Evelyn's Pov

I gasped when Arnold came extremely close to me. I had made a resolution earlier, to avoid him, to pretend that I didn't consider him a friend of mine but fate had a different plan anyway. He was the most important part of my life, as per the current circumstance.

He was the only link that connected me to the world. I didn't just trust him with all my heart but also relied on him as my life depended on it

"You hungry...?" he arched his brows whilst questioning me. It felt like a rhetorical question that didn't require any answer. I knew it because even if I told him that I wasn't starving, he won't listen to me. It felt like he was some kind of angel who had a magic wand. Everything seemed easy when I was with him.

I looked at him that instinct, my eye collided with his dark brown eyes. Yeah, I was starving, maybe for his touch. "Yeah", I smiled. I didn't like speaking too much or opening up.

"Your wish is my command", wait, it wasn't my wish to eat. It was he who popped out the question. I just reacted to it.

After halting at the nearest restaurant, I realized that I had been here earlier. "In a mood to go back to the memory lane?" he opened the car's door and I exited the car mouthing him a 'thank you. He was an extreme gentleman.

This was the place he brought me to, to have breakfast for the first time he took me out. I can't really forget that day. It was one of the best days of my life. Whatever sparks I had in my heart, had to be controlled.

"Did I interrupt any of your daydreams?" he interrogated whilst shaking me softly. I nodded meaning a no. Yeah, I was taken aback.

Arnold slowly placed his hand on my waist. I breathed in, swallowed, kept my heartbeats and actions sane, and marched into the restaurant with him. Our shoulders touched when we walked along. It was getting cold. My floral one-piece was quite open. I couldn't avoid the cold breeze which traveled through my skin, which gave me shivers. I tried my best to not show it on my face.

I settled my ass on the same table which we reserved earlier. Was this some kind of a reservation? I didn't bother him by asking any irrelevant questions. Whatever he was doing for me, was something which was incomparable. He made me feel special like my existence mattered to at least someone.

I smiled when he looked at me, he did the same. He didn't speak, just gawked at me. I looked down, towards the table, feeling a tickle in my stomach. No, it wasn't him who did the same. It was the feeling which rushed in it.

He closely observed the menu and passed it in my direction. "I'll eat whatever you order", he handed me the menu. I directed my gaze towards it, kept quiet for a while, and then pushed it forward, in his direction again. I had no idea of the delicacies, the total number of dishes confused me.

"I'll trust your taste. You should probably order", to be honest, some of the names of the dishes were something I read for the first time. The names of the food items were completely fancy for eg. Sex on the beach, the prince's lust. Starters were named differently too.

"Fine, let's play a game"

"A game?"  I interrogated.

He smirked, showing off the dimples which took birth on his right cheek. "Yeah, the game", he winked as he completed the sentence. I didn't really understand what kind of a game could even help us with ordering something from the menu card. But, it was Arnold, everything had to be fancy.

"So...?"

"The rule of the game is very simple. You have to keep your eyes closed. I'll pass the menu in your direction. You have to point one item from each page and I'll order it. So, we're done, yeah?"

I flipped over the pages of the menu card, looked towards the upwards right, and found the numerical figure. "There are like 20 pages, we can't order 20 dishes"

"That's the rule. Anyways, I'm starving. Aren't you?" he placed his hands on mine. It didn't feel like he was hungry or starving for food because he stretched the word 'starving' and an evil smile took birth on his lips. "Let's begin"

I closed my eyes as he directed me to do the same. I turned my pointer finger from top to bottom and took a halt at the end "What's it?" I questioned with my eyes closed.

"Malaysian Rice, I see your hands definitely have good taste", he chuckled and I did the same.

After flipping the page, I did the same. It took us 30 minutes to complete 20 pages. "Your hands have a pretty awesome taste ", he intertwined his fingers with mine and pecked softly on the back of my hands. I smiled from ear to ear. It was extremely difficult for me to ignore him, or whatever he did for me. I always ended up smiling like an idiot.

"Damn, we need to take a bigger table", Arnold looked at our table, which was crowded with starters, main courses, desserts, and drinks. "Hey there", he called the manager from afar. A familiar face came up with a smiling face. I nodded my head whilst looking at him and gave him a smile back.

I knew this man, I just didn't recollect how. "Hey Al", Arnold watched him with cornered eyes, "Oh hey there Arnold. It's such a coincidence that we have the same name", Arnold cut him off. That moment, I realized that he was the one I met on our first date here.

"You can sure distinguish. He's hotter", the manager aka the waiter aka Arnold complimented my Arnold. Oh, I just called him mine.

Arnolds uplifted himself from the seat and side-hugged the other manager and punched him softly on his chest. He laughed and hugged him back. "We need a bigger table"

"Sure, will this one be fine?" he guided us to a bigger table. I picked myself up and followed him to the table he reserved for us.

