He is Enchanted

In The Cafe

"What did Ethan say?"

Roman walks out of his room. He has changed into his pajama. Actually, he goes to the kitchen to grab a drink and eat an apple or a pear. But he did not expect Liana and Odette to be sitting at the dining table.

"It's nothing important," Roman replied, picking up a glass and pouring cold water. He also opened the refrigerator and decided to get an apple and a pear, then sit with Odette and Liana.

As it turned out, they had just finished one of a whole chocolate cake, leaving only the plate with some chocolate left all over the plate. Making Roman sigh heavily, even though Liana and Odette had just finished a giant cotton candy yesterday at the zoo.

Seeing their father's uneasy face, Odette smiled. "We're eating the cake with the twins."

"But it's still too much."

But both Liana and Odette didn't really care about their father, who was eating an apple and sometimes sipping a glass of water.

Living in old age is very sad because, according to Odette and Liana, they will not freely eat their favorite food. So now is the right moment to enjoy their favorite food, before Liana and Odette have to eat healthier food when they are old. 

However, Roman's opinion is different. From a young age, they should pay attention to food to have a strong body in their old age. 

"Easy for you to say it. Because you don't like sweet food," says Odette. 

While Roman just smiled while eating the apple again and staring at the kitchen in front of him. 

How did that kid know the location of Guen's cafe?

Roman was surprised, of course. Even his heart wants to jump out of its place, not because he was so happy that Ethan managed to find the cafe's location, but because Roman was so surprised. 

Yes, he is happy, but it's way too surprising. That's what Roman finally said and convinced himself.

Did Ethan follow him from the mall? But he goes back to the office first after going to the mall.

By the way, Roman had even seen Ethan even before Ethan met his friend in the parking lot. To be exact, Roman was just about to get out of his car when he saw a gray sports car passing in front of his car.

After waiting a while, Roman sees Ethan in his shirt, without his suit and tie. Ethan enters the mall, and he also sees Ethan meeting his friend, and they enter the elevator together.

Roman was actually curious, but because he didn't have much time. Roman immediately headed to the places he had planned. Everything went smoothly because he did not meet Ethan until at the gift shop.

Roman even saw it from the corner of his eye. When Ethan was so surprised, he accidentally bumped his friend who was walking behind him; if he is not mistaken, it was the same person Ethan met in front of the elevator. Luckily his girl friend walked a bit far from him. Roman couldn't imagine if Ethan bumped into them, and they both fell to the floor. It would have been embarrassing, especially when the mall was busy.

There were about seven or eight of them. Roman couldn't confirm the exact number because all his friends watched Roman from the cafe across from the gift shop. Ethan also kept staring at him, limiting Roman's movement to look back and count. 

Until finally, it was time to go back to the office, so he glanced at Ethan, who was talking to his friend, like a one-sided goodbye, before finally heading to the parking lot and back to his office.

"Ah."

Roman groaned softly in surprise that he had bitten his own finger, causing Odette and Liana to laugh, and at the same time, wonder.

"Is there a problem in the office, dad? Are something bothering you?"

"Nothing is bothering me."

Yes, something bothered him so much, making him lose focus on his work after leaving the mall. He even wrote Ethan's name under his signature instead of his name. Luckily, the document was in digital form, so he could quickly delete Ethan's name and replace it with his name.

It would be a big problem if he signed a document printed on the paper, and Ethan's name was written in ink under his signature and next to his client's signature, which meant they had to make a new document and sign a second time. 

Or when Roman almost forgot that he had to go to the meeting room to monitor his employees. Luckily, one of them came into Roman's room and said that the meeting would start in five minutes.

If the employee hadn't come, Roman might have been staring out the window, at the row of tall buildings and the bustle of the streets below, wondering how they could accidentally visit a mall at almost the same time.

Because Roman wasn't really sure that Ethan often went to that mall. Roman often visits this mall and has never met Ethan, so he thinks Ethan might be invited by his friends to this mall. Or maybe Ethan does usually go to the mall, but because the mall is large, Roman and Ethan have never met.

"But Dad, you're not secretly planning my wedding with Ethan, are you?" Liana joked, pulling Roman from his mind. 

Roman was silent for a moment before he shook his head. "Of course not, Liana. That's your business with your mother."

Suddenly, Roman's smile melts from his face.

Then he looked at the apple in his hand, which actually he had eaten. He put it on the table, then took the pear and started eating it.

He had almost forgotten that his daughter supposedly married Ethan, someone who almost made him nudge the coffee his employee had just delivered to his office half an hour ago.

"Liana."

Liana was still laughing with Odette when she saw her father. "Why?"

"I want to ask you something."

"Why?"

Roman took a deep breath. "Did you like Ethan?"

A feeling pushed the tears out of Roman's tear glands when he said those words. But he managed to hold back his tears by blinking her eyes.

"He's actually a great friend."

Odette immediately nodded her head while Roman stared in disbelief at Liana.

Then Liana laughed. "We both have the same interests, and I feel like I can talk with him for hours without getting bored, but I don't feel like I have a feeling for him."

"Is that true?"

Liana nodded. "Actually, it's not his fault or anyone's fault. I didn't find any connection between being his girlfriend or even his wife. I actually felt like we would be really awkward. When mom bothered Ethan and me, I realized that we both didn't like that, and we fell silent when we remembered that we were getting married soon. Then when we forget about it, we go back as usual."

