Myra’s Big Mistake – Chapter 11

After a moment, he turns and spots me approaching. His smile is disarming, and my heart skips a beat. Or maybe that’s the last of my cardio for the day. Who can tell?

When I round the bottom of the stairs, two bags and several drinks are on the stoop next to him. He’s brought lunch. Ringo waves at me while eating an apple, and I cover my mouth to stop a laugh. Nosuké looks down at Ringo chomping away, his little people-like hands picking off pieces of the apple and shoving them in his mouth.

“I know. I know. People find it funny that he eats apples, but I named him after an old Earth musician, not the fruit.” Nosuké shrugs, and Ringo chatters at him. “I was just getting to that,” he whispers at the raccoon. “Um, so, I didn’t want to intrude, but I also wanted to make sure I saw you today. After what happened last night, I feel a little guilty about what I did. I brought salads and fresh-baked bread. Interested?”

I grasp one of the balusters and pull my leg up to stretch my quad. Nosuké’s eyes coast over my legs, and my ability to cool down just got tricky.

“I’m always interested in food, but I’m certain that eating with you is a bad idea. So far, it’s only gotten me into trouble.” I let my right leg go and stretch the left one.

“I know, and I’m sorry. Really. I should have been straightforward with you from the beginning.”

Leaning into the baluster, I stretch my calves. “Look, it’s fine. It wasn’t really a date, right? And you don’t owe me anything. I know you said you’d make this all worth my while if I helped you with Dad, but it’s forgotten, honestly. You should come clean now. You can tell Ruby that you only had dinner with me to get info on my dad, and we’ll be good. I promise not to hold it against you. ”

“I can’t do that.”

“Why not?” I ask, giving up all pretense of stretching. I throw my hands up and let them fall to my side.

“Because it would be a lie.” He looks me dead in the eyes. “I never lie.”

Chills cover my shoulders. Looking around, the street is quiet for a weekend morning, but it won’t be like that for long.

I roll my eyes and stomp up the steps. “Liar, liar, pants on fire, Mr. Maeda. It wasn’t a date,” I insist.

He grasps my hand as I walk by. “You’re sexy when you’re mad.”

I burst into a laugh. “Oh my gods, what is wrong with you? You must be crazy.” I sigh. “Grab the food and come inside. Both of you.”

When I open the door to my tiny apartment, I remember everything I left behind when I went for my run and didn’t know that a man was coming back with me. Including my underwear on the floor, a bra on my chair, my sketches out on the desk, the cheesecake cooling on the counter, and a very sandy Mochi curled up in a ball on my unmade bed. And it’s all on display because I live in a studio with only the barest amount of floor space.

I lunge for my underwear first. “Mochi,” I hiss, “get up. We have company.”

He lifts his sleepy head and blinks a few times. “Ruby?”

“Nope.” I laugh nervously as I tuck the underwear in my bed and pull up the covers.

Ringo chatters at Nosuké. “He’s asking if he can get on the bed.”

“Yes,” I say to Ringo. “And that’s very polite.” I hold out my hand to him, and he puts his little paw in my fingers. Looking into his face as I hoist him onto the bed, his dark eyes and whiskers warm my heart. He and Mochi talk to each other. I only catch snippets like, “Really? He likes her?” and “Well, I’m sorry about the sand” because I’m furiously stuffing dirty clothes under the bed.

“Is this all there is?” Nosuké asks, turning in a tight circle in the kitchen.

“Bathroom’s in there.” I point to the door beyond the kitchen. “And yes, this is all there is for a single, not-wealthy woman in Yamato. I was on a waiting list for two years to get this place.”

Our town has a shortage of land for housing. Well, the whole continent here on Orihimé has a lack of land, and we only have the one landmass. It’s the main reason the I.A. exists so we can go out and find new homes. The natives originally from Earth found this planet over three hundred years ago. When new settlers from Earth showed up a little over thirty years ago, things got crowded. I had to live at home until this place became available.

Speaking of home, my mini-tablet on the table flashes with a message from my mom. “Dinner at home tonight, if you’re not working. Miss you!” I dismiss the message before Nosuké can see it.

“Um, hah…” I breathe out a frustrated breath. “Make yourself at home.”

I glance around my apartment, and even I don’t feel at home here right now. I’m a fish out of water since I’ve never had a guy over to my place.

