Falling For My Sensei

Chapter 4

A little over a week passed by smoothly. Kyo and I sent each other random text messages whenever we could. The texts were mainly funny things we came across since neither of us had the time to have any long, serious conversations… He called me once, but then a parent showed up to ask him about his classes, so he had to hang up.

It’s now Saturday, and I’m getting ready to meet up with Leroy. I wonder if Kyo’s dojo will be attending the competition today. I never got the chance to ask him for the name of his dojo or if they would be competing.

I almost pick out a dress to wear just in case I see him, but I decide to dress how I normally dress. I put on my favorite skinny jeans, a plain t-shirt, and my airmax sneakers…I’m going to be sitting down for who knows how long, so I might as well be comfortable.

When I get to the location of the competition, Leroy waves me over from his spot in the audience.

“Hey, it’s so packed in here.”

“Hey boo, I know right!?… I’ve never seen so many hot men in the same place at once unless you count the gym or a strip club.”

“Leroy, not everyone is hot in those locations,” I respond while laughing.

“That’s true, but it doesn’t matter because I’m only here to look at my man.”

“Speaking of Jonah, where is he?”

“He’s over there wearing the white gi that has the red circle on the back with a gold dragon in the middle, he’s wearing a black belt.”

I look in the direction he’s pointing, and Jonah is talking with someone who's wearing a black gi with the same logo on the back, and he is also wearing a black belt.

“Oh, I see him…who is he talking to? If I didn’t know any better, I would say that he’s with Kyo.”

Leroy whistles low and gives me a look as if I’m crazy: “Girl, you got it bad, how would you even be able to tell that’s him with his face turned?”

“I’m not crazy, Leroy. I saw that man from behind many times on the same day, I could just tell.”

——“Attention, the competition will be starting soon, everyone please take your seats, students and instructors please make sure you are in the correct areas”——

Once the announcement ends, everything goes silent, and I keep my eyes on Jonah and the man with him, then smile.

Leroy lightly nudges me, then whispers: “What are you smiling about?”

“Look, I was right, that is Kyo with Jonah.”

“You got it bad.”

“Oh, hush,” I whisper while I nudge him back.

“So, why is Jonah competing if he already has a black belt?”

“I don’t know much about this whole thing, but he said he wants to get a special black belt.”

“Oh, okay, is that why Kyo’s black belt looks different?”

“I think that’s because Kyo’s his Senei, so he’s higher ranking, you should ask him, Kora.”

“Maybe I will, maybe I’ll even take a class or two,” I state jokingly.

“Oh my god, Kora, you totally should, maybe you can even have little ninja babies.”

“Wow, that’s crazy, Leroy.”

“Why is that crazy? I want a godchild to spoil.”

“I’m going to ignore the craziness that’s coming out of your mouth right now and just focus on the competition…..the little kids do look adorable in their uniforms though.”

He laughs: “It’s going to happen; watch, mark my words,” he replies, laughing.

“I’m not listening,” I reply after sighing and shaking my head.

The competition has different categories for each age group, and everyone does well, but I don’t know how parents don’t get nervous when their kids are sparring. I would totally be like Miguel’s mom from Kobra Kei and be worried every time my child has to spar, even if they are able to wear protective gear….Damn it, Leroy talking about kids is making me think of how I would be as a mom, and I need to stop it because I don’t want kids any time soon.

The competition lasted a few hours, and Jonah ranked high, which is great. Kyo didn’t compete, which I’m a bit bummed out about because I would have loved to see him do his thing, but I’m more bummed out about not being able to speak to him at all. I know he was busy, but it still would have been nice.

Once the competition ends, Leroy and I go outside to wait for Jonah.

“Kora, you don’t have to wait any longer if you don’t want to, since everyone is basically already gone…I don’t know why Jonah is taking so long.”

“Are you sure, Leroy? You know I don’t mind waiting with you.”

“Yeah, girl, it’s okay.”

“Okay, bye,” I state before kissing Leroy on the cheek and starting walking in the direction of my car.

A few seconds later, I hear my name being called, which causes me to stop in place, grab my pepper spray from my bag, and when I do, I almost bump into someone’s heaving chest, and I lose my balance.

“Hi, I didn’t know you were here,” states Kyo as he holds me to stop me from falling.

