Trash Polka - 25. Chapter 25

I didn’t think I’d be bothered to be honest. This wasn’t permanent. It wasn’t like I’d never see Alec again. I had to remind myself that I was happy for him. I had to remember that he’d made choices to make himself happy and I was doing the same. I kept repeating all of this to myself, but it wasn’t improving my mood.

I wasn’t going to be there while Alec tied up loose strings in Washington. I wasn’t going with him on this new journey. We were going to be states apart and it had hit me all at once. I’d tried to act strong. It was what I had done my entire life. I hadn’t been able to keep calm. I’d clutched at Alec like I’d been drowning, and he’d pulled me to safety. Then we’d separated and I hadn’t been able to breathe since.

The lights on the plane were dimmed and I should sleep. I was exhausted after all. I let my head fall back as my fingers toyed with the corner of the blanket I was tucked under. Everything was going to work out. I was going to see Kenji. Alec was going to Washington to sell his house so that he would be ready to start his new life.

Do I have a place in it? In this new life?

I flinched and shook my head, pressing the heels of my hands against my eyes as I held back my emotions. Everything was changing so fast. Too fast. My wall calendar at home was never going to be able to keep up. Dragging my hands through my hair, I tried to focus on settling my breathing. I wanted to turn around and go home. Alec was being brave. He was finally starting to live his life for him. I’d never known how much I counted on him being there. We’d never been apart. Not since he’d moved to California. He’d followed me from Iowa to Cali and then to Washington. I’d followed him back to Iowa and now we were done. We weren’t going to be around each other constantly. I was no longer his only support system.

He was going to live with Finn eventually. They were going to make a life together and I was selfish. All I could think about was how it left me out. I glanced around at first class and then looked down at my hands after I dropped them in my lap. I was…scared. I wouldn’t be in Tokyo forever, but this was my first time out of the country. It was also the biggest chance I’d taken since leaving home. Alec wouldn’t be there and my relationship with Kenji was still so new. Well, the committed one was.

I touched the lock that sat just below my Adam’s apple and squeezed my eyes closed. I had never reflected on how dependent I was on my and Alec’s friendship. Now that the safety net was gone, I was nearly frozen in terror. What if Kenji and I didn’t work in this capacity? We’d had some moments for the two days he was in Iowa, but it wasn’t enough time. There would be an adjustment period and what if we didn’t fit? What if I had to fly back to Washington with my tail between my legs?

The fear of the unknown was kicking my ass.

I was overwhelmed, but I’d managed to maneuver my way around the airport. There were so many people, and it was a huge place. I was severely overstimulated and I didn’t know where to go. In hindsight, I should have figured this out with Kenji before I’d flown here. I was tired and I felt strangely greasy from the horrendously long flight.

[R: I landed safe and sound <3]

The group chat exploded after a minute, and it eased my panic.

[Lukass: Glad to hear it! The shop misses you!!]
[Cam-Cam: Happy u didn’t die.]
[Augs: That airport is huge! Hopefully Kenji finds you quick!]

“River!” The high-pitched voice nearly succeeded in startling me out of my skin. I whirled around and quickly saw Ai striding toward me with two suited men in tow. She had a poster board sized sign with my name and kanji vomited all over it in garish colors. When I didn’t see the one person I’d come to visit with her, my excitement drooped.

“Hi Ai.” I blinked as the two men relieved me of my bags and the small teenager hugged me tightly. She was wearing tri-color camo pants in several shades of pink, a mesh long sleeved top, and a black tube top underneath.

“Ji is busy in a meeting. It was called last minute. He was literally in the car to come get you.” She shook her head, “He was maaaaad. He also doesn’t know I’m here, but I figured a familiar face might be nice!”

As I was staring at her, she snatched the phone right out of my hand and began tapping at it, “I’mma put my number in. You won’t find a cuter tour guide! I see the look in your eye and no. Kenji is not cuter. Nor would he be a good tour guide. That takes personality.”

She gripped my sleeve and started to lead the way through the throngs of people. My head was spinning, and I wasn’t registering much as she led me outside to a very fancy black car. A man in all black opened the door for Ai and I followed her into the back seat. She’d been talking a mile a minute since she’d found me, and I was fine letting her carry the conversation. I didn’t have anything to say. It wasn’t the end of the world that Kenji didn’t pick me up. He was a busy guy. He’d come see me as soon as he could. He was just in a meeting. Realistically, how long could that take?

