Page 25 of Summer Haze & Tokyo Craze

“We’ll be fine,” Adam says and nudges me towards the door. “Plus, I bet the next one is going to be just as full. Come on.”

Taking a deep breath, I take the lead and push my way inside, Adam right on my heels. We make it to about the middle of the train when I don’t think I can take another step forward. Just as I’m thinking that, there’s a strong push from behind me, making me take another step.

Finally, the doors close and I look around for a handle to cling onto. Truth be told, even if I were to lose my balance, I physically wouldn’t be able to fall. There’s pressure from all sides keeping me in place.

Still, I lift my hand to one of the handrailings and cling onto it for dear life at every curve.

“Oh wow,” Adam wonders out loud and chuckles. “I've seen videos of Tokyo Rush Hour, but I never thought it would really be this intense.”

“Well, it is,” I reply in a quieter tone. “Now shush.”

He nods, apparently only now realizing that despite the mass of people in this train, it’s so quiet you could hear a pin drop if it weren’t for the sounds of the moving train.

The train goes into another curve and the weight of everyone around me leaning into it pushes me right against Adam.

“Sorry.” I look up at him, but he shakes his head.

“All good. It’s not like you can help it,” he mumbles with a grin, and I sigh. In another situation, I would probably very much enjoy being pressed against him. He smells really good and it would be a lie to say that leaning against a man with wide shoulders and hard muscles under his dress shirt is uncomfortable.

The only thing uncomfortable about this is the fact that literally nothing is ever going to happen between us.

It's a long train ride, where we’re jostled by the train as well as the people who leave and get onto the train, and I spend about half of it pressed against Adam, my nose practically buried in his shirt, until finally we reach a station where most of the passengers get off.

Finally, I can take a step back, but I can't quite manage to look him in the eyes, my cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

God damn it, Lucy was so right: I have a crush on him.

The rest of the ride is awkward. Wordlessly, we get seats once there’s enough space and I am hyper aware of the fact that our thighs are touching. Ignore it, Lily. Ignore. He’s just a business friend.

When the train arrives at its final stop, we change platforms to another one and then, finally, I see the themed hotels as we drive past and the amusement park’s castle in the distance. All the anticipation comes back with a vengeance when we disembark, greeted with songs from movies blasting from the speakers and so many other people who obviously have the same destinationas we do.

God, I love it here.

"You need to buy a ticket online," I inform him as we walk down the stairs to the exit. "Also, just saying, I have stuff I want to do. I'm not going to play babysitter, and I don't want to hear a word about my choices if you decide to join me."

A part of me hopes he’ll split with me to do his own thing. After all, he knows the way now and I doubt he and I have the same definitions of what a fun day here is going to be.

"Alright," Adam says with a nod and starts chuckling as he pulls out his phone to book a ticket, still keeping up with me as I walk out of the station.

A part of me hopes it’s sold out. Then again that means it’s going to be super packed in there as well, and I guess having Adam tag along would be the lesser evil.

But before that, I need another coffee. Good thing there’s a shop right by the train station. Adam starts chuckling when he notices where I’m going, putting away his phone.

“Got a ticket.”

“Good for you, I’m getting a coffee.”

“Of course you are.” He shakes his head at me, but I ignore his antics. The caffeine has left my body along with patience as I was squished between a sea of people. Time to re-charge.

"Don’t judge," I scold him. "It’s hot, and I’m grumpy, so unless you want me to be insufferable for the rest of the day, you might want to shut up and let me get my coffee. This particular coffee shop might be overpriced. I'm pretty sure it's going to be even pricier inside the park.”

He whistles through his teeth at my little outburst, but I can’t find it in me to care. Instead, I wrestle my portable hand fan out of my bag, sighing happily when it brings a bit of relief.

“Didn't peg you for the kind of woman who would consider the price of an iced coffee.” When I look up at him, amusement is written all over his face.

“You underestimate me.”

Coffee is one of the few things that I will never skimp on. Just like on my fancy coffee machine at home, because at this point, it’s my elixir of life.

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