"If you don't feel it, you don't have to force it," said Odette, putting her hand on her sister's shoulder.

Then Liana looked directly at her father. "I feel that he is not meant for me, but for someone else."

***

Early in the morning, Ethan found Mrs. Pearson was at his home. Ethan, who had wanted to take his breakfast hesitated, and planned to go straight out of the house without his parents and Mrs. Pearson knowing because he saw a lousy aura rising between the three of them.

But unfortunately, his father suddenly saw Ethan, who was sneaking towards the main door. Although he was only on the third step.

"Come here, Ethan." 

It was an order even more important than a presidential decree. Ethan nervously and hurriedly sat down in the empty chair next to his father, then in front of him sat his mother and Mrs. Pearson. 

"We want to know what happened at the zoo yesterday," his mother said. 

Ethan widened his eyes, grabbing onto his thigh to give him strength. "Is there something wrong?" Ethan said with a laugh, but the laughter wasn't enough to change the mood of the three people around him. 

"Yes, there is a huge problem. Did you say something to Liana? Or did Liana say something to you?"

As far as Ethan could remember, he and Liana were okay. Ethan usually chatted with Liana or Odette when he couldn't stand that annoying old man named Roman.

"Nothing, Liana and I are fine."

"But why did I hear Liana say that she is not interested in being your wife?"

If his eye sockets were as old as Roman, maybe his eyeballs could pop out of his body because he was surprised by Mrs. Pearson's sentence. Luckily Ethan was still young; the muscles holding his eyes were still in decent shape.

"I already feel, if the zoo is not the right place to create a romantic atmosphere, we will have dinner again this weekend," said his father.

Ethan just nodded limply. 

But they obviously weren't there, so how could they know how nice it was to see his face under the blue light from the aquarium, how could they know an annoying black butterfly was on that old man sida, and how could they know the story of a love that grows a magic tree that has been dead for years.

That's why they concluded that the zoo is not an excellent place for creating a romantic atmosphere. 

***

Mr. Oakland complained all day at the office. 

His mood was horrible, and everyone, even Ethan became the victim of his bad feelings; he scolded everyone who even just breathed beside him. 

But everyone seems to have gotten used to Mr. Oakland being like that. His own father was a leader with a good image in the eyes of his employees. Only when he was in a bad mood, everyone become the target of his anger.

Even so, everyone still managed to complete their task today, including Ethan.

Then now, Ethan was hesitant to ask permission to go to the cafe again.

But Ethan plucked up the courage; he walked into his father's room and immediately told his father that he wanted to visit his friend at his cafe.

Ethan didn't want to wake up something evil in his father, so he lied by saying he wanted to meet his friend.

Maybe his dad will go with Ethan and fuss with Roman at the people's cafe.

It took more time than Ethan anticipated and a few more lies. Another lie that Ethan was very frustrated that Liana wasn't interested in him, that he hadn't been focused all day long, so he wanted to refresh himself and at the same time ask his friends for advice on his relationship with Liana.

His father still looked at Ethan suspiciously, but he finally let Ethan go.

Ethan came out of his father's room with a smile that almost covered his entire face. Ethan returned to his room. He had even brought a gray shirt and more casual black pants. 

He changed clothes then rushed to leave his office before his father saw him. He even ran out of the building parking lot. He even forgot to put a map on. It turned out that he had to take a long detour. Even the estimated time was increased to thirty minutes.

Ethan complained, but what can he do? He will still go to the cafe even though he has to travel all day though.

During the way, there wasn't much Ethan did. Other than looking at the map or the estimated time, Ethan would sign heavily as the minutes increased, then smiled when the minutes decreased.

But in the end, Ethan arrived at the same time he first opened the maps.

In Ethan's opinion, the old man's car was peacefully parked in the cafe parking lot, but it is annoying to look at. Ethan parked his car right next to that annoying car.

He got out of the car, trying to look inside, but he couldn't find Roman. Inside there is only a cafe counter and cashier, as well as some paintings.

But if his annoying car is parked here, its annoying owner must be inside.

Ethan stepped impatiently, then turned his head left and right, but still, he couldn't find an old man among the people standing in front of the painting holding their coffee.

Then Ethan took the initiative to order coffee, the barista greeted him with a smile and a standard question. 

"Welcome to Early rise coffee bar. May I take your order?"

"Maple bourbon coffee."

"Is there anything else?"

Ethan shook his head.

"It would be $12.99 then."

Ethan handed his card to the barista.

"By the way, is there any table? and is there any live music tonight?"

"Tables and live music are on the second floor, but today there is no live music. But if you have time, there will be live music on Friday."

Ethan nodded, taking the card back.

"The order can be picked up over there."

Ethan immediately waited in front of the barista's intended place, and soon his drinks arrived.

Ethan started down the aisle of this mini gallery, who knew Roman was here, but apparently, he couldn't find that old man. So Ethan rushed upstairs, and his smile grew as soon as he saw that old man's back.

Ethan straightened his back, then he glanced at the window behind him, making sure there was nothing strange about his appearance, then hurried over to the old man.

Ethan didn't even ask for Roman's permission. When he pulled up an empty chair at the next table, that old man must have pushed aside the chair that should have been across from him.

He immediately sat across from Roman, who turned out to be reading a book. Judging from the title, the book must be about self-improvement.

Ethan knew Roman had noticed his presence. Ethan could see a smile peeking on his face.

"Good evening Mr. Pearson, It's such a coincidence to meet you here."