“Do you want a solution or comfort?”

“Huh?” Jennie looks over at me with a confused look on her face. 

“You look troubled. And I’m not sure if you want me to give you a solution or if you want me to just hold you.” I explain, while raising the partition to give us privacy as we talk. 

“I’m fine love, just tired from the party.” Jennie replies, turning away from me. 

Yeah...I know you’re tired Jen....

A defeating silence engulfed us. Nothing knew really, it’s always like this with us lately. 

“Ms. Park.” The driver calls out through the intercom, pulling me out of my inner battle. 

“Yes Henry?”

“Will you and Ms. Kim be staying at your residence tonight?” 

Taking a quick glance at Jennie, I knew the answer, “No, Ms. Kim has other plans this evening. Please take us to the Kim family  residence.” 

I feel Jennie’s questioning eyes on me as I said that.

“Rosie.” 

“Hmm?” I force a smile. 

It’s time I stop holding onto something that wasn’t even mine in the first place. 

“I..uhm..” she twiddles with her fingers, a sign that she’s anxious. 

“Jennie.” I call out to her, my voice sounding much weaker than I’d like. This is gonna be harder than I thought, ”Remember when I told you, you can like whoever you want as long as I’m by your side?”

She nods, “Of course what kind of crazy girl confesses and ask me to be their girlfriend like that?” She smiles for the first time in a while. 

“Remember what you told me?” I smile at the memory of senior high school me simping so hard I confessed desperately like that. 

“Even if you don’t own my heart?” Jennie remembered what her response was. 

“Yeah..even if I don’t own your heart.” I chuckled, remembering everyone going ooohhhh at my stupid confession and then Jennie calling me selfish for it, “We were happy right? I mean you know after I eventually made you fall for me as much as I did for you.”

“Rosie?” Jennie frowned, she’s starting to sense where I’m taking this conversation. 

“I always wonder what I did that made you fall for me...” I pause, breathing in deeply to stop myself from breaking down. To stop myself from turning back, “I wish I knew so that I could have kept doing it. So I could have been able to hold onto you for just a bit longer.”

“High school Rosie, undergrad Rosie, law school Rosie...all of me has always wanted to be by your side Jen. I wanted it so badly that I didn’t even realize that you’re not happy. That you might not have been happy.”

“Rosie I—“

“Ms. Park, we‘re here.” Henry interrupts us from the intercom. 

“Just a second, Henry.” I reply, turning my body sideways so that I’m fully facing her. 

“I’m sorry Rosie.” Jennie looks down.

“It’s okay..it’s okay. Really it’s okay.” I assure her, placing a hand over hers. This might be the last time I can do this, I give it a gentle squeeze savoring the moment before I pull my hand back and speaking again, “Remember when we talked about what would happen if the second lead gets the girl?” I chuckle a bit, remembering how she would always root for the 2nd lead in all the dramas, because in her words ‘They deserve her better than the lead.’ “Well I guess now we know.“ 

Although, in our story Jen...I’ve always been the 2nd lead

“Don’t look at me with that face.” I smile, cupping her face in my hands, “Im not sad that it ended like this. I’ll treasure the memories.”

“Rosie you made me happy...you gave me everything you could. You gave me so much love. And All I did was give you heartache.”Jennie choked on her sobs and I couldn’t stop myself from pulling her into my arms. At least I get one last hug too. 

“Jen..don’t think that. You’ve never given me heartache love. Not once cause everything I do...I do it for you. And now I have to do this ...its the right thing to do. Because I want you to be happy. That’s all. So don’t look at me with pity and don’t look at me with sadness in your eyes. Just look at me as Rosie. Your Rosie. Okay?” I whisper in her ear, biting my lower lip to stop my own cries from coming out.

I pulled back and there she was sitting in front of me. Her blue dress slightly wrinkled from our hug, hair a mess, makeup slightly ruined. But in my eyes she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. 

I smile, signaling Henry to open the door for her. 

“Goodnight Jennie. Take care.” I say as she gets out and Henry closes the door behind her.

It’s over and now all my love is gone.

~~~~~~~~~~
A/n: Reposted from volume 1. Let's get this next collection started !