Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

Knowing the dramatic change in temperature from her previous destination, Roseanne pulled out her long down jacket before the plane landed, wrapping herself up.

Yet, it was a miscalculation. A freezing rain had fallen a few days ago, leaving icicles hanging from trees and telephone poles. They looked light and fluffy, but once they landed on you, it didn't take long for your wet clothes to turn into ice.

The street was normally busy, but in the freezing cold of winter and late at night, traffic was whizzing by too fast for her to flag down a taxi.

Shivering, she took out her phone to check the ride-sharing app. What was supposed to be a five-minute wait three minutes ago had turned into half an hour.

She glanced at the map, glowing red, showing the driver stuck some distance away. As she debated whether to cancel, a car slowly stopped beside her.

The window rolled down, revealing a familiar face with gentle, clear-cut features. Owen was wearing a deep grey turtleneck sweater, the outline of his Adam's apple partially visible. From Roseanne's angle, his profile seemed cast in shadow, adding warmth to his otherwise aloof demeanor.

"It's hard to get a ride around here at this hour. I'm heading home, too. Hop in."

Once inside the car, noticing Roseanne was cold, Owen cranked up the heating to the max.

Remembering he had a heat pack in the glove compartment, he handed it to her. "Warm up with this for now."

Roseanne felt her hands were no better than ice sticks. With the heat pack and the warm air circulating inside the car, she gradually felt life seeping back into her.

"Thanks. I thought I would freeze to death at the airport." Roseanne sniffled, recalling how Leda had offered to arrange her a driver. Not wanting to bother anyone, she declined, not anticipating the struggle to find a ride from the airport.

Owen glanced at her. "There's a significant conference in town, so there's a bit of a traffic clampdown, including the ride-shares. That's why it's hard to find a cab."

Roseanne had a lightbulb moment. "No wonder there were so few taxis on the road. I thought I had landed in another world."

Turning toward Owen, she asked, "And you? How come you're here at the airport at this hour?"

Owen explained, "A family elder was

returning home, and I came to pick

her and

took a cab before I arripide

But she was tired of waiting I

After receiving a call, he started heading back, only to see Roseanne standing in the cold because glare in his rearview mirror, prompting him to turn around.

Roseanne nodded, not prying further.

At a red light, Owen asked, "Feeling warmer now?"

"Yeah," Roseanne bit her lip,

embave spent a few

in the

days

and suddenly, I'm not here."

coping well with the cold

"I brought you a little something." She remembered something and opened her backpack.

Owen was momentarily stunned. "A gift?"

"Yes, for you and Ms. Payne. Both of you." Roseanne said, handing him his share, "When I saw it, it reminded me of you." Owen checked out the little statue wearing a shirt and pants, with gold-framed glasses sitting on its nose, holding a book.

The expression was supposed to be serious, but the exaggerated yet adorable proportions of the body made it look rather humorous.

After a brief silence, Owen commented, "Really? Aside from us wearing glasses, I don't see much resemblance."