It's been a while since the coffee incident with Frye and Jeff. While the latter insists there should be no reason for me to be worried anymore, I still fear it might happen again. Okay, I need to stop overthinking. If he moves on, so shall I too. There's more to focus on now.

For the next project, all of us are set to work in pairs. I wonder who will be assigned as my partner. The last three times I worked with Dalia. We were praised for our efficiency and high productivity level. Maybe there will be a fourth time... If this system works well, why change it?

Well, it turns out Frye has different plans for me. "Lane, Ewing, for this task you'll work together. With your skill set and personalities, I'm sure everything will be smooth." I hope he's right. I don't want to be known as the one who spilled coffee on Jeff Ewing, on his first day!

With the rest of the pairs formed, the first conflicts start to emerge. While Dalia is happy for me, albeit disappointed at having to work with Joy Martin—a master gossip who's also the biggest tattletale at the company, other colleagues don't take it as well.

Leading the team 'I Wish Jeff Ewing Were My Partner Instead of That Midge' are Roseann Rush and her head partner in crime, David Herring. They've been on my ass since day one. They've never been satisfied with my skills or my attitude. All they do is plot along with their associates, all the time.

This time, they try to suck up Mr. Frye in order to get the assignments changed in their favor. It usually does marvel at them, but not this time. Frye maintains his position. "They're staying as they are. If you have any questions, you can come to my office later."

Both Roseann and David leave, dissimulating a composure that doesn't belong to them. In fact, with Frye out of their earshot, Roseann scowls. "I've had enough of him pretending to be neutral. It's so obvious he has a hard-on on Braverly. She isn't even that good!"

David chuckles as his queen bee makes the snarky remark. The two of them have made hating me their main personality trait. If only they focused simply on their tasks, it'd be better. More efficient performances, better teamwork, no drama.

That's easier said than done, though. They thrive off drama and desperation, especially because it involves people who are meant to stay unaffected. Never mind. I have Jeff by my side, working on the task with me. This is what matters.

I follow Jeff to our assigned desk and start going through the checklist. There's a lot to do, so there's no room for distractions. "Why don't we split the list in two? You take care of half of the points, I do the rest." Jeff's suggestion makes perfect sense, so I gladly accept it.

Thanks to his idea, by the time lunch break comes, we're more than halfway through the task. We give each other a high five. "Good job, colleague!" I say.

"Well, you yourself have had a great hand in it. Give yourself credit, too," is Jeff's reply. He has a point. I have to start believing in myself more, not just thinking of it. Self confidence helps one to feel loved, after all.

Of course, there's the usual someone who disagrees with me. Roseann. She and David, who aren't as behind as I thought they'd be—maybe they learned that actually focusing on what one's doing boost productivity the hard way, chuckle as they pass by me.

"What's the problem with the two of you? Yeah, I mean both of you." I ask as I give them a puzzled look. Roseann yawns at me, making it clear she'd rather take a nap than listen to me. Her loss. She can keep being stubborn and let envy consume her, or work on herself to improve both on professional and personal level.

Jeff and I leave without saying anything more. Despite that, Roseann insists on pestering us, especially me. "Hey, love, you can't pretend I don't exist. And, by the way, Jeff doesn't have a 'Property of Braverly Lane' tag all over him, so leave him be."

"What the fuck are you even talking about, Roseann? He and I are simply working together. Why are you triggered by that?"

She scoffs. "Are you sure? By the way, he's out of your league. He'll never be yours!" She only leaves us alone after that because David nudges her. For once, I have to thank him for avoiding that an embarrassing situation devolves quickly.

At last, Jeff and I can have a peaceful lunch break, after which we restart working with even more energy than before. This gives us plenty of time to double check everything for eventual mistakes to fix. At the end of the day, we're the first pair to finish.

Dalia and Joy are the last ones to finish because of repeated interruptions caused by the latter. Roseann and David have completed their task in a reasonable time; however, Frye calls them out for their loud demeanor, which nearly disrupted the process for the rest.

"You two really don't know when not to cross boundaries, do you?" he asks, putting the duo in their place. Roseann nods, pretending to be compliant. However, when Frye leaves, her true colors show again.

She complains with David. "See? It's already the fourth time he reprimands me over small things, while never calling Braverly out for arriving late or acting flirty with Jeff." She's delusional as fuck. I don't act flirtatious with anyone, let even Jeff, who has only worked here for a few weeks.

While David and other obliging coworkers try to comfort her, Dalia won't mince her words. "Well, he doesn't reprimand you over small things, but because you've performed poorly for months. Hell, how you haven't been fired yet is still a mystery to me."

"Shut up! If anything, you and Braverly should've have left ages ago. Before Jeff came, you two would never separate under any circumstance." Roseann is exaggerating. Why is she dragging Dalia? Why can't she just focus on work? If she can't add drama to the mix, her ego won't be satisfied.

"We work well together. I can't say the same about you." Instead of taking the criticism in a constructive manner, Roseann storms out, followed by David and a few other minions. The day she leaves the company, I'll be the happiest person in the world. I can't stand her anymore.

I sigh out of relief. Hopefully, I won't hear from her until Monday. To be honest, I hope not to hear from her ever again. She's unbearable, especially now that she's hellbent on believing I'm into Jeff. That's not possible. He and I are just coworkers on friendly terms.

Moreover, it's not like I'm glued to him all the time. So, why does she feel the urge to mark the territory? Jeff isn't comfortable around her, yet she acts as if he were her boyfriend. Roseann needs to get her act together because she's digging herself into a hole she'll have a hard time getting out of.

In the meantime, I can't wait to be back home and revel in some good TV series.