Ein's irises widened in shock, his face had a surprised expression, he did not expect that Henry would reside in the same block. In fact, he found it astounding that Henry's residence was just a few steps away from his home.
"Wow, what a coincidence." Ein lets out a soft chuckle. "I guess, we're neighbours then."
"Indeed! Small world, isn't it?" Henry then took a few steps ahead of Ein.
"I tried to look for dwellings near Southwark, but most of them were excessive." Henry sighed and watched the boats sailing along the Thames River. "I liked the relaxed vibe here in St George's Wharf since it reminded me of my hometown..."
Ein followed Henry's gaze and watched the sunset tint the river golden as the waning sunlight reflected on the water. He never paid attention to such scenic views as Ein preoccupied himself with never-ending work in the last five years.
He had forgotten about the beauty of the simple things around him. The sight exuded an aura of warmth and serenity, it was nostalgic and Ein felt at peace just by observing the horizon.
"I love it whenever the sunset turns the Thames into a golden river," Henry mumbles as he watches the graceful splashing and ripples of the Thames River.
"It reminds me of Henley-on-Thames."
Henry sneaks a glance at Ein. It was only brief but Ein sensed that Henry was staring at him with a melancholic expression. He turns his attention to Henry and then their eyes briefly meet.
"Beautiful isn't it?"
Henry's lips curved and a gentle smile formed on his face. A chilly autumn breeze blew along the Riverside Walk. The wind made Henry's long fringes gracefully sway along, while the dusk was tinged with an orange hue, it made Henry's golden irises shimmer.
The sight of Henry blinds Ein, he felt an overwhelming wave of nostalgia slam against him as Henry's demeanour was reminiscent of the dream he experienced earlier. The image of Henry's tall body was replaced by a blonde-haired child. Only this time, the child was smiling and his wounds and bruises were gone.
Suddenly, a skull-splitting headache assaults Ein. His vision fogs up and Ein loses his balance, stumbling forward.
"Ugh… My head."
Henry rushed to Ein and extended out his arms. He manages to catch Ein just in time as the weakened man softly lands on his chest, stopping Ein's fall to the ground.
"H-hey! Ein are you alright?" Henry supported Ein's back with his arms.
"I'm… okay, I just feel a little light-headed…" Ein's face was a little pale and cold sweat trickled from his neck. His legs were trembling as he struggled to stand.
"You don't look fine to me." Henry groaned. "Take a breather first before you head up."
"I-I'm alright, Henry. I just need to get home and rest." Ein tries to muster his strength but the throbbing headache made it hard for him to maintain balance.
"You can let go now Henry, I can go-"
Henry cuts him off by swiftly placing his arms behind Ein's back and knees, he then bends and lifts Ein, carrying him in his arms.
It was a strange sight to behold. Several onlookers along the Riverside Walk were giggling as they witnessed a young lad hoisting up a middle-aged man wearing a suit in his arms.
Ein felt shame and covered his face with his bag. Henry held him up with ease, and it was a bridal carry to boot. Henry's actions made Ein's face flush red like a ripe tomato.
Henry read through Ein's embarrassment and apologised.
"I'm sorry for being improper, but I don't want to see a sick person stress himself out."
Henry looks around briefly and spots a bench a few metres away. He then walks toward it with Ein in tow.
"Let's take a break for a while until you feel okay." Henry then supported Ein's back while he props him gently on the bench.
***
"I wonder if Henry will finally be able to talk to Ein..."
Seori sighed as she arranged and compiled the completed paperwork on the glass table. She then observed the cityscape outside the glass windows and admired the orange-tinted clouds as the sun descended on the horizon.
It was already 5:32 PM and the sun was about to set in a couple of minutes.
"They'll be fine! Emery's a good actor and he's good at hooking people up. Haha!" Monique's energetic cackling echoes inside the office as she sat on the day bench by the window.
"But Monique, you are aware that Ein's a sharp one... Do you think he'll notice that we're all setting him up with Henry?" Seori raises her eyebrow.
"He won't. Ein's good at analysing people but he's still as dense as ever when it comes to friendship and love." Monique gets up from the bench and fixes her shirt. "By the way, you invited Ein for a birthday dinner tomorrow, right? It was a bistro right?"
Seori sneers at Monique. "What are you planning?"
"Well… I just want to make it merrier, it's Ein's 40th birthday after all, so we need to make it a little grander. Plus, that workaholic didn't even bother celebrating his birthday for the last three years…" A cheeky grin appears on Monique's face.
"You said the place you recommended serves delicious cakes right?"
"Well, it's a cafe during the day, but a bistro at night…" Seori scratches her head as she recalls the cafe's schedule. "It's also within Lambeth too so it's fairly close." Seori then takes out her smartphone from her coat pocket to confirm the location of the store.
"But will Ein appreciate it though? You know he hates it when people fawn and dote-"
Monique interrupts Seori. "Reserve the place for the entire dinner shift, tell them to give service to six patrons and also to bake a Carrot Walnut Cake for dessert. Call later and put my name down on the reservation." She quickly takes out an obsidian credit card from her purse and hands it out to Seori.
"I'll cover for everything, so just make sure that Arnaut comes tomorrow too."
Seori quickly notes down Monique's instructions into her smartphone. "Hm… For six people right? Who are the other two?"
"Well… Diether's coming home tonight so he'll be in attendance tomorrow as well." Monique giggled.
"Wow, so we're going to fifth wheel Ein on his own birthday!? How insensitive! Monique, you're such a bi-"
"Henry will attend."
Seori's jaws dropped. '"M-Monique, a-are you sure about this? Ein would definitely see through this!"
"Relax, Seori! He won't since he's a dolt. Also, as long as you use that card, he won't be able to track us." A confident grin beams from Monique's face.
"That card is special, it's not associated with Citron since it goes directly under my name. Ein won't be able to audit it as transactions from that card won't reflect on our expenditure trackers." Monique pats Seori's shoulder.
"I'm giving you the authorization to use my own funds." Monique chuckles. "Let's just make sure that everyone involved keeps mum about this." She then winks at Seori.