Hello, Hello Again.

After a while...

"Have you decided already?" Molly asked.

"Uhhhh..."

Nicole was still trying to look for a dish interesting enough to satisfy her curiosity.

Along the Main Dishes section, she saw something quite intriguing. It was a dish named "Steak Roulade", with its fillings either garlic confit, four types of cheese, or pesto.

Roulade...

The term 'roulade' comes from the French word "rouler," which means "to roll." A roulade is a European meal that often consists of a slice of meat wound around a filling such as cheese, vegetables, or other meats. Roulades, like braised dishes, are frequently browned before being covered with wine or stock and cooked.

Noticing she must've thought about her food, Molly took this time to call the waiter, asking them about his and Nicole's supposed-upcoming orders.

"What would be your order, sir?" the waiter asked, pulling up a notepad and ballpen, glancing at him.

"I would like, ermmm, a Fritto Misto with Argentinian Choripan on the side..." he said.

"Any beverages?"

"A Mojito would do..." he responded.

"And for you, miss?"

"I'd like a Steak Roulade with Garlic Confit, Ceasar Salad on the side, and a Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri..."

"Fritto Misto, Argentinian Choripan, Steak Roulade with Garlic Confit, Ceasar Salad, Mojito. and Daiquiri... anything else?"

Nicole shook her head.

"Okay then... They'll be up in about 10 minutes..."

The waiter writes down Nicole's order and then leaves...

"Wow, that's such a nice taste in food..." Molly said, smiling as he complimented her.

"Touché, the same goes for you as well... Didn't know Italian cuisine was integrated into Nevada 'this' quickly..." Nicole responded, placing both hands on the table with open palms as she massaged them whilst keeping eye contact with him.

"Well, some Italian restaurants already exist here, like Piero's Italian Cuisine which dates back to 1982... Still one of the best places out there even 'til now..."

"That's like, what, 58 years? Sheesh, that's... quite a reputation they built..." she said, slightly surprised.

"Speaking of years, when was the last time you've been in Vegas? If at all?" Molly asks.

"Well, I really haven't been here and it's... sorta my first time..." she responded, closing her palms now as she started rubbing them slowly.

"Oh, is that so? Well, I won't be prying any further since it could— well, be.... a tad bit uncomfortable..." he said, twiddling his thumbs as he waited for the food.

He's... shy. Shy about this faux date that they're having. He isn't sure of what to say or what to do, nervous about it all given her appearance.

What if they thought that they were a couple? What if they were thought of as new actors in an upcoming movie? What if-

What if what?

Why bother to wonder what 'could' or 'would'... or even what 'should' happen? It's not that it truly matters who they are, who cares about what they think?

He's simply treating her to some food out of the kindness of his own heart, nothing more and nothing less. Not out of romantic feelings or anything of the sort.

However...

"Hey... heyyyy... Is there anything wrong? You've been staring at me this whole time~~"

Nicole waved her hand in front of Molly's face, trying to wake him up in his daydream as he continued to stare at her regardless.

...

Something's burning. A burning feeling deep embellished in his heart. Something... bright, even brighter than all of the buildings around him. His chest pounds as he can feel a sensation, a thing about to explode but is still quelled, waiting for something to ignite it and let the fire consume him.

"You haven't fulfilled your quota, Molly! Get on it now, or we'll be forced to replace you with a more efficient worker..."

A man in a suit, wrinkles drawn on his skin and face, drops down another pile of files on top of an already tall stack of folders.

This... was probably it.

Having no income, with a little paycheck on a weekly basis; despite having a high amount of cash in his wallet and his bank account, that's nothing compared to his colleagues or the number of things he has to pay every single day.

From his water and electric bills to his apartment rent and car loans, including his daily laundry- all of it, seems to be a hassle.

"Aughhh, this is just great..."

Molly said, exhausted from the hours of work, placing his hand over his eye as he laid his head flat on his office table filled with papers.

All in his mind was "loan" this, "credit" that, "investigate" this, "payment" that- it was stressful, something he already dealt with, alongside the incessant berating of his boss.

It's natural to be angry at an incompetent employee, yes. But it shouldn't be taken as a reason to simply give them more tasks when they can't handle the ones given prior.

"Maybe I should just quit..."

Going down from the building, he exits the godforsaken place as he goes home to go back to his apartment, drink his problems away, and get some shut-eye.

But in a distance, he saw this lady nearly dressed in pale. White suit, black skinsuit, white gloves, white pants, black socks, and pale sneakers.

She was simply standing there in confusion, not even noticing the people around her. Some were just passing by to get to work, a few were chewing the fat and others...

"They're taking pictures now? Gosh, I mean... with a body of a model like that... she's basically asking to be-"

Approaching the ongoing crowd were some men dressed in hoodies, holding their phones and the camera facing flat.

"You gotta be kidding me..."

Maybe it was something about him not wanting another molesting victim on the news due to his ignorance, but his body spurred to help the lady before the predators arrived.

...

Was it something about her that made him do it? Why did he do it at all?

To just be a Good Samaritan? There must be something else beyond it. Something about this feeling in his chest, a feeling that he had never felt before.

A feeling known as l-

"Here's your order sir, Fritto Misto and Argentinian Choripan, with Mojito on the side..." the waiter announced as he plates the dishes over to his side.

"And for you madam, Steak Roulade with Garlic Confit, Ceasar Salad, and Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri..."