Ean’s Rare Gift – Chapter 16

Ean

Three weeks later…

I’m on my way to Izakaya Tanaka, Myra’s workplace, to celebrate Dad’s recovery with the rest of my family. The restaurant was barely touched by the storm, and it became the go-to place for the neighborhood while everyone else recovered. It’s good to see the front lit up and people coming and going.

Ume on my shoulder titters in my ear. “It’s nice to go into places like this now. I’ve only ever been able to see them from the outside in the past.”

“You’ll go with me wherever you want to,” I tell her, leaning my head into her reach. She rubs her beak against my temple, her version of a kiss. I had no idea birds were so sweet until I met her.

Walking into the restaurant, I’m greeted with the raucous sound of laughter and talking. I deliver a bouquet of chrysanthemums to the owner, Mrs. Tanaka, and another to my mother. I picked them up from the florist on my way here.

“Oh, sweet boy, what’s this for?” she asks, burying her nose in the blooms.

“For putting up with Dad the last few weeks.” I lean in and kiss her on the cheek. “And don’t be too impressed. It was Karina’s idea.”

“I like her,” she says, leaning and dropping her voice. “She’s got good taste.”

“You don’t say.” It’s hard to hide my smile.

Mom reaches up to stroke Ume’s breast. “Hello, you. Good to see you again.” She sighs. “A cat, then a bird. This family never ceases to amaze me. Well, Karina is a keeper, if I do say so myself. I think maybe you should bring her around for dinner sometime soon. Something not so public like this. Then we can all thank her for helping out during the storm.”

I sigh. “Mom, please. I know how that will go. Just let me date her for a while before subjecting her to all my sisters at once.”

She sniffs the flowers again. “If you love your mother…” She doesn’t finish the statement, just walks off.

Of course, I love her. But if I want to keep dating Karina, I’ll have to ease her into that. I don’t want to scare her off.

Crossing the room, I zig-zag in and out of the space between the tables covered with colorful cloths, plates of food, and drinks. My family is near the back, their voices a chorus of whispers and laughter. I spot Karina sitting and talking to my dad at the far end of a long table, their heads bent close to each other. She laughs at something he says, her face lights up with joy, and I melt a little.

Since the storm, I’ve grown to love Karina in more ways than one, though I still haven’t told her I’m in love with her. She’s kind and generous, always willing to help out no matter how much effort it takes. The state of Café Mela and all the repairs and clean-up have not gotten her down. Not even once. I’m constantly amazed by her strength. But most of all, she has this way of making me feel like everything will be okay. She always looks ahead and offers positivity that guides us through the most challenging times. Her kindness and intelligence are traits nobody can argue about. Even if all she does is smile, it still takes my breath away every time.

“Buona sera,” she says, smiling up at me. Her curls are glossy, and her cheeks are pink. I move Ume to the chair behind me and lean down to kiss Karina’s cheek.

Demi and Rosa glance at each other and then lean in to gossip about how their brother is in love. At least, that’s what I imagine them saying.

They’re not wrong.

“Ean.” Dad reaches out a hand to clasp mine. “Good to see you. Any news on those apartments for the Ginmori Estate people?”

Dad looks better than ever. His oxygen levels have stabilized, his heart rate is normal, and he has more energy than before the storm.

I take a deep breath and let my gaze wander around the room, taking in the scene at this dinner. This is what I’m fighting for. “Well, it seems like we’re making good progress. Only a few more apartments need cleaning and repairing, but the rest are ready to go. Everyone from the Ginmori Estate should have a new home soon enough.”

He nods, a satisfied look on his face. “Good work. You’ve done a great job with this one. It’s a real testament to the foundation’s mission. I’m proud of you for taking charge and ensuring everyone is cared for during this difficult time.”

My heart swells with pride as he praises me for helping the community recover from the disaster. Karina reaches out and takes my hand, squeezing it as her way of thanking me, too.

“And your apartment is still under construction?”

“Almost done,” I say, trying to be upbeat about it.

