“I swear it looks different now.”  Jisoo was leaned over her hotel room vanity, getting an up-close look at her nose in the mirror.

Jennie, sitting on Jisoo’s bed, Lisa laying over her legs, chuckled, and shook her head. “You are insane.”

“No. Look at it.” Jisoo turned her head so that she could show her profile. She drew along the bridge of her nose with her index finger. “It’s leaning slightly upwards now. It’s changed.” She was adamant.

Rose and Jennie exchanged a look of amusement.

“People will now think I’m looking down on them. I’ll be called a snob.” Jisoo cried, turning towards the mirror again and staring at her reflection.

Lisa laughed loudly.

“Stop it, this is not funny.” Jisoo scolded her, but her amused tone said otherwise. “This injury as forever changed me. I will not be the same.” She continued, dramatically. She fell down on the feet of the hotel bed. “I miss my old nose.” She whined.

“Well, the truth is-“ Jennie said, her voice serious, “it’s always leaned like that. I’m sorry to be the one to tell you.” She couldn’t help but to tease Jisoo.

Jisoo looked horrified, her eyes crossing in an attempt to look at the offending nose. “How could no one have told me this earlier?”

“Well, we assumed you knew.” Lisa joined in on the joke. “Plus, we thought you were a snob so we didn’t really want to talk to you.”

They laughed, as Jisoo glared at Lisa with no real malice. What were best friends for if not to mercilessly tease an insecurity out of you, Jennie thought, watching Jisoo adoringly.

“Okay, now seriously,” She intervened, “it hasn’t changed. It’s all in your head.”

Jennie would know. She wasn’t only always with Jisoo, but she was also always paying attention to Jisoo. She knew Jisoo’s features like the back of her hand; the way how her top upper lip was perfectly arched, reminding Jennie of a flower; her much envied abs that she had no real reason but good genetics to have; how her skin was pale and impossibly smooth-looking.

She knew Jisoo’s nose well, just like anything else belonging to the girl.

They were hanging out in Jisoo’s hotel room after their day off in Edinburgh. Lisa had the idea of staying in and ordering room service, the better part of this plan being when Yuri discovered this, the next morning, when presented with the bill. They had indulged in as much food as they could; and then put on some music and enjoyed each other’s company. Jennie noticed that it had been a while since they had done this together. She made a mental note to make sure it happens more often.

“Girls, can we take a moment to think about how we just performed at Coachella, had our first US tour – sold out, might I add – and are now doing our first Europe tour – which looks like it will also be sold out.” Rose reminded them, sounding astonished but also proud. “Can you believe it?”

“It is pretty crazy.” Lisa agreed. She paused, and rolled on the bed, facing the ceiling, her head still in Jennie’s lap. “Do you think things will be different when we get home? Like, crazier than before?”

“I think everything will be different,” Rose declared.

Unlike Jisoo’s nose, Jennie almost joked, but when she looked in Jisoo’s direction the girl looked pensive and like she was bracing herself for something. Something in Jennie told her to say quiet and let Jisoo get out whatever she wanted to get out.

“It’s been pretty monumental,” Jisoo finally agreed, her voice lower than usual. “In more ways that one.” She added, in a whisper.

Everyone looked at her puzzedly, waiting for her to elaborate.

Jisoo cleared nervously, and looked way, running a hand through her hair. Jennie suddenly realised what was about to happen.

“I’ve realised something as of lately,” Jisoo started, slowly, drawing it out. Rose straightened up, listening intently, while Lisa lifted her head and looked in the girl’s direction. “Maybe not realised, but finally came to terms with it. And- it’s something I’m still working on accepting, fully, which is why I didn’t tell you sooner.”

Jennie tried to catch Jisoo’s gaze and show her support, but Jisoo’s eyes were now glued to the bed’s comforter. She noticed, with shock, that she had started crying, and was shaking slightly.

With Lisa in her lap, there was nothing that Jennie could do, but she watched as Rose reached out to Jisoo and put her arm around her shoulders. “Hey. It’s okay. Whatever you’re about to tell us.”

Jisoo sniffled, and was silent for a long moment. Jennie urged to jump across the bed, hug her tightly, and wipe her tears away, but she also knew she had to let Jisoo get the words out on her own.

“I’m gay.” She finally whispered.

Rose and Lisa were stunned into shock. When Jisoo dared to look up, her eyes puffy and wet, Rose sprung into action and hugged her. “I love you, unnie. No matter what.” She said, emphatically. “How long have you known?” She asked, rubbing Jisoo’s arm.

