The new school year was about to start when John had taken in the two siblings, so he had selected a school for them a week ago. The school he had selected was near his house, and had a good reputation. He had then asked what the two siblings thought about it, and since they seemed to be okay with it, he had them enrolled there.

School would start in two days, so now was a good time to buy books and stationary. Actually, it would’ve been better to do that earlier, but John had been too busy with work. Although he worked from home, that didn’t mean he had more free time. In fact, he had always been short on time since he worked on several projects at once.

John wasn’t a workaholic per se, and he could make more than enough money to go by even if he didn’t take on that many projects, but he tried to keep himself as busy as he could. He would rather not have the time to let his mind wander.

But now that he had taken in two kids, he needed to make more time for them.

‘I should take on fewer projects from now on.’

Grace and Evan were in their room. John had told them they’d be going shopping today, so the two had gone to their room to get ready. Once John was done with his preparation, he knocked on the door of the kids’ room to see if there was anything the two needed help with.

“We’re almost ready,” said Evan from inside the room.

“We’ll be out in a minute,” said Grace.

John had wanted to ask if he could come in, but after hearing what the two had said, he thought something was wrong. It was a vague feeling. Although their words were normal, their tone seemed a bit off. John hadn’t talked to the kids much. As an introvert, he almost never initiated conversations with others. However, he had made an exception with the kids and initiated conversations with them a few times, but somehow, all those conversations got killed within a few moments.

Despite the fact that he had only talked to the kids a few times, he sensed that something didn’t seem right. He had been feeling that for over a week now.

‘Are they nervous?’

Maybe that was the case. But for some reason, John felt that that wasn’t just nervousness. He could be overthinking things, but,

‘Are they afraid I’d be angry if they were late?’

The two kids had been very careful to not bother him with anything. They had been on their best behavior. While other kids would act spoiled, these two didn’t ask anything of him. In fact, the two seemed to be on their toes whenever they interacted with him.

‘It’s as though they’re scared I would disown them if they made even the slightest mistake.’

John knew he needed to get rid of any such misunderstandings, but he wasn’t sure how to do it. Initially, he thought they’ll grow close naturally with time. Now, however, he thought that that alone might not be enough.

‘I should be more proactive.’

“Can I come inside?” He asked. A moment later, a meek voice replied, “Yes.”

Hearing that, John opened the door and went inside. The room that was usually neat, was a bit messy. The two kids had been browsing through their clothes to decide which ones to wear, so they had taken out some dresses to compare them. John looked at the mess, and then at the two nervous kids who were keeping their heads down.

Seeing the two like that made John feel… complicated. On the one hand, he felt as if the kids were adorable, while on the other, he felt his heart ache. He stroked the two kids’ heads and asked, “Do you mind if I help you both out?”

The two seemed nervous. Grace said, “It’s okay.” Evan followed up with, “We can do it ourselves.”

That was the two kids’ normal answer. And usually, John would just let them be. This time, however, John gave the kids his brightest smile and said, “But I really want to. May I?”

The two kids were stunned. They had never seen John smile at them like that. Normally, he would have a serious expression on his face. He rarely smiled, so they were a little afraid. Afraid that he might not like them, and that he, like all those other adults, also wouldn’t want to let them stay at his house.

That was why they had been so careful. They had been careful not to be an eyesore, and stayed inside their room quietly. They would only leave when John called them at mealtime. At other times, they would read a book, or solve puzzles just to kill time.

Now, however, they felt as if maybe hadn’t been necessary, and that maybe, just maybe, John liked them a bit.

“Really?” Evan asked, from his eyes, one could tell that the kid was pleasantly surprised. And even though Grace didn’t say anything, her eyes also showed surprise, and a glimmer of doubt.

John thought that they were cute, and, for the first time, stroked their heads again.

“Of course.”

He then joined the kids in selecting clothes and accessories.

“This hairpin will go really well with your dress.”

“Yes, the shorts match really well with your shirt.”

“Although it’s not cold anymore, let’s go with something warmer.”

“Yes, this cap looks perfect.”

