You are all so nice to me. Thank you so much.
Paradigm Shift
Chapter 11: Dynamic Change
Matt was not a fan of change, and Megumi issues aside, never had there been a greater transformation in his daily life than Tai being in a relationship. Tai, who used to spend the majority of his life outside the flat, now almost always seemed to be at home. Matt was okay with this, but with Tai came his girlfriend, with whom he was less okay.
With time came the inevitable sense of normality, however, and while he had not at first loved Sora's constant presence in his life, he had now gotten used to it.
It wasn't that he disliked her. He knew very little about her, having put up a wall to clearly establish that he strictly saw her as Tai's girlfriend and not a friend of his own. He wasn't trying to be difficult—just wary. He could tell from her still being around that Tai wanted it that way, but it was difficult for him to fathom this lasting.
After all, it was Tai.
He poured himself a cup of coffee, looking over the kitchen counter to where his flatmate currently sat in silence. It was one of the longest periods of time he had ever seen Tai remain so quiet. He was at the dining table, typing away furiously on his laptop, eyebrows furrowed with concentration at the report on his screen.
"Coffee?" Matt offered.
"You know I don't like drinking it," Tai answered, never tearing his gaze from his work computer.
Tai only ever drank coffee when he needed the caffeine, which he readily admitted was more often with age. Judging by the dark circles underneath his eyes, it looked like he was nearing that stage.
"It's the weekend," Matt pointed out, turning back towards the Nespresso machine to brew another. His mother had gotten it for him a few years ago as a gift. He rarely used it.
"I said I don't like coffee," Tai said ungratefully as Matt set a cup by him. Almost immediately, he reached out and downed the content within seconds.
Matt ignored Tai's foul mood. "You've been at it for hours."
Tai still didn't look at him, his concentration fixed to his screen. "Sora's coming over any minute. I have to finish this before she gets here or she'll kill me, but I have to have this presentation ready by Monday morning, which isn't going to happen."
This was a trend he noticed. Tai often thought Sora was unhappy with him for one thing or another. Matt couldn't tell whether Tai was paranoid or whether she was actually so particular.
A month had passed since she had been formally introduced to him as Tai's girlfriend. He didn't know exactly what he had been expecting from her, but one thing he hadn't guessed was that she would be as normal as she was.
Tai never dated, so Matt had only been able to assume the kind of women Tai liked based on various flings. He always thought Tai enjoyed really hot, really forward women, but now that he thought about it, he supposed the only ones who ever stuck around for more than a night were the normal ones.
The first real insight he had of Sora was when Tai had been sulking about how she tied him down, the night he had first admitted to him that he was seeing someone. Matt thought he must have been being dramatic. As far as he could tell, they seemed to get along well.
The doorbell rang.
Tai swore, instantly saving his progress and closing his laptop, evidently finding her arrival more important than whatever he had been working on. "She's here."
"I'll be in my room."
Again, Sora was perfectly fine, but she was strictly his flatmate's girlfriend and nothing more.
"Don't be such an arse," Tai said edgily, walking to the door. "I have to get ready. Can you entertain her for a bit?" He didn't give him time to protest, opening the door with a wide grin, all trace of his fatigue gone. "Hey! Sora!"
"Hey Tai. Hi Matt."
Matt raised a hand in response, as Tai leaned down to kiss her hello.
"I have to take a shower," Tai said to her, looking guilty that he wasn't already ready for her. "Why are you always on time?"
"Because I'm punctual. Why are you always late?"
"Because I haven't gotten in trouble for it yet," he said with a cocky grin that made Matt want to hit him. "Can you wait ten minutes?"
She nodded her head, and Tai gathered his belongings, hurrying to his room to prepare. Once he was gone, Sora looked at Matt with a wry smile. "He's always such a mess."
Her statement didn't warrant a response, so he didn't give her one. He considered going to his room but felt it was rude to leave her by herself. He mentally cursed Tai for putting him in this situation.
"Do you want something to drink?" Matt asked her, feeling obligated to offer something.
She requested a beer, which, given it was a Saturday afternoon, was weird to him, but he went anyway to take one each for the two of them. They were technically Tai's, but she was his guest after all.
She was sitting on the couch, and he, not feeling comfortable enough to sit down with her, insisted on standing even when she suggested he sit too.
Silence didn't bother him, but she didn't seem to feel the same way, offering starting points of conversation, but as all surface level topics were, never led to anything substantial or of remembrance.
That is, until she said, "I heard you're going through a difficult breakup."
She hadn't meant any ill will in bringing it up, and he was not naïve enough to think Tai would never have disclosed that fact about him in the months they had been dating, but it did little to stop his annoyance from flaring that this person he didn't know was asking him questions that were obviously very personal to him. Not feeling he could outwardly express his dissatisfaction to someone his best mate took so fondly, he instead opted to not respond at all.
There was a particular expression in Sora's face that looked too much like his mother's as she nodded in an all-knowing way.
"I know what it's like to recover from that after such a serious relationship." She waited for him to react, which he didn't. "I was with someone for six years."
