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“As I said, I did not pry into your mind too deeply. I cannot. Unless you wish it.”
Sipping from a second of my favorite coffee drinks still has me skeptical about whether he knows more than he is saying, but I lead him back toward Mattie’s. Two businesses exist on the other side of the tour building, while behind us, one building down from Sage, is Mrs. Sherman’s Curves.
No thanks.
“Some of the businesses like us, some hate us, most, like Sage, are in between but still chose to close off their tunnels. What I wish…” I glance at Odai, and there is the same straightening of his posture and tightening of his tendons like he’s excited or…
Excited.
“…is for there to be no more options for enemies sabotaging us in the future. I don’t want to constantly have to worry it’ll all fall apart someday. We should be a community, who all want each other to succeed, chain stores who I barely tolerate and legacy businesses alike. If the neighborhood helps each other, we can all make more money. Win-win, right?”
“A sensible observation, and precisely my plan. Do you know that person, Jeffrey?”
“Huh?” I look forward. Crossing the street toward us is SJ, Cas’s gorgeous girlfriend. She is waving and calls my name when our eyes meet.
She really is gorgeous; I wasn’t only saying that. It still baffles me sometimes that it took two years for her and Cas to move in together, but that was mostly Cas being skittish of commitment. Good thing SJ isn’t the type to give up. I am 100% gay, but wow, do I get the straights and my lesbian friends when I look at her. She is like some fairy princess come to life.
Her long hair is dyed pale pink and fades to nearly white at its ends. She always wears this subtle but feminine makeup, and the perfect mix of feminine but not too feminine clothes. Like today is a T-shirt and denim jacket over leggings, but she has a micromini over that and is accessorized to the max with necklaces and bangles.
If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was as mystical as Odai.
“Hey, Jeffrey!” SJ says when we meet in front of the hotel past Mattie’s. “Love that braid for you. Cas forgot the grocery list again. Not complaining! She is the best and is going to pick things up during her lunch break, since my day is jam-packed. I just need to drop this off, and I’m headed off to work. Who’s this?” She turns just as brightly to Odai and extends her hand before either of us can utter a name.
“Odai Jinn,” he says, shaking her hand with a subtle bow. “A new consultant for the tour.”
“That’s awesome! It is such a cool place, right? I haven’t caught one of Jeffrey’s tours in a while, but I hear they are the talk of the town.” She giggles and lightly flips the end of my braid.
“I only braided it because it was a mess and still wet this morning.” I run my hands over it, hoping to smooth down some of the fly-aways.
“Aren’t you lucky then that you