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The Complex Art of Rosie 16
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
The Complex Art of Rosie 17
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
The Complex Art of Rosie 18
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
The Complex Art of Rosie 19
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
The Complex Art of Rosie 20
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 Complex Art of Rosie 21
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
The Complex Art of Rosie 22
Nothing to SayFor the next few weeks, Rosie hardly heard from or saw Anthony.She walked into her apartment after work one night, Anthony sitting on the couch watching the tv with his and Tamara's textbooks and course work sprawled across the coffee table in front of him.Rosie halted in her tracks. Her heart started racing, her mind going blank, while her body felt frozen. This was the first time she was seeing Anthony in a few days. They hadn't talked properly since the day she had gotten home from the hospital. That was Anthony's made it pretty obvious that he had feelings for her.Anthony looked up when he saw her walk in. He cleared his throat, sitting up straighter. "Tamara just went around the block to pick up some pizza."Rosie nodded her head slowly, walking to the living room.An uncomfortable silence lingered in the air above them.Rosie didn't quite understand why things felt so tense. It was as if Anthony had flipped a switch and turned himself back into a stranger - and
The Complex Art of Rosie 23
Unforeseen ComfortRosie inhaled deeply, holding the crumbled page above the water, ready to throw it in the lake and get back to her usual lonesome routine."So much for saving the turtles."Rosie snapped around to see the last person she was expecting to run into right now.She blinked. For a moment she thought she was hallucinating."Blaze?"Blaze's usual smug grin rested on his face as he walked towards her, his hands shoved into his jacket's pockets. "You could just throw the paper in a garbage bin instead of polluting the lake, you know?"Rosie slowly retreated her hand back, staring at him in bewilderment. She didn't know if she was more confused by his concern for pollution or the fact that he was here to begin with. "What... are you doing here?"Blaze stopped beside her, turning to stare out at the lake as he leaned against the wooden banister. "Catching lake polluters, obviously."Rosie took a step back, continuing to gape at him in confusion. Blaze was at complete ease, bli
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