‘I like you better with that kind of expression,’ she continued. ‘You should keep it that way. Stop scowling all the time. Try to take things easy.’

He didn’t say anything, but some questions ran through his mind. Was it all right for him to be happy? Could he afford to feel this way, after all the mistakes he had made?

‘Hey, why are you standing there?’ Liyun gestured towards the station. ‘Let’s go. If you don’t move, we’ll never get anywhere.’

Yeah, that was right. He had to learn to let go.

21 Something Like Christmas

CHAPTER 21

SOMETHING LIKE CHRISTMAS

Eri was the one who spotted Shoji first, waving at him as he exited the station on a Saturday night. She looked fresh in a chequered short-sleeved top paired with black capri pants. Her hair was tied up into a small bun.

‘Where is your friend?’ Eri asked.

‘She couldn’t come,’ Shoji said. In truth, he hadn’t asked Liyun. He was worried about what Eri would say.

She looked genuinely disappointed. ‘That’s too bad. We should arrange it for another time.’

He averted his eyes. ‘Yeah.’

Eri’s place was five minutes’ walk from Shibakoen Station. They passed by a KFC, where they ordered takeaway. Unlike Shoji’s old-fashioned apartment, Eri’s was a luxurious high-rise complete with a security guard. The middle-aged man in dark uniform greeted them as they entered, and Eri exchanged a few words with him. Once they were in the lift, she inserted her access card and pressed number thirteen.

‘The rent must be expensive,’ Shoji said, ‘especially in such a prime location.’

‘It is,’ she said, ‘but I hardly spend on anything else.’

The lift pinged and the door opened.

She walked out. ‘I like it here. It’s near my office, and the view is great. Wait until you see it for yourself. I’m sure you’ll love it.’

‘Uh-huh.’

The carpeted floor silenced their steps. A waft of lavender scented the air. The atmosphere was that of a hotel, not an apartment.

Eri stopped and inserted her card into a slot in the front door. A tiny red light turned green and she pushed the door open. Once she put her card into a slot on the wall, light flooded in.

‘Here it is,’ she said, glancing at Shoji. ‘Welcome to my place.’

He followed her and put the KFC bucket on the white coffee table. Eri lived in a studio apartment, tastefully furnished with modern furniture. A Bordeaux-coloured sofa perched in the middle of the room, contrasting with the monochrome wallpaper and steel fittings. With a press of a button, she opened the thick brocade curtain, revealing a floor-to-ceiling glass window overlooking Tokyo Bay. Thousands of lights glittered like precious gems against the dark water.

‘What do you want to drink?’ Eri asked.

He turned to her. ‘Do you have beer?’

‘Only Shochu and Coke.’

‘Coke then.’