Rose sat on her canopy bed and scrolled endlessly through jobs on various employment websites. Rose was nowhere near qualified for the jobs that paid the best, since she never had to work a day in her life. She was trying not to be picky given her circumstances, but she couldn’t imagine flipping burgers to get by. She couldn’t stand what all that grease would do to her skin and hair. Something was going to have to give, however. As soon as she told Edward that she wanted a divorce, James would have her on the streets. Rose shivered at the thought of being broke and homeless so she applied to various barista, receptionist, and retail jobs. 

A soft knock came at her door, and she wondered who it could be at such a late hour. She padded to the door and found Owen looking cozy in flannel pajama bottoms and a t-shirt. He was holding two steaming mugs of tea and had a DVD case under his arm. Rose took a mug from his hand and breathed in the steam with a content sigh.

“Thanks,” she said and gestured to the movie he brought. Cocking an eyebrow, she said, “What are we watching?”

“I’m in need of a comfort movie,” Owen said, “and I have a feeling you might need one too.” He looked at her laptop perched on her mattress. “Go get comfy, and I’ll get the movie set up.” He breached the entryway and plopped onto her bed before putting the disk in the tray. 

Rose pulled her pajamas out of her wardrobe and made her way to the bathroom to get changed. After everything that has happened, with the addition of job searching, she definitely needed time to turn her brain off, curl up somewhere, and feel warm and safe. It never ceased to surprise Rose that Owen somehow knew what she needed before she even considered that she needed anything to begin with. 

Once Rose was comfortable, she took her place on the bed beside Owen. “Rough night?” She asked him as she watched as he took a sip of tea. 

“I wouldn’t say rough,” Owen replied, “I just couldn’t sleep.”

Rose furrowed her brow. Owen always seemed to be chipper and energetic in the morning, so she couldn’t imagine that he had regular sleep issues. “Is something on your mind?” She asked, somewhat concerned.

Owen gave her a sad smile. “You could say that. But don’t concern yourself with it. It’s just something I have to figure out on my own.”

Rose frowned and turned to look at him fully. “If you want to talk about it-”

“I don’t,” Owen cut her off abruptly, then rushed to add, “sorry.”

“It’s okay,” She said, deciding not to press on. Against her better judgement she added as a joke, “Girl trouble?” 

Owen looked at her sadly, but he didn’t say anything. Rose had the feeling that she was right, and she hated how her stomach dropped at the thought of him loving someone who wasn’t her. She froze, considering the impact that feeling meant. She wasn’t in a position to love someone freely. She was married, and even if the marriage didn’t work out, she still had a lot of work to do on herself. Owen was this great, confident, man who knew himself. Why would he ever love Rose, who was dependent on everyone around her? Self-esteem had never been an issue for Rose. She was rich and gorgeous. But, in that moment she felt so small and undeserving of someone as great as Owen. She felt a lump rise in her throat, and she tried to swallow it down. 

“Are you okay?” Owen asked, brushing a piece of hair from her face. 

Rose forced a smile. “Of course. Let’s start the movie.” She fixed her gaze on the laptop screen, trying to avoid eye contact with Owen. He was able to see through her easily, and she didn’t want him to see what she was thinking right now. She felt bad that somehow she had made Owen’s issue about herself. He was always there for her whenever she needed him, but she couldn’t even be a friend right when he needed one. Rose chewed on the inside of her cheek, trying to stop the tears before they came. 

The movie was a cheesy paranormal romance made for teen girls. Rose silently judged Owen for his choice of comfort movies at first, but soon she realized the appeal. When Rose was a teenager, she hadn’t paid attention to pop culture. She attended a private high school, and all of her friends were of her own class. They spent their time talking about the gala events they went to with their parents over the weekend, secret parties thrown by college boys they were trying to impress, or where they went on vacation last. Never about popular books or movies, or feelings. 

As Rose watched the movie, she grew jealous of the protagonist. She was just a regular girl who was able to love whoever she wanted, even if the someone she loved was undead and kind of a dick. She heard Owen sniffling next to her, and she looked over at him and saw a couple of tears rolling down his cheek. 

“Are you seriously crying?” She laughed. 

He returned her gaze. “Are you seriously not? They love each other despite all odds and they are willing to fight for it. That’s beautiful.”

“It’s a movie…” Rose said, “about a vampire…”

Owen looked back at the screen. “Sometimes it’s hard to be with someone when you don’t think you’re a good fit for them. But it doesn’t mean you don’t love them. It’s nice to see people fight for who they love, even if it’s in a movie.”

Rose gaped at him. Owen made a good point, and she could definitely understand the sentiment. She, too, didn’t feel like a good fit for the person that she possibly loved. In an effort to pretend she didn’t agree, she joked, “It’s not that deep, bro.”

“It can be that deep, bro,” Owen replied, matching her cadence. 

Rose yawned and rolled on her side to look at him. “What would you have done? If the person you loved got hurt and you blamed yourself, would you have left?”

Owen rolled and faced her too. “I mean, I wouldn’t have ditched her in the woods. But I can understand why he left. He felt guilty that he couldn’t protect her, and he thought that leaving would be safer for her. I would give anything to protect the person I love, even if it means that I can’t be with them.”

Rose frowned. “But what about your happiness? Wouldn’t it be better for the two of you to be happy together?” 

“In a perfect world, sure." He shrugged. "What about you? Would you have left?"

Rose thought for a moment. She could see Owen's point, but she also thought that such love should be worth fighting over. "I would talk to my partner," she decided. "Leaving would be torture, but I also wouldn't want to live with the guilt of him getting hurt because of me. Hopefully, we'd be able to figure out what to do together." 

Owen hummed in response and the look he gave Rose sent a spark through her. She could only hold her breath until the feeling faded. They held eye contact for a brief moment before Owen cleared his throat and sat up. 

"Well, I think it's time to take my leave," he said, avoiding her eyes.

"Right," Rose responded. "Goodnight."

With that, Owen left, leaving Rose to miss his warmth. She fell asleep shortly after burying herself under a mountain of blankets. Rose dreamt of being lost in the woods and trying to find her way home.