He held in the urge to roll his eyes. Six years? Try thirteen.
"He cheated on me, and for years I couldn't trust men."
He still said nothing, though he did find the irony that after being so untrustworthy towards men, she was dating Tai of all people, who had definitely cheated himself in his past. Not that he was going to throw him under the bus by mentioning this to her.
"Even though I thought for three years that I'd never find anyone better than him, now that I've moved on, it really makes me regret the years I spent wallowing in self-pity."
If there was one thing he hated, it was when people offered him useless advice he had never asked for. Who did she think she was?
At some level, he knew he was being unreasonable. She was only trying to make a breakthrough with him, but reason was pushed aside by irritation.
"I know we don't know each other very well yet"—he picked up on that last word—"but I can tell if you're a good person, especially if you're Tai's best mate. Someone like you shouldn't be spending his life mourning a lost relationship." She cocked her head when he remained silent and gave him a small smile. "Nothing?"
He wondered if he was glaring.
"There's a reason I'm not saying anything."
She looked taken aback by his statement but smiled again, a little pleased that she had made him at least respond. For some reason, it made him angry that she was trying to analyse him like a therapist or his mother would. He knew his reaction was irrational given her intentions, but he hated that everyone kept telling him the same thing. He would get over her when he wanted to, not because people were telling him to—especially someone who had never even met her.
His brain couldn't stop his mouth from moving, and he could hear the poison in his voice as he said, "You shouldn't act like you know people, and you shouldn't compare yourself to them either."
She didn't seem affected by his aggressive response, looking in thought for a moment before she said, "Your ex is lucky. You're so protective of her, even after what she did to you."
He suddenly couldn't stand her. She didn't know anything. She wasn't his friend. She wasn't his anything. Everything she had heard about him and Megumi was through Tai's biased perspective, and that didn't give her a single right to act like she knew the first thing about him.
"I'm sorry, maybe I've passed my boundaries," she said with genuine caution. "I'm not trying to impede. I just see a lot of my former self in you."
"Why?" he asked angrily. "Because your ex cheated on you? Sorry to say, but mine never did that."
It was a terrible thing to say, it having no other function than to be mean. Indeed, her expression changed in an instant, and he knew he had gone too far. Yet, even when filled with an overwhelming guilt, he was either too prided or embarrassed to apologise, and communication ceased.
Agonising minutes that felt like years passed before Tai finally emerged from the corridor, hair wet and wearing this new, hideously pastel pink shirt of his that Sora bought him.
"You look ridiculous," Matt commented upon his arrival, thankful to have Tai act as the middle person.
Had they been alone, Tai would have readily admitted to this, but with Sora in the premises, he knew he wouldn't.
"Don't be jealous."
Sora set her can down on the coffee table and stood up from the couch, making her way to her boyfriend. "You're not supposed to get silk wet."
This was the sort of thing Tai wouldn't care less about, yet he looked over to Matt. "Can I borrow your hairdryer?"
"It wasn't mine," Matt responded, indicating it had been Megumi's and therefore he had been binned.
"Nobody believes you. It was definitely yours," Tai countered before looking down at Sora again. "We don't have a hairdryer."
"Tai, honestly."
The two of them went off to Tai's room to somehow make his outfit and hair work, leaving Matt to himself as he had wanted. He gathered the can Sora had left—it was largely untouched—and finished his own with his other hand. He poured the remnants of her beer down the kitchen sink, threw both cans into the bin and went to his room.
In one month, Tai and Sora had already come so far in their relationship. In one month, TK had found out the sex of his baby and proceeded to embark on various projects to welcome their baby boy. His co-worker bragged about an upcoming promotion noted in his year-end review. Yet another acquaintance he barely knew was engaged. He found success in everyone around him, but in one month, he hadn't really done anything spectacular.
He wondered what he'd do today.
Tai wasn't one for knit jumpers, but he rather liked how the navy one Sora had found buried in his wardrobe mostly covered the pink shirt underneath.
"I think this was part of my high school uniform," he said, looking down at it. "How did you find it? It's impressive."
Sora didn't answer, looking pensive as they walked to a new restaurant she had discovered. He didn't pester her again, allowing her to lead the way until she pointed out the building and they made their way inside. He waited until they had ordered to try again.
"What's wrong?" he asked, nudging her gently with his knee from beneath the table. "Are you mad at me?"
She looked alarmed as she looked at him, as if just now realising she had been ignoring him.
"Of course not," she answered quickly. "I'm just thinking."
He lowered his mouth to his straw, taking a sip of some sort of juice Sora insisted he try. It was okay. He would have preferred the soda he had originally wanted. "About what?"
"I think I offended Matt today."
Tai rolled his eyes, still speaking with the straw in his mouth. "Everything offends him. Don't think too much about it."
"No, I think I went too far," she explained. "I asked him about his ex-girlfriend—"
He stood up straighter. "Uh-oh."
"—and he seemed really angry." She winced, seeing his reaction too. "I was just trying to make conversation because he wasn't giving me anything. He's your best mate, so don't you think I should be his friend too?"
