by Samantha Lau
Three weeks to woo him and convince him to sell, or attempt to convince his boss to move the building elsewhere (or build around the shop). That or lose everything he’d worked for the last ten years.
It wasn’t a difficult choice to make.
Tatsuya finished his day at the office and headed home to rest.
***
The following morning Tatsuya was back at Café Lov. He’d driven his own car, a dark copper Lexus Sedan that had likely been worth closer to six figures. He’d parked it safely, out of the way but visible from within the coffee shop, not planning to take too long anyway. The bells at the door jingled as they always had every time he entered the café, and he headed straight for the counter, expecting Vanya would not be well enough to be serving tables yet, and also expecting the hostile look the other man gave him as greeting.
“I’m not. Going. To sell.” Was Vanya’s greeting.
“No, that is not what I’m here for today,” Tatsuya said, watching the man carefully. He observed him narrow his eyes slightly, obviously suspicious of him. “I think we started off with the wrong foot. I am aware I might have come off a bit strong in my attempt to purchase your business.”
“I’d say,” Vanya muttered, but he watched him curiously, that part of his mind that was always racing a thousand miles ahead working extra time now.
Tatsuya cleared his throat slightly. “Yes, well. I’m not exactly used to being told no,” he admitted “And neither is my company. However,” he said quickly, before Ivan could complain “I’m not here to insist on that. I merely wish to apologize, and if you’d let me, make it up to you.”
Now Vanya’s brow rose. “Make it up to me how?”
There it was... the curiosity that Tatsuya had seen more than once in this man. This was what he’d been counting on; the curiosity would help him in his circle easier than anything else. With some luck, it would also help him find out what strings he needed to pull to make him sell.
“By inviting you out to dinner.” Tatsuya offered a smile. He didn’t smile often, but he knew that when he did he could look quite dashing. He tried to play a bit on that, to make himself a bit less aggressive, and a bit more seductive. A bit more inviting, and yet, not overtly a player. Thus, he rested his hands in the counter, moving them a bit restlessly, as if slightly nervous to be requesting such a thing. “I promise you, there’ll be no talk of selling or buying anything other than our meal.”
Those gray–blue eyes looked him up and down, considering carefully; then, finally, Vanya gave his answer.
“... Alright.”
He seemed cautious still, and Tatsuya couldn’t blame him. It was smart of Ivan to doubt him, and he briefly wondered if he would have still accepted if he’d been slightly less curious.
Tatsuya’s smile widened a little, and Vanya reacted by offering just the slightest curve up on his lips.
“Excellent,” Tatsuya said at once. “Will tomorrow be too soon for you?”
Vanya shrugged slightly with his good side “Tomorrow is fine.”
“At eight?” Tatsuya inquired, and when the man nodded, added “Should I pick you up here?”
“I guess so... ”
“Tomorrow at eight, then,” Tatsuya took a step back, bowed his head slightly for it was a bit of a habit, and walked away, leaving Vanya to muse over whether he’d made a good choice after all.
***
The following evening, at eight sharp, Tatsuya drove his sedan to the café. He was a punctual man and always expected the same of his work relations, but his experience with people outside his usual circles was such that he often wondered if he lived in a different time zone, for everyone else was always late. Perhaps that was why, as he pulled up by the shop, he found himself pleasantly surprised to find Vanya already waiting outside. Pleasantly surprised and also slightly worried. While it hadn’t snowed yet that day, it was cold enough that there was still a thin layer of snow from the day before; no one in their right mind would have purposefully chosen to wait for someone outside in the cold, when they could just as well wait inside a nice, warm, coffee shop.
As soon as he stopped, he hurried to lean across the seat and open the passenger door for the man.
Carefully, having not recognized the car, Vanya leaned down to look inside first, then slipped into the passenger seat and closed the door. He winced slightly as he pulled his hands out of his pockets: the sling was gone, but perhaps he should have kept it on for a bit longer...
“This isn’t your usual car,” Vanya remarked as sole greeting.
