by C. P. Santi
Aya rolled her eyes and concentrated on finishing her ice cream. She ignored the little pang of disappointment she felt at the thought of Ryo leaving.
Chapter 7
“So . . . who’s Adrian?”
Aya dropped the pencil she had been twirling in her hands and looked up at her companion. “What did you say?”
After lunch, she and Ryo had gone back to their laboratory to go over the Suntory competition packet.
In honor of their 120th anniversary, Suntory, one of the oldest beverage companies in Japan, was holding a design competition for tasting pavilions to promote their products.
The competition had several stages. The first stage required a concept paper and schematic sketches, plans, and perspectives mounted on boards. The top twenty finalists would be invited to present their concept to a panel of jurors. The winner would be announced at the end of the year.
For inspiration, they raided the library. They returned to the lab, laden with reference books and magazines. Aya had been idly browsing through the latest edition of Casa Brutus when Ryo popped his question.
“Adrian. I asked who he was,” Ryo repeated.
That’s what I thought you said. “Adrian who?”
“Adrian. As in, the guy you repeatedly cursed when you weren’t puking on my rug.”
The blood drained from Aya’s face. “What are you talking about? I thought you said nothing happened.”
“Well, nothing happened, really. Not here at the lab, at least. You started mumbling and cursing as I dragged you home.” He cocked his head. “You really can’t remember?”
Aya bit her lip and shook her head.
“You said something about an anniversary. Is he your boyfriend?”
“Was.”
“Ah, sou.” He nodded, as if detecting a lot of unsaid things behind the single word she had uttered.
Determined to change the topic, Aya perused the competition brief. “This is so vague. A working conceptual space that showcases the essence of Suntory as the premier beverage company in Japan . . . a blending of history and culture . . . traditional values looking toward the future. Any ideas?”
“So how long were you and Adrian together?
“I am so done with this conversation, Ryo. Can we just stick to work please?”
“But this is more interesting!” He grinned at her expression.
“Not to me it isn’t. Here, have a look at some of these.” Aya shoved a pile of magazines and books at him.
“Fine. We’ll talk about it later then.”
“Nu-uh. We’ll talk about it never. Why do you want to know about him anyway?”
Ryo smiled. “Just curious.”
“Well, turn your curiosity toward our project,” she snapped.
“Hai, hai.” Ryo retrieved a pair of wire-rimmed glasses from his bag. He put them on and settled in to read.
Aya’s system experienced a slow meltdown. She never thought she had a thing for guys in glasses, but she definitely did now.
Get a grip, Aya. He’s not for you.
TU Delft was in another continent altogether. And Aya reminded herself that she was through with long-distance relationships.
But Ryo was . . . tempting.
Even when he had been surly and aloof, he’d been attractive. But now that he was friendly and charming? She knew she was in big trouble.
What was wrong with her? It wasn’t as if she’d never been around attractive men before. The circles her sisters moved in were filled with an endless supply of beautiful people. And ever since she’d become single, Yumi and Kit had pushed her at all the singletons they were acquainted with. In the past few months, she’d been set up with models, actors, writers, and musicians. Some had been passably cute, and some had been impossibly gorgeous.
But none of them affected her like Ryo did.
Seriously, Aya couldn’t figure out why he drew her attention. Sure, there was no denying that he was handsome, or that he had a body that made her drool. And his hands . . .
Aya scowled. The images flooding her brain weren’t helping at all. She wasn’t interested in any of that.
Yeah, right.
All right, so he turned her on. Duh. She wasn’t made of stone.
Giving herself a mental shake, Aya forced herself to focus on work. For over an hour, they went through the pile of magazines and books. Ideas and articles were bookmarked with post-its. A jumble of notes and schemes were strewn across their tables.
“Ne, Aya-chan, can I see the design brief again?”
Her nose buried in a fascinating article on Maekawa Kunio and the development of modern Japanese architecture, Aya gestured toward her planner. “They’re in there,” she told him as she jotted down notes.
