Dirty, Dirty Liars [Mature/Editing]

[14] 十四

Stay there

The train ride was long and dark, but the shinkansen felt like being on a plane, flying fast and smooth over the cross-country rails. After a long day, the white noise put me to sleep for most of it. In a new city as beautiful and old-worldly as Kyoto, it had been difficult to walk straight to the hotel without exploring. But I had, because the man in the hotel behind that gate had me in a chokehold.

A security guard walked up to me while I loitered on the sidewalk, waiting for Ryuzo. "Do you need a cab?" he asked.

"No, thank you. My . . . friend is here." Friend? Ryuzo paid for me to meet him in a hotel. "Friend" isn't the usual word for a person who does that.

The guard seemed skeptical. He offered a cab again, and I thanked him again. The gate opened beside me. Ryuzo looked at me with a smile. Finally, the guard walked away.

"Was he bothering you?" Ryuzo asked me when he let me through the gate.

"Everything's fine. He just thought I was lost." And a prostitute, but that didn't matter. It wouldn't have been the first time I got paid to get naked.

I rose to my toes and pulled his face to mine. While we kissed, I felt the smile on his lips, but it still made me happy to see when I leaned away.

"I'm happy you're here, Mina-chan," he whispered.

"Me too."

He took my bag and led me through the trees into a courtyard.

The hotel was like you would see in movies. A stone path led through lush grass and a dwarf willow tree. A traditional building with paper walls and raised wood decks completed the three other sides of the courtyard's square enclosure. Soft light glowed behind the thin walls, but one screen sat open. His room.

I stepped onto the deck and slipped off my shoes. While he closed the wall behind us, I ogled the space. It had a newly renovated finishes, but the interior remained traditional. Tatami floors, raw timber columns and beams. The right wall was a nook with the bed, and beyond that was another recessed area for the bathroom. The main room was good sized, but minimalistic, with only a single lounge chair to the side and a tea table in the center. On the table sat my favorite wine, two glasses, and snacks.

"Food and alcohol? You know me so well."

He grinned.

We sat on the small cushions. I eyed the food. Little triangle dumplings sat on a plate in front of a box. Tilted up as if on display, the inside was divided into little portions, each with a unique, intricate flower-shaped jelly. Like the gaijin I was, I asked, "Are these edible?"

"Yes. They are sweets — specialties of Kyoto. You will like them."

He leaned forward to pluck one from its hole and winced with a little groan. He played off, reaching for a closer one, then turning his attention to the wine.

I couldn't let that go. "Are you okay?"

He glanced at me. "Yes."

"Are you lying?"

"I never lie to you, Mina-chan," he said, finally looking at me. "It is just a bruise."

His dominant hand had a bandage on one finger instead of his usual ring and reddened skin on his knuckles. It wasn't unusual to see, but I was tired of ignoring it.

I let out a long sigh. "Just a bruise. Did you trip down some stairs and punch yourself in the process?" His eyes dropped to his hands, but he didn't answer. "Ugh. I'm sorry. I'm tired and I don't like it when you're hurt."