Chapter 4 #2
‘Elliot’s very hot on his restaurants competing with the best cuisine available around the world.’
Her eyebrows raise in polite question. ‘So you’re obviously still in contact with Elliot then? And Raffa too?’
I nod. ‘Yeah. We speak a lot, even though we’re all involved in other lines of work now.’
She leans in a little closer. ‘Other lines? Did you end up working together then?’
‘Yeah. You remember we were all on the same business degree course? Well, Elliot’s a shit-hot programmer as well – quite the lucrative hobby – and after we’d graduated, we all formed a company and launched an app that he’d been developing in his spare time.
Raffa took on the CEO role and I funded all the marketing and promotion with money my grandpa left me when he died.
It went gangbusters. People fell on it for a new way to create content for social media and news reporting.
Right place, right time etcetera. We got lucky with two rival tech giants really wanting it when we decided to sell, which meant it went to a bidding war which neither of them wanted to lose, so we got a higher than the anticipated price for it. A lot higher.’
Her eyes are wide now. ‘Oh my God, that was you guys? I saw something on the news about the crazy price that an app developed by a UK-based company sold for, but I didn’t realise you were in involved in it.’ She bestows me with a nod of respect. ‘Well done.’
‘Thanks. We were pleased.’
‘I bet.’
Our glasses of sake arrive and she raises hers in a congratulatory manner.
I lift mine and clink it against hers, then take a sip. It tastes amazing. In fact my taste buds seem to have come properly alive again now.
‘So what? You’re all millionaires now?’ she asks, putting her drink down again.
‘Actually, we’re all billionaires.’
‘Oh my God.’ She lets out a strangled-sounding laugh. ‘This is like a wet dream come true for you, isn’t it?’
I lean back in my chair and put my hands behind my head, stretching my crooked arms in a jokey peacocking motion. ‘I bet you’re wishing you hadn’t left me now, huh?’
She rolls her eyes at me, but follows it with an amused grin. ‘When you say arrogant shit like that it makes me remember exactly why I did break up with you,’ she says, though her voice is light with humour.
‘I’m just kidding around,’ I reassure her.
‘Yeah, I know. Though honestly, back then I didn’t care how much money you had. I liked you because you made me laugh and we had chemistry.’
I release my pose and sit forwards in my chair, locking my gaze with hers. ‘And I’m smoking in bed.’
‘Jesus.’ She closes her eyes, her lips fighting another smile.
‘What?’
Opening them again, she looks straight at me. ‘You’re so damn performative. You always were.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘It’s like you’re trying to prove something all the time. Why do you do that? No-one here’s judging you, especially not me.’
I blink at her, bristling at her words. ‘Still not pulling your punches I see.’
She shrugs. ‘I don’t need to with you. I feel like I can be totally honest without worrying about pissing you off because you know and understand me.
And anyway, I’m not in the mood for boosting men’s egos right now, I’m afraid.
Feel free to get up and leave if you like.
I’m very happy to be on my own if I’m not the sort of company you’re after right now. I’d totally understand.’
‘Okay, okay, point taken. Maybe I was being a bit of a dick there,’ I say, holding up my hands in surrender and moderating my tone to light-hearted ribbing. ‘No more posturing, I promise.’ I chase this statement with a grin.
She rubs a hand over her eyes. ‘Look, sorry if I’m coming across as a bit abrasive,’ she says with passion in her voice, ‘but I’ve come to realise recently, after what happened with Adrian, that it doesn’t pay to be nice all the time.
Be a good person, sure – a kind person when it’s called for – but being nice means you get walked over and left behind.
I’m not prepared to have that happen to me again.
So I’m setting boundaries and sticking to them and being honest about what I need in order to be happy – as happy as I can be.
’ She points at her chest. ‘I’m taking care of me now. ’
Her gaze drops from mine and she reaches for her sake again, taking another long sip of it.
There’s a weird sort of tension hanging in the air between us now that I’m not sure how to break.
