hit Jisoo's arm, causing Jisoo to chuckle. This made Rosie pout, causing Jisoo's measly heart to fill with butterflies.

"That's not fair," Jisoo complained.

Rosie smirked, "Who's pretty now?"

Jisoo decided to take back control, "It makes me want to kiss you."

Rosie faked a gasp, "Miss Kim, you kiss your employees?"

The business woman mimicked Rosie's smirk, "Only if they're pretty."

The memory of their first encounter in Jisoo's office flashed in both of their minds, causing Rosie to blush. Jisoo simply chuckled, knowing that Rosie cannot respond to that. Defeated, the florist grabbed Jisoo's hand, and begins to lead them out of the auditorium. Even though Jisoo definitely liked to be in control, she sort of liked it when Rosie took over like that from time to time.

As they reached the bottom of the steps to the ground floor, they began to hear a commotion outside, dampening their once light hearted mood. As they drew even nearer, Jisoo recognised the familiar sounds of yelling men and clicking cameras.

Paparazzi, Jisoo thought, trying her best not to swear.

Rosie's grip on Jisoo tightened, "What's going on out there?" She sounded nervous.

Jisoo tried her best to give her a smile, "It's just some camera men, looking for notable faces."

"Oh," Rosie's face dawned in realisation, "That's us, isn't it?"

"I'm afraid so, Rosie," Jisoo said her name softly, trying to put out her fear, "I've done this a thousand times," Jisoo held up their locked hands, "Just don't let go."

"Never."

The second they left the building, they were hounded. They were suffocated. Lights began to blind them, Jisoo knew better than to stop in a daze, instead pushing through the crowd. Luckily, no cameras bashed against either of their heads, but a few came close. The people behind the huge contraptions yelled and jeered, trying to gain a reaction out of either of them, failing miserably. A couple eager tabloids even tried to grasp Jisoo's arm to stop her from leaving. It was beyond unbearable.

As quickly as it began, it came to an end. The business woman's driver, who looked more concerned for Rosie than his boss, met her near the end of the crowd, safely escorting them to her car with minimal bother. Jisoo felt her heart rate slow, she had not even noticed its race. She could not even imagine what that must have been like for Rosie.

The florists' grip on her lover's hand did not loosen until the car was safely away from the venue. Comfortingly, Jisoo rubbed circles on the back of her hand, quietly whispering words of encouragement, telling Rosie how well she did, how brave she was. Rosie rested her head on Jisoo's shoulder, with the same exhaustion as someone who ran a marathon.

As they reached a red light, Rosie finally spoke, "That was horrible."

Jisoo did not know how to respond. Of course, she agreed, but she did not know a way to settle Rosie's thoughts. Would this change Rosie, change their relationship? How could Jisoo consolidate a situation so disgustingly normal to her, yet alien to the woman she cared so deeply for?

Rosie spoke again, "I never want to go through that again, not ever."

"You never will," The words spilt from Jisoo's lips before she had time to stop them, though she stood by them all the same.

"How can you be so sure?" Rosie's voice cracked, "You can't stop them from hawking us."

Jisoo stared at their interlocked hands. There were a few options. She could employ a security detail, something people had wanted her to consider for years, she alway thought it was a bit pretentious. She could also try paying off the different news outlets, but that felt like an extreme waste of money. She knew there was another solution, even if she was not ready to admit it yet.

Jisoo squeezed Rosie's hand, "What's the point of being as rich and powerful as me if I can't even keep you safe?"

"I don't want you to be rich, or powerful, I want us to be able to see a show in peace. I want us to live in peace." Rosie said, exasperated.

Those words hit Jisoo like a truck. She knew it, she knew Rosie hated her fame, she hated having to hide them. She hated it too. Jisoo thought carefully before responding, but eventually decided to just speak her mind.

"I'm afraid," Jisoo admitted, to both herself and to Rosie, "I've never been this invested before."

Rosie managed a weak smile, sitting up to place a soft kiss on Jisoo's lips. As she leaned back, she whispered, "Are you afraid of them or me?"

Jisoo did not respond. Rosie hopped out of the car. Jisoo's driver drove off. She had not even realised how much time had passed, that they had reached Rosie's home.

Home, Jisoo thought, Such a weird concept. I wonder if I have one too, I don't think so. It's always just been me, it's how I got here, how I got rich. Am I selfish? Is it selfish people who don't have homes?

A buzz from her phone broke her thoughts, yet another call from her executive, she picked it up, not expecting much.

"Another date Miss Kim? I hope you enjoy the tabloids in the morning."