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A/N: Originally a one-shot for a different ship/group, but I thought it'd be really cute for ChaeLisa too. Childhood friends to lovers trope, featuring a mute!Lisa.

(Just to clear up any confusion: they start off at five years old, then they're fourteen, and then somewhere between seventeen to eighteen towards the end.)

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᠁

Roseanne Park and Lalisa Manoban have been inseparable friends since childhood.

But could their feelings for each other turn into something more?

 

Rosé tugs on her father’s hand insistently.

 

“Come on, dad! Hurry up!” She exclaims with a giggle, her bright hazel eyes locked on the large building up ahead. Today is her first day in kindergarten, Rosé can’t be any more eager to get started with school, meet her new teachers, and hopefully make some new friends as well.

 

“Yes, yes. I’m coming. Calm down, Rosie.” Mr. Park laughs as he escorts his excitable daughter inside.

 

Her classroom is the fourth room on the left side of the entranceway, and Rosé quickly breaks away from her father to find a place to sit. Most of the other kids haven’t arrived yet, but she spots another girl sitting all by herself in one corner. Tucked away at the very back. Rosé, with her bubbly energy and childlike enthusiasm on full blast, grins widely in her direction.

 

Wow! She’s very pretty! She thinks with a toothy smile lighting up her face. She runs over to the girl’s spot and plops herself down on the empty chair next to her desk.

 

“Hi! I’m Roseanne! But you can call me Rosé or Rosie, if you want!” The Aussie says cheerfully. “What’s your name?”

 

The girl doesn’t say anything. Instead, she just stares at Rosé with those wide timid eyes that remind her of a scared puppy. For a moment, the megawatt grin on Rosé’s face wavers a bit as she looks back in concern. But before she can ask what’s wrong, the other girl opens the Spongebob-themed notepad in hand and begins to scribble down on it using a blue crayon. She then offers up a small but sheepish smile afterward as she slides the notepad over to her.

 

Curious, Rosé picks it up before reading the blocky letters on the paper.

 

“Oh! So, you’re Lisa?” The girl nods shyly, and Rosé beams with delight. “I like that name! It’s really pretty, just like you!”

 

Lisa’s smile grows bigger at that.

 

᠁

 

Weeks pass, and the two kids have become fast friends in no time. They both seem to enjoy the same things and often spend their playtime sharing in the creative corner of their classroom, sharing crayons and markers while they draw together in companionable silence most of the time. Rosé doesn’t mind at all that Lisa is unable to speak. She likes exchanging colorful drawings and even secret messages with the Thai girl well enough, so communication is hardly ever difficult for either of them to engage in.

 

But when Halloween draws near, Rosé has decided then that she wants to learn a new way to converse with her best friend. She’s seen Lisa signing to her parents a lot, so she wants to give it a try herself too.

 

“Hey, dad?” Rosé turns to her father as they’re seated at the dining table for dinner. “Can you take me to the library tomorrow?”

 

Mr. Park pauses in the middle of him cutting his piece of chicken to give his daughter an amused look. “Hm? And what for?”

 

“I want to learn sign language so I can talk to Lisa with it.” Rosé explains while shifting in her seat. “I saw a book about it when Mrs. Hwang brought us there last Tuesday for orientation week.”

 

The man smiles warmly at this. “Sure, Rosie. Whatever you want. I’m sure Lisa would really appreciate that from you.”

 

Rosé lets out an excited squeal as she chews on her chicken leg happily. I’ll finally be able to talk with Lisa now!

 

To her glee, the next day finally comes and she finds herself sitting at a small round table in the children’s section of their local library. The kind old librarian was more than happy to assist Rosé and helped her get the book she needs.

 

“It’s great to see kids her age being interested in these things.” She tells Mr. Park as they’re watching over the young girl poring through the pages like a scholar hungry for knowledge. Rosé doesn’t quite hear anything else after that since she soon becomes immersed in the pile of subject material sitting on the table before her.

