open doors

[taylor maitson]

Despite having bought an amount of tea that had made the customs agents interrogate him at LAX, Taylor had decided not to prepare any of it, instead inviting Lenny to meet him at Storrier Stearns Japanese Gardens. He's sat at a wooden table by the edge of a picturesque pond, sunlight dappled through the leaves, making him raise a hand to block it out as she approaches. Getting up, he grins. "I wasn't sure you'd come."

[Deleted]

Taylor is easy to spot, even in his best effort not to be. Lenny can make out his sharp cheekbones and full lips underneath the canopy of trees. "Hi," she says, giving him an uncomfortable hug as he stands to greet her. "I was trying to come up with excuses not to, but I didn't really have any," her slender shoulders shrug, and she sets her terracotta backpack on the ground next to the table.

[taylor maitson]

"There's the enthusiasm I've grown to love." He returns the hug more enthusiastically, moving to pull her chair out for her as she collapses into it. Thankfully it's quiet, with minimal spots to sit, all of which tend to book up well in advance. Not the kind of place people were as likely to approach him in. "I've ordered green tea but you can switch it up if you want. How've you been?"

[Deleted]

She smiles slightly, the nervous energy obvious to anyone watching them. "Green tea is fine, it's full of antioxidants." The day is calm and the sun softly reflects in the water, it's easy to distract her gaze. "Good. I just went for a run, perfect day for one. It's so nice out," the tea arrives and she thanks the waiter as she gathers the cup into her hands. "When did you get home?"

[taylor maitson]

The dappled sunshine has made its way to her face, illuminating one eye a brilliant green. There was something incredibly evocative of nature about her, though he couldn't tell if he was projecting that on to her knowing her habits, or if her habits were born of some innate quality that made her look the way she did. "Do you ever sleep in?" He nods his thanks to the waiter too, though he leaves the cup to cool. "About midnight last night. I brought you tea, by the way," he holds up a bag heavy with the stuff, tons of different packets with indecipherable labels.

[Deleted]

"No," she shakes her head, "I'm better in the morning, I think sleeping in is such a waste." Though on the flipside, she struggled to stay awake past 11 on most nights. "That's really nice," she sets the tea down and combs through the foreign labels, smiling at the goofiness of Japanese advertisements. "You didn't have to."

[taylor maitson]

"Guess you can't really stay up late to go hiking or scuba diving." Taylor's long fingers find the edge of the cup, idly spinning it in its saucer, ceramic against ceramic. She says thanks and actually looks at them, which gives him a small rush of pleasure that he hadn't been expecting. He goes to explain why he did it, but can find no answer forthcoming, so he takes a sip of tea, earthy bitterness spreading across his palate. "It's nice here, right? So quiet."

[Deleted]

She laughs, "no. I'm so much more of a day creature than a night one. I don't do well in the shadows." Lenny unzips her backpack and places the bag of tea inside. She joins him and takes a sip of tea, scorching her tongue in the process. She winces and looks over the pond, watching as the ducks swim peacefully through the maze of lily pads. "I've never been here. It's really pretty."

[taylor maitson]

She laughs and it melts some of the awkwardness between them. "I figured you'd like it. Nature, and not a smoothie in sight." It's different seeing her out of the yoga studio, not just less sweaty but more intimate. He should have been able to predict that it would be, given the lack of ten other attendees milling around them. He yawns but stifles it, holding up a hand to apologize. "Sorry, jet lag. What are you doing for the rest of the day, then?"

[Deleted]

"Nothing much." Lenny always felt like she was floating in Los Angeles. Like she found it difficult to find things to do, or hold any sort of routine. She was constantly bored here. "I told my sister I would make dinner. I think enchiladas? That sounds really kid friendly." She holds her tea, like a buffer between the two of them. "How about you? Big party plans?"

[taylor maitson]

It was a bit of a trip, being in somewhere so heavily themed after Japan when he'd been in the real place not even a day before. His tiredness mingled with that strangeness, making the whole thing feel unreal. "Are you much of a cook?" He takes a long sip of tea, willing the caffeine to take effect as quickly as possible. "If you call unpacking and sleeping a big party, yeah. Actually I'm gonna leave the unpacking and go meet a girl. What do you call a dick appointment when you're the one with the dick?"