"Why are you crying?" A voice asked from front make Jisonia jolted. She lifted her head and saw Rubben taking a seat infront of her with a worried frown on his face.
Jisonia lowered her gaze and shook her head. "I wasn't crying" She denied even though he had seen her with his own and from her red eyes it was evident that she had cried.
Rubben narrowed his gaze on her. "Why are you here alone crying?" He asked as he brought out a handkerchief.
"Here!" He handed the handkerchief. Her eyes fell on the handkerchief in his hands. Rubben noticed the hesitation in her face and asked plainly, "Should I wipe your tears?", prompting Jisonia to lift her gaze to him.
"No" Jisonia replied as she reached for the handkerchief and wiped her face herself.
"If you didn't cry then did you yawn?" Rubben asked.
"People say that tears are the fruit of human's emotions but the truth is that they are more helpful in protecting our eyes." Jisonia said sniffing her nose.
"So, you are telling me that you are crying to protect your eyes?" Rubben said with a small smile tugging the side of his lips.
Jisonia was quite enthralled by the smile playing on his lips. Does he know he look more handsome whenever he smiled like that? Jisonia shook her head when she realized what she was thinking.
"Are you laughing at me?" Jisonia eyed him wickedly.
"No! I believe you, you are crying to protect your eyes." Rubben said in serious face making Jisonia chuckled slightly.
"What's that? Are you moving from town?" Rubben asked pointedly raising his chin to her luggage.
Jisonia glanced at him for a while before lowering her eyes and said in low tone, "I sold my house but still I won't be able to pay back with that money."
"Where are you going to stay?" Rubben asked her back urgently, while Jisonia slowly raised her head to look at him.
"You sold your house without finding a place to move in" Rubben asked knitting his brows. After keeping quiet for a while Jisonia said, "I should probably stay at the hotel for time being".
"But, Mr Sel! What are you doing here?" Jisonia asked.
"Well....Rubben eyes darted back and forth purusing his lips before he explained, "Well, I told you that I was on the board members of Restaurant Association, sometimes I conduct inspection of restaurant. Right now, I am inspecting this restaurant secretly."
Jisonia nodded her head in understanding. "Mr Sel, Did you want to have a drink with me?" Jisonia asked gulping down the wine in her glass.
"Aren't you drink already?" Rubben said as he took away the glass from her. "Why? Give!" Jisonia demanded, dumbfounded with his actions.
"Don't drink too much! It's not good for health." Rubben said as he moved the glass further away from her while Jisonia scoffed.
"Listen, You are smart and well educated. You looked like you had a nice job in the California. Don't you think about selling everything and just leaving? I heard selling the gallery would give you a big sum of money." Rubben asked curiously.
"You money grubber!" Jisonia mumbled while Rubben cocked a brow at her, "What? Money grubber".
"I get that you love money. But are you going to sell your father?" Jisonia asked with a deflated sigh.
"What are you talking about?" Rubben asked. He didn't understand what she meant.
"The gallery is my father. That's my father." Jisonia said tearing up. "Wait! I didn't mean to make you cry." Rubben said nervously.
"Sorry!" Jisonia blinked back her tears. Without the gallery, Where would people like you enjoy the art?" Jisonia asked.
"People like me....?" Rubben stared at her.
"There has to be gallery for people like you, who don't know about Da Vinci to be able to admire art. Jisonia said as she leaned forward.
But in next moment, Rubben held his breath when Jisonia suddenly grabbed both of his cheeks and started pinching them. Rubben was feeling giddy and his heart started beating fast.
"Did you get it? You money grubber, who doesn't even know who Da Vinci is but atleast, you're handsome money grubber." Jisonia mumbled with a smile before she lolled back to the chair.
Rubben let go of the breath he had been holding when she moved away. "Hey! You shouldn't do that" He whispered inaudibly.
-----
"Mr Sel, I can go alone. You don't need to drop me." Jisonia said as she walked behind Rubben who was leading them to his car.
"How can I leave you alone? Afterall, I am a gentleman." Rubben said before stepping in the car.
"But I am okay" Jisonia said before she grumpily stepping into the car.
"I've been too laidback. Give me your number! How can a creditor not know his debtor's phone number?" Rubben wiped out his phone and handed to Jsionia before he started driving.
Rubben glanced at her and said, "Don't misunderstand! I am afraid you might run away".
"I have neither friends not relatives to take me in. Where would I go? Don't worry!" Jisonia turned her head to Rubben and continued, "When my Dad is alive, my life was teeming with friends and family but now I am all alone."
"Life is cruel like that, people only maintain relationship they can benefit for. So, just a get a good night's sleep in an expensive hotel room and empty your mind". Rubben said with a warm smile.