 

She spends that afternoon studying the alphabet and copying the hand gestures, trying to sign the basic words like “hello”, “nice to meet you”, “please”, and “thank you”. Her father even had a hard time convincing Rosé to tear away from her precious stack of books once dinner time rolls in, and they ended up checking out three different guidebooks for her to take home.

 

Over the course of the following week, Rosé continues to work on the basics by herself. As soon as she comes home from school, she would rush up to her room after greeting Mr. Park with a quick “hey, dad!” before pulling out her book to start practicing again. Rosé has made plans to surprise Lisa at their school’s Halloween party by signing “hello” to her, and she simply can’t wait to see the look of surprise on her best friend’s pretty face. It’s going to be great!

 

For once, Rosé is looking forward to something else other than the huge bucket of candy she’ll be getting from the teachers.

 

When the day of the party finally arrives, Rosé is already out the door before her father can even put on her red cape.

 

“No need to be in such a rush, Rosie.” Mr. Park says with a hearty chuckle as he kneels down to adjust the Snow White costume that she just haphazardly threw on. “You’ll have plenty of time to talk with Lisa today.”

 

Rosé pouts while squirming a little as he goes to smoothen out the wrinkles of her dress. He merely laughs, however, and hands over her backpack before guiding his daughter along to their car. She wastes no time scrambling into the passenger seat and fumbling around with the seatbelt so she can buckle up as fast as possible. The ride to school seems longer than usual, although maybe it’s because Rosé is so excited to get there soon.

 

In her haste, she barely gives Mr. Park enough time to properly say goodbye before she’s flying out the car and rushing up to the doors. The hem of her dress almost makes her slip a couple of times, but she manages to run up the stairs with no problem and towards her already decorated classroom. Mrs. Hwang greets her at the door, complimenting her costume while Rosé smiles and thanks her.

 

As she scans the room for her friend, a worried look crosses her face when she doesn’t see Lisa sitting at her usual spot. The Thai is normally one of the first to arrive on most days, given that her parents would drop her off early on the way to work.

 

Mrs. Hwang must have noticed that something is wrong, because she moves across the room and over to her side.

 

“Is there a problem, Roseanne?” She asks, bending down slightly to meet her gaze.

 

Rosé tries to mask the disappointment on her face. “Do you know where Lisa is?”

 

The teacher gives her a reassuring smile. “Lisa’s mom needed to take her to the doctor for a check-up this morning, but she informed me that Lisa will be here before lunchtime.” She explains. “Why don’t you go play with some of your other classmates while waiting for her?”

 

Before Rosé can protest that idea (because she really wanted to talk to Lisa and show her the cool new thing she just learned), Mrs. Hwang lets out a sigh when her attention is pulled to the ruckus behind her. One of the boys seem to have tried picking on Jennie by yanking on the cape of her Elsa costume – only to be chased away crying when Jisoo, who is dressed as Link from Legend of Zelda, leaps to Jennie’s rescue so she can whack his head with the flat of her plastic sword.

 

“Jongin! Jisoo! We’ve talked about this already!” Mrs. Hwang groans before excusing herself to confront the two kids with Jisoo waving her sword at the bawling boy while shielding (literally, she has a shield) the flustered Jennie behind her.

 

The rest of the morning drags by slowly for Rosé. But then finally, at eleven o’ clock, there are soft knocks on the door as it opens to reveal a nervous-looking Lisa poking her head in.

 

Rosé brightens immediately.

 

“Lisa!” She sprints towards her and throws her arms around the startled girl for a crushing embrace. Her smile broadens into a full grin when Lisa embraces her just as tightly before reluctantly stepping back to see that she’s dressed as Kim Possible for the party. “I like your costume, by the way! It really suits you!”

 

Lisa grins and flashes her Snow White costume a thumbs-up; a silent compliment that the Aussie understands right away. “Oh, thank you!” Rosé beams happily.

 

As they’re seated together in their little corner of the classroom, Rosé briefly contemplates whether she should surprise Lisa now or later, but decides that this would be the best time. And so, with a quiet giggle, she signs one simple word: “Hello!”

