we keep this love in a photograph

Chapter 58

The next week dragged by, and then suddenly all that separated them was ten short days and a few thousand miles. It didn't feel real that Rosie would be home, but there was palpable excitement in the air between the trio as they made plans. Chinese the first night she was home, drinks the next weekend with Irene and Suho and Jisoo and whoever else they could get their hands on. They'd have a game night at Jennie's and visit Taeyeon and Clare in turn, a week or two in the Napa Valley as Jennie had promised, and even more.

Soon enough there would be nothing standing between them, not even an inch, and Jennie was counting down every second, even as time dragged on. She couldn't help but feel a little bit bitter about the fact that time had flown by when Rosie had been there - especially during her two weeks off - and dragged while she'd been gone, but it was hard to stay resentful when there were only a handful of days left. Never had a week felt so agonisingly far away though.

Still, Jennie had work to distract her, although at eight-thirty in the morning, as she enjoyed her second coffee for the day in the pale sunlight of late February, she was only thinking of Rosie. Watching the clock as she made a half-hearted attempt to do the crossword, she was waiting for Rosie to call. The schematics and proposal for a new project were sitting on her desk, untouched, and she faced the wide windows, waiting patiently as she idling swayed the chair from side to side. Any minute now.

It was another five minutes of waiting, answering seven down and ten across and checking her schedule for the day, before her phone finally rang. A wide smile split her face, eager excitement perking her up as she answered the video call and leaned back in her seat, taking a swig of her oat milk latte as her eyes shone.

"Hey, you."

"Good morning, Miss Kim. How are we today?"

"Missing you. Nothing new."

"Oh, God, I really do miss you," Rosie sighed, a rosy-cheeked glow of delight on her face as if the prospect of home had filled her with new light. "I know it's soon, but ... well, don't lose hope now."

"Never," Jennie murmured, "if there's one thing I'm sure of, it's you. I can feel it though; it feels ... strange. Everything's just waiting - even the weather is weird. I'm getting impatient now. It's hard to concentrate."

"Well, you'd better get as much work in as you can because I'm going to be an even bigger distraction when I'm home."

Jennie chuckled, straightening up in her seat and reaching for her pen and the journal on her desk, smoothing the open page down as she raised her eyebrows slightly. "That reminds me, I was going to go shopping and get some things for you. You know, a new toothbrush, new pyjamas, things like that. Is there anything in particular you want me to pick up?"

"All I need is you," Rosie murmured, pausing momentarily as she deliberated and then impishly continued, "and possibly two packs of cookie dough and some Chinese takeout."

Grinning, Jennie rolled her eyes, "we're already all over the takeout, don't worry about that. Alice has it penned in for our first stop on the way home. Cookie dough, I can do too."

"I could marry you right now."

"No need to rush," Jennie lightly teased her, "we'll have all the time in the world soon enough."

"You know, knowing that should make me more patient, but if anything it just makes me want to marry you the second I'm back. I mean, obviously I want to do it properly with the whole thing - we can talk about it, anyway, but I just- I love you. I love you and I can't believe I get to marry you. How did my life change so much in a year?"