Tokyo Drift || HS

4 || Don't Drink And Google

EVER SINCE THE GREAT Harry Styles Reconciliation, my routine has improved dramatically.

I've fallen into a relatively normal schedule – Wake up. Work on research with Jalen. Go to the café in the afternoon. Head home. Eat dinner. The steady cycle of everyday life begins to come more easily and I wonder if living in Tokyo won't be so bad after all.

"Get up, you're coming with me." Jalen commands as he barges through my bedroom door.

The scene he walks in on must disturb him because his face contorts at the sight.

I'm sprawled out on the mattress, my head at the foot of the bed. A slimy green face mask coats my skin and my long blonde hair is twisted together in a top-knot that looks more samurai than messy-chic. I'm holding my phone above me, watching a tutorial on how to bleach your hair several levels from home.

"You want to go grab some bleach from the store? I think I know how to do it."

His nose scrunches as if he smells something abhorrent.

"Okay, we're done now I think."

He walks toward me and grabs the wrist not holding my phone then pulls, attempting to drag me off the bed.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What are we doing?" I stumble onto my feet and narrowly avoid face-planting on the hardwood floor.

"We're going out." He smirks. "I made some contacts with people at Tokyo Journal and there are a few other foreigners here who are interning. They want to go out to drink tonight, so you gotta get whatever this alien shit is off your face and get ready."

"This alien shit is a Japanese face mask – it's expensive. You can't just take it off mid-mask!"

Jalen studies me, his expression blank.

"I'll give you 30 minutes."

"What!"

"30 minutes or I'm leaving your ass."

I groan and stomp toward the bathroom.

✤ ✤ ✤

My brief clean up in the bathroom must have been acceptable enough because when I exit my room, Jalen gives me a once-over then nods resolutely. I settled on a tight cropped top and jeans, letting my hair fall in waves down my shoulders.

"Let's go."

The Uber is already waiting outside of our apartment to take us to a bar in the Roppongi area of Tokyo.

Jalen fails to mention that most of the nightlife in Tokyo revolves around karaoke until we're several minutes into our drive. But knowing me, I understand why he waited. Normally, I would have had more of an averse reaction to this news.

I mean, I'm no fool. I know my strengths and weaknesses. And despite my all-encapsulating love for music, I was not gifted with any more singing ability than being able to stay relatively on pitch. So I tend to avoid anything that will make me sing in public.

But, I could actually care less where we're going tonight.

Once Jalen left me in my room to get ready, I realized how much I wanted to get out of the apartment. And my desperate need for a drink.

I haven't gone out for drinks since a couple days before Jalen and I left for Tokyo. Sophie, Penny and I spent a girls night out on the town – drinking way too many Tequinis with my dear old friend Jose Cuervo and making out with some guy who had really nice arms.

Doug? Dean?

Something like that...

Sophie changed his name in my phone to "Little D" the next morning because even with all his macho male peacocking, I was rather unimpressed.