 

The look on Lisa’s face is priceless, but the hug Rosé receives right after is even better.

 

᠁

 

rosiepoo🌹

Lisaaaaa, you don’t understand T_T

You clearly haven’t lived until you’ve seen this movie, ok??

 

NaurLisa

Considering that I’ve made it this far, I’m living my best life without ever having to see it 😇

 

rosiepoo🌹

Oh, come onnnn

Would it KILL you to at least give it a try?

 

NaurLisa

Y’all hear smth?

I think I’m choking rn

Cough. Cough. Gag.

 

rosiepoo🌹

Seriously..? -.-

 

NaurLisa

Frankly, I’m not

I’m afraid I can’t go on for much longer, Rosie…

Tell my parents and Luca that I love them 👊😔

Here lies Lalisa Manoban, who died at the unmerciful hands of Roseanne Park’s terrible rom-com movies

May she rest in peace 💔

 

rosiepoo🌹

Ugh, why did I even bother…

Anyway, are you still coming over later?

 

NaurLisa

Yeah, yeah. I’ll be right there .3.

You better not eat all those chips without me!

 

rosiepoo🌹

No promises~!

 

With a chuckle, Rosé tosses her iPhone to the side of her bed. She and Lisa have been best friends for nearly ten years now, and they’re practically joined by the hip. Not a day goes by when they don’t at least message each other on KakaoTalk, even if it was to only send a funny picture or video. And if ever such a day does occur, well… you can possibly assume that the apocalypse is nigh.

 

“Rosie, I’m heading out to grab some things from the store.” Mr. Park announces as he peeks into her bedroom. “Do you need me to get anything? Snacks? Drinks?”

 

Rosé shakes her head.

 

“I think we’re good, dad. Thanks.” She replies with a smile before taking a sip from the mug of hot chocolate sitting on her nightstand. “By the way, Lisa’s coming over later.”

 

Her father merely hums. It’s typical for them to hang out at each other’s houses, and he has long since gotten used to opening the front door for Lisa to come inside.

 

“Alright. Just make sure to clean up after yourselves, okay?”

 

“Yep!”

 

As Mr. Park prepares to take his leave, Rosé sets down her mug and moves to grab her Macbook. Placing it on her lap so she can scroll through the list of movies on her Netflix account before a notification goes off on her phone. Without a second thought, she reaches for the device and unlocks it. There’s another message from Lisa.

 

NaurLisa

Um, Rosie? 👉👈

Tonight might not be such a great time…

 

Well, that doesn’t sound too good.

 

Rosé frowns and begins to type.

 

rosiepoo🌹

Aww, why not? :c

 

She gets a reply no less than a minute later.

 

NaurLisa

It’s probably better if I told you in-person

Meet me at the park in fifteen minutes? 🥺

 

rosiepoo🌹

Ofc, I’ll be there as soon as I can 💕💕

 

With a concerned sigh, Rosé locks her phone and pockets it in her hoodie. She tries not to let her thoughts wander on the negatives, despite the sudden urgency in Lisa’s messages. Did her friend get grounded? Is that why she can’t come over?

 

… Okay, no. If that were the case, Lisa would’ve definitely told her straight away.

 

Shaking her head, Rosé sends back a quick message to her father and slips into her old pair of red chucks before heading out into the chilly evening with a sweater to keep her warm. A dozen possibilities run through her head at what Lisa might be pertaining to. But the sooner she stops thinking about it, the sooner she can get to the park and find out what the actual problem is.

 

Without a moment’s hesitation, Rosé hops onto her bike and pedals off towards her destination. It takes her about ten minutes tops since there aren’t many cars passing through her neighborhood, and she easily spots Lisa waiting for her by their usual hangout spot under a large tree by an old swing set and a weathered seesaw. Her own bike is resting against the trunk while its owner paces back and forth nearby.

