I was just a machine, but it wasn't really me... (Connor x OC) D: BH

༻ 18, The mysterious stranger ༺

ROSE'S POV

On the morning after the eventful dawn the cheerful chirping of birds woke me up. The weather was sunny and warm. I glanced at the hologram clock on the nightstand, enjoying the golden rays of the rising sun. 10:33... The time has come to start the day, because I had a lot of things to do, even if it was my day off. Leaving my soft bed, I put my golden brown hair up to a messy bun, then I headed straight to the bathroom. I quickly took a hot shower, wrapped my brown towel around my wet body, then finally went downstairs, while I was singing softly one of my favorite songs. I didn't care to get dressed, since it was more comfortable to wear only a towel after the refreshing shower and there was nobody else in the a house. I had a day off, but my partners had to work.

Once I reached the downstairs I glanced toward the front door and I instantly noticed something. There was a white envelope on the floor of the hallway, which certainly came through the letter plate of the door. I was a little surprised, because nowadays almost everybody used only the online platforms. I bent down and carefully picked up the envelope from the floor, but only my address was on it. 'Who is the sender?'... I glanced at the stamp on the other side of the envelope. 'United States Postal Service - Detroit'. Based on the stamp, it was certain for me that the sender sent this letter from Detroit. After that, I headed to the living room, opening the envelope. I found only a piece of paper in it and there were only a few words on it.

'Greektown, St Clair Cafe - 13:00'

I didn't know what to think... It was clear that someone wanted to meet me in person in the downtown area of ​​Detroit, but I had no idea who the mysterious stranger was. On the one hand, I was so curious. On the other hand, I was sure that the stranger had a good reason to invite me, so finally I decided to accept the mysterious invitation.

"Good mor... Ning, Rose..." 'I hope that only my imagination is playing with me...'. As soon as I turned around the reality hit me.

"Umm... Good morning, Connor, but... Why are you at home?" I asked him with a surprised look, standing in the middle of the living room, wearing only a towel.

"Lieutenant Anderson is not working today for personal reasons. And you also have a day off, so I decided to stay at home." he answered. For a few moments I deepened in sadness, then I glanced at the calendar on the drawer. October 11th... The third anniversary of Cole's death... The day that was the most painful for my uncle... From my deep thoughts an unexpected incident pulled me back into reality.

"Shasta!" I whispered to my dog. He thought that it will be fun to playing with my towel, so he grabbed the soft cotton fabric with his teeth and started to to pull it. "Let it go! Shasta! You hear me?!" I repeated and I also grabbed the towel.

"I've made breakfast for you." Connor informed me after my dog let the towel go. Although, Shasta was already three years old, but he often behaved like a playful puppy.

"Thank you!" I replied with an honest smile. "Well... I'll be back, I just ne-" I started, but before I could finish my sentence Shasta attacked me playfully from behind and I instantly lost my balance. Fortunately, Connor caught me just in time, but in that moment I cared about only one thing. 'Please, someone tells me, that the towel is still on me...'. I was lucky, because the towel was still wrapped on my body. 'Thank Goodness...'

"You're very hot..." 'WHAT?!' "I-I mean your body temperature." he explained. 'Did he really stutter?'

"Oh, umm... Probably because of the hot water... A few minutes ago I took a shower and I... Well..." I tried to explain the situation, while Connor was helping me to stand up.