Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

As for Murray, seeing the look on the other guy's face, it was pretty clear he was admitting defeat.

Frustrated, Murray slapped his hand against the steering wheel, and the horn blared through the silent night.

From the apartment above, someone shouted down-

"For crying out loud, it's the middle of the night! What the hell's your problem?!"

And just like that, a bucket of water came splashing down, drenching the roof of Murray's car.

Meanwhile, Corley had already turned on his heel and was striding away, leaving the scene behind.

Owen Reynolds, standing on his balcony, had witnessed everything unfold below him, including Corley walking Roseanne up to her building.

The bitter cold wind, carrying snow and frost, bit at his face, but he stood there for over half an hour, seemingly unfazed by the chill.

He couldn't quite put his finger on what he was feeling; he just knew there was a heaviness in his chest, and each breath felt unusually laborious.

His mind was a whirl of thoughts, yet it felt as if he hadn't thought of anything at all.

Ever since he had tested the waters and received her answer that she wasn't interested in a relationship and just wanted to focus on her studies, Owen thought he could keep his feelings in check.

He figured he could go back to being just friends, be there for her, and watch her grow-it seemed like a good plan.

But now, he realized he had overestimated his self-control.

Once a certain kind of thought takes root, it grows uncontrollably.

He started to wish-

could be the only

would

bloom because of him, and her joy would stem from his

he could, he would hope that she would think of

when he saw her step out of Corley's car, the two of them walking side by side

chuckled bitterly to himself, realizing he had moments

the only one trapped in this emotional quagmire

...

the biting cold,

got Leda's call, he dashed out of the club

had been waiting for nearly an hour,

it off, she

"Damn it—"

Gibson cursed, his

fit of frustration, he

steering wheel, grimacing out

off the annoyance etched

His

was running

more just

Bet

but

Just a little longer!

something unexpected

she couldn't pick

Just one more minute...