 

“Hey, Lis. I got your message. What’s up?” Rosé asks as soon as she flips down the kickstand of her bike, propping it up so she can walk up to the mute girl.

 

Lisa halts in her tracks and looks upwards into the starlit night sky above. Rosé frowns worriedly, but doesn’t say anything else. She knows well by now that it’s better to wait until Lisa is ready to tell her what’s going on.

 

A couple of minutes pass with the only sounds being the noise of cicadas hiding somewhere within the leaves and their shoes crunching along the dewy grass beneath them. Finally, after what seems like a long time, Lisa turns to face her with saddened eyes.

 

I’m moving back. She signs slowly.

 

Rosé blinks, unable to comprehend what she just gestured to her.

 

Lisa breathes out a voiceless sigh.

 

I’m moving back to Thailand soon. She signs once more to clarify.

 

The Aussie is left speechless. It feels as if all of the words that she has wanted to say have been snatched away from her. Rosé feels like her head is spinning now, because is this really happening? It doesn’t feel like it’s happening – or maybe she’s in denial and refuses to grasp the truth that her best friend is leaving.

 

She closes her eyes, wondering if this would all turn out to be just a bad dream when she opens them. Her hazel eyes are greeted by the same tenebrous night, and Rosé’s heart drops even further.

 

So, it’s not a dream…

 

Lisa has turned away from her again. Ashamed and dejected.

 

“I mean, I guess it won’t be all that bad…” Rosé amends gently, more to herself rather than to Lisa. “You did mention how much you miss Bangkok and that South Korea makes you feel homesick sometimes. And besides, we can still message each other on Kakaotalk. Even if we’re, like… miles apart. Right?”

 

Her frown deepens some more. She’s already running out of ways to convince herself that things would turn out okay for them after this, but she tries to believe that it will. For the sake of their friendship.

 

“… When are you guys leaving?” Rosé asks hesitantly, almost like she’s afraid of receiving an answer.

 

About a week from now. Lisa responds with downturned lips, her gaze turning guilty and despondent at Rosé’s crestfallen expression. I felt like you had the right to know, at least, so I wanted to tell you ahead of time. I just didn't want to make it seem like I’m abandoning you…

 

“Oh, Lis…” Rosé shakes her head with fondness in her eyes and a faint uptick on the corner of . “I would never think that you’d abandon me. You’re far too good for that, plus you’ve always been so upfront and honest to me about important stuff. So, really, I appreciate that you told me this straight-up.”

 

She steps closer to Lisa when the latter turns back around and gives her a sad but hopeful look.

 

“Would it be weird to ask for a hug, then…?”

 

Lisa cracks a smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes before shaking her head softly. She steps forward as well to hold her dearest friend in the comforting embrace of her arms. Rosé nuzzles her face into the crook of Lisa’s neck, basking in the familiarity and warmth that radiate from her, while she returns the hug tenfold.

 

(The two of them would end up sharing another heartfelt but tearful embrace at the airport just a week later with Lisa pressing a tender kiss to Rosé’s forehead. A silent promise that they will reunite again someday.)

 

᠁

 

Rosé slides down in her chair with a groan. The past week has been Hell on Earth for her. Finals have never been her strong point, so she’s definitely looking forward to relaxing once the last of her requirements has been submitted for this term.

 

Her tired eyes flit over to the open planner book sitting next to her laptop. Only a couple more days until Christmas break, and she can put off any thoughts about high school until January.

 

Slumping back on her seat, Rosé rakes a hand through her strawberry-blond hair before sliding her finger across the touchpad to open Discord. She’s hoping that Lisa is still online at this hour, despite being aware that the younger girl’s schedule is largely different from her own. Due to their conflicting timetables and the fact that they’ve both been busy with schoolwork, they haven’t had many opportunities to chat with each other as often as they would like. So, Rosé is pretty much dying to have an actual conversation with her for once.

 

To her absolute delight, there’s a little green symbol on Lisa’s icon. And she doesn’t waste a second in clicking on her username to message her right away.