“Oh, hey,” I reply with a smile as I look at his face. “I came with my friend Leroy to cheer on Jonah.”

A confused expression mixed with what seems like a bit of jealousy appears on his face, but he covers it up quickly, then asks with curiosity: “Oh, you came to cheer on your um…friend?”

“Yes, Jonah is Leroy’s boyfriend, and Leroy is one of my friends you met briefly on my birthday at your parents’ restaurant, so don’t worry, I’m still single,” I playfully tease.

He laughs and then responds: “Good to know” in a flirtatious tone.

“Kora, everything good?” Leroy yells in my direction, which causes both of us to look back at him, and Jonah stares at us.

“Yeah, I’m good, I’ll text you when I get home…oh, and congrats, Jonah,” I yell back.

“Thank you, good night,” he yells in response, then they both yell “bye” and begin walking in the direction of their car.

“Oooh, you were referring to that Jonah…Jonah and I have known each other for years. He’s a good friend of mine. He also helps with classes at my dojo. I give him one-on-one training lessons.”

“It’s truly a small world. I figured he was part of your dojo because I saw both of you together and representing your dojo, but I didn’t know you had been friends for years….Before I forget, say it; I like your dojo’s logo, it’s pretty cool.”

“Thank you,” he replies with a kind smile. “Why didn’t you tell me you like Martial arts when I mentioned I owned a dojo?”

“I had a phase in my early teen years where I considered taking a class, but that phase came and went quickly…Earlier, I joked with Leroy about attending a class, but I don’t know if I would actually do it.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know…different reasons, I guess.”

“Like?”

“Hey, are you hungry?” I ask to change the subject.

“Definitely, but everything around here would be packed because of the competition. Do you want to go to the restaurant?”

“Sure, did you drive here?”

“No, I was here since early this morning, so I took an Uber instead of driving first thing in the morning. How about you?” He asks curiously.

“I drove, so we can just go in my car, but there’s one rule.”

“What’s that?

“You can’t talk s**t about me driving the speed limit, and you can’t laugh at the music I listen to.”

He laughs: “I promise not to comment on you following street rules because they should be followed for everyone’s safety, but I can’t promise to laugh at your music choices.”

“Okay, that’s fair…Let’s go, my car is down that way,” I state while pointing towards the other end of the parking lot.

I’m glad I don’t keep my car messy or stinky, it would have been embarrassing if he had seen it that way. I don’t drive anything fancy. I have a White PT Cruiser. My car takes me where I gotta go without any issues, so I’m happy with it. I let him look through my Apple Music library, then he laughs at me for having Disney songs in my library. He then decides to play some of them and sings along with them, which makes me laugh because it’s unexpected but in a good way. Once we get to the restaurant, I’m happy to see that my favorite booth is empty, and he leads me right to it without hesitation.

“How did you know I would want to sit here?”

“I remember this is where you sat on your birthday, so I figured you would want to sit in this booth again.”

“Thank you, I know it’s silly to have a favorite booth,” I state bashfully.

“Not at all, people can have all types of favorite things,” he replies as he gestures for me to slide into the booth, then he sits across from me.

He turns his head towards the waitress who is at the register and puts up two figures then she responds with a yes shake of her head.

“I hope you don’t mind that I ordered our favorite dish.”

“No, not at all. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome….sooo…. back to my question from earlier.”

“What question?”

“What are your reasons for not taking any lessons?”

“Are you trying to recruit me?”

“No, I’m just curious.”

“It’s embarrassing to admit, but I can’t afford expensive classes, and I don’t want to embarrass myself in front of everyone if I fail to do the moves and bust my ass.”

He smiles in understanding. The waitress brings our food and two glasses of water, which is fine with me since I have been having soda a lot lately. After a few moments, he breaks the silence: “What if I teach you?”

I choke on water as soon as I hear his question and begin coughing.

“Kora, are you okay?” He asks in a concerned voice.

I clear my throat: “Yeah…sorry…I’m okay. You just caught me off guard…did you really just offer to teach me Martial arts?”

“Yeah, why are you acting as if that’s a crazy thing to do?”

“Because I can’t pay you and because I just told you that I don’t want to embarrass myself in front of everyone.”

