Chapter 7: Ayumi“You look nice,” says Ayumi.
“Thank you.”
She stands, body unmoving, holding her chin in her right hand. Only her eyes scan me from head to toe and back again.
“What?” I ask.
“I’m trying to get used to you with clothes on, that’s all.”
I feel the heat rise in my cheeks and imagine seeing them as Ayumi does, flushed pink.
“I know it’s not allowed in the tea room. Mother’s rules about clients and all. But I’m feeling a strong urge to kiss you, Kaiya. May I?”
In my mind, I’m suddenly back in the kitchen, preparing trays. Ayumi strides in naked, asking for another plate of sweets while I go weak in the knees. And now she wants to kiss me.
I think of what it would be like to step around the prep table in the kitchen for a taste of her lips. As I think back, I’m standing
