Counting the Differences

Chapter Twelve


To wear the dress or to wear a skirt instead? Davina held two hangers of clothes side by side by her neck, gazing at her mirror. The beaded white skirt—simple but beautiful—or the pale white and pink dress—her favorite. Beautiful and romantic.

Davina imagined sitting at the dining table with Shin, hoping she would appear poise and charming. She wanted to look nice, of course, but didn't want to look like as though she had tried too hard. She rolled her eyes at her own reflection. As if Shin would honestly care what she wore.

Today wasn't going to be a tutoring session. Tonight was...absolutely stressing her out.

On her bed, Davina's phone chimed and vibrated. She set the hangers aside and activated her phone's screen. One new message.

Sender: Mira

Good luck tonight! And

don't forget to keep Jayla

and I updated! :)

Davina gulped then paused, trying to decide if she should send a reply. She had waited a couple of hours after Shin approached her the day prior before telling Jayla and Mira. Mira had thrown her hands up in the air and cried, "YES!" while Jayla had laughed at Davina and grinned from ear to ear. They had gleefully bombarded her with questions—of course—what are you serving? What are you wearing? Are you nervous? Are you excited?

Their excitement, while supportive, only added to her nerves as each question further marked how unprepared she was. "I don't know what I'm doing exactly. Don't ask me."

Later that day after Davina spoke with Mira and Jayla, she ventured off to one of the larger grocery stores where she knew she could find imports. Maneuvering through the aisles, spending eternity deciding on dinner ingredients. Davina stood there with two cans of tomato puree, feeling brain-dead. She could make the sauce from scratch or buy some pre-made.

Tomato puree, garlic, basil...come to think of it. Davina had no idea if Shin had any food allergies... what if basil made Shin break out in hives? And what about ricotta and mozzarella? What if Shin was vegan?

Okay, Shin in the past had eaten ramen and onigiri with Davina, which meant that in the very least he ate fish, so no, he was neither vegan nor vegetarian. Ricotta and mozzarella were safe.

A relatively short ride and ¥2400 later, Davina packed everything away. Esmée slipped into the kitchen, overhearing her daughter mumbling random ingredient names aloud to herself.

She spotted Davina setting a massive bag of penne pasta into the large cabinet with unblinking focus. When Davina saw Esmée watching, the mother pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Preparing a dinner, Davina?"

"Yes," Davina continued to empty her bags. Davina's father then stepped in, reaching around Davina for the glass shelf but eyed her groceries.

"Planning to make your favorite zitti? Come to think of it, you haven't cooked in a long while." He glanced over to his wife, leaning by the door, who nodded then shrugged.

Davina bit her lip. "I'm just having a friend over after school tomorrow." She shelved the jar of sauce, watching her parents' expressions from the corner of her eye, waiting for more questioning. Her father was a military sergeant and in the past, the right side of his face always twitched whenever he was suspicious.

However, her father simply poured some juice into his glass, as normal as ever. "Sure Davina, just make sure to leave some zitti for me."

Davina's mother had left as well, mumbling something, "leave some for me as well." As Davina watched her mother's shadow fade away, she continued to stare on as her parents' footsteps grew softer, if she thought they would turn back. She waited another moment, then sighed with relief. Her mind had drilled pleasing answers in case her father or mother pursued with their questions and now she couldn't believe how easy her parents had been.

The excitement in Davina's stomach fluttered, regardless of relief, to the thought that her night with Shin was really going to happen. The food was in her cupboard. Her outfit was in her closet. Her parents weren't suspicious.

Davina peered at the living room, where her parents were sitting, trying to imagine Shin on one of the couches. Her father was currently reading the Tokyo Shimbun with his kanji book sitting on his knee. He skipped the front news page about the blooming cherry blossoms and turned to the North American section.

"Huh?" Davina's father turned to the next page and murmured. "Davina, this is your handwriting?" He gestured to the red markings of kanji and burbled translations next to the articles.

"Sorry! I was practicing my Japanese. Got carried away." Davina pointed and relaxed her toes as she leaned against the kitchen wall.

Her father closed his mouth then turned back to his newspaper, his brows lifted. Davina then heard the soft ring from her phone, glided enpointe passed the living room, into her room and shut the door.

It wasn't until he heard Davina's distant chattering that he turned to Esmée, his right eye twitching. I told you. She mouthed.

Ah, yes, he remembered Esmée expressing her surprise in Davina's demeanor lately. "She's taken a likening to studying and she's studying instead of practicing her ballet!"

