Stay The Night (Chaelisa)

Chapter 9

Patterson Corp sponsors a massive booth and the Los Angeles Pride Fest every year. It’s something Roseanne’s always taken on personally and this year is no different.

Of course, the universe seems keen on constantly playing jokes on her because the Lakehawks have their booth set up right across from Patterson Corp’s. A setup that’s new to Roseanne – usually the Lakehawks and the Harriers have booths on the other side of the park.

It’d be fine, really, if Lisa hadn’t shown up to the event in cutoff jean shorts and a black tank top with a play on the Lakehawks slogan scripted across the front in rainbow text – Up, Up, A Gay! A snapback hat is sitting backwards on her head and Roseanne can see it’s got the Lakehawks logo on it, but instead of powder blue it’s filled in with a rainbow.

The entire ensemble is in stark contrast to Roseanne’s more conservative pair of capri slacks and seasonable sleeveless blouse, and it is also distracting to the point of incoherency for Roseanne.

Lisa spends the day handing out Lakehawks schedules and signing autographs. Jisoo and Jennie are there too, working the booth and organizing raffles. Somi stops in for an hour and helps out at the booth before she taps out. Some time that afternoon, Karina shows up in an out of season leather jacket and sunglasses. She stays for all of thirty minutes before she seems to pick up a girl at a neighboring booth and heads off.

Roseanne tries her best to focus on her own booth and not on Lisa’s legs or biceps or smile or the way Lisa keeps throwing suggestive glances her direction. It’s also considerably difficult to ignore the throng of men and women that seem to throw themselves at Lisa.

Lisa takes it all in stride. Poses for pictures when asked, lets fans kiss her cheeks for selfies and signs a number of body parts without skipping a beat.

Roseanne feels a particularly inappropriate burn of jealousy when one good looking female fan requests Lisa’s signature on the swell of her breast.

“Classy,” Roseanne murmurs under her breath as she tries to remind herself that she has no hold on Lisa and if Lisa wants to sleep with all her groupies then she very well can.

Eventually, Lisa strides across the path between their booth and approaches Roseanne – hands in her pockets and smile on her face. Her eyes are hidden by aviators and for that Roseanne’s a tad grateful.

There’s a proprietary satisfaction in the fact that a few of Lisa’s fans watch as Lisa ignores them in favor of speaking to Roseanne.

Because I’m her boss. Roseanne reminds herself as she tries to quell the feeling.

“Hey, Rosie,” Lisa says softly, glancing to the side where Roseanne’s booth assistant is speaking to someone about Patterson Corp career opportunities.

“Hi,” she says, crossing her arms over her chest to stop herself from reaching out to Lisa, to gripping ahold of her by the waist and feeling over her ribs. “Happy Pride.”

“Happy Pride!” Lisa returns joyfully, rocking up on the balls of her feet.

“I didn’t know you’d be here.”

“Surprise appearance,” Lisa says. “I mean, we usually come to the festival in general, but it’s a surprise to the booth. If we announced it, we could get swarmed and stuff.”

That much looks already to be true, the crowd around the booth has grown considerably larger as the day has gone on and word’s gotten around that the Lakehawks are there. “I see.”

“You should see the boys’ booth,” Lisa says with a laugh. “Bambam said one year a guy knocked the whole tent down trying to get a picture.”

Roseanne’s eyes go wide. “That sounds barbaric.”