Page 22 of Summer Haze & Tokyo Craze

“The whole week?” My eyes go wide and I shake my head. “Hell no. Not a chance. Don’t you have anything better to do?”

“Why?” He narrows his eyes, ignoring my question. “What do you have planned?”

I fidget and shift in my seat uncomfortably as I try to find an emergency exit to this situation.

In fact, I do have plans on Monday. My only fixed plan for my stay, since I had to buy my ticket in advance for fear of it selling out. It’s the one thing I’ve been looking forward to for weeks now.

For the rest of the week, I was just going off vibes, just doing whatever I feel like, especially considering the heat and not knowing when the rainy season is going to rear its head. I’m just hoping it’s after Monday.

In any case. When there’s no way to escape, it’s best to go on the offensive.

“I can do one afternoon,” I offer him and square my shoulders.

He narrows his eyes at me. This is where his demeanor shifts. Negotiation. I’ve never seen him in action, but now that hisserious side is shining through, I’m a bit excited to. Just a teeny tiny bit.

What he doesn’t know is that I don’t like backing down either.

“Four,” he counters and raises his eyebrow, daring me to go lower.

“Two.”

I lift my chin, reciprocating his hard stare. He remains quiet, his eyes jumping all over my face, but I continue to stare him in the eyes. One of my former bosses used to be the master of awkward silences that you at some point start to fill with senseless blubbering so I’ve got countering it with my own silence down to a science.

Two afternoons is alright. Maybe I’ll just have him do the weirdest things I can think of. Pretend like one of the ‘good spots’ he’s wanting is some themed café.

God, just the image of almost two-meter-tall Adam in a maid cafe brings a grin to my lips that I quickly bite down. Hell yeah, if I’m not getting out of it, I’m going to have fun with it.

I have only been to a maid café once with a friend, and I always thought that it was an experience so awkward that I don’t care to repeat it. But if Adam insists, it’s an experience I’ll happily join him in as he sits through it. It’s going to be hilarious.

“Three,” he finally tries to haggle again but I raise my eyebrow at him and lean back in my seat, forcing myself to look stoic instead of giddy at the thought ofgetting him into a goddamn maid cafe. Maybe I should shoot even higher and make it a host one.

“Two. Final offer.”

We commence once again in what can only be described as a battle of stares before his shoulders ultimately sag and he extends his hand for me to shake.

“It’s a deal.” I take it, noting how goddamn big it is. Mine almost completely disappears in it, but I still manage to get a firm handshake in somehow. “We can meet Tuesday afternoon for the first one.”

“Tuesday it is.” He nods but doesn’t let go of my hand yet. I try to keep returning his gaze, but finally, I catch myself looking down.

God, his hands really are huge.

Suddenly, the other chair at my table rattles and Felix destroys this little moment we were having as he plops down opposite me, a very radiant glow on his face.

“There you are.” I pull my hand out of Adam’s grasp and turn to face him. Well, that guy had sex last night. It wouldn’t be more obvious if he got on the roof and shouted ‘I got laid last night’ from the rooftop.

“What a wonderful day.” Felix grins widely, then shoots me a wink and starts to tear into his food.

“What a beautiful day indeed.” I grin and shake my head at him.

“So, did I miss anything after I left?”

Ever since this conference started, Felix and a woman whose name I forgot kept flirting with each other.

I had no idea who she was, but I caught Felix doing some research on her during a particularly boring lecture and from what I gathered looking at his screen from an almost 180 degree angle, she’s the assistant of the CEO of a German artist company.

Yesterday, they spent the whole evening eye-fucking each other until I finally convinced him to go over to her. When I glanced at them while bickering with Eve, they seemed deep into a passionate conversation that basically consisted of staring at each other’s lips, until Felix finally told me he’d be leaving not even five minutes after she had bid her goodbye.

“Eve here got into a drinking battle,” Adam lets him know amusedly, and I roll my eyes.

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