 

red like rosie🌹

Lisaaaaaaa~

 

LOLISA

Rosieeee :D

 

red like rosie🌹

Hi hi hi!

Are you busy rn??

 

LOLISA

Haha, nope

I’m free for the rest of the day!

Got time for a video call? I miss hearing your voice u.u

 

Rosé may or may not have blushed at that.

 

red like rosie🌹

And I miss seeing your dumb face 🥰

 

LOLISA

WOW, OKAY

That’s the most back-handed compliment you’ve given me yet =_=

 

red like rosie🌹

I’m just kidding, lol

But really, I do miss you :c

 

LOLISA

Aww, Rosie…

I miss you too <3

But don’t tell that to your boyfriend. He might get jealous

 

red like rosie🌹

Oh, you mean Jungkook? Yeah, he’d probably be

Who wouldn’t be jealous of the amazing Lalisa Manoban? 😘

 

LOLISA

Ya got that right 😤😤😤

 

Chuckling, Rosé clicks on the video call button. It takes a couple of seconds for it to connect before a webcam screen immediately pops up. Lisa flashes her one of those blinding smiles that could rival the sun as she waves both of her hands excitedly, and Rosé has to force down the blush creeping into her cheeks at the endearing sight while simultaneously trying to ignore the happy flips of her stomach.

 

Remember when Rosé said that she missed seeing Lisa’s face? Yeah, she wasn’t kidding.

 

In fact, while Rosé would probably never admit it out loud, she actually kind of, sort of, maybe likes Lisa – and not in a “We’re literally childhood best friends. Of course, I like you” type of way, but in a more than friendly way. Way more.

 

Lalisa Manoban is a very beautiful girl, there’s no denying it, and Rosé has always known that her best friend is blessed with drop-dead gorgeous visuals fitting for a model. However, it didn’t really dawn on her just how attractive Lisa actually is until the early summer before their sophomore year. They had been video-calling late during one humid night when it was rather hot in Thailand, so much so that Lisa had casually opened her webcam to reveal her mostly-bare torso with only a black Nike sports bra covering her chest.

 

At first, Rosé didn’t really think anything of it. Because why would she? They’re best friends, after all, and it’s not like that was the first time she had seen Lisa without a shirt on (given the Thai’s more brazen personality). But then she let her eyes wander a little more than they should and, well… .

 

Suddenly, Rosé couldn’t stop thinking about the way Lisa’s ash-blond hair was tied up into a high ponytail that revealed her lean shoulders. Or how her bangs would highlight the intensity of her dark almond eyes and their captivating gaze, or how she wanted to trace her fingertips along the sharp distinct edges of that picture-perfect face and memorize every single feature that made Lisa who she is.

 

It was only a matter of time before Rosé finally came to terms with what she feels for her best friend (which is some highkey “lesbicious” behavior), though. She usually tried to shove them into the very recesses of her mind. But then again, Rosé always said that she couldn’t imagine spending her life with anyone other than Lisa…

 

The sound of a keyboard being typed away yanks Rosé back to the present.

 

LOLISA

O rosie posie~

I know I’m hot stuff and all, but can we tone down on the staring?

You might as well take a picture instead. It’ll last longer ;D

 

Said girl just rolls her eyes in fond amusement. Silly Lisa.

 

“Sorry. Got lost in my thoughts for a while there, but thanks for the suggestion.” She humors with a wink of her own before giving the other girl a sweet smile. “So, anyway, how’s life treating you back home?”

 

Lisa appears to frown on the other end, but it’s gone before Rosé can say anything about it.

 

LOLISA

Eh, could’ve been better… though I guess it’s been nicer to me than most lately ✌️

Just broke up with the girl I told you about

She needed someone who could actually put their own two-cents in an argument, if you know what I mean :P

 

“Oh.” Rosé’s voice turns soft and sympathetic. “I’m so sorry to hear that, Lis…”

 

The Thai responds with a nonchalant shrug.

