I was so close to seeing the man's face, d.a.m.n it! "h.e.l.lo!?" I didn't mask the tone of annoyance in my voice.

"Miss Yang, apologies for waking you up. This is Akihiro from front desk. You requested for a wake up call at precisely seven in the morning according to the reservation notes my colleague keyed-in on your record. Did we get the time wrong?" said the man on the other line politely.

I slapped my open palm on my forehead, I did ask for wake up calls. How could I forget? "No, no," my voice apologetic. "You got it right, Akihiro. Sorry for snarling at you, I.. I'm always like this.. I'm not a morning person, you see." I added a weak laugh for additional effect. I wasn't going to admit that I was annoyed at him for cutting my dream short.

"I understand, Miss Yang," he said. "When would you like your breakfast to be served?"

"In an hour," I replied. "Please and thank you."

"It's our pleasure," he said before ending the call.

Now that I was fully awake, I went back to the futon to roll it up. Old habits die hard. While I knew I was staying a hotel and could be lazy if I wanted to since I could always ask for the staff to clean up after me, I didn't want to act slovenly. I then went to Accuweather before looking for clothes that matched the weather that day. I also grabbed my toiletries and proceeded to doing my morning rituals.

Forty-five minutes later, I was at the adjacent smaller sitting room separated from the main room. The area was carpeted and had a Western style table and chairs. There, I opened my laptop and started searching the internet for ramen places nearby. I wanted to have noodles for lunch later. After reading several restaurant reviews, I finally made my choice. I decided to use Google maps for directions, thankful that I made the right choice of having a Flytpack Pocket WiFi[1] with me.

For the next few days I went to the different parts of Kyoto. Armed with just my cellphone, travel WiFi, and a spare powerbank, I managed to visit several temples, restaurants, became a geisha for a day in Gion, and experienced a traditional tea ceremony. I made sure that everyday I experienced something memorable. By the eleventh evening, I went to the inn's front desk to ask if they had recommendations for group tours. Akihiro helped me book one and was told that a tour coaster would pick me up at nine in the morning tomorrow.

As was my habit since coming there, I went to the onsen for a soak. The water temperature helped relax my muscles after a long day of walking around the city. By then, I was no longer ashamed of being naked around others. I've been doing this for more than a week, after all. I've made a few acquaintances since then so when I saw the familiar lady in the change room, I beamed.

"Konbanwa[2], Ryuko-san[3]," I greeted her.

"Oh, Hinchan[4], it's you!" Ryuko-san, who was in the process of tying her hair in a bun, crinkled her eyes as she returned my smile.

I spent my evening dips with her since meeting her five days ago. She was in Kyoto vacationing with her son and his fiancee. She didn't want to be the third wheel so she would always decline joining them for dinner outside and ate in the inn's restaurant instead. Ryuko-san reminded me a lot of my own okasan[5], she took good care of her skin as much as my mum did.

"How was your day?" She asked me in a heavily accented English.

"Fun, as always," I replied. "Your country is so beautiful, I wish I could stay here forever."

"I have visited the Philippines. It's very hot but beautiful, too."

"When are you going back to Tokyo?" I asked. "I'm on my last four days here. My flight to Manila is on the seventh."

"What a coincidence, we're flying back on the same day." She sounded pleasantly surprised. "What time is your flight?"

We continued to talk until it was time for us to retire to our respective rooms. Ryuko-san and I promised to have dinner together tomorrow and spend the rest of our days in Kyoto shopping. I told her about the list my mum gave me, she praised my mum's cosmetic choices as they were the best of the best.

Every night my mum would call to check on me.. That night, she gave me an unpleasant news. Apprently, Tyler 'couldn't take it anymore' and decided to pay me a visit. After all these years, my mum has not forgiven him. In fact, my mum felt more betrayed than I was when she found out about what happened between him and Rach.e.l.le in the parking lot. She adored Tyler. When we first got together and I introduced him to mum, the only thing she asked of him was for him to swear not to betray us like my father did.

On my senior year in high school, my father asked my mum for an annulment. He said be couldn't take it anymore and wanted to come clean as the guilt was killing him. He confessed that he had another woman and that the woman was pregnant. He promised to still provide for my needs and even give the car and house to my mum, on the condition that she'd agree to the annulment. Although she was hurt, she agreed. It's no use asking him to stay when he'd already decided to be with his other woman, she told me.

