Chapter5: Cooking Breakfast Together

Arthur woke as early as 5 in the morning to catch the beautiful sunrise on the shore. As Arthur sat on the beach and watched the sunrise, he felt a sense of peace wash over him. The sound of the waves crashing against the shore was the only thing that could be heard, and it was almost therapeutic. He took out his camera and started taking pictures, capturing the beauty of the sunrise.

It was indeed incredible. Arthur was sitting on the beach while capturing some snaps to sell online. He waited until the ray of sunlight hit his face to get the needed vitamin D.

At 6 in the morning, his best friend Daniel called him.

"Daniel, I was about to call you at 7. I'm enjoying capturing the sunrise while sitting on the shore."

"Seriously? Man, you got me worried. You were out of reach yesterday when I called and even at night. Where the hell have you been?"

"Buddy, I'm sorry about yesterday. I was waiting for you to call. When I checked my phone around 6 in the evening, it was battery empty and too late for me to find a place to charge it. And guess what, the only place I can ask for help here is Helena."

"Who's Helena?"

"Helena, the one you meet at the grocery store."

"Oh, that spicy woman. Is this what you were supposed to tell me yesterday morning: you had a sleepover in a beautiful woman's beach house?"

"Yes, she has a beach house in a secluded area far from neighbors, so I knocked on her door the other night to ask for help."

"How come? What a coincidence. Are you sure you're not following her?"

"Of course not. We were together when Helena turned her back on us at the grocery store. Her looks could kill as you've seen her. I guess destiny likes to play games with us," Arthur was thrilled about what was in store for the future.

Daniel laughed on the other line. "By the way, man, would you like to come with us to the next town? My girlfriend and I have booked a motel room, and we can add one for you if you'd like to come."

"No, Daniel, I intend to explore this town before moving to a new place. This place is a hidden paradise. There are too many things to see and capture, so I'll pass for now. I'll contact you in a week or two."

"I see you already laid some plans there, huh. Is this something to do with the spicy woman? She sure is a good catch, just don't be pushy toward her. You need some work to do to get her attention."

"I know Daniel; for now, I'm here to get to know her and do my job as a photographer. Anyway, good luck with your trip to the next town. Send my regards to Chelsea."

As Daniel said goodbye and the call was cut, Arthur returned to capturing snaps of the sunrise, but it was a little too bright.

"Hey, are you busy?"

Arthur swiveled around to face Helena. "Good morning, Helena. I'm done taking snaps of the sunrise, and I was just talking to my best friend, Daniel. You've seen Daniel in the grocery store, remember?"

"Yeah, that tall, handsome guy?"

"Sure he is. But he has a girlfriend, and I don't," Arthur said sarcastically. And he knew it would piss Helena off.

Helena rolled her eyes. "I'm not here to talk about your woman's situation Arthur," she snapped again early in the morning.

Arthur was expecting her response that he would only smile at her. He thought the lady was even more beautiful in the morning with her bare face, and her morning voice sounded even sexier.

"Calm down; I was trippin' on you. Is there anything you want to discuss?"

"If you'd like to stay here for two weeks, you must help me clean the second room today." Helena uncrossed her arms and left Arthur.

Arthur's eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. He was in awe when Helena left. He wasn't really expecting she'd agree that easily. "Of course, I can. Hey, wait for me," he jogged to catch up with Helena on her way to the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Helena ignored Arthur and started chopping the ingredients needed for breakfast.

"What are we having for breakfast? I can help." Arthur insisted.

"You can chop the onions if you can," Helena tossed the red onion on Arthur's way.

"Oh, not my favorite ingredient to chop, but I'll do it for you," Arthur winked when Helena looked his way.

"Stop acting cute. We need to agree on your payment by staying here for two weeks. I need the money."

Helena's decision to let Arthur stay was for economic reasons. She was struggling financially, so she badly needed an income to augment and let her ends meet. If only she had enough to support her monthly needs, she wouldn't think of having Arthur with her for two weeks. Two nights were already troubling her, let alone two weeks.

"Of course, I'm not staying here for free. I'll pay you $2,000 for two weeks of stay. Would that be enough?"

Helena froze at the thought that the amount might be too high for the accommodation she could offer. She had an internal debate about whether to accept the $2000. On last thought, she knew she was helping the man have a place to stay and feed him, and her house was the only safe place for him, so $2000 was not so high after all.

"Fair enough," she said finally.

"Great. So, we agreed on the payment. Now, we can start cooking."

It was the first time they had breakfast together, which Helena vowed to never do again. She was uncomfortable the whole time while eating. She could feel Arthur's eyes all over her, making her conscious of every bit she made.

It didn't take long before they agreed to start cleaning the second room and hopefully finish it within the day.

"I've been here for a month but haven't been motivated to clean all my stuff and arrange them. I've been lazy," Helena muttered to herself.

Arthur heard it. "Don't say that. We all need some time to rest. Maybe you'll get the push you need these days. Don't be too hard on yourself."

She just nodded in response as she opened the door to the second room exposing the pile of big and small boxes. The room started to smell dusty.

"I should help you lift all these heavy boxes. Just let me know where to put them."

"Yes, please carry them to the garage since it's the only spacious place I can put them."

Helena has only one car, and the garage has 2 spaces making it ideal for a stock area. She carried all the light bags and boxes that she could move to the garage.

While cleaning and relocating Helena's belongings, a book fell out of the box, and a photo slipped on the side. Arthur picked up the picture and stared at the portrait on it. It was Helena and a familiar man beside her.

"Put it down," Helena demanded. She wasn't happy seeing Arthur holding her personal belongings without her permission.