 

LOLISA

It’s fine, tbh. I wasn’t really affected by it all that much

Kinda saw it coming from a mile away, lmao

What about Jungkook, tho?? You barely talk about him nowadays :0

 

Now, it’s Rosé’s turn to shrug. “Guess this would be a good time to mention that we already broke it off more than a week ago. Turns out, I wasn’t exactly his type.”

 

She feels her heart skip a beat when Lisa utters a breathy chuckle at that.

 

LOLISA

Aw, that’s too bad. He seems like a pretty chill guy!

Still can’t get over the fact that you two ended up driving all the way to the convenience store at, what? 2AM?

All because Jungkook REALLY wanted his banana milk

 

Rosé stifles a laugh.

 

“Oh, yeah. I was honestly confused, at first—but then he got me a McFlurry right after to compensate for the time, so I wasn’t too annoyed at him for dragging me along.” She grins. “Anyway, I’m good with us just being friends like before. Right now, he has his eyes set on this Taehyung guy from his woodshop class.”

 

LOLISA

LOL, he better bust out his inner Prince Charming then if he wants to get his man xD

What about Jisoo-unnie and Jennie-unnie, tho? Still pining for each other even after all these years?

 

The four of them had met again in the Principal’s office after they coincidentally skipped their flag ceremony altogether by camping inside the empty cafeteria instead. Unfortunately, a teacher had been patrolling around the area at that same time and eventually caught the two pairs seated only a few tables apart. Jisoo, being the outgoing person and social butterfly that she is, graciously took it upon herself to (re)introduce them to one another and even communicated with Lisa through sign language. Stating how she had studied it during elementary school because she just found it very interesting, much to Lisa’s awe and excitement.

 

The two pairs had gone their separate ways after kindergarten, so it felt good to familiarize themselves with each other upon meeting again years later. Although they had all grown up into (slightly) more mature girls, there were certain aspects to their personalities that hadn’t changed all that much since childhood — which the four of them still fondly remember up till now.

 

Jennie wasn’t as talkative and extroverted as Jisoo, even in her teenage years, but it was mostly due to her shy and anxious nature. She normally relied on Jisoo to do the whole “social interaction” thing, but she and Lisa got along pretty well too. Especially when they found out that they both enjoy dancing and share similar tastes in fashion. Meanwhile, Rosé bonded with Jennie over their English-speaking tongue and love for music, then with Jisoo because of how naturally laidback and funny she is.

 

“You’ll be happy to know that they’ve been dating for almost a month now.” Rosé grins. “Jennie-unnie kicked herself enough times to finally ask Jisoo-unnie out, and she immediately accepted.”

 

Lisa does a silent cheer that has the other girl giggling at her adorable antics.

 

LOLISA

IT’S ABOUT DAMN TIME

For a sec there, I thought we’d be graduating high school without either of them confessing yet. My gOD-

Congrats to those two idiots. Tell them good ol’ Lisa sends her regards ❤️

 

“Jennie-unnie would probably go off in your DMs for calling her that, but sure.” Rosé jokes, and the two of them just sit there in relaxed silence while smiling softly at their desktop screens.

 

It’s comforting to know that they can still enjoy each other’s company without needing a conversation, so the Aussie takes this chance to drink in the image of her friend. Memorizing the shape of her doll-like eyes and the cupid’s bow of her luscious pink lips before admiring the effortless waves of her chestnut-brown hair, which falls past her shoulders in a way that borders on aesthetic.

 

Her smile tugs up at the sight of those round wireframe eye-glasses perched on the younger girl’s sculpted nose – a birthday gift that Rosé had sent over last year after Lisa broke her old glasses during a fairly rigorous dance practice. It always makes Rosé very happy to see them being put into good use, more so because Lisa looks even more attractive wearing them (not that she’d ever mention it out loud).

 

As her mind begins to wander into uncharted but familiar territory, a ping from her laptop brings Rosé back to reality.

