The Art of Learning to Love

4

6 hours.

He hadn't stopped thinking of her in the time since he'd met her and he couldn't understand why.

Shaking his head, he finished his set at the gym and headed to the showers, taking his time in going through the motions when he spotted a few lieutenants in the area. He was respectful, but kept it moving, as he had things to do and people to see. Namely, a dark haired tiny woman who was probably going to get herself killed.

He sighed as he tossed his stuff into the trunk of his car, sliding into the seat comfortably before driving off towards Matsubi. It wasn't difficult to find the boutique hotel, he'd been aware of his surroundings when he'd walked her that morning.

Strolling into the lobby he smiled at the attendant who eyed him wearily. After a few words and reassuring him he wasn't going to hurt the girl he was looking for, he was on his way to her room. He had to admit she was smart, she'd grabbed a room near an exit and towards the front of the hotel, where she could see anyone who might be looking for her.

Hiroshi knocked, frowning when all he got was silence. He knocked two more times, pressing his ear against the door, wondering if she had gone out and the attendant had missed her.

To him, it only meant one thing; he wasn't meant to have anything to do with her or her problem, despite the fact—

"Hey, what are you doing here?"
He lost his train of thought as the voice came from behind him, turning slowly after schooling his figures. Her hair was in two Dutch braids, a fitted white tee hugging her breasts and dark skinny jeans molding to her curves.

"I uh... I thought about what you said about Tom. And what he said to you inside the club, it has been bothering me all morning" he lied smoothly, keeping his face void of emotion as she stood at her door. She listened attentively, her hand on the keypad, waiting for him to say something.

"Did you have breakfast?" She asked curiously, Hiroshi shaking his head and frowning after the fact, unsure of why he'd been so quick to answer.

"Ok, my treat. If you could give me a few minutes to grab my stuff???"

"Yeah. I will wait for you outside."

She nodded and went into the room, Hiroshi turning on his heel and heading downstairs as he thought about what he was doing.

His choice to leave was taken from him when she came bouncing out of the hotel, a sunny smile on her face as she looked up to the sky and then slipped some sunglasses on.

"Before we go any further... what's your name bro?"

He started laughing, tucking his hands into his jeans pockets before he calmed down enough to answer. He debated lying to her, knowing she'd see right through his lies though.

"Hiroshi. Do not call me bro again" he replied, watching her nod, straightening out the colorful but tiny crossbody bag she wore. He knew it well, it had been something he'd been eyeing for a special someone months earlier.

Who he had thought was someone special. But she'd been just like the rest, only interested in one thing.

"So is there any place that's good around here?" She was asking him curiously, looking up from her phone and cocking her head to the right when he shrugged.

"I do not eat breakfast outside my home on most days..." he said, watching with fascination as her plump and glossy lips formed in an O of understanding.

"Sorry, I didn't know. Uh... what about lunch? You eat that right? We could meet up la-"

He held up a hand, smiling when she immediately stopped talking. Motioning for her phone, he took it once she held it out after hesitating.

"You want to go to this place, right? We can go. It is very nice. And no one will think to look for us there" he muttered the last part to himself, mentally mapping out the drive to the flower shop/tea parlor she wanted to go to. He'd seen the reflection on her sunglasses as she scrolled through her phone, had noticed how she'd hesitated and how she'd bit her lip.

Hiroshi opened the door to his car for her, frowning when she didn't get in.

"I will not hurt you, if that is what you are thinking. I am sure all crazed psychopaths must say that, but it is broad daylight and-"

"It's not that. I— I was wondering if you wouldn't drive too fast?" She hesitantly voiced her request, once again chewing on her lower lip, her small hands holding the strap of her Marc Jacobs bag tightly.

He nodded.

"I won't. You have my word."
"Thank you. If-"
"Get in the car" he ordered firmly, waiting for her to start crying or wailing, like any more gently bred woman would. Namely the ones from his part of the world. She nodded instead and quickly sat inside the vehicle, buckling her seatbelt by the time he'd rounded to the driver's side.

They sat in silence as he drove, keeping his speed to a half of what he was used to, finding himself smiling as she lowered the window a few times when they stopped to take a few pictures with her cellphone. He had to admit she had a good eye, specially once she adjusted the light and saturated the colors, fixing up the picture to make it a better version of reality.

"You do photography?" He asked curiously, as he stopped the car in front of the tea house she'd wanted to go to. He was surprised there was parking, the place was a tourist magnet but then he realized it was pretty early on a Friday morning.

She shrugged, following him towards the entrance.

"It's a hobby. I took some classes for fun a few years ago and I uh... I started by doing some favors to a few friends who wanted to get into modeling. Now I freelance on the weekends, work when I want to kinda thing."

He nodded with interest, genuinely surprised at himself, because art and things like that were never really his forte.

"What do you do for a living on the rest of the days?" He followed up once they'd been shown to a table. She smiled wanly, sighing.

"You Ask a lot of questions Hiroshi. But I don't know anything about you except that you drive a nice car and have really good fashion sense."