He laughed at his wife. "Why is that a bad thing? Maybe she has finally decided to go to college instead of doing dance."

Esmée had crossed her arms, bothered by his laughter while she had intended to be serious. "I don't know. It's not bad. That's not why I'm telling you. I've just... never seen her like this."

He glanced at the red pen marked all over his newspaper. They had only been in Tokyo for five months or so and from what he could tell, Davina's Japanese probably surpassed his skills. He knew several colleagues who had been in Tokyo for years and still couldn't bother with basic Hiragana. And judging by his newspaper, Davina, his daughter, was already translating full sentences in the newspaper.


"How do you feel, Davina?" Jayla leaned in, stabbing her fork into her fried fish.

Davina blinked, inhaled then continued swirling her fork. "I feel sick." She said with a slight laugh.

Jayla reached and rubbed Davina's arm. "It's normal to feel nervous. But don't be sick on him."

Mira chimed in. "Come to think of it, do you have any idea of what sort of things get him excited? Favorite music, movies, characteristics in girls?"

Davina sighed thoughtfully. She recalled his demeanor with his friends when they were all at the cafe in Shinjuku. All of his friends, except Noda, showed obvious interest in those cute private school girls. Their lustful smiles and flirting was something Davina couldn't erase from her mind. Noda, however, was in love with Fujiyama sensei and his interest in her was shown by his 60% on his English exam.

Shin didn't bat an eye at those girls, at anyone for that matter.

When Davina didn't answer, Jayla replied. "Well, tonight is the night that she learns all about that stuff, right? And I'm sure he has questions for you too, Davina."

Davina pushed her lunch tray aside and folded her arms on the table. What sort of questions would Shin ask, if any? She doubted that Shin was curious about her; he would have asked her ages ago if that were the case.

"Don't you bore her tonight, Shin!" Minami slapped Shin's desk. Shin didn't nudge his head, nor did he lift his head to face Minami. Noda met eyes with Minami then they both sighed.

"Ii yo na. I wish I had a date tonight." Uchi bent back in his chair to watch Shin, however, he could still hear the boy's soft snoring. Dumbass. If Shin had planned to sleep then why did he bother to show up on time today?

Noda and Kuma nodded in agreement with each other. Noda unzipped his bag and held out his camera. Kuma leaned in to see the tiny screen and saw Davina dancing in her ballet slippers during one of the tutoring sessions. "It has us in here—look see there's us! So we have proof that we knew her before she became a famous dancer. This video will be worth a lot one day." Noda pointed to his smiling face and daydreamed.

"Nah," Kuma nudged Noda, "do you think she'll introduce us to any celebrities when she's at the top? Japanese or American... I don't care, sah..."

"Don't get your hopes up." Shin murmured behind his hand.

Awkwardly, Kuma and Noda lifted their heads in sync. Both saw Shin sitting on his desk, turned away to the back wall.

"Eh, when did you get up?" Noda groused to Shin's back. Uchi shrugged in response.

"Romeo over there is probably resting his mind for his date tonight. Lucky bastard." Minami uttered to the boys who groaned in agreement.

Shin didn't confirm nor reject their conclusions, however his mind was currently riddled with his recent discovery about 3-D's newest teacher. From the very beginning, Yankumi's behavior had been different from all the other teachers. She knew how to fight, she yelled in Yakuza-street slang like a native, and her tolerance of rough behavior as Headteacher so thoughtfully put it, proved that she had been raised with such rowdiness.

"What the hell did you say?"

"You wanna fight?"

"Your breath stinks!"

Yankumi was dumber than Shin originally thought. She cheered the boys on as they fought one-by-one. "It's not a sashigoro. What? Don't you know what that is?"

"It's NORMAL not to know!" Noda yelled at her, his expression matching the other boys' of confusion and suspicion.

When Headteacher stormed in, with impeccable timing, Yankumi went red in the face and hid behind Kuma.

"Baka." Shin muttered. Shin immediately pondered why he hadn't figured out her secret before he found her phone. Yankumi or Ojou might as well have waved a bright red banner, telling the world she was Yakuza. If Yankumi wanted to keep her home-life a secret, she had better start thinking about her actions.

Yankumi stared at Shin as she hid behind Kuma. Shhhh! She held a finger to her lips. Shin stared back unblinkingly. Baka.

Davina smoothed the edges of her dress. She bent her knees to rub her legs to be sure that every inch of her skin was smooth as silk. She fingered the ringlets in her hair, not a single strand was out of place. She leaned in towards her reflection, checking her mascara. Her eye makeup wasn't smudged, her powder foundation blended beautifully from her forehead to her neck and her beaded earrings added a subtle glamour to her outfit.