"It isn't your fault," Tai assured, feeling angry too that Matt had treated her so inhospitably. "Don't let anything he says to you get to you. He's just mad at life, but he shouldn't have told you off. He doesn't even know you. He's such a jackass, I swear I—" He stopped himself, not wanting to let Matt ruin yet another thing. "He gets testy about everything nowadays, but once he gets over everything, you'll see. He's a nice fellow. It just takes a while for him to get used to people. It took him years to be okay with me."
Sora looked at him affectionately.
"I didn't mean to swear," he said, referring to earlier.
"Your language is filth," Sora agreed.
"You should hear me when you aren't around," he quipped with a smirk. "Well, anyway, it's not like your best friend is my biggest fan either."
He had met Mimi a few more times since that encounter in which he had officially been introduced to her, and each time was torture to him. She acted like how he would expect a mother-in-law to, judging his every movement and making snide remarks whenever she got the chance. Sora kept defending her, assuring him that she was one of the sweetest people she knew, but Tai had a very, very difficult time believing that.
"She means well," Sora said with a giggle. "I've told her to be nicer to you."
"Well, it isn't working," he said with a tight smile. "Either that, or she should try harder. At least half as much as I do."
She giggled again. "She said she'd reconsider her opinion of you if I set her up with one of your mates who are directly opposite of you."
"Great," Tai muttered with a roll of his eyes, secretly thinking he'd never say a good word about Mimi to any of his mates. "Maybe we can set her up with Matt, and they can hit it off based on all the things they hate about me."
Sora's face lit up, much to his horror. "Tai!"
"I was joking," he shot down immediately. He turned around in his chair, suddenly taking great interest in the status of their lunch. "Where's our waiter?"
"But Tai!" she protested excitedly behind him. "We could try."
He turned to face her, trying to look firm but knowing he merely looked exasperated. "It'll literally never happen."
"Why not? Mimi's a great catch!"
"I'm sure she is, but Matt is still in love with his ex-girlfriend, and he probably will be for the rest of his life. It'll never work."
He went to turn around again in an attempt to stop the conversation, but she reached out, grabbing him by the collar so he was still looking at her. "But what if Mimi is the one who can help him get over her?"
He looked at her pleadingly, wanting her to stop. "Believe me, she won't, and why would you want to put her in that situation anyway? She already hates me. This will only give her more reason to."
She hopped a little in her seat, trying to find in her head more ways to convince him. "No, she's not looking for anything serious either, and I know she just wants some fun. He looks like her type—"
"You mean the type that will never like her?" Tai asked sarcastically.
She ignored him. "It could be good for the both of them."
"Sora, I said no, and that's that," he said sternly, instantly feeling bad when her face fell. To lighten the mood, he added, "Besides, he's more of a boob guy."
This earned him a kick from Sora but a smirk from the waiter, who had returned with their orders. Tai also grinned at him, the two sharing a silent laugh despite Sora's disapproval.
"It's too early," she warned, though she changed the subject back to what she wanted. "I don't understand why you won't even consider it. Don't you want him to be happy again?"
He set his utensils down, exasperated. "Yes, but the way to do that is not setting him up with some stranger. He needs to be single for a little bit. He's literally been in a relationship since he hit puberty. He needs time by himself, not a push from anyone, especially me."
Sora frowned, sinking back in her chair. "But what if he wastes too much time wanting something that's never coming back? Don't you think it's sad that he's so obsessed with this idea of her? Love makes you forget that there can be something better out there. What if years go by, and one day he looks back and sees he's literally thrown away years of his life? Wouldn't you rather try to help him now for the sake of his future than to take the easy way?"
He sighed, not understanding why she felt so committed in the first place. "Sora, if you want to try, be my guest, but I'm not taking a part of it. He'll literally murder me."
She frowned again, seemingly giving up.
"I'm sorry," he said when he saw how upset she looked. "Are you mad at me?"
"No, I'm not mad." She slowly sat up again, then leaned forward to him. "That's too bad though. If Matt was out of the way, it'd give us more alone time at your place."
He lifted an eyebrow. "What are you saying?"
"I don't know." She shrugged her shoulders as she laid her napkin on her lap, getting ready to eat. "I was kind of in the mood for something the other night, but Matt came home, and it went away."
"We could always go to your place," Tai responded hopefully, sitting up straighter too.
She shook her head. "No, I really like your flat better than mine."
He wasn't stupid. She was obviously trying to leverage sex as a way to get him to do what she wanted. She was using him because she knew it would work.
He was perfectly okay with that.
"I can try to see what I can do," he promised with a wide grin. "He can be negotiable."
"Absolutely not."
Matt stood up from the dining table in a huff, not wanting to continue the conversation, but Tai stood up with him, not willing to leave him be.
"You don't understand! She's really great, and she's kind of like Megumi. They have a lot of clothes, they say what they want, they're kind of bossy—"
Matt cut Tai off with a glare. "I don't want to be with anyone who'll remind me of her."
"Perfect!" Tai said, recovering quickly. "In actuality, she's nothing like Meg. I was just forcing myself to make comparisons."
"No."
