say you'll see me again

iii

Half an hour later, Lisa is standing in front of Roseanne's door, holding two cups of coffee. She pauses, trying to figure out how to knock with a cup in each hand. She spots a doorbell, and manages to press it with her elbow.

A moment later, the door creaks open and a disheveled-looking Roseanne pokes her head out of the door. Her eyes widen when she sees Lisa staring back at her and her first instinct is to close the door in her face.

"Roseanne?" Lisa calls across the closed door.

"Lisa," Roseanne's voice answers, slightly muffled from the other side of the door. "How did you find me?"

"Felix," is all the explanation Lisa offers. "Please let me in," she pleads after a beat.

"I am not appropriately dressed. I look awful."

"I don't care. Come on, I brought coffee."

After a moment, the doorknob turns and the door swings open just enough to let Lisa in. She slips in quickly and closes the door behind her before Roseanne changes her mind. She finds Roseanne standing a few feet away, eyeing her warily. Her heart immediately softens at the sight of Roseanne, dressed in a t-shirt and leggings, her wild hair tied in a loose bun, and her brown eyes tired. It amuses and amazes her that this is what Roseanne considers looking terrible.

Lisa steps forward slowly, extending her arm and offering a cup of coffee to Roseanne as if it were a peace offering. The brunette steps forward to join her and accepts the cup with a nod.

"I didn't know how you took your coffee, so I just took it black."

Roseanne nods again and takes a few sips from the cup, sighing contentedly. Lisa grimaces; she always has to add heaps of sugar and milk in order to be able to drink her coffee without wanting to vomit. She doesn't understand people who drink their coffee black.

Roseanne leans against her kitchen counter and puts her cup down with a sigh.

"Why are you here, Lisa?"

Lisa is taken off guard for a moment. Roseanne's presence is so comforting that she had forgotten that she was here for another reason that to just be with her. She is quickly reminded that their relationship is fictional, no matter how much she might want it to be real.

"You weren't answering my messages."

When Roseanne doesn't answer, Lisa continues.

"If you don't want to go to that dinner, I won't force you to. But if you don't want to because you think I don't want to, or because you think I feel obliged, you're wrong."

Roseanne sighs and shakes her head.

"But there is no reason for you to want to come. You fulfilled your engagement by coming to my high school reunion with me."

Lisa takes a step forward.

"This isn't about obligation. I want to go because I enjoy spending time with you, and I think it will be fun. I also know that you want to go and catch up with your high school friend, and maybe show off a little about how well you're doing," she adds with a smile. "I want to help you."

Roseanne nods slowly and takes a sip from her cup.

"Alright. But I promise that this will be the last time you will have to pretend to be my girlfriend."

"I don't mind, really," Lisa answers honestly.

After a pause, Lisa can't contain her curiosity any longer.

"Did you date Suzy in high school?"

She sees Roseanne look down sadly and immediately feels terrible for asking. She curses her curiosity and her bold tongue before quickly backtracking.