Jon Athan - Am I Beautiful?

“I’m just saying that I see you eye-fucking her and I think you should talk to her. You don’t have to leave with her or anything like that. Honestly, I’m on your side. It would suck if you cheated on Amber. She’s a friend of mine, too, you know? But… But for science, I feel like you should just go over there and chat with her to see what she’s all about.”

“Science,” Adam repeated sarcastically, rolling his eyes in disbelief.

“What do you think, Mr. Suzuki?”

“I think… you should… stop calling me ‘Mr. Suzuki.’ I told you that many times before,” Hayato said. He clenched his fist and pretended to hit Dallas from across the table while laughing drunkenly. Dallas recoiled, his laughter as loud as Hayato’s. As he recomposed himself, adjusting his shirt and tie, Hayato said, “You are still young, Mr. Miller. Talking to a beautiful woman will not hurt you or your lovely wife. Anyway, I think it is good for you. Have fun now while you are young and… and free.”

Adam looked down at his beer, then over at the bar. He met eyes with the woman for five seconds—five seconds that felt like five minutes. He couldn’t lie to himself. He was just as curious as Dallas, and he was interested in the young woman. He was tipsy, but he wasn’t wearing beer goggles. His attraction to her was real. The feeling reminded him of when he first met Amber, his wife. It wasn’t love at first sight.

It was more like arousal at first glance.

Dallas sensed his mixed emotions. He saw the lust in his eyes and the hesitance in his frown.

He patted Adam’s shoulder and said, “Talk to her, bud. If anything goes wrong, you slip up or she slips a little something in your drink, I’ll come in and get you out of there. Come on, man, have some fun. Live a little.”

‘ Live a little. ’ It was an innocent phrase. It was meant to persuade people to enjoy life, but living a little sometimes cost a lot . In Adam’s case, a chat could cost him his marriage.

Adam trusted Dallas, though. Hayato and Dallas clapped as Adam chugged the rest of his beer. Yuki just smiled amusedly. Adam stood up, but he couldn’t sidestep past Dallas, so he sat on his lap and scooted over him. The men cheered for him as he staggered away from the booth. He puffed out one last sigh and waggled his arms to loosen up, like a boxer seconds away from facing his opponent.

He approached the bar. The cheering from his business associates was drowned out by the neighboring chitchat and the rock music playing from the speakers above the bar.

He took a seat beside the woman. The woman glanced at him, smiled, and then turned her attention back to her drink.

Adam watched her for fifteen seconds, hypnotized by her beauty. She started blushing, simpering while touching her hair in a nervous tic.

“Hi,” Adam said. Smiling, the woman nodded at him, although it looked more like a formal bow. Adam asked, “Do you speak English?”

The woman nodded again and said, “Yes.”

“That’s, um… cool. I mean, ka… kak…”

He couldn’t remember the Japanese word for ‘cool,’ which Hayato had taught him less than fifteen minutes ago.

The woman giggled and said, “ Kakkoii? ”

“Yeah, yeah, kakkoii! I think it’s very cool, very cultured, to be bilingual or trilingual or anything like that. It takes a lot of dedication to learn a new language.”

“Thank you. Should I ask?”

“Ask what?”

“Do you… speak Japanese?”

Adam chuckled and said, “I think you know the answer to that already.”

Laughing with him, the woman said, “I know, I just thought I should ask.”

They stopped laughing, but they continued smiling. Their silence would have been awkward if it weren’t for all of the noise from the other patrons. They were comfortable around each other.

“I didn’t get your name,” Adam said.

“My name is Miki.”

“Miki? Like, uh… Mickey Mouse?”

Miki giggled and nodded. She said, “Yeah, something like that. But my last name is Someya, not ‘Mouse.’ Sorry if that disappoints you.”

“Not at all, Miki Someya. That’s a very pretty name. Very cute. And I’ve walked through enough malls around here to know the Japanese word for cute. It’s… ‘ kawaii ,’ right?”

Miki said, “Yeah. It’s an easy one. I think it’s every Japanese girls’ favorite word.”

They shared another warm laugh.

Miki asked, “So, what’s your name?”

“Adam Mi… Miller,” Adam replied, starting out enthusiastic with his first name and ending up reluctant with his last name.

He bit his bottom lip and lowered his head. Cheaters followed a set of unspoken rules. And the first rule was: Never divulge your personal information, including your full name, your hometown, your workplace, or anything anyone could use to track you down. He broke the rule, so he figured the jig was up.

It’s a blessing in disguise, he told himself. Pack it in and walk away.

Miki asked, “What are you doing in Tokyo?”

Adam forced another smile onto his face and said, “Tell me about yourself. Where’d you learn English? You’re practically fluent.”

“Middle school, high school. I took some private lessons after I graduated. I work at a hotel, so I get a lot of practice with foreigners.”

“That’s very impressive. Well, I think I should, um…”

“Are you here on business? Sorry if I’m getting too personal. You don’t have to answer.”

There was something about Miki’s voice that Adam couldn’t resist. It was so soft, so innocent. He was trying to abandon ship, but he didn’t want to disrespect her. Talking never hurt anyone, he thought as he rubbed the nape of his neck.

He said, “It’s fine, it’s fine. I’m working around here, yeah.”

“What do you do?”

“I’m a, uh… An international… marketing… associate?” Adam said with obvious uncertainty. Hmm —Miki hummed with interest. Trying to change the subject, Adam pointed at her and said, “That’s a nice dress. It looks very good on you.”

“Really?” Miki asked, cheeks as red as apples. “I’m a dressmaker. Well, not really. It’s not, like, my job or anything like that. It’s just a hobby, but I like doing it and I’d love to do it as a career someday. I fixed this dress myself. Sometimes, I fix clothes for my friends, too.”

Adam stared at her, eyes bright with amazement. She didn’t seduce him by flaunting her body or whispering dirty talk into his ears. Yet, he was captivated by her. Her innocence was genuine, and that aroused him. Miki felt Adam’s eyes on her body. Nervous but excited, her blood boiled. She felt hot and dizzy, fidgety in her chair while constantly swiping at her hair. She barely knew him, but she had already fallen head over heels for him.

Adam smiled and said, “You are… just… You’re adorable. Do you know what that means?”

“Cute like a baby?” Miki asked, trying to suppress her laughter.

“Yeah, I guess that’s a good way to put it.”

“Why do you think I’m adorable?”

Adam said, “I don’t know, really. I guess it’s because you’re blushing. I don’t think I’ve seen a girl blush since high school. You’re not a high school student, are you? If you are, I might be in a whole lot of trouble.”

“No, no, you’re okay. I’m twenty-two years old.”

“Yeah? I’m thirty-seven.”

Miki said, “I see. I like… talking to older men. More experience, more to talk about.”

Adam said, “I don’t usually talk to young women, but I was… I saw you from across the bar and I thought… I thought you were the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. And now that I’m here, now that I’m sitting next to you, I can see I was right.” He looked directly into her eyes and said, “You are the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”