She was ready. The food was ready. She glanced at her room for a final check; it was clean. Her clock glared the time brightly from her nightstand. It was 17:36. Butterflies pattered in her stomach excitedly. That had been the case ever since Shin approached her the former day. The butterflies and the nerves had killed her appetite, kept her up late that night, and ruined all her abilities for decision-making.

Davina flipped open her purse and found her phone. Still no message from Shin. She imagined he would call her once he arrived at the military base. She grabbed a light coat and her military ID and left the apartment.

"Good evening, Ms. Summons." The door guard nodded to her and buzzed the door to release the lock.

"Evening," Davina grinned as she pushed the door open. The soft evening breeze brushed against her face and Davina couldn't help but smile at the orange sky. The wind grew stronger as she strolled down the side walk towards the road crossing. She wrapped her jacket around her, still enjoying the cool brush of wind against her skirt and legs.

Davina reached the corner of the street and waited near the wall as pedestrians and cars swift by in a blur. A young school couple passed by her and Davina looked on happily. They were both eating ice cream cones and the boy wrapped an arm around the girl to pull her closer. The girl giggled as he whispered something in her ear.

Davina squeezed the zipper strap of her jacket over her chest, daydreaming. She spotted the cafes across the street, remembering the times she had spent with Jayla and Mira. Her stomach churned when she pictured sitting on the balcony with Shin. She also pictured sitting on the chairs with Shin, Jayla and Mira. By then, it wouldn't be a big deal for Shin to be in her life.

She went through the list of the contacts in her phone for the sake of seeing Shin's name. She clicked one too far and saw Tatsuya's profile. In a swift motion, she deleted his contact information. The cursor pulsed on Shin's name and Davina relaxed once more.

"My, you look spectacular tonight, Ms. Summons," uttered a Southern voice in front of Davina as a speedy car roared down the road, startling her. She hit the 'end call' button on her phone then faced Sam Williams, inhaling a deep breath of relief. It was just Sam.

"Oh, hey Sam, thanks..." Davina tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. He was still in his ASIJ school clothes, judging by the school's initials on his sweater, yet his demeanor was very casual, unlike the night where she first met him. No military personnel around and ultimately, the lack of a formal atmosphere. Davina thought he looked much better without the tie, suit, and over-gelled hair. She suddenly remembered how agitated she had been that night due to little sleep, Tatsuya, Shin, and ballet. "Please, sorry for my grumpiness last Friday."

Sam laughed. "Don't worry about it, it was refreshing actually." He adjusted his book bag strap more securely over his shoulder as he moved in closer.

"Really? Davina chuckled, relieved that for once her exhaustion hadn't marred a first impression. "Are you adjusting well to Tokyo?"

Sam yawned loudly but then smiled. "Oh excuse my rudeness! The time change has been killer. It's been a pain to not fall asleep during class, but when I get home, I sleep until 3 in the morning. Usually, I'm pretty quick about it, but not this time for some unknown reason. It's why I haven't seen much of Tokyo yet, but I want to—"

"Oh, where were you stationed before?" Davina glanced down the road, hoping to see Shin, but saw no sight of him.

"Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Completely different from Tokyo. A nice change of pace though but I miss the food." Sam answered, not noticing how Davina was paying attention to the sidewalks.

"Are they bringing in more officers to Japan?" Davina asked.

Sam calculated. "Hmm, not more than usual honestly. I'm surprised we didn't stay in the Middle East. There were talks of Egypt or Israel for us."

"Us too. I figured another"—Davina rolled her eyes at the thought of relocating—"move was inevitable."

Sam held his head down in silence for a moment. "Yeah, where were you before?"

"New York City." Davina said softly waiting for Sam's response.

His eyes grew wide, but he shook his hair over his forehead to mask his astonishment. "I'm... I'm sorry—

"Don't be." The air grew thick and silence fell between them as if they forgot about their urban surroundings. "Everyone I knew was safe. Some of my classmates weren't so lucky."

"It's why we're both here, right? Thank goodness everyone you knew was safe."

Davina clenched the pockets of her jacket then suddenly relaxed herself when she realized she was tense. She leaned against the gate, her eyes fixed on the soft cherry blossom petals in some distant tree down by the park.

Sam was honestly impressed that Davina could even indicate such a tragedy while still remaining composed. It either meant that she didn't care or that she was strong. Judging by her dark, somber expression, she must have been strong.

