Jisoo: Did Somi invite you to her Halloween party? It's a famous films theme.
Lisa looked away from her computer and picked up her buzzing phone. It was already late, and she should finish her work before responding to the text so she could go home, but she couldn't resist. They hadn't talked in days.
Lisa: Somi? The alumni association lady?
Jisoo: Yeah. Apparently it's a huge deal. And it's supposed to be super fun! It's not school sanctioned, she's just been doing it forever.
Lisa: Halloween is more than three weeks away lol but anyway I didn't get an invite.
Jisoo: It's a word-of-mouth thing. As long as you graduated UM Law, you're in! You should invite Roseanne. I heard she changed her number and didn't give it to anybody lol How is she? Still monstrous?
Unsure of how to respond, Lisa started and deleted multiple messages. Roseanne was as smart-mouthed and blunt as she ever was, but she'd been kind and decent too. Being around her was starting to feel like it had when they first met. She had no idea what to do with that yet.
Jisoo: Uh oh. What happened? Did you shove her off a bridge??!
Lisa: She's not too bad. We're actually sharing an office . . .
Jisoo: WHAT!?!?! AND YOU FAILED TO MENTION THAT?!
Lisa's face flushed with heat. Why hadn't she mentioned it to her?
"I thought you said there wasn't a tall, dark, and sexy woman aching to sweep you off your feet," Roseanne said from the doorway, making Lisa jump at the unexpected sound of her voice.
"What?" Lisa asked, staring at Roseanne, who'd appeared in high wasted black leggings and a cropped tank that just barely covered her black sports bra. The swath of abdomen her outfit exposed was the same golden tone as the rest of her, but smooth and tight.
Roseanne's eyebrows stitched together for a second before she bit back a smile. "You're blushing," she explained, keeping her eyes trained on her as she approached like a gazelle gliding through a meadow. "At your phone," she added after a painfully embarrassing pause.
"Oh," Lisa laughed nervously, averting her eyes. "No, that's just Jisoo."
"Number fifteen," she responded, recalling Jisoo's class rank. "She's cute. You could definitely do worse."
"No," Lisa insisted, hating that her face was only getting hotter. "We're definitely just friends."
"Okay." Roseanne shrugged. "But that blush says otherwise."
"What are you doing here?" Lisa pressed, desperate for a change of subject as Roseanne sat at her desk.
Roseanne reached up to tighten her high ponytail. Unable to stop herself, Lisa stared at the very bottom edge of a tattoo wrapped around her sternum. More than anything, she wanted to push the rest of the fabric up and see what lay beneath. She ached for it.
"In my defense, I didn't think anyone would be here or I wouldn't have come straight from the gym," Roseanne said, knocking Lisa out of her lustful thoughts.
Following the curve of Roseanne's bicep, Lisa's mouth went dry. What would it be like to have those arms wrapped around her body? To have them pulling her in and keeping her close.
"You doing alright? Have you eaten today?"
Roseanne's question forced Lisa to clear her throat and sit up straight. "Yeah, fine."
The questioning look Roseanne offered in response made it obvious she didn't believe her. Mercifully, she left it alone and moved toward the stack Lisa left on her desk. "How'd it go today? Any surprises?"