"Aw, come on! Have you considered the possibility that she's moved on, while you're here turning down chances to meet people?"
"She hasn't."
"And how would you know that?" Tai asked sarcastically. "Have you spoken to her recently?"
Tai's insensitivity did little to affect him.
"She wouldn't do that to me."
Tai knew he was sounding like an arse, but frustrated, said, "Is that so? I bet you thought she wouldn't dump your ass either, but she did that."
Matt narrowed his eyes, though he was getting used to Tai pointing it out by now.
"Do you want to be depressed forever?" Tai kept asking. "Come on, do me a favour!"
Matt usually showed little interest in Tai's scheming, but hearing the desperation in his voice, his curiosity got the better of him. "How is going on a date with some random girl doing you a favour?"
"Because Sora said she'd fool around with me if I do this." Seeing Matt's face crinkle as he was about to tell him off, he quickly added, "You don't understand. She won't do anything. Do you know how difficult that is? If you don't do this for me, I'll literally throw myself out of that window."
"Be my guest," Matt answered coolly. "I can't believe that's your justification for using me. What's wrong with you?"
"Deprivation is what's wrong with me!" Tai snapped irritably. "Can't you feel sorry for me just this once?"
Matt didn't say anything back immediately, and Tai imagined a pitying look on his flatmate's face that probably wasn't there.
"What kind of girl is she anyway?" Matt asked dully.
He was likely only humouring him so he couldn't say he hadn't tried, but Tai brightened at the slight progress nevertheless. "She's just lovely. She's close with Sora… raised in America… really pretty…"
Matt rolled his eyes. It was obvious Tai knew very little about her.
"And kind," Tai added to his list of half-assed descriptions. "There's just one small thing I should mention. It's nothing really, and I don't even remember it, but a long time ago I accidentally went home with her—"
"Fuck no. What the hell is wrong with you?" Matt held in the urge to hit him, instantly turning to head to his room again but hearing Tai's quick footsteps behind him.
"Wait! Let me finish! It isn't even a big deal because I was drunk, and it was before I met Sora, so—"
"Get away from me, Tai."
"I'll do the dishes for a month."
"No."
"Two months."
"No."
"I'll clean the flat."
"No."
"I'll be your bloody slave."
"No."
"Come on!" Tai cried out in frustration. "I've slept on floors for you!"
"So have I."
"I've slept on Davis' floor for you," Tai specified.
"I don't care, I'm not going to do it. You can't change my mind, and you know you can't, so drop it."
Tai didn't follow him this time as Matt went to his room. Tai had had many preposterous ideas in the past, but this was definitely nearing the top of his stupidest.
Sora had looked so excited when Tai told her that Matt had said yes that he couldn't bear to tell her he had actually said no.
So, instead, he asked Matt to go out with him a couple nights later, which, after a bit of persuasion and a compromise to go to Matt's favourite blues lounge-slash-what Tai considered the worst bar in all of Tokyo, he finally agreed.
"Is that how you're going to go?" Tai asked from the couch when Matt emerged from his room at their scheduled time.
Matt raised an eyebrow, scratching his itchy chin as he made his way to their bar area to fix himself a drink. "Since when do you care about how I look?"
"I don't care," Tai said hurriedly, standing up too. "But can't you at least shave and put on a shirt that isn't wrinkled? People are going to associate you with me, you know. I'll make the drinks. You go do something about yourself."
Matt rolled his eyes but went back to the hallway into the washroom, muttering something along the way Tai was sure was about him.
He didn't care though, the bigger issue here being how he was planning to pull this off. There were many factors as to why this date wouldn't go well, the most critical being that Matt still didn't know about it.
He knew he was being a bad friend and did feel remorse for using him for his own personal gain, but his hormones were getting the better of him. He would just owe Matt next time.
Tai's eyes scanned their bar stash, wanting to concoct a drink he hoped would get his sulky flatmate to loosen up the quickest without getting him drunk. That was the magic median that Matt could so easily cross.
Matt returned looking significantly more put together, so Tai passed his glass to him.
"I don't want to go out," Matt whinged. He took a large gulp of his drink, making a displeased face simultaneously. Tai couldn't tell whether it was because he was being forced to leave the apartment or because the drink was terrible.
"Sora's joining us tonight," Tai informed him as he took back some of his own. He watched Matt's expression, wanting to read it, but he turned his head, looking down at their bar instead. "That's okay with you, right?"
"I guess."
Matt had already figured this and had accepted it, but even without looking he could still feel Tai's eyes staring at him.
"What?" he asked dully, finishing his drink.
Tai set his glass down on the countertop, casually leaning towards it as well. "What do you think of her?"
"She's fine."
Tai frowned, reaching for the tumbler. "That's it? She's just fine?"
Tai knew Matt hated when he interrogated him, yet he always insisted on doing it. He felt a short sense of relief when Tai's head disappeared under the bar to get more ice. Not feeling as pressured, he finally responded, "I don't know her that well."
"Well, get to know her that well," Tai said, shaking the tumbler before pouring more liquor into Matt's glass. "She wants you to like her."
