We arrived at an incredible upscale, stuffy, bistro. I'm talking Maitre-D's, the finest china and champagne glasses, a string quartet's instruments humming in the background - the bow of the cello and violin drawn across the strings delicately, the bassist plucking the strings of his weighty instrument with precision - and most were expected to tuck a napkin into the collar of their dress shirt or drape it over their lap to prevent a food mishap. I had to admit I wasn't surprised a man that looked as sophisticated and acted so cordial as he would pick a place like this. But the thought of dining in such a place was...uncomfortable to say the least. I'd never really been the best in social situations. I still shudder to think of the time my sleeve was caught in the revolving doors at the mall...awkward doesn't even begin to define me.

Hatori checked in at the podium with our reservations. We were then escorted by a man with a white dress shirt, a black bow tie pinned just under the top button, and black slacks. Her hair was parted down the middle, slick and neat, and his mustache was so curly I was half tempted to reach out and touch it...

We were seated at a table in the far back of the restaurant. He seemed to want to be as far away from people as possible, I being the exception. His careful movements and watchful eyes piqued my curiosity - but then, I was a curious person...to a fault. The chairs were made of a rich and deep scarlet velvet that was soft to the touch, and shifted from dark to light tones when you swept the fabric with your hand. They were more comfortable than I would have thought them to be. Hatori fiddled with his silverware so that they were all lined up, just perfectly. He wasn't satisfied until he shifted them around three times.

Once he was through, he stole a glance at me. The eye that wasn't covered with a tuft of black hair, was a sharp green. To a mere stranger he appears scrutinizing...calculating...cold...even though we've barely known each other a day, I can see that there is more to those eyes of his...to me, they represent an observance and a rare attention to detail that I have always admired. The way he arranged his silverware to the way he looked at me.

To keep myself from blurting this out, I lifted my glass of water to my lips as we awaited the appetizer.

"I was curious to know exactly what it is that you do for a living Miss Ito?"
I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly and set my glass down on the linen table cloth. It was such an embarrassing thing to admit to this wealthy looking man that I worked at a supermarket...he probably owned a chain of hotels or something...

"I...uh- I work at the supermarket..." his gaze didn't leave mine, but he definitely didn't seemed the least bit surprised at my confession...time to kick it up a notch.

"It is a sound job for a first one eh? Just a job between semesters at the local university. I'd rather I didn't burden my parents with saving up for car payments..."

He too took a sip of his water in mild interest, "Oh? What year are you? If you don't mind my asking..."

I fiddled with the simple band on my thumb - one my ex bought me at a fair once - "I will be a second year coming this fall. I'm planning to major in psychology."

His eyes lit up slightly, "So you are interested in the medical field?"

I grinned from ear to ear. I always loved to tell people of my five year long dream of being a psychologist.
"Yes. I've always wanted to know how people tick, to understand them better. I feel if people made a better effort to understand one another, we would get along more than we do. That and I saw it as an opportunity to learn more about myself." And my problems.

He looked content with my answer as the breadsticks arrived.
The remainder of the dinner carried on like this. Small talk, exchanging information that wasn't too personal. I found out Hatori was a doctor for his family, he lived within the Sohma Estates, and that he was twenty-seven. Nearly six years older than I was.

At the end of the night he lead me up the porch steps. Mosquitoes flocked over as soon as I flipped the switch for the outdoor lanterns to illuminate. I turned towards him, the knife in my chest twisting slightly. I didn't want to end the night off so soon...I didn't want to go back into the empty depths of my apartment. Alone, suffocating with memories of how my boyfriend had died...how it'd been my fault.

"I had a wonderful time Miss Ito," Hatori's stern but slightly warm voice interrupted my dark thoughts.

I shook my head to refocus my attention on what he just said.
"Oh! I - uh, I did too..."

He managed a small smile, "Well, maybe we can grab a coffee some time?"
I glanced back at the empty apartment, then back at him.

"Yeah...I'd like that."
He nodded before taking a few steps backward. "I hope you have a good rest of your evening Miss Ito."

"...you too..." as soon as the words of salutation left my lips...he was gone.