“Good evening to you as well,” Tatsuya stated, still looking at the blond carefully, assessing if he was cold or hurting too much “And no, it’s not. This is my personal car, the other was my company’s.”
“Ah,” Vanya looked up at him, fidgeting slightly. “So... where are we off to?”
Tatsuya smiled. “How do you like Japanese food?”
***
The drive was a little awkward, but not very long. Not very long in real time, anyway; for the uncomfortably silent twenty minutes’ drive to the Japanese restaurant seemed like forever to Tatsuya, who had never before thought a silence could feel so weird. Usually most moments of silence were rather comfortable to him. He liked the quiet, after all.
The place Tatsuya drove him to was a rather typical Japanese restaurant on the wealthy side of town, the kind of place Vanya would have never thought of going to on his own, the kind he probably couldn’t have afforded to go except maybe once every leap year. Tatsuya was moderately pleased to find his ‘date’ looking around with curious awe as soon as they crossed the doors. It’d been long since anyone he’d gone out with, business partner or date, had been impressed with the places he’d taken them. Most were already used to the expensive restaurants and vistas, and almost seemed to expect it. To be able to please Ivan with such a small thing was... different. Good.
The restaurant was quite impressive indeed. The low dark lacquered tables, the delicate flower arrangements, the soft lights and lanterns, the careful calligraphy and soft painted scrolls and screens, the flat cushions, even the hostess and waitresses in their expensive silk kimonos and their traditional hair. The ambience of the place was both luxurious and traditional, looking like it’d come straight out of a high budget movie.
Tatsuya gave his last name to the hostess, having made a last minute reservation for them, and she immediately had a waitress lead them to a small private booth. Unlike the tables on the common area, when sitting by the table in the booth one could choose to sit Japanese style. But to Vanya’s relief (or rather, to the relief of his legs), the area under the table was deeper, so people could sit on the floor much like on a chair. Tatsuya couldn’t help a small smile of fond amusement at the smile that spread on the blond man’s face at the discovery of it. It seemed it’d been a good choice after all, going for the booth. He’d hesitated at the last minute when he’d called for the reservation, but thought something more intimate than the common room might suit his purpose better.
The woman that had led them there handed them their menus with a polite bow and left without more. Tatsuya knew that his date would have no problems reading it, for the menu was both in Japanese and English.
Tatsuya parted his lips to speak, but Vanya was faster.
“It’s a nice place,” he commented in an attempt to break the ice.
“I’m glad it pleases you.”
“Come here often?” the blond winced slightly.
Was it because he’d moved his shoulder the wrong way or was it out of embarrassment? After all, that had sounded quite like a bad pick up line.
“Sometimes, mostly for business meetings.” As an afterthought, so Ivan wouldn’t feel like this too was a business meeting after all, he quickly added, “I was hoping I could one day enjoy it without the pressures of work.”
“Hmm... ”
Tatsuya looked down at his menu, quickly browsing through it. He could feel Vanya’s searching gaze on him tho
ugh, perhaps measuring if this really was a business meeting after all.
“I guess as far as apologies go, this one isn’t too bad so far,” Vanya stated.
This time the words made Tatsuya look up, only to find the blond was likewise perusing the menu, lips quirked into a little lopsided smile. Perhaps Ivan was more interesting than he’d given him credit for. Perhaps it wouldn’t be such a bad thing to try to conquer him...
He put his own menu back down and smiled.
“I’d like to know more about you.”
Vanya’s gaze lifted. He smiled softly. “Such as?”
“What’s this ‘Vanya’ they call you?” he asked, having overheard it in the café.
Vanya shrugged “Just a diminutive.”
Tatsuya raised an eyebrow. “Of Ivan?”
“Yup. But you know, since you’re the one wanting to make it up to me, I think it’s only fair that you be the one telling me about yourself.”
Tatsuya considered him like he would any other business partner – by measuring what his choices were and what was more convenient to answer. He nodded.
