Camy Tang - Sushi for One?

“No prob. Thanks, guys.” Jill drifted away.

“I hope I can play.” Kin-Mun sat down to tug off his volleyball shoes. “’Cuz then Jill can set me instead of you.” He roared with laughter.

“Very funny. I’ll tell her you like your sets low and tight to the net so the blocker will stuff it down your face.”

“Aw, you’re so mean.” He rose and picked up his bag.

Excellent. Maybe she could hustle him out of the gym early. “Going out to eat?” Lex started ambling toward the door.

“Yeah… Where’s my ball?” Kin-Mun wove his way toward the folded-up bleachers, examining balls lying on the floor.

Lex went to the other side and helped him search. Anything to get him out to his car faster. She spotted the faded blue Sharpie graphic he’d drawn over the “Tachikara” emblem. “Here it is.”

“Thanks.” Kin-Mun put the ball into his bag, then dropped back down to the floor to stretch.

Stretch?!

Lex could have a cow or just be patient for once. She dropped to the floor next to him.

They were a little removed from the other players, out of earshot if she spoke low. “Hey, Kin-Mun – ”

“Hi guys.” Robyn walked up to them. “Will you buy magazine subscriptions for my son’s fundraiser?”

Another interruption. She’d never ask him out at this rate. “Sure.” Lex fumbled in her bag for her purse. The faster she paid Robyn, the faster she’d leave them.

“Kin-Mun?” Robyn gave him a coaxing grin.

“Uh… sure.” Kin-Mun searched through his bag for his wallet.

Robyn handed Lex the tattered flipcard listing the magazines. Lex barely glanced at them. “Golf.”

Kin-Mun gave her an adoringly confused look. “You don’t like playing golf.”

“I like keeping up with the sport. And I already have ESPN and Sports Illustrated.” She handed Robyn some cash.

Kin-Mun scanned the magazine listings with agonizing slowness. His methodical nature really annoyed her sometimes. Like now. Sometime this century…

“Entrepreneur.”

“You don’t invest.”

“I’d like to.” He handed Robyn the card and his money.

“Thanks, you guys.” Robyn finally left.

“So, Kin-Mun – ”

“Unca Kin-Mun!”

The screech came only a millisecond before a three-year-old hurtled in between them. Lex caught a flailing hand across her eyes. “Oof!”

A burning sensation crawled across her eyeballs. She squeezed her lids shut, and the pain radiated laterally to the corners. What did that brat – er, child have on his hands?

“Oh, buddy, your hands are all sticky.” Kin-Mun’s jovial voice spoke through Lex’s dark pain.

“Oh-jay.” The boy giggled like he’d made a joke worthy of Sesame Street.

Tears finally welled and gushed out. The burning eased. Lex rubbed at her eyes.

“Go back to Mommy.” Kin-Mun gave him a pat on his well-diapered bottom as the toddler stumbled away.

“So, Kin-Mun – ”

With a fluid motion, he hoisted his lanky frame to his feet. “You going out to eat with everybody?” He turned toward the door.

Kin-Mun didn’t even wait for her as he walked out. Lex swallowed her ire as she stood up, grabbed her bag, and followed behind him.

Well, at least he held the door open for her as they exited the gym.

Other players walked beside, in front, and behind them as they all made their way to the parking lot.

“Do you know where we’re going to eat tonight?” Kin-Mun dodged a branch that had fallen onto the sidewalk.

Lex shrugged. “Probably the usual.”

“I’m getting tired of Michael’s Diner.”

“Well, then convince some other restaurant to stay open past ten on a Monday night.” Didn’t they have this conversation every week?

When they reached his car, Lex shifted to stand closer to him as he unlocked his trunk. “So – ”

“Hey, Kin-Mun, did you catch the Giants’ game the other day?” One of his teammates jogged up, lugging his monstrous bag.

“No, I saw the highlights on SportsCenter. Did you?”

“Yeah, I have it saved on Tivo.”

“Hey, can you burn it onto a DVD for me?”

“Sure.”

“Thanks.”

“See ya.” He and his bag lumbered off.

Lex wouldn’t be interrupted again. “Kin-Mun, go out on a date with me.” Oops, that sounded kinda like a threat.

Bushy eyebrows waggled upward, creasing his tanned forehead, reaching for his hairline. “What?”

“Um… would you like to go out on a date with me?”

“Date? Like in…”

“Date.”

“Well, we always hang out.”

“No, I mean, hang out like more than friends.” Man, she hated this kind of DTR stuff. Wait, was this a Define The Relationship discussion? Whoa. This was weird.

“Um…” Kin-Mun scratched the back of his head and looked down at the ground.

Okay, that was a bad sign, right? No immediate, Oh, that’s something I’ve never thought of before. Sure, let’s try it.

“Is that it? ‘Um’?”

“I like being just friends.”

Aaargh. “Nonono. Not acceptable.” Oops… did she say that out loud? Try again. “You’ve never thought of me as anything else? Not even considered it?”

“You’re like… a brother.”

“A brother? One of the guys?”

“Yeah.” He started to smile.

“What am I, genderless?” It came out just short of a screech. Grandma was not correct, she didn’t need bigger breasts to catch a man.

His smile flitted away. “No. You’re like… a sister. Yeah, a sister.”

Was she really not attractive – No, stop that thinking right there. Don’t be ridiculous. “But I’m not your sister.”

“Uh… no, I guess not.”

“So why would you think of me as a sister?”

“I dunno.”

Lex needed to hit the restart button on this entire conversation. “So why not give it a try?”

“What?”

“Dating.”

“Why?”

“Why not?”

As Kin-Mun stood there, Lex could almost see his left-brain logic gears whirling. “Uh…”

“Give me a good reason.”

“Well…” He scratched his head again. “I guess.”

“Great!”

Kin-Mun jumped at her exuberance. His smile seemed a little pained. Maybe she had shouted too loud.

Now to make plans so he couldn’t change his mind. “I’ll email you. We can go out this Saturday night. You’re free, right?”

“Uh…” Gears whirling some more. “Yeah – ”

“Great! You can take me to FJL.”

Kin-Mun’s face brightened at the mention of his favorite Italian restaurant. “Okay.”

“I’ll make reservations. Pick me up at seven.”

“Okay.”

Lex walked away. That hadn’t been too bad. He had just needed a little prodding.

Yes, I’ll hold.” Lex loosened her grip on the phone handset.

“Will you stop pacing? You’re making me nervous.”

Trish plopped on the orange-and-brown striped couch. “So, Kin Mun’s reluctance doesn’t bother you even a little bit?”

Trish’s knowing look put Lex’s back up, even as a small part of her whispered, He wasn’t that reluctant, was he? “Can we talk about this later? I’m on the phone.” Lex leaned back in the ancient La-Z-Boy and rested her elbow against the scarred oak side table.

“You’re not talking to anyone right now.”

“I’m not going to be distracted by you.”

“I don’t distract you.”

“You make me emotional, and I need to be pleasant and calm with Mr. Tomoyoshi.”

Trish rolled her eyes but shut up.

“Hello, Lex?”

Lex turned her attention to the phone. “Hi, Mr. Tomoyoshi.”

“Haven’t seen you in the restaurant in a while. How are you doing?” The kind, jovial voice matched Mr. Tomoyoshi’s wide girth and generous nature.