I suddenly realized that I had told him a lot more than someone would in the very first sentence to a stranger. He seemed interested in continuing the conversation even though I realized he might be thinking, "What does this woman think? How does she assume that I want to know almost everything about her life when all I wanted to know was about this box of rice?"  (Related article:  How to start a conversation with a perfect stranger?)

While I was still trying to compose myself and pretending to look at a pasta box, he turned to me and said in the politest of Japanese, "I know I am being too demanding but if you do not mind, maybe you can show me how to cook some Middle-Eastern dishes sometime. I particularly like mint tea.  I live in the area and I guess you do too. Do you feel like some hot and spicy food tonight?" I could not believe what I was hearing - a guy that I have been dreaming about for weeks is asking me to join him for dinner.  "Oh yes, I would love to,"  I responded. "Well then, let me buy some more beer and maybe we can walk back together to my apartment. It is just a few minutes walk from here," he immediately offered in a manner that I could not simply say no.  

As we walked, he apologized once again for being so rude in asking me to help. Of course, I was already feeling dizzy without a sip of beer. When I stepped inside the door, I was shocked. It was not only spotlessly clean but also artistically decorated - no beer cans or manga or dirty underwear on the floor. I was feeling uncomfortable being in the apartment of someone I barely knew, but he brought me a glass for beer and asked me to relax while he changed. As I sipped my beer, he emerged dressed a lot more casual in a yellow T-shirt and blue Japanese jeans. He brought along a hanger and suggested that I take my jacket off so that it does not get spoiled as we worked in the kitchen. Of course, I did feel a little conscious in my lace camisole that clung to my body. As I put on the apron, he helped me tie it at the back as I tied his.  

I chopped the vegetables and talked to him about my background, job, hobbies, and asked him a lot of questions. He grew up in Nagano prefecture and has been working in Tokyo for just about 6 months. He is used to home-cooked meals, he said, and cannot imagine eating junk food at the station every day. He does go out but still does not have many friends yet in Tokyo so he prefers to try new dishes by himself at home. He has been fascinated by some aspects of Middle-Eastern culture, especially belly dancing, but has not had much direct experience either with the cuisine or the dance. He teased, "May be you can practice your dance sometime for me!"

Despite the fact that he and I had just known each other, I enjoyed being with him. He was simple, quiet, relaxed, flexible, and very patient with me. He did look at me a couple of times but I only saw admiration and desire in his eyes. "Am I dreaming or is this for real?" I asked myself.

The meal was great. We drank lots of beer to reduce the hot and spicy flavor. I was so glad to have someone like Hiroo with me tonight. As I teased him, he teased me too. I was starting to fall in love with him. He said that he would love to spend more time with me if I wished so that we could discover new dishes together. He was fascinated by foreign cultures and he would love to have company to explore them. "Here is my cell phone number. If you don't feel like cooking, just ask me to be your chef", he added as he handed me his business card.

Continued:  Falling in love