3 am; joji miller

1.4

     It was a cool evening, but not cool enough to need a jacket. I still had on my plain white t-shirt, and the jeans I had put on earlier. I gazed at the sights and the places of the big city that I felt so small in.
  
     "So, not Soapland, but it is pretty high up there on the list," George said suddenly. I guess I had been daydreaming for so long that I didn't realize that we had stopped walking. We were standing in front of a small, outdoor cafe.
  
     For being in the middle of a busy street, it seemed super quiet. There was a building to go inside and wait to get seated, but then you dine out back. The little picnic tables were very cute and aesthetic. I guess you can't go on a date with George Miller and it not be aesthetic.
  
     Wait, was this a date? I guess in the rush of everything, I had pushed my feelings aside. Or what I thought were feelings. Maybe this so called 'date' could help me figure that out.
  
     George opened up the glass door and let me in first. "Gentlemen's Guide?" I asked and rose an eyebrow at him.
  
     "Of course," he said, "after you, my lady." I giggled at his cheesiness. I stepped inside and looked around at the lights that surrounded the inside. It wasn't much, but it was enough to make you love it.
  
     We stepped up to the counter. A woman greeted us in Japanese. Of course I knew she said hello, but I was lost after that. Thank god for George. The hostess brought us out to our table, which was a smaller picnic table. I sat on one side and George sat across from me. She placed two menus in front of us.
  
     George said something in Japanese and then looked to me. "What do you want to drink?"
  
     "Oh, umm, water's fine with me," I said. He ask if I was sure and I nodded. He told her and she smiled at he two of us and walked off.
  
     I looked down at the menu, which was covered in a language that I had no clue how to read. "You know, I always wanted to come to Japan. I thought it'd be a lot of fun. But I never learned any Japanese. And I didn't know anyone who spoke Japanese," I said, looking away from the confusing menu.
  
     "That's why you have me. You're translating hero," he said and looked down at the menu. "Okay, I can recommend you something, and you just have to trust me," he said.
  
     I shrugged and told him alright. Why the hell not, I mean I'm here, might as well. Our waitress brought us our waters, and I guess asked for our orders. George ordered for the two of us, and she stepped away.
  
     "Maybe next time I should sign up for Japanese lessons on Rosetta Stone," I said and casually glanced down at the table, trying not to laugh at my own joke.
  
     George practically spit out the water that he just drank. He wiped his bottom lip and glared at me with a smirk. "You think you're funny, don't you?"
  
     "Maybe a little bit..."
  
-
  
     The night passed by. The dish that George had ordered for me was absolutely delicious. I can't honestly say I knew what it was. All I know is that it had squid in it, and I was skeptical at first, but I tried it and really like it.
  
     Even after we finished eating, we sat. We sat and talked. We talked and laughed. It was really nice to get to know George a little bit better. Since meeting him, I knew that he was a funny and sweet person, but because of tonight I got to see a side of him that I hadn't known existed.
  
     We eventually called it a night. We got up and went inside. We paid, or George did. I swear, I'm going to pay him back every penny. I hate that he is buying all of these things for me.
  
     We pushed the door open and stepped out onto the street. It was about 9:21. Holy shit, had we really been in there that long.
  
     My attention was quickly averted from the thought of time, to George. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me into an alley. "What the..."
  
     He covered my mouth with his hand and backed against a wall behind a dumpster. I tried to wrestle out of his grip, but he was too strong for me. Minutes passed, and he finally let go. I turned around immediately and backed away from him.
  
     "What the hell George!?" I called out. He put a finger up to his lips and told me to shush.
  
     "We need to get out of here. Now," he said. I finally understood what he meant. He grabbed my wrist again, this time with me willingly allowing him to pull me. We ran down the back alley and around the back of whatever building this was.
  
     "How the hell did they find us!?" I asked as we continued to run. There was a gap between a couple of buildings. We both slowed to a stop and peeked around. There were three men in the alley. With guns.
  
     George turned me around and pushed me in the opposite direction. There was a back door to whatever building we were behind. I opened it and pulled him through it with me. I ran up the the stairs and George trailed behind me.
  
     I don't know how, but we managed to end up on the roof. "Why the hell did we come up here? We're trapped if they come up here," George said, out of breath.
  
     "Of course you're trapped." A deep voice pierced the air and a different man, still with a gun, stepped out from behind the door that we had just come out of.
  
     "Please. Don't hurt her. Take me. She's not supposed to be a part of this," George said and put his hands up.
  
     "George no!" I said out loud and tried to pull his arms down. He pushed me off and took a few steps towards the man, who had his gun raised.
  
     "It seems to me that she's a part of this," he said and aimed his gun to me. I stopped dead in my tracks and felt my face go pale.
  
     "No!" George yelled. He darted for the guy.
  
     Bang!
  
     The shot rang loudly and bounced off of the buildings. I don't know where the man was aiming. It wasn't at me, because I'm still alive. That means...oh shit.
  
     George was on his knees in front of the man. "No!" I screamed out. I ran to his side and dropped to my knees beside. He was holding his side, the blood soaking through the t shirt that he bought hours earlier.
  
     Tears fell on my cheeks, onto my shirt, the collar now damp with tear stains. "Why!? Look what you did!" I screamed out. I was obviously screaming at the man, but I wasn't looking at him.
  
     My mind went blank along with everything around me. George had laid back onto my lap. He was staring up at me. "Hold on, you're gonna be okay," I said softly, through tears.
  
     The door to the roof burst open. Police had heard the gun shot and located the source. They took the man down, cuffing his hands behind his back. He never said a word. He just had an evil grin on his face. The grin of a terrible human being. No, not that. The grin of a monster.
  
     Two officers dropped down by my side, pulling me away from George. They took over from there. I could hear the walls of the ambulance getting closer. But my world was still blank.
  
     The blood from his wound poured onto the ground beside him. He was gasping for air. His dark eyes, constantly losing the light that I had fallen for.
  
     Oh god, please. Don't let this be the end for him. It can't be. Not yet. Please.