Chapter 5 No expectation

Fate seems to be on Kevin's side today. The proof is that he can meet his idol again, even without exchanging messages. The plan was for Kevin to contact Evelyn when he arrived first at his favorite restaurant after learning how busy the career woman was this afternoon. But then came the call. Kevin smiled at the incredible sight he had just seen in the blink of an eye. Evelyn was in front of his eyes, sitting in the chair that Kevin often occupied when he was alone here.

Kevin also approached her. I approached Evelyn, who was busy sorting out the best food menu in this restaurant.

"Wow, I didn't know that there was an angel here," Kevin told Evelyn. Pretending not to notice, Evelyn instead turned her head right and left, looking for the object being seduced by Kevin.

Not taking offense, Kevin pulled out the chair in front of him confidently and sat opposite Evelyn without asking permission first.

"How did you know I was having lunch here?" snapped Evelyn. There was no answer. Kevin snapped his fingers to summon the waiter and began ordering his favorite menu item.

"Fate," he replied simply. Evelyn raised her eyebrows. "Maybe," Kevin added.

Seeing Evelyn looking curious made Kevin chuckle. Evelyn didn't care because now all she had in her head were questions about the man sitting in front of her. Who exactly is this man?

"You don't have a job, do you? It seems like every time I go anywhere, you are always there," Evelyn snapped once again.

"That's my job-going everywhere and being everywhere," Kevin replied casually.

Not wanting to argue, Evelyn finally relented. The menu that Kevin had ordered came. They were both silent for a moment. Kevin kept glancing at Evelyn, who was having trouble slicing the steak, which was larger than other restaurant standards. He laughed amusedly.

"Here, swap with my menu," suggested Kevin.

"What does that mean?" asked Evelyn.

Kevin pulled Evelyn's steak plate and replaced it with his steak, which was already neatly cut.

"We have the same menu. I know you must be having trouble cutting that steak," Kevin replied. Their plates had been exchanged. Evelyn glanced at Kevin, who was busy cutting the steak that had been exchanged.

"Thank you."

"You are welcome."

Their forty-five-minute lunch ended with Kevin's nonsensical ramblings. About his tacky childhood when he first came to Jakarta. Evelyn smiled, covering her lips with her hand. She held back her laughter a little when Kevin told her about his absurd and strange childhood.

"You're so small, aren't you? But funny," Evelyn said. She gulped down the rest of her drink and laughed once more.

"Yes, that's how it is. Because I live in the lower class, I have to be able to adapt to a luxurious environment," she said in a sad tone. Evelyn stopped laughing at the slight sadness in Kevin's voice just now.

"Sorry."

Kevin shook his head. He smiled again and said everything was fine. Kevin told her that he was actually an orphan raised by a wealthy family in Scotland. The family paid for Kevin to grow up and let him go when he started earning.

"Never mind. We all have a not-so-good past," he said wisely. Evelyn nodded because she was just as gloomy as Kevin. Her mother died, and her father remarried a widow with one child. She only inherited a house and a vehicle from her late mother's estate. All of his tuition fees came from scholarships and the help of his best friend.

"Yeah, I'm the same way."

Not wanting to get too wrapped up in their sadness, they both decided to return to their respective activities. Evelyn with her pending meeting, and Kevin with an event around the city.

Kevin didn't say much as he drove Evelyn. The awkward atmosphere was felt until they stopped right in front of the office lobby. After being silent for a moment, Evelyn lowered her face while playing with her nails. Kevin was the same. Until finally, they turned their heads and muttered each other's names.

"Kevin/Evelyn," they said in unison. Both of them were stunned. Evelyn's face turned red, and so did Kevin's. It wasn't long before they burst out laughing.

"It looks like we do have something in common," Kevin chirped. Evelyn nodded.

"Yes. How about we become friends?" Evelyn offered. Slightly disappointed by Evelyn's offer, Kevin smiled bitterly.

"Yes, friends," Kevin replied quietly.

'Friends for life.'

"I'll go in first, Kevin. If you don't mind, can we meet again?" Evelyn was nervous about asking this. She was afraid that she would be aggressive when meeting Kevin, her new friend.

"Pick you up?" Kevin asked back. Evelyn nodded in embarrassment and looked down. "I can. But there are conditions."

Evelyn frowned. "Oh, yeah, I forgot to pay for the online taxi."

"No," Kevin interrupted. Evelyn frowned again. "Can we meet this weekend?"

"Sorry. I have work this weekend," she said sadly. Kevin was a little disappointed, but he understood. Evelyn's job was not one that had a full schedule on vacation.

"Well, maybe next time we can," he said, calming Evelyn as well as her heart.

"But you can come with me to work. Uhm, I have one invitation to the event. You can come with me as" Evelyn paused her sentence. She seemed afraid to say one last word. "Couple."

"Couple?" Evelyn nodded slowly. "Can I be your partner?" asked Kevin, teasing Evelyn, whose face suddenly turned red.

"Yes. Just for that one day," Evelyn denied. Kevin laughed at Evelyn's embarrassed and adorable face, which was partially covered by her hair. Kevin reflexively pushed the sheet of hair behind his owner's ear.

