BEFORE WE EVEN SPOKE

odern buildings, its weathered wooden exterior and hand-painted sign almost easy to miss if you weren't p

ticed ease. The scent of roasted green tea and hinoki wood greeted him like an old friend. He placed

ranged flowers for the tokonoma alcove. She didn't say hello. She didn't ne

ingle maple tree stretched over the koi pond, its leaves already turning crimson. He crouche

ray ca

w. Just stared at him until he reached into his satchel and pulled out a small packet of

g spoiled," he

him, curling a

hone

sk u something, say

ould've known pe

in the doorway a few minutes late

ted off his pant

ool. Her mother's a friend of mine an academic.

acher," he sa

u're calm.

hose words. Calm. Capabl

y m

se she's American and might respond bett

eason was t

of her head and left him to decide, which was j

own. The ca