Nosuké sets the bags of food and drinks on the table before glancing at the counter. “Cheesecake? I love cheesecake.”

“Well, good. You can have some because I shouldn’t eat it all myself.” I plop into a chair opposite him and try not to despair. This is not how I imagined seeing him again. I’m a sweaty mess, and my apartment is a disaster, and…

Ringo squeals about something. I look over, and he’s obviously giving me an earful, though I can’t understand him. Nosuké chuckles.

“He hates sand. He’s complaining about your bed. Ignore him.”

Nosuké unloads the bag of food on the table, and he looks so uncomfortable that I lower my head to my arms and hide my face.

“I can’t believe this is happening.”

“What?” I hear the chair scrape across the floor as he sits down.

“You, here.” I lift my head. “I’m gross, and my apartment is a war zone, and I have a guy here for the very first time. It’s just wrong. Your place must be a palace compared to this.”

I pick at the takeout container before opening it — a fresh salad topped with hard-boiled eggs and lots of vegetables. Nosuké sets the bag of bread on the table and rips the paper open so the slices are easy to grab.

“You look really uncomfortable, too,” I say, dropping my voice.

“I am, a little.” He rocks his head side to side as he dresses his salad. “Mostly because I have come to make peace. Hopefully, I can convince you to keep dating me after what happened last night.”

“Keep dating you? It wasn’t a date.” I wave my hand around, and he shrugs.

No. I was certain he was here to let me down easy.

“I disagree. It was a date.”

“You can’t keep saying it was a date when that’s not how the dinner was proposed to me.” I laugh and roll my eyes at him for being so obstinate.

“I can and I will. It was a date. But I do feel terrible for putting you in that spot. It’s my fault you and Ruby fought. I should have been straight with you from the beginning. Look, I know she wants to date me again, but I don’t. Sorry. I only have eyes for one woman.”

He wants to date me.

Wants me.

Myra, you are twenty-seven years old, and a successful and handsome man wants to date you. What are you doing?

Maybe Suri was wrong.

Maybe I’m wrong.

I am wrong. All the evidence now points to the fact that I’m the object of this man’s desire. It would be insane to think anything different when he’s here and being honest with me.

I am not going to fuck this up.

No more big mistakes.

“Ruby and I are best friends, but you heard her. I can date whomever I want.”

He pauses in the motion of handing a drink across the table to me. I sip and hum at the sweet hibiscus iced tea with hints of sakura cherry blossoms. That’s nice. I sip again. Oh, that’s really nice.

Nosuké smiles. “Did you know your face lights up when you eat?”

I want to coast in with a sarcastic remark, but I sit and listen instead.

“Remember last fall at the town festival? We had funnel cakes together before you ran off to be with your family.”

I load my fork with salad. “Yeah. I remember that.”

“The powdered sugar got everywhere,” he says, laughing. “But we kept eating.”

We talked for almost an hour. At the time, I thought it was more of a friendly chat than anything. But hearing Nosuké talk of it now, maybe it was something more.

“I started coming to Izakaya Tanaka more and more, but I never saw you in the dining room.”

“Too busy in the kitchen.” I shove salad in my mouth so that I don’t ruin this moment by saying something stupid. Is he confessing to coming to my restaurant to see me?

This keeps getting better and more mysterious every second.

“I like that you like food. I like food,” he stresses. “It’s my favorite part of the casino, all the restaurants. If I could just do the restaurants, I would. Actually, if I could own something other than casinos, I would.” He sighs. “They’re such a hassle, and they lose their shiny appeal after a day or two.”

I eat the salad and listen to him.

“And being a casino owner makes everything else difficult. The last two women I went on dates with barely ate. They were trying to impress me with their looks instead of eating the amazing meal in front of them. They pushed the food around on the plate and drank wine all evening. But with you, I can eat funnel cakes with powdered sugar, and you will steal the last bite.”

I laugh and remember how I popped it into my mouth before running off, and he yelled, “No fair!” at me.

And then it hits me. Powdered sugar.

