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By now, Miya had made a habit of stopping by Sia la Luce, mostly during off-hours or when there was a lull in between peak dining times.
But now Joe was in Italy for some kind of culinary conference, leaving the restaurant in the capable hands of his trusty team of chefs, waiters, and other staff. Miya didn’t know what exactly the conference was about, nor did he care. All he knew was that the restaurant, and S, and all of Okinawa, was a lot more quiet without Joe.
And a little more lonely.
Miya maybe, just maybe, missed him.
So here he was at Sia la Luce after-hours with Cherry, who had a key to the restaurant and told the staff that he would close up for the night when he and Miya were done.
“I miss him,” Miya admitted simply. Cherry wouldn’t judge. Cherry probably felt the same, judging by the slightly slouched shoulders and slightly sad eyes that Miya noticed him sporting ever since Joe left two days ago.
Cherry lifted his wine glass to his lips. “As do I.”
“When’s he coming back?”
“Six days and twelve hours,” Cherry answered instantly. Miya knew that Carla wasn’t responsible for the quick calculation this time.
Miya looked around at the rows of wine glasses perfectly sitting in the display case to his left. At the assorted liqueurs perfectly arranged on the shelf behind the counter. At the little sun mounted on the wall beside the liqueur shelf. That stupid sun made him miss Joe more.
And gave him an idea.
With a smirk, Miya hopped behind the counter and stood up straight and tall. Joe would be proud of him. It was a posture that exuded confidence (but not overconfidence, as Joe had warned). “Hello Mr. Sakurayashiki, it’s a pleasure to see you as always. Can I get you anything to drink? No wait, I can do it better. Would you like something to drink? There. That’s more formal. More official.”
Cherry couldn’t resist a small snort. Good, Miya’s antics did the trick. The aim was to make Cherry laugh. He made sure to speak seriously, though. “You should not even be touching alcohol, let alone serving it. I’ll have to speak to the owner of this establishment.”
“The owner’s not here right now, can I take a message?” Miya quickly fired back. He was ready with that comeback! Another thing Joe would appreciate.
“Yes, tell him I miss him terribly but I’ve found a replacement. Better yet, I’ll do it myself.” Cherry pulled out his cell phone and took a photo of Miya behind the counter, looking proud. He smiled at the photo for a few seconds before texting it to Joe with the caption I’ve found your replacement. Don’t bother returning home. He followed up a moment later with a second text that read It’s almost like you’re here. We can still smell your cologne. Love you. Come home soon.
It was quiet. So yes, Okinawa was quieter without Joe. A little lonelier. A little duller. But soon the sunshine would come flooding back into these halls and in the mine. And Cherry and Miya would have a very funny story to tell him.