His Saké Breath

"Thanks for coming in!" My voice rings out with disturbing precision. Retail life has ingrained very particular habits in me that are nearly unbreakable. I quickly grab my grocery bag and scurry out of the store before the cashier can acknowledge my words.

"Thanks for shopping with us, sir!" A small voice echoes behind me.

My hands tremble with embarrassment as I reposition the paper bag in my arms. I hate my life. I get to my vehicle in seconds, my humiliation driving my feet.

Suddenly, a blur jots across my vision. I stare across the way. I angle to move, but a firm body presses against me and shoves me down forcefully.

I barely register what's happening before the person backs up and eyes me with knitted brows. The faintest smell of saké fills the space between us. My tunnel vision expands, and I watch as a car slams on its brakes, barely missing a cement block. The car was close enough for me to lean out and touch.

"Are you alright?" My apparent savior stares down at me. I nod slowly.

I can see an arguing couple clamber out of the car from the side. I wanted to focus on what was happening between them, but my eyes wouldn't leave him. His smooth olive skin glowed in the setting sun. His angular jawline matched his pointed nose, half hidden from his mess of brown hair. He appeared like a ferocious Roman statue, sculpted of a man mid-battle. The only giveaway of being human was the thick knitted brows that stared at me with a seriousness I couldn't understand.

He stands abruptly and offers me a hand. I pretend that I don't see and clumsily hoist myself up. His full lips twitch.

"Sorry about shoving you down like that. The car was coming in pretty hot," he explains. His voice was rich and low.

"Th-That's alright. Thank you!" My thoughts spun, circling and unsure of what to land on. Should I offer some sort of reward? Is that what people do in this situation?

"Well, have a good rest of your day." He turns and starts to leave.

"Wait!" I call out. He stops but doesn't face me. "Please. Let me buy you dinner. I have to do something. It's only right."

"Well, if societal law demands it. I'd love to go to dinner with you," he grins as he eyes me. With me? I nod and quickly grab my phone.

“What’s your number?”

“How about now?” He tilts his head.

“Huh?”

“How about we have dinner now?”

“Oh. Well, I guess, yeah. That could work,” I stumble out.

“Meet me at The Riverton then.”

“Sure!” I try to hide my surprise. The Riverton was known as high-end. I should take it as a compliment that my life is worth an expensive restaurant.

I pull into the near-empty parking lot, finding a spot near the front. I take a breath before getting out.

“Come on!” A cheerful voice reaches me. I squint through the sun's rays and see him. I walk over as he opens the door for me.

I can’t remember the last time I went out. I had spent time with my friend before he got married. Last I heard, they were trying to start a family. A small memory of an old friend from college crosses my mind. Losing people was becoming a specialty of mine.

“What was your name, by the way?” I glance over. The lighting inside was dim, and I had to stop abruptly to allow my eyes to adjust.

"The name's Seshin," he claps a hand on my back and guides me forward.

"Oh? What's the origin for that?" He continues to guide me across the restaurant floor. There was only a small group of people in the far corner. We proceeded around a hall and ended up on a balcony with a few intricately designed tables.

“Dunno. I never looked it up,” he calmly sits and motions for me to follow. A woman comes rushing over to us as I hesitantly sit.

“Good evening, sir! The usual?” Her brown waves bob as she looks from me to him with a slight frown. When she meets my eyes, she quickly plasters a grin on her young features.

“Not today, may we have the menus please, Catherine.”

“Oh!” She grabs for the menus from under her arm and hands them over. Her fingers slide across his, eliciting a deep blush from her.

“Come back in a few minutes,” Sheshin says as he peers at his own menu. She glances at me once more before leaving, taking her time.

“Anything look appealing?” He asks.

“Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I was in a restaurant. I may just get something small.”

“Can I offer you a recommendation, then?”

I shrug and set my menu down.

He closes his own and not even a breath later, Catherine is through the doors.

“Ready?” She focuses all of her attention on Seshin. He eyes me.

“We will both have Carlos’ Midnight Special.”

“Oh, he will love hearing that! He’s been begging you to try it for months!” She claps her hands as she replaces the menus with silverware wraps and leaves.

“So, you’re a regular, then? Are you a critic?”

“I am quite critical of the food here,” he waves off my question and suddenly leans forward. His brows knit together. “Why didn’t you move earlier?”

“What?”

“I saw you glance at the car. You were waiting for the car to hit you,” he finishes with a grim tone.

“No, I definitely didn’t see the car. That’d be crazy,” I shake my head, nerves lacing through my stomach.

“Ah,” he looks away for a second and when he meets my eyes again, they have the same lighthearted look as before. “What do you do for a living?”