“Oh, I forgot,” I say around a mouthful of food. I jump up from the table and cross through the kitchen to the cheesecake. I bring it to the table and leave it there to search for the cherry blossom cutouts I had done a few days ago. They’re under a stack of illustrations, of course. I set them on top of the cake while Nosuké watches me. With the powdered sugar in a fine-mesh sieve, the cake top gets a light dusting, like snow falling on a quiet morning. I pull away the cutouts to reveal perfect little cherry blossom designs in the negative space of sugar. “There. Now it’s perfect.”

Nosuké is quiet again as he stares at my cheesecake. His eyes meet mine, and my breath runs away.

Without a word, he stands up and comes around to my side of the table.

I look up at him. “What?” My question is both nervous and giddy.

“I can’t stop thinking about that kiss. I want more, for sure.”

I lazily drape my arm over his shoulder. “I’d love more kissing, but I just went for a run, and I’m gross.”

I’d love to sleep with him, have sex, and forget about this mess.

But I don’t think he… I mean, I just ran around town, so…

Wait.

He leans in and lays his lips on my neck. “You taste like the sea,” he murmurs against my skin. Drawing his kisses down to my clavicle, he pushes aside my shirt to expose my shoulder. “And exercise.” His lips trail across my chest, and I bend back to give him access. “And sugar.”

“Uhhh, oh.” I clear my throat and tap him on the head. He looks up with a raised eyebrow. “Are you serious?” I keep my tone as serious as this question. If he’s playing me, then I need to know.

“One-hundred percent.”

I coast my fingers down his face, from his forehead to his chin. “The pairs should go.”

“What?” Mochi says, his head popping out of the covers. Ringo turns from looking out the window.

“You heard the lady,” Nosuké says, pulling himself away from me. “Time for some privacy.” He opens the door and waves to the hallway.

Ringo chatters at Mochi and jumps off the bed. Mochi follows.

“Have fun, Myra!” Mochi chirps as he follows Ringo out the door.

“Can they get out of the building?” Nosuké asks as he closes the door.

It’s hard to find my voice. “There’s an exit button around knee height for paired animals.”

“Myra, I know I’m rushing you…”

“No! No, you’re not. I’m just…” I wave at my face. “I’m a little breathless.”

This is all so new to me. No one has ever come in and swept me off my feet like this. Nosuké is right across the room, and I just don’t believe it. I’ve slipped into some alternate universe where I’m wanted, and I’m afraid it’ll all come to an abrupt end because I don’t deserve it. I’ve hurt Ruby, and I know my family will reject him, too.

But he’s been asking about me, been following my career, been trying to connect with me.

How did I not see it?

“Breathless?” He crosses the room to me. “I can handle breathless.”

Our lips connect, and it’s that same rush from the night before. The heat builds up in my body, unlike exercise or a hot shower. It’s the rush of lust, of want, of need. I haven’t let myself need a man in a long time. I always relied on myself, even for the release of an orgasm. When Ruby needed to get laid, we would go out to a bar or club, and she would identify someone quickly. I would go home alone at the end of the night every time.

As his hands travel down the sides of my body and he hooks his thumbs in my running shorts, I have a moment of panic. It’s been a long time, and this is how I’m going to end the drought? Sex with someone new and exciting, right after a workout?

“I… I… Uh…” I don’t know how to stop this or even if I want to, but shit, I should really take a shower or something.

Nosuké, sensing my hesitation, pulls away. “Do you want me to stop or slow down?”

The tightness in my belly releases to see that he’s not upset.

“Well, no… It’s, uh…” I can’t look at him when I say this, so I turn away. “I haven’t slept with anyone in a long time, and I really didn’t expect my first time in a while to be after I went for a run.”

He approaches me from behind and lays his lips on my neck, his hands on my upper arms. “I like you just the way you are,” he murmurs, reaching for the hem of my shirt. I lift my arms and let him pull it off of me.

Turning around, I take in the lust in his eyes, and for once, I feel okay about a one-time fling. Because there’s no way this is ever happening again. It’s too good to be true. He means everything he’s saying now, but later? He’ll come to his senses. I’m sure whatever spell Nosuké is under, it’ll be lifted soon enough, and I’ll go back to being lonely.

I should take what I can get while the getting’s good.

Especially when he looks at me like that. Like I’m desirable.

I want him so badly my body runs hot, hot enough for me to flush from head to toe.

“I love that,” he murmurs, pulling down the strap of my sports bra and kissing along my collarbone.