The answer was hours. As much as I appreciated Ai coming to get me and trying to point things out on our way to the hotel, I was too in my head to care. She seemed to catch on about the time we got to the hotel and left me to make myself comfortable after she’d escorted me to the most ridiculous hotel room I’d ever been in. It had bedrooms. Plural.

It was about ten times bigger than my apartment and had all the amenities as far as I could tell. The kitchen was a chef’s dream. The bathrooms (again plural) looked like they were out of a magazine. I was immediately overwhelmed again as I tried to take it all in. Most of it was done in light colored woods, black fabrics and stone, and blended traditional Japanese design with modern. There were at least signs that Kenji had existed in the space. There were a couple suits hanging in the closet still in garment bags and stacks of paperwork all over the desk in the main living area. There were also dishes in a drying rack next to the sink.

So, I wasn’t blind. I knew Kenji had money. I don’t think I fully grasped that he was this rich though. I flopped on the bed and moaned at how soft the bedding was. Did rich people just expect these kinds of surroundings? No wonder my small Iowa town had been borderline offensive to Kenji. I shook my head. No, he wasn’t like that. He’d liked my dinky apartment. He’d said it was something to be proud of as I’d worked for it. He’d seemed genuine. I rolled onto my stomach and dragged a pillow to me as I curled up.

I pulled my phone out, unlocked it and was relieved to see a message from Alec finally. He’d sent a picture of him in the airport back home earlier, but my time zones were all skewed now, and I hadn’t heard from him in what seemed like forever. He’d looked exhausted, but he’d still attempted to smile as he held up a peace sign. Hopefully he didn’t mind that I’d sent my lovable band of weirdos to fetch him from the airport. I hadn’t warned him. It took away his chance to argue with me.

River knows best silly Alec.

My chest ached and I sat up a little to look around the room. It felt cold and empty. I had no idea when Kenji would get here. I could message or call, but Ai had said he was in a meeting. I was nervous to leave the room by myself, but I didn’t want to stay either. When Alec didn’t answer, I curled up again after falling onto my side. Had I made a huge mistake? I could be in my own apartment by now among my paints, books, and Knick knacks. Instead, I was in a luxury hotel with no personality. I sighed. I was so dramatic. I’d flown here first class. Now I was in the first-class equivalent of a hotel suite. Also, I was in fucking Tokyo, Japan! People would kill to have this experience. Now was not the time to be a depressed, pathetic little whiner.

I stood, poking my head into the ridiculously gorgeous ensuite bathroom. It had a huge tub that looked like it was made of stone or something. Everything screamed opulence and I took a moment to glance down at myself. I’d worn a violet suit jacket, my mesh long-sleeved shirt underneath, and some simple dark wash jeans. With my purple combat boots of course. Then there was all the ink and the black jewelry I had. I’d been too lazy to put all of it in. I just had my septum, smiley, black tunnels in my ears, snake bites, and of course my tongue. I was also 6’3’’. I was hard to miss. People would be surprised to see me here. Or not, I wasn’t the main character in everyone’s stories.

After I’d give myself an impromptu tour of the ridiculously gorgeous hotel room, I ducked back into the ensuite after grabbing my toiletries. I wasn’t going to just sit around and wait. That wasn’t the kind of person I was. This was all new and I was scared that I’d abandoned my routine, but I could handle this. I’d moved 1900 miles by myself. I’d ironed out details for a new life so that Alec could transition smoothly. I’d been nearly homeless more than once. This was child’s play. Mind made up, I set my things on the fancy bathroom counter. I freshened up, swallowed my pride, and messaged my 16-year-old lifeline. I raised an eyebrow at the word she'd tacked onto her name when she'd programmed her number in.

[R: About that tour? Food as well?]

I shouldn’t have been surprised that a teenager messaged back before I could even put my phone down.

[Ai-Imoutu: Uh? Hell yeah! I’m coming to your room. Gimme a hot second!]

