Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

Roseanne was jerked awake by the persistent knocking at her door. She shot up, her heart racing, sure someone was at her doorstep.

"Who's there?" she called out, caution heavy in her voice.

With Owen burning the midnight oil at the lab, she was on her own. If a burglar was at her door, she had no one to back her up.

The knocking paused for a moment, but the visitor remained silent.

Seeing that Roseanne wasn't budging, they resumed their knocking.

"If you won't speak, I'm not opening up."

"...Anne." Murray's voice came through, laced with a weary chuckle.

She was as stubborn as ever.

"...What do you want?" At the sound of his voice, Roseanne couldn't help but frown.

"Let me in. We need to talk. I promise I won't do anything. If it makes you feel better, leave the door ajar..."

"There's nothing between us worth discussing." Roseanne cut him off, clearly unwilling to open the door.

Despite his repeated knocks and pleas, she ignored him completely.

even as Roseanne, fresh from her shower, picked up her phone in frustration. "Hello, officer? There's someone incessantly knocking on my door..." And so, Murray

Peace at last...

lay down

next morning, she got up, prepared a hearty breakfast of pancakes and bacon, dressed, and headed

to stay there for the next

and partly to really

had to finish this paper before the grad school

birds with

person she hoped to avoid appeared in front of her as she stepped out, darting out from the nearby alley to block

it funny?" Murray glared at her, his face

sleepless night

faint blue shadows under his once handsome features, giving him a wom,

Roseanne was a mix of

a lecture on civic duty. Happy now?" His

to give the illusion he was almost

met his gaze, her eyes calm, betraying no emotion: "First off, I wasn't playing a game; you truly were bothering

didn't you open the

open my door

hit a nerve, stirring Murray's temper. "Stranger? You don't know me, or is it I who don't know you?! What about the past