6. She's Claire, Not Rose

Claire blinked, confused by the man’s words.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—I was just in a hurry to get to the café,” Claire said after snapping out of her bewilderment. She didn’t even know the man standing before her, so why was he acting as if he knew her so well? “Oh, my name isn’t Rose.”

The man didn’t answer; instead, he simply walked away from Claire, who remained bewildered where she stood. The sound of her increasingly growling stomach snapped her back to reality, prompting her to hurry toward the café and ignore what had just happened.

“Claire, did you just bump into Arsen? I heard people got all worked up when they saw you two acting like you were about to fight,” Josh asked as Claire sat down across from him, carrying a tray of food.

“They’re overreacting. I wouldn’t dare fight a burly guy like him,” Claire replied nonchalantly, then dug into the Chicken Bento on her plate. “By the way, who is Arsen? How do you know him? Is he in the Criminal Justice division like us?”

“No, he’s majoring in Marketing and Logistics. Actually, I don’t really know him; I just know his name because the girls are always talking about him. In my opinion, he has ADHD,” Josh replied in a low voice, since the girls around them were busy gossiping.

Claire immediately rolled her eyes at that accusation. “Come on, Josh. You shouldn’t go around talking about other people. I’m already stressed out studying criminal law and all the legal stuff every day, so don’t add to my stress with your prejudices about others."

“Yeah, whatever. Do you have plans later?” Josh replied nonchalantly.

“Hey, did you forget I have to work later?” Claire reminded him.

“Ugh. Come on, Claire, you already own shares in Juan Forbes’s famous company. You don’t need to struggle working as a waitress anymore.” Josh set his knife and fork on his plate with a snort.

“I can’t, Josh. I want to save up a lot of money for my future. Who else is going to support me besides myself? Besides, I enjoy the job.” Claire smiled briefly, then went back to finishing her lunch, which had been interrupted.

Josh fell silent when Claire said that. All he knew was that Claire’s parents were dead, and he was still very curious about her true background and life.

Up until now, Claire had always remained tight-lipped whenever asked about personal matters, except for her origins in Jerez, Spain.

“Alright, it’s up to you. If you have some free time, give me a call,” Josh said, staring at Claire who was still focused on her food.

She nodded, completely unaware of the strange look from the man across from her. Instead, the face of the man named Arsen—whom she had bumped into earlier—was now playing in her mind. It made her smile without realizing it.

“An interesting man,” she thought to herself.

***

Claire had just stepped out of the changing room and put her clothes in the employee locker. She had been working at this restaurant, located not far from her campus, for six months now. And she had felt right at home there the whole time.

Her coworkers were very friendly, as was her manager. Plus, the restaurant had such a cozy atmosphere, with an interior made mostly of high-quality hardwood.

After a brief prayer, she hurried to the front to serve the restaurant’s steady stream of customers.

“Claire!” Mr. Peterson, the restaurant manager, called.

“Yes, Mr. Peterson? How can I help you?” she replied as she approached the man, who looked to be in his mid-twenties, standing next to the staff-only room.

“Serve the man over there. He’s the owner of this restaurant, so be polite to him,” Mr. Peterson instructed, pointing to the table beneath the flat-screen TV, right by the glass window displaying trees whose leaves were beginning to turn red.

Claire nodded and immediately headed toward the table. A man with black hair was sitting with his back to her, seemingly engrossed in gazing out the window.

“Good afternoon, Sir. Would you like to order something? Please take a look at the menu, or you can simply order your favorite dish,” Claire greeted him politely, then handed the menu she had been holding to the man.

The man looked up and immediately stared intently at Claire. For a moment, Claire was startled because she had run into him again—Arsen. The man himself widened his eyes in disbelief.

“You work here?” Arsen asked, his eyebrows furrowed.

Claire nodded with a smile, unsure of what else to say. “So, what would you like to order?”

“I’ll have a cappuccino,” Arsen replied without looking at the menu, his gaze fixed on Claire.

For some reason, Claire suddenly felt nervous, her heart racing as his eyes continued to stare at her intently. But she had to remain professional since she was on the job.

“Alright. Please wait a few more minutes, sir. I’ll bring your order right away,” Claire replied, flashing her sweet smile before walking away from Arsen.

Arsen was stunned. That smile made his heart race and his heart warm. He frowned and placed a hand over his chest, which was still trembling.

"What’s going on? Why do I feel this way after seeing that girl’s smile? What is this strange feeling?" he thought.

Arsen was confused by the new feeling he was experiencing. He had never felt this way in his entire life, and this was the first time. He felt at ease, and his heart warmed.

"Who is that girl? Why does she have this effect on me?" he wondered. "Is it true that she isn’t Rose? Their attitudes are so different. Could it be that Rose is pretending not to know me? Why did she act like she was seeing me for the first time back at campus earlier?"

As Arsen was still lost in his thoughts, Claire arrived with his order.

"Please enjoy your drink, sir. If there’s anything else you’d like to order, please feel free to call me or one of my colleagues. Excuse me," Claire said politely before hurrying away.

"Wait!" Arsen called out just as Claire had taken three steps away from his table.

"Yes? Is there anything else I can help you with, sir?" Claire asked as she returned to Arsen.

"Sit here and keep me company," Arsen requested, looking at her.

Claire was surprised by his request, but suddenly remembered that he was the owner of this restaurant. Finally, she agreed to Arsen’s request and sat down beside him.

“Just call me Arsen; no need to be so formal. May I ask your name?” Arsen asked before taking a sip of his cappuccino.

“My name is Claire. I’ve only been working here for six months,” Claire replied nervously.

Arsen sipped his cappuccino while continuing to observe Claire with a furrowed brow.

'Claire? So she really isn’t Rose? But why do their faces look exactly alike? Even the shape of their lips were the same!'

It was just that he felt there was something different about Claire. The two women’s auras were different. Claire seemed calmer and friendlier, very different from Rose, who was so confident and looked both alluring and dangerous.

Claire still looked beautiful even while wearing her waitress uniform. Her hair was pulled back into a bun, with a few strands left loose on either side of her face. Her lips were painted with maroon lipstick.

Arsen swallowed hard. His blood rushed through his veins. Those lips—those red lips—reminded him of the love of his life, Rose. The mysterious girl who had thrown him into a frenzy in just one night. Only he and God knew what Rose had done to make him so utterly obsessed with her.

Once again, Arsen studied Claire and came to a conclusion. She resembled Rose. No, they were truly like identical twins. Their physiques and faces were exactly alike, like two halves of a split coconut. Even their skin tones and heights were the same. Only their hairstyles, personalities, behaviors, and appearances differed.

Claire looked simpler, more down-to-earth, and didn’t care much about makeup. Meanwhile, the Rose he knew was so flirtatious, loved to tease, was bold, and adored worldly luxuries. That woman was also skilled at applying makeup so she looked more beautiful without being over the top. He frowned. So what was it that made him love Rose and be so infatuated with her?

He quickly blinked and immediately stood up from his chair without warning. He needed to clear his head. Suddenly, his longing for Rose returned and grew even stronger. He wanted to search every corner just to find Rose and feel that passion again.

Meanwhile, Claire could only gape in shock as she watched Arsen suddenly leave her. She couldn’t fathom that man. Just moments ago he’d asked her to accompany him, yet now he’d simply walked out on her. Had she done something wrong without realizing it?

Not wanting to get worked up over something that wasn’t her business, Claire simply shrugged and went back to serving the new customers entering the restaurant. It wasn’t her problem if the restaurant owner was acting strangely. After all, owners everywhere could do as they please without anyone daring to stop them.