Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

Roseanne slipped into her puffer jacket, grabbing the trash on her way out the door.

Owen Reynolds emerged from his apartment with two hefty bags as well.

"Professor, how long has it been since you last took out the trash?"

Owen Reynolds hesitated, "...half a month?"

Roseanne couldn't help but think, So this is the real you, Professor.

Luckily, it was mostly packaging and plastic bags, nothing perishable like leftovers or fruit peels.

"Let's go."

As they made their way downstairs, they bumped into the elderly couple from their building, hand in hand, having just disposed of their own trash.

"Owen and Roseanne heading out to dump the trash as well?"

"Yeah," Owen nodded in response.

The elderly lady then turned to Roseanne with a gleeful smile, "What delightful dish did you cook today, Roseanne? We could smell something delicious all the way downstairs!" Roseanne replied, "Mushroom stew."

"Ah! That must be the mushrooms Owen received yesterday?"

while collecting his parcel, which happened to contain mushrooms, and

Roseanne nodded.

make a great team, one provides the ingredients, and the other cooks. It's fate that you're neighbors! You're so familiar with each other, might as well make it official!" The

was taken aback, not fully grasping the implication until she heard Owen cough awkwardly, prompting her to quickly wave her hands in denial,

explain,

"Look at you, always stirring the pot. You've

there to stir? Remember,

line

then, society was more conservative, and it took us two years to break

voices trailed off as they walked

Roseanne's cheeks were flushed.

didn't know where to

silence and disposed of their trash without

"I"

"You-"

then paused

truly in love, a real-life example of growing

both retired professors from Twilight Peak Academy's astrophysics department.

"Really?" Roseanne was surprised.

was clear the couple was educated, she hadn't expected