The wind blew Davina's long hair over her face and she shuddered slightly. Sam wondered deeply he should try to comfort her. He held out an arm to hug her but stopped halfway, then deciding to scratch the side of his head instead. Change the subject, his gut wrenched.

"So, where do you like to hang out in Tokyo?" Sam asked for the sake of continuing the conversation and lighting up the mood.

Davina lifted her head slowly and fragile. It was the first time that Sam noticed her eyes were green. She straightened herself and tucked a chunk of hair behind her ear. "I like... Shinjuku, Shibuya, Harajuku, Akihabara, Ginza is lovely as well." She bit her lip and looked down at her feet, trying to remember the district name of Shirokin.

Sam laughed, "that's a long list of places." He paused for a moment, Davina noticed. Sam scratched his head once more then faced Davina again. "Listen, if you ever wanna go be tourists around Tokyo with me—

"Shin!" Davina gasped, her fingers had rushed to her lips, feeling a mixture of excitement and embarrassment. When she finally peered up, there was stood Shin, clad in a knit beige sweater, black trousers, and his usual rings and chain. Hands in pockets, his poker face in play, Shin had arrived in the entire sense.

Davina's heart was beating a million times a minute. She stepped forward towards Shin while turning back and forth from Sam to Shin. "Oh, Sam, this is...Shin." She gestured her arm to Shin and bit her lip; she had thought about saying 'my friend Shin,' but feared her words would have been too casual. "And Shin—" Davina gestured back to Sam—"this is Sam."

The boys met eyes briefly; Shin being completely mute and calm while Sam leaned back cautiously, while he waited for a response from the stranger boy. However, as Davina approached Shin, Sam was internally debating on whether to stay away from Shin or closer to Davina.

"Hi Shin," Davina smiled as stood in between Sam and Shin.

"Sashiburi." Shin responded causing Davina to laugh. She could feel Sam fidget behind her.

"It's been one day!" Davina answered back, playfully smacking Shin's arm. Before Shin could respond, Sam mumbled to Davina. "You...speak Japanese...?"

Davina twisted back, unsure by his tone if he were asking a question. "Hmmm?"

"She speaks it well." Shin answered for Davina, turning the focus to him. Davina's cheeks grew rosy while Sam was further stunned as his brows lifted.

"Well...not really..." Davina managed to say, twisting back and forth to Shin and Sam.

"You speak English?" Sam also said, directed towards Shin, his attention fixed on him.

"Yes, he speaks it well." Davina turned back to Shin, thinking maybe he could blush as well. His poker face remained as strong as ever. Davina pouted. Psh, typical Shin. "Well, I don't want the zitti to get cold. Shall we go inside?"

Sam brushed away his fringe to avoid eye contact with Davina. "Oh, you two are having dinner, together."

Davina wasn't listening, already fishing out her military ID to hand to the guard. Sam took one last glance of Shin from head to toe, trying to make a solid judgment of the long-haired boy. Shin didn't seem interested or intimidated by him; Sam sighed then watched as Davina cheerily filled out the guest paperwork for Shin. Sam shook his head.

"Shin?" Davina's voice brought Sam back to reality. "Can you show him your school ID, please?"

Sam allowed Shin to step in front of him, flipping through his wallet for his student card. Neither of one of them paid attention as Sam stood by on the sidewalk to watch them together. Shin or whatever his name was, was not a foreign diplomat's son nor was he an army-brat. Normally, international students and kids stuck together. He was native Japanese, which was fine. But seeing him and Davina together was a sight Sam could not understand. Sure, Sam didn't know Davina very well, but he trusted his judgment of character. He had liked the girl he had met that night of the formal dinner. Sharp, witty, unforgiving yet empathetic.

Sam quickly flashed another guard his military ID and was waved through with ease. "Welcome back Mr. Williams." The guard's words were left unheard as Sam was still staring at Davina and Shin. Davina was grinning brightly as Shin quickly wrote in his information. He heard her laugh and was surprised when he cringed. Davina also didn't how when Shin glanced up, the guard's face munched up in suspicion. "Mr. Williams?"

Sam shook his head. "Huh?" He squeezed his military ID, unsure of when the guard handed the card back to him.

"Are you entering or exiting?" The guard sternly asked.

Sam exhaled as he took one last glance at Davina and Shin; they were being waved in by the guard. Davina casually met eyes with Sam and waved 'bye' as she led Shin into the base. Shin meanwhile stood next to her, yet, even while he was physically close to her, Sam couldn't see any true familiarity between Shin and Davina.

