He couldn't quite put his finger on it. Yuki's body was the same, tiny, soft, warm, perfect. But the sensation was off. Not bad, exactly. Just not as intense as before. Usually, being with her felt incredible, almost overwhelming. Tonight it had been good, but muted somehow. Like there was a barrier between them he couldn't identify.
Maybe it was the emotional weight of the night. Emily's attack. Yuki's confession. Maybe his mind was just too distracted.
Or maybe something about her had changed. He couldn't tell.
Yuki curled against him, her breathing was soft and steady now. She seemed peaceful and content as usaual.Luke wrapped his arms around her and tried to push the strange feeling away.
**
A week later, Luke's phone rang. Brian Jensen. His best friend since high school.
"Dude," Brian said, barely containing his laughter. "You're not gonna believe this shit about your psycho ex."
"Emily?" Luke sat up. "What happened?"
"She completely lost it. Like, full mental breakdown. She smashed a beer bottle over some guy's head at Murphy's Bar last night. Just fucking cracked his skull open. Blood everywhere.Jesus Christ.I don't know who the poor bastard was. Nobody we know. But he's in the hospital now. They said he needed like thirty stitches."
Luke felt stomach drop. "Is he gonna be okay?"
"Probably. But Emily?" Brian laughed, though it sounded harsh. "She's done. Her family's talking about committing her to a psych ward if she pulls any more shit like this. Apparently, she keeps ranting about curses and witches and rotting from the inside out. Total breakdown."
Luke didn't know what to say.
"Honestly? She had it coming," Brian continued. "That bitch cheated on you, stole your money, and now she's paying for it. Karma's a beautiful thing, man."
Luke thought about what Yuki had said that first night. She will get what she deserves. Please believe me. Very soon.
"Anyway," Brian said, his tone shifting. "How's Yuki doing? That whole thing at your show looked intense. I saw the videos."
"She's okay. She's been staying home this week, resting."
"Good, good. Hey, listen. My new girlfriend is Korean. Her name's Mina. I was thinking we could all grab dinner this week. You think Yuki and Mina would have some stuff to talk about? You know, the whole Asian thing?"
Luke winced. "Uh... maybe? I don't know if that's how it works, Brian."
"What do you mean? They're both Asian. They probably have tons in common."
"Japan and Korea are... different countries, man."
"Yeah, but close enough, right? Come on, it'll be fun. Double date. Friday night?"
Luke sighed. "Let me ask Yuki."
"Cool. Text me." Brian hung up.
**
Saturday night, Luke drove with Yuki toward the restaurant Brian had picked.
His phone rang through the car speakers. Brian.
"Hey man, you guys on your way?"
"Yeah, just left. What's the address again?"
"It's 428 Harbor Street. Place called Fuhuan Garden. Supposed to be really good."
Luke's foot almost slipped off the gas pedal. "Wait. 428 Harbor Street? Fuhuan Garden?"
"Yeah, why?"
"You're sure that's the place? You said you booked a Japanese restaurant."
"Yeah, it is. Jade Garden. Japanese place."
Luke felt his eye twitch. "Brian. That's not a Japanese restaurant."
Silence on the other end. "What?"
"That's a Chinese restaurant! CHINESE!"
"Wait, what? But... they didn't have 'Chinese' in the name. How was I supposed to know?"
"The name is literally in CHINESE CHARACTERS! Fuhuan Garden! Those are Chinese words!"
"I mean... I just thought it was Asian food, man. Isn't it kind of the same thing?"
Luke wanted to reach through the phone and strangle him. Brian had been his roommate since high school. Ten years of friendship, and the guy still had the critical thinking skills of a brick. He never thought things through. Never paid attention to details. And now he'd booked a Chinese restaurant for a dinner that was supposed to feature Japanese cuisine.
"You're an idiot," Luke said. "A complete fucking idiot."
"Okay, okay, calm down.."
"Do you think all Asian food is the same? Is that what you think?"
"I mean, they're all in the same area, right? They've got like... char siu and bahn mi and tteokbokki and stuff. It's all similar."
"Those are THREE DIFFERENT COUNTRIES, BRIAN! Char siu is Chinese! Bahn mi is Vietnamese! Tteokbokki is KOREAN! How are you this stupid?!"
"Alright, Jesus, you don't have to..."
"Yes, I do! You invited my JAPANESE girlfriend to eat at a CHINESE restaurant because you can't tell the difference!"
Brian sighed. "Okay, fine,fine. I'll cancel the reservation. But dude, it's already six o'clock. You think we can find another place that'll seat four people in half an hour on a Saturday night? Because Mina said she doesn't care. She's cool with Chinese food."
Luke gripped the steering wheel. Of course Mina didn't care because she probably wanted to avoid this whole disaster of a night.
He glanced at Yuki in the passenger seat. She was looking out the window, pretending not to listen but clearly hearing everything.
"Yuki," Luke said quietly. "My friend... he booked the wrong restaurant. It's Chinese food. Is that okay? I'm so sorry."
Yuki turned to look at him. For a moment, her expression was unreadable. Then she smiled.
"It's fine," she said. "I don't mind. I haven't had Chinese food in a long time anyway."
Luke felt relief wash over him. "You're sure?"
"Yes. Don't worry about it."
Luke brought the phone back to his ear. "Fine. We'll go to Jade Garden. But you owe me for this, Brian."
"Thanks, man. You're the best. See you in twenty!"
Brian hung up.
Luke drove in silence for a moment, then glanced at Yuki again. "I'm really sorry. Brian's an idiot."
Yuki's smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "It's okay, Luke. Really."