Page 24 of Summer Haze & Tokyo Craze
Lily: *Picture*
I don't expect her to reply, but my phone lights upimmediately.
Lucy: Make a run for it! :D
Lily: I will do no such thing.
I do, however, look around to see if there’s any way I could lose him without having to make a huge detour. But the streets here are wide and straightforward – not a chance at slipping through alleys or hiding in stores until he’s gone. With a deep sigh, I continue on. Maybe I’ll manage to lose him at the station.
Lucy: Then ignore him. Have fun today! Get me a souvenir!
Lily: Will do. Thanks. <3
Only a few more corners to the station and I do play with the thought of hiding in a store. Sadly, none of them seem like good hiding spots.
So finally, I descend the stairs to the station, watching Adam from the corner of my eyes when I turn and in window reflections.
This little chase is definitely not what I had envisioned for this morning. What I also hadn’t envisioned within all the excitement for today was how goddamn busy the station would be at this time of the day.
Rush hour. I should have remembered that.
And rush hour in Tokyo. Really something else.
The spring in my step is definitely gone now, because there’s no damned space to spring. It’s so packed that all I can do is move in the masses.
Before I know it, I don’t even think about Adam anymore. I’m way too busy trying to make my way to the platform without running into any people or stepping into their heels.
When I finally reach it, I groan upon seeing the masses in line for the next train. One thing I appreciate about Japan is how orderly they wait for the next train to arrive and how smoothly that allows them to let people out and then get onto it. I wish that worked everywhere in the world.
A glance at the platform screen tells me that the next train will arrive in two minutes, and the next one I can take after that will take another ten minutes. With a sigh, I position myself near one of the doors, which deepens when something in the corner of my eye catches my attention.
I’d hoped I’d lost him, but there he is, trying to hide behind a pillar. Crossing my arms in front of my chest, I fixate him with a hard stare that makes him leave his hiding spot and make his way over to me.
“Where are we going?” he has the nerve to ask cheekily, and I regret not continuing this little cat and mouse game. I could have pretended to get off at some random station. Then again, I don’t want to be responsible for a rescue team to search for him when he inevitably gets lost.
“We?” I raise my eyebrow at him and cross my arms in front of my chest. “There’s no ‘we.’. We agreed on Tuesday.” I take a sip of my iced coffee as I wait for his answer. God, there’s nothing better than an iced coffee on a summer morning.
“We did. But it looks like your company has the same view on AI as Croney, so I figured you had a better plan. So where are we going?”
I pinch the bridge of my nose between my eyes and take a deep breath.
“Fairytale Land,” I tell him, and by the twitching of the corners of his mouth, I can tell he’s about to burst into a chuckle. “Not a word.”
“Fairytale Land?”
I nod, lifting my chin as I dare him to make fun of it. But instead, he schools his face and nods.
“Alright, I can think of worse ways to spend my day.” I roll my eyes as I drink the rest of my iced coffee. Taking it on a rush hour train just seems reckless.
“I didn't say I'm up for company.” I walk over to a bin and toss the paper cup that now only has ice left in it.
“You’re going to have it anyway.”
I purse my lips, silently seething as I walk back to where he’s standing. The only reason I don't reply and tear into him for disrupting my plans is because in that moment the train arrives.
Following the queue’s lead, I step aside, pulling Adam with me, so those exiting the train can pass through the people waiting at both sides of the door. Ah, efficiency. I love it.
“I think I want to wait for the next one,” I mumble and grimace when I see how packed it is through the windows. People are standing pressed against each other and clinging onto the handrails, looking every bit as unamused as I feel.
