Chapter Text
The day and the trip was long. I check my phone and verify the address. Finally, as the sun set, I stumbled into the cafe following signs for the class tonight.
Inside the cafe felt warm and smelled sweet. I took in the aromatics as I tiptoed to back room where a few women sat and chatted. Their conversations were cut short by my appearance. They smiled but their burning stares were curious. As I heard clicking behind me, I started to turn away.
I bumped slightly into a short figure standing behind me. "Sure you want to leave so soon? You've already paid the sign up fee..."
Looking down, I saw crimson hair tied up with ribbons. A flashy outfit hidden behind an apron. Her smiling face eased my troubled mind.
"I'm the instructor by the way. My name is Nino Nakano. I don't get many men coming into my classes. So, this one is for the records, Mind telling me your name?"
I finally replied, "Oh sorry, I thought you already had it."
"Oh, that's true! But still I was hoping you would tell me yourself. I'm a woman who values a more.. personal touch," she winked.
Our audience giggled as I told her my name. she listened intently. "I like it!" she exclaimed. The audience gasped. I felt embarrassed.
She smiled again and turned to the class of women, "Let's have fun today, everyone!"
And I did. The hour flew by. The women, including Nino with her butterfly-shaped ribbons, snuck glances at me throughout her demonstration. I caught her smirk once or twice. During the practical application, Nino paid special attention to my dish, correcting my little mistakes. She was very passionate about following the recipe. "Cooking may be art, but baking is a science," she reiterated.
I even chatted with some of my classmates, women who never really cooked before. They all wanted to impress their partners with their new skills. I was a bit disappointed. As class ended, they stood up to thank the instructor and chat for a bit. I slithered my way out the door and out of the cafe.
Outside the cafe, The sun was long gone. And at some places, the night was just getting started. I see a bar just a block away. I scurry in for a safe place to lick my wounds.
Inside the bar, slow jazzy music flowed from the speakers. The atmosphere of the bar accentuated my mood. A few patrons sat silently in a booth adjacent to the bar. The barkeep hadn't noticed me as I sat down on a stool and began quietly contemplating. One patron interrupted the relative silence and told their table, "look, it's Nino."
The door opens and the instructor stomps in, heels clicking the floor. She scans the room, clicks up to me and pouts, "I can't believe you left without saying 'bye'!"
"What? How did you find me? I-"
She sighed, "Well, I asked the regulars. They saw you wander in here when they stood outside." She began averting her gaze.
"Well, it was so embarrassing. I felt like you all were picking on me. You know, the giggling, the singling me out..." I tried to list out my grievances.
She scoffed, "Haven't you been around women before?"
"So what do you want?"
"What do I- I rushed out here to talk to you! I can't believe I'm chasing a guy again! Ugh." She was flustered.
We pause for a second. The cool air in the bar suddenly got warmer. The music in the background picked up tempo. The audience was no longer sing-song. At the crescendo, she pulls back, "Maybe we got off on the wrong foot, what made you take my class? I'm curious."
No longer frustrated, I also flustered and I told her my purposes for the night.
"So you came to my class to meet girls? I could tell. But as soon as you saw them you froze up and tried to leave."
It was true. "Sorry, I didn't mean to disrespect your class." I tried to repair the situation.
"Well, everyone had so much fun with you! They didn't get any bad vibes from you at all. They even told me to-" she paused and blushed.
Her statement came as a surprise. I did have fun like she said. Maybe I was in my head about everything.
She picked up from a new point, "Anyway, I guess you met a girl tonight, me."
Her statement felt it should be followed by "xoxo".
My courage peaked. "Well, do you want to go out?"
"I thought you'd never ask. I really did."
She continued, "But... yes."
The barkeep and patrons were so engrossed but quickly returned to their activities after the exchange. One of them whispered, "good for her."