 

LOLISA

Sooooo…

There’s actually something I need to tell you :v

 

At that, Rosé’s heart starts to pound in her chest. The possibilities behind that single statement are literally endless, and over fifty percent of them aren’t good. She swiftly hides her fear, though. Not wanting Lisa to catch onto the fact that she’s worried.

 

“Yeah…?” Rosé probes tentatively.

 

Lisa seems to hesitate for a moment, a look of uncertainty on her face, while Rosé listens to the clickity-clack of her fingers flying across the keyboard. Her eyes are trained on the fading white ellipses of an unsent message on the screen as Lisa keeps backspacing her words.

 

After what feels like a century, it eventually pops up in their chat window.

 

LOLISA

I talked about it with my parents earlier and they allowed me to fly over to Seoul for Christmas!! :D

 

It takes all of what Rosé has not to burst out in excitement, her eyes darting to the planner once more as she flips through the pages. Christmas is only two weeks away from now!

 

“Oh my God, that’s awesome!” Rosé squeals as she practically vibrates on her seat. “But wouldn’t it hurt you to give your girl a heads-up next time? And here, I thought I was almost done with all my shopping last weekend!”

 

The sight of Lisa’s grin is enough to make her positively melt inside.

 

᠁

 

Rosé bounces on the balls of her feet impatiently as she scans the bustling airport. Lisa’s flight is set to land in about fifteen minutes, and oh boy – her heart feels like it’s going to jump out of her chest any second.

 

Her mind has been a frazzled mess after spending the past week finishing up all her remaining schoolwork, buying more Christmas presents that haven’t been checked off her list, and helping her dad decorate the house in order to prepare for Lisa’s visit. She somehow managed to make it out alive (save for some minor back pain and a headache), but it might have been better if she had just keeled over instead.

 

Rosé is worried, extremely worried, as she waits restlessly for her best friend’s arrival.

 

What if things were different between them now? Sure, they’ve talked on Discord and texted each other on KakaoTalk during most of their free time, but none of them had actually been in-person. And even if things weren’t as different as Rosé fears that they might be, well… it could soon change for better or for worse after what she’ll do today.

 

Ever since they ended their video call two weeks ago, Rosé has been practicing her sign language again. They’re just three words. Ones that are fairly simple on their own, but are extremely powerful and sentimental when put together: “I love you.”

 

It’s risky, no doubt. Even more so when she considers their weight and the chances that it could totally ruin the rest of Lisa’s stay for Christmas.

 

Rosé breathes in and out, going through the motions in her head once more as she concentrates on doing everything right. Her hand makes a fist before she lifts her pinky finger, her index, and then finally outstretches her thumb. It’s easier said than done. Way easier.

 

With a deep breath, she turns her attention towards the large LED screen over her head.

 

Ten more minutes now. Rosé thinks and begins to pace back and forth, practicing the gestures over and over again with fretful nerves. This has to be perfect. It just has to.

 

She tries to preoccupy herself by playing a few rounds of Subway Surfers on her phone, but she can’t quite seem to focus on anything other than Lisa.

 

Lisa. Lisa. Lisa.

 

Sighing, Rosé shoves her phone back into the pocket of her hoodie and turns to look through the windows facing the airport’s runway. She thinks she can see Lisa’s plane on the landing strip (she’s not sure), and the next several minutes pass by in a blur.

 

“Flight 305 from Bangkok, Thailand is offboarding.” The intercom declares overhead. Rosé’s heart begins to pound longingly against her ribs as she gets up from her seat. It’s almost rhythmic; the thumping and drumming of her heart like it’s playing a nervous love song while she absentmindedly wipes her palms on the denim of her high-waist shorts before retrieving her phone again.

 

There’s a text from Lisa, asking her where she is. Rosé immediately replies that she’s right underneath the flight tracker by Gate 7.

 

She’s drifting off into her own little world again when someone suddenly taps on her shoulder, and she jumps in surprise. Twisting on her heel to see who it is, Rosé finds herself looking right into the bright smiling eyes of Lalisa Manoban. Tall and brunette, and very happy. She doesn’t have her glasses on for once, so Rosé can’t help but notice how good the Thai looks wearing a white crop-top with a windbreaker jacket over it. Exposing her gloriously taut midsection for the world (and Rosé) to gawk at.

