Lisa is presented with two choices at that moment; run after Esther and ask what the hell did the girl meant or to just stay there and face the very real possibility that Esther was not as oblivious or tunnel-visioned as she thought, and was actually very observant and a lot more aware than Lisa ever gave her credit for.

But the first option meant that she might have to talk to Esther about things that she isn’t ready to and doesn’t want to talk about or deal with just yet.

So the rest of the afternoon passes -- the sun sets and the night begins. They keep working until Kwang Soo, the utility guy, tells Jisoo that it is already 10 pm and time to close up the auditorium.

They all tidy up and set aside the props and backgrounds. The actors slowly filter out first, followed by the dancers who played extras and were rehearsing fight scenes. Next, the light and sound people leave and then the propsmen. Jisoo, Lisa, Rosie and Jaehyun hang around and kind of “close up” the auditorium, so to speak, helping Kwang Soo. The utility man is grateful for it and once they are done, they all leave together.

Kwang Soo bids his goodbye immediately, the moment they step out of the building. Jisoo shoots a quick text message before her phone rings and she picks it up. It’s Jennie on the other line and she tells Jisoo to hurry home.

Jennie and Jisoo are roommates and have been since their first year at the university, much like Lisa and Rosie. Jisoo is one year older than Jennie but they somehow found themselves in the same class in high school and have been inseparable since -- Jisoo pursuing creative writing and Jennie pursuing fashion in this university.

Jennie and Jisoo met Lisa and Rosie the same way everyone else did -- through the two younger girls being active in extracurriculars and were pretty much visible in every uni event.

The four of them often hung out after they found that they all got along well, all four of them having the same drive and dedication in their studies and other activities. They also found having connections in the other clubs and organizations to be such an asset, so they kept their bond strong and constantly made sure to reap the benefits.

Right now, it was their turn to help Jisoo, and they gladly do.

After Jisoo walks off, the only ones left are Rosie, Lisa, and Jaehyun. An air of awkwardness blankets over them and Rosie looks from Lisa to Jaehyun and back again.

Lisa decides that she’s had enough for the day and she doesn’t want to stay and suffer through any more, so she just turns away from the other two without another word and sets off walking towards her and Rosie’s dorm room.

Rosie was about to reach out and call for Lisa to tell her to wait, but Jaehyun touches her arm and calls her attention before she could.

“Huh?” Rosie turns around to face him, eyebrows raised in question.

Jaehyun pulls back his hand, suddenly shy now that he finally has the girl’s attention.

“Sorry, there was something I wanted to tell you, Rosie.” He explains, looking down and smiling.

Is he blushing? Rosie wonders if she saw that right. What?

“Um, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about.” Jaehyun starts.

“What is it?” Rosie asks.

Jaehyun looks like he’s considering something. Rosie sees him hesitate then reconsider.

All the while, the student council president thinks, I need to catch up to Lisa, Lisa’s probably almost home, in her mind.

“I, uh…” Jaehyun tries again, still seemingly struggling with his words.

And at that moment, with the worry and concern for her best friend sitting heavy at her chest, she feels an emotion she’s never felt towards Jaehyun before.

Annoyance. Irritation.

Rosie needs him to just spit it out and get it over with so she can catch up with Lisa because at this rate, her best friend would be asleep in bed when she gets home and she would miss the chance to talk to Lisa about what has been bothering her best friend the whole day.

(And about whatever it was that Esther talked to her about.)

Rosie exhales a breath and shifts her weight from one foot to the other as Jaehyun still gathers himself.

“What is it?!”  Rosie finally asks, in a tone that is less than welcoming and shows her impatience.

Jaehyun is surprised by Rosie’s tone but it is late and the girl is probably tired, so he chalks it up to that and decides to just go for it.

“I wanted to ask if you’d be fine with getting an early dinner with me before opening night.” Jaehyun says.

Rosie scrunches her nose, the real meaning of the question flying over her head.

“Sure.” She agrees easily. “Maybe we can get it with Lisa and the rest of the props people who don’t need to prepare very early for the play.”

Jaehyun’s face almost lights up until he realizes she didn’t get it. He clears his throat and clarifies the question for her.

“No, I meant, maybe we could get dinner, you know… Just the two of us.”

Rosie quirks just one eyebrow now, finally understanding. She doesn’t answer right away and as the silence stretches, Jaehyun decides to just be direct about it.

Go big or go home, right?

“Well, to be honest, I really like you, Rosie.” Jaehyun says in an honest exhale. “And I think that has been pretty obvious. I think you’re pretty and smart and talented, and I would like to know if you’re open to the idea of going out with me… and perhaps seeing where it goes from there?”