I smiled softly and ran my fingers through my hair. I worked some pomade through it after washing my face and reapplying cologne. Flying made me feel gross, but I didn’t want to commit to a shower if I was going to be tromping around a city for the next few hours. Sighing, I covered my face for a moment while I took deep breaths. After a moment, I dropped my hands to the counter and stared at myself in the mirror. I was disappointed with the start to my trip. I was a bundle of nerves, but I was going to make this work. Regardless of how I felt inside. I could fake it with the best of them. Eventually, if I tried my hardest to be confident, the nerves would dissipate. I’d tread water until then. I swallowed hard when I heard a loud knock at the door.

“Hey! I kinda thought you were going to ignore me. My brothers do most of the time. In Kenji’s defense, he’s always busy. Like all the time.” Ai said as she started walking away, motioning for me to follow. She continued talking about three hundred miles a minute. I jumped a little when we’d made it a few feet down the hallway and I turned to see the two men following us again.

She glanced behind her to see why I was lagging, “Ignore them. Kenji and father are paranoid.”

“Yeah, that’ll be easy. I’m totally used to men tailing me everywhere I go.” I followed behind the teen.

“Should we eat first?” She stopped abruptly and I almost walked right into her, “Oh! I forgot!”

Ai whipped off a tiny pink backpack and began rummaging around inside it. I glanced over my shoulder at the men following us and gave them a small wave. They both considered me seriously. The one on the left had a buzz cut and a scar cutting from his left temple to the right corner of his mouth. He gave me a curt nod and then his eyes moved over my shoulder.

The second was slightly taller than the first and had messy spiked hair. He gave me a quick look up and down and raised his eyebrow before smiling slowly. I turned back to Ai and caught a dark look on her face. She was staring over my shoulder, her hand still in her bag. (He wouldn’t meet my eyes for the rest of the day and by the next, we had a new guard.)

“Anyway, here Rivy.”

“Rivy?” I questioned as I took the small card she was offering. It was the black credit card Kenji had used the day I’d met them.

“I was supposed to give you this earlier, but I forgot!”

“Uh, I have my own money. I exchanged my currency and whatnot. I’m good thank you.” I held it out to her, and she stared at me for a full thirty seconds before she started to giggle.

I frowned and raised an eyebrow and that made her outright laugh, “River, do you really think my brother is going to let you spend any of your own money?”

“I didn’t come here to spend your brother’s money. I came to spend time with him.”

“Good luck with that!” Ai laughed and then stopped abruptly when she saw my face, “You know…how busy he is right? Like, all the time? He sleeps in his office sometimes.”

I forced a smile up from the depths of my soul, “I’ll be fine. We’ll make it work. Now, food?”

Ai’s hip cocked out and she settled her hand on it as she looked up at me. After a moment, she snatched the card from me and dropped it back into her bag. Then she looked up at me and grinned, “I like you. If you’re not going to spend my brother’s money, I will!”

Rolling my eyes, I shrugged and followed her to the elevator. We made our way down to the lobby and Ai grabbed my hand, grinning up at me, “This is going to be so fun!”

“If you say so. Do you have a plan? Where are we going?” I had to walk fast to keep up with the teenager. Which shouldn’t have been as hard as it was, considering I was significantly taller than her.

“Well, there’s a sushi place withing walking distance! It’s super good! Kenji doesn’t like to go there. He’s too much of a snob. You like sushi though, right?” She took in my clothing, “You look like someone who likes sushi!”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I chuckled as she dragged me along.

“Kinda like a hipster. Hipsters like sushi in my experience.” We emerged from the fancy lobby onto the street, and I was hit by the noises of the city.

“Thank you?” I glanced down at my clothing and tilted my head to the side a bit. Fair.

“So... You have any sisters? I bet they'd be super pretty!” Ai paused a bit, and I almost tripped over her again, “or I guess brothers, but those wouldn't be as fun.”

Something about her made me fight back a smile. She was such a bright light, which seemed strange considering her upbringing and what little of her lore I knew. She hadn't stopped talking. I'm not sure she even needed me there, really. The other half of the conversation seemed unimportant to her. So, she chattered while I took in our surroundings. We'd gone from the lobby, to the street, and then to the next one over. Ai talking the whole way.