The subject change throws me off, but I try to collect myself quickly. The knot in my stomach tightening.

“I’m a store manager. The local grocery store, a few miles down Kilo Street.”

“Do you enjoy it?”

“Well, yeah. Sort of. Not what I always wanted to do, but it’s been okay.”

“What did you want to do with your life?”

“I wanted to be an artist,” the confession came out low and guarded.

“I see."

The doors open and a flustered Catherine walks in with a tray of plates. She clatters mine in front of me with a small huff.

As soon as she leaves, Seshin let's out a small sigh.

"Please excuse her. She's had a small crush on me for some time now. I can't seem to make her understand I'm not interested."

"Oh, that's fine! I mean, it's not fine that she makes you uncomfortable like that. Why do you keep coming here?"

A smile spreads across his lips and he tries to smother a laugh. I tilt my head.

"Well, this is actually my restaurant. I hope it isn't lame that I asked you here," his grin turns sheepish.

He turns sharply, taking a sip of his water after a moment.

"No, no!" I burst out remembering what he just said. "I'm incredibly impressed actually. I've never met anyone like you before!"

"What do you mean by that, exactly?" He questions without hesitation.

"I just mean that I haven't been around anyone so rich. Or well-established. Or popular," the words flow from my mouth before I could put a cap on them.

"Ah, and who do you normally keep in company with?"

"Myself," I answer easily.

He nods and begins to take small bites. We finish our meal with small talk filling the space between. Somehow I confess my own passions that I had kept locked away from myself for decades.

He was so easy to talk to.

We leave each other's company with an awkward goodbye and a lingering glance.

***

"Thanks for coming in!" I call out as one of the regulars leaves the store.

"You never told me your name." A thick voice reaches me. I whip around to see Seshin.

"It's you!" I watch as he smiles, stepping closer. He wore a charcoal peacoat that matched his gray eyes.

“What are you doing here?”

“You were the one that said you work in this area. This is the third store I had to go to.”

“You were looking for me? Why?” For some reason my mind instantly went to the bill. What if it really wasn’t his retuarant? What if he changed his mind and wants me to pay afterall?

“What are you doing after work, today?”

“Oh, uh-I was just going to head home.”

“I want to take you somewhere.”

“This sounds like the beginning of every murder mystery book. Some rich stranger invites you somewhere and you end up as the prized sport for the evening.” I say with a small chuckle, although, I was only half kidding. I couldn’t help my paranoid nature. Nothing good ever happened in my life.

A memory flashes in my mind and my lungs suddenly tighten. I massage my throat, the ache growing. Seshin’s eyes narrow slightly watching my hand move and he takes a few steps forward. He stops when he’s within arms reach.

“I won’t take no for an answer. I can be very persuasive if need be.”

Unsure of what to say, I just nod my head.

A small glimmer shines in his eye as he turns and walks out the door.

As soon as I clock out and walk through the doors, I spot Seshin leaning against my car. I guess this is happening.

“Where are you taking me?”

“Somewhere you’ll love. Come on Alex.” A wide grin stretches across his smooth features as he motions me to his own vehicle. I narrow my eyes as he says my name, but at the same moment he points to my name tag. Stupid thing.

I settle into the passenger’s seat and lean back. The feel of the cold leather startling my nerves, but it was a welcome stun. I allow the leather to warm against my heated skin as Seshin slides in next to me.

He pulls out of the parking lot and I watch my car shrink in the growing distance. About half an hour later we end up on the other side of town, with glowing signs and wealthy suits surrounding the buildings. He drives up to the curb of a busy establishment that sparkles like a jeweled watch.

A young guy with a jade green vest skips over and opens my door for me. Another employee runs around to get the door for Seshin. He makes his way around the car and leads me through the door, right next to a massive line of glaring people. I avoid eye contact and follow him.

The moment we get through the door, a glass of champagne is placed in my unassuming hand. I watch as Seshin dismisses the glass and leans over to say something low to the guy. He grabs the glass from my hand and the blushing young man immediately makes it disappear from sight.

As we walk through the room, I finally find out what his plan is.

My breath comes out quickly and then stops altogether. I look around at the sculptures and the paintings that encases us in an ethereal sense of beauty. I glance over as Seshin eyes me with an expression I couldn’t recognize. His lips part slightly and something else passes over his face.

The young kid from earlier suddenly appears, handing the both of us short glasses of a teal liquid. I take a cautious sip and relish in the light flavor.

“Do you know the artist?”

“Yes, I do, and he’d love to meet you.”

I look around with a sudden wave of fear. “The person that did all of this wants to meet me? Why?”

“Just be patient. Come on. Let’s look around. I’ve never seen these before. It’s all new.”

