After dinner, Yui cleaned himself up again and got ready for his appointment. He reapplied his nail polish and even put on a tiny bit of makeup. “You coming with?” He asked Al, while sitting on the floor of their bedroom. He used his phone’s reverse camera as a mirror, as he tilted his head from side to side, making sure that his eyeliner was even. 

“No,” Al said, decisively. He was sitting a short distance away. “I’ll stay here.” He didn’t want a repeat of how he felt from Anabelle’s session. He knew that if he experienced that again, he would end up hurting himself.

“Alright,” Yui said with a smile and a shrug. “I should be back by one.”

It suddenly hit Al that this frail-looking boy from a small town was going out in the big city late at night. He didn’t know if it was because he was so much older than Yui, or if Anabelle’s motherly instincts still lingered inside him, but whatever it was… he felt like he should be a little wary. “Before you go,” he said to Yui, who was about to head out the door of the bedroom and then turned around. “Let’s exchange phone numbers.”

“Oh!” Yui exclaimed. “Good idea!” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and handed it to Al. “Put your number in.”

“Uh,” Al looked at the rectangular device with trepidation. His hand lingered over it as though it was a bomb that might explode if he touched it. “How do I?” He was worried that he might mess something up if he pressed the wrong thing.

“Oh, here,” Yui said, as he maneuvered beside him, so they were both facing his phone screen. “You press the green button on the bottom here.” He pointed to said button.

Al’s finger tapped it.

“Then, you see that little plus sign in the corner?”

“This one?” Al asked, with his finger hovering over the top right corner.

“Yep,” Yui nodded, “press that.”

Al did so.

“Now you can add yourself as a contact,” Yui explained. “You put your number right there.”

Al nervously pressed the buttons for his phone number, but his big fingers kept pressing the wrong buttons. “Shit,” he grumbled.

“Take your time,” Yui said. “The keyboard takes some getting used to. Press the little X to erase a number.”

Al took a breath and tried again slowly, until he successfully entered his number. He sighed, as though the effort was terribly exhausting, and returned the phone to Yui.

“You forgot to put your name in,” Yui said, as he tried to suppress a giggle. “Don’t worry, I got it.” He simply typed “Al”, and then he put the phone back in his pocket. “Now gimme your phone,” he beckoned, with his hand out.

“Oh, right,” Al said. He handed his little flip phone to Yui.

Yui flipped open the device and then searched for the contacts section. “This it?” He asked, pointing to a tiny icon.

“Yeah,” Al said with a nod.

Yui instinctively tapped the screen, but nothing happened.

“No, it’s not a touch screen,” Al explained, “you have to use the arrow keys to move over to the right app.”

“Oh, gotcha,” Yui giggled at his own naïveté. He moved the cursor and selected the contacts app. “Whew, got it. Now what?”

“You press this button right here,” Al pointed to the button on the keyboard.

Yui did so.

“Now you should be able to type in your number.”

“Crap, the number buttons are small!” Yui exclaimed. “How do you do this?”

“Use your fingernail,” Al advised.

“Oh, that makes sense,” Yui said, as he easily put the digits in.

“That’s why your phone is harder for me,” Al explained. “It won’t work if I use my nails.”

“There’s a way to make the keyboard bigger,” Yui informed him. “I just have to go into the settings. I’m all done.” He passed the phone back to Al.

“Alright,” Al said, as he took his phone back. “Call me if you need me.”

“Will do. See ya later!” Yui said, with a nod and a smile, before walking out the door.

Al would have thought Yui’s absence made this the perfect opportunity for him to work out, but he was much too tired after the long day. He decided to see if Anabelle had any books for him to read. He searched for Anabelle downstairs, but she was nowhere in sight. He realized she might be in her bedroom, so he went back up and knocked on the door.

“Yes?” She answered, as she opened the door slightly. She had just taken a shower and still had a towel wrapped around her head and was wearing a white bathrobe.

“Sorry to bother you,” he said. “I was wondering if you have any books to read?”

“Oh, yes,” she replied. “You know those cabinets in the living room? The ones with the ornamental plates behind glass?”

Al nodded.

