Natsuki was well aware that she was abandoning who she had been for Harvey. She put away her face paint, ignored her desire for a fine kimono, and got used to wearing heels instead of geta. It was the price of becoming who Harvey wanted, and it was a price she was willing to pay.
He bought her a beautiful dress for an art gallery opening in Manhattan, a lavender creation with ruffles around the bottom and one sleeve. She wore glitter on her collarbones, and did her eyes up with light powder and soft lines of eyeliner. He picked her up outside of her tiny apartment, and she was bouncing with excitement.
"We've really got to get you set up in a bigger apartment," Harvey said as she stepped into the car.
"I don't mind it, I have this whole big world that I share with you," she said, smiling at him.
"You look beautiful," he said.
"You don't look too bad yourself," she said, nudging his shoulder. He was wearing a tuxedo and had combed his hair back a la James Bond. "So what's on the agenda for the evening?"
"I leave agendas to my secretary," he said. "We're going to focus on just having fun."
"Fun at an art gallery? That's some high-brow version of fun, Harvey."
"Who said fun can't be high brow?"
"When you're dressed like we are? No one would dare." She said with the geisha smile.
They sidled up to the small art gallery and slipped inside. Harvey held the door open for her and, charmed, she entered with a large smile.
"My, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore," she said, looking around, stunned, at the artwork. Large sculptures made out of knitted yarn were scattered around the room. Natsuki giggled. Harvey got them champagne and then they walked slowly through the room.
"I think this one reminds me of myself," Natsuki said, gesturing to a large blue man with a red knitted beard.
"Don't sell yourself short, you're much more like the orange swan," Harvey said, pointing with his champagne at the creature, which was lopsided and out of proportion.
"Why, thank you Harvey, I didn't know you thought so highly of me," said Natsuki, hand over heart. They walked over to the car, which was a light yellow and had every detail down to the headlights, except for the fact that it was entirely made out of yarn.
"I'd love to drive this thing," Harvey said.
"You like to drive?" Natsuki asked.
"Fast," Harvey replied.
"What a coincidence, I love to be a passenger," she said.
"Always the passenger?"
"Behind every great driver is a great passenger," she said with a twinkle in her eye.
"We might just have to get out of here and go for a drive, then," he said. "I've only had half a glass of champagne and I think this art is a little too strange for us on a first date."
"Oh, and escaping to go on a wild car ride would be less strange?"
"I thought the goal for tonight was fun. Screw the agendas."
"Alright," she said with a small smile, "Screw the agendas. Let's go." They said a polite goodbye to the artist, slipped out the back door, and Harvey summoned his sleek grey car out of seemingly nowhere. She settled into the passenger's seat.
"Get ready, Natty," he said, and put the car into gear.
They flew out of the city.
"Where are we going?" she shouted over the sound of the car roaring along. He turned the radio up and pretended not to hear her, turning to her with the famous Specter smile.
"I'll tell you when we get there," he said. She laughed and leaned her head against the window, enjoying the view of the scenery rolling past.
She dozed off and when she woke up they were pulling up to an inlet.
"How long was I out?" she asked.
"Just a bit," he said. "We're here."
"Where is here?"
"The Jersey Shore."
"What?!"
"Shh. Get out. I want to show you around." She climbed out of the car to see they were parked in front of a walkway with a railing, near an inlet where the boats came and went. He was still in his tuxedo but he had undone the bow tie and she kicked off her heels and left them in the car. They walked along the inlet. Harvey took her hand into his.
They reached the sand and stepped onto the beach. It was completely silent except for the roar of the waves. She walked down to the water and put her feet in.
"Come on, Harvey," she shouted back, laughing. "The water's fine! Come on, you know you want to." he looked around. There was no one watching. He kicked off his shoes and socks and ran into the water with Natsuki, getting his feet wet up to his ankles. She turned to him, smiling.
"I just want to say, Harvey," she said. "Thank you for everything you've done for me."
"You're the one that's done all the work," he said. There was a pause.
"I'm afraid I don't have a clever response for that," she said.
"Sometimes you don't have to talk," he said, and kissed her. The waves crashed around their ankles and the moon shone down on them. He kissed her gently, making up for their fight. Natsuki had never been kissed like that before, all the men of her life had been greedy and rough. She melted under his touch.
After a time they walked up the beach hand in hand, camping out under the life guard stand.
"Tell me something about yourself, Harvey," she said.
"I'm good-looking, exceptionally good at my job, and great in bed, what else do you need to know?" he asked.
"Tell me if you like your job."
"I love my job."
"Did you always love it?"
"I wasn't always a lawyer."
She was surprised.
"I imagined you came from wealth," she said in explanation. "I never imagined that you'd be anything but a lawyer."
"No… I used to work in the mail room," he said. He was surprised at himself for sharing this with her but the more he got to know Natsuki the more he wanted to trust her. It was difficult, so he chose to tell her things that everyone knew. "A woman named Jessica Pearson picked me out and got me through law school. Then I started working at Pearson Hardman. I worked hard, I got a lot done in a short amount of time and before anyone knew it I was senior partner."
"Wow." She was impressed.
"What about you? Do you like your job?" she laughed.
"Scrubbing toilets and waiting tables was hardly what I had in mind when I was a little girl," she said. "I imagined my life full of glamour and riches – that is the world of the geisha. But if I keep saving, in a few years I'll have my own tea shop and that's all I've ever really wanted." She smiled up at him, then sighed and snuggled into his side. "You really are fantastic, Harvey."
"Don't flatter me. If my head gets any bigger it might explode." She laughed and held him again. They kissed under the stars, talking and dozing in the sand, until Natsuki fell asleep. He wrapped both arms around her, thinking,
I'll just close my eyes for a moment.
He woke up before sunrise and saw that Natsuki was still sleeping soundly tucked into his side. She smelled sweet like synthetic violet perfume and he sat for a few moments with his face in her hair, breathing in her scent, until she moved slightly and woke up, and then he turned away, pretending he was still asleep. She said something to him in Japanese, quietly, touched his lips, and then let out a long sigh. She looked out to the water, and then let out a gasp, shaking him.
"Harvey! Harvey, look, the sun's about to rise!" She ran down to the water, splashed in the low tide, getting the hem of her dress soaked. "Harvey, look! Look!" the sun poked up, large and yellow, as the stars vanished high above. She looked back at him and in that moment he swore she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. But the thought was gone as quickly as it had come. She laughed and threw her hands up.
"Good morning, America! Good morning, world!" she shouted.
He smiled. She ran back to him, feet caked in sand and sea water, laughing, and half-tackled, half-hugged him. They walked back to the car.
"Don't you get any of that shit in my car," he warned, gesturing to her feet. She rolled her eyes and obliged.
They drove back to New York City, with her sleeping most of the way, out of pure exhaustion from having stayed up so late. He dropped her off back at her apartment still early in the day.
"I can safely say this was the best first date I've ever been on," she said. "Well, I've never been on any first dates, not really, but this one would be the best, purely by comparison-"
"Bye, Natsuki," he said.
"Bye, Harvey." She said, smiling, and slammed the door to his car shut.