We walk around and come across splashes of emotion and waves of thoughts emanating from each piece. Seshin walks me over to a dimly lit room and we walk through as the last entrants leave. The room is small and I struggle to find my footing in the darkened atmosphere. There’s a single picture: a still frame photo.

I look over at Seshin and back at the photo. He seemed as stunned as I was. The photo was a black and white, slightly out of focus shot of him. He was looking out into a dense forest, mist colliding with his muscled legs.

“You look enchanting. Like a fae prince.” I mutter slowly, taking in the photo.

“So, you found the crown jewel of my collection,” A low voice slams reality at my feet. Seshin whips around with a glare.

“Oh, Seshy, don’t look at me like that,” the tall figure moves in closer. His slender fingers reach out for Seshin, but he swats his hand away. Without a word or a glance, he storms out of the room. I awkwardly look over at the newcomer. His dark brown eyes meet mine and a sly smile stretches over his serpentine features.

“You must be that artist Seshy was telling me about,” the man muses as he tilts his head.

“Sort-of. Honestly, I’m not an artist. I just used to spend a lot of my time making art as a hobby. A really silly hobby,” I say shaking my head.

“You think art is silly?”

“No, no, not at all!” I wave my hands frantically at him as a smile spreads across his lips. “I just meant that it was silly for me. I was never any good.”

“Why don’t you show me sometime?”

Somehow that question came out more mischievous than I appreciated.

“I’m just a store manager. Really. I’m not any good.”

“He’s being modest. He’s better than you, Vince,” Seshin’s voice floats across the dark room like an unearthed wisp. Blood instantly rushes through my body and my face feels like it could scorch somebody.

“How would you know that?”

“Well, this is getting good,” Vince mumbles as he leans against the wall, watching.

“I can’t believe you still don’t remember me,” he says as he lingers in the threshold. I can’t make out his face, just the perfect outline of his form. “I used to follow you like a puppy in college. You had your own studio showing, just like this, just on a smaller scale. I was there that day.”

Painful memories flood my mind and I find my hand reaching for my neck, aching to ease the pressure building. The day everything came undone. I shook my head, taking a step back.

“Don’t.”

Suddenly a firm hand grabs mine and forces it down. He presses his other hand to my throat and gently thumbs my aching skin.

“You’ve made it all red. Calm yourself. It wasn’t your fault. None of it was your fault.”

I look away at his words, but the sensation of his cool hand on me keeps me from falling back into the memory.

“Your pieces were amazing. The professor was jealous of you. I don’t know how you never noticed. The way she came in and tore you down so publicly. I can’t believe you stopped because of her. I wanted to tell you, but you never came back. I never saw you again,” his voice cracked slightly at the end, forcing me to glance up. Emotions played across his face, begging me to listen.

“Wait,” I shake my head and try to think. “I had a junior that would show up to the club meetings randomly, he was always just showing up. That was you?”

“You never did try to learn my name. You kept calling me Sean. I looked for you. For years, I tried to figure out where you went. My first love disappeared.”

His words hit me like a wave and I stumble back. His hand moves from my neck to my wrist and holds me firmly in place.

“Don’t disappear on me again,” his voice was steady, but the loneliness was evident.

“I can’t believe it’s you. You have no idea,” my voice comes out lower than I mean it to.

“What do you mean?”

“You were my first love,” I say looking at him.

“Oh,” Vince breathes. He leans in, watching us.”The plot thickens.”

“What are you talking about?” Seshin questions.

“The junior that would only appear when he felt like it. The one that would stare at me from a distance, but never speak to me. The one that would always smile, even on my worst days. I knew exactly who you were. Well, I must have misheard your name in a meeting once, but you never came up to correct me!”

“I was terrified of approaching you. I had no idea you saw all my longing looks,” He lets out a breathy laugh.

“You’ve done amazing for yourself. All those treats you’d leave on my desk. You made them yourself, didn’t you?”

“I did. You were my first culinary fan.”

“Did you know it was me in the parking lot?”

“Not until after. I thought you’d recognize me soon enough.”

“You were a brunette back then. You’ve changed a lot, too.”

“I can’t believe I finally found you,” Seshin muses as he runs his thumb along my jawline.

“Well, this has been fun. I expect to be shown something soon. I can’t fill the showroom otherwise,” Vince waves as he walks out.

“Fill the showroom?” I look over to Seshin.

“Didn’t you ever wonder who bought out all your pieces? I’m having everything moved here. I want a new piece though. You have one month to create it,” he eyes me, lifting my chin to meet his warm gaze.

“I don’t know if I can, anymore.”

“You can. Now, let me show you to your new studio.”