Mum was furious on the other line; a rarity, since she was hardly ever angry. "I will write the management to ban him from ever entering our community again!"

"Calm down, mum," I tried to soothe her.

I heard her take a deep breath. "He makes me so angry! I've been debating whether to call Ruth or not. Does she even know how shameless her son is?"

"Just write the letter, mum. I'll message aunt Ruth on Facebook later," I promised. It's better for me to do it because when mum gets angry, she couldn't filter her words. I was afraid that she might offend my ex boyfriend's mother. Tyler's parents treated me well, they apologized profusely when they found out the reason why I broke things off with their son.

"Alright, I will," she sighed. "How was your day? What are your plans for tomorrow?"

We talked for almost an hour more. When the phone call ended, I prepared for bed. I laid on the futon but sleep evaded me. I knew I was tired, but for some reason I couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned until I decided to give up and do some light reading. I got up, opened the sliding doors, and started flipping through the guidebook I brought with me. Not long after, I started to yawn incessantly. A wave of sleepiness overcame me, I tried to stand and close the door that lead to my private lawn but failed..

I was once again in the bamboo forest. Unlike in my previous dream, however, the sun has set. I was wearing a different set of kimono and a pair of geta[6]. In this dream, I was crying. I wiped my eyes and wondered why my chest hurt so much. The confusion and pain I was feeling made me sob uncontrollably. Like a lost child, I hugged my legs and buried my face in my kimono.

I was still sobbing when I heard the clacking of geta. Looking up, I saw the man in my dreams walking towards me in hurried steps. The mask with a long nose hid his face. I wondered what his expression was beneath it.

When he reached me, he pulled me up gently and wiped my tears. His hands were gentle and warm. For some reason, I started crying again. He didn't utter a single word but I knew with certainty that he was feeling anxious.

"I-I'm sorry, I c-can't seem to stop these tears from f-falling," I stammered in English. The sobs heaved at my chest. I tried to take huge gulps of air to calm myself.

The man before me shook his head as if telling me that I didn't have to apologize. This dream was as odd as the first one. He didn't say anything but I was sure I understood the man before me.

He cupped my face with his calloused hands. I stared at him even though it was dark and his face was covered by the mask.

I closed my eyes when I felt his rough yet gentle fingers trace the contours of my lips. His touch left my skin there tingling. When his fingers stopped, I slowly lifted my hands to his face to remove his mask.

Finally, the man in my dreams had a face!

Under the pale moonlight, I studied his face. He had high cheekbones, thin lips, and a jaw that slightly jutted on the side. His brow ridges are such that he could probably stand in the rain with his eyes open. Speaking of eyes, I was surprised that they didn't have matching colors. His left eye was blue and the other, a very dark, almost black, brown. They stared back at me with a tenderness that made me want to clutch my chest. His gaze was disarming.

Suddenly, his lips curved upwards, making me curious about what he just saw that made him react that way. His hands left my face before he circled his arms around my waist. He slowly inched his face closer to mine.

Realizing what he was about to do, I grabbed his muscular forearms then closed my eyes. If his fingers left my lips tingling, his mouth felt like fireworks shooting deep within me. His kiss was soft and gentle, as if he was afraid that I would break. I returned them with equal force and sighed as he drew me closer. I have never been kissed this way before. I didn't want it to end.

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[1] FLYTPACK Pocket WiFi is a wireless router that connects any WiFi-enabled devices to the internet with a secure network connection. Think of the WiFi you have at home, just smaller, in a pocket size version. (Source: https://flytpack.com/wifi)

[2] Good evening in Nihongo.

[3] San is the most commonly used j.a.panese honorific. It can be used on boys or girls. It can be used in formal and (somewhat) informal situations. Pretty much, san is your fail safe when you don't know which one ot use. You probably won't get in trouble if you use this one, so it's good to use with frequency. (Souce: tofugu.com)

[4] The honorific chan is primarily used on children, female family members, lovers, and close friends. Really, it's a term of endearment. Often times, one's name will be shortened to add chan to it. Like in this case, instead of calling her Hinatchan, Ryuko called her Hinchan.

[5] Okasan means mother in j.a.panese.

[6] Geta are a form of traditional j.a.panese footwear that resemble clogs and flip-flops.