Lovers in Tokyo

“Why are you following me?” Ever since Anna left the studio, Nao followed closely. They weren’t walking side by side, he was a few steps behind, but it still annoyed her. She used to have Takeshi or Kyoya trailing like lost puppies behind her but they were just friends. Nao was a completely different situation.

“Didn’t your friend ask for my help?” He leaned forward, trying to keep the conversation animated. He figured it would tick her off even more if he were to prolong the whole ‘helping’ subject and he was having too much fun to let it go so easily. “What do I have to do, huh?”

By now, her left eye started to twitch. Behind, Nao could swear she was going to turn around and slap him. She had the courage to do that yet it seemed as if he would be taken off the hook too simply.

“Leave.” Her mumble was loud enough for him to hear. She didn’t want to make a scene; otherwise she would have already beaten him up. However, in times like those, brilliant ideas would rise to the surface. She smirked for a fraction of second before she turned to him, smiling mischievously. He didn’t know if he should actually follow her request and back off or endure what she had prepared for him. “If you’re so keen on helping me, then be it. Come”

Anna didn’t try to hide her smirk anymore. She turned around and started to walk towards the closest subway. He trailed behind her, unsure and a little scared of what was going to happen next.

“I think you’re kidding me…” The metro station was engulfed by people, swirling around even though there was little space. He was planted near the door, his face glued to one of the bars. Not even the height could help Nao. Over different annoying noises and bad perfumes, he could feel a woman touching his butt. He tried to shake it off but it became obvious. He tried to move around so that he could firstly breathe and secondly, he really couldn’t stand that hand.

“Have you seriously never been squished by oh so many strangers, with such fragrances around?” She was lucky because she found a good place near the door even though when there was a sudden change in speed, everyone would crash into her. While watching him scrunching his face in disgust of everything she was practically already plotting.

“I’m not from Tokyo.” He mumbled while trying hard to stay on his feet. She rolled her eyes at his answer. It didn’t make any sense because they met in Tokyo. “I’m originally from Osaka.”

“And? Does Osaka not have subways?” In that very moment, Nao could feel the heat rising to his head. He wasn’t blushing but his ears got red from annoyance. If he didn’t know any better, he would have swore she wanted to take revenge on those 4 years, but she seemed to not care enough for that. He was intrigued. Maybe she just wanted him to suffer for her simple desire to provoke chaos around her.

“You’re a true smart ass aren’t you?” She smiled sarcastically but didn’t respond. Instead, since they had to get off at the next station, she grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him towards the door. Unfortunately, the movements of the metro got him crashing on her instead. Her head was what hit the door, though, and she wasn’t at all happy with the turn up.

“Where are we going?” She ignored him completely from the moment they got back on the sidewalk. They were somewhere in Shinjuku, heaven of every shopping maniac out there. He didn’t like it. Patience was a virtue he seriously didn’t poses. Even more surprising was when Anna grabbed his hand and entered confidently one of the biggest and most sparkling Shopping Centers.

“Let’s start with fun things.” Her eyes got so big and looked so innocent that he got scared. She wasn’t an innocent woman at all. She smiled cutely, showing two cute dimples on each side of her cheeks. She grabbed his hand and entered what was to become the most disastrous situation in his life.

“Wait” He pulled her roughly back. He couldn’t believe her. “This is a lingerie store. I’m not supposed to enter.” She raised an eyebrow, trying hardly to look as innocent as a young teenage girl.

“Why not?” She shook his hand off, mostly because he had a tight grip on her arm and it started to hurt, and went right back in, leaving him behind. Sincerely, he looked like a pervert by just standing in front of such a place. Slowly, he got the courage, and with hand covering half of his face, walked in. The path to where she was seemed to never end. Firstly, he crashed into a mannequin, that was the first level of his embarrassment;

“Oh God…” Next, while being perplexed he hit a shelf of bras, ending with a few on his head, that was the second level. The climax of all of it was the moment he actually reached the place she was standing at. She grabbed a bra which had leopard print on it. She raised it to his eyes and titled her head to one side.

“What?” He was already pride less so why not give up? She smiled and moved the bra in front of him.

“What do you say? Would it look good on me?” His eyes widened and mouth opened a little. He couldn’t believe she asked him that. Not even his wife did! He considered himself a stranger to anything feminine, like sexy lingerie. He didn’t care since he slept with Ai just three times. She tried to get him entranced into such a mood but it didn’t work at all and often she would end up all annoyed and frustrated. Nonetheless, he knew it was all part of a well thought plan she came up with in just a few minutes. He couldn’t lose to her. He couldn’t lose to himself either.

“I don’t think it suits you.” The relaxed tone, the features which also seemed to be controlled and ignorant surprised both of them. She had a wicked mind and it started to slowly rub on him too. He was insane, he was in a creepy situation and everything he was thinking of was nothing. Nothing at all.

“Actually,” He crossed his arms and leaned on the shelf on his right. “You don’t like it either do you?” She got caught off guard and the achievement of seeing her without a smart reply brought a smirk on his lips.

“What’s simple is beautiful.” She shrugged and grabbed another bra. The piece was different. It was a dark blue color and it didn’t have any print on it. “I guess I like this more.” She started to play around again. Encouraged by a fierce desire to embarrass him, she put the bra in front of her chest and started to move from side to side, like a child.

