No Strings Attached

Chapter Four

“How do you know I was here?” Jennie asked, with an amazed look on her face. She couldn’t believe Lisa had literally sprung up next to her.

“You’ve forgotten that I’m a fortune teller?” Lisa sniggered. Actually the yakitori restaurant Jennie was at was a very famous one in that suburb and Lisa knew that it was quite impossible to get a taxi during this time. Getting a taxi from the hotel to pick her up was the quickest way.

Jennie merely stared at Lisa with an incredulous look on her face as she buckled up.

“So where are we heading to?” Lisa asked, excitement building up inside her.

“Just sit back and relax.” Jennie smiled and gave the address to the taxi driver.

After a short journey, the taxi came to a stop along a quiet main road. Both of them alighted from the cab and Jennie led the way along a side street to her usual hangout place. As usual, the bottle of sake with two cups was served shortly after they sat down at her usual spot.

“You must be a regular here. Even the waiter knows your order without having to tell him,” Lisa opened her eyes wide in amazement when she saw the waiter placing the alcohol on the table, moments after they arrived at their seat.

Jennie merely winked as she poured the warm sake into the two ochoko. “This is my favourite sake. I hope you’ll enjoy it too. Cheers!” Jennie handed Lisa a cup.

Lisa took a sniff at the cup before downing the warm sake in a single gulp. Her face and ears turned red instantly. Jennie couldn’t contain her laughter when she saw Lisa fanning herself with her hand.

“Are you alright?” Jennie asked, concerned.

“Yes. Just that I don’t usually drink much,” Lisa replied, stuttering a little.

“Ah, you should have told me earlier on that you don’t drink and I wouldn’t have brought you here.”

Lisa shook her head. “It’s ok. I do drink on special occasions like birthdays and Chuseok.”

“So is this considered a special occasion?” Jennie purred, her hand resting on Lisa’s thigh. She was trying to test Lisa’s reaction and hoped for a good one.

Lisa didn’t shift her leg. A wide smile crept up on Lisa’s face as she spoke, “Yes. A very special one. We wouldn’t have met each other if it wasn’t for the bag mix up.”

Jennie laughed, leaning back into her seat. She was glad Lisa didn’t shy away from her touch. “Indeed, indeed.”

Lisa filled the two cups and handed one to Jennie. “To celebrate our special meeting in Tokyo.”

Both of them swallowed the alcohol in one swift motion before placing the cup back onto the table. Both women were chatting merrily, drinking sake and eating bar snacks. At times they would be whispering into each other’s ears, as if they were sharing secrets.

Distracted by the conversation they were having, Lisa didn’t realise that she had exceeded her usual limit of alcohol. She was starting to see stars twinkling in front of her eyes by the time she had her fifth cup of sake. Her body felt very light and she couldn’t quite concentrate on what Jennie was saying. Her cheeks, neck and ears felt warm.

Jennie must have told a joke as she was laughing heartily, her hand occasionally resting on Lisa’s thigh. Lisa felt a tingling sensation running from her thigh to her toes each time Jennie placed her hand on her thigh. She tried to laugh along but her eyes were focused on something glossy. It was a pair of luscious red lips.