Sam gave a wide wave of his arm to gesture 'bye.' "I'm entering, sir." He uttered to the guard who leaned against the wall to allow him through. Sam exhaled deeply again as he crossed the gate, unable to get a bad taste out of his mouth.

"Konbanwa!" Davina gave a slight bow of her head as she strolled into the corridor.

The three receptionists smiled politely and replied with "Konbanwa."

Shin paused briefly at the doorway to fully intake the beauty of the halls. It resembled a hotel, he first thought as he noticed the several couches in the lobby with a full reception desk with all Japanese workers. In front of him was a full grand stair case that glittered brightly under the glass chandeliers. He stared down at his feet and saw elegant red carpeting decorated with floral designs. As he slipped past the reception, he met eyes with the Japanese individuals and gave a slight nod of his head, to which they bowed as well.

Davina hailed for the elevator, occasionally pointing her toes in order to satisfy her excited limbs. As the elevator door dinged a group of Americans, some in military uniform, probably in their mid thirties, laughed gleefully as they entered the lobby. Shin could hear their laughter echo behind him.

When the elevator doors opened, Shin allowed Davina to enter first, then followed her inside. Davina pushed the button for the fourth floor, then they rode up. Davina couldn't muster the nerve to look at Shin, who stood at her left side. The air was tight in small elevator and whenever the elevator shook, Davina's arm slightly brushed against the soft fabric of his sweater. She had wanted to say that he liked his sweater earlier when they were still outside, but Sam had been an unexpected coincidence. She dully watched the numbers above the door glow, L...1...2...

Shin saw Davina's reflection stare up in the silver doors of the elevator. He saw her glance down for a moment, then bite her lip and sigh. She smoothed out her jacket and skirt. Finally at the fourth floor, the elevator dinged once more than opened the doors.

Davina strode out of the elevator, relieved for open air, then slipped past a janitor with a mop. Shin followed behind but slower. From behind, he appreciated how her skirt showed off the length of her smooth-looking legs. The janitor lifted his head at Shin then continued mopping the floor. Also Japanese, Shin thought.

"That room," Davina pointed suddenly across to the end the long hall, "is unoccupied. And this is my home." She said as they reached a tall and heavy door with the numbers 404 molded in the center. She produced her keys then opened the door.

Shin saw her walk in with her shoes so he followed suit.

It took Davina until she was nearly in the kitchen to realize Shin's dilemma with taking off his shoes. He still hadn't stepped into the house and Davina remembered her own shoes were still on her feet. Some families in the other apartments stuck with the tradition of removing shoes at the door for cleanliness, but Davina's family didn't mind. Davina ran back to the door, wondering if she should remove her shoes. "Oh, go ahead and put your shoes by the door."

Shin said nothing as he unlaced his shoes then set his feet into carpet carefully, one by one. Davina felt like hitting herself in the face. How could she forget such a strong Japanese custom? "I can give you slippers if you want?" She harshly bit her lip, hearing the embarrassment creep in the pitch of her voice.

Shin was silent as he removed his shoes and set them by the door. Davina's hands shook in frantic nerves, but she forced herself to be still as Shin stood up. Davina turned back to the kitchen, remembering she had intended to go there.

"So, hungry? Let me serve the zitti." She led him to the dining table. As she pulled out a chair for Shin to seat, he looked over his shoulder at the apartment. From the kitchen and dining area, he could see the living room decorated with a coffee table, cream colored couches, a book case, and framed family photos.

"Shin?" Davina mumbled with her hands on the chair. Shin slowly turned back and sat in the dinning chair. He heard Davina sighed behind them, then skip off into the kitchen. Shin touched the dark red wood under his fingertips, feeling the warm light from the chandelier hanging high above him. Sounds of Davina gathering plates and silverware echoed into dining room.

She hurried, but gracefully, set down two plates at opposite sides of the table, napkins, and silverware. Stay graceful, Davina, she ordered. When she was satisfied with the presentation of the table, she skipped back to the kitchen for the salad and the zitti.

Balancing the salad bowl and the still hot glass baking-plate on her arms, Davina rushed back into the dining room and immediately placed them at the center of the table. Rubbing the hot skin on her arm, she returned to the kitchen to put to her arm into the sink. She sighed gratefully as the cool water quieted the hot flashing on her skin.

After a few seconds, she turned off the faucet, and grabbed two glasses. Hurrying back the dining room, Davina stopped suddenly. The dining room was empty with a lone chair pulled out. Where did Shin go? She jumped as the crashing of glass in front of her feet.

