Roseanne sauntered into the office with her paper bag rustling as she walked. After a week and a half of dating Lalisa, her mood had improved significantly. Seeing Dr. Kim again was boosting her strut as well.
She was flying so high that even Freddie's pinched face leering at her like a naked mole rat did nothing to dim her shine. As Roseanne passed him and the other lawyers in their division talking in the hallway, he stopped her. She'd been expecting it, but she made sure to look put out by the interruption just the same.
"Hey, are you and Lisa trial partners for the next three trials?" he asked in the clipped tone people use when asking a question despite already knowing the answer.
There were few things that annoyed Roseanne more than passive-aggressiveness, but she let it slide. "Two of hers and one of mine, yeah," she replied, repositioning the bag in her hand so the container didn't burn her.
Freddie's lip twitched. "Irrespective of whatever personal relationship you two may or may not—"
"She's my girlfriend, Fred. Pretty sure we confirmed it's not against the rules as long as it doesn't interfere with our work, but go on," she interrupted like she'd corrected a minor, technical error.
Freddie's eyes widened while the others exchanged surprised looks as if they'd expected her to deny the truth, as if there was something shameful to hide. Freddie's mouth opened and closed like a goldfish trying to breathe out of water.
"Do you need a minute to clutch your pearls? Lunch is getting cold." Roseanne gestured to the bag with her eyes.
"If your personal relationship is causing you to only want to work together, Ms. Park, that is definitely a problem," he snapped, unable to hide that she'd gotten under his skin.
Roseanne smirked, hoping to push him a little further. "Maybe I should talk to Chris about this since you're obviously so uncomfortable with my personal life. Also, no offense," she added, her attention flashing to Dongwook and the others, "but I pick teammates regardless of who they are. Ask around, I'm a little ruthless like that. If there was someone who worked as hard and prepared as much as she did, then I'd pick them."
"It's kind of unfair to have Superman and Batman on the same team," Dongwook muttered, staring down at his phone.
Roseanne waited for Freddie to say something else, but he was too busy looking butt hurt to speak. She should have left it there but couldn't help throwing a little dagger over her shoulder as she walked away. The desire to bruise his ego more completely was too tempting. "You might be the team captain, but you're not the coach, Freddie. Sit on the bench unless you have something work-related to say to me."
She heard nothing but hushed whispers in her wake as she sauntered away, resisting the urge to whistle. It wasn't how she'd intended for half the office to find out about them, but the stunned expression on Freddie's face was too satisfying to pass up.
"What are you smiling about?" Lalisa asked when Roseanne walked into the office they once shared and dropped the bag on the empty side of the desk she used to occupy.
"Nothing," Roseanne responded, beginning to unpack the pho she'd picked up for them. Lalisa reached into the mini fridge for a couple of flavored seltzer waters and laughed.
"That cat-that-ate-the-canary grin says otherwise."
"According to our colleagues, we're crime-fighting mutants, and it's not fair that we're on the same team," she explained without concealing her amusement.
"Mutants? You sure about that?"
Roseanne shrugged. Superheroes weren't her thing; she wasn't going to get specific.