 

Holy Mother of…

 

The gentle snapping of fingers pulls Rosé’s attention back to Lisa’s amused face, and she forces down the raging blush that threatens to paint her cheeks.

 

“Lisa!” She exclaims while the other girl shoots her a charming grin. Her arms are spread out for a hug, to which Rosé is more than happy to give when she leaps forward and crushes her best friend into a welcoming embrace. Squeezing her tightly as Lisa gives an almost soundless laugh in response before she ruffles Rosé’s hair affectionately.

 

“Hey! I just brushed that!” Rosé complains with a half-hearted glare upon letting go, but the smile on her face betrays her expression.

 

Lisa chuckles silently, and they both stand there in the midst of people scuttling around them. Neither of them makes the first move as they take this moment to savor each other's presence because, finally, the two are together once again.

 

Rosé decides then that she has put off her confession long enough. So, with a nervous and almost wary smile, she says – “Lisa, there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you for a while now…”

 

Lisa her head to one side and studies her intently, obviously putting all of her focus on what she’s about to say as her expression softens.

 

Inhale. Exhale. You can do this, Rosé.

 

The Aussie’s hands are shaking a little, but she manages to put up a fist while maintaining her wavering smile. Rosé extends her pinky, then her index, and finally her thumb. Just like she rehearsed earlier.

 

Lisa’s mouth drops open in shock, eyes blown wide, which makes the older girl wince. Is that a good sign…?

 

“So, um, y-yeah…! I guess we can just pretend that I never did that!” Rosé stammers out awkwardly. “Geez, what was I thinking? Hah…”

 

Heartbroken and embarrassed beyond words, she goes to spin around with an excuse to search for her father sitting on her tongue. That is, until Lisa grasps her by the shoulders and gently urges Rosé to look at her. The latter notes the uneasy smile on the younger’s face when their gazes meet, and something in her chest clenches as if to brace itself for the worst.

 

Oh, God. Lisa is going to reject her, isn’t she?

 

Lord knows how much Rosé wants to disappear off the face of the Earth right now. She just had to go and act like a fool. It’s over. She royally screwed up this entire Christmas trip for her best friend, and now Roseanne Park is officially –

 

Suddenly, she feels Lisa’s arms around her waist. Wait, this… this isn’t right. Rosé peeks up timidly, confused and shy, while Lisa flashes her a cheeky smile – possibly the sweetest, most sincere smile she’s ever seen grace her perfect features – mouths the words: “I love you too.”

 

For as cliché as it sounds, the world really seems to have disappeared from that declaration alone. And all Rosé can see is just Lisa. Her Lisa.

 

“You love me…?” She manages to choke out, blinking back the tears she hadn’t realized were there, as Lisa nods with the softest, most loving gaze in her enticingly dark eyes. Staring back at Rosé like she’s the only thing that matters to her at this moment.

 

“You idiot! Ugh! Why didn’t you tell me sooner?!” Rosé whines as she throws her arms around Lisa’s neck while the Thai wears a -eating but damn attractive smirk on her lips that is too much for her poor battered heart to take. “It could’ve saved me the anxiety, you know! God, you’re so annoying sometimes!”

 

She feels herself melting even further when Lisa does that quiet laugh she’s fallen in love with. The action causes her shoulders to bounce subtly as Lisa rests their foreheads together. Rosé is the first one to move by molding their lips together for that long overdue kiss, loving the tender way Lisa responds to her as she takes the slow pace under her command. Sweet and intimate.

 

Rosé sighs contently into Lisa’s mouth while her fingers bury themselves in the long waves of velvety brown as the arms around her waist tighten in response. Almost possessively, as if Lisa doesn’t want to let her go. And Rosé can positively say the same for her.

 

The kiss feels warm. It feels like home. But most importantly, it feels like…

 

Lisa.