Blossoms of The Heart

by Khardine Gray

  The food was as divine as it looked. The pork melted in my mouth and I savored all the herby flavors that tickled my taste buds.

  “That’s the stuff oh yeah.” I nodded with satisfaction sinking back in my seat.

  “It is, but so is great sex and Phoebe I won’t have you become one of these women who hide away at night with sex toys pleasuring themselves because they missed out on the real thing.”

  Thank God I’d already swallowed the food. I started choking. It was so bad she had to come over and slap my back a few times to relieve my airway.

  “Why would you say something like that when I’m eating?”

  “I’m stating a fact. Anyway, you good?” She gave me the thumbs-up sign.

  I nodded.

  She opened the paper bag again and took out two drink cans, tossing me one.

  It was called Zōur. “What’s this?”

  “Green juice. It will balance what we’re having.”

  I sighed, deciding not to ask any more questions about the juice. With Mitsuke it was either super healthy or super not. Since she said it would balance out what we were having I assumed it was healthy.

  I opened it and took a sip. This time I couldn’t hold in anything. I spat it out on instinct. She already had the tissue ready.

  “What the fuck is that? It tastes like shit.” I barked, grabbing the tissue and whipping off my tongue. “Jesus Christ, Mitsuke.”

  “It’s not shit. Why do you think everything taste like shit. It’s spirulina and wheatgrass mixed with coconut water.”

  “Fuck, it tastes like shit.” I sounded like Tai. It really wasn’t very often that I swore. Times like this were excusable because the drink tasted so awful I doubted I would be able to finish the rest of the food.

  Mitsuke frowned. “Can we get back to the subject of discussion?”

  I couldn’t remember what we were talking about. “Sex.” It came to me.

  “No, not sex. Tai. Unless if you had sex with Tai and I just got you to confess.”

  I narrowed my eyes at her. “No, didn’t happen.”

  “Okay, fine. Are you going to deny that there’s absolutely nothing between you? Or, okay, look me in the eye and tell me you don’t still have feelings for him. You were crazy for him when we were kids.”

  I opened my mouth and closed it. I attempted to talk again but froze, then frowned at myself for my reaction. All to her satisfaction.

  “My God, Phoebe, why is it so hard to say you do? You know that I’d never have a problem with it. No one would.”

  “Tai’s different, a different category for me.” There would be more meaning for me than just going out on a date with some random guy I didn’t know.

  Tai was the guy that I compared everyone to. That was a big deal.

  “Phoebe, you’ve been divorced for over two years, and it’s not like your evil ex died. You’re holding yourself back.”

  “I’ve just been through too much. Besides, Tai has a maybe girlfriend and things are complicated.”

  “What the hell does that mean?” Mitsuke shook her head. “I happen to know from the horse’s mouth that he’s single.”

  “Single doesn’t mean free. There was a blonde woman here yesterday. He went off with her. I asked him if she was his girlfriend and he said maybe.”

  “You asked him that?” she cooed, loving this.

  “We were playing twenty questions?”

  “Really? Did you tell him what happened to you?”

  “No. I don’t really want to.” I didn’t want him to know anything like that. Apart from my family, only Akito and Mitsuke knew. That was enough.

  I didn’t think Tai needed to know.

  “I’m sure he would like to know what happened to you. We didn’t tell him because he wasn’t exactly around and by the time he was everything was over. Divorce and all.”

  “I’d prefer if he didn’t know.” Especially about the accident and my health issues.

  I had my own stupid reasons that I barely wanted to admit to myself.

  Tai looked at me like I fascinated him. Everyone else who knew what happened to me gave me the occasional look of pity. I didn’t want him to pity me. Anybody else, not him though.

  “Fine. I guess I get it.” She nodded, understanding. “Her name’s Candace. The blonde woman you saw here.”

  “Oh, nice name. She was very pretty too.”

  “Sure, as much as I go all evil queen on anyone apart from you when I know I’m not the fairest of them all I’ll admit she’s beautiful. But she’s Tai’s ex.”

  “They didn’t look like exes yesterday.”

  “She wants to get back with him. She broke his heart last year when she ditched him for a job in San Fran.”

  “Maybe he’ll give her a chance,” I offered.

  “I know my cousin. I’m telling you now that he won’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I have a feeling that her competition just landed herself back in Japan.” Mitsuke smirked. “ You’re forgetting that I saw the way he looked at you last night.”

  I rolled my eyes, but… deep down I allowed myself to entertain the thought.

  Because I remembered the way he looked at me too, and all he said to me this morning.

  Chapter 13

  Tai

  I called Candace that same night, deciding it was time to give her my decision.

  I got geared up, thought of what I could say that wouldn’t hurt her too much, but her phone went straight to her voicemail.

  First I thought it was odd that she didn’t call me back, but then I realized why.

  It was late when I called, nearly ten. She knew I wouldn’t have called that late unless if I wanted to talk about something important.

  Something important like tell her I didn’t want to give her a second chance.

  When she didn’t call me back the next day, and I called again twice, this time earlier, and her phone went to voicemail again, I knew I had to be right.

  She was avoiding the call. Avoiding talking to me on the phone.

