the 1 | chaennie

29. Style

So it goes, he can't keep his wild eyes on the road
Takes me home, lights are off he's taking off his coat
I say "I've heard that you've been out and about with some other girl, some other girl"
He says "What you've heard is true but I
Can't stop thinking about you" and I
I said "I've been there too a few times"

'Cause you got that James Dean daydream look in your eye
And I got that red lip, classic thing that you like
And when we go crashing down, we come back every time
'Cause we never go out of style, we never go out of style

You've got that long hair slick back, white t-shirt
And I got that good girl faith and a tight little skirt
And when we go crashing down, we come back every time
'Cause we never go out of style, we never go out of style

-

They didn't speak as their footsteps crunched gravel underfoot, and Rosie climbed into the passenger seat of Jennie's Audi as Jennie climbed behind the wheel, and they sat in darkness as she started the engine and turned the headlights on, illuminating the driveway and wall of trees. Music started playing from the speakers and Jennie automatically reached out for it as she turned to look at Rosie, her face half in shadow.

"Are you still writing for the album?"

Rosie nodded, and Jennie immediately turned the music off. The small gesture made Rosie shrink back into the soft leather of her seat, her stomach lurching as she glanced sideways at Jennie. It was such a small thing to remember that Rosie isolated herself from music when writing, but it had been second nature for Jennie, and Rosie felt unsettled by how normal it felt. She couldn't help but wince slightly, biting her lip as she turned her attention to the two beams of light shining through the darkness of the middle of the night, feeling wide awake as the tension between them hung heavily.

They made it down the long driveway and through the gates, turning right onto the wide streets lined with gated estates and ghostly palm trees. Neither of them spoke and Rosie was growing restless as her heart pounded in her chest, until she couldn't stop herself from speaking, from saying anything , no matter how trivial or boring.

"How've you been?"

She jolted forward against the seatbelt as Jennie brought the car to a sudden halt, shouldering hunching as she hung her head and started to cry. Falling back against her seat, Rosie stared at her wide wide eyes, listening to the quiet sobs as Jennie's shoulder shook. And she wanted to reach out and feel the shifting muscles and slender bones beneath her jacket, to rub her back and ask her what was wrong, but she already knew. And her eyes prickled with tears as she forced herself to sit there, at a standstill in the middle of the road as the engine purred.

"Let me drive," Rosie quietly said after a few moments.

And she knew that it was an excuse to stop herself from breaching the gap across the centre console and wrapping her arms around Jennie, pressing her cheek against her shaking shoulder and holding her as she cried. Because that's what she so badly wanted to do, but they weren't in a place where she felt like she could do that. She didn't know where they stood.

Straightening up, Jennie exhaled forcefully, angrily wiping at her damp cheeks as she shook her head. "No, no. I'm fine, I just-"

"Let me drive," Rosie repeated, her voice soft yet firm, hesitating for a moment before she glanced at Jennie. "You're a terrible driver anyway."

Choking on a laugh, Jennie nodded, sniffing as she threw the car into park and unbuckled her seatbelt. The interior flooded with light as she opened her door, and Rosie unbuckled her own belt and climbed into the driver's seat, watching as Jennie passed in front of the headlights and slid into the passenger seat. Adjusting the seat for her longer legs, Rosie glanced in the rearview mirror and then started driving.