Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed



Roseanne nodded, "Sure thing."

"Thanks."

As soon as he stepped through the door, the blast of air conditioning hit him like a wave-it was a completely different world from his own place.

It wasn't his first time here, so Owen casually slipped into a pair of house slippers as if he were at home.

Roseanne went into the kitchen to get him a glass of water.

It was already four in the afternoon, and she figured he might have already had lunch, but Roseanne still thoughtfully asked, "Mr. Reynolds, have you had lunch yet?"

"Yeah, I ate already."

"How about some fruit then? I just prepared some."

With that, she went back into the kitchen and returned with a plate of fruit.

Owen said, "Thanks."

Roseanne settled herself on the couch and speared a piece of cantaloupe with a toothpick, eating as she asked, "Did the technician say when the air conditioning might be fixed?"

"It's not a big fix, but they need a part they don't have on hand. They have to get it from a nearby repair shop. If everything goes well, it might take another two or three hours."

"That's not too bad. Don't worry, just make yourself at home here until it's fixed. It's unbearable without AC in this weather..."

"Thanks. Don't mind me; go about your business."

"Alright." Roseanne nodded.

Before she headed to her bedroom, she paused, turned to Owen, and suddenly said—

"Mr. Reynolds, if you want to take a shower, the bathroom is right over there."

She pointed.

The top half of Owen's shirt was soaked through, clinging to his body and outlining the muscles of his shoulders and back. Entering the cool air- conditioned room, the fabric would soon become ice cold.

The abrupt change from hot to cold wasn't just about comfort anymore; it was a surefire way to catch a cold.

"Cough—"

Caught off guard, Owen choked on a piece of cantaloupe, unable to either swallow or spit it out.

Soon enough, he recovered and quickly said, "No, no, I'll shower back at my place and then come over."

"Sure, that works too. If you start

feeling like you're coming down with a cold sneezing, stuffy nose, runny nose, anything like that-let me know. I've got some cold prevention medicine here."

"Will do."

Owen headed home.

Meanwhile, Roseanne went back to her bedroom.

She still had a paper to finish reading; what needed to be done today, shouldn't be delayed until tomorrow.

Half an hour later, Roseanne shut her laptop.

She stretched her arms high and leaned back, taking a moment to stretch luxuriously.

With a guest in her house and the weekend upon them, plus a fridge stocked with fresh ingredients from the day before, she felt it was only right to offer dinner.

Roseanne opened the fridge and mentally planned the evening's menu.

The living room was empty; Owen hadn't returned yet.

She took off her jacket and hung it on a coat rack in the corner of the living room.

In the bedroom, the direct blast of the air conditioner had made her a bit cold, so she had put on a cardigan over her short-sleeved shirt. But soon after, she started to feel warm again.

Opting for comfort, Roseanne decided to ditch the short sleeves, leaving just her tank top under the cardigan-neither too cold nor too hot, just perfect.

However, heading into the kitchen, which was bound to be hot and stuffy, she knew she couldn't stick with long sleeves.

That's why Roseanne decided to switch back to a short-sleeved t-shirt.

A loose-fitting tee was hanging right there on the rack, perfect for slipping into, so she didn't bother going to the bedroom to change. After all, Owen wasn't back yet...

But just as she got down to her tank top and reached for the tee, the bathroom door suddenly opened from the inside.