The last few weeks have been hard. I had to move back home, and Karina moved in with her sister-in-law while the Miyagis continued to stay at her place. Café Mela is up and running after only being closed for five days, but our private time has been limited due to the upheaval. I’d give anything to have us settled into our own places again. I miss her so much.

Her fingers interlace with mine under the table.

“I dropped by today,” Karina says as Mom sits down on the other side of Dad. “They really are almost done. I think the painting crew will come tomorrow, and the plumber will be finished the day after. Only a few more days.” She reaches out and receives a plate of gyoza dumplings, which she places on the table in front of us. “We should eat while it’s still hot.”

We eat dinner together while catching up on what has been happening since the typhoon. Dad’s been recuperating at home, so his deputy mayor has been handling the storm clean-up. She’s doing a remarkable job; everyone has seen it. But when he talks about her, I see the worry on his face. I bet he wonders how useful he’ll be when he returns to work. We talk about how Café Mela has been doing since reopening its doors to customers again and how thankful we are that people have been pitching in to fix the storm damage.

“It’s so nice to have customers again.” Karina passes a bowl of rice to Mom across the table. “But I miss my apartment. I miss sleeping on a bed.”

Her smile fades a little, and it’s my turn to squeeze her hand under the table. She’s been sleeping on Lydia’s couch every night, and the lack of a proper home has taken its toll on her. I wish… I wish we could just live together.

She inhales and smiles again, but I can tell this one is forced. “I’m sure it won’t be long before I’m back home.”

Mom glances at me from across the table, and my stomach clenches. I don’t have the heart to tell Karina that it’ll still be several weeks before the Miyagis move out. The repairs are coming along fast, but the Miyagis’ building was hit the hardest. Their apartment will be one of the last to open up to new tenants.

“She’s not going home,” Ume says from behind me. I almost forgot she was there. Sometimes my bird is the quietest thing in the room. Other times, she’s so loud no one can concentrate. “She’s moving in with you.”

My eyes widen, and I turn around to face her. “How…?”

How did she know? I’ve barely admitted to myself that I want Karina to move in with me. It seems too soon, too fast. I’ll scare her if I ask for this.

“Crows know.” Ume says nothing more. Usually, that’s how she ends a lot of conversations. Crows know. Very cryptic.

But I’ve learned that she’s never wrong.

Karina glances between Ume and me, a question on her lips. “It’s nothing,” I tell her.

My actions throughout the rest of dinner are robotic. I eat and talk, but my mind is elsewhere, wondering if Karina will be amenable to moving in together. Could we make it work? I had thought about it before the storm but never in this dire of a situation. I know she’s tired of couch-crashing. Maybe this could finally give her some stability.

But I’m also worried about myself. This would be an enormous commitment for me, and I’ve been hesitant to take such significant steps in the past. What if it doesn’t work out? What if we’re not compatible in this way? What if Karina expects more from me than I can offer right now? There are so many unknowns, yet all I can think about is how nice it would be to have her close by every night. Could we really do this?

After all, it’s not like we rushed into this relationship. We met at Café Mela four years ago, and our friendship slowly grew into something more. I still remember the first time I realized she was someone special — when she sought me out at the summer solstice festival two years ago because she heard I had secured housing for two people she cared about. She hugged me, and I wanted that closeness to last forever. My crush took off by leaps and bounds afterward and only got more intense after we slept together.

It’s been weeks since I last touched her like that. My body aches to be close to her. My hands want to slide down her body and press her curves into my bed. I want to get lost in her, with my hands in her hair and my mouth on hers.

“Ean?”

Karina’s voice snaps me out of my dirty thoughts. “Hmm?” I look around at the table, and everyone is getting up to leave. The meal is over. According to my plate, I ate the food, but I have very little memory of it passing my lips and heading for my stomach.

“You okay?” Her smile is sweet, and she raises her eyebrows. After a moment, she frowns. “What’s up?”

I inhale through my nose and put my napkin next to the plate.

“Nothing. Let me walk you home.”