Maybe this was a bad idea, sitting together.
She continues to stare down at the table, blinking rapidly, and it suddenly hits me that she’s trying to hold back tears.
‘Are you okay?’ I ask gently.
‘I just feel so stupid,’ she says, so quietly I barely hear it.
‘Stupid? Why?’
‘Because I didn’t see it. With Adrian. It was there, right under my nose. So obvious, now I think about it.’
‘I hope you’re not blaming yourself,’ I say hotly. ‘He’s the stupid dickhead for cheating on you.’
She nods, but still doesn’t look up at me.
‘Seriously, Dasher. The guy’s an absolute tool for treating you like that.’
‘Can we change the subject?’ she says. Her voice sounds strangled, like she’s still trying to stop the tears.
‘Yeah, sure. Of course.’ I fold my arms and sit back in my chair. ‘Tell me about what you’re planning to do while you’re here in Kyoto.’
I watch as she shuffles in her seat, gives a little cough then sits up straighter, pushing her shoulders back and finally lifting her chin to look at me and give another tight smile.
Her eyes are a little bloodshot, and a mixture of empathy for her pain and anger at her twat-of-an-ex for making her feel like that threads through me.
She deserves better than to be treated like that.
We both deserve better.
Especially from the people who we thought loved us.
Not seeming to notice my internal turmoil, she launches into outlining her plans for while she’s staying here.
‘So, I’m going to take one of the boat trips down the river here.
And go to the bamboo forest at dawn, when apparently the light looks beautiful through the canes.
And I want to go into the city and look around, get a feel of the place.
Oh, and I have to visit a cat café while I’m here of course.
I’ve never been to one and I hear they’re really fun. ’
I make a face. ‘Cats? Really? I didn’t know you were into cats.’
‘Yeah. What’s wrong with liking cats?’
‘Nothing.’
‘Apparently they often have kittens to play with too.’
I grin-grimace. ‘Cute.’
She doesn’t rise to my teasing.
‘And on completely the other end of the scale, I’ve booked myself in for Samurai training a couple of days from now.’
‘Whoa. Hold up. Samurai training?’
‘Yeah. They do it at a dojo in the middle of Kyoto. You get to wield a real sword at the end to cut through some bamboo or something. It looks like a lot of fun.’
‘That does sound fun,’ I admit. I quite fancy doing that myself.
‘How about you? What have you got planned?’ she asks, picking up her sake and draining the last of it from the glass.
‘Um… well, I’ll probably do a boat trip too and maybe visit some shrines and temples,’ I hedge. I don’t want to look like a boring bastard and admit I’ve not planned anything concrete to do with my time yet.
‘Ooh, yes,’ she says, her eyes lighting up. ‘I’d like to visit some of the temples too. There are a few other things I’d love to do if I can squeeze them in as well.’
I watch her talk as she lists her other plans for her trip in between mouthfuls of the food that’s arrived while we’ve been talking, marvelling at how effortlessly cool she is, how inspiring and proactive.
Katya never planned anything for us to do together, she always left it up to me to arrange things to do to entertain us. And she was a tough crowd to please. She expected the best of everything. Exclusivity. No expense spared.
Chloe seems to be the opposite. Full of life and fire, proactive and interested in everything.
I dig that.
My brain seems to be suddenly buzzing with the dopamine hits I’m getting off sitting here with her, listening to her talk in that animated way she has.
Which is wild.
The last thing I’d expected, when I decided to come here to get some space from my failed relationship with Katya, was to end up having cravings for an ex from years ago instead.
But Chloe’s presence here has lit a fire inside me.
I think her resolve to have a good time, despite being emotionally bulldozed, is inspiring.
It’s suddenly really important that she can see that I’ve changed.
And I want her to enjoy herself while she’s here – hopefully in my company.
She puts her chopsticks down onto her now cleared plate and gives me a satisfied smile.
‘Want to come back to my apartment for a night swim?’ I ask her.