Lisa feels the small box in her pocket, wraps her hand around it and brushes her thumb against the felt covered-lid. She closes her eyes as the memories - uncontrollable - wash over her, tidal wave after tidal wave of emotions.

 

Three.

 

Three years after the disbandment of their group, three years since the love of her life and her two closest friends - people she's considered sisters for most of your teenage and adult years - went their separate ways. Three years since all four of them signed onto different labels and proceeded to do different work - Jisoo finally pursued acting, Jennie continued to do a mixture of idol life and modelling, and Rosé finally signing with a music label that allowed her artistic and creative freedom.

 

Three years since Lisa decided to retire from performing and just pursue the other things you love - photography and modelling.

 

Three years since the day of signing - the day Lisa jokingly refers to as Rosie's Independence day. Three years since Lisa confessed her love to her best friend and Rosie cried and punched her in the arm and said "Why didn't you tell me sooner? I've loved you all this time, silly."

 

On that day, Rosie turned to her the moment she finished signing her new contract with a different agency - an international one, this time - right at the moment she put down the pen. Lisa insisted on being there, in person, supporting her and holding her hand as she took such a huge step after walking away from the abuse and mistreatment of their previous company and management.

 

Rosie smiled, laughed, then broke down crying.

 

Lisa was taken back to that moment on the floor of their dorm, as she rested her chin on folded hands on the edge of the bed, Rosie beside her. The two of them had just finished talking, the date of Blackpink's contract expiry looming above their heads.

 

Rosie cried silent tears and said in a voice filled with conviction, "Enough is enough, Lisa. I'm going to do this for myself now. It's time for me to choose what I want. It's time for me to be happy."

 

Lisa just smiled then, took her hand and kissed it and made a quiet promise to support her and love her, no matter what.

 

Rosie was too free, too endless to be caged. She wasn't meant to be controlled. Not in reality, not by anyone. Not even Lisa.

 

And isn't that the one thing Lisa loved about her the most?

 

That Rosie decided to give herself to her. That Rosie, of all people, chose her.

 

And then Lisa found herself becoming Rosie's even more.

 

Two.

 

Two years after that - two more years filled with domesticity, of a warm shared apartment, of kiss-goodbyes and kiss-welcome-homes, of "have a great day at the studio, baby", of monthly brunch with Jennie and Jisoo.

 

Two years where the both of them decided to live as an out and proud couple, where the backlash was crazy and it was considered the biggest scandal of the decade.

 

But they were signed onto international companies now, farther from South Korea and safer from the crazy of South Korean media.

 

It was a beautiful two years of music and photography and much-deserved awards and launch parties and fashion events and thank-you speeches where you both never ever forget to mention each other.

 

"I would not be here if not for the love of my life and her undying support…"

 

"Thank you to my better half for being with me through it all…"

 

"To Rosie - my Chaeng - I love you…"

 

"To my love Lisa, I am eternally grateful..."

 

Two years with no one stopping either of them from signing onto deals and endorsements and projects - no other big scandals and an outpouring of support from the LGBT community and from other artists and prominent figures.

 

But also two years of just being Lisa and Rosie, the dorky and silly girls who liked to dance and sing whether in front of an audience or just to each other.

 

Two years of relative peace.

 

Two years filled with so much love.

 

One.

 

It is one o'clock in the afternoon and Lisa is sitting inside her car, playing with a dark blue tiffany box. Her heart has been pounding madly in her chest and she's been trying to contain all of the emotions for the past ten minutes since she arrived and parked under her and Rosie's building.

 

She starts humming out of the blue, knowing the lyrics by heart because it was one of Rosie's favorite songs.

 

Des yeux qui font baisser les miens

Un rire qui se perd sur sa bouche

Voilà le portrait sans retouche

De l'homme auquel j'appartiens

 

Rosie always loved La Vie En Rose and she believed it to be one of the most beautiful love songs ever written. She once went off on a rant about it and Lisa just stared and smiled and listened then asked her to sing. She really learned how to sing it in French and decided to teach Lisa on a random day where they were both bored.

 

Lisa shifts to english and starts singing out loud. She alights from her car, finally gathering up the courage, and took the elevator to their floor.