Evelyn turned her head. Their gazes met for a moment, then locked.

"It's okay forever," Kevin said. He moved his body a few centimeters toward Evelyn, then his hand reached for the seatbelt hook and opened it. Evelyn held her breath as Kevin's face right in front of her made her remember what happened a while ago. "The trip is over. Please resume your activities."

"You kicked me out?" Evelyn made an annoyed face. Kevin chuckled at how disappointed Evelyn was at being kicked out by him.

"You said you had a meeting with TV officials, so I told you to get off immediately so you wouldn't be late," Kevin said.

"Alright. Thanks for the ride." Evelyn said goodbye. Her hand reached for the car door knob, but Kevin stopped her. Evelyn turned around in confusion. "Why?"

"I'll pick you up at four in the afternoon. Good work," Kevin said. Their eyes met again. Evelyn smiled and opened the knob quickly. From the car window, Evelyn could see Kevin waving his hand, and she waved back at him from behind the wheel.

Evelyn held her cheek. It felt burning hot. Then she shook her hand and mumbled, "Am I in love with him? No, no way."

Evelyn was actually reluctant to meet with the TV officials who directly met her this afternoon to discuss the collaboration. She felt uncomfortable and psychologically intimidated. Those in power made her feel like she couldn't fight back, even though it was them who needed this cooperation.

Evelyn entered the meeting room with an annoyed face that she could not contain. Her hand always squeezed the ballpoint pen so tightly that the tip almost broke. A series of familiar faces she recorded in her head memory. Faces hungry for profit and oppression in the name of cooperation.

"Good afternoon," Evelyn said. She sat next to one of the people in charge of the reality show program, who often met and talked with her. Evelyn flashed him an economical smile. "Shall we start from the beginning or get straight to the point?" asked Evelyn matter-of-factly.

Those present whispered to each other. Apparently, Evelyn's question was considered challenging their existence.

"Just get to the point since we have discussed this before. Ms. Evelyn, I would like you to reconsider the cooperation draft that we are offering. This is also useful for the development of your product in the future. I see this business opportunity will be wide open, especially in the field of television," said one of the production leaders.

Evelyn odded and opened the cooperation draft she had brought earlier. She took a deep breath and digested what was written in it. She recalled one of her staff members saying that this collaboration was indeed very beneficial for her but could also be detrimental if Soraya was unable to fulfill their wishes.

Evelyn massaged her throbbing forehead. She recalculated how many workers she would send to work under the contract with the arrogant television.

"I only have twenty professional staff; the rest are trainees with pretty good experience in their fields. How about it?" said Evelyn. Some of them whispered back and nodded.

"No problem. We only have six on-air programs; the rest are off-air. We can handle it," replied the production head. Evelyn was dumbstruck. Her attempt to prevent their intentions had left her with no way out.

"Alright. But I want to add one more point. Don't intimidate me and my staff in the field. Can we?" asked Evelyn in a slightly annoyed tone. Their leader nodded. She stood up and approached Evelyn's desk and extended her hand. Evelyn stood up too and returned the hand.

"I hope this cooperation lasts for a long time and produces benefits for both parties," he said.

"You're welcome, sir."

Finished with a grueling meeting, Evelyn was greeted with a wave from the man who now stood proudly waving his hand in front of the car door facing the entrance. Kevin smiled enthusiastically at Soraya's arrival from behind the lobby doors.

"Been waiting long?" asked Evelyn with a smile and a nod in return. " You're too punctual."

"I happen to have some work nearby. Someone wants to renovate the building and needs a recommendation from me," she said a little smugly.

Evelyn got into the car and sat comfortably as usual. Kevin turned on the music player and started driving away from the lobby.

"Kevin, let me change the song. Is that okay?" Kevin looked over and nodded. Evelyn's tiny hand pulled the cable and connected it to her cell phone. A somber song came on. A song about falling in love sounded romantic in the late afternoon.

"That's a good song," Kevin chirped.

"Yes."

"It's a song about someone falling in love," Kevin continued.

"Yes."

"Are you in love?"

Evelyn reflexively replied, "Yes."

"Really?" asked Kevin, which instantly made Soraya realize what he had said. "With whom, may I know?"

Evelyn looked down. If she said it, she would definitely embarrass herself. She chose to remain silent and tossed her face to the side, pretending to look at the bustling streets of the capital.

"I know who," Kevin said simply. Evelyn turned her head. Her eyes widened, and her heart kept saying there was no way Kevin could know her heart.

"B-it's not you. Don't be ge-er," Evelyn denied.

"I haven't said anything yet. Why are you nervous? Um..." Kevin teased Evelyn again, like this afternoon. "Or maybe you're really in love with me, right?" he continued.

"What the hell, weird?" Evelyn cursed her words earlier. Kevin laughed at Evelyn's innocence, like it was her first time falling in love.

"Yes. But I'm sure of my assumptions," she said confidently as she smiled behind the wheel. Evelyn did not want to continue the conversation anymore. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

'God, am I in love again?