"But you smile at each other."
Another child joined in.
"And Mister Ethan keeps looking at Miss Ophelia."
"I do not," Ethan protested.
"You do!" several children shouted at once.
One little boy pointed dramatically.
"You looked at her just now!"
The room erupted with laughter.
Ethan covered his face with one hand.
"I have officially been defeated by six-year-olds."
Ophelia laughed so hard that tears gathered in her eyes.
She hadn't laughed like this in such a long time.
Ethan watched her quietly.
Not because she was beautiful...
Though she certainly was.
But because when she laughed, the sadness she carried seemed to disappear for a little while.
He wondered what it would take to make that happiness permanent.
After lunch, they walked through the garden behind the orphanage while the children rested.
The afternoon breeze carried the scent of blooming jasmine.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Then Ethan broke the silence.
"Can I ask you something?"
She nodded.
"What made you start volunteering?"
Her smile softened.
"I made a promise."
"To who?"
She looked toward the playground where the children were beginning to wake from their naps.
"Someone I loved very much."
Ethan noticed the change in her expression.
There was pain there.
Fresh pain.
He didn't ask another question.
Instead, he said quietly,
"Whoever they were..."
"They'd be proud of you."
Ophelia looked at him.
For a moment, she couldn't speak.
No one had ever said that to her before.
No one had looked at her grief without trying to fix it.
She smiled faintly.
"Thank you."
As the afternoon came to an end, they carried the empty boxes back to the parking lot.
Ethan scratched the back of his neck.
"So..."
"I've been thinking."
She looked at him curiously.
"I made a mistake at the gallery."
"You did?"
"I should've asked for your number."
She laughed softly.
"And?"
"And I don't intend to make the same mistake twice."
He pulled out his phone.
"So..."
"May I have your number?"
Ophelia looked at him for a few seconds before smiling.
"I was wondering how long it would take."
She took his phone, typed in her number, and handed it back.
A second later, her own phone buzzed.
Unknown Number: I hope this means we'll stop relying on coincidence.
She smiled as she typed back.
Ophelia: Only if you promise not to argue with every sculpture we see.
His phone buzzed instantly.
Ethan: No promises.
She laughed again.
As they got into their separate cars, neither of them noticed the black SUV parked across the street.
Its windows were too dark to see inside.
But someone inside was watching them.
Watching Ophelia.
Watching Ethan.
Waiting.