“Okay, let me rephrase myself. What if I teach you free of charge with one-on-one lessons?”

“But, isn’t your schedule busy?”

“It is, but I’ll make time for you.”

“Are you sure?… I can’t promise that I’ll be any good.”

“I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t sure about making time for you.” He clears his throat: “For giving you private lessons, and don’t worry, we’ll go at your pace.”

“Why, though? Why do you want to teach me?”

“Because it’s fun learning new things and you were interested in learning in the past, and you have no reason not to learn now.”

“Okay, when do we start?” I ask excitedly.

“I’m free all day on Sundays. If your schedule is free, we can have our first lesson tomorrow.”

“I’m free on the weekends. I can meet you at the dojo tomorrow.”

He gives me a cheesy smile: “Okay, we’ll start early morning.”

“How early are we talking?” I ask in a worried tone.

“Let’s meet up at 8 am. We’ll be able to get a lot more done if we start early, but don’t worry, we’ll take breaks.”

“Days off are supposed to be sleep-in days,” I state teasingly.

“The early birds catch the worms,” he responds playfully.

I laugh before taking the last bite of my food: “You haven’t given me the address to your dojo yet.”

The waitress comes over to collect our plates and cups: “Thank you, my parents said to tell you they will be calling you soon…here charge both our meals to my card,” he states as he hands the waitress his card. Then the waitress thanks him and walks away.

“Thank you for paying for my food, you didn’t have to… I may not be able to afford lessons, but I could afford my meals.”

“You’re welcome, Kora. I meant no offense by paying for your food; I just wanted to treat you to a meal.

Should I have asked you if it was okay first?”

“No, I’m sorry, I just didn’t want you to think I needed handouts or anything like that.”

“I definitely don’t think you need handouts….My car is parked out front. I think I’ll stay at the studio apartment I have on top of the dojo instead of staying at my apartment since we’ll be starting early tomorrow.”

“Two apartments in this economy? That must be expensive,” I state before I can stop myself.

“I agree, two apartments would be expensive. Thankfully, the studio apartment above the dojo is a part of the dojo that I had converted into a studio apartment since I don’t need two floors for classes, and sometimes I’m just too tired to go home.”

“You stated your dojo isn’t far from the Starbucks we first met at, right?”

“Correct, and you stated that you don’t live far from Starbucks, right?”

“Yeah, I live a couple of blocks away from Starbucks. Since you’re going to stay at your dojo tonight, how about I follow you there, so I can know how to get there tomorrow without having to use Google or Apple Maps?” I suggest confidently.

“Sounds good. I have everything I need there, so we can head out now?”

“Okay, let’s go,” I reply while we slide out of the booth.

On the way out, he grabs his card from the waitress and then puts his gym bag in the trunk of his car. He has a black Altima with silver trims around the windows, the bottom of the doors, and the front.

I didn't pay any mind to the car when I parked right behind it, but now that I know it’s his car, I find myself paying attention to its details.

“I’ll put my hazard lights on so you can find me if cars come between us.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

His dojo is closer to my place than I thought. Starbucks is a couple of blocks away from my place, and his dojo is about 4 or so blocks away from Starbucks. The dojo has the logo on the door, and around it are the words Majestic Dragon Dojo. There’s also a sign above the entrance that states the dojo’s name. When he unlocks the door, he gestures for me to enter, then he locks the door behind us and disarms the alarm.

“Welcome to my home away from home,” he states while he watches me for my reaction.

The dojo is a decent size. The walls are white, and the back wall has the big dojo logo in the center of the wall. One side wall has shelves with trophies, certificates, and awards. The other side wall has equipment and weapons. The wall at the front of the room has the phrase: “We fight to defend against harm, not to cause harm” in big letters.

There is a big red mat in the middle of the room that almost takes up the entire place. There are some chairs in rows and along the wall where people can sit to watch the classes.

There’s an office towards the back by a hallway. Down the hallway are two bathrooms and a door that says do not enter. The walls in the hallway are filled with pictures of different students of all ages, and there’s framed artwork that was clearly done by children.

“Is the studio through the do not enter door?” I ask curiously while pointing at the door.

“Yes, would you like a tour?” He asks uncertainly.

“Sure.”

