The Royal Contract

But his face did not vanish. He remained the man that she had left behind, not to forget, but what? She could not even answer her question. She guessed she was not sure if she deserved a man like him.

"Hey, Mister," Favio shouted at the man standing silently before them. Just like her, he seemed transfixed as he stared into her face. She did not doubt that despite her disguise, he still recognized who she was.

She remembered he was used to the different hats, wigs, glasses, and makeup she used to hide her identity. Her appearance would not fool him even if she tried hard enough.

"I found her. Thanks again for the food." Favio broke the silence that surrounded them.

"Hey, Adam." She finally greeted him, deciding not to keep up with the pretense. "Thanks for helping Favio." She said, finding nothing else to say to him.

She still could not believe that he was here. But standing before him confirmed that it was him. There was no mistake. Therefore, she had no choice but to face the inevitable.

"Hi, there." He still hid her identity, refusing to say her name in a crowded public place, just in case someone would hear. "So, you know this boy." He asked, but he did not seem surprised.

"Yeah, This is Favio." She introduced him. "And this is my friend, Adam." She told the boy.

"You two know each other?" It was Favio who seemed surprised. Nonetheless, he continued to munch on his food as they stared at each other.

"Adam is a friend back home." She answered the boy's question. "What are you doing here?" Suddenly wondering about the coincidence of finding him in the same area. Even more surprising was that he was the one to find Favio.

"I..." Suddenly, Adam looked panicky at her question as he scratched the back of his neck as if thinking. "I..." He paused again. "I... met a client." He stammered as he finally gave his reason.

"Yeah, the client wanted to meet here. And I was supposed to leave earlier, but something happened to the plane. They had to delay the flight." He rattled on as he narrated his excuses.

Those seemed valid reasons in her mind as she listened to his explanation, but something else bothered her. She guessed she wanted to hear that he came here to see her.

But how would he know where she was when she kept him in the dark? "Oh! Then, I am glad that we accidentally bumped into each other." She gave him a sweet smile, still happy to see him.

"Anyway, are you leaving soon, or are you planning to stay for a while?" She quickly asked, wondering if she would see him again. She knew she had to return to the group soon. Everybody might be worried about her and the boy.

She did not understand why she suddenly asked him that question. But the thought of not seeing him again weighed heavily on her. She would admit she missed him.

"I don't know." He eventually said after a long pause. But his eyes gazed at her as if trying to read her thoughts. "Should I stay?" He suddenly asked.

Yes! Her heart shouted inside her chest, but no words came from her lips. Her mind reminded her that she was not ready. She ran away for a reason, and one of them was him.

"It is a beautiful place. I think you also deserve some time off. Why don't you stay for a day or two?" She finally came up with a safe answer.

She did not directly tell him to stay. But in a way, that was what she wanted. She guessed she wished to see him again. But she was still afraid to get involved with him, more than the friendship they shared.

"Well, I will think about it?" Serena heard Adam say, but she also sensed another person behind her. "You found him." Then, she felt his protective touch on her shoulder.

"Adam found me. He is a friend of Serena." The boy interrupted their conversation.

"Yeah, he was here all along. Adam found him." She pointed to the man before them. "By the way, I want you to meet my old friend, Adam. And this is Sebastian." She introduced the two to each other.

"Thanks for taking care of this rascal." Sebastian quickly shook Adam's hand. "And you." He pointed to Favio. "You should never wander off by yourself. What if something horrible happened to you?"

Favio looked apologetic, probably finally realizing his mistake. "I am sorry. It will never happen again."

"You should also apologize to everyone since they were all worried about you," Sebastian told him. The boy hastily nodded in understanding, promising to do so once they joined the group.

"I am glad Favio found his family," Adam said, looking as if he was ready to leave. "I guess I will see you around." Sounding different than earlier.

"I guess we better go too." Serena looked at Sebastian and Favio, who shook Adam's hand as they said their goodbyes.

"Anyway..." She stopped before walking further away and turned to look at him. "If you decide to stay, I hope you visit us at the orphanage." She told him.

"Do you want me to visit?" He asked with that low voice that was carrying so much uncertainty. It was like he was afraid to ask her the question. But was she ready to answer his question?

"I believe Favio will love to see you again." Then, she turned and continued walking, not waiting for him to answer.

She was not expecting to see him, but she was glad as she walked away from him. But would she see him again soon? Would he stay and visit her? She hoped so.

Was she ready for something more than friendship with him? She had no clue. But she knew she wanted to see him again. At least for now, she hoped that was enough.

But would she ever be ready to take their relationship to the next level? Or was she too late because Adam had already found another?

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