“I suppose I’ve always known, in some way- I just tried to deny it or ignore it,” Jisoo’s voice was shaky, and Jennie couldn’t help the tears prickling her eyes. “I’m sorry for not telling you sooner.” She added, brokenly.

“Unnie,” Rose, the cry-baby of the group, was now crying along, “your uality isn’t the type of secret that makes you a bad person. Please don’t apologise for not telling us.”

“Yes, unnie,” Lisa sniffled. There was not a dry eye in the room. “We love you and we will support you, always.”

Emily had been much easier to tolerate once Jisoo had guaranteed Jennie that there was nothing going on between them, and that she wasn’t even interested in Emily like that.

Although she believed Jisoo – there had been nothing but conviction and honesty in the girl’s eyes when they had had their conversation in the park – Jennie was still a bit puzzled as to why. She couldn’t see a reason why Jisoo, a girl who had recently came out of the closet, wouldn’t take such an opportunity. If, for nothing else, to explore her uality.

Unless- Jennie’s mind had been drifting into a fantasy, when she was lying in bed at night. This fantasy involved Jisoo having a crush on Jennie, which, in many ways, made a lot of sense. It would explain why Jisoo had let her kiss her that night in Los Angeles; it would explain why the event had had her unable to deny her uality for any longer; it would explain why there had been always an element of constraint to Jisoo’s affection since.

When Jennie enquired as to why Jisoo wasn’t going for Emily, she hoped that Jisoo would say it was because she wanted Jennie instead. A girl could dream.

So, while Emily had been easier to tolerate, that didn’t mean her presence didn’t generally annoy Jennie still. Not all the time, thought, just exclusively when she was stealing Jisoo’s attention, or being way too familiar with Jisoo for Jennie’s taste.

There was no need to call Jisoo beautiful all the time. Everyone that had eyes could see that she was beautiful. And the fact that Jisoo blushed adorably at it, every time, was extremely infuriating to Jennie because Emily probably thought that it was her own doing, when reality Jisoo was just that modest.

Waiting for the rehearsal of their Paris show to start, Jennie noticed that, once again, Emily was fluctuating around Jisoo, capturing all of the girl’s attention. They were talking in a hushed tone, which made Jennie even madder. What were they discussing that they didn’t want anyone else to know?

She watched as Emily concluded the conversation by grabbing Jisoo’s phone and typing something onto to it. The nerve.

As soon as Emily walked way, Jennie was consumed by the possessiveness within herself, and she stomped over to Jisoo. “What was that about?” She demanded to know.

Jisoo seemed a bit rattled, and slightly embarrassed. “Oh, hm.” She looked down at her phone. “Emily just asked to have a drink with me, later tonight.”

“Just the two of you?” Jennie’s eyebrow raised displeasingly.

Jisoo bit her lower lip, and nodded.

“Well, congrats. That’s a date.” Her voice was a little bit louder than intended, and she could see how Jisoo’s eyes snapped around them, to make sure no one was within hearing range.

“Shh. And I don’t know. She didn’t call it that.”

They stared at each other for a moment. Jennie was at the verge of tears, but hoped Jisoo wouldn’t notice. Finally, against all her constraint, she asked, in a whisper. “Don’t go.”

Jisoo seemed surprised. “Why not?”

“Because-“ Jennie attempted to keep her tone neutral. “It’s clearly a date, and it will make things awkward because you aren’t interested in her – unless something has changed.” Jennie’s heart was beating out of her chest.

Jisoo looked at her confusedly. “No, nothing has changed but- she’s my friend. Maybe she just wants to hang out. And if she brings something up, I’ll just be honest with her and tell her I’m not interested. I’m adult, Jennie, I can handle myself.” She sounded almost annoyed.

“I know,” Jennie was regretful, “I know you can, I just-“ Jennie shook her head, trailing off. She wished Jisoo would spend the night with her instead. The thought of her going on a date with someone else made Jennie crazy with jealousy. What if now removed from work and one-on-one, Jisoo would see Emily in a different light? As something more than friends. Getting Jisoo stolen from under Jennie’s nose was terrifying.

She sighed, and pressed her hands against her temples. “Okay, just promise me you’ll come to me after. No matter what time it is. You’ll come to me and tell me what happened.”

Jisoo was thoughtful for a moment, but eventually nodded. She didn’t seem to quite understand the reason behind Jennie’s request; however she wasn’t going to deny her something that seemed so important to her.

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