Hazed behind the whisps of smoke and oversized sweatshirts from Hollister, Kenji Tanaka is a sassy, sharp-tongued omega, and he meets Meena - the son of a notorious crime boss posing as a legitimate businessman to anyone in law enforcement - who wou...
اوووه! هذه الصورة لا تتبع إرشادات المحتوى الخاصة بنا. لمتابعة النشر، يرجى إزالتها أو تحميل صورة أخرى.
Kenji's fingerprints were dusted with the soft texture of pastels from the blend of blues — denim and eggshell — in the outline of a jacket dangling from a mannequin bearing a close resemblance to Meena, down to the body type. The tattoos from his forearms to his wrists were absent. Kenji's skills at drawing paled in comparison to the intricate branches wrapping around his biceps and fading flowers scattering his arms.
The mannequin was dressed casually in a heather-grey tshirt and black jeans with rips, both colored with the light lead of his drawing pencils.
The edges of his mouth rose upwards into a smile when he grazed the mess of curls splayed atop Meena's head in dark lead to finish his design. From the curve of his lips to the veins trailing behind his knuckles he drew from memory. He even added the moles where he has them on exposed skin.
Kenji presumes whichever diety created Meena gave him moles on his skin as an afterthought — a series of imperfections meant to blemish his beauty. The efforts were futile. No amount of flaws could diminish near-perfection.
Kenji sips the caramel-topped, peppermint coffee out of his sturdy, plastic cup with Heidi's signature in bold cursive.
Replicas of the flowery font were famously signed on every coffee cup and pastel-colored mug in Cape Elizabeth. Kenji happened to have a mug in every color associated with Heidi. Though he never met him, he was considered his marketer by half of the people he knew.
Kenji snaps a quick photo of the design for safekeeping before sliding the peach book back in his bag.
He swallows another gulp of his coffee.
Juno's name and face-splitting smiling photo flashes across his screen; his soft ringtone of Melanie Martinez's Mad Hatter flows from his speakers. ❝Yes?❞ Kenji prompts.
❝Meet me outside your house in forty-five minutes. We're getting cheesecake.❞
❝What?❞ Kenji laughs in mock-amusement. ❝The closet bakeries with cheesecake are in Portland, June.❞
❝Okay? Sweetheart, your fucking birthday's today. A half hour drive won't hurt anything.❞
Kenji's heart fell to his stomach when he realized Meena hadn't wished him ❛happy birthday.❜ He hasn't even texted him. Why hasn't he texted him?
❝You there?❞ Juno's voice snapped him back to reality.
❝Yeah, yeah, I'm here. I can be ready in time.❞ He tried to maintain a steady tone, hiding any cracks in his voice with a calm fäcade. ❝Bye.❞
