Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

Studying was monotonous and dull, yet Roseanne found herself surprisingly accustomed to it.

Another day of studying came to an end.

Returning home, she rubbed her shoulders, planning to rest early, but she received a call from Madeleine.

Madeleine first inquired about how her review was going. Roseanne gave a brief update on her progress. Madeleine didn't probe further, seemingly confident in Roseanne's abilities. Roseanne chuckled and heard Madeleine say, "Come by my place early tomorrow morning."

With that, Madeleine hastily ended the call, fearing a second's delay would lead Roseanne to refuse.

The following morning, Roseanne got up early, spending half an hour preparing breakfast, and of course, she didn't forget to prepare an extra portion for her neighbor, Owen.

She hadn't heard any noise from next door until she went to bed the previous night, guessing Owen must have pulled an all-nighter in the lab again.

Opening the door, she indeed bumped right into Owen, who was just returning. It had been two weeks since their encounter on a rainy night. Fresh from the lab, the usually neat and meticulous man had wrinkled sleeves, and the fatigue between his brows couldn't be more apparent.

Recalling the conversation she overheard last time, Roseanne guessed he must have encountered some trouble in the lab.

Without prying, she lifted the lunchbox in her hand. "I made some oatmeal for breakfast. It's good for someone who's been up all night and might have a stomachache."

all-nighters before, but irregular meals had left his stomach slightly in pain. The

be the one saying

"We're neighbors. It

asked,

"Ms. Payne told me to stop

"I should get going. Don't forget to eat the oatmeal

around the staircase corner, Owen entered

oatmeal, with added almonds and blueberries, had a perfect sweetness mixed with

feeling its

...

a weekday, the subway

there was hardly space to stand. When Roseanne finally extricated herself

ov

quick reflexes saved

registered at Madeleine's place, so the security guard let

it wasn't Madeleine who answered

Roseanne as if he'd