You are SerenityWhen Anthony had returned from Rosie's room, Madison, one of three girls was quick to welcome him back. "There you are. What was so interesting in there?"The second girl alongside Tamara was named Josephine."When you said she was talented, I didn't know you meant that talented. She could give me a run for my money," Aatalo laughed lightly."She is," Tamara agreed. "I'm surprised she let you guys in. She's very protective of her art, doesn't like to show anyone."Anthony glanced up. Somehow hearing that made his heart feel full."Your cousin's kind of... weird." Madison rolled her eyes but kept her gaze trained on her nails that she picked up.Tamara narrowed her eyes at her friend. "Excuse me?"Madison shrugged nonchalantly. "What? She's kind of geeky." She glanced towards Anthony who also had his eyes narrowed at her. It was no secret to anyone that Madison had been crushing on Anthony for a long time. She didn't need to know Rosie to bash on her, purely out of jea
Portable Magic"What is this?" Rosie stared down at her phone screen, looking at an e-invite her cousin had texted her."Friends-giving dinner party," Tamara grinned. She leaned against the doorframe of Rosie's room with her arms crossed over her chest.Rosie narrowed her eyes. "Why am I invited?"Tamara rolled her eyes, "Why wouldn't you be? You're not only my cousin but news flash, I consider you my friend, Rosie."Rosie gave her cousin a flat look. "I appreciate the invite but you know I don't fit in with your friends. I'm sure everyone would be more comfortable without me there."Dismissing the invite, Rosie tossed her phone onto her bed and started grabbing her things so she could head out for work soon.Tamara heaved out a heavy sigh, walking further into Rosie's room. She took a seat on the end of Rosie's bed as she watched her collect her things. "I've decided to host thanksgiving dinner at our apartment this year. You've met my friends. We're keeping it small and I know for a
Over DinnerTamara was racing around the kitchen as she tried to get everything ready for her thanksgiving dinner party. She had been rushing and panicking all morning, worried about what she was forgetting and what still needed to be done.Rosie on the other hand, was completely calm as she pulled the pie out of the oven. She was appreciating her calmness that she knew would soon be gone once people started to arrive. Just the thought of all the guests she was going to be with tonight was giving her anxiety.The apartment door swung open as Anthony walked in with his hands full. He was carrying bottles of wine, closing the door with his foot."Happy Thanksgiving friends," he glanced at Rosie, tossing her a smile as she placed the bottles down on the table. "I'm early. What can I do to help?""Check the turkey, please!" Tamara walked around the kitchen table, counting all the plates and cutlery to make sure she had set enough seats.Rosie stepped away from the oven as Anthony walked o
A Light in my LifeThe library was closed so Rosie stuck to sitting outside on the steps of the library. The campus was completely remote at this time of night. The streetlights lit the area, the sound of the swirling wind filling the lonesomeness."You forgot a coat."Rosie looked up. The moonlight and streetlights hit Anthony's eyes, making them sparkle in the darkness of the night. He held her jacket in his hands, a tender smile resting on his face as he looked down at her.Rosie sighed. She felt guilty that he had left the dinner with his friends to follow her out here. "What are you doing here?"Anthony shrugged lightly. He moved to sit down beside her, placing her jacket over top of her shoulders."Thank you," she exhaled. She was grateful for it being dark out so her blush could stay hidden. She tilted her head, peering up at him. "Why are you here?"Anthony smiled softly, keeping his gaze on her. "You forgot your coat and I knew it was cold out."Rosie gave him a flat look but
Beauty of a SnowflakeRosie spent the following few days after Thanksgiving packing. Her and Tamara were heading on a road trip a few hours away, back home to see their family for the Christmas holidays. After New Years, when they had gotten back to the campus, it wasn't long before Rosie ran into Anthony.She stopped at the library to pick up a book. On her walk back home, she had run right into someone's chest."Woah," Anthony held onto her shoulders, stabilizing her. "Apologies." He bent down to pick up her book that had fallen. He glanced down at the cover. "Harry Potter, huh?"Rosie's cheeks warmed up as she took the book back. "For old times sake."Anthony's eyes lit up as he looked down at her, a warm and easy smile resting on his face. "Personally, my preference lies with the Half Blood Prince."Rosie's eyebrows raised in surprise. "You... like Harry Potter?""Who doesn't?" He chuckled, tilting his head. "Although I will sheepishly admit that I have only watched the movies and
Unforeseen CompanyLater in the week, the weather had started to get worse and worse. It was snowing heavily all the time, the wind being so cool it felt like it was pricking at your skin. Rosie had started taking her car to work, it being too difficult to walk in the inches and inches of snow that was piling up.Lately, the library had been more vacant than usual. With the weather this terrible, classes were starting to get cancelled. With it being hard enough to manage the cold and the swirling snow, the library hardly got half a dozen visitors in a day.Rosie slipped off her sweater, grateful for the bubbling heat inside the library building. She leaned back, sitting behind the clerk desk as she read a book to pass time.It was nearing the end of her shift at night when the lights started to flicker. She glanced up, waiting for the flickering to stop.After a few minutes, they did stop.She sighed in relief and turned her gaze back to the book she was reading. But it wasn't before
A Winter StormTamara raced into the emergency room that was completely packed. With the weather being this bad and the conditions of the roads, it was no surprise that the hospital was filling with patients by the second.Anthony followed behind Tamara as she ran over to the reception desk.Anthony was at their apartment when the power went out so he had stayed there. All night, Tamara was panicking while Anthony also remained silently concerned. She had been texting and calling Rosie all night but had never gotten a response since Rosie didn't have any cell reception so she didn't receive a single message.A few hours later, Tamara had gotten a phone call from first responders. She was Rosie's emergency contact.Her and Anthony raced to the hospital, taking longer than usual because of the terrible road conditions."Ma'am, I need you to wait in the waiting room. She hasn't woken up yet. They're running some tests so it may take some time."Tamara gaped at the nurse with wide eyes. "
The Peacefulness of NumbnessRosie couldn't stop thinking about Anthony. She didn't know if it was her concussion or her mind unravelling from thinking about Anthony nonstop that was causing her head to hurt.She spent the next two weeks mostly in bed. She was sore and achy all the time, her head constantly hurting. She couldn't even read a book or sketch without her head starting to hurt after half an hour.Anthony had stopped by briefly to check in on her a few times. Even Aatalo and Ryder stopped by to see how she was doing.She knew it was impossible to avoid Anthony, nor would it be fair to him. This time he was the one who seemed to be distant.Anthony was struggling with his own increasing feelings towards Rosie. He wasn't naive, he knew he was falling for her hard. He felt lost on what to do because every time he thought they were making progress, she would start to pull away. At this point he was afraid of just losing her as friend. He thought the more he tried, the more it w