“I feel the same way about you.”
For the third time tonight, we kiss.
Our room serviceorder arrives after exactly eighteen minutes of waiting. We reluctantly break apart to eat. The telly has been turned down low. Art and I are sitting next to one another, cross-legged on the bed. He’s enjoying his curry, while I tuck in to my matcha ice cream. “What were you thinking after I ran away from you?” I ask.
“It took me a full sixty seconds to make sense of what had just happened. I’ve thought about kissing you every time we’ve been together, but never thought it would actually happen.” He tickles my foot with his bare one. “By the time I was out of the car and had tracked you down, you were busy chatting with the imperial family. I knew you’d be out of reach until after the dinner.”
“I thought about you throughout the entire dinner,” I admit. “I was terrified I’d ruined our relationship and put your job at risk.”
“I’m so sorry you had to go through that. If we’d been able to find a moment alone, I might’ve stolen another kiss from you.” He rewards me with a cheeky grin. “In that moment, you had me on cloud nine and ready to admit my feelings to you. But in hindsight, it was for the best I didn’t get carried away because we both know how the rest of the evening turned out.” He takes a heaping bite of his curry and chews slowly. “The difficult part is going to be figuring where we go from here.”
I sit taller. “You mean you’d be willing to break the rules?”
“Yes, because you’re worth it.”
My heart races with joy.
“I meant it when I said you were the type of woman I’ve beenwaiting for. I know the rules and I’m aware of the consequences. I don’t care two bits about them. I’m fully prepared to put it all on the line for a shot at seeing where this thing between us goes.”
It’s like I’m an overfilled treasure chest and can’t help but smile wider than I ever have before. Art is choosing me. Even though there is no guarantee we’ll work out. Me. Over everything he’s worked for. “I don’t know what to say, other than I’ve never been more honored and excited about anything in my life.” I place my melting ice cream aside, scoot as close as I can to him, and rest my head on his shoulder.
He kisses the top of my head and places his curry down. “If it’s all right with you, I’d like to keep everything under wraps and as discreet as possible. We need more time to talk and figure out where we go from here.”
“I agree.”
He wraps an arm around my body and hugs me to his chest. “We’ll have to be mindful of our interactions around others and in public. But when we’re alone, we can be more open with one another.”
“What about while we’re here in Japan? Since I canceled all the events tomorrow, do you think you and I could spend the day exploring Tokyo alone? Maybe Angela could be given the day off. She seemed to think the three drunkards will be sent on the first flight back to London this morning.”
“We’ll have to play it by ear. I don’t know if Ange would be comfortable with us out alone. But if she is, then yes.” He sighs deeply. “As far asthosethree are concerned, yes, they’ll be on the eight a.m. flight out of Narita International Airport.” He winces as he glances at the clock, noticing it’s near four. “I should probably make sure they’re up, packed, and in a taxi.”
“You’re nicer than me. I would let them suffer the consequences if they missed the flight.”
“I’d love to see that too, except they’d be our problem until they’re on that plane.” He reluctantly releases me, stands, and stretches. “Try and get some sleep. I’ll check on you again if you’re not up by noon.”
I wave him off. “I’ll probably be up by nine.”
He collects our plates and utensils and wheels the room-service tableout into the hallway. “Thanks for dinner, breakfast, or whatever you want to call it.”
“You’re welcome. Can I at least have a goodbye kiss?”
He chuckles under his breath. “As you wish.”
As his lips brush against mine, I can’t help but think he’s saved the best for last.
Nineteen
Iremember crawling under the sheets and reliving each kiss with Art, but I have no recollection of falling asleep. The next time I wake, it’s eight in the morning. Despite only getting about three and a half hours of shut-eye, my body feels refreshed and raring to go. Knowing I won’t be able to sleep again, I hop in the shower, and quickly dress in the only casual outfit I brought with me, my jeans and a blue chiffon blouse.
Pulling back the curtains, I look down on the high-end Tokyo shopping district of Ginza. Many of the shops aren’t yet open, but there are plenty of people out and about. I see a few people on bicycles. There’re men in suits carrying briefcases and students in the traditional sailor uniform school-aged children wear through high school. I’m stuck by how much Tokyo is both alike and different from London.
A light knock sounds on the connecting door.
“Come in,” I whisper.
Art carefully slips through the door and keeps it from making too much noise. His sock is still there. When I get a full look at him, my breath hitches. It’s the first and only time he’s chosen not to dress in a suit. If you don’t count the riding clothing, that is.
Art is dressed in worn dark-wash jeans that conform to his massivehockey-player-sized legs and shapely bum. He’s paired it with a faded Beatles T-shirt that hugs his chest. The phoenix tattoo is fully visible, and peeking out from under his shirtsleeve is another tattoo that I must’ve missed last night. It looks like a whisk and a chef’s hat. For his love of baking perhaps?