“My flush response? I wish I could get rid of it.” I pull at the hem of his shirt, desperate to lay my fingers on his bare skin. I’ve never seen him without his shirt on, though I’ve had plenty of opportunities to between the beach and co-ed trips to the bathhouses, all of which I declined because I didn’t want anyone to see me in a bathing suit.

When I think of how many times I’ve rejected him or turned him down, I curse myself. Maybe we could have connected a year or two ago.

“I’m glad you can’t. Um, do these windows…?” He gestures to my three windows, wide open and putting us on display for the entire street. I usually leave them clear for the light and so Mochi can stare out and watch the world. I prefer to sleep with a sleep mask instead of closing the windows off to the light.

But I do now. I move away from him, access the room controls from my tablet, and black out the windows. He looks around in the semi-darkness, finds a candle on my bedside table, and lights it. My box of cake sits next to the lamp, and he lifts the lid briefly before closing it again.

Crossing to the other side of the bed, I pull off my bra before he can get any ideas about leaving, and his eyes consume my body from head to toe. I hook my thumb into my shorts.

“The running shorts will come off next if you get naked.”

“You drive a hard bargain.”

I peel back the sheets and watch as he gets undressed. I was right about his body. He’s trim and lean and absolutely beautiful. He also has almost full tattoo sleeves. They stretch down over his elbow to graze the tops of his forearms. Even with his sleeves rolled up, no one would know he had them. I like it. I like it a lot.

I try to angle my body so he can’t see all of it, but it’s useless. His gaze is all over me, and his erection is plain through his underwear. I swallow hard, wondering if I’m living up to some preconceived idea of who I am. But when he strips off his underwear, all the doubts fly from my head. I drop my running shorts and underwear, close my eyes, and breathe out, “Oh my gods.” My heart is pounding, and my hearing rings. I’m not used to this kind of excitement.

“Get in the bed before you fall over,” Nosuké says, lifting the sheets.

My knees buckle as I slip into the bed. He slides in next to me and pushes up to settle his weight on me. My breathing rushes fast, too fast.

“Shhh,” he says, and I slow down. I rest my hands on his body, down over his back to his ass. Pulling him to me, I sigh and he hisses. “See. This is better, much better.”

“I can’t believe you’re here.” My lips touch his.

“I can’t believe I’m finally here.” He lightly kisses my lips and moves down my neck. “You rejected my invites so many times, I thought you’d never say yes.”

“Yes. I’m saying yes.”

The sex is blazing hot. It’s a blur of lips and fingers and caresses. His lips on my breast and his hands on my hips, between my legs. I’m lost in the intimacy, the rhythm of our bodies together. This doesn’t feel like ‘just sex.’ It’s more, and I can’t help but smile and enjoy it. He smiles, too, and my heart leaps as he pulls me close.

It’s gotta be a dream. A really hot dream, but a dream nonetheless.

I’m drunk on his touch, the way his hands coast over my back and down to my ass. He kisses my neck and holds me close before bringing me down to the bed again.

I snuggle into his chest and enjoy the few moments left before the spell is broken and we go back to our normal lives.

“There’s a lot of sand in this bed,” he mumbles. “There’s no sand in my bed.”

“Well, aren’t you lucky?” I chuckle and lift onto my elbows.

“We’ll have to do this again at my place, without the sand.” He wiggles, and I hear the sand scratching between his skin and the sheets.

“We don’t have to, if you don’t want to,” I say, keeping my voice even.

He cracks open an eye.

“I’ll understand if this was a one-time thing.” That’s right. Be brave, Myra.

I got laid. It can be enough.

“Go out with me again tonight.” He’s so serious that I have to swallow hard to talk.

“Can’t. I have to work.”

“I’ll have it covered,” he counters.

“Then if I’m not going to work, I have to go to the family dinner at my parents’ house.” Sad but true. If anyone in my family finds out I was out on a date instead of at home, I’ll get the silent treatment for weeks.

His lips twist in disappointment.

“Come with me,” I say, and immediately my chest buzzes with anxiety. This is either the best or the worst idea ever. Honestly, it could go either way.

When he smiles, the anxiety in my chest lessens by a few degrees.

“Myra Kimura, you have yourself a date.” He lifts up to kiss my neck. “Mmmm, is there any chance your shower fits two?”

I can only laugh.