While Davina had been setting the table, Shin had been lured away by curiosity into the living room. He had glanced at the cream colored couches and the book titles on the book shelves. He recognized a few of the English titles, but also noticed many FSI language acquisition books: French, Russian, Arabic, Azeri, and Japanese. He stepped along a shelf with several framed family photos, many with youngster Davina smiling in front of world famous monuments: Statue of Liberty, Big Ben, Eiffel Tower, Hagia Sophia... The rest were set in various surroundings, ocean or desert, with whom Shin figured to be Davina's parents. Just the three of them for most of the photographs. He picked up the frame with a teen Davina wearing sunglasses, tanned face, arms, and legs, sitting on a bench overlooking a large Mosque and the ocean. "You're an only child I see."

SMASH!

Shin lifted his head then set the photograph back on the shelf. He returned to the dining room and saw Davina hunched over, carefully picking up pieces of sharp glass in her hands.

"Ow!" Davina dropped the pieces of glasses and clenched her hand. Shin approached her slowly, sat next to her and reached for her hand. "Here," He said softly to her, "let me help."

Shin saw the redness on her arm, but focused on the thin red line gushing with blood in the palm of her hand. He reached onto the table for one of the extra napkins and pressed it against her hand, squeezing it with his.

Davina took strained breaths, surprised by the loudness of her breathing in the silence between them. She could feel the pressure from Shin's squeeze from her palm to her forearm.

Davina's red hair glittered in the warm light, Shin noticed. He rather liked the waves in her hair, smelling the sweet scent of her shampoo. Davina's attention was fixed on the hand-charm on Shin's chain that rested on the collar of Shin's sweater. She knew the meaning that of symbol and she had known for a while and been meaning to tell Shin but always grew too nervous or simply forgot during their time together. She gulped, remembering how close Shin was to her, comforting her after she cut her hand. She suddenly saw his lips; she bit her own, not allowing herself to think of the distance between his and hers.

Shin's eyes met hers. He had caught her staring. Davina wanted to pull away as her stomach wrenched with nerves, but she remained frozen by Shin's piercing stare. Davina internally yelled at herself to stay composed, but, fascinated, she stared back at his dark brown eyes. His grip had loosen on her hand, but was still firm. Shin tilted his head to the side towards hers. When she didn't move closer, Shin's other arm grace along her stomach to the back, to pull her into his embrace.

The air was too thick; Davina gasped, then shook her head at Shin and quickly stood her to feet. She lifted the napkin from her hand and saw she had stopped bleeding. "I'd better go clean this up. I'll be right back."

Davina was half way into the bathroom, yet she still heard Shin's disappointed sigh and his scrapping sound of the glass being swept away. She checked her cheeks, were they just rosy or did she wear too much blush? She turned on the faucet and soaped the cut on her hand, mentally kicking herself. Way to go Summons. She had gotten nervous and effectively ruined the moment.

Of course, Davina did consider the possibility of kissing Shin that night, but not really in the end. Sauce and her parents ended up taking up her mental processing. Davina had also been too embarrassed to plan for it so to speak. But then again, in her mind, she had planned to gracefully serve Shin dinner, maybe exchange stories over tea in the living room, and meanwhile she would have stunned Shin. Wow, she's put together, he would though, or so her mind though. In her mind, the date would have been flawless. So far, they didn't have salad and she already burned and cut herself. Plus, she thought she looked ugly in the mirror now, and she gave up what might have been her first kiss.

"Suck it up, Davina." She leaned in towards her reflection. Maybe not flawless, but Davina was determined for the date to go well. She left the bathroom and returned to the dining room.

The glass had been cleaned and Shin was sitting at the table with his elbows balancing up his head on the table. His expression was blank, yet she knew he was waiting for her to decide their next action. Davina smiled confidently and sat at the table. "Sorry for the wait, Shin. Now, how about we enjoy our food?"

Davina grabbed the salad bowl and held out her uninjured hand to Shin. "Would you like some salad?"

Shin dropped his hands then smirked and passed her his plate. "Sumimasen."

Davina relaxed as she scooped lettuce leaves onto his plate. "Dozo."

"Arigatou gozaimasu."

"Itadakimasu!" Davina waited a few moments as Shin stabbed his fork on his food and ate, making sure he didn't grimace or choke. He simply chewed his food and continued packing more with his fork for another mouthful.

Davina felt another wave of relief. So far, so good.