Page 34 of F Buddy

Though I’d already been in Tokyo for months, I hadn't done enough mingling. I realized this when, at the party itself, I came across a lot of people that had come in from overseas posts as well, there was even one guy from a different office in Chicago, and we spent a while talking about random shit. If I’d known there were people other than Abigail I could have been hanging out with instead, I would have met them ages ago, and my useless attempt to call Scarlett would never have happened.

Don’t think about her, I commanded myself when I realized my thoughts were straying.

It wasn’t just a social function, though it was in part so everyone could meet. It was also very much part of the business because I met plenty of partners and clients associated with our company and office. It wasn’t my party, but a few times I found myself playing host. Thankfully, I didn’t run into anyone that didn’t speak English, or it could have turned out awkward.

I quickly grew bored with the atmosphere, and in no time at all I found myself alone and nursing a glass of champagne. I stood in an out of the way corner, willing everyone to ignore me. I took a sip of the bubbly drink and had to hold back a grimace. I would have preferred something stronger.

“Hey, there.”

I turned around to find Abigail standing behind me, looking bemused. She’d been trying to catch my attention for some time. I arranged my expression into something polite and straightened my back. I may not need to pretend around her, she’d seen me at less than my best plenty of times after all, but we had to keep up appearances.

“Is there something I can do for you?” I asked to be polite.

She smiled, eyes dropping to the glass I still held. “I thought we could skip the rest of this party and go out, have a little fun. I know you want to. You’ve been stuck in this corner by yourself for over half an hour.”

I arched an eyebrow. “Oh?” I couldn’t deny that leaving sounded more interesting. I hadn't realized I’d been hiding for so long. A distraction might be nice. “But I thought we were supposed to stay here until the party ended?”

Abigail was shaking her head. “We made an appearance and mingled, that was all we needed to do. We can do whatever we want now, and I thought you’d like to go out on the town.”

I smiled. “But we’ve already been out on the town, remember? You took me every time.”

Abigail had been curious about Tokyo, and because Scarlett wanted me to tell her all about the places I’d visited, I agreed to go out with Abigail when she invited me to explore with her on our free days. Just remembering made my expression sour. I couldn't control it.

She looked like she knew where my thoughts were heading, but didn't comment. Instead, she shrugged. “Maybe I want to see some more with you.”

Abigail took a step closer. She took my still half-full glass, handing it to a waiter as he passed. Then she turned and smiled up at me.

“Let’s go?” she offered, holding her hand out.

I watched her outstretched hand for a moment, then took it. She smiled before turning away and dragging me behind her as we left the party. We collected her coat on the way out, and she pulled it on while we were in the elevator. Once we were out on the streets, I hesitated when she led away from the parking lot.

“Are we not taking the car?”

She shot me a look over her shoulder. “Why on earth would we do that when it’s such a nice night?”

I sighed but didn't argue. She slowed her steps to match mine so we were walking beside each other and not just her leading me around. She tucked her arm under mine and pressed herself to my side. I didn't fight her on it.

Tokyo was different from New York in a lot of ways. It was just as beautiful as the city I hailed from, the streets still bright even as late as it was, and I could see other people walking around. There was a park not so far from our office building, and we headed there. The park had paths lined with lanterns instead of the traditional street lights I was used to.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Abigail murmured. “It kinda makes me think of home...”

I glanced down at her, then looked away. “You too, huh?”

“We haven't done this before, have we?”

I frowned, shooting her a look out the corner of my eye. “If you mean going out, we have. A few times. Don't tell me you forgot.”

She laughed, the sound light and carefree. “No, I meant just walking, with no destination in sight. There’s no rush to get anywhere, so we can go wherever we like...”

“Yeah,” I murmured, realizing she was right.

At that moment, I was probably the most relaxed I’d been these past six weeks. My shoulders were slumped without the need for keeping up appearances. The air was clean and dry, and I took a deep breath to savor it.

Even back home, I never did anything like this. There were the rare moments I did it during the daytime, but there was almost always a date I had to impress. With just Abigail and me there, it was liberating, because I knew she wouldn’t judge me the same as most women.

“We should do this more often,” I said, a small smile curving my mouth. “I can’t believe we haven’t tried this before.”

“We can do it as often as you’d like,” Abigail offered.