I nodded. “Sure, I’d just have to checkwith Beth.”
“Okay.”
I tried the mock karaage with sweet and sour dressing—delicious. I didn’t feel hungry when it arrived. I was desperately trying to control my griping stomach. I felt sick with anticipation, but I ate itregardless.
“What do you think?” Brooke asked.
“Unbelievable.”
“As goodas chicken?”
“I’m not sure about that, butdamn close.”
Brooke picked up a small piece of her teriyaki flavoured karaage and leaned across the table.“Try this.”
I opened my mouth around the chopsticks, trying as neatly as possible to remove the food without coming across as sensualin any way.
“Mmm... Wow, that one’s better.”
The lemon sour alcohol came with free refills, which said a lot really. It wasn’t a drink I would choose again, but my palate became numb to the sourness after a while. The restaurant soon began closing the kitchen. That was our cue to leave.
I followed Brooke’s lead as we strolled back towards the escalators. I didn’t want the night to end. Our bodies brushed together as I held the door open for her to exit onto the busy streetsof Shibuya.
“Do you know how to get back to Beth’s?” Brooke asked.
“I texted her. She’s going to pick me up.” I wanted to say,When I’m ready, but I got the impression Brooke had other places to be.
“Good.”
Brooke stepped closer with confidence; she held out her hand. “Your phone.” I reached into my back pocket. I’d remembered to get it back from Beth after the whole confiscating incident. Brooke created a new contact and typed in her number with the Japanese dialling code.
“Text me when you’re home safe, and I’ll see you tomorrow?” It was more of a question than a statement. Did she wantreassurance?
“Sure, I’ll look forward to it.”
She balanced on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around my neck. I placed one hand on the base of her back; the other held my phone by my side. She pressed her mouth into the dip between my shoulder and my collarbone before shepulled away.
“Bye.”
“Hey, Brooke...” I called. She turned back. “Don’t you think it’s crazy we bumped into each other yesterday? Japan’s a big country. What are the odds?”
“Not really. I believe when you think about someone or something a lot, the universe has a way of makingit happen.”
She pulled at her zip hoodie, wrapping it around her body.
“See you tomorrow, Holly.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
The next day Ren arrived home early from his work trip, and Beth informed me they had a lot of “house things” to take care of—whatever that meant. I was grateful she wanted to get rid of me. It made me feel less guilty about wanting to spend more time with Brooke. Although, had Brooke not been in the picture, I know Beth would’ve postponed any menial chores she had to do to spend time with me.
The sun was shining, so I opted for a pair of extremely short black gym shorts, my uncomfortable trusty Converse, and a Nike T-shirt. My hair was up in a ponytail. I toyed with it down, then up again, then down, until settling on up. It was hot, so itmade sense.
When I’d returned home the night before, Brooke told me she planned to take me on a trip outside the big city to a place called Nikko. She arrived at Beth’s apartment at 9 a.m. sharp. The trip was roughly an hour quicker by car than by train. As soon as I stepped outside the apartment and felt the humidity I was thankful for the air-conditioned car.
We eased into conversation. I wanted to know all about her life in Japan. She spoke in detail about the language barrier and how she was slowly trying to overcome it whilst trying not to be culturally ignorant. Japan was a very homogenous country. There was still a public stigma towards being a white English girl, but after she made some friends she felt more comfortable, and they helped her adjust to life in Tokyo.
The fashion still concerned her. She admitted she wasn’t cool enough to pull off some of the outfits she saw in the shop windows, so she stuck with H&M for most of her clothing needs. She spoke about the culture: bowing instead of shaking hands, removing shoes before you enter someone’s home, eating and drinking on trains and in the street was frowned upon, and chopstick etiquette was another thing all together.