Matt didn't respond, drinking instead as he turned his attention to the window, wondering if he could smoke a cigarette without Tai freaking out at him.
"Just try, okay?"
Matt turned to face his flatmate, who was fixing his own drink. "Is this why you wanted to go out? So you can force Sora and me to be friends?"
"No, it isn't actually. It'd just be nice if my best mate and girlfriend got along is all."
"You know I'm not good with new people. It's not my fault."
"I know it isn't, but she's sticking around. It's the least you can do." Tai screwed the cap to his Scotch bottle back on, then unscrewed it again to fill Matt's glass one last time. "Take that, and let's do this. I'm going to your crappy music bar for you. You keep an open mind for me, all right?"
To call this a sanctuary was a stretch, but the blues room he frequented regularly was a space he enjoyed very much. He had been coming here for years, since he first moved to Shibuya. Megumi had thought it was drab, but he loved everything about it: the dim ambient lighting, the plush velveteen seats that probably could use replacement, the vintage records that adorned the peeling walls as decoration, the permanent yet faint scent of tobacco in the air, and especially the live music that filled the cramped space.
Of course, if anyone could ruin it, it'd be Tai Kamiya.
It became clear what he had done the moment Sora walked in with a friend, yet Matt tried to expect better from him until it was more or less explained that Sora's friend was expecting a blind date.
Tai had obviously been desperate to trick him, but that wasn't reason enough for Matt. He was so pissed off that he blatantly stated in front of everyone, "I didn't sign up for this."
Awkwardness ensued, as he refused to communicate with her. Mimi was her name, and he was inherently disappointed to find out that she was not similar to Megumi, even though he thought it wouldn't have made a difference. Her light, honey coloured hair, caramel eyes and porcelain skin were a contrast to Megumi's deep brown features and light olive skin tone. He could admit she was pretty in a conventional way, like a doll, but in his eyes she could not compare to her.
Physical differences aside, despite paying minimal heed to her, he could still feel a clash between their personalities. Megumi was very much like him, uncomfortable when placed in awkward situations like this, but even when Mimi realised he wasn't interested, she didn't let it ruin her night, chatting away with Tai and Sora as if nothing had happened. She even attempted to bring him back into the conversation a few times, though he still wasn't willing to cooperate and only gave terse answers.
He was being rude. He knew this. He was very much aware that any tension was due to his poor attitude, and he also knew it was unfair to Tai's girlfriend and her friend that he was acting this way when they had done nothing. He knew he was supposed to be mature and deal with the situation like an adult, but he couldn't.
At first, he had only felt rage towards Tai, but just as he was about to storm out, he saw a look on Tai's face that was so full of desperation that he had stopped himself.
He didn't know why. He didn't even know if he just sitting there was any better.
He was checking the time on his mobile when the girls excused themselves to go to the washroom together. If was immediately that he felt a hard shove coming from Tai's direction.
"What's wrong with you?!" Tai looked angry despite Matt thinking he had no right. "Can you not behave yourself?!"
"What's wrong with me?!" Matt repeated, voice rising. Realising this, he lowered it again. "You fucking tricked me."
"Yeah, I did," Tai snapped unapologetically. "Now suck it up. You're already here, for crying out loud! Just talk to her for one night, and you'll never have to speak to her again. She's hot, so what's your problem?" Matt didn't respond, so Tai instead read the language on his face. "Come on. You're either delusional or don't remember what she looks like anymore, because Mimi's definitely hotter than Megumi ever was."
He was trying to purposely piss him off, and Matt hated that it always worked.
"Whatever, don't talk to me."
"Damn it, you can give me the spiel later, but do I have to reiterate that this is my one and only chance to have any sort of physical advancement with Sora, and you're fucking it up by being yourself?"
"I really couldn't care less about what you're doing with your girlfriend. All I know is I already said no to this, you knew I'd hate this, and you brought me here anyway."
"Fine, I'm sorry. I really am, but all three of you are killing me here." Tai curled his hands into fists for a second before leaning back in his seat, using his fingers to push back his hair. "I've felt sorry for you for four months. Can't you feel sorry for me for one night?"
Tai was on edge too, Matt noticed, but he refused to let him have his way. Tai was the master at doing things he knew he wasn't supposed to do and apologising for it later. He didn't understand how anyone could have such a delusional mentality.
A silence fell between the two of them, the only noise the flow of the resonant blues music in the background.
He heard Tai sigh loudly and from the corner of his eye saw him reach forward to pick up his glass, downing what remained before dropping it grimly back on the table.
Tai hated this place. Matt knew that.
And despite how utterly repulsive it was of him to pull this little number, he did suppose Tai was the only true friend who had stuck with him through everything that had happened.
"Fine, I'll cooperate," he said finally, "but you pay for everything, and I'm only staying thirty more minutes."
"Yes, whatever you want," Tai answered eagerly, brightening instantly, unable to believe it. "But really? Thirty minutes? You can't even do an hour?"
Matt glared at him. "Or I can leave now."
"We'll play it by ear," Tai compromised, grinning like mad. "You don't know how huge this is. Mimi already hated me, and I thought for sure she'd hate me even more with how you were acting, but maybe we can still salvage it."