Soon, the two kids were dressed and ready to go. John locked the door and then got into the car. He helped Evan with his seatbelt while Grace put on hers by herself. John smiled at the two kids and said, “Let’s go.”

They first drove to a bookshop to buy books for the new academic year. John had done his research and made a list of the books the two kids would need for their school. As he was picking up those books, he saw how Grace and Evan looked at some books with sparkling eyes. He chuckled and asked, “Do you both like those books?”

Evan nodded his head shyly, while Grace looked troubled. “It’s okay,” she said.

Seeing that, John stroked their heads and said, “Yes, it is okay. The two of you can buy whichever books you like.”

Both Grace and Evan were surprised. Evan looked overjoyed, but he looked at his sister, as if asking her if it was alright.

Grace, however, looked troubled. On one hand, she didn’t want to ask John for anything, fearing that she’d be asking for too much, and on the other hand, she really wanted new books.

She hadn’t been very conscious when John had offered to help them select clothes, because that had nothing to do with money. This matter, however, was involved with money, and money was something valuable.

John had an inkling of what she was thinking about and said, “You can ask me about whatever you want to buy, you know. I’ll be happy to buy things for you both.” After thinking for a bit, he added, “And if there’s something I can’t afford, I’ll say it, but I won’t be angry, so you both don’t need to be so worried.”

Hearing him say so, Grace seemed to ease up a little, and Evan smiled brightly. The two of them started to browse through the books. They didn’t take long and selected two books each as they made their way back to John.

When they reached him, they looked at him with a little nervousness.

John chuckled and said, “Are there any other books you both want?”

The two shook their heads. Seeing how they still seemed to be a bit nervous, he said, “Let me know when you both are done reading these. We can buy more books then.”

The two kids nodded. From the looks in their eyes, they were clearly happy. Seeing them like that made John subconsciously smile.

Afterwards, they went to a mall to buy everything else Grace and Evan would need for school. Although the two kids already had their previous stationery, John insisted they buy more. After shopping with them for a while, he began to understand the two kids a little.

Grace would look at something she liked for a moment, and then look at the floor with a regretful expression. Evan, on the other hand, would look at whatever he wanted with yearning in his eyes.

He thought that both of them were really cute. However, there was still one thing he wasn’t very happy with. The two kids still didn’t ask him for anything. John wasn’t fond of spoiled brats, but seeing these two kids not ask for anything made him feel… he wasn’t sure how he felt, but he knew that he wasn’t very happy.

‘Oh well, I guess I’ll help them buy things.’

“That toy car looks really cool. Maybe I should buy that,” he said as he beckoned a shop-assistant.

“Such a cute plushie. I really need to buy this.”

“Ah, those two study tables sure look nice. I’ll buy them!”

Although he was buying these for the two kids, he made it sound as if he was buying these for himself. Why? Because the kids were still too reserved around him, so he didn’t want them to be uncomfortable. And while that was the biggest reason, a tiny part of him also wanted to irk the two a little.

The two kids silently looked at John as he arranged for all those things to be delivered to his home. Once he was done with that, he looked at his watch and said, “It’s already time for lunch. How about we eat outside today?”

Grace and Evan didn’t have any objections and silently followed him to a restaurant. The restaurant didn’t seem very fancy, but it was decent. As soon as they sat at a table, a waiter handed each of them a menu and asked, “Sir, may I have your order?”

John looked at the menu and then at the two kids. The two kids silently stared back at him.

“What would you both like?” he asked. The two kids stared at the menu for a bit and then said, “You can order.”

John heaved a sigh and then ordered some things he guessed the kids might like. Once he was done, he observed the two kids’ expressions. Both of them looked surprised.

‘It looks like I guessed right.’

John was a little proud of himself. He hadn’t been guessing blindly when he had ordered dishes for the two kids. Instead, he had observed them as they had looked at the menu. From the emotions in their eyes, he could guess which dishes the two kids wanted. However,

‘This won’t work in the long run.’

He couldn’t read their minds, so there were limitations to what he could guess. Hopefully, the two kids will open up to him soon, so he can stop trying to guess what might be going on in their little heads.