When I rested my ass comfortably, I couldn't control my curiosity so I questioned "Who is he?"

"A school friend", he instinctively answered.

"You can invite him to grab a bite with us. We can't eat all this by ourselves plus we shouldn't waste food. Many people don't have the privilege to even afford bread", I didn't intend to sound like a teacher but I ended up sounding the same.

He examined me for a while, gave a small smile, and replied assertively "That's what's so different about you". paused and continued "And, that's what I like about you". I simpered when he sounded pleased.

"Have dinner with us", he spaced the chair for him.

After giving up on his grin, he replied "I can't really. It's against the rules"

"I totally understand. It's okay", Arnold assured the other one. He got back to doing his work after greeting us an 'enjoy your dinner'. With just the initial four dishes, my stomach couldn't afford anymore. I sipped the mojito and Arnold concentrated on the food.

He tasted every dish one by one and at the end gave up on his appetite. "Pack everything", he directed the waiter and waited for the bill. I tried peeping in it on its arrival but couldn't because he didn't give me any chance to have a look through it.

We walked towards his car with the packed food items. I carried some bags in my hand and he held the rest. What was he going to do with it? I had no idea what he intended to do with the food. He even included newly ordered food in the parcel.

On settling the food bags in the back of his car, I buckled the seat belt. "Are you feeling cold?" he interrogated.

"No, I-uh I'm fine", I lied because I didn't plan to bother him plus he wasn't really wearing a jacket or a coat. His clothes were always very simple and casual.

"Where are we heading to?" I finally asked.

He diverted his attention from the road, looked at me, slightly smirked giving birth to a dimple on a cheek "You'll know"

The rest of the ride was silent. The only thing which made a melodious noise was his car's radio. After years, I sat on the passenger seat of some car. We were always fitted in a group of 5 in the backseat of some local car whenever we had to go somewhere, which was rare, actually, very rare.

When he drew the car to a close end, I unlatched the seat belt and exited the car. I tilted my chin up to read the huge board which was hung across the gate. It read 'The heart has colors', the name was quite strange but it didn't take too long for me to understand that it was an 'orphanage'

"I'll bring the packets from the back seat"

"I'll come with you", I offered him help. I once again occupied my hands with the food bags. Arnold didn't carry any but he removed a leather jacket from the back seat of his car and draped it around my shoulders. It felt warm, not just through my skin, but through his little gestures.

We walked together. It was quite dark by now, approximately 11 am. He opened the gates and greeted the watchman. The place felt well known to him. There were little kids, who in his sight, came rushing towards him. He pulled them closer to him in his arms. It wasn't just his face that was alluring but the view from afar too.

The kids kissed him softly on his cheek. "Took you a while to be back, Superman", one of them nudged him on his shoulder "We missed you", the little girl confessed.

"So, who's hungry for some junk?" he questioned loudly and was successful in his attempt to gather all the kids in one place. The children's eyes beamed with joy.

He landed the kids carefully on the ground, took possession of the bags from my hand, and started unpacking the food bags one by one in the huge hallway which consisted of a huge rectangular-shaped dining table. I helped him. Our hands collided with each other whilst doing the same. My heart raced whenever my skin came in contact with this man.

"Who's she?" a cute girl came towards me.

"A very good friend", he responded.

"I want to be as beautiful as her when I grow up", I sat on my knees so as to match height with her.

"You'll definitely be prettier", I pecked her forehead. She came closer to me, and I engulfed her in a hug. She curled her hands around my neck and I caressed her back. However my mom was, at least she existed. I can't even stand the thought of not having parents. I had no idea about my father, I didn't even know whether he existed.

We waited for the kids to complete the food. I and Arnold stood straight, our shoulders touched with each other. We watched the kids "This is the best place I've ever been. Thank you"

"I always come here, when I am happy when I am sad. They're someone worth celebrating with. Next time when I go missing, you know where to find me", he murmured in my ear. I could feel him breathing and I also could smell the cologne that he wore.

After an hour, we waved them goodbyes. We exited the gate. I didn't really feel like leaving the place but I had to. When our eyes contacted each other, "How did you know that I was cold", I buttoned the jacket as the cold breeze contacted my skin. I rubbed my palms to generate heat.

"Saw it in your eyes", I gasped at his straightforward statement "I'm quite an observer", he covered up for his bluntness.

He proved me wrong today. I had an ideology that every rich person is heartless but Arnold was an exception to the law. He had a golden heart. I thought that it was his attraction towards me that made him do all the nice things for me but now I knew, that it was his nature that was pure gold, no matter who it was, which also meant that I shouldn't keep my hopes high because he is who he is, for me or for anyone.

*****

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