The boy holds his breath as he waits for her to respond.

Rosie, for her part, is a little taken aback at the confession. She wasn’t clueless and already had an inkling that Jae liked her but she wasn’t expecting him to come out with it and ask her to date so soon.

And on any other day, Rosie would not have had any difficulty saying yes.

But for some reason, on that day and at that moment, she  felt like she shouldn’t say yes. For some reason, she thinks of Lisa going home and slipping under the covers of her own bed and of how she’s missing the opportunity to talk to her best friend at that moment.

It’s not like Lisa would be going anywhere any time soon, the dancer would still be there the next morning and or the next days until they leave uni and have to let go of the lease on their room, the little space that has become home to them all these years.

Here is this nice guy telling her with all earnestness that he liked her and wanted to pursue her, but here she was thinking about her best friend.

About Lisa.

It seems like she takes too long to respond because Jaehyun speaks again.

“You don’t have to answer right away.” Jaehyun says, expression a little crestfallen now, expecting rejection. “If you need to think about it more, you can.”

Rosie chuckles nervously and shakes her head.

“I’m sorry, I just have a lot of things on my mind and I did not expect you to say that tonight.”

Jaehyun smiles and laughs.

“I thought I was pretty obvious with my crush for you?”

Rosie returns his smile.

“To be honest, you kind of were.” The student council president laughs. “But it’s okay, I just have a lot on my mind tonight.” She explains. “I’ll let you know soon enough, okay?”

Jaehyun smiles sadly now.

“You can just say no outright. That’s okay, too. I won’t insist and push and I’ll leave you alone if you want me to.”

“No, no.” Rosie shakes her head and responds quickly. “It’s not that I don’t like you, it’s just…” She sighs. “It’s just that I don’t know if dating anyone is something I want to do right now.” She explains. “But I think you’re a really nice guy, Jae, and to be honest, I like you, too. I just can’t be sure right now that’s why I can’t give you an answer.”

Jaehyun nods in understanding.

“Okay,” he says. “I get it one hundred percent. Take all the time you need.”

Rosie smiles at him and appreciates how decent of a guy he is.

“Thanks,” she says.

He shakes his head.

“Don’t thank me. You’re under no obligation to even pay attention to me. I’m honestly just glad for whatever you’re willing to give me.”

Rosie smiles brighter, genuinely warmed by his words.

“You’re a good guy, Jae.”

Jae laughs.

“Nah, I’m just regular.”

Rosie just nods, then, not feeling any need to argue.

“Can I walk you to your room, then?” Jaehyun offers.

Rosie remembers Lisa, then, and feels worry creep up her chest again. Something in her gut tells her that she and Jae should probably go their separate ways for tonight. So the student council president shakes her head and declines.

“It’s alright. The campus is safe and the dorms aren’t that far away. I’ll walk home by myself tonight.”

Jaehyun nods.

“Okay, well, take care.” He says with a wave.

“You too.”

Rosie turns around and heads towards home.

The walk was quick and in no time she was trekking up the stairs and walking through the hallway to their door. Rosie comes in quietly to find all the lights in the room off and a bundle under the sheets of her best friend’s bed, certain that the bundle is no one else but her Lisa.

At the creak of the door and the thin stream of light filtering in, Louis looks up with big, startled, and curious eyes.

Rosie sets her bag down at their small dining table and then quickly goes about  getting ready for bed. She changes out of the clothes that she’s worn all day and washes up, scrubbing off the grime she’s accumulated from working hard since the morning. Then she gets into one of her many, many pajama sets.

(Hyeri had once joked that she had more pajamas than regular clothes.)

Once clean and ready for a good night’s sleep she walks towards Lisa’s bed.

She debates it in her mind first, but she decides to forego any hesitation.

Rosie lifts the blankets off of Lisa and slips in with her under the sheets. She lies down beside her best friend whose back is facing her and she wraps arms around the other girl and pulls her close.

Lisa was already half-asleep by then. The dancer underestimated how tired the day had made her, both emotionally and physically. She doesn’t find anything out of the ordinary with Rosie sleeping over on her bed -- they usually did that on movie nights or on nights they would talk.

In her exhausted state, she forgot about her broken heart and the girl she’d broken it for. She simply relaxed in Rosie’s arms and let herself be cuddled close, drifting off to peaceful sleep.

Rosie takes a while to fall asleep. She stays awake for a while, just holding Lisa close. She thinks about the day, thinks about Jaehyun’s confession and about what could be troubling Lisa. Eventually, her mind blanks out and her eyes close. Her embrace around Lisa remains tight and Louis settles at their feet.