"I really wish you would quit kissing me when we're on stage."
It's only once they're all back in their dressing room after the show, away from the fans and the paparazzi and the management team, that Alisha feels safe enough to say it. As she does, she rubs furiously at the waxy stain of Rose's lip gloss she can still feel lingering on her cheek—Rose surprised Alisha earlier by planting that one on her during curtain call. Sure, the audience went wild with cheers then, but lately, Alisha can't help but feel like Rose has been letting the public get a little too close for comfort.
Rose just playfully nudges her in the shoulder. "Aw come on, Alisha, you know they love it. Suckers think it's cute we're such good friends or whatever."
"It won't be cute when they figure out we're not just friends."
"Hah," Rose snorts derisively, "like that's ever gonna happen."
"She's right, you know," Edna pipes up from her corner, dry and snarky, just like she never is on camera. "The extremes to which we are advertised as cute, pure, and innocent in order to appeal to a large fanbase makes it so that even if one were to speculate—correctly, mind you—that there was an illicit love affair going on between you two, the probability that such speculations would be taken seriously by the general public are minimal. Negative, even."
"I-illicit?" Alisha echoes, flushing hot at the near-accusation. "M-must you phrase it like that, Edna?" Sure, technically there's a "no dating" policy, but it's much looser at Hyland Productions than it is at most agencies. And anyway, those rules generally only refer to scenarios where an idol dates an outsider, it's not like there's specifically anything against dating within your idol group…
Okay, fine. Maybe Alisha's splitting hairs there.
"Really though," Lailah chimes from across the room, "I don't think you need to worry, Alisha. Rose's displays of affection are always well-received." At that, Lailah grins giddily and claps her hands together—she always was a total fangirl about these sorts of things. "The true friendship between you two is one of our group's greatest selling points!"
Alisha puts her chin in her hand and sighs. They all have a point, she supposes—and anyway, if Rose stopped kissing her now, it would probably only draw more attention to them—but it still bugs her a little. "I know, I know, you're right. I just…I don't want this to backfire on us. Remember what happened when everyone thought Rose was dating Sorey?"
"Pffttt. Those dumbass rumors?" Rose laughs. "Come on, that was ages ago, and it wasn't even true."
"And yet the backlash was still terrible. How would people react if they found out who you truly are dating?!"
"They're not gonna find out," Rose insists again, and for the first time since this conversation started, she actually looks serious when she turns to meet Alisha's gaze. "Besides, the more affectionate we are in public, the less suspicious it'll be if anyone catches us being affectionate in private. It all works out."
Alisha blinks once, twice, before the pieces click into place in her head. "Wait, so is that why you've been kissing me on stage?"
"Nah, nothing like that. I just like seeing you get all red when I do it." Rose's smirk seems a hint forced when she says that, though; she's deflecting again, always deflecting.
So instead of rising to her bait, Alisha bends in to flutter her lips over Rose's cheek.
"H-hey, what—"
"Thank you," Alisha cuts Rose off, smiling gratefully as she pulls away. "For taking precautions for us."
In the end, even if Rose won't admit her true intentions in words, the sheepish blush that creeps across her face is confirmation enough.