Page 37 of Summer Haze & Tokyo Craze

Adam is currently getting swarmed by a group of women, just like that prince in Fairytale Land, only they are leading him towards a club, all talking to him at once.

He seems overwhelmed, his wide eyes darting around confused, not knowing where to look or who to talk to. His expression tells me that he doesn't understand what's happening or what's going on there. I don’t think he even realizes that they are bringing him somewhere. Felix raises his eyebrow at me in question and I sigh.

"I'm not too sure what’s going on there, but Adam doesn't look too eager to find out," I say, feeling a pang of sympathy for him.

"Let's go save him," Felix suggests, but he's slow with all of his plushes, so I stride over to him and get in the way of the group just before they are about to enter a building.

"Excuse me, ladies," I say in English, and every single one of them shoots me a dirty look, "but my friend and I have plans. Have a good evening."

I leave no room for discussion. Instead, I push my way through the group and grab Adam’s arm to pull him after me and tune out the female voices calling me a bitch.

"What the hell was that?" Adam asks, and I shake my head at him as we continue walk towards Felix.

"Usually, the girls who chat you up on the street either want you to go to their restaurant or club," I explain, letting go of his arm when we’re a good bit away and I realize that Felix is watching us. "And considering that we're in a very touristy area, I'm assuming it would have gotten pretty expensive for you."

When I lived here, I heard some horror stories from classmates who went along out of curiosity – of course, that doesn’t speak for all of them, but the fact they were swarming him makes me a bit skeptical.

"That makes sense," Adam says, nodding thoughtfully. We finally reach Felix, who seems overwhelmed with how to carryall of the bag with his prices, so Adam and I each take one off his hands as we continue our way back to the hotel.

Just before we walk into the lobby, Adam grabs my elbow and stops me.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asks softly, concern etched on his face as his eyes search my face for the answer.

I shake my head softly, looking down. He didn’t deserve me acting like a bitch just because I’m tired and unable to make up my mind.

"No, you haven't," I tell him, still looking anywhere but his eyes. "Today was just not a good day." His eyes tell me that he's seeing right through the bullshit, but I can't muster up the energy to say anything else. "I'm sorry for acting like a bitch. It's really not you."

“Good,” he mutters and nods.

“You guys coming?” Felix shouts, and I quickly take a step back before I hurry to the elevator.

Adam

Did I read her wrong?

Ever since we came back from that little date in Harajuku the day before yesterday, it seems Lily has been pulling away, turning the other way when she sees me and acting like it’s where she intended to go in the first place. And she’s not a good actor.

She seems in a better mood than yesterday. I watch her lean over to Felix and tell him something, making both of their backs shake with laugher, before she straightens her back again and types something into her tablet.

"If you stare any harder, she might turn into dust," Eve leans over and whispers into my ear. "You're not exactly subtle, you know?"

"I don't know what you’re talking about. Subtlety is my middlename."

She rolls her eyes at me and scoots back into her seat, shooting me a knowing look.

Today’s topic is an interesting one, a lecture I’d been looking forward to. A strategy to depict market trends and act on up and coming trends quickly. But I just can't focus.

My eyes keep zooming in to her. I just can’t help it. Eve is right, I know I’m not subtle, but I don’t give a fuck.

God, I really need to get a grip. I feel like a stalker. In an attempt to distract myself, I take out my phone and stare at the dark screen.

I could read one of the books I downloaded for the flight. Or play a mobile game. Watch a movie on silent with subtitles.

Or finally open the family group chat with close to two hundred missed messages. Sighing, I rub my hand over my face and pull up my chat with Jackson instead. I can’t deal with a barrage of messages, but if I don’t give any of them a sign of life soon, I’m afraid they’ll suddenly turn up here.

Adam: How's London? Still standing?

I message to my brother Jackson, surprised when the little dot under his name immediately becomes green and a bubble appears in the chat indicating that he’s writing out an answer.

---