  It wasn’t in me to let shit drag on. I’d allowed this saga to drag on for long enough as it was, and wanted it resolved before the weekend but it looked like I had to think up a new tactic.

  Maybe it was better to talk in person. I just wanted to be sure I told her how I felt as soon as possible. Not because I had Phoebe on the brain, and had to confine myself to the musty walls of the archives department, but because it was the right thing to do.

  It was the right thing to do if I cared for Candace in the way I said I did.

  I might not want to be with her in the sense of a relationship but that didn’t mean I wanted her hurt in anyway.

  Friday had been a bitch. I had to do all the reports for last month and get all the contracts signed for the suppliers we used. Good thing I was in archives because I had serious work to do. I welcomed Saturday morning like a breath of fresh air when it finally came, and I planned to sleep in.

  I already decided that I didn’t want to think about Candace today, or this weekend.

  Today was exactly three weeks since she asked me for a second chance so I’d had three weekends of her on my mind. At least now that I’d explored my feelings I had an answer.

  Monday. She’d get it on Monday when I got back from Akiyoshido. Maybe we could meet at the coffeehouse again. She seemed to like it there. It was best to do something like this in a place where she could be comfortable.

  When she broke up with me she came to my house. That was a day I’d never forget.

  I slept until midday then got dressed, planning to hit the garage. In the week I’d gotten Dante to modify a Lamo. Yesterday he texted to say it sold for over a hundred grand. I told him to keep the money.

  Kid didn’t know that I knew his mom was in hospital, and had been sick since last year with a severe heart condition. It was Xiao that filled me in on the details a few weeks back. I waited for Dante to come to me but he didn’t. Because of pride.<
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  He was a guy who would never ask anyone for anything even when he was desperate. Like he was now.

  I knew he came from a poor family which he supported. He had three younger sisters in their teens and his mother. His father died when he was just a boy so between he and his mother they’d been trying to run things.

  Xiou told me that Dante’s mom’s mom collapsed the same night I introduced them to Phoebe.

  Dante went home to find her unconscious on the kitchen floor. He got her to hospital where she underwent emergency surgery which saved her life but that left him with a steep bill.

  I figured the money from the car would take care of the bills and help them to live a bit more comfortably for a while.

  I called him kid, even though he was twenty six –had a thing for Mitsuke too which I would talk to him about – but he was a good guy.

  He started crying when I told him he could keep the money, along with the money that was coming through on two of the other cars he’d worked on last week.

  Normally I’d buy more cars to fix up and modify for sale but that could wait. There was always a next time.

  I was eager to see him in person for a good man-to-man talk, I was on my way out to do just that when Candace turned up on my door step. Just like she did three weeks ago, catching me completely off guard. But unlike three weeks ago there was a nervousness about her that I could sense.

  That and she came with a basket of lunch items for us to share, acting like she never got my calls.

  I waited for the moment to talk seriously about us, but it was like every time she sensed I was going to she jumped into some deep conversation.

  First it was telling me about her family back in Denver. That her mom had pneumonia, her dad broke his leg and her little sister was getting married. Then it was discussion of work, the piece she was writing on for the upcoming festivals, her bully of a boss, and then quite randomly her desire to move closer to Tokyo.

  Before I knew it the subject of us not getting back together became inappropriate to talk about, and then the whole day was over. Night had fallen, she was waving goodbye in her car as she pulled out of the drive and I was cursing myself for being a pussy.

  How in the fuck did I spend a whole day with Candace and not get the chance to tell her the most important thing on my mind?

  And, on top of that I never got to see Dante.

  Candace was stalling. I knew her and she knew me.

  Very few people could claim to truly know me because I seldomly if ever allowed anyone to get that close.

  Those that did get close knew how to reach me. They knew exactly what to do to reach me. One thing I hated most in this world was being forced to do something I didn’t want to do. Felt a little like emotional blackmail. I was a guy who didn’t entertain that shit on a normal basis. The general person wouldn’t try it with me.

  But someone like Candace would know how to stall me for a whole day and leave me feeling like I’d been caught in a spiders web.

  It was like a game today. Every time there was an opening to talk she’d throw in a diversion, talking about something that would engage us in deep conversation. Purposely changing the dynamics of the atmosphere so I would never really get a chance to end it with her.

  I barely slept that night so when Sunday came I thought of arranging to meet her for lunch. I was supposed to be going to Akito’s for a family dinner, a dinner that I was looking forward to. We did that once a month. He’d make a few of Rukia’s amazing dishes and we’d just hang out as a family. My parents would join in sometimes when they weren’t travelling.

  They were currently in Barbados because Mom set her sights on a new designer there. My dad who lived to please her thought a romantic Caribbean cruise would be a nice touch. Especially since it was their half wedding anniversary. I’d heard mad shit about half birthdays, but those two did it all. Half birthdays and half anniversaries. I blamed my dad. He was crazy in love with my mother. Since she deserved everything amazing in this world, I couldn’t knock what they had.

  I grabbed my phone the moment I woke up, which was just after ten, and sent Candace a message asking to meet up today.

  She never messaged back.

