Falling For My Sensei

Today is by far one of the worst days of my life. I’ve been grieving the death of my parents for the past couple of months. I was adopted as a baby, and when I became old enough to understand that families are made up in all different ways, they informed me that I was adopted due to my mother dying in childbirth, and no one knew my biological father’s identity. Today is my first birthday without waking up to their birthday wishes, and it’s hard not to let it glue me to my bed, wrapped in my blanket like a burrito. As if today wasn’t hard enough, I just received a message from a co-worker saying they saw my long-term boyfriend entering a hotel with some w***e all over him last night. Here I am standing by this asshole’s car waiting for him to exit the hotel with his little w***e. I packed up all of his s**t from my place, and it’s now in a box on the hood of his car. I almost poured a bunch of beauty products on his stuff to destroy it the same way beauty stores would do to make sure damaged or expired makeup doesn’t get reused by anyone digging through their trash, but I came to my senses and decided not to waste my good makeup products on him. It’s now almost lunchtime, and I’m regretting skipping breakfast to try to catch this asshole in the act. I think I’ll head to Starbucks after this and get a double chocolate chip frappe and a slice of warm banana nut bread. Then I’ll go back home and unwind for the day. Ugh. It’s now past lunchtime…I’m not wasting any more time on this jerk. Pulling out a pen from my purse, I write on the box that contains his stuff: “Since you were too busy cheating and f*****g your w***e to leave the hotel, I couldn’t get the joy of seeing your reaction upon being caught. We’re done, and if someone takes your s**t, you only have yourself to blame. Don’t ever talk to me again.” Replacing my pen in my purse while walking back to my car, I let out an exasperated sigh. Once I enter my car, I start on my way to the Starbucks that’s a few blocks from my place. Surprisingly, it’s not very busy in the coffee shop, and I was able to place my order quickly, and I was able to save money by using my birthday reward for the banana bread. “Kora and Kyo,” announces a tall, caramel complexion girl with pink hair from the pickup area. A man, whom I assume is named Kyo, grabs his drink while thanking the barista, then moves to the area where the straws and napkins are, and I follow behind him after grabbing my order. I couldn’t see his face clearly when he grabbed his order, but his shoulders were broad, and his voice was deep. “Happy birthday,” he states as he places his straw in his cup. “Thank you, how do you know it’s my birthday?” “You’re welcome…I heard you mention it when using your birthday reward for your order. I was not trying to be nosy or creepy. I feel everyone deserves birthday wishes on their special day, and the barista didn’t say it, so I decided to say it in her place.” A tear glides down my cheek, and I quickly wipe it away. “Are you okay? I didn’t mean to offend you or make you feel uncomfortable.” I smile while looking at his concerned expression: “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m sorry…don’t worry, it’s nothing you did wrong…I’m okay, I’m not going to cry in public…you just reminded me of my parents. They used to say the same thing but aren’t around to say it anymore.” “I’m sorry, may they rest in peace,” he states with a kind smile. “Thank you,” I state before returning a smile. “I hate to do this, but I have somewhere I have to be right now. Are you going to be okay alone?… I can’t cancel my class on such short notice, but I can see if someone can cover for me if you don’t want to be alone. We can sit and talk. We can also sit in silence. We can do whatever you need,” he states in a calm and concerned tone. “No, no, it’s okay... I’ll be okay… I appreciate your offer, though,” I reply with a polite smile while placing my hand out. “It’s my pleasure, Kora,” he replies while shaking my hand and smiling.