Ryo reached for the planner and leafed through it. Locating the Suntory papers, he set them on the table. Just as he was about to put the planner back, a pink piece of notebook paper floated out. He reached for it and turned it over. His eyes widened at its contents. Then he started chuckling. “What’s with the list?”
“What list?” Aya asked as she copied out some text.
“Eto . . .”—Ryo held the paper up as he read—“. . . get wasted, visit a sento . . . not in that order, I hope. The water’s not deep, but you could still drown in there.”
She yelped when she saw what Ryo was holding. It was the bucket list her sisters had made for her. “Give me that!”
She tried to grab it, but he evaded her and continued to read. “Ride on a . . . zannen, but you just missed the Kanamara festival. Go on a goukon, dress up in cosplay, and,”—his eyebrows shot up—“have mind-blowing sex.”
Jumping up, she grabbed the paper from Ryo. Her cheeks were noticeably pink as she glared at him. “You are so nosy!” She folded the note and stuck it in her wallet.
“So my sisters say.” Ryo smiled as his companion continued to frown at him. “Ne, you want to tell me about the list?”
“No.”
“C’mon, Aya-chan.”
“Do not call me Aya-chan! I’m an adult!”
“It’s an endearment!”
“What for? We aren’t close at all!”
“I’m your tutor, we’re supposed to be close!”
“We are supposed to be working.” Aya snapped her book shut. “I’m going to the library. Sayonara.” The sound of Ryo’s chuckles followed her as she walked down the stairs.
+ + +
“Crossed anything off your list?”
“Well, I think so . . .” Aya adjusted the angle of her laptop screen so she could see her sisters better.
Beside Kit, Yumi hooted. “You work fast! Who did you sleep with?”
“Ate! I haven’t slept with anyone.”
Her older sister sighed. “You should. You’re far too uptight. It’s relaxing and it’s good for your pores.”
Aya rolled her eyes. “I can get a massage and a facial for that, you know.”
“But it wouldn’t be as fun, would it?” Her sisters exchanged high fives and giggled.
“So what exactly have you done?” Kit persisted.
“Well, I’ve gotten drunk.”
The younger girl’s eyes narrowed. “As in, really, really drunk?”
“As in, I woke up the next morning in someone else’s bed.”
Aya flinched as her sisters’ squeals reached uncomfortable decibels. They pestered her until she spilled the whole story.
“So wait, this guy, your tutor, is he cute?” Yumi asked.
Aya paused. “Well . . . some people think he is.”
“What’s his name?” Kit asked. When Aya told her, she began to tap furiously on her phone. After a few minutes, she held up a picture of Ryo. “This him?”
The picture was blurry, but unmistakable. “Yup.”
“Ate Aya, he’s not cute. He’s absolutely gorgeous!” Kit screeched.
“Let me see!” Her older sister whistled. “Does he really look like that?”
Even better, Aya thought. But instea
d, she replied, “Well, yeah . . .”
“There you go! You’ve got yourself a target!”
Aya shook her head. “No way, Ate. He’s leaving soon.”
“Leaving? As in on a jet plane?” Kit asked.
“Yes, he told me he’ll be studying in Europe soon.”
“Well, you know what this means, don’t you?” Yumi’s eyes twinkled as she wagged her finger.
“What?”
“You’ll just have to work faster.”
“I agree.” Kit’s ponytail swished as she bobbed her head. “Beg him for a date!”
“Fat chance. I never beg.”
Yumi wagged a finger at her. “There’s always a first time for everything!”
Chapter 8
“Please, Ryo.”
“No.”
“Pretty please?”
“I said no.”
“Onegai!” Aya wheedled. “We need one more guy. And it’s only for two hours.”
“Dame.” Ryo stared resolutely at his computer screen.
Time to bring out my secret weapon, Aya thought. She waved a box in front of his nose.
