Page 59 of Blossoms of the Heart
“Why would you say something like that when I’m eating?”
“I’m stating a fact. Anyway, you good?” She gave me the thumbs-up sign.
I nodded.
She opened the paper bag again and took out two drink cans, tossing me one.
It was called Zour. “What’s this?”
“Green juice. It will balance what we’re having.”
I sighed, deciding not to ask any more questions about the juice. With Mitsuke it was either super healthy or super not. Since she said it would balance out what we were having I assumed it was healthy.
I opened it and took a sip. This time I couldn’t hold in anything. I spat it out on instinct. She already had the tissue ready.
“What the fuck is that? It tastes like shit.” I barked, grabbing the tissue and whipping off my tongue. “Jesus Christ, Mitsuke.”
“It’s not shit. Why do you think everything taste like shit. It’s spirulina and wheatgrass mixed with coconut water.”
“Fuck, it tastes like shit.” I sounded like Tai. It really wasn’t very often that I swore. Times like this were excusable because the drink tasted so awful I doubted I would be able to finish the rest of the food.
Mitsuke frowned. “Can we get back to the subject of discussion?”
I couldn’t remember what we were talking about. “Sex.” It came to me.
“No, not sex. Tai. Unless if you had sex with Tai and I just got you to confess.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “No, didn’t happen.”
“Okay, fine. Are you going to deny that there’s absolutely nothing between you? Or, okay, look me in the eye and tell me you don’t still have feelings for him. You were crazy for him when we were kids.”
I opened my mouth and closed it. I attempted to talk again but froze, then frowned at myself for my reaction. All to her satisfaction.
“My God, Phoebe, why is it so hard to say you do? You know that I’d never have a problem with it. No one would.”
“Tai’s different, a different category for me.” There would be more meaning for me than just going out on a date with some random guy I didn’t know.
Tai was the guy that I compared everyone to. That was a big deal.
“Phoebe, you’ve been divorced for over two years, and it’s not like your evil ex died. You’re holding yourself back.”
“I’ve just been through too much. Besides, Tai has amaybe girlfriendand things are complicated.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Mitsuke shook her head. “I happen to know from the horse’s mouth that he’s single.”
“Single doesn’t mean free. There was a blonde woman here yesterday. He went off with her. I asked him if she was his girlfriend and he said maybe.”
“You asked him that?” she cooed, loving this.
“We were playing twenty questions?”
“Really? Did you tell him what happened to you?”
“No. I don’t really want to.” I didn’t want him to know anything like that. Apart from my family, only Akito and Mitsuke knew. That was enough.
I didn’t think Tai needed to know.
“I’m sure he would like to know what happened to you. We didn’t tell him because he wasn’t exactly around and by the time he was everything was over. Divorce and all.”
