Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

From the initial normalcy to the blossoming of a faint blush on her cheeks, and then to the deepening red that spread all the way to her ears, the entire transformation unfolded in less than ten seconds. Each stage of change was witnessed by Roseanne, and it was truly

hard not to be taken aback.

Owen murmured, "...might be a bit stuffy in the car."

Quick as a flash, Roseanne rolled down her window, "Feeling any better?"

"Yeah."

...

After dropping her off, Owen remembered an experiment he had initiated midway through the day and hadn't yet concluded, prompting his return to the lab.

Roseanne sprawled on the couch, the adrenaline rush now subsided, leaving her feeling as if her bones had turned to jelly, wishing she could meld into the couch.

Closing her eyes, the car scene involuntarily flashed through her mind. The details seemed magnified tenfold. She recalled Owen's distinctively jointed hand, the tenderness in his touch when it rested on her head, giving her the illusion of being cared for and encouraged... Perhaps it wasn't an illusion?

He really was encouraging her.

all there was to

on the couch, a simple tilt of her eyes

left the place in a bit of a state, with traces of smoke-stained yellow and

tried to fix it up, covering it with wallpaper or using light fixtures

first glance, it might not be noticeable. But if you looked closer

than letting others discover its unsightly aspects, to be loathed and despised, it was better to maintain a distance from

too close meant not

this, Roseanne let out a long sigh

her heart rate

stood up and

what she needed. Everything else could wait until tomorrow! And if not tomorrow, then the day after. If not the day after, then the day after that.

Ah, how wonderful!

...

Another busy week passed.

Sunday, Roseanne's day off.

bad for not returning Leda's call and, as Leda was also off work, they

end of the holiday

they were greeted by a cast of familiar comedic faces. Even Roseanne, who