“Are you sure?” he asks, giving my hand a squeeze.
“Yes. But thank you for wanting to help.” I smile at him, and when I see the server coming with our drinks, I say, “Let’s focus on us for the rest of the night.”
We give the server our food orders, and when we’re sipping on our drinks, I say, “The cosmopolitan was a good choice.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
I glance at the skyline again, thinking of Augusto calling me ‘my love.’ I swoon a little, a grin pulling at my mouth.
Noticing my smile, he asks, “What are you thinking about?”
My tongue darts out to swipe over my lips before I answer, “I liked it when you called memy love.” I clear my throat. “And also, when you call me your little shapeshifter. It reminds me of a Japanese folktale, the Kitsune. One of the most famous tales is of a fox who disguises herself as a woman to gain influence in the imperial court.” Realizing I’m rambling, I let out a chuckle. “Sorry. Too much information.”
“Not at all.” Augusto gives me a reassuring smile. “I want to hear about your culture.” With his attention solely focused on me, he asks, “Teach me to say something in Japanese.”
“Konnichiwa.It means hello.” Augusto practices it a few times. “Onegaishimasu.Please.” I wait for him to say it, then continue, “Arigato.Thank you.”
We continue practicing a few more words until our food arrives.
Augusto takes a bite of his dry-aged duck, and I enjoy my tempura-fried octopus.
I keep glancing between the skyline and my husband until we’re halfway done with our meals.
“Where did you learn to speak English?” he asks before taking a sip of water.
“I had a tutor who taught me English, German, Mandarin, and Hangul.”
His eyes widen. “You can speak five languages?”
I nod. “It was easy to learn and one of the few things I enjoyed while growing up.” I take the last bite of food and set down my utensils. After I’ve swallowed, I continue, “My tutor tried to reason with my father to allow me to attend university, but he wouldn’t hear of it.”
“You’re only twenty-two. Would you like to study further?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. A lot has changed for me this year. I think it would be too overwhelming.”
“If you ever change your mind, just let me know.”
A grateful smile graces my lips. “Okay.”
We talk about random topics until we’ve had dessert, and when dinner comes to an end, I let out a happy sigh.
“Thank you for the lovely date,” I say as I stand up. “I enjoyed it.”
“Will you go on another date with me next week?” Augusto asks, his tone playful as he takes hold of my hand and leads me to the exit.
“Yes.”
“And the week after?”
“Yes.”
“And every week after that?”
I let out a burst of laughter. “Yes.”
Lifting my hand, he presses a kiss to the back of it. “I enjoyed it too and want to make it a weekly thing for us. To this day, my parents go out for dinner once a week.”
“I’d like that very much.”