  Then shit, it was just as I stepped out of my house to head to Akito’s that she pulled up in a taxi.

  “Hey there, I’m ready. So sorry I’m late.” She beamed as she hoped out

  Late. I didn’t know what she meant. My heart sank when the taxi drove away. Then I took note of what she was wearing. A little red summer dress and matching heels. She was dressed up like she was going somewhere.

  She rushed up to me.

  “Did you get my text? I wanted to meet for lunch.” I was trying to keep my blood from boiling.

  “Yes, you said about meeting so I thought you meant for dinner at Akito’s.”

  Fuck, I told her yesterday that I was going to dinner this evening. But… I was sure there was no way she would confuse my text and take it to mean I was inviting her to come along to Akito’s.

  Did I say lunch in the text?

  I couldn’t remember. I knew I said meet today but I thought she would text back, or call.

  Ugh, this was getting ridiculous.

  “Where’s your car?”

  “It broke when I got home last night.” She sighed and brought her hand up to her cheek. “I spent the day at the garage. It needs a new engine and the cost is going to be more than the car. I would have called you but I thought I’d just see you now. I’m excited to go to dinner after a stressful day. Thanks for inviting me.”

  Okay. What was this?

  Was this really my fault? Did I somehow royally screw myself over and not know?

  I didn’t want to take her to dinner at Akito’s.

  Phoebe would be there. It would look like I was bringing my girlfriend to the family dinner. That was an important thing. It showed meaning.

  “Candace I was actually talking about us going to lunch. As in earlier than now.” The edge on my voice was very evident.

  “Oh God. Really?” She slapped her hand over her mouth. “So… you didn’t invite me to dinner?” The crestfallen look on her face got me.

  Shit. Was this a game too? I didn’t know. I actually didn’t know anymore. The whole story sounded plausible, so maybe it wasn’t part of her games. I just didn’t get why she didn’t call or message back.

  This was going to make me crazy.

  “It’s okay. Come on let’s go.” I had to force that out.

  This would be on me and somehow I’d have to work with it.

  “Oh cool. Thanks. Excited again.” She looked it.

  Tension seeped into my body giving me that trapped feeling again. I didn’t know what kind of evening this would be but I didn’t have any good feelings about it.

  Not one bit.

  Akito did his best to keep the smile on his face when he saw her.

  Mitsuke widened her eyes as we walked into the dining room and Phoebe looked surprised.

  We sat opposite them. I was directly in front of Phoebe.

  “It’s so great to see you all and meet you, Dr. Walker,” Candace bubbled.

  It took a moment for Phoebe to realize that she was referring to her.

  “You too, and please call me Phoebe. Dr. Walker is my father.” Phoebe offered a thin smile. Polite, but I could tell there was some element of reservation.

  “Thanks, I wasn’t sure if I could just call you by your first name. I don’t get to meet many doctors who have such a backing behind them.”

  Sweet. She was going for sweet. Her biggest asset was her ability to be super sweet. It wasn’t that she wasn’t naturally like that—it was more the case that she used the trait to gather information. A form of manipulation.

  I got a reminder of it over the last few days.

  Phoebe glanced at me before answering, her blue gaze searching mine. “Backing?” she asked.

  “Oh Tai talks very fondly of your accomplishments.”

>   “Does he?” Phoebe replied and glanced over at Mitsuke, who was already waiting for the look.

  Those two were scary together. I’d forgotten how they were since it had been eleven years since we all sat together like this for dinner. I swore they’d developed telepathic abilities over the time they’d known each other.

  “Candace, I’m amazed Tai never mentioned you were coming to dinner,” Mitsuke cut in. Translation for her was, Why are you here?

  Leave it to Mitsuke to see past the sweet shit.

  Candace blushed. “Oh, there was a misunderstanding on my part. I got a lunch date and dinner date confused, but Tai sweetly allowed me to come along.”

  I groaned inwardly and rested my head on my hand.

  Lunch date and dinner date. There was no date.

  I needed a cigarette or a drink. Actually I needed a moment away from her.

  Akito had gone into the kitchen to start bringing the food out. “I’m going to see if Akito needs any help.” I stated, getting up.

  Phoebe glanced at me as I got up to go, but I stared straight ahead.

  Akito had the food all laid out on the counter. There was a feast here that I couldn’t wait to tuck into.

  There were four trays of nigiri and maki sushi. The nigiri had shrimp on top and looked like the maki was a mix of teriyaki chicken and salmon wrapped in with the seaweed. It really was just like Rukia made it.

  I guess Akito was making the special effort for Phoebe, and the fact that it had been such a long time since we’d all sat together like this.

  “This looks amazing.” I smiled. Looking over to the other counter where there were more trays. One with a combo of tempura, tonkatsu, ebi and chicken katsu, and another with the jack pot. Wagyu steak with sansho daikon ponzu. As a kid I hated daikon radishes, but cooked it like this with yuzu ponzu sauce and I was game.

  “The girls made most the beef and the sushi. Least I could do was offer to serve. I made this though.” Akito’s face lit up when he pulled out a Pyrex bowl from the oven.

  “Baked gyozya.” I laughed. That was just for me.

  “With minced pork and shrimp.”