Going Solo

Part 36

"You didn't have to be so cryptic. I know you want something and we both know how this goes. Tell me what you want and I'll see if I can comply." Kenji said haughtily.

"Kenji, I don't want anything from you."

"Then why text me?" he asked.

Jasmine paused before answering, waiting for the waiter to place their glasses of ice water on the table and leave. "It was just a warning."

Kenji raised an eyebrow after lifting the cold glass covered in droplets of condensed moisture to his lips. Taking a sip he assessed her behavior, her eyes were shifting, and her hands picked at her finger nails underneath the table. Something was off. "A warning?"

"Yes. I'm going to make things right. For me. For you. For Jin. For Emi." 

The glass almost slipped from Kenji's fingers. He immediately rested it on the table with a hard thud on the granite covered table, causing some of the liquid to spill over the rim. "And by that you mean?"

"I'm telling Emi about us."

"You're confused. There is no us, not anymore. We haven't been together in over two years." Jasmine could see the veins embolden in his neck and the muscles in his jaw tighten.

"We may not have slept together because of my condition, but I'm pretty sure the relationship we had even after we found out, wouldn't be something your wife would want to hear about. Look, I don't want to go about this underhandedly. Tell your wife, Kenji. Tell her before I do, because you can't stop me. I'm going to tell her."

"What are you going to gain from telling her?!" Kenji hissed in a whisper, leaning in to the table. 

"A clear conscience. A chance at redemption. A chance to sever my ties with you and start over with Jin."

"Soka. (I see.)," he muttered scornfully. "This is about him."

"Oh please, Kenji. Now's not the time to be jealous. You have no right."

"Jealous?" he scoffed, "Like I would be jealous of that kid."

"Well good. I'm glad you're not jealous, because you have a wife. One that I was never allowed to be jealous of."

Kenji leaned back in his chair, shaking his head. "You can't do this. Emi and I... We have a kid. You do this, and you'll just be a home-wrecker."

"Oh, and I suppose you had nothing to do with ruining your marriage."

Kenji sneered at her. Jasmine pushed her chair away from the table, leaping from her seat and strutting towards the door. Kenji violently shoved his chair back and ran to catch Jasmine by the arm, grasping it tightly. "Don't do anything you'll regret."

"It's a little too late for that. I'm already regretting having anything to do with you." she snatched her arm away from him and left the restaurant.

Jasmine was surprised that his response was this mild. She thought he would've been shaking with anger. She thought he might retreat to his old habits, fall into another fit of rage. She was thankful they had met in a public place. That had saved her somewhat, and thankfully he didn't know where she was staying now that she was back in Georgia. She didn't know what she would do if he came by for a surprise visit banging on her door.

Kenji felt relatively vacuous; he was in a daze. Somehow he had foreshadowed this. When she began growing distant, cold over text messages, her delayed replies. And now somehow he felt that maybe, just maybe, he was relieved. Now he would no longer live a lie. Now he could breathe.