Denial and Shelly stood there, eyes locked, a silent exchange passing between them—gentle, almost tender. Their gaze lingered as if the rest of the world had faded.
A sudden throat-clearing from Kiki shattered the moment.
Both of them blinked, snapping back to reality.
Kiki, of course, had seen enough to understand exactly what was going on.
"So…" Mr. Herlen leaned forward with curiosity. "Do you… have someone you like?"
Denial looked away and answered quietly, "No, Uncle. I'm single."
Mr. Herlen didn't stop there. "Then what about your family? Who else is there in your home—"
Before Denial could answer, Shelly cut in abruptly, "Uhm… Dad, I think the outside tables need help. It looks like the line of customers is getting longer. If you want us to help, we should go serve the plates right now."
Mr. Herlen chuckled. "Alright, alright."
So, Denial and Kiki went out, carrying trays and serving food to the customers.
Once the last guest had left and the restaurant had finally closed for the day, Mr. Herlen turned to Denial with a warm smile.
"Why don't you stay and have dinner with us?"
Denial shook his head. "No, Uncle… Actually, I already had dinner earlier. I only came to talk to Shelly about something."
Kiki, who had been drying plates, suddenly chimed in with mischief in her tone, "Ohhh… so is something going on between you two?"
Denial and Shelly exchanged a quick glance, then said at the same time, "Of course not! You think too much."
Mr. Herlen laughed. "Alright, if you won't have dinner, then at least come visit our house for a while."
Denial hesitated… but in the end, he couldn't refuse.
Shelly said goodbye to her friends, then walked with Denial to her home.
At the door, Mr. Herlen insisted, "At least have some water, Denial."
Denial shook his head. "No, Uncle. I'm not thirsty."
"That's not possible. At least a glass of water!"
Reluctantly, Denial agreed. Shelly had gone to freshen up in the washroom, so she didn't see what happened next.
The moment Denial finished drinking, he suddenly felt lightheaded. His vision blurred, and before he could react, he collapsed to the floor.
The sound startled Mr. Herlen. "Denial!" He rushed forward and found the young man unconscious on the ground. Panicked, he shouted, "Shelly! Come quickly!"
Hearing her father's voice, Shelly ran from the washroom. When she saw Denial lying there, she froze.
"Dad! What happened? Did you give him something to eat?"
"No! He didn't eat anything. And I only cook fresh food—if he had eaten here, it wouldn't make him sick."
Shelly took a deep breath. "Alright… I'll take care of him. You just prepare dinner for us."
With some effort, she dragged Denial to her bedroom and laid him down on her bed. She pulled the blanket over him and quietly stepped out, closing the door before going to join her father for dinner.
But soon after, Denial's eyes fluttered open. He found himself lying in an unfamiliar room. His gaze wandered—and then stopped at a large framed photograph of Shelly with her parents, smiling together.
His lips curved faintly, almost involuntarily.
Shelly… you're so beautiful. So soft… like a flower.
But the warmth in his eyes dimmed. Someone like me—a bloodthirsty monster—can never belong in the same world as someone like you.
His heart felt heavy. In that quiet moment, he looked upward as if speaking to an unseen presence.
Please, God… whatever happens, protect her. Protect Shelly from everything.
And then, in his heart, Denial made a vow.
Yes—he had fallen in love again.
But this time…
He would never harm the woman he loved.
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