6. An Old Friend

After working all day, the bell to signal the end of work hours rang. Jarvis and David still haven't moved from their chairs. It seems like these two men are quite workaholics. Focused on all their experiments, both of them were carried away without paying attention to what was around them.

"I think I heard a bell. What does that mean?" Rose asked.

“Yes, it's over time. "You can go home, Rose," replied Jarvis.

“Why are you still working?” Rose asked.

“Because I'm still curious! "I'll go home as soon as I get an answer," Jarvis replied.

"What's that?" asked Rose, peeking slightly.

"We will see!" Jarvis answered.

The man mixed a blue chemical solution that appeared to explode slightly, then put in some samples and made them smoke.

"Gosh, how could it be like that?" Rose asked.

“This means failure! I'm starting to get frustrated. There isn't a single microorganism that can emit strong electrical energy. There are some but evens those are very weak!” Jarvis grumbled.

"I think we need to look for more samples," Rose answered.

"Yes, you're right, go home already! "It's time to go home," explained Jarvis.

"Okay, I'll go home first!"

Rose started tidying up her desk, took her bag, and walked away past Jarvis and David.

"Rose, come on, let me take you! I'm taking the car today!” offered David, who still looked engrossed in his physics research.

“No, thank you. You look busy! "I'll go first, guys," said Rose.

"Okay, be careful," answered both of them in unison.

Rose smiled in surprise, she felt that her two colleagues were quite ridiculous. Their characters are opposite, but sometimes they can seem united.

Rose walked out of the office feeling happy. Her smile widened because she felt quite rich now.

“Great, I can go shopping today!” she muttered as she walked to the bus stop.

Rose lives independently in the city, and since college, she has been determined not to bother her parents. So she works part-time to make ends meet.

That's why she lives simply, saving as much as possible to survive as long as possible. That's her principle. However, the large amount of money in her account made her want to shop for a week's worth of food reserves.

“Premium meat! I'm coming!" said Rose when the city bus she was waiting for arrived.

The girl sat beside the window while looking from afar at the view of her magnificent office building. From a distance, a helicopter could be seen flying closer to her office building.

Rose continued to observe it. It could be the helicopter that was picking up Liuz Raphael. Yes! The CEO.

"Isn't he an alien? He should be able to fly or teleport. Take a helicopter to work, huh? Did he think that was normal among humans? "He is a drama freak," grumbled Rose.

The girl started to scoff, but after she remembered the amount of money in her account, she started smiling again.

"But the alien is quite rich. As long as I don't talk too much about his identity, maybe I can make a lot of money from him," muttered Rose, not wanting to bother.

The bus runs into the urban area in the afternoon. The garden lights along the road were starting to light up and made the twilight atmosphere even more beautiful.

"Very beautiful!" Rose muttered.

Rose likes the evening sky, every time she sees the beautiful evening sky she always thinks of her grandmother. The woman who had already passed away often took her to look at the sky. Her grandmother often told her why the sky turned pink, why when night came the stars began to appear.

Even though when Rose grew up she realized that all her grandmother's stories were just fairy tales, she always found her grandmother very pleasant.

The city bus took Rose to her boarding house, but she deliberately stopped before her place. She wants to shop at the nearest supermarket. Shopping for meat, some fruit, vegetables, and cold drinks will make the first day of work celebration perfect.

“Barbeque time!” said Rose, going to the fresh meat spot.

Rose chose many types of meat. She stocked up on protein reserves that were probably enough for a week. Pushing the shopping basket towards the beverage, Rose bought a lot of the drinks she liked.

"Wow, how can I meet you here," said someone gattered her.

Rose turned her head and saw someone she knew very well. He was Carlson Marvin, a classmate from when she was in college, a smart and handsome friend who was the guy she liked on campus.

“Hi, Carlson. "Long time no see," answered Rose.

"Yeah, I haven't seen you since graduating, do you shop a lot, do you have any guests? I remember you live alone?" he asked.

"Ah, I'm just stocking up on weekly shopping, I feel safe if I have lots of food," with a grinning smile.

"You seem to be someone who has prepared quite a lot, huh?" asked Carlson.

"Yes, that is so. "I'm always afraid of starving," answered Rose, chuckling.

“You silly girl. Always love to eat. "There's a seafood restaurant near here, I'll treat you to it," said Carlson.

“Seafood sounds delicious! Okay, I am going!"

Without further ado, Rose immediately accepted Carlson's invitation. The man had been a very good friend since she was in college. He was known to be friendly to everyone, active in student organizations, and also charming.

Many girls like him, but he doesn't date any of them. He puts all the girls in the friend zone. That's why Rose never expressed her feelings for Carlson. It would be very embarrassing if he rejected her, as they had been friends for a long time.

Rose paid for many items while Carlson just smiled when Rose casually paid for her large purchases.

"Looks like you got a good job?" he guessed.

"Yes, that is so!"

"Here, I'll take your shopping, leave the heavy onions to the men," he offered.

"Oh, I see? I also need a lifter to bring things home! "If you don't mind," answered Rose with a chuckle.

“Don't worry, I will help you. Let's eat first! I'm hungry!" said Carlson, walking quickly while carrying Rose's shopping.

"Okay,"

Rose tried to catch up, keeping up with Carlson's wide strides. The man had long legs, so his steps were much faster than the petite Rose. They arrived at a Chinese restaurant that sold seafood. Carlson put down the groceries and pulled out a chair for Rose to sit on.

"Please, sit down ladies," said Carlson.

"Thank You,"

Carlson smiled, he also sat in front of Rose and immediately chose the menu.

"It looks like you just got a good job too?" Rose guessed.

"Yes, that is so! I owed you a one-time treat, now I'm paying!” he answered.

"Oh, are you sure? When? What treat? "I don't remember at all," answered Rose.

“You bought me ice cream the other day,” Carlson replied.

“Gosh, it was just ice cream, why do you still remember?” Rose asked, even surprised.

"That's my favorite ice cream, so I remembered, after all, it was summer. I was thirsty, and your ice cream made me fresh," answered Carlson.

Rose smiled, she blushed a little, but she couldn't be too confident. Carlson is nice to everyone, so these are not statements that suggest attraction to the opposite sex.

Cold drinks came, and Rose ordered fruit soda with fresh mint. She immediately took a sip because she had been a little nervous sitting alone with Carlson.

“How are you, Rose? Do you have a boyfriend yet?” Carlson asked.

Rose was shocked by the question, she took a big sip of her soda, her nose was hot, and she was choking.

“Cough!”

"Hey, be careful," said Carlson, getting closer.