"Are you all right?" Lisa held the elevator door open. "Did something happen at dinner?"
"Not here." Roseanne stepped inside and hammered the button for her floor. She couldn't get home fast enough. Although the two of them were alone, she had so many thoughts running through her mind, so many feelings welling in her chest, that if she opened her mouth now, she wouldn't be able to stop them from erupting forth uncontrollably.
As soon as they were safely inside Roseanne's apartment, Lisa drew her to the couch. "What's the matter?"
Roseanne sat beside her, leaning her head on Lisa's shoulder. "My family... My mom. I love her, and I know she loves me, but..."
Lisa wrapped an arm around her. Only then did Roseanne finally allow a few pent-up tears to fall.
"I came out to her," she finally said. "I came out to everyone. Even my sisters' girlfriends. Even my father. But my mom had the strangest reaction. I expected her to be angry. Maybe blame my sisters for 'corrupting' me. But in the end, she just... blamed herself. It was like she wasn't even there anymore. Like she just... gave up. And my father, he just kept trying to change the subject to anything else. I don't get it. Neither did my sisters, by the looks on their faces."
"I'm sorry." Lisa ran her fingers through Roseanne's hair. "Your mother is probably feeling very overwhelmed right now. Whoever's stalking the family is really ramping things up. Did your mom tell you about what's been happening?"
Roseanne nodded. "The photos. They got a picture of you and me. Mom and Dad told us that much. But they still won't tell us what's really going on." She lifted her head to look up at Lisa. "You knew about the photos already?"
"I found out earlier today. Your mom said she'd tell you herself at dinner, so I kept it to myself. I wanted to tell you, but when it comes to my job, I have to keep things confidential at times. Which can be hard when we're... you know."
"I understand." Roseanne clung to Lisa with both arms. "I know you wouldn't keep anything from me that really mattered."
"Still, I'm sorry. And I'm sorry you're going through all this. Families can be complicated and messy at the best of times. You'll get through this, I promise."
"I hope you're right." Roseanne wiped away the last of her tears. "I don't want to think about this anymore. I just want to get away from it all."
"We could get out of here," Lisa offered. "Go for a drive, find somewhere else to be."
The only place Roseanne wanted to be was heading south, a trailer packed with her wardrobe and most prized possessions, en route to Busan and a brand-new destiny, Lisa by her side.
That wasn't going to happen anytime soon. But there were other ways to escape.
"Our options are limited this late at night," Lisa continued, "especially when it comes to locations that are secure, but—"
Roseanne rolled her eyes. "You can't go five minutes without thinking about security, can you?"
"I'm just trying to keep you safe. You know that."
"Yeah, by never letting me do anything fun." Roseanne folded her arms across her chest. "Are you always this much of a stick in the mud? I think that's your kink. Stopping me from having fun, controlling my every move."
Lisa's eyes narrowed at Roseanne's sudden turn. Roseanne could see the gears turning behind them. It was exactly what she wanted.
"Looks like I hit a nerve." She slapped a hand against her bodyguard's shoulder. Lisa didn't flinch. However, Roseanne could see the part of her bodyguard that she needed right now starting to emerge. "Do you get off on being a control freak?"