The street looked about the same as any I'd expect back home. The buildings were steel and glass monoliths rising up to stab at the sky. I'd been in larger cities back home, but nothing touched this tiny glimpse I'd gotten of Tokyo. I craned my neck, trying to look up as far as I could without breaking it. I was positive that I looked like a stereotypical tourist, but I couldn't help myself. Nothing was built this tall where I was raised. It was beautiful in a way I couldn’t express. Cement, glass, rebar, and whatever else had gone into erecting this city was complemented by carefully planned landscaping.

“We're not far from a Louis Vuitton store if you wanna rethink not taking Kenji's card. It's never too late to spend my brother's money.”

“One: designer isn't really my thing. I'm more into indie brands. Two: I have my own money. Thanks though.” She shrugged, then jumped when my phone rang loudly. I scrambled to answer it, wincing as it blared from my pocket. The fact that it made any sound at all was offensive to my very nature. I had needed it though in the airport and once I landed.

Ai had stopped and was fully staring, “Is that... Backstreet Boys?”

A grimace was my only response and answer once I fumbled the device into the open, “Hello?”

“Wow, a proper greeting.” I glanced to Ai and then startled as I realized she continued walking. Then I hurried after her.

“Kinda bullshit that you didn't pick me up.” I had truly meant to word it better. I figured we would talk later on. Once we were face to face. That obviously wasn't happening. At least it was all out there. I couldn't tamp down the fact that my mind was going 3000 miles per hour and my anxiety had turned into a freakish thing with teeth. Ai threw a maniacal grin over her shoulder for me.

“Well, the proper greeting was short-lived. You're upset. I understand. This is not how I pictured this. I'm disappointed as well.”

“Thanks for apologizing. I'm not going to say it's okay as I'm still feeling some type of way about the whole situation. On the bright side-”

“Are you outside?”

“I was talking there, don't know if you noticed, but yes. I'm outside. I was trying to tell you that your sister's taking me for food to cheer me up.”

“Where? Why aren't you being driven there?”

“We're fine. We're almost... there?” Ai met my eyes and grinned, nodding.

“Why was that framed as a question? Where are your guards?” Kenji's voice held a weird edge.

“They're behind us. Lord, is this 20 questions?”

“Let me talk to Ai.”

“Alright?”

We'd reached a simple building with gold kanji on the front and a window that let you see inside the simple ramen shop. One of the guards had brushed past us to get the door open before Ai touched it. I waved the phone in her direction and stepped inside as the conversation dropped into Japanese after she took it. There was a woman behind the counter in traditional clothing who looked at me curiously. Then Ai stepped in behind me followed by the second guard. I was startled to learn the first had followed me inside. I glanced down at Ai, wincing at her volume and tone. The conversation had gotten significantly louder in my absence.

She snapped something and then threw the phone in my general direction. I barely managed to catch it. When the woman saw her and the guards, she fell all over herself to greet Ai. There was a great deal of bowing that shifted to me after a minute. I did my awkward best to reciprocate, ignoring the tiny voice coming from my phone. Once we were being led through yet another building, I lifted my phone to my ear.

“Hey.”

“Where did Ai go? I wasn't done talking to her. Or where did you go for that matter. I felt like I was screaming into the void.”

“I'll get worried when you actually scream. The Void and I are old friends. It's never mentioned you.”

“River, I'm not in the mood.”

“Nor am I. I'm about to eat with your kid sister. Doesn't really do it for me.”

“I'm serious, Ai should have asked before she left the hotel with you.”

“Listen, again, we're fine. I'm an adult. Also, we're being seated, so goodbye.”

“River-”

I didn't let him finish. The petty side of me didn't want him to. That side wanted to be shitty about the whole situation and it was winning. I sank into my seat and glanced to Ai. She looked impossibly smug. Like a cat who'd caught a canary, “That was awesome! Not enough people stand up to my brother like that.”

I shrugged off the comment. I was definitely not proud that a 16-year-old girl applauded my behavior and how I handled the situation. How I dealt with that phone call was ridiculous. I was sure I’d hear about it later. I deserved to.

“They don't eat?” I asked, motioning to the men at her back. They stood between her and the wall, strategically placed to see the rest of the room.

“They're working.” Ai said dismissively, looking over the menu I couldn't read.

“What do they like? We should at least get them something to take home.”

Ai giggled without moving her eyes from the menu, “You're so cute, River. Strange, but absolutely adorable.”

“Thanks?” I said, frowning.

“Course! Now what do you like?”