Somehow, the bright smile she had while playing in a lingerie store got Nao to loosen up a lot. He wasn’t ashamed of being there because she was there too. It all seemed to gravitate around her and he had no power. When she looked up to him, there was no evil glint anymore; instead, there was amusement. Next, she grabbed another imprinted bra. It looked slutty, in Anna’s point of view at least, but it seemed to give her a new idea. She placed it on Nao’s chest.

“I think this suits you” The bra was black and had two stars on each side. Nao remained perplexed a little until she started to laugh. Her laughter was genuine and seemed to be nasal, like her voice. He never heard her laugh so brightly before. It made him laugh too and they looked like two troublemakers.

“Let’s get out of here” She chuckled when she saw how his eyes started to sparkle and how enthusiastic he became suddenly. However, that didn’t change the fact that Anna bought the blue bra.

“I hope you’re not going to take me to some other place like that” She stopped middle step. Her head titled again, it seemed she was doing that every time she was thinking about something. She had been struck by an idea and blinked

“Let’s go buy condoms” Nao’s eyes got as big as two plates. It was so funny that Anna couldn’t control herself anymore. She started to laugh loudly. “I’m joking” She said while trying to calm her breathing. He glared at her and snarled. It sounded funny and it amused Anna even more. His face was priceless and the effect she had on him was growing at an alarming pace.

“Why don’t we take a break?” He signed with his head towards the fast food. Anna bit her lip, having an inside battle. She could continue her evil plan or she could relax and actually enjoy.

“But where would be the fun then…” She whispered. Nao didn’t hear it because he was already walking towards the food court. In the end, how bad could she embarrass him in such a place?

He though again. She could find many ways to get the people around them glue their eyes to them. In the first place, some teenagers recognized Anna from the attention her book got. Secondly, she grabbed two french fries and started to use them as fangs.

“Rawr, rawr” She was definitely having fun in her own way. On the other side, Nao didn’t know what to do first: laugh at her childish antics or be worried of her bipolarity. He chose none. Seeing how he wasn’t reacting anymore, she threw a french fry at him and scoffed.

“You’re no fun at all. Got old already?” She smirked, knowing that he will get offended by her words, which actually happened.

“Oi! I’m just 27 years old!” His narrowed eyes didn’t affect Anna in absolutely any way. “Did you write a scene like this in your book too?” With just one sentence, which didn’t have any connection to their current situation, Anna frowned. She started to stare intently at her drink. Nao got taken back by the change and felt bad even if he knew he shouldn’t because he definitely didn’t offend her in any way.

“Nao…” He was actually waiting for a verbal blow. He knew she had the perfect mood for something like that. “Do you think my book lacks romance?” Alright, it wasn’t exactly what he expected.

“I…” She thought he might have not read the whole novel to begin with so she put the problem differently.

“Do you think I lack romance?” His response was sincere and maybe it came too fast.

“Yes.” She looked somewhere between annoyed and surprised. Her eyes got smaller and her mouth was set in tight line. There was a neutral expression, over all. “Is this the problem Nakamura-san asked me to help you with?” She nodded slowly. He chuckled and got more comfortable on his chair. “Who told you that?” The atmosphere transited from childish to a little more serious between them.

“Your father” That surprised Nao even more and he started to laugh again, but not loud enough to make her sulk. “He said I don’t know what love is. That I don’t have any more the feelings from the moment I wrote that book. You are his son. What does he exactly want me to do?”

“Hmm…” He placed his hands on the table and leaned on them, thinking. “You wrote it four years after we met, right?” Her eye started to twitch again. He sounded too proud.

“Actually, I started it one year after we met. It just happened I forgot about it. My other books didn’t seem to be appreciated so one day I just remembered about it” Even though she spoke with ignorance, as it was just another topic, it affected him more than he would have imagined. He started to wonder if he was more caught up with her than she was with him. It started as an ideal type and in a matter of a few months it became more like an obsession.

“Then I guess you changed a lot. The book talks about fate and love. About two people who would do absolutely anything to meet. From what I read, the girl was the one believing they will have a happily ever after but you don’t seem to do.”

“That’s because I don’t.” Something hurt in his chest. “I didn’t back then either. I knew it was just one day, one moment, one man. Why should I get all worked up for someone I will never meet again? I should just enjoy it to the fullest and when it’s over, get over it.” He flinched. Suddenly he realized that if he wouldn’t have left in that morning Lovers in Tokyo wouldn’t have been written but they would have probably ended up together. It hurt. It was his fault.

Anna watched his body react to her words. She knew she touched something inside him, that something in his head clicked. She hurt him but that was nothing compared to the moment she woke up that morning, all alone. On that day, there were moments when she hoped her reasoning was wrong and he won’t become just an acquaintance in her memory. She knew the ending for their small escapade from the world, from themselves and from the truth but that didn’t mean she never hoped for something more. Instead, she learned a new lesson in life and moved on.

“I think we should leave. There’s no reason to be here anymore.” She grabbed her purse and the two plates. While walking to the trash can she didn’t dare glance behind. She hurt him or at least his pride but she didn’t feel any amount of remorse for that. “He worth it”