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.

"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?