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

tilt of her eyes

a bit of a state, with

it up, covering it with wallpaper or using light fixtures for

looked closer or turned

and despised, it was better to maintain

too close meant

long sigh of relief,

rate had

stood up and headed to the

tomorrow! And if not tomorrow, then the day after.

Ah, how wonderful!

...

Another busy week passed.

Sunday, Roseanne's day off.

not returning Leda's call and, as Leda was also off work, they decided to catch

the holiday season, Roseanne picked out the best-reviewed movie

were greeted by a cast of familiar comedic faces. Even Roseanne, who wasn't much for following celebrities,