Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

Chapter 486



"Professor, are we good to go?"

Roseanne's voice jolted Owen back to reality.

"... Yes, we're all set."

"Thank you."

Owen couldn't help but glance at her waist again.

It wasn't anything inappropriate; it was just...She was so thin!

Was she even eating properly?

...

Murray sat in front of the vanity from sunrise to sunset, and then till the sun rose again the next day.

It wasn't that he didn't want to sleep; he simply couldn't.

His mind tirelessly and uncontrollably wandered through memories.

There were moments of pure bliss and love shared between them, and then there were the times he'd been an absolute jerk.

Only when the first light of dawn crept in did Murray manage to break free from the mire of his reminiscences.

At 8 AM, right during rush hour, he changed into clean clothes and drove to the most popular bakery on Bluebell Path.

What usually took a half-hour drive took him a whole hour today.

"Hi, I'd like a mango crepe cake."

The cashier hesitated for a sec, then asked, "You want the whole thing, or just a piece?"

"The whole thing."

"You're in luck. We've just finished the first one and were about to slice it. If you were two minutes later, you'd have had to wait for the next." Murray hummed softly in response.

As the clerk packed the cake, she made small talk: "Buying a cake this early, must be for a special occasion?"

"My girl... ex-girlfriend loved it."

A single sentence, seven words, yet the young clerk conjured up an entire romance novel in her head.

But who knows, who's the protagonist, and who ended up being the supporting character?

Murray, not much in the mood for chatting, took the cake, got into his car, and drove off.

The clerk stood at the counter, watching him through the glass door: "Wow... a sports car, huh..."

Even more like a novel now.

...

After their morning classes, Mamie and Scales were headed to the lab.

Just outside the classroom building, Mamie couldn't help but smack her lips: "I'm kinda thirsty." Scales didn't reply.

Used to his silence, Mamie didn't

expect him to chime in and

et

continued, "How about we grab something to drink from the coffee

shop outside before heading to the lab? My treat - what do you want?"

Scales: "..." As expected!

Silence wasn't going to stop her; she could keep the conversation going all on her own.

"I'm not thirsty."

"Come on, Caley, you're such a buzzkill! Seriously!"

"I'll go with you, but I'm not drinking anything."

"No way! It's no fun drinking alone; you've got to pick something!"

"...But I..."

Mamie cut him off, "I know, you're all about that gym life! Can't have anything with sugar or carbs!"

She could recite his diet in her sleep at this point.

"You could get something with zero sugar and fat!"

Scales retorted, "It's all a lie. Anything you drink will make you gain weight."

"You, you, you—can you stop obsessing over weight all the time? You're fit, great, stop rubbing it in!"

Scales frowned, dead serious: "If you don't want people commenting on your weight, why not try losing some?"

"Losing weight means I can't enjoy

eating and drinking freely. If I can't enjoy my life, I'll be miserable. Being miserable is like being dead. So, dieting is like dying. Why would I do that?"

Scales found himself at a loss for words.

Mamie challenged, "So, are you drinking or not? If you don't drink today, I'm never inviting you again! Hmph! So boring!"

Scales: "...Let's go."

Huh?

Mamie blinked in surprise, leaning in close with a grin: "You're actually going to drink?"

Scales was speechless.

"So, are you or are you not?"

Scales finally gave in. "...Fine, I'll drink."

Mamie's smile widened, revealing her dimples.

She might have been on the heavier side, but she had beautiful features, especially when she smiled, her eyes

curving into crescenties