"She hates you?" Matt asked with a raised eyebrow. He could recall Tai mentioning this to him before, though he couldn't remember why.
Tai looked confused. "Are you serious? Didn't you notice how she was just insulting me the entire time? She always does this. It drives me crazy."
"I wasn't paying attention."
Tai frowned. "Well, anyway, it's not that important. Just drink. You're way more fun when you're drunk, except don't drink to the point where you black out, because then you're actually the most revolting person on this planet."
"Fine, whatever." He beckoned the waiter over again. "Could I have the finest drink on your menu? Something expensive?"
"I would highly recommend the Yamazaki single malt whisky, aged 25 years."
"Yes, I'd like that."
"I hate you," Tai said hatefully after the waiter left. He wondered briefly how much of an addition it would make on the bill, but as the women returned, he fixed his expression. He extended his arm to invite Sora to nestle within it, though he quickly stood up when the waiter brought back the drinks, passing them around himself. "I just ordered the same thing again. Is that all right with you, Mimi?"
"I guess so," she responded coldly. "Next time, can you wait? I know it's unlike you to be considerate of other people's feelings, but Sora and I might have wanted something different."
"Of course," Tai said through gritted teeth, glaring so that only Matt could see.
Matt smirked a little as he lifted his glass to his lips. He was newly amused in knowing how much this girl seemed to dislike Tai, but even better he could see how much Tai was suppressing his hatred towards her. Watching Tai trying not to be angry was always entertaining. He was terrible at it.
"If you really want to make him mad, you just have to bring up how his sister and my brother fooled around when they were dating."
It was the first real attempt he made at communicating with anyone that night, and it was well received as Mimi giggled lightly. "Oh, right, Sora told me your siblings are married. That's so cute."
"Matt, stop it," Tai warned.
Matt turned to Tai briefly, who looked positively livid. The bastard deserved it. He turned back to Mimi.
"Yes, unfortunately after they got married, it's become less effective, but Tai here gets very sensitive when it comes to his unrealistic perception of his sister."
"I'm serious. Stop it."
"You don't even have to say much. For example, I used to live with my brother for a while during his uni years."
"Please stop," Tai said, emphasising the 'please' in a threatening as opposed to pleading way.
"Tai's sister spent the night all the time."
"Ishida, you're dead—!"
Sora had taken him outside for a breather after he nearly attacked Matt.
"Are you okay now?" Sora asked him, looking at him piteously as he drew a deep breath. They had already been outside for a few minutes, though she gave him a chance to calm himself.
He exhaled. "Yeah, he's just trying to piss me off."
"It looks like it's working."
"Only because he's spreading vicious lies about my sister!" Tai snapped as Sora rubbed his arms in an effort to calm him. "She's so innocent. She would have never done things like that."
"Things like what?" Sora laughed at his expense. "Tai, stop being so angry. He didn't say anything vicious. You're overreacting."
"Overreacting?!" Tai blurted disbelievingly. "I can't sit around while he says things like that! It's because you don't know her, Sora. You'll see when you meet her why it makes me so angry."
She looked up at him with wide eyes, though he was still glaring at the direction of the lounge.
"Does that mean you'll introduce me to your family?" she asked.
He was too angry to pick up the hopefulness in her voice. "I have to kill him."
"Tai," she said sternly, shaking him a little. "This is the most progress we've gotten out of them. Just let them talk."
"Not at my sister's expense, I won't!" he said loudly.
"Tai." She held his shoulders, looking him square in the eye. "There are four people at that table. We all know he's teasing you. None of us believe him, okay? I promise your sister's reputation is fine."
He scowled, and she went up to peck his lips. He was still frowning when she pulled away.
"Can you please control yourself?"
"No," Tai muttered.
"Can you try?"
"Maybe."
She linked her arm with his, starting to pull him back inside. "Come on, it's just a little bit longer."
Tai stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Fine, but he's an asshole."
"He's being a bit weird though, isn't he? I don't know why he'd volunteer to come, then be so standoffish," Sora thought aloud.
Tai, nervous to explain that to her later, didn't comment on her thoughts and went inside in haste. He threw a hateful glance at Matt, who wasn't even looking his way, nodding his head instead at something Mimi was saying to him, then giving her a short response in return. It wasn't like he looked particularly absorbed in the conversation, but just the mere fact that he was cooperating was infinitely better than what Tai had expected from him.
"We're talking about you," Mimi said as he and Sora sat back down.
"I'm sure only the most pleasant of all things," Tai said with fake sweetness in his voice, earning him a reprimanding nudge from Sora. "Sorry we had to step out. Let's change the subject, shall we?"
Matt grinned in his seat. Tai could tell the alcohol had taken its toll. "That's fine."
They changed the topic to discuss the bar they were in. It was a shithole in Tai's opinion, and knowing Mimi had a tendency to be princess-y, he bet she thought the same, but she seemed interested as Matt told her the insufferably boring details of the perfect acoustics in the place.
