Kyo saw Yuki almost daily for the next two weeks, at Aikido and when she came to eat at the sushi bar. They had lunch together several times. She agreed to a couple of dates, but always backed out at the last minute - some issue or other with her relatives. But they met at the CN Tower one Saturday and spent the afternoon there.
He asked, "Do you want me to drive you home?"
"Thanks, but I have to be at a friend's apartment. It's just a couple of blocks away. But thanks anyway. I'll see you at the Sushi bar on Monday. And I won't let anyone but you serve me."
Kyohei blushed in spite of himself. "All right, but keep that up and people will talk."
"You mean they're not talking already?"
"Good point. Want anything in particular?"
"I will have whatever the best chef in Toronto recommends. Surprise me."
As he walked back to his car, he couldn't shake the feeling of deja vu…
Always she listened to his stories about Sei and the others. It amazed him that she listened so patiently, taking him seriously, never once saying she didn't believe him. He'd never told anybody about them and it was good to get it out.
One time he asked, "I sometimes wonder what it will take to forget about them."
"You won't," Yuki said. "That's how we deal with loss. You don't get over it, you don't forget about it, you just get used to it. Someday you'll look back and remember the good times, such as they were, and count the experience as part of what helped you grow as a person, something to tell your children about."
"Children. Me. And a house and a dog."
"I think Sei would want that for you."
He'd agreed to see her off at the train station when she left Toronto, but at the last minute, Mr. Tanaka called him in to fill in for a guy on the night shift who had fallen ill. Stomach flu, they thought. He called Yuki to apologize.
"That's ok," she said. "I hate goodbye's anyway."
"When will you be back in Toronto?"
"I don't know."
"Maybe I'll come to visit you in New York."
Dead silence.
"Hello?" Kyo prompted.
"I'm here," Yuki said. "Yes, that will be nice, we'll see. In the meantime, I want you to promise me something."
"Name it."
"Don't give up on your dreams. You're still young; you can still make a go of it as a pastry chef. You could be the best pastry chef ever if you tried. Will you do that for me?"
Kyo was taken aback. "That's … that's asking a lot, Yuki. It was hard enough before I went to Paris and now…" He trailed off.
"I don't care what the challenges are. All that matters in life is that we try. Promise me you'll try, Kyo."
"All right, Yuki. I promise."