“Okay, wait here as I set the alarm,” he states as he walks to the alarm system. Once he arms it, he walks towards me quickly, grabs my hand, and guides me to the do-not-enter door, then unlocks it and guides me through it hastily: “Sorry, I didn’t mean to drag or rush you, but we had to be quick so the alarm wouldn’t go off because we took too long.”

“It’s okay, I am curious though, wouldn’t it be easier if you had the place set up like a smart home, so you can arm and disarm the alarm system through your phone?”

“It would be, but the dojo is a business, so I decided to use the more traditional alarm system, but I have the smart home alarm system set up for upstairs and my apartment. That door right there leads to the outside, so I can have access to the studio directly from outside, but I wanted to give you a proper tour,” he states as he points to the door while going up the wooden stairs.

The walls in this area are black with a big gold dragon painted along the wall, the dragon’s tail ends by the do-not-enter door on the first floor, and the dragon’s body leads you up the stairs to the studio apartment door. Once we enter the studio, the walls are black with gold trim on the top and bottom. There is one gold and black accent wall with a white trim, and his big king-size bed with a black and white comforter bed set in front of that wall. He made a living room area on the opposite side of the bedroom area. There are framed family pictures and books on the side shelves of his TV stand, which is across from the couch and coffee table. The kitchen is on the left side of the entrance hallway wall. The kitchen has a marbled black, white, and gold island with 3 black barstool chairs along one side.

Across from the island is a black and chrome stove with counters on both sides along the wall. On the left side, between the counter and the island, is a black and chrome refrigerator, and on the right side, between the counter and the island, is a chrome double sink. The cabinets are black with marble accents that match the countertops and the island in the center, and the handles are gold.

After looking around, I snicker to myself.

“What? What’s funny?” He asks curiously.

“I’m going to take a guess and say that your bathroom also has a black color theme,” I reply jokingly.

He snickers then states playfully: “I could see why you would think that….how about we make a bet before I show you the bathroom?”

“Hmm, what kind of bet?”

“I don’t know, name your terms,” he responds in a playful tone.

“Okay, if your bathroom also has a black color theme, you would have to buy me dinner one day, and if it’s not, then I would have to buy you dinner…..sound good?”

“Hmm, how about if it doesn't have a black color theme, I have to buy you dinner, and if it does, then you have to buy me dinner?” He counters.

“Kyo, are you trying to get a free meal out of me?” I ask jokingly while wagging my finger at him.

He does the zipped lips then laughs: “Come on, let’s go see who will win this bet,” he states while grabbing my hand and guiding me to the door that’s to the right of the entrance hallway.

“Are you ready?” He asks while placing his hand on the bathroom door.

“Mmhmm,” I respond.

“Okay, close your eyes and open them when I count to three.”

I respond by covering my eyes with my hands.

1……2……

“Stop trying to peek,” he playfully scolds.

“Okay, fine.”

3

When he opens the door, I gasp: “What!? No way!…. I really thought it would be decorated in black…..I mean, it’s cute, I like the gold and white color theme in here….I’m glad we didn’t bet money….wait…why did you switch the bet terms, so you could purposely lose?” I ask in a confused tone.

“The answer is simple…I wanted an excuse to treat you to dinner,” he replies confidently.

I feel a blush come to my cheeks, and I smile shyly: “You don’t need an excuse to buy me dinner….I know we both said we weren’t looking to get in a relationship with anyone, but I wouldn’t oppose to a date, just like you didn’t oppose making time to train me.”

He smiles flirtatiously: “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Good,” I respond in a flirtatious tone.

A few seconds of silence filled with s****l energy pass by as we stare at each other while standing in front of the now-closed bathroom door. The sound of a text alert breaks the silence, and I look at my watch to see who texted me.

“s**t, I forgot to message Leroy to let him know I’m okay….he just messaged me asking if I’m still alive,” I state with a small laugh and shake of my head.

“I don’t mind if you message him back….it’s good that he’s looking out for you…I guess it’s safe to assume you guys are really close?”

“Yeah, we are. I met Leroy and Amber at work, and we became close quickly…they’re my chosen family and the only family I have left now.”

“You can sit down if you like,” he states while gesturing to the couch.

“Thank you,” I state while sitting down.

“Would you like something to drink? I have bottled water, juice, tea, soda, and coffee?” He asks while approaching the kitchen.

