Ken came back into the restaurant after going to meet someone outside. He looked at where he was sitted before and a young lady was there, her hair was packed in a messy ponytail and wisps of it were falling freely. She wasn't dressed exquisitely but she still looked perfect in the gown she was wearing, he could tell that she was beautiful. She looked around like she never visited a restaurant before and that made Ken chuckle.
"Good evening" Ken greeted with a smile and sat down.
" I'm sorry for keeping you waiting. I'm not usually a late person" Ken said.
" No problem. I only just arrived" Arya replied politely.
"I'm Ken Robinson,.you're Miss Anna Hills, right? I asked because you look different from who I saw in the picture, I guess you're not photogenic" Ken said and Arya laughed. He just told her she was more beautiful than Anna which would most definitely annoy Anna if she heard it.
"Did I say something funny?" Ken looked at her cluelessly.
" No, sorry. I just remembered something funny, actually my na.... " Arya didn't finish her statement when she got a message, she checked her phone and it was from Katherine. The messaged stated all she should say and that she was Anna for that night, the message also reminded her to behave herself well that someone was watching her. Arya looked around and saw the man that brought her to the restaurant, seated at a distance, he quickly looked away when he saw that Arya was looking at him.
"So dumb, why would they tell the driver to keep an eye on me" Arya thought.
" Huh, Anna. The menu's here. What do you want to eat?" Ken asked.
" I'll just check before I decide and if I'm undecided after a while just order for me" Arya collected the menu and checked it out . The only thing she had eaten on the menu was Spaghetti Bolognese and she wanted to try another thing since the guy was paying.
"Give us two servings of Spanish Iberian Ham and Baked Alaska as desert later" Ken said and the waiter took notes before leaving.
"So .. uhm, I noticed you didn't reply when I told you my name earlier. I'm Ken Robinson"
" I know...the guy I'll be going on seven dates with"
" Yeah, that been said, we should get to know each other more" Ken said and smiled slightly. Arya got a message again and checked her phone.
"Smile, make it seem like you're enjoying his company, I shouldn't hear any bad reviews from his family after this. Be careful not to reveal how poor you are, mind your etiquettes. Don't ruin Anna's reputation" Arya wanted to walk up to the man monitoring her now and give him a beating but she cautioned herself. An idea dropped in her head and she looked at Ken , trying to decide if he was fit for it.
"Is there something on my face?" Ken asked innocently as he touched his face.
"Look, do you like being watched? Being followed around? Being monitored?" Arya asked silently.
" What do you mean? No one likes to be watched, it's uncomfortable. Is someone tailing you?" Ken asked and was about to turn his head to look around. Arya suddenly stretched out her arms and held his head in place.
"Don't look! I have an idea, let's run.. on my count" Arya ordered.
" What? Why would I do that? Run out of here? What if someone recognizes me?" Ken whispered too as he removed Arya's hands from his head.
"Eyyy, you've never run before? I see the servers coming, we should run then... On my count don't forget" Arya said and looked at the waiter, then at Ken. The servers got closer to them and Arya began her countdown.
"On, three, two, one... Run!" She exclaimed and quickly took her bag and got running. Ken didn't know why, he just got up and ran after her like a crazy dude. The people in the restaurant were startled and had to stand up from their seats to clear the way for Arya and Ken. The man stationed at a distance was surprised to see her run like that, he had to run after them or else he might lose his job.
"Are you sure there's someone tailing you?" Ken asked as he kept running close to her.
Arya looked back and saw the man running after them. "Dead sure. Keep running" Arya shouted as they passed through the busy streets.
"I wanna stop! I'm tired" Ken cried out in distress, he hadn't run like that since the good old days. Arya suddenly stopped and took his hand.
"Follow me!" She said, smiling and then, Ken's heart skipped a beat. He knew she was beautiful but her smile added a whole lot to it, and now the beautiful girl was holding unto his hands smiling to him as they ran together , he felt alive.
"I think we lost him" Arya suddenly stopped running and rested on the wall tiredly.
" We really did" Ken said, breathing heavily. He looked at his hands and Arya was still holding unto it.
"Oh sorry... You were not running fast so..."
" No worries" Ken smiled.
" Huh... Let's go get something to eat" Arya suggested and dusted her butt.
They walked to the nearest joint and it felt awkward to Ken, he had never been to local places or open restaurants like that. It was under a tent and the people were just having their food while talking to themselves.
"Come in and grab a seat, I'll go order" Arya said and went ahead of him. Ken moved closer to a table and cleaned the plastic chair before sitting on it.
Arya came back in a while and sat down.
