Chapter 5
1001 Words
Later That Week – Harvard Campus, Near the Bench
POV: James Saito
She was laughing again. The real kind—unfiltered and a little loud. It filled the air like music that you didn’t know you were missing until you heard it again.
James sat beside her on the campus bench, the late afternoon sun dipping low, casting golden shadows on the pavement. Bianca’s head tilted back slightly as she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, her untamed curls catching the light like they were alive—wild, free, and utterly captivating.
He could barely concentrate on what had made her laugh. Something he said about his disaster of a cooking attempt last night, he thought. But that wasn’t what stuck with him.
It was her. That laugh. That ease. That moment.
She wasn’t like anyone he’d met. Bianca didn’t play games. She didn’t pretend. And she didn’t care that his father owned skyscrapers or that his mother was determined to control his future like it was one of her hotel mergers.
She just... saw him. And that scared the hell out of him.
JAMES (teasingly)
“You know, I wasn’t trying to be funny.”
BIANCA (smiling, breathless)
“Then you need to stop telling stories like that if you don’t want people laughing at you.”
James chuckled, shaking his head as he leaned back, arms stretched along the top of the bench. For a second, the laughter faded into something quieter—something heavier.
He turned his head toward her. Her curls framed her face in this messy, beautiful halo. Her eyes caught his for a beat longer than before.
God, she was so much more than what his mother would allow.
If only his mother could see what he saw now. The intelligence. The fire. The quiet strength wrapped beneath that sarcastic wit. Bianca didn’t come from a family of dynasties or name-brand bloodlines. She came with something far rarer—character.
And James? He was a man already falling off the edge.
JAMES (softer now)
“You ever get the feeling... like someone’s in your life for a reason?”
Bianca blinked, caught off guard. Her smile faded just enough to show she was listening.
BIANCA
“What are you trying to say, Saito?”
He didn’t look away.
JAMES
“I’m saying... maybe this—us—wasn’t just some accident.”
Silence fell between them, thick and meaningful. The sounds of campus dulled around them.
Bianca looked down, her hand resting on the edge of the bench, fingers dangerously close to his. James hesitated, heart pounding, before letting his pinky brush against hers. Just enough contact to say I’m here without spooking her.
She didn’t move her hand away.
And in that small, electric touch, James realized something: it wasn’t a matter of if he’d fall for her.
He already had.
---
Two Days Later – Harvard Garden Courtyard
POV: James
It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.
James had walked Bianca back from the library again, same path they’d taken three times this week, same excuses to stretch the moment just a little longer.
But tonight, the courtyard was empty. Quiet. The trees swayed gently in the evening breeze, lamplight flickering against stone paths. The silence made everything feel intimate—like they were the only two people alive.
Bianca stopped just before the entrance to her dorm. She didn’t reach for the door.
She turned.
BIANCA
“You’re doing that thing again.”
JAMES
“What thing?”
BIANCA (amused)
“The one where you look at me like you’ve never seen me before.”
He stepped closer, just a breath between them.
JAMES
“Maybe I haven’t. Not like this.”
Her breath caught. She wasn’t smiling anymore—but she didn’t look away.
His hand moved slowly, brushing a curl from her cheek. Her skin was warm. Her eyes searched his like she was waiting for something—maybe permission. Maybe confirmation that he wasn’t just playing with her heart.
He wasn't.
JAMES (whispering)
“Can I kiss you?”
She didn’t say yes.
She didn’t need to.
Her fingers curled into the fabric of his sweater, and she leaned in. Their lips met in a kiss that was tentative at first—soft, careful. But then it deepened, like they were both suddenly afraid of letting go.
It wasn’t perfect. It was better than that.
It was real.
---
That Weekend – Saito Estate, Tokyo (Flashback)
POV: James
He should have known better than to bring it up at dinner.
His mother sat across from him at the long mahogany table, her chopsticks paused midair. His father was quiet, drinking sake with the same silence he wore like armor.
JAMES
“I’ve met someone.”
His mother’s smile never reached her eyes.
MRS. SAITO
“Is she from the Embassy family? The Mizukis’ daughter, perhaps? She’s studying at Stanford now, very proper.”
JAMES
“No. Her name is Bianca Lawson. She’s studying psychology. At Harvard.”
A beat of silence.
MRS. SAITO
“Lawson?”
JAMES (steady)
“She’s African American.”
Her face twisted before he even finished the sentence.
MRS. SAITO
“So... a black girl. From the States.”
JAMES
“She’s brilliant. Strong. You’d like her if you gave her a—”
MRS. SAITO (cutting in coldly)
“I will not be a mother-in-law to a black peasant who brings nothing to the table.”
James’s jaw clenched. The words echoed in his head like a slap.
MRS. SAITO (calm, cruel)
“You will marry well. I’ve already contacted the Takahashi family. Their daughter is returning from Japan next month.”
JAMES
“I’m not marrying anyone you choose for me.”
MRS. SAITO
“Then you are no son of mine.”
Silence. His father said nothing.
And James knew then—whatever came next, he would be standing alone.
Except, hopefully… not entirely.
Because he had Bianca.
---
- Writer
