ARAKAS

CHAPTER 17

Ara chose to lock herself in her room. Her mood was destroyed because of her brother. He did not go to the house of Laras and ended up crying alone in his room. All this time he has been patient and hopes the attitude of papa and his brother will return to love him as before. But it seems like everything was in vain. His efforts failed, there was no more chance for him, their hearts were already frozen. It's free to live in this house with people who don't think they exist at all. The girl wiped away her tears, if this continues it is better to leave the house alone.

The clock shows at eleven o'clock in the evening and Ara manages to get out of her house without the knowledge of Ravel and the maids. He has a secret passage through the back garden of the house that Ravel once made.

When they were children, they both often went out of the house secretly through the secret passage. But now, that path was already rarely crossed as the relationship of the two got further and further. Ara even thought Ravel must have forgotten the secret path.

His steps stopped in front of a crowded street-side dining venue. He walked closer, afraid of the dark and silence so he chose a crowded place to stop and sit for a while. Suddenly his stomach rang. He held his stomach and realized that he had not eaten since.

The girl glanced at the people who were engrossed in eating voraciously. He swallowed. Soon he stood up and entered the line of people who were waiting for food. When he wanted to order, the girl realized that he had no money. Right, he did not bring any time out of the house earlier.

Ara bent her face but her brain thought hard at the idea. Do you just owe it? the idea was spontaneous. What's wrong with trying. He stepped closer to the seller regardless of some buyers who were waiting in line.

"Ehmm." the girl cleared her throat making the seller look up at her.

"Mom, can I order fried rice but owe first?" ask her with a sweet smile. Some buyers who lined up behind him laughed at him but in contrast to the seller who had put up his fierce look looked at the girl.

"If you don't have money go there! It's good to owe." said the seller was rude and drove Ara from there, inevitably the sweet smile on Ara's face turned sullen and turned to leave.

"Just give this girl some food. I'll pay for it."

Ara turned her gaze towards the direction the voice came from. A tall, handsome man who was in the queue stared back at him. He did not know the man but felt grateful that someone would pay for his food. Ara smiled happily at the man. The man smiled back.

"Just sit there, and I'll bring the food" the man told Ara. He pointed to an empty place at the back. Ara nodded quickly and obeyed the words of her helper with a sumringah face.

The man smiled faintly. Name's Kevan. Actually, he had been watching Ara since. He guessed that Ara was still a schoolgirl, and he wondered why she was wandering around outside the house in the middle of the night.

In her place, Ara tapped her hand on the table. I can't wait for the food to come. His stomach had been rumbling all day, his eyes sparkling with delight as his helper angel finally came with food. He quickly devoured the food Kevan placed on the table, making the man amazed instead of playing. Is he that hungry? Kevan's mind was clearly visible from his expression.

"Slow down, you can choke later" he said but ignored. Ara was busy chewing her food like a person who had not eaten for days.

"What's your name?" he looked at the girl again.

"Ara." said Ara on the sidelines eating it.

"Your money?"

"Twenty" he answered lying smoothly. Kevan. It turned out wrong, he thought. The girl turned out to be quite an adult. But still he wondered why the girl was wandering around alone these nights.

"Why are you wandering around out in the middle of the night like this?" tanyanya again wants to know.

This time Ara raised her face looking at the man. He put on a sad face deliberately want to play with the adult man in front of him.

"I was cast out" he replied lying.

Kevan's eyebrows are wrinkled.

"I was kicked out by my stepmom with her son, they really like me." replied Ara while bending her face, she herself was amused by the lie.

Kevan, on the other hand, shows compassion. The girl's innocent face made her start to believe, though not completely.

"So where are you going after this? you have any other relatives?" tanyakanya.

Ara shook her head in a doldrums.

"You have a place I can stay for a while or can you find me a job that makes me money?" ask Ara directly. That's what it takes now, a place to live and money. He doesn't want to go home now.

Kevan thought for a moment, weighed and then looked back at Ara. He admitted to someone he just met, this girl had no shame in the least. Just look at how to ask. Actually he wanted to refuse but felt kasian.

"I have a cafe, if you want you can stay and work while in my cafe." bargain then, there is no harm in helping people right.

Ara smiled happily and nodded in agreement. Kevan smiles back without realizing he has been tricked by a schoolboy.

                                ***

Inside Kevan's Cafe, Lily stared dislikefully at Ara since the girl had come with Kevan. Kevan hired the girl he was carrying. Usually all employees who work at the famous Cafe must be selected carefully and must go through Lily the manager. But this is even Kevan himself who accepts the girl even they just met tonight, they certainly do not know what his family background is like. You can make that girl a con artist willing to take advantage of a rich and kind man like Kevan.

"You're sure he's not a fraud?" lily asked again throwing an unpleasant expression at Ara. Ara stared back at him in a defiant style. She is not a scared girl who wants to be snapped like that.

"Lily, I don't want to fight." Kevan said firmly, his decision was already unanimous.

"But you know she lives here." Lily said no. He and Kevan have known each other since they went to college and he liked the man for a long time, obviously he did not like it when Kevan cared about other girls besides himself.

"This cafe is mine, and I deserve my decision." Kevan said

"But..,"

"That's it, no need to argue."

Lily took a pissed breath. His eyes glared sharply at Ara.

"alright. He can stay and work here for a while, but I don't promise to be nice to him."

Kevan sighed tired of wanting to reply to the girl again but seeing Ara's funny behavior following Lily's style of speech from behind the girl made her intention stifled and so tried to hold back the laughter.

"Gapain you?" lily circus. Ara quickly shook her head then smiled broadly showing her innocent face.

"Pregnant?"