Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed



Owen Reynolds was a whirlwind in the kitchen, cleaning up in record time. By the time he made his way to the living room, he found Roseanne had already sliced some apples and arranged them neatly on a plate.

"Can't sit still, can you?" he said with a resigned shake of his head.

Roseanne speared a slice of apple with a toothpick and offered it to him. "Life's too short to sit around. I don't want to end up being a couch potato." Owen took the offered apple slice.

"Anyway, I need to take out the trash. Want to head downstairs together afterward?"

"Sure."

After disposing of the trash, Roseanne remembered their fridge was nearly empty due to their busy schedules. She suggested they hit the grocery store.

Owen agreed without hesitation.

Unbeknownst to them, as soon as they left, Silver arrived at the entrance of the building.

"Alright, we can park here. We can't drive in any further."

The driver nodded, "Ok, ma'am."

Silver opened the car door, pausing to switch into her flats, almost forgetting she had them for just such occasions.

Climbing seven flights of stairs in flats was much easier than last time in heels.

Reaching Owen's apartment, Silver considered using her spare key but decided to knock instead.

Knock, knock, knock-

"Owen, you there?"

After a few unanswered calls, she used her key to open the door.

"Huh? Where is everyone?"

Her phone rang at that moment.

"Hello?"

Ferdinand Reynolds: "Did you actually go over to the Norris place?!"

"Yes."

"Do you know what time it is? Running over there late at night, disturbing our son's rest, what for?"

Silver glanced around the apartment, checking the bedrooms, kitchen, and balcony, "Strange... Where's Owen?" "He's not there?"

"No sign of him."

"Well, rushing over there for nothing, if that isn't a wild goose chase, what is?"

"You don't understand. Owen called

me out of the blue, asking We

thyme and bay leaves were. I knew right then he was planning to cook."

swne

"So what if our son wants to cook a meal? Is it worth all this fuss?"

"Ha, talk about being lax. Have you seen Owen cook a meal since he came back? And think about it, what day is today?"

Ferdinand paused, his tea halfway to his mouth.

"The Science Awards Gala! He

received an award this morning, and

when called him to say we'd

iel

celebrate tonight, guess what he said?"

"What did he say?"

BUMS

"He said he had more important things to do. Is cooking more important?"

"Can't it be?"

"You're missing the point! Why would he cook if he was alone? Obviously, it means he has someone special to celebrate with. Get it?!"

Ferdinand: "Isn't that... a bit of an overreaction? Our son cooking for himself is now cause for suspicion?"

"Let's drop it," Silver sighed, "We're not on the same page here, and it's no use explaining."

Ferdinand: "..."

"So, now that you've found nothing, when are you planning to come back?"

Silver: "I'll wait a bit longer."

"Wait for what? If Owen is indeed dating, don't you think you're acting a bit like you're catching a cheater? Is that appropriate?"

"

"Besides, Owen is sensible. If he's

reasons

not telling us, he has hel

Once the time is right, he'll come

forward without us having

ambush him." noveldrama

"... You might be right."

Ferdinand: "Alright then, it's freezing out. Come back home. I'll wait up, we can go to bed together."

"...Okay."

With that, Silver left the building, the cold evening air embracing her as she pondered the night's unexpected turn.