She stands up and grabs her cardigan from the back of the chair. “Oh, you don’t have to. I know it’s in the complete opposite direction of your parents’ house.” She leans down and kisses my cheek. “It’s fine. I’ll hopefully see you tomorrow.”

“No,” I say, jumping to my feet. “I insist.”

My heart is beating wildly now. Am I really going to do this?

Concern crosses her face. Shit. I know I’m acting weird.

“Ean?” Mom calls out from the front of the restaurant. “I called a bike taxi to bring your father and me home. You can share a taxi with your sisters.”

Ushering Karina forward, I place my hand on Karina’s lower back, and Ume jumps up to my shoulder.

“I’m going to walk Karina home. I’ll be back later.”

Karina forces a smile again and waves to my parents. They wave back before exiting to the taxi on the street. By the time we’re outside, too, the taxis are down the road and making the turn for home.

“I’m going to leave and head to bed,” Ume says in my ear. “These nights are too late for birds.” She takes off from my shoulder and flies in the direction of my parents’ home, following the taxis along the quiet streets.

The cool night air wraps around us like a blanket as Karina and I walk slowly and quietly. The sun has long since set, but the street lamps illuminate our path, throwing shadows against the buildings as we pass. Stars fill the sky, creating a canopy of twinkling silver lights above us. We say little to each other as if we’re both too nervous about what might come out of our mouths.

My hand tightens around hers, feeling the warmth of her skin beneath my fingertips. Every so often, she looks at me with her dark eyes and an unspoken question that only I can answer. But my heart is in my throat, and my words are stuck in my chest behind it. Are we moving too fast? Will I lose her by being too aggressive?

I want to tell her how much I miss her and wish things could be different right now. The storm screwed everything up. Instead, my heart speaks for me in its own way. It races when we pass beneath a lamppost, and I can see the beautiful slope of her nose, or stops entirely when she brushes against me by accident.

When we get close to Karina’s sister-in-law’s place, she stops in front of the gate and turns towards me. Tears glisten in her eyes, making them look like stars in the night sky.

“Are you breaking up with me?” Her voice cracks. “Is this why you wanted to walk me home?”

My heart drops into my stomach at the thought of losing her again. I shake my head quickly and reach out to take her hands in mine.

“No. No, I’m not breaking up with you.”

We stand face-to-face for a minute as tears fall down her cheeks.

“Then why are you suddenly so different? At dinner, it was like a switch was flipped. You were fine one moment and distant the next.”

I wipe away her tears with my thumbs and let out a deep sigh before finally finding words that make sense from all these jumbled emotions inside me.

“I want you to move in with me.” The statement rushes out before I can stop it and question its sanity. She blinks a few times, clearing her eyes of the tears. “I’ve hated these last few weeks of being apart from you.” She’s not mad, so I continue. “It’s not enough to steal a kiss in the kitchen of Café Mela or hold your hand walking down the street. I mean, those are all good things,” I say, reassuring her and myself.

She barks out a short laugh, and tears fly from her lips.

“But I want to share meals with you, wake up next to you, press your naked body to mine.”

A smile appears in place of the frown.

“I can’t keep living apart from you anymore. It’s killing me.”

She closes her eyes and sighs. “Oh, thank God. Mamma mia. Ean Kimura, are you trying to give me a heart attack, too?” She reaches up and throws her arms around my neck.

“Ha. No. I’m not trying to.” I sigh as I hold her body close to mine. She’s warm and soft, and she fits so well against me. “I just… I didn’t know how you would react.”

She pulls away and brings her hand to my face. “I thought you’d never ask.”

She presses her lips to mine, and my worries wash away. There is no denying we were made for each other now. She is my home, my safe place, and I never want to let her go. The flood of emotions crashes into me as our kiss deepens, convincing me that this is the right decision.

This kiss is a promise that we can build a life together now. We can face it head on, so long as we have each other’s hearts. This is me telling her what I feel with every beat of my heart; that I love her and want nothing more than for us to be happy together.

She’s the best thing to ever happen to me, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.