He wanted to start a side conversation with Sora, but she shushed him quickly, wanting to observe the two of them instead.
Bored, Tai spent the time betting with himself who would finish their drink last. Busily explaining a jazz and country fusion band she had heard once to Matt, it was Mimi, but as soon as she finished he offered to order another round.
"Nothing for me," Matt said, surprising him.
"But you're a raging alcoholic," Tai said, knowingly sabotaging him slightly so Mimi wouldn't continue looking at him the way she currently was.
Matt didn't take it personally, instead taking this time to excuse himself. Tai watched as Matt made his way outside. For a moment, he panicked and thought Matt was escaping, but remembering his relatively new re-addiction, figured it was probably for a smoke break.
Mimi turned to Sora excitedly. "Sora, you were so right. He's too sexy to be real. I can't handle it!"
Sora also looked to her friend, looking equally thrilled. "Right? I told you! He's ridiculously handsome, isn't he?"
Tai felt his jaw drop, looking at Sora with betrayal.
"Obviously I like you better," Sora explained quickly, "but the man is good-looking, Tai, you have to admit that."
She reached for his hand, but he lifted it childishly out of her reach, hiding it behind his back. "Forget it. You know, if I had said that about another girl, I wouldn't be let off so easily."
"Don't be so butt hurt," Mimi scolded him, pulling a compact from her handbag. "He can't help being hotter than you."
He could have easily shot back a comeback. In fact, there was one dancing around the tip of his tongue now, but she being Sora's best friend made him hold it in, however tempting it was.
A frown appeared on Mimi's beautiful face, dissatisfied by her reflection. "Yikes, I have to fix my makeup. Be right back!"
As Mimi darted off towards the washroom once more, Sora scooted closer to him, wrapping her arms around him since he wasn't letting her hold his hand. "Are you mad at me?"
"No," Tai mumbled.
She kissed him, and it made him feel a little better. He let her intertwine her fingers with his.
"Come on, Tai. I went for you after you tried to set me up with him, remember?"
"Yeah," he muttered, not convinced. He bent his neck downwards so he could frown at her. "But 'ridiculously' handsome? Really?"
"Hey, I say nice things about you too," she assured, laughing. "I just don't say it in front of your face because your ego is big enough. I don't want to fuel that."
"What kind of nice things?"
She ignored his question, nudging his chest instead with her shoulder. "They look interested now though, don't you think?"
He winced, not wanting to disappoint her but also not wanting to lie. "I don't know…"
"Come on! They had a conversation while we were out. That's farther than I've gotten with him."
"I guess…"
In reality, Matt was probably a little drunk, and that was why he wasn't being as miserable. Tai knew he'd revert back in the morning. As far as he could tell, Matt was nowhere near ready to move on.
"Have a little hope, Tai."
It wasn't there, but not wanting to start anything, he decided to change the topic.
"So," he began, wrapping an arm around her too, "regardless of what happens, I held up my part of the bargain and got Matt to come tonight."
"Yes, thank you."'
He frowned. She was deliberately playing dumb. He stared at her, waiting for her to add more.
She pulled away, frowning too. "Tai, you didn't honestly think I'd sleep with you for doing this, did you? What kind of a girl do you think I am?"
His jaw dropped again, and he sat back, feeling betrayed again. "An honest one who keeps promises! I just risked my friendship with Matt for you!"
"We can do other stuff, Tai," Sora assured him, going towards him to kiss him to demonstrate. He kissed her back with half interest, and she pulled away, smiling at his expense. "I thought you were doing this because you're a nice guy."
"I am a nice guy, but it doesn't mean I wouldn't like something in return," he mumbled. "Matt's going to kick my face in tomorrow, and I get nothing out of it."
She laughed, leaning forward to kiss him again, which this time he figured he might as well enjoy. That is, until Matt returned, and Sora retreated from him.
Matt was frowning. "Let's go home."
Tai didn't get a chance to answer, Mimi appearing nearly at the same moment. Seeing her bright face, he could tell she wanted to stay, while Matt obviously wanted to leave. He didn't need to look at Sora to know what she wanted, so he didn't, not wanting her to alter his resolve to help his friend.
"I'm going to get the bill," he said to Sora, standing up. She gave him a look to sit back down, but he pretended not to see it, walking away.
Matt blamed fatigue when Mimi asked him why they were leaving already.
Tai was right. Mimi was pretty. He could definitely give her that. They hadn't talked for very long, but from what he could gather, she was personable and sweet too. There had never been a lull in their conversations, and so he had eventually forgotten he was supposed to want to go home. He could have easily talked to her for longer had it not been for the sudden hints she started to drop that she wanted him to ask her out.
It was then that he realised that all her appeals combined didn't change the fact that she wasn't the one he wanted.
He was doing this to help out his friend, not himself. He had kept his end of the bargain, and now he was ready to go home.
Tai had said this was Sora's doing. It was strange to him how much she cared. They were not on terms where their affairs mattered to the other. Perhaps that was just how invested she was in Tai.
Tai returned, nodding to Matt that they could leave. He got up all too willingly, noticing Sora nudging Tai as she stood up as well.
