The Richest Man Looking for Love

6 Fascinated

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Lidya asked while blinking her eyes.

"I... uh... it's nothing, really." Ken was still shy to admit what was stirring in his heart when he saw Lidya's beauty.

"Come on, you have to be honest with me when I ask you something. I'll stop talking if you won't tell me." Lidya deliberately put on a pouting face in front of Ken.

"Actually, earlier, I... I was mesmerized by your face." Ken finally spoke frankly about what was stirring in his chest.

"Is that really what you were thinking earlier?" Lidya asked while looking at Ken with a searching gaze.

"Yes, Lidya. That's what I was thinking earlier." Ken nodded.

"Then why didn't you want to immediately tell me something that could make me happy?" Lidya pretended to be annoyed and stared sharply at Ken.

"At first I thought, I wasn't worthy of saying it."

"What's not worthy about it? Am I not worthy of making you mesmerized?" Lidya pressed.

"No. It's not like that, Lidya. I meant, I was afraid of being seen as a smooth talker. That's why I didn't immediately say what I was thinking."

Lidya stared sharply at Ken again and then asked, "Were you being a smooth talker when you said you were mesmerized by me?"

Ken immediately shook his head. "Of course not. Because that's what I felt. I was truly mesmerized by you," Ken asserted.

"In that case, why be shy? I'm actually proud that I managed to mesmerize you. I'm a straightforward person, and I also like people who are straightforward with me."

Ken smiled and said, "I was truly mesmerized, Lidya, and in fact, I'm still mesmerized even now."

Hearing Ken's words, Lidya beamed. She was very happy to hear what Ken said. "These are the words I've been waiting for. Let's go." Lidya immediately approached Ken's motorcycle.

Ken took a helmet that was hanging under the handlebar to give to Lidya.

"Put it on for me, please. It's impolite to just hand it over to a girl like that. Do you think you're a motorcycle taxi driver?" Lidya said coyly.

Ken smiled. He lowered his motorcycle's kickstand again, then took the helmet and put it on Lidya's head. He also clicked the helmet strap to make sure Lidya was wearing the helmet properly.

"That's more like it." Lidya smiled at Ken. For a moment, two pairs of eyes met.

Ken was the first to avert his gaze as he climbed back onto the motorcycle.

Lidya got on the back of the motorcycle and immediately hugged Ken's body tightly. "I'm afraid of falling off the motorcycle, so I have to hold you tightly. Is that okay?"

"Of course it's okay." Ken cheered inwardly at Lidya's behavior. After that, Ken started his motorcycle and began to drive.

"Just go slowly, okay. I'm afraid of falling. I'm not used to riding motorcycles."

"I'm sorry, Lidya."

"Hey, why are you apologizing?"

"Because I only have this motorcycle. I don't have a car."

"It's fine, really. I don't mind at all. Next time, if you pick me up on a motorcycle, I'll still ride with you. It's just, I'm asking you not to go too fast. No need to speed. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Oh, right. Where are you taking me?"

"To a restaurant."

"Okay."

After that, the two of them fell silent because they had already left Lidya's housing complex and were entering the traffic-jammed and congested streets typical of Jakarta, with so much noise that they didn't talk anymore.

Finally, Ken drove his motorcycle into the parking lot of a restaurant that wasn't too fancy.

As soon as the motorcycle stopped, Lidya released her embrace from Ken's body and got off Ken's motorcycle.

Ken took off his own helmet and placed it on the handlebar.

"My helmet hasn't been taken off yet," Lidya said with a smile.

"Oh, right." Ken began to take off the helmet Lidya was wearing.

"Sorry if I'm troubling you. Sorry if I'm being a passenger who troubles you, to the point where even putting on and taking off a helmet has to be done by you."

"I actually like putting on and taking off your helmet," Ken countered.

"You like it because of what?"

"Because your face is beautiful."

Lidya immediately smiled upon hearing Ken's words.

After that, Ken placed the helmet on his motorcycle, then the two of them started walking into the restaurant. It was a modest place but had quite a lot of customers on this Saturday night.

Lidya chose a seat on the far left, in a spot that was somewhat quieter compared to other parts of the restaurant.

The two of them sat somewhat far from the other restaurant patrons. A waiter came and brought menus for both of them.

After ordering their food and after the waiter left with their order, Lidya suddenly looked at Ken and asked, "Why only now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why are you only asking me out, or on a date, now? Oh, right. I can call this a date, can't I?"

"Yes. This is a date. Actually, I've wanted to ask you out for a long time, to take you on a date like this."

"Then why only now?" Lidya asked curiously.

"Because before, I didn't have the courage." Ken looked at Lidya. What he said was indeed the truth.

Because Ken had experienced trauma after being disappointed twice by two different women.

Since then, Ken had a tendency to be afraid of relationships with women. That's why, even though he had actually realized for almost a year that he admired Lidya, he still didn't have the courage to approach her.

Besides that, Ken didn't dare because he wasn't very confident. He now only worked as a cleaning service, a job far lower than Lidya's job.

Only when Tony appeared before Ken, bringing the latest developments about his company and his family, where Ken had to return home by the end of the year, did Ken finally muster the courage to approach Lidya, the girl he had liked for several months.

"Then why do you have the courage to approach me now?" Lidya asked again.

"After many months, I finally managed to gather my courage. Because of that, I tried to ask you out on a date, and I'm very happy that you accepted my invitation."

"I think there are many girls who would be happy when you ask them out on a date, and I am one of those girls."

"I doubt your words. There's no way many girls would be happy when I ask them out on a date because my job is just this. It doesn't reflect the image of an established man desired by many women at all."

"Women's tastes are different. Even though there may be women who wouldn't accept you because of your job, there are definitely other women who would accept you because you're kind, because you're a good match for them, and also because you're handsome."

Hearing Lidya's words, Ken, who had previously been somewhat insecure, began to feel bold. Then he said...