“A bottle of water is fine, thank you,” I reply while texting Leroy back.

*****text convo*****

Me- hey, yes I’m alive lol….Sorry, I was a bit busy and forgot to text you.

Leroy- oh thank god, I thought I was going to have to file a missing person report…. What were you so busy with that you couldn't text me? I almost started freaking out.

Me- it’s not a what, it’s a who that has me busy.

Leroy- Um, what? Tell me everything now, please tell me it isn't your ex.

Me- It’s not my ex, he thankfully hasn’t tried contacting me…I’m still with Kyo

Leroy- Kyo? The hot Martial arts sensei Kyo?

Me- yes…but Jonah is going to get mad at you for saying Kyo’s hot

Leroy- psst, Jonah and I were talking about how hot Kyo is and how you would make a cute couple while we were on our way home….tell me the dirty details, what have you been doing for all of these hours? It has to be juicy because it’s late.

Me- lol, there are no dirty details, we went to eat at my favorite restaurant which his parents own and he paid for the food, then he offered me one on one training for free and I accepted then I followed him in my car to the dojo and he gave me a tour and now I’m sitting on his couch in this upstairs studio apartment he had made at the dojo.

Leroy- wait…so you had an impromptu date and now you’re at his place….I want all of the dirty details tomorrow….I’m going to have a dirty time of my own with Jonah tonight…goodnight.

Me- omg, tmi Leroy…goodnight

*****End of text convo*****

A few seconds after I place my phone on the coffee table, Kyo places two bottled waters and a plate with pieces of cheese, crackers, and grapes on it, then sits down beside me.

“Is everything okay with Leroy and Jonah?” he asks worriedly.

“Yeah, they’re good. I was just letting Leroy know that I’m okay and that I’m here with you… Why do you ask?”

“You just looked a bit flustered at one point while texting, so I wanted to make sure everything was okay.”

“Oh, yeah, everything is fine….you didn’t have to prepare that I state while gesturing to the plate.”

“Says the woman who just popped a grape in her mouth,” he responds jokingly.

“Well, we can’t let it go to waste since you did all of that work….thank you, by the way,” I respond with a playful shrug.

“You’re welcome.…please feel free to have more….I know it’s late, but since we’re having a snack, do you want to watch something?” He asks uncertainly.

“Sure, do you have cable or streaming services?”

“I have all of the streaming services and cable…here you can pick what we watch,” he states as he hands me all of his controllers.

“Okay, I state while grabbing his Apple TV remote.”

He suddenly stands up and stretches: “I’m going to change out of my gi, then I’ll come back, okay?”

“Okay, no problem,” I reply.

A few moments later, he comes out of the bathroom in a black t-shirt and grey joggers. I don’t know why, but there’s just something about grey sweatpants and a form-fitting T-shirt hugging muscles, and it’s sexy as f**k. I don’t know, maybe it’s just because Kyo is hot, and the fact that he’s genuinely nice and caring makes him even hotter.

“Hey, Kora, are you okay?” He asks in a concerned voice.

“Sorry, yeah, I’m okay, I just got a little, um, distracted,” I reply shyly.

He knowingly smiles while sitting down, then takes a bite of a cracker: “So what did you pick to watch?”

“I thought it would be funny to watch The Karate Kid since Mr. Miyagi decided to take someone under his wing and train him the same way you’re doing for me.”

He snickers: “Okay, we can watch it, but it’s really not the same as our situation.”

“How so?”

“Well, he's old, and his student is a teen, but you and I are both adults in our 20’s, we’re also doing a different kind of martial arts, and we’re clearly not both men,” he states the last part with a laugh.

“That’s true,” I respond with a laugh.

We’re halfway through the movie, and I’m fighting to keep my eyes open: “Hey Kyo, after the movie I’ll head home.”

He looks at me with equally heavy eyes: “Are you sure? It’s very late, you probably shouldn’t drive home alone….I can take you or call you an Uber, or if you want to sleep over, I wouldn’t oppose, and I’ll take the sofa while you take the bed….I know we haven't known each other that long, but I won’t mind, and it wouldn’t mean anything other than sleeping.”

“Um…yeah, I think…I’m sure…let’s finish the movie.”