Page 68 of Summer Haze & Tokyo Craze
"I’m going to my room to change. Meet you downstairs in 15 minutes." His hand reaches up and tangles in my hair as he keeps me right here, close enough to see each speck of color in his eyes.
"Fifteen minutes? What’s the rush?” he groans, but I shake my head and when he lets me go, I straighten my back, continuing to gather up my clothes.
“Time is of the essence, Adam," I urge him with a grin as I zip up my skirt and quickly throw on my bra and blouse, grabbing my panties before slipping into my shoes. Groaning, he sits up and I give him a little wave before walking out the door.
"You made it," I greet him exactly 15 minutes later in front of the hotel.
"I did." His hair is still messy from sleep, and I can't help but smile and reach up to run my fingers through it in an attempt to make it look styled to be kind of messy instead. "There you go."
“Thanks.” He shoots me a sleepy smile and grabs my hand to press a kiss into my palm, when he realizes what my otherhand is holding onto. “How the fuck do you already have an iced coffee?”
“I have my ways,” I say cryptically and grin at him. In truth, I got changed quickly enough to make a quick trip to the convenience store before he got here.
"Now let's go."
He mumbles something under his breath, and I offer him my coffee wordlessly. He leans down, his lips closing around the straw and taking a sip.
Instinctively, I reach for his hand and we start walking towards the station, falling into step with each other easily.
It's so… eerie to see Tokyo this quiet. No cars driving by and honking at us, barely any people on the streets, no music blasting from the stores.
Just silence.
"It's so peaceful,” Adam whispers and I nod in agreement. We’ve reached the station and even here there is barely a soul at this time. No wonder.
"It’s amazing how big the station seems all of a sudden. The crowds make it look so tiny and cramped, but this corridor is fucking huge."
"Right?" I look up and shoot him a grin. "Really shows you that it’s the amount of people, not the architecture that make it feel so crowded.”
“It’s so different from during the day.” Adam lets go of my hand, but only to put his arm over my shoulder instead.
“I love it when cities are still asleep. Especially Tokyo. It has such a different charm without the crowds." I snake my arm around his waist and sigh happily. “I try to take an early morning walk whenever I travel, just for that reason. To see the full charm.”
"Charming, indeed." He nods and shoots me a wink that makes me blush.
We try to get on the escalator without having to let go of each other, but I end up one step behind him, grinning when it makes him smaller than me but the perfect height to press my lips to his. Tired smiles on our faces, we walk onto our platform, and then step into a nearly empty train, watching as the city flies past us.
The sun is starting to rise in the distance, with a few rays reflecting off the glass facades of the skyscrapers and blinding us.
"So, where are we going?" Adam asks softly, and I shake my head with a giggle, only now realizing I never told him.
"Shibuya," I tell him and walk over to a row of seats to sit down. It's empty enough that there's plenty of space, and my thighs won’t invade a poor person’s space when I sit.
Adam takes a seat right next to me, extending his legs as long as nobody needs to walk past us.
"And what adventure are we going on in Shibuya?" He raises an eyebrow, and I lean my head against his shoulder. It's the perfect height to rest my head, dangerously comfortable.
His hand immediately lands on my thigh, and for a moment, I'm caught up in how familiar this moment feels. So natural. Like we’ve been doing this for years, like it's meant to be.
"People-watching and shopping," I finally admit, tangling my fingers with his. "Not much of an adventure. Sorry.” His shoulder moves with his laughter.
“It’s fine. Sounds like an adventure to me,” he says softly, and I shake my head at his attempt to placate me.
“I love Shibuya, but it's always crowded and chaotic, so I wanted to go in the morning. Also, my sister-in-law has been asking me to bring her some clothes from here."
“And you had to wake up at the crack of dawn for that? When do stores even open?”
"At eleven, I think.” I shift in my seat and hide a yawn behind my hand. “But I didn’t know when else to go. Figured two birds one stone and all that. I was going to do it after the Meiji shrine, but it was too warm and I didn’t want to. Then there wasn’t time.” I hum and sit back up, trying to find out where we are. Perfect. One more station. “And I’ve got to visit Hachiko."