"I'm going to drop Sora off," Tai announced on cue. "Matt can take you home, Mimi."
He didn't mind, so he didn't fight it. The point was that it was almost over, so he readily helped Mimi up, and the four of them made their way outside. The musty warmth of the lounge dissipated as they stepped foot into the cold, wintry air. Tai and Sora parted from them almost immediately, Sora practically dragging him away. It was kind of funny to see Tai being hauled around like that, but he turned his attention to his companion for the evening.
"I'm by Shibuya Station," she answered when he asked where she lived, hands in the pockets of her green peacoat to keep them warm. Too cold to take them out, she used her head to notion the direction.
Despite the frigid temperature, it wasn't too far away, and they decided to walk. He fiddled with the cigarette box in his pocket, wanting one badly but for some reason not wanting her to know he smoked.
Her heels clacked beside him, and he looked down. Megumi went through a phase for a few years in which she always wore heels because she was convinced she had short legs for her body. He remembered why she eventually stopped wearing them: they were uncomfortable.
"We should have taken a cab," he said apologetically. Walking had been his suggestion.
She looked down at her shoes, then smiled at him. "I live in heels. I'm fine."
She was wobbling slightly, probably from the alcohol. He offered his arm to her, and she took it for balance.
"Tai really likes Sora," she said abruptly after a few steps.
Randomness aside, for a statement, it sounded oddly like a question.
"He does," he confirmed.
She nibbled on her bottom lip, his answer not sufficient. "What kind of a guy is he?"
He wondered if she was gathering information about Tai on Sora's behalf. She had mentioned him often throughout the night, but any information she or Sora wanted about Tai wouldn't come from him.
"He's been my friend for a long time. You could say I'm a little biased."
She looked up, and though he could barely make it out under the dim moonlight, he saw the faintest twitch of her lip. "You're not much of a talker, are you?" She looked at him again, not waiting for an answer. "I wish I could be more like that. I've always said too much."
"I don't think you do."
She laughed, not taking him seriously.
Her voice was mesmerising, melodic even. He hadn't really noticed it before, but it was apparent now that they were only surrounded by the sound of the city.
She began humming a newly invented tune in perfect harmony. It was pretty, clear in tone.
"Can you sing?" he asked her, genuinely curious.
She shrugged her narrow shoulders at him, only providing him with a hint. "I'm not bad."
Megumi could. She had the most beautiful voice he knew, hidden from the majority of the world due to shyness.
Mimi was looking at him fondly. "You really are into music, aren't you? You must sing too."
"I'm not bad."
His response earned him a small smirk. "I want to hear this. Sing a song for me."
She had her full attention to him. He felt so awkward.
"Er…"
She giggled loudly, realising what she had done. "Sorry, I didn't mean to put you on the spot! Maybe now isn't the moment. I want to hear it next time, okay?"
He felt her lean into his arm. "Sure."
He was a person who could really appreciate comfortable silence, and they walked the rest of the way to her flat enveloped by it, cut suddenly when she asked,
"Are you going to ask me out?"
The question took him by surprise. "Pardon?"
"I'm a modern woman. We shouldn't have to wait for men to ask us first," she rephrased, letting go of his arm and facing him directly. "Matt, would you like to have dinner with me sometime?"
He was notoriously awkward when it came to uncomfortable situations. He hated that about himself, but she had said it with an air of lightness.
Despite his determination to hate everything about this night, he had to admit it hadn't been the worst thing in the world. Mimi was amusing and fun, but…
It had been four long months, but he would have felt like he was cheating on her.
"I just got out of a relationship," he admitted finally. He figured she already knew, but he himself had never mentioned it to her up until this point.
She pouted, not looking too dejected. "I know." She held her hand out to him instead, and he took it. She giggled, shaking her head. "Your mobile."
Embarrassed but not wanting to draw attention to it, he pulled the item out of his pocket and gave it to her. She began typing into it, giving it back to him a moment later.
"My number," she explained. "Whenever you're ready to move on, you should call me."
He stared at the mobile between them before grasping it from her hand.
"All right," he agreed. He didn't think he would call her, but there was no need to be impolite about it.
She reached up to him suddenly, planting a small kiss on his lips that he did not return. He thought he must have looked surprised as she pulled away, smiling cheekily.
"A guy like you shouldn't waste so much time sulking. I don't know your ex, but she made a mistake letting you go."
"That's quite a bold statement, considering you don't really know me," he quipped lightly.
"I'm good at reading people."
"First impressions can be misleading."
"Prove me wrong then," she suggested. "I have wine upstairs—and board games."
He looked up at her apartment complex, never really considering her offer. "Maybe next time."
She nodded with a smile, not seeming fazed either, as she repeated, "Next time."
She turned her heel to enter her building, and he stood waiting until she was out of sight to head home. Too lazy to walk, he hailed a cab and waited until he was situated in his seat to take out his phone, her name and number still on his screen.
Mimi Tachikawa.
She was Tai's girlfriend's friend. He'd probably see her again, so he sent her a message with his name, just so she had his number too.
10 March 2015