Chapter 3: NAOKI

The condo was large, at least four times larger than my humble living space, and every speck of it looked expensive. From the entryway, there was a short hallway leading into the living, dining, and kitchen areas, all attached as they were in my apartment, but each grandiose and spacious all on their own. The kitchen, to my right, was all silver appliances and polished black cabinetry and countertops. A kitchen island as long as a dinner table was settled into the center of the waxed gray and black tiled floor. Overhead, a massive chandelier, sparkling against the early afternoon sunlight, marked the division between kitchen and dining area. 

I found the length of the dinner table slightly ridiculous. I didn’t know how many people this man had over for dinner on the daily, but a home table large enough to seat twenty people had to be excessive, even to the rich. 

But still, this was the kitchen of my goddamn dreams. I hardly paid attention to the rest of the place.

“Uh… You can just sit him over here. On the couch.” I heard a voice say to my left. 

Shocked back to reality, goosebumps shivered along my skin, and I knew my ears had instantly gone deep red. “O-Okay.” Look at me over here stuttering, I thought with a slight shake of my head. Finding a drunk outside my house, taking him in, and bringing him to this lavish condominium weren’t the most unexpected things that had happened to me today. This guy, the younger brother, had to be top of my list. 

He wasn’t even presenting himself as I guessed he normally would: In a suit, necktie, and hair slicked to one side or something. Instead, I was seeing this guy in gray sweatpants, a loose plain-white Tee, mussed hair playing with his eyelashes, barefoot, and with a cast casing his left leg and holding crutches… And still my heart had fluttered the moment I saw him. I was proud of how well I hid it at the door, but now, I was totally affected. 

 I made my way over to the long, deep gray couch across from the kitchen and tossed the big guy off my back like a sack of potatoes. He grunted on impact, and I couldn’t stop myself from making a face at his sleeping features, drool (that was undoubtedly somewhere on the back of my shirt collar now) streaming out of the corner of his mouth. I shivered. 

“This guy’s a wreck.” I muttered. 

“I know. I’m—I’m sorry about him. Really.” 

The gasp I gusped was enough to choke me. “No. No! I-I didn’t mean to insult him like that.” I mean, at least not in front of you, Mr. Adonis, sir. 

The younger brother, whose name I was dying to know, waved me off, “It’s fine. The pair of us often make fools of ourselves, so you’re not off base. We just try not to make fools of ourselves in public, if we can help it.” 

“I can’t really see you making a fool of yourself, though?” 

He chuckled, but I noticed the lack of light behind it. “You’d be surprised.” 

We were silent then, passing words through the silence that strangers like the two of us dared not to say out loud. Eventually, I realized it was perhaps time for me to go. 

 “So, uh, thanks for— I mean, sorry for— I mean—” I sighed. This wasn’t going well. “I’ll, just, get going now.” I finished lamely, jutting my thumb out in the direction of the door. 

He shot a hand up, balancing his crutch beneath his right armpit. “Wait! I haven’t paid you yet for,” he implicated his sleeping brother with a nod of his head. 

I shook my head. Smiling a little, I said, “On second thought, I don’t need it.” My mind wasn’t on my side, though. F*cking liar, the money’s the only reason you’re here, came a thought, but I continued. “You can count this as… a little favor from a new friend?” 

After twitching my hand upward awkwardly as a way of saying goodbye, I began to back toward the door. 

“N-No, wait.” He said again, “What about… um… a way back home! You drove my brother’s car here, didn’t you? You can wait here until I can get a driver here for you.” 

I waved off the offer, still heading for the door. “That’s kind of you, but I could just call a taxi—” 

“B-But!” The younger brother called out again and I finally stopped to really look at him. His forehead and lips were both wrinkled in frown, his eyes seemed to have grown darker with desperation. He had his hand up again, reaching toward me, and he let it fall self-consciously back toward the crutch when he found me looking. 

A slow smile spread across my face. “You seem to be,” I walked a few paces forward, “asking me to stay?” 

The way his face, neck, and ears grew pink with embarrassment made me a little giddy and I laughed aloud. He said, “I am. I’m, you know, tired of talking to the ceiling.” He glanced upward then back at me, making a face so shy I promised to save it in my memory. 

I didn’t truly know what he meant by that, but I could guess, and I knew I couldn’t leave now, so I said, “Alright, I’ll stay.” 

What I didn’t say was, It’d be my undying pleasure, though it was on my mind. 

The relieved smile he gave me filled me up with something hard to describe. I continued speaking, “On one condition.” Then, his smile fell. And that made me smile too. 

“What is it?” He sort-of whispered. 

 “You’ve gotta let me use your kitchen.” I watched confusion write itself over his features. 

His bushy eyebrows pushed up into his messy hair as he repeated, “My kitchen?” like he’d never heard the words before. I only nodded, so he offered more, “You want to use—” 

“Your kitchen. Yes.” I finished for him. “I mean,” I paused to sneer at the drunkard on the couch, “after your stup- I mean, brother ruined my plans earlier this morning with his shenanigans, it’s the only way he—and you, if you insist—can repay me.” 

Mr. Adonis hissed like something had stung him. “Ah..." He said. "I see.”  

“You’re hovering.” I said, not looking up from my work. 

 “Yes, well… I’m curious.” Came Mr. Adonis’s reply. He was balanced against the farthest countertop of his kitchen, his crutches forgotten beside him and leaning against the wall. I was at that beautiful kitchen island, silently cursing the fact that I didn’t have my enormous case of baking tools. I’d left them at home to drag that walking mess out of my life, and yet here I was--with his charming younger brother. 

“You’re distracting.” I responded. 

“How so?” He said, and there was something in his voice that made me cut my eyes over in his direction. His playful tone made up for the somewhat distant look in his eyes. There was no obvious gleam there, but he certainly appeared interested. 

Mysterious guy, I thought. His behavior made me chuckle. 

I didn’t answer him and continued scrolling through the order details on my phone. On the open counter space beside me, I sketched a rough outline of what the design would look like once completed on a sheet of paper. The problem though was that every few strokes or so, I’d lift my eyes to find Mr. Adonis still standing there, leaning against the counter, watching me. 

I felt heat spreading across my face. “Again.” I said, “Distracting.” 

“But I’m literally doing nothing!” He laughed a little. I was surprised it could sound so light, coming from someone with his eyes. “What are you doing?” 

“Are you blind? You can literally see me!” It was me laughing now. 

He crossed his arms across his chest, “I want to hear you tell me.” I looked up at him then, completely taken aback by the sound of his voice. There was no mistaking it this time, how he meant for his words to affect me. 

It sent shivers from my shoulders up to my ears. 

This guy… is something.