Roseanne is unsure how to say no to Jennie; she could count the times she's ever had to. But, she feels like today is one of those rarities. She thinks she could take the opportunity to see where the night with Lisa could go, but primarily, she knows she's owed herself the long overdue chance to move on from her best friend.

With a sigh, she declines Jennie's request. "I'm sorry, Jen. I've just got a lot of stuff to catch up with later." Roseanne felt something scratch at her heart. She's not used to this, but needs to be; she needs to start choosing herself now.

There were a few seconds of silence before Jennie spoke again. "It's okay, Rosie. You've really got nothing to apologize for. Umm, let me know if you wanna meet up tonight? I could come over, and make you something for dinner if you're too busy?"

Rosie was smoothing her nape in an effort to relax herself. "Uhh, sure, yeah, I'll text you if ever. I'll be finishing up a case presentation when I get home, probably gonna be too tired to hang out after that. This case in particular is a ." She chuckled to try and sell the alibi.

White lies on top of more white lies. She physically felt her stomach churn at what she was spewing out. It's harrowing lying to the person you've been secretly in love with.

Jennie giggled from the other line. "I know you, Rosie. Did you procrastinate for weeks before making that presentation?" 

"Ha-ha, yeah, you're right." She spoke awkwardly over the phone. "But, uhh, Jen, I kinda need to go now."

On a beautiful spring afternoon, this conversation made the air feel thick, like breathing was something she had to constantly do. Her stomach felt like it was turning itself inside-out. The uneasiness she perceived was intolerable. She had to end the conversation.

"Oh, okay. Just text me about your plans tonight, maybe?" Rosie knew Jennie had a small frown on her face from wherever she is.

"Sure, yup." She released the breath she was holding as she ended the call.

When she placed her phone back in her pocket, she finally turned around towards the girl she was with.

"Sorry about that," she muttered sheepishly. "You were saying something earlier?"

"I was gonna say we wouldn't have to wait in line to get a table. I just finished working on their marketing campaign, so I just might be able to pull some strings." Lisa gave her a mischievous wink.

Roseanne has actually always wanted to try place, but she never could. She was always too jaded to even think about lining up for a table, especially after work. She remembers Jennie telling her how romantic the energy of the place was. Kai took her once, but he didn't end up being fond of the place, so they went back. Still, Jennie could only sing it praises.

"You know what? You're on. I've always wanted to try the place out." Lisa flashed her a beaming smile, one that makes the sides of her eyes slightly crinkle. Roseanne didn't really stand much of a chance resisting, did she?

She decides on biting the bullet tonight. It's one thing to have burgers at the park with Lisa. She could easily rationalize that as her being a perfectly hospitable local, but dinner at an intimate restaurant is indubitably what society calls a "date."

"I think it'll meet your expectations." Lisa said confidently.

"I'm looking forward to being blown away." Roseanne smiled smugly. "We should probably walk around a bit before we head there since you're a very important person apparently."

"I was just thinking the same thing." Lisa stood up, and put their trash in the bin across from them. She went back to where Roseanne was just about to stand up, and extended her hand for the blonde to take.

"I mean, only if you're comfortable?" Lisa bashfully asked.

She recalled the last time she ever held hands while walking around the park. When she and Jennie would stroll around, the brunette would always gravitate towards her, say Rosie was her personal furnace, and clasp their hands together. All the while she'd be trying to take deep, conscious breaths to calm the fanfare of flutters in her stomach. 

She pondered if she was truly ready to grab the bull by its horns, if she was ultimately prepared to let go of the fantasy of Jennie. She might be overthinking what taking Lisa's hand would mean, but she knows intuitively what she is conveying with the gesture. This is different from just threading her fingers with her best friend's.

It's been twice-told; she won't know if she's ready if she won't try. And so, with that in mind, she takes Lisa's hand, and stands up. Lisa's audible exhale came out like as a sigh of relief. The hand was warm in Roseanne's, comforting. Lisa would run her thumb against the back of Roseanne's palm every few minutes as they strolled around the small park before making their way to the restaurant.

--

They chose a table in the quaint back patio. It was less cramped, and they could hear each other better. The greenery by the wall and the soft lighting outlined both of them with a soft glow. They were sitting across from each other, with their legs accidentally brushing against each other due to the limited leg room. It surprised her that she wasn't shying away from the occasional contact.

When they arrived at the place, they was greeted by the chef, and guided to their seats. Lisa ordered for them, just like how Roseanne did just a few hours prior. She's not at all picky with food, but she'd normally peruse the menu to see what she'd prefer to order. This time she didn't even gander at the menu for longer than 30 seconds. She had a somewhat inexplicable sense of trust in the person seated across from her.

They got bread to share, and were now enjoying their servings of coq au vin and what she surmised is essentially the restaurant's version of lobster pot pie. She was rather impressed with everything. Jennie was right, this restaurant is to her liking. The blonde only thought she'd end up going with her best friend. She had no qualms, though. Lisa's been nothing but great company.

"I'm gonna go on a limb here, and say you're enjoying your time?" Lisa asked joshingly.

"Frankly, it's just not for me. I'm actually just forcing myself to eat, so we don't waste any food." She said with a deliberate eye-roll.

Lisa feigned sympathy, "Yeah, you're right. I mean, obviously, anyone who almost scraped the paint off the coq au vin plate is just careful about wasting food." 

Roseanne cracked up. Lisa was beaming again, the faintest crow's feet appearing beside her right eye. For a quick moment, all she wanted to d