The next morning was bright and fresh, the perfect day for a small picnic.
Mary suggested a waterfall spot just outside the city.
The Shazam siblings cheered.
Gwen and MJ agreed instantly.
Arin asked politely:
"Mrs. Vásquez, would you like to come too?"
Rosa blinked in surprise.
"Me? Oh—no, no, I don't want to intrude—"
"You wouldn't," Arin said simply.
"We'd like you there."
Other also nodded.
"Come on, mamá!" Darla insisted.
"You need a break!"
Rosa finally smiled—truly smiled.
"…Alright. I'll come."
---
The waterfall area was beautiful.
Tall trees.
Cool breeze.
Clear water flowing over smooth rocks.
They set up a picnic blanket.
Mary arranged food.
Gwen took photos of the scenery.
MJ teased Darla.
Billy pretended he wasn't having fun.
Rosa sat under a tree, relaxed for the first time in month.
Arin sat quietly, enjoying the peaceful surroundings.
For the first time, Rosa looked at him not as a guest but… as someone who brought happiness to her family.
Someone who made her house fulfilled again.
Someone who made her feel safe.
---
After a while, Arin stood up.
"I'm going to find the bathroom."
Gwen nodded distractedly.
Mary pointed behind the trees.
MJ said, "Don't get lost."
Arin walked deeper into the woods—
but he wasn't looking for a bathroom.
He had a mission.
But What he didn't know was that Rose, sitting under the tree, saw him walk away .
Felling curious she start folowing her as her instincts whispered:
He is up to something.
So she quietly followed him.
Arin was strong but he wasn't alert right now.
His mind was elsewhere.
So he don't able to notice her soft footsteps behind him.
---
Arin stopped in a quiet clearing where the waterfall's noise softened.
He took a slow breath.
Then dialed the number he stole secretly from Miss Rose's phone
It was Miss Rose's landlord number.
The call connected.
Arin's voice was calm.
"Hello, this is regarding Miss Rosa Vásquez's home.
I'd like to make the payment for the next three months of rent."
There was silence on the line.
Then the landlord replied:
"Oh! You must be the NGO support worker she mentioned."
Arin blinked, that realizing Rosa must have asked charities for help before.
That made his decision even firmer.
"Yes," Arin said smoothly.
"But I want this anonymous.
Please don't tell her who paid."
"Of course. I'll record it as NGO support assistance."
Arin transferred the payment instantly which deposit in his bank before coming here .
"Payment has received," the landlord said.
"Thank you for helping her. She truly needed this."
Arin nodded to himself.
"Please tell her only that her rent is secured"
"Understood."
The call ended.
Arin exhaled slowly.
"Good… she won't have to worry now."
---
A soft rustle sound come from behind
Arin turned around but seeing the figure before him, he froze.
It was Rose who stood there, Eyes wide
Hand over her mouth.
Tears forming without her control.
She heard everything.
"Mrs… Vásquez…" Arin whispered.
Rosa stepped closer.
"You…"
Her voice trembled.
"You paid… my rent?"
Arin didn't answer just look at her.
Her tears fell silently.
"Arin… why?"
Her voice broke.
"Why would you do that for me?"
Arin looked away, embarrassed.
"Because you're a good person.
And you've been carrying everything alone."
Rosa shook her head in disbelief.
"You're just a guest … you shouldn't be helping someone like this…"
"No ," Arin replied softly.
"I consider you all family so it's my, so it's my duty to help my family when needed."
Rosa covered her face , overwhelming with emotions.
Her breath shuddered.
"I… I don't know how to thank you."
"You don't need to."
She looked up sharply—eyes shining.
Her heart—
the one she thought had died with her husband—
beat again.
She understood now.
Why Mary liked him.
Why Gwen and MJ liked him.
Arin wasn't just handsome or strong.
He had a good heart.
A rare one.
Rosa felt something stir inside her—
a feeling she didn't want to name.
No… I can't. I'm too old.…
She forced those thoughts down.
But her chest still ached with a strange warmth she hadn't felt in years.
She stepped closer, voice soft.
"Arin… you've done more for us than you realize."
Arin met her gaze.
"I just wanted to help."
Rosa smiled—a real beautiful smile.
"…Thank you. Truly."
Arin nodded.
"Let's go back. The others will be waiting for us ."
Rosa wiped her tears and walked beside him.
And for the first time since her husband died…
She didn't feel alone.
.....
The walk back to the picnic spot was silent.
Not awkward—
just full of things neither of them could say.
Rosa wiped the last of her tears with the back of her hand before the kids could see.
Her heartbeat was still uneven.
Her breaths kept catching in her throat.
He paid my rent…
He helped my children…
He listened when desperate…
Why is he so kind?
When they reached the picnic spot, the siblings didn't notice anything.
Darla ran to her
"Mamá! Come look at the frogs!"
Mary checked her mother's eyes.
"You okay, Mom?"
Rosa smiled happily.
"Of course, sweetheart."
But her eyes flicked once toward Arin and her chest tightened again.
She looked away quickly.
And She sat quietly on picnic blanket, watching her children laugh and splash water.
Mary chatting with Gwen and MJ
Billy was playing cards with freedy
And Arin helping Darla pick stones for skipping across the water.
A peaceful scene.
But Rosa's mind wasn't peaceful at all.
Her fingers dug into the blanket.
Rosa, stop it. Stop thinking like this.
She looked at Arin again.
The gentle care in the way he helped Darla.
The respect he always showed her.
He's kind. Too kind. That's all. Don't misunderstand second chances in life as… fate.
She swallowed hard.
You're older.
You're a mother.
You just lost your husband.
You can't… you can't feel something like this for him.
She pressed a hand over her chest.
But her heart didn't listen.
There was warmth there now.
Warmth she thought she would never feel again.
A warmth that scared her.
He's was much younger than her …
And I'm a already 27 years old …
Icannot let myself fall for him.
Her eyes softened bitterly.
He deserves someone younger… someone like Gwen… or MJ… or even Mary.
But then she glanced again—
Arin was looking back at her.
He was watching her… with a softness she had not seen before.
Their eyes met.
Just for a second.
And Rosa felt her heartbeat spike—so hard she almost flinched.
She quickly looked away.
No. No. Stop. Don't do this to yourself.
She clenched her fist in her lap, whispering in her mind:
You cannot fall for him, Rose.
You can't.
It's wrong… isn't it?
But her heart whispered something else:
Then why does he feel like safety?
Why does his presence make you breathe again?
Why does your chest hurt when he smiles?
She exhaled shakily.
Rose… you're in trouble.
....
Arin sat near the water, skipping stones with Darla.
He wasn't looking at the rocks.
His eyes kept drifting toward Rose.
Her posture.
Her gentle smile.
The way she brushed her hair behind her ear.
The warmth she radiating ,not youthful excitement like Gwen or MJ—
but comfort.
A different kind of beauty.
A different kind of pull.
From the moment I first saw her…
I felt some kind of attraction because of her beauty but as he get know her, he felt I've
Attraction was too shallow a word.
What he felt is desire to make her his.
Rose… I want her.
At first it was just lust but now it become his obsession.
A obsession he didn't know how to explain.
He wanted to protect her, Support her and Make her smile again.
But he also knew it was not easy.
Because She's was mother .
And I actually reason was he don't know how she feels when he tell his felling to h .
So Arin plan to hide his felling.
So kept his emotions hidden inside.
But his heart—
would not stop beating faster whenever she looked his way.
He whispered to himself:
"One day…
I will make her mine."