“Underneath the glass, if you open the wooden doors, you’ll find lots of books in there. Feel free to read them at your leisure.”

“Thanks,” he said with a gesture that was somewhere between a nod and a bow. She closed the door, and he made his way downstairs. 

Once he was in the living room, he opened the specified cabinet. There certainly were a lot of books in there, including travel books, fantasy, mystery, and historical romance novels. Al focused on the latter section. He was a sucker for sappy romances. After reading the synopses of about five different novels, he settled on one called A Maiden Forgotten. It was about a young woman who was forsaken by everyone she had ever loved. She was cast out of her kingdom and traveled in search of a new life, when one day, she met a mysterious knight who changed her life for the better. 

Al carried the book upstairs with him and sat on the bed, with pillows behind his back. He had become strangely comfortable with being in Timmy’s room. Maybe it had something to do with Anabelle’s contentedness rubbing off on him. He sat there comfortably, with his legs under the covers, and began to delve into A Maiden Forgotten.

Since Yui’s client’s house was only a few blocks away, Yui decided to walk there rather than take his motorcycle. He followed his phone’s GPS, until it led him to a narrow, dark backstreet. A few buildings down on the right was his destination. It looked like a sad little shack, compared to Anabelle’s townhouse. Yui knocked on the dark wooden door.

“Who’s there?” A young woman’s voice yelled aggressively through the door.

“It’s Yui Genki,” he announced.

Yui heard a couple clicks as the girl undid the multiple locks on the door. She opened the door so that it was ever so slightly ajar, just enough that her brown eye could see through it. She met with Yui’s blueish green eyes, which almost seemed to glow in the dark. “Thank God it’s you,” she sighed, as she unlinked the safety chain that kept the door from opening any further. She opened the door wide enough to allow him entrance. Once he was inside, she refastened all the locks.

“Thought you were my stupid ex boyfriend,” she said. “The creep was at the mall on Tuesday. He knows I always go to the mall that day. Why else would he be there on a Tuesday? The scumbag had the nerve to try to see me after I found out he’d been cheating on me! And he’s been talking to my friends, like they’re all buddy-buddy as if nothing ever happened! Some friends they are!” She didn’t even give Yui the chance to say hello, as she waved her arms around and walked further into the room in a tizzy. Yui watched her brown ponytail sway from side to side as she walked away from him. “And I had the worst day at work today! I’d been crying my eyes out, because that scumbag had the gall to post pictures of himself with that bitch on social media! How the hell- it’s like he has no remorse! He knows he broke my heart! He saw me crying when I found him kissing that whore!” She had walked up to the couch of the dimly lit living room and turned abruptly, which made her ponytail whip around. She was short of breath from talking so fast. 

Finally, Yui got to have a look at her face. The interior of the house was as dark and dismal as the street on which she lived, so it was hard to see her face super clearly. He could make out eyes that were puffy and tired-looking, no doubt from crying. Middle-parted hair framed her heart-shaped face. Her full lips were quivering. She looked like she was about to start crying again. “Make me forget him,” she demanded. “Have sex with me. Now.” She stripped off her cardigan and flimsy spaghetti-strap tank-top, grabbed him by his fur collar and pulled him in for a forceful kiss. After a second, she pulled away. “Ugh, he’s such an asshole!” She continued her complaints. “Like, we were totally happy together, and then he just goes off with some other girl?” She went to kiss Yui again, but he placed his hands on her shoulders and held her at arm’s length.

“Nina,” he said. He remembered her name from the website. 

“He tried talking to me yesterday,” she continued, “but I told him to…”

“Nina,” he said more firmly. “I know you’re upset, but… please, try to relax.” He brushed a finger through her dark hair. “Take a deep breath,” he instructed. “It’ll help you clear your mind.”

He took a deep breath, and she followed his lead. They repeated the action. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Good,” he said softly, “it’s important to let the tears out.” He grabbed a handkerchief from his pocket and delicately wiped her tears away. 

“Thank you,” she said, as he let his hand linger on her smooth face.

“You’ll be okay,” he assured her. His hands slid down to hold hers. His eyes locked on hers as he sat down on the couch. She followed and sat beside him.