"You drink, right? I ordered sushi" Arya asked as she removed her bag from her neck, where it was hanging.
"Ah, also remind me to stop after five glasses, I have low alcohol tolerance"
"Yeah, I do. But is this place a good restaurant? I mean, is the food safe? Your family owns the Food Safety Organization, you work there to, you should know if this place is registered" Ken said still looking around.
Arya laughed." Look, I'm not permitted to say somethings here even if I really want to. I don't like being another person. You'll find out along the line,also... I've been eating here since i was in high school, I didn't die"
Ken wondered what she was really talking about. How could a child of rich people who manages the government registered food safety organization eat at a restaurant like this.
The sushi was brought to the table and drinks too, with the numerous side dishes.
"Hmm... Looks delicious" Arya said and began eating. She opened the bottle and poured it in her cup, she didn't bother to pour him a cup and just drank it.
"Try it... Are you insisting? You think it's not neat?" Arya asked without looking at him, she just kept her focus on the food and kept eating.
Ken also refused to eat and just poured himself a drink.
"Argh... I feel bad for eating without giving you, so..." Arya picked up a piece and stood up.
"Ah.. here. Open up" Arya said and moved the sushi closer to his face. Ken had no choice but to open his mouth and eat it.
"There you go. Good boy" Arya patted his dark brown hair and smiled warmly.
"Eat the Gyoza too, don't forget to dip it in the sauce, it's amazing. Try it" Ken picked up the chopsticks and did as she told him,as he was eating the sauce smeared on his lips and Arya laughed. She gave him a serviette.
"Clean your lips, you have sauce on it" Ken took the serviette and cleaned his lips gently as he was embarrassed.
"Eyy... Do it right" Arya took another piece and cleaned his mouth quickly. "Don't be such a big baby" She said.
Ken cleared his throat and looked away,he also covered his red cheeks stylishly. "I'm just eating because I'll be paying for it eventually. Thanks" Ken murmured and wiped his hands before eating the food. Arya laughed and poured him and herself a drink.
"There, right after... Feels good, right? Like you're letting go of your worries" Arya sighed and had another glass.
"What worries could you have? Your parents must give you everything, also you don't have to work so hard in your line of work,since you work at your parent's organization" Ken said, a sushi piece in his mouth.
"What does your company do exactly? I've never seen you before, you don't even look familiar"
" You really don't know? You're joking right? "Ken chuckled. Arya kept a firm stare so he knew she wasn't joking.
"It's a food company. Robinsons Co.? Have an idea now?" Ken said and gave her a weird look.
"Ah, I'm not really a kitchen person, so don't blame me, I just work and chill with street foods or probably eat at a restaurant" Arya said as she savored the delicious food and drank alongside it too.
"Your work is probably easy, all you do in your company is supervise food companies and restaurants and ingredients. I heard your parents have a huge farm they're running too. It's not as easy as overseeing the production of numerous food ingredients"
"Do you think everything is easy for girls born to rich parents? If it is to every other one, it isn't to me. You wouldn't understand now"
" Help me to understand. You said I'd find out something about you later as we talk... What's it? " Ken asked and poured himself a drink too.
"Actually, I'm not supposed to tell you this but I'm not Anna, my real name is Arya, shouldn't your family make proper research before they let you marry a member of my family? You should be sure you're not making a mistake" Arya twitched and was about to drink another glass.
Ken suddenly held her hand and took the cup from her . "That was the fifth glass" He said and drank it instead.
" Hey! That was sudden! You did that on purpose, right? It wasn't the fifth cup?How did you even count when we were talking? Forget it, I'll just have one more glass" Arya said and was about to pick the bottle and just drink the rest of it but Ken was faster.
"No, I can't let you. I can't handle drunk people, especially when I don't know your drunken attitude, so let's just leave it at that. I'll drink it instead" Ken poured the remnant into a glass and emptied it into his mouth. Arya carried the bottle and looked into it.
"Aishhh... I can't believe you really had everything all to yourself, I knew you lied about it being my fifth cup, right?"
" I really didn't lie, it was the fifth one. Why would I lie? You're done eating, right? We should leave it's getting late and our cars aren't here" Ken stood up and went to pay while Arya drank the tiny drops from the bottle.
They both headed out of the restaurant.
"I'll just go this way to my house. See you next time" Arya said and turned to leave.
" Wait, what about me? I... I don't remember the way we came from, my car's at the restaurant we left before" Ken scratched his head.
Arya sighed." Fine, let's go together. You really require a lot of care"
Ken smiled as he watched her go, he suddenly felt a surge of happiness through him.
"Would their seven dates lead to something more?"