 

Hold me close and hold me fast

The magic spell you cast

This is la vie en rose

 

She stands in front of the door to the apartment she shared with her girlfriend of five years.

 

Lisa puts her hand on the knob and was about to turn it when the door suddenly opens.

 

Zero.

 

Lisa's heartbeat starts ringing even in her ears now as she lays eyes on the woman she's woken up next to for the past five years.

 

"Oh, hey babe! I knew you were out here. I had a weird feeling in my gut."

 

Rosie gives Lisa her usual bright and warm smile. Her blonde hair was up in a messy bun and her face was completely bare of any make up.

 

Rosie looked like she'd just woken up.

 

Lisa thinks she's never been more beautiful She takes a deep breath and exhales.

 

It's now or never.

 

Lisa picks up where she left off in the song and serenades the love of her life.

 

When you kiss me heaven sighs

And though I close my eyes

I see la vie en rose

 

Rosie raises an eyebrow, probably wondering where this was all coming from. Lisa steps closer and presses herself against Rosie. She puts one arm around Rosie's waist and uses her other hand to hold Rosie's hand and holds it up in the air, in a waltz position.

 

Rosie laughs and it's light and fluttery and airy. Lisa's heart swells at the sound.

 

"Lisa, what's all this?"

 

Lisa presses your forehead against Rosie's, chuckling also. Rosie breaks out into the brightest of grins.

 

Lisa thinks of how Rosie is so beautiful and how she is all she's ever really wanted, from the moment she laid eyes on the other girl, on that fateful meeting at the elevator, until now.

 

Lisa reminds herself of what she was doing all this for and suddenly turns into a ball of nerves waiting to explode. But she pushes through because Lisa won't be able to forgive herself if she doesn't go through with it, so she continues singing and starts swaying.

 

When you press me to your heart

I'm in a world apart

A world where roses bloom

 

Lisa raise both their arms over their heads and twirls Rosie.

 

Rosie giggles and falls back into her, swaying and smiling and melting.

 

Lisa sings.

 

She knew Rosie was the singer between the two of them, but she just pours her heart out into every word, wraps each note with as much honest adoration as she could.

 

And when you speak... angels sing from above

Everyday words seem... to turn into love songs

 

She remembers the first time she promised herself to Rosie in this apartment, just as they were moving in. She remembers the first time she heard Rosie say it in words that she promises herself to you, too, after her first solo concert as a solo artist in Los Angeles.

 

Lisa keeps singing and swaying.

 

Give your heart and soul to me

And life will always be

La vie en rose

 

She ends the song and Rosie smiles up at her with so much love that she almost breaks down.

 

Rosie moves in for a kiss but Lisa stops her and she raises an eyebrow in confusion.

 

Lisa goes down on one knee.

 

Rosie's eyes widen.

 

Lisa pulls out the tiffany box and opens it to show the ring.

 

There is a multitude of emotions swimming in the eyes that held Lisa's heart and soul - unadulterated happiness, a tinge of confusion, absolute shock, and all the love in the universe that Lisa needed.

 

Rosie's face crumples and tears roll down her cheeks. Everything blurs for Lisa and she realizes it's because she was crying now, too.

 

Lisa tries to push the question past the lump in .

 

"Rosie…. Chaeng, will you marry me?"

 

Rosie smiles then laughs, then breaks down again, crying harder. She bends down and hugs Lisa and holds onto her so tight. She doesn't say anything - she finds herself unable to make any sound other than loud, happy sobbing. Lisa just buries her head in the crook of Rosie's neck, feels her nodding in the slightest, giving an unspoken 'yes'.

 

Rosie cries so hard that Lisa was worried her girlfriend - now fiancee - will look puffy for a whole week.

 

Lisa smiles at the word.

 

Fiancee.

 

They held each other for a while, quietly, at the door of their apartment as forever and the rest of their lives loomed over their heads.

 

Lisa thinks of how it took crazy twists and turns before the both of them arrived at this point. She smiles, presses a kiss against Rosie's tear-stained cheeks.

 

Fiancee.

 

This was where they were meant to be.