“I’m sorry,” she said, as she wiped her tears with her free hand.

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Yui said sincerely, “You’ve been hurt, and I’m here to comfort you. Before we start, I just want to make sure you’re relaxed, so this will be a happy experience for you.”

She nodded in understanding and then shivered.

Yui looked at her outfit. She was wearing nothing but a bra, jean short shorts, and ankle socks, and the room was rather cold. “Can I get you a blanket?” He offered. “Or can we go into your bedroom?”

She picked up her tank top and sweater. “Bedroom would be good,” she said. She got up and led the way. In the back of the living room was a doorway leading to a tiny hallway. They entered the room on the right.

“Sorry that it’s not super pretty,” she said, as they entered her equally dreary bedroom. The furnishings were bare, and there were some school supplies lying around on the floor by the desk. Her bed hadn’t been made.

“That’s okay,” Yui said, sweetly. “You can lay under the covers and make yourself comfortable, okay?”

Nina nodded before nestling herself under the covers. She had a warm little smile on her face as she looked over at Yui, who was removing his jacket and boots.

“That’s better,” he said, as he smiled at her. He crawled under the covers beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. She nestled against him. He started softly kissing her forehead, then her cheek, followed by her ear and neck. She relaxed into his embrace.

They started making love, and were in bed for some time, when Nina asked him for the time.

Yui checked his phone. “11:35.”

“Crap, my parents will be home soon!” She fretted. “They usually get home around midnight.”

“Don’t worry,” he said soothingly, as he stroked her back. “I’ll make you feel good in no time.”

Sure enough, they finished with time to spare. He stayed nestled beside her for a bit.

“That was amazing,” she sighed happily, as she started drifting to sleep on his shoulder. “I feel light as a feather now.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” he smiled as he laid his face against her brown hair.

“Could you pass me my purse?” She asked. Her eyes fluttered, as she tried to stay awake. It took Yui a second to remember that she hadn’t paid him yet. He felt like he was already paid with her smile. Sometimes he forgot he actually made money from this. To him, the money was a bonus, but the clients’ happiness was his real payment.

“Certainly,” he said. He gently moved her head off of his shoulder and got up, grabbed the purse, and brought it back to her. She rummaged sleepily within it and pulled out some bills.

“I’m sorry,” she said, as she handed him $150. “I’m a bit short. I know you said it was two hundred. I’ll pay you the rest later. I promise!”

He only charged so much because he knew that he’d eventually have to find a more permanent place to live. He needed to be able to sustain himself, with this unsteady job. But as long as he had a roof over his head and had enough to get by, he really didn’t care much for money. He grew up living on the bare minimum, so he knew he could make do without excess, even if he liked extravagant clothing like his favorite red aviator jacket. He knew he didn’t need that. What was much more important to him was making the people around him happy. So as long as he got that, he would’ve forgiven her if she wasn’t able to pay at all. But that certainly wouldn’t be good for him in the long run.

“Oh, no, that’s fine,” he gave her a warm, bright smile that seemed to light up the dim bedroom. “That’s the fee for a whole hour. But see?” He held his phone in front of him, with the time displayed on the lock screen. “It’s only 11:52, so you don’t have to pay for the full hour.”

“Oh,” she said, as her head sunk back into her pillow. “Okay.” She felt too serene and sleepy to do the math to determine that she still owed him more than she had given.

“I better get going, before your parents come home,” he informed her.

“Mm-hm,” she nodded with her eyes closed and a smile on her lips. She silently hoped that he would give her a peck on the cheek before he left, but she had to remind herself that he was a prostitute, not a boyfriend. She already had her time with him.

He hovered over her bed for a second.

“Would you like a kiss good-bye?” He asked, as though he could read her mind. He had gotten used to how women worked at this point, and he could tell that they generally didn’t like him leaving without an extra kiss for good luck.

“Yes, please,” she smiled and buried her nose under the covers shyly. He took this to mean that she wanted to be kissed on her full, bangless forehead. His soft, warm lips touched her forehead one last time, and before she knew it, he was gone. Nina drifted into a deep, soothing sleep, as Yui left the house, locking the door behind him.