Sure enough, that got Ryo’s attention. “Hey, those smell good.”
“Chocolate chip and macadamia cookies. With a shot of espresso.”
“Can I have some?”
“No.”
“Unfair! Then why even show them to me?”
She smiled sweetly. “Because they’re for you.”
“For me?” He looked like Christmas had come early. He reached for them, but she held them away from his reach. “Give. Me. The cookies.”
“Say you’ll come to the goukon first.”
His eyes narrowed. “Are those cookies worth it?”
“Of course they’re worth it! I baked them myself.”
“And how’s that a guarantee of deliciousness?”
Smirking, she offered him a piece. “Here, see for yourself.”
Ryo grabbed the cookie and took a bite. “Chikusho. This is amazing. You really made these?”
“The skepticism isn’t appreciated. So, will you come?”
“No way. The last group date I attended was a disaster.” He put the rest of the cookie in his mouth. “Can I have another?”
“Say you’ll come first.”
“No.”
“Please? I’ll make it worth your while.”
He raised his brow. “You will? How?”
She hit his shoulder. “Ew, no! I mean, if you come with us tonight, I’ll give you two boxes of cookies.” She rattled the box in her hands and pointed to the other in her backpack. “And if all goes well, I’ll even bake you another batch.”
“Define all goes well.” His fingers formed air quotes as he uttered the last few words.
Sensing victory, Aya smiled. “I just need you to be polite and not quite as annoying.”
He thought about it for a moment. “I think I can do that.”
“You think?”
“Depends. How many cookies are in that box?”
“Enough.”
“You’re paying for dinner.”
“Done. We leave for Ueno at six.” She put the two boxes on his desk.
Turning back to her desk, Aya barely resisted doing a fist pump. This had been easier than she’d thought.
People were supposed to have at least one culinary masterpiece—at least that’s what Aya’s grandmother had told her repeatedly when she was younger. Lola Anita made sure that all her grandchildren learned the family recipes. And although they had all complained about playtime and TV time being cut short, all that time in the kitchen had made them closer as a family.
Aya’s specialty happened to be cookies.
So when April had told her yesterday that she needed to bring a single guy to the goukon, Aya did the only logical thing—she baked cookies. She knew she’d need them to convince Ryo to come with her. She’d seen him go through enough cookie boxes to conclude that it was his weak spot.
If she hadn’t promised herself that she would try new things, she would’ve backed out of the whole thing. After all, if she didn’t come, the number of girls and boys would be even again.
The man beside her was making unholy noises as he devoured the first box. She turned and stared. His eyes were actually closed in rapture. Boys.
As she waited for her laptop to boot up, she twirled a pencil in her hand. “What’s a goukon like anyway?”
“Tsumaranai yo. They’re boring.”
“C’mon, tell me. It’s not really the norm where I come from.”
Ryo drank some water before he answered. “It’s a group of people, same number of guys and girls. They eat and do things together. Then at the end of the night, they partner up.”
“Define partner up?” Mimicking him, she used air quotes for the last two words.
He shrugged. “At the end of the night, you ask for the phone number of the guy or girl you like. Then they ask you for another date.”
“What happens if no one asks for your number?” she asked.
“You cry.” Ryo snorted in laughter and Aya was tempted to hurl her mouse at him. “Don’t worry, since you’re buying me dinner,”—he paused to sniff a cookie—“if no one asks you for your number, I will.”
Aya rolled her eyes. “You already know my number.”
“Sou ka. Too bad.”
+ + +
“Stop looking at me,” Aya muttered, as she pretended to study the dessert menu.
“We’re supposed to be talking.”
“Pass. We already know each other.”
Ryo smirked. “Sou. But that’s not the way it works.”
“You promised you’d behave.” Aya felt like stomping her foot. What luck. She’d been seated away from Ryo the whole evening, but the hosts had encouraged the guys to shuffle around a few times. And well, here they were.
And she had been looking forward to ordering dessert.
Pietro, the small café in Ueno where they were having dinner, was well known for its desserts and cozy atmosphere. And indeed, the food and service was superb. And the ambiance—soft lights and soft music, tables decked in red and white checked tablecloths, and tea lights twinkling from glass holders in the middle of the table—well, if this wasn't conducive to romance, Aya didn’t know what was.
And it seemed to work, the room buzzed with laughter and excited conversation. Well, except for the end of the long table where she and Ryo were now seated.
Beside them, Yen, a Singaporean mathematics major, was discussing travel photography with Gaby and Sergio, robotics majors from Paraguay and Chile. Reggie, her tutor Junya, and Som, a petite Thai doctor involved in cancer research, laughed at a joke that Ethan had made. At the far end of the table, April, along with Joy and Melba, students at a neighboring university, all looked entranced as they listened to Lucas, a Nuclear Engineering major who hailed from Switzerland, explain about his research. Beside him, Roy vaguely looked put out that the other guy was receiving all the girls’ attention.
“I’m on my best behavior!” Ryo winked. Leaning forward, he gestured vaguely at her. “So, when did this happen?”
“When did what happen?”
“You. You got all . . . sparkly.”
“It’s called makeup.” She rolled her eyes. “I thought you had sisters?”
“Yeah, but they aren’t girls.” Laughing, he ducked when she made to throw the menu at him. “You know what I mean—I don’t really notice when they get all dolled up.” His eyes moved over her. “You weren’t wearing this earlier.”
“I changed.” Obviously, the bracelets and earrings she’d donned weren’t ideal for working in the lab. Ditto for the soft black pullover that exposed the tops of her shoulders. “What’s the big deal? You did too.”
And she was trying hard not to notice how hot he was in his blue button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up. She had a thing for forearms, and his were damn fine.
He shrugged. “Had a meeting with the Selection Com
mittee this afternoon. You know, for Delft.”
“They cancel your visit?”
“You wish.” He reached over to tweak her nose and she batted his hand away. Laughing, he pointed to an item on the menu. “Let’s get this.”
“This?” Aya squinted at the photo. “It looks boring.”
“Trust me.”
“Fine.” She put the menu down and he called over a waiter to place their order.
“What are you guys having?” Yen asked.
“Honey butter toast,” Ryo answered.
“Oh, I heard that’s good!” Sergio looked at Yen. “You want to share?”
“Sure!”
“Hmm. Maybe I’ll get that too.” Gaby was still studying the menu.
Over his bent head, Reggie held up the menu and asked, “Which one’s the honey butter toast?”
The menu was made up of pictures with descriptions written in Japanese. Clearly, her friend was having trouble reading it. Aya pointed to a picture. “It’s the loaf of bread with ice cream on top.”
“Oh.” Reggie looked disappointed. “I think I’ll have this instead.” She pointed at the picture of the mini strawberry parfait.
Aya looked longingly across the table. “I think I want ice cream too.”
Ryo clucked his tongue. “Ours has ice cream. It’s good, I promise.”
“It had better be,” she grumbled back.
A few minutes later, a waiter set down the plated dessert between them with a flourish.
Grinning, Ryo motioned for her to go ahead and taste it. He looked so excited, that despite her lack of enthusiasm, she cut off a piece, topped it with some ice cream, and put it in her mouth.
“Well?”
“Omigod. What. Is. This. Sorcery.” Eyes wide, Aya hastened to assemble another mouthful.
It was definitely more than just bread with ice cream on top. The soft, warm bread, with the edges slightly toasted, combined with the saltiness of the butter and the sweetness of vanilla ice cream and honey, packed a satisfying punch. Aya was sure she’d be able to devour the whole thing.
He chuckled. “Told you.”
“Mmmm.” Aya was savoring another mouthful when Ryo reached for his fork. She frowned. “Hey, maybe you should order your own.”
