Customer of the Month

Chapter 7

"Well, this certainly tops any first date I've ever been on. And probably ever will."

Mirrored in a sweeping koi pond is Liam's wobbly reflection, clean shaven like he's sixteen all over again. His hair's grown out to a length like it was when he was at that age too, falling flat past his eyebrows with the ends cut in a choppy, haphazard fashion; a few bits near the back do the opposite and stick outward in an edgy statement.

"So you have been on dates before," Zayn says as Liam finishes up studying his thick button up that's changed from black to white, and the red tie that's fastened around its collar.

Before he stands from his crouching position, he follows a gorgeous orange and white spotted koi fish glide through the water, completely unaware of its own elegance.

The same can be said for Zayn. He's wearing the same top and grey slacks as Liam, but slung over his right shoulder is a blazer, a prep-school crest embroidered on its breast pocket. With its strands cut much more blunt than Liam's, his jet black hair rests in soft layers along his forehead, right above the thick frames of his glasses that beg the question: does he wear contacts in the real world?

"I'm almost twenty-seven," Liam reminds him. "Of course I've been on dates before."

"Your age doesn't mean anything. Some people get a late start."

"I wasn't one of those." He's about to step away from the pond's edge, but Zayn props his foot up on one of silver rocks that surround the body of water and stops him. "I went on a date a few weeks ago, but I definitely didn't take them to Tokyo."

"We're not in Tokyo," Zayn points out while re-tying the laces of his black Doc Martens that match his purple G-Shock watch. "This is a manga that takes place in Kyoto."

"Present day?"

"Sure."

"Zayn..."

The man stands, readjusting his tie so it's not as tight around his neck. "I wrote it a couple years ago, so relatively speaking, yeah, it's the present day. But during the Spring," he points up to one of the nearby trees that's tan branches are covered in delicate, pink flowers. "Cherry Blossom season takes place in early Spring. Relatively."

Liam's ashamed to admit that he doesn't know much of anything about life outside of England or Europe, so he's never heard of "Cherry Blossom season", but it's breathtaking.

In the park around them, down every pathway and around every water feature are trees like the one Zayn's highlighted. They're graceful in ways that only specific exotic species are, winding their thin limbs into the air like a master sculptor's taken the time to work them into such refined positions. Some have fully bloomed flowers pinned to them the colour of a flamingo, while others contain lighter ones, like candy floss. The contrast creates a spectacular ombré effect, making it appear as though the park's not that at all, but an aesthetically pleasing ocean whose waves differ in shades of pink as they lap at an enchanted land that only belongs in fairytales.

"So, you're a secret romantic?" Liam guesses, minding the way Zayn shrugs in response. "Have you been here before? In real life?"

"I have. I got away for a couple days on a work trip to Tokyo once."

"If Louis paid for me to go to Central America on a work trip, I think I'd lose it."

Another round of silence fills the air, and while Liam tries to find the comfort in it, it's difficult. He can't shake the feeling he needs to find something to say, even as he's taking his time observing the neatly trimmed bonsai trees that line the path Zayn's taking them down, along with the other high school aged students who are wearing the same uniforms they are, crest and all.