“It is only fair,” he agreed. “But there isn’t much to tell.”
It was Vanya’s turn to set his menu down, hands crossing over it, moving one slowly not to pull on his shoulder too hard. “I’m all ears.”
“I was born here, spent the first half of my life here, then most of my teenage years in Japan. As soon as I finished with my studies in business I found a job at JUBA and I’ve been working for them since.”
Vanya stared, a brow slightly higher than the other.
“Well, that’s very... concise. Nice for a magazine blurb on you, but I was looking for something a bit more personalized. I mean, what about your family? Hobbies? Pets? Loves and hates? Surely there’s more to you than work.”
Tatsuya once more considered his answer carefully, but he didn’t make Ivan wait too long for a response.
“I have an older brother. He’s currently living in Japan, as are my parents. I haven’t really seen them in a very long while. We’re... ” he paused, seeking the right word. This wasn’t something he was comfortable speaking about, normally. “... estranged.”
It was difficult for Tatsuya to talk about himself openly. He couldn’t remember the last time anyone had really cared, nor the last time he’d cared to tell anyone about this. His exchanges were usually of a more superficial nature, even his love life having been filled with superficial affairs, fleeting relationships based on nothing but interest or money, for both parties involved. Even with friends, Tatsuya never really asked much about their lives, and they never asked about his. He was used to people respecting his privacy, and so it was rather unexpected when Vanya didn’t.
“Why?”
That simple, curious question rattled Tatsuya, and he was unsure why. It wasn’t really a secret... he’d just... never been questioned on reasoning for any statements before, other than by his immediate bosses.
More out of surprise than to avoid him, he asked a puzzled, “Excuse me?”
“Why are you estranged from them?” Vanya smiled. “Family is everything to me. I wouldn’t be able to be away from my sister, I don’t think I could stand being so angry at her that I would never talk to her again. I’d just have to talk to her at some point and try to make it up to her, whatever it was that pulled us apart. Didn’t you try to talk to them?”
Tatsuya sighed. “There was a time when I had hoped it wouldn’t stay like that between us but... no matter what I tried they wouldn’t talk to me again, and so after a while I just stopped trying.”
Vanya nodded, then, “And so?”
“So?”
“You still haven’t told me why. Oh, I’m sorry, am I being pushy?” Vanya smirked. It was obvious he was prying on purpose, but Tatsuya chose to rise to the challenge.
“Because my brother saw me kissing another man.”
Vanya leaned in, watching him intently, clearly expecting him to say more. Yet the waitress chose that moment to slide the booth door open, bringing them drinks and snacks on the house, and with that, a new wave of silence.
When the waitress left with their orders, Tatsuya took the chance to encourage Ivan to try one of the snacks. The earlier moment had passed, and neither of them seemed keen on returning to the conversation they had left off, even if Vanya was likely still curious about it.
“You and your sister,” Tatsuya asked instead “You’re very close, then.”
“Yep. I was twenty when my parents died, I took her under my care. Well, she was only one year away from being legally an adult, so... but still. I took care of her even before then. Our parents were always busy with work so I helped raise her.” Behind his glass, Vanya smiled. “My turn.”
Tatsuya gave him a puzzled look. “We’re taking turns for something?”
“Sure, to ask questions,” Vanya chuckled. “Okay, so... hobbies!”
“Hobbies,” Tatsuya stated thoughtfully. “Reading, I suppose.”
Vanya shook his head. “Do I have to force everything out of you? Come on. It will still count as my question if I have to ask you just what you read.”
This time Tatsuya smiled in amusement. “Alright, alright. I read magazines, business magazines mostly, newspapers... non-fiction books?”
“Let me guess. Business books.”
“Too boring for you?” Tatsuya teased.
“Terribly,” Vanya chuckled “You’re not much of a dreamer, are you? How about something a little more exciting? Adventure? Action?”
“If you knew how fast the stocks rise and fall every day, you might consider that enough action and adventure.”
Vanya laughed softly. “Oh-ho! That’s good. We’re cracking jokes now. You might yet be human after all.”
Tatsuya’s brow twitched and he snorted. “Just because I’d rather keep a serious outlook doesn’t mean I’m not human.”
Vanya waved his good hand at him. “Please, you recited the facts of your life like a robot,” he teased, smiling “I guess your humanity just takes a bit to warm up.”
Tatsuya shook his head, but he smiled again.
“Perhaps that’s it,” he admitted, and then dinner was brought.
***
Tatsuya found dinner to be... surprisingly enjoyable. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had this much fun with someone, the last time he’d felt free to talk and enjoy the company without any pressure. After college his life had been entirely focused on work. But then... this too was work, wasn’t it? Sometime along their dinner he’d forgotten that this wasn’t just a regular date. This man, this sale, everything depended on it. His job was in the balance; he couldn’t afford to forget this again.
Thus, Tatsuya’s good mood was slowly dissolving even as he accompanied Vanya to his car. Oh, he smiled still, made a comment or two, but the fact remained: as much as he’d enjoyed Ivan’s company, in the end he was going to have to try and push for the sale.
The closer they got to Vanya’s place, the more annoyed Tatsuya felt at everything. Thoughts of his boss putting him in this situation filled his mind with anger; the thought of eventually having to break it to Vanya that he was only after him for his property filled his heart with dread. It was almost funny. Sometime during the last ten years he’d stopped feeling so conflicted about what he had to do to reach the top. Now that everything hung by a thread, he was having second thoughts.
He finally pulled up at the apartment complex Ivan lived at.
“Here we are,” he smiled.
Vanya smiled too. “I had fun. Thanks for tonight.”
Tatsuya nodded slightly. “Does this mean I’m forgiven?” he half–teased.
Vanya shrugged “For now. I wouldn’t push it if I were you.”
“Understood,” he said with a small bow of his head. Steeling his resolve once again, he reached out to caress Vanya’s cheek, reminding himself he had only a limited time to work with him. But, despite smiling, Vanya pulled back.
/> “See you around.”
Tatsuya opened his mouth to call out for him, but Vanya was already out of the car and to his door. He hesitated, then waited until his date would have gone inside to drive off.
5
The first thing he did as soon as he crossed his door was check his cell phone. He wasn’t surprised to find the missed calls there. He was, however, surprised to see they went into the two digits. Rolling his eyes, he carefully slipped his bad arm out of the coat, then the good, then found his sling to rest his arm while he checked his voice messages.
His sister’s worried voice came through, speaking Russian.
“Hey~ how’s the date going? Does your not answering mean you don’t need me to call to save you from boredom?”
And then, “Vanya, hon, he hasn’t kidnapped you, has he? You forget you asked me to check in on you? At least text me to let me know it’s going fine.”
And then, “Isn’t it kind of rude to ask someone to call to save you if you’re not even going to take the call and say all is going well? Ah, anyway, call me when you get home~!”
And so on they went. He couldn’t blame her. He had asked her to call him, just in case he needed a quick escape, and then things had been going so well he’d just forgotten. And she had been pretty worried, as had been Tom, to find he’d be going out with Tatsuya. Tom had already warned him that the man might have ulterior motives, but Vanya didn’t want to hear it. In fact, Vanya didn’t know what to think. He could almost be convinced after their dinner that Tatsuya was nice, that he really meant well and had meant to apologize. But he still had his doubts. He didn’t want to have them, but there they were, Tom’s words nagging him, his sister’s worried look floating in his mind’s eye.
Shaking his head, Vanya’s first move was to call his sister. She picked up at once. She must have been waiting even though it was late.
“Sorry I didn’t get back to you. The ‘date’ actually went well,” he said, smiling to the phone. “No, no. He was quite the gentleman. We didn’t really talk business at all. He’s a bit on the quiet side, but he’s fun when you can get him to talk. Can you believe he actually knows how to crack a joke? I know!”