She could see him thinking about what to say. He met her gaze. ‘The picture you carry, of your mum and dad? I think it’s safe to say my mum and dad have never looked at each other like that. They weren’t a match made in heaven. In fact, both of them seem to have made it their life’s ambition to get married as many times as possible. My sister seems to be learning from their examples.’
She was stunned. The way he’d delivered the words made it clear this topic wasn’t really open for discussion. She licked her lips and said quietly, ‘People can make mistakes.’ They were pulling into the station.
Avery must have recognised the English signs as he stood up. ‘But wouldn’t it be nice if they learned from them?’ he muttered.
They walked out of the train station into the clean, fresh air.
‘Where are we?’ Avery looked around.
She pointed forward. She’d just glimpsed a tiny part of the man that was Avery Flynn. She was curious to know more. But not curious enough to press where she shouldn’t.
‘This is Rikugien. It’s my favourite Japanese garden in Tokyo. It is so peaceful you can easily forget that you are in the city.’ She held out her arms as they walked towards the entrance. ‘And we’ve come at the perfect time of year. It’s gorgeous in autumn when the maple trees turn a stunning blend of red and yellow. The only time of year it looks better is spring when all the pink cherry blossom is out.’
She turned and he was watching her carefully. ‘First a bathhouse and now a Japanese garden? You’re like a different person today, much more chill.’
She stepped up right under his nose and whispered, ‘Say the word, Avery, and I’ll take you shopping. I can guarantee complete and utter chaos.’
He slid his hand into hers. ‘I think I’ll stick with the Japanese garden.’
They wandered around the gardens for nearly an hour. The main part of the gardens had a large central pond surrounded by hills and trees. Katsuko led him to a bridge and stopped halfway. ‘Look over there. That’s garyu-seki.’
He wrinkled his nose as he stared at the half-submerged rock in the water surrounded by a whole array of turtles. ‘What does that mean?’
‘It’s called the sleeping dragon rock.’ She gave him a nudge. ‘If you close your eyes and squint a little it looks like a dragon.’ She couldn’t hide the hint of laughter in her voice.
He tilted his head from one side to the other, obviously trying to picture the rocks as a dragon. ‘It might have helped if they’d painted it.’
She laughed. ‘You’re supposed to use your imagination.’
He pointed to the widely dispersed small buildings surrounding the pond. ‘What are those?’
Something inside her fluttered. She’d had lots of different colleagues from all parts of the world. It wasn’t the first time she’d taken someone sightseeing around Tokyo, but sightseeing with Avery felt different than normal.
No one else had kissed her at the Hachiko Crossing. Most people wanted to go to sumo wrestling or one of the theme parks. She’d never really shown a colleague the things that she loved in Tokyo. The things that she would miss most if she ever left.
She stepped a little closer. ‘If I tell you, will you promise to behave?’
He put his hand on her hip, pulling her closer to him. ‘Me? Behave? After you’ve already gotten me naked?’
She shook her head. He was going to bring this up for ever. A little breeze blew between them, sweeping her hair across her face. His fingers reached up and stroked her face, catching the hair and tucking it behind her ear.
For a second she was lost. It was like an instant flash forward to something that would never exist. She’d kind of like to feel like this for ever. She could picture him in fifty years’ time, telling their family that Katsuko had got him naked on their third date.
She sucked in her breath sharply. Where had that come from?
‘You okay?’ He must have seen her moment of panic. His stubble brushed against her ear and she caught her breath again. Time to focus.
She nodded. ‘Those are Japanese tea houses. I thought you might like to visit one and see a traditional Japanese tea ceremony.’ She held up her hand. ‘But be warned. It takes just under an hour. You’ll have to learn some patience.’
He caught her unawares, leaning forward and brushing his lips against hers. ‘You’re teaching me everything I need to know about patience.’
If he hadn’t stepped back when he did she would have responded instantly, wrapping her arms around his neck and demanding to be kissed like before. Instead, he slipped his hand into hers again and gave it a little tug.
She pointed to the nearest tea house. ‘This is the one we’ll go to. It’s built from wood from the Meiji period. It survived the war.’
‘What’s the Meiji period?’
‘It was the late eighteen hundreds right up until the First World War.’
The free-standing tea house had a good view of the sleeping dragon, built in an arbour on a stream that ran through a gorge. The water fell down through the rocks, sending a light spray into the air, and a large collection of koi circled nearby. There was a tranquillity about the place—even though it was in the open air. Quiet noises of the lapping water, rustling leaves and forest wildlife echoed around them.
‘It’s beautiful,’ he whispered.
She smiled. ‘Yes. Yes, it is.’ She gestured towards the tea house. ‘We call them chashitsu.’ She pointed to a variety of exquisitely dressed women in traditional kimonos with their hair in intricate styles decorated with combs and ornaments. ‘And these are the teishu, the host and teachers of the tea ceremony.’
He looked amazed. ‘Are we going in there?’
‘We are. Now, take your shoes off and...’ she put her finger to her lips ‘...don’t speak.’
The teishu met them at the door and gave a little bow. The floor was covered with tatami mats. She invited them to sit down and Katsuko sat cross-legged on the floor and Avery joined her.
She loved the tea ceremony but she enjoyed it even more as she watched Avery’s face. She could see him itching to ask questions at every part of the ceremony. Even though it was called a ceremony it was more like a carefully choreographed dance.
The host ritually cleansed each item for the ceremony—the tea bowl, whisk and tea scoop, using prescribed motions, and then placed them in a precise order. The whisk was used to create a thin paste from water and a special type of powdered green Japanese tea called matcha. The paste was then whisked into a thick liquid.
This was the part of the ceremony that Katsuko loved. It was rhythmical, almost hypnotic, watching the liquid being whisked. Avery hardly moved. He was even breathing quietly as he watched everything intently. She slid her hand over next to his. He didn’t even blink but must have sensed it was there because his warm hand covered hers. His thumb found its way under her palm where he stroked softly, sending a whole host of tingles up her arm. No. She’d never felt like this at a tea ceremony before.
When the tea was ready it was served in the tea bowl—the same tea bowl used by everyone. Bows were exchanged and Avery followed her lead. She raised the bowl as a gesture of respect to the host. Katsuko rotated the bowl, took a sip, complimented the host then wiped the rim of the bowl clean and passed it to Avery.
; He mimicked her actions perfectly. He never even grimaced when he tasted the bitter tea.
When the ceremony was complete the teisha invited Avery to ask questions. And he did. More than Katsuko could ever have imagined. He’d paid attention to everything.
Every day this guy did something else to make her like him more.
An hour after the ceremony started it was finally complete. They emerged back out into the afternoon sun and had only taken a few steps when Katsuko’s phone buzzed.
She pulled it from her pocket and sucked in a breath. ‘Not again.’
Avery turned towards her. ‘What? What is it?’
She paused, well aware that she was about to ruin a perfectly good day. ‘I’m really sorry, but I’m going to have to go. It’s my grandmother.’
‘Is she sick?’ There was instant concern on his face.
She gritted her teeth. If she were sick, things would be more straightforward. She gave a wry smile. ‘Not sick, just cantankerous. She’s flung her carers out. She does this on a regular basis.’
He half smiled. ‘She what?’
Katsuko turned on the path to head back to the train station. ‘It’s like dealing with a toddler. At least I think it’s like dealing with a toddler. Every now and then she throws her carers out and texts me to complain. What it means for tonight is that there’s no one to make her dinner or get her ready for bed. I’ll need to go and help.’ She shook her head. ‘Then I’ll need to phone whoever she’s insulted this time and apologise.’
Avery kept pace beside her. ‘She does this a lot?’
‘Oh, yes.’ Katsuko was trying to calculate in her head the simplest way for Avery to get back to base. She pulled their tickets from her pocket.
‘I’ll tell you which line to get and where to change.’
He shook his head. ‘No, you won’t.’
She stopped walking. ‘Why?’
He stuck his hands in his pockets and kept walking. ‘Because I’m coming with you.’
She couldn’t hide her surprise. ‘What? No, you can’t. I mean, you don’t want to do that. You go back to base. I don’t know how long I’ll be. It’s not fair.’