"Please, I need a safe place to sleep tonight," Arthur implored as he knocked on the door while rain poured down.
"You said that last night, and I thought you were just lost. But now, I don't think you have any good reason to stay with me."
Arthur had a feeling of dread at Helena's cold response; it seemed like she hated him for no reason. He recalled bumping into her at the farmer's market and apologizing profusely, but she refused to forgive him.
"Let me explain. My best friend Daniel was supposed to meet me at a motel miles from here, but my phone died before I could contact him. I only noticed this evening when I tried to call him."
"You could have charged that last night. I couldn't believe that's how neglectful you are. Come inside," Helena invited Arthur but with a trace of displeasure in her voice.
Arthur knew it was against Helena's will to let him come and stay for the night, but he had no choice besides he liked seeing the woman pissed off. She seems even more attractive in a way.
"Miss, can I have dinner? I'm hungry. I only had one meal today, the one I had in the morning before I left."
That melts Helena's heart, knowing he only had one meal. "Why didn't you have lunch?"
"Well, you know we're in the middle of nowhere, right? I was occupied capturing beautiful sceneries in this place, and besides, this is the only house in this area, and I was embarrassed to come to ask for lunch."
"That's very neglectful of you. You should have returned to the town to get your lunch if you're afraid of returning here."
"Now you're a little bit concerned," Arthur was pleased with how Helena reacted for the first time.
"Dream on," she said, glaring at Arthur.
"Can I have dinner now? I will pay for it, please."
"Of course, you have to pay," she said quickly. "By the way, you can call me by my name, Helena."
"Oh, Helena," his voice soft and gentle like he was calling a goddess.
It pissed Helena off as Arthur was trying to test her patience. "You can reheat my beef and mushroom with mashed potato in the microwave and stop talking like a freak," she glared as she left Arthur and went to her room.
When Helena returned, she brought the pillow and blanket Arthur used the first night he stayed. Arthur was already having his dinner alone.
"You are such a good cook. Are you a chef?"
"No," Helena's short answer. "Here's your pillow and blanket; these are the ones you used last night. Good thing I haven't washed it," she puts them on the sofa where Arthur slept.
"This is my favorite recipe right now."
"What?" Helena asked sternly.
"I'm sorry. I mean, this is so good. Can I have the recipe? If you don't mind. You know, I'm trying to co…
"No," Helena cuts him off. "Shut up and eat," she yelled.
Arthur was puzzled about how he upset the woman since he only praised her cooking skills. He shook his head in disbelief before he focused on his food instead and finished it.
Does he think he's funny? He loves testing my patience, and I don't have that much.
There was nothing wrong with what Arthur said. Helena remembers how Israel used to say that it was one of his favorite recipes from Helena. Arthur said the same, and again it reminded her of throwing Arthur out of her house. She doesn't want anything to do with people anymore. She was so done after losing Israel.
Helena sat at the edge of her bed, contemplating how to completely get rid of Arthur the next day. It suddenly came to her that the man might have a dark plan and even planned the thing from the beginning as he bumped into her in the farmer's market and followed her to the beach house.
"You won't get away from this," she muttered.
Helen returned to the kitchen, where Arthur was washing his used dishes.
"Did you not recognize me the first time I opened the door last night?"
Arthur jolted at Helena's sudden reappearance in the kitchen. He wasn't expecting her to be back since she was furious when she left. "Sorry," he stopped washing the dishes. "What is this all about?"
"Just answer my question. Last night, you acted like you did not recognize me at first."
Arthur had a slight laugh playing in the corner of his mouth. Helena knows what that means and doesn't take it lightly.
"So you lied. You knew me at first but chose to act like you don't."
"I just thought you're cuter when you're pissed off."
"Stop making excuses. Let me tell you, if you are up for a bad plan, you're going to miss the point. Not with me."
Helena's words came in shock to Arthur. The lady was acting weird and was overthinking again. All her thoughts about Arthur are dark and evil. She had painted him as a bad guy when he didn't do anything except bump into her.
"Look, if I was planning something bad, last night was the best night to do it. Why would a criminal wait a little longer to execute his dark plan?"
"I don't know. Maybe you're planning to gain my trust."
"I don't think I'm going to get it anytime soon. And for a criminal mind, gaining someone's trust isn't necessary, especially if you don't have a neighbor who can testify about a crime. There are too many loopholes for me to be a criminal. Helena, I'm only here to cover the place and show it to the world. That's it," he narrated calmly.
The twitch in Helena's eyebrows disappeared, which was a little relief to Arthur. "By the way, I'm planning to stay for two weeks. Can I stay in your second bedroom? I'll pay you for it."
Helena's eyes widened. "Did you enter my second room?" she said, crossing her arms.
"No. I'll never do that without your permission. I just saw there's a second room. That's why I am asking about renting it. Please, I need it so badly."
"Good. I don't like people touching anything I own."
"So, would you let me stay here while doing my job?"
Helena looked at him, narrowing her eyes. "Let me think about it," she said finally.
"Well, that's good enough. At least I have something to look forward to tomorrow. Maybe you'll realize I wasn't that bad by then."
Arthur's gaze was intense yet gentle as he looked hopefully at Helena. His eyes were bright, and his expression was open and confident. He looked at her like he had in the farmer's market, with a slight hint of unmistakable admiration even in the dim light of the living room.
Helena avoided his gaze as it was drawing her in. She found it difficult to trust people, especially after Israel's death. She didn't want to be vulnerable again, and she certainly didn't want to be drawn to someone like Arthur. But there was something about him that piqued her interest.
"I'm not giving you too much hope," she said before returning to her bedroom.