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Ayaka pauses on her way to put down the glass and looks at me with light irritation.
“Yes, Harry. I do drink beer. I just prefer wine.”
“They have wine here.” I look at the menu again and Ayaka puts her fingers on the top of the menu, pulling it down.
“It’s fine, Harry. I like beer.”
“Okay,” I say, closing the menu. “As you wish.” I flag the waitress and she waves back, letting me know she notices me.
Crossing her arms over her chest, she leans down on the table. “Harry, why do you say that?”
“Say what?” I ask, unfolding my napkin.
“As you wish. You say it a lot.”
“Um, I’m not sure. Princess Bride fan, I guess.”
I don’t know why I say it, truthfully. Maybe because I mean it. I’d do anything for this woman. Sure, she might not like me as much as I like her, but that doesn’t negate my feelings for her.
Unrequited feelings are confusing. But understanding that she’s my boss, and nothing can ever happen between us, makes me feel better. At least this way I don’t have to face rejection. If she can’t be with me because I’m her assistant she’s not turning me down, personally.
Though I still hold on to the wish I made in Vancouver at the Wishing Tree. Maybe this Christmas I’ll get lucky. If only for one night.
We finish the rest of her shopping, and then we step into a bookstore and decide to look around.
I head to the comedy section while Ayaka disappears into the back of the store. I pick up a few Stuart McLean books that I don’t have and try to find Ayaka.
When I round the corner of one of the shelves, I catch her skimming through a book. She bites her lip while reading the pages and I know she’s concentrating. I stay and watch her, knowing she doesn’t notice me standing there.
She tends to bite her lip when she’s reading or concentrating on something important.
I wonder what she thinks of the book. It looks like a holiday romance novel. With a red and white cover with bells and a couple on the front, kissing. It looks cute.
I’ve never seen Ayaka read anything but nonfiction. Books on medieval history or the stock market. She also often reads the news. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her pick up a non-fiction novel ever.
Does Ayaka have an interest in romance novels? I’ve read a few in my time and they can be quite good. Though for a woman so cold, it’s a wonder that fluffy love is her thing. I bet there’s a part of her that wants it. That wants that romantic rose petals and chocolate love.
I’ve seen her eyes glaze over when she talks about the love of her parents. She’s spoken a few times about them to me. Telling me the stories of how they met.
“They met while dad was on vacation in Japan. Dad has this photography hobby and was taking pictures of the cherry trees in Hakodate Park. Then he saw my mom, standing underneath a cherry tree. He took a picture of her, then went to talk to her. He was smitten right away. He loved how mom was excited about life and love. It matched well with dad’s lust for life. They chatted for a bit then went out for seafood.” She chuckles. “There was even a place where you can catch the squid, and they ate that. Dad wasn’t very good at it. Mom had to catch all of them.”
Ayaka sighs, and I can almost feel the love coming off the story.
I’ve dreamed about doing something as romantic with Ayaka many times.
After reading a few more pages, she shakes her head and puts the book back, then turns around. I approach her to let her know I’m here, but she sees me before I can.
“Fuck! Harry! You scared me,” she yelps.
“Sorry.” I say, holding my hands up. She takes a few breaths and says, “That’s okay,” she says and runs her hands through her hair.
Then I happen to look up and see a mistletoe hanging off one of the signs.
“Oh, look!” I say, pointing up. “A mistletoe.”
“Yeah, so?” she asks, shaking her head. She has no idea.
“Oh, come on. You know about mistletoe. If two people find themselves under a sprig of mistletoe, they have to kiss.”
