Page 131 of Blossoms of the Heart
I just hoped that when I found the courage to tell Tai he wouldn’t think I was damaged too.
He lifted my chin towards him and I welcomed those lips to mine like a burst of air.
* * *
Tai
* * *
I had to hoist her over my shoulder, cave man style and drag her away from work kicking and screaming.
Literally.
She’d worked non- stop Monday to Wednesday and I decided I wouldn’t suffer through it another day.
I’d already asked Akito for the day off. To which he agreed.
I planned a trip to Kyoto where we’d be staying for the next few days.
She talked about going with Mitsuke but I stole her away for himself before that could happen.
I loved Kyoto and we’d never been together.
With its centuries old history and cultural sites the place ticked the box of perfect getaway for both of us. We truly enjoyed it together.
We did everything there was to do. We found our Zen at Ryoan -Ji’s Rock Garden, made a wish at the shrine in Fushimi Inari, visited all the temples and museums.
But I saved the best for last.
Dinner by candle light at the restaurant my parents celebrated their thirtieth wedding anniversary in. That was six years ago.
They’d hired out the whole restaurant for their friends and family.
Needing a break from all the celebrations and Neo and Tai comparisons I’d ventured outside to this little spot Phoebe and I dined in now.
It was in a gazebo by the river. Back then I thought it would be a nice place to bring a date. But it would have to be a woman I cared about deeply.
It was funny that through the time I was with Candace I never remembered that I wanted to do that.
But Princess Phoebe brought that memory back full force.
I was happy. This woman changed me, becoming more obsessed with her than anything else.
She was the woman I deeply cared about. In fat these days I was beginning to think that the wordcarewas an understatement.
She was more to me than just a woman I cared about, and boy did she ever look beautiful as we dined underneath the stars.
We were joking around about the journal. I’d suggested the reason she couldn’t read it was because some evil yokaiwas stopping her.
“Tai that is ridiculousness.” She laughed.
“Nah, think about it. You just said all the letters jumble.”
“No, that isn’t what I said,” she giggled. “I said there are characters from different languages just thrown in and it distorts the meaning.”
“Same difference, so the yokai will make you think all manner of things. Like instead of it saying something like… you should walk the cow, it’ll say you should kiss the cow.”
“I think they put something in your drink.” She burst out laughing.
