JUST FRIENDS

FIVE

The transition back to friendship is only slightly easier than Jisoo's expecting.

She and Jennie go back to their six-days-a-week-together schedule, but Jisoo does everything she can to limit their physical contact. When Jennie goes to give her a peck on the lips, Jisoo turns her head just enough to redirect it to her cheeks. Hugs are kept short, and while she can't find a way to stop the handholding, she never initiates it.

Most importantly, however, she outright demands that there be no sex.

Jennie doesn't complain about Jisoo's new restrictions; rather, she seems all too happy to do whatever it takes to keep Jisoo around.

Jisoo isn't entirely sure if she's glad or frustrated about that.

If Lisa notices the change at all, she doesn't comment on it. She seems far too preoccupied with convincing Jisoo into telling Jennie her feelings.

"Just go for it! What've you got to lose?" she asks, gesturing wildly while Jennie's in the café bathroom.

Jisoo smiles at her wryly. "This, Lisa. I could lose this. She doesn't like me that way."

"Oh yeah? And how do you know that? You said yourself that she was super excited to see you after she broke it off with the asshole. People don't just get excited about seeing someone after a break-up unless they really like that person."

She's not convinced, and it shows. "Yeah, and how do you know that?"

Lisa looks at her smugly, like she played right into her trap. "Because she didn't act that way with me."

Jisoo can't think of a good argument to refute that, so she sits back into her chair, crossing her arms.

When Jennie gets back from the bathroom, she finds them like that, Lisa looking all too pleased with herself and Jisoo glaring out the window. No matter how much she asks, neither of them will tell her what happened.

-----------------

Lisa despite her large circle of friends she has always been closer with Jisoo and jennie, she always enjoyed spending time with them.

This fiasco, however, is just too much.

She doesn't mention Jisoo's feelings for Jennie out of respect and care for the older woman, but part of her wishes she could send screenshots of her text conversations with her to Jennie, just to speed up the process.

There are only so many hints she can drop to both of them before she's the one who wants to pull out her hair at their "unrequited" feelings.

After a few day of deliberation, she finally comes up with a solution. She digs up her phone, Rosé, a few months back she took a break on work and currently on their vacation house, and quickly types up a new message.

Jennie and Jisoo are beating themselves up thinking that they don't feel the same way about each other. We need to help them out.

Over the next week, Lisa and Rosé devise the perfect strategy: a nice weekend at Rosé's vacation place which have multiple cabins. They choose the next weekend with a predicted snowstorm and send Jisoo and Jennie invites.

Lisa smiles to herself, one hand scratching under Leo's chin. She and Rosé might not always see eye to eye, but they're going to make this happen.

-----------------

The drive up to Rosé's place is uneventful, though Jisoo keeps her eyes trained to the scenery outside the car window to make sure Jennie can't see her blushing at the way Jennie plays with her one hand.

Jennie spends the ride excitedly pointing out the gradual progression of snow accumulation as they move upward in altitude. Lisa keeps looking back at them from her place in the passenger's seat to laugh with Jennie and shoot Jisoo knowing looks.

Jisoo and Jennie are glad to meet Rosé again the only thing unsettling, really, is the fact that Rosé sends her knowing glances that rival Lisa's.

When they arrive at the place, it takes them an extra few minutes of driving before they reach Rosé's place. Rosé's family owns a couple of cabins, and while they're both sizeable, it's obvious they would only fit two comfortably.

Jisoo hardly has a chance to realize what the implications of that are before Lisa pipes up.

"Oh, darn, it looks like we're gonna have to split up the sleeping arrangements two and two," she says, with the fakest acting Jisoo has ever heard. "I guess that means the two of us are going to be in one cabin, huh, Rosé?"

Jisoo, mouth open in protest when Jennie links arms with her. "Sounds good to me. What about you, roomie?" she asks Jisoo, grinning and wagging her eyebrows at her.

The protest dies on Jisoo's lips, choosing instead to fix an accusing glare at Lisa, who just smirks and chuckles at her expense.

Jennie beams at Jisoo for her silent approval, grabs both of their bags from the car, and, hooking her arm around Jisoo's again, drags her to the cabin of her choice.

Jisoo lets herself be tugged along, already praying that the room has more than one bed.

-----------------

The room, of course, only has one bed.

Between that and the suggestive looks Jennie keeps directing at her, Jisoo is certain there must be some deity out there that has it out for her.

She tries her best to ignore the way Jennie's spread herself out on the bed provocatively, and searches through the cabinets and dressers for extra blankets and pillows.

"Hey, Jisoo," Jennie speaks up, halting Jisoo mid-rummage. "It's getting kinda late. Maybe we should get to bed."

Jisoo turns around to find Jennie smirking at her, winking mischievously once she realizes Jisoo's spotted her. Jisoo shakes her head, going back to work looking for linens.

"Well, if you're not tired yet, I have an idea that will help tire you out," Jennie says, trying again to get Jisoo's attention.

Jisoo keeps her eyes trained on the cabinet in front of her. "Jennie, no." She yanks a sheet off one of the shelves and heads for the door. "I'll take the couch."

She can feel Jennie's sad eyes burning into her back as she leaves.