In the cold and empty office, Lisa paced. Roseanne had only moved to her new office a few days ago, but it already felt like an eternity. Her absence had weirdly coincided with an unexpected cold front. Lisa took the sudden loss of heat outside and in as a cosmic joke at her expense.
Ignoring the side of the office she'd covered in work so it didn't look so vacant, Lisa picked up her phone and texted Minnie. After some hardcore pity-partying, she'd signed up to take the February bar exam. Lisa offered to help her study, but Minnie agreed to accept her meticulous outlines instead.
Unable to concentrate, Lisa checked in on Jisoo too. Apparently, Seattle in late October was cold and rainy, but she'd met a guy on a dating app, so she wasn't letting the inhospitable weather get her down.
As they texted about her promising dating life, Roseanne's voice wafted into her office like a heartache inducing fog. She was probably still at the far end of the hall, but she was talking to someone loudly about a case. Dongwook by the sound of it.
When they passed her doorway, Roseanne didn't even bother waving hello. She was too entrenched in their conversation about his upcoming trial.
Jealousy raged cold and bitter through her tense body. She didn't expect to partner up for every trial, but that didn't mean she was eager to watch her sashay around the office flaunting it in her face.
Lisa dropped her head on her desk. You've reached a new pathetic low, my friend. If only the knowledge that she was being ridiculous had any impact whatsoever on her ability to stop herself from being jealous of Dongwook of all freaking people. It's not like she was going to ruin his pantyhose.
Staring at her phone, Lisa debated texting Jisoo about it. How would she even start to explain what was happening between them when she couldn't even explain it to herself?
Defeated, Lisa decided that caffeine was always the answer. Pulling a coffee pod out of her drawer, she grabbed her empty mug and strode toward the kitchen. She was lost in thought as her coffee brewed, tipsy on memories of kissing Roseanne, when the scent of coconut suntan lotion filled her nose. It was the smell of law school. Of rivalry. Not the sophisticated perfume Roseanne usually wore these days.
Lisa's attention snapped to the present. She tried to play it cool, knowing exactly who'd walked in despite her back being to the door, but she couldn't overcome the desire to look at her.
"Hey," Roseanne said, tossing an empty plastic food container into the garbage.
"Hey," Lisa replied, her voice hoarse from disuse. Since Roseanne was no longer sharing her space, she hadn't had a reason to talk all day.
Instead of leaving once she'd done what she'd gone there to do, Roseanne lingered by the door in her tailored light gray trousers and pale pink shell tucked into the high-waisted pants. With her hair down and her jacket likely hanging on the back of her chair, she was just the perfect amount of relaxed to be unnerving.
"How are you liking your new office?" Lisa asked as casually as she could.
Roseanne tucked her hands into her pockets and leaned against the doorframe. "It smells disturbingly of lunchmeat," she replied dryly, her eyes fixed on Lisa's face, leaving her nowhere to hide if she wanted to avert her gaze.
"Weird," Lisa replied, knowing it offered no place for the conversation to go despite wanting their interaction to last.
"I brought in an air purifier. Hopefully it can stand up to the ghost of delicatessens past that are apparently in there."
Lisa chuckled, grateful that her coffee was finished so she had a reason to break eye contact without conceding the overwhelming nature of its intensity. "I heard you're Dongwook's trial partner," she divulged before kicking herself for her inability to act nonchalant.
"He's got a really interesting one," she responded.
"I bet," Lisa muttered as she poured creamer into her coffee.
Roseanne's heels clicked against the cheap, white tiles as she neared. "Don't worry," she said in a voice so low it was almost a growl, "no one's as good as you. There's no need to be jealous," she added, leaning against the counter where Lisa was making her coffee.
Despite the sudden proximity, Lisa didn't move away. "Oh, please. Like he even compares," she replied, turning her head to the side to show Roseanne she couldn't care less despite caring too much.
Roseanne smirked. "I keep telling you, Frodo. You have to get better at hiding your cards."
The use of the nickname Lisa hadn't heard in so long threw her off kilter, causing her to tilt the sugar dispenser too aggressively and dump a massive portion of the contents into her mug. Ruining it.
"See?" Roseanne teased, glancing at the white mound sinking into her coffee.
"What?" Lisa asked as if she didn't understand her meaning. "That's how I like my coffee. What are you, the diabetes prevention police?"
"Really?" Roseanne pressed. "You intended to put that much sugar in your coffee? That's the story you're going with?"
Lisa tossed the wooden stirrer into the garbage and took a sip of the sickeningly sweet coffee without flinching or breaking eye contact. "I don't know what you're talking about," she insisted. "Is that what you came in here to do? Judge my sugar intake?"
"No," she admitted, obviously delighted by Lisa's sticking to her guns and drinking the nearly unpalatable beverage. "But this is a nice plus. Maybe you should consider going as a shot of insulin to your big Halloween party this weekend."
For a second time in as many minutes, Roseanne caught her off guard. How does she know about the party? The memory played in her mind. She'd told her about it what seemed like a decade ago. Why is she still thinking about that? Is she planning on going?
"Great suggestion, but it wouldn't fit the theme, unfortunately. Unless you can think of a famous film where insulin plays a large roll," Lisa countered between sips of her revolting coffee.
"There must be at least one," Roseanne replied before pulling her phone from her pocket. "The internet is filled with all kinds of magical information." After typing into her phone, Roseanne chuckled. "Oh my God. Someone made a list on Wikipedia of movies featuring diabetes."
"Diabetes is a silent killer, you know," Lisa replied, unsure whether she was offended by her own joke or not.
Roseanne put her phone away but stopped short of apologizing. "So, what famous film are you going to represent?"
"Why are you so curious? You could just come to the party and find out," Lisa countered, her teeth aching from the unrelenting sweetness in her mouth.
"I suppose I could," Roseanne agreed as she straightened. "See you around, little Lemur," she added as she sauntered toward the door, as if they wouldn't run into each other again that day. Given the size of the office, they'd see each other several times before the day was done, but she was sure Roseanne just wanted to use the new nickname.
"Bye, Jaws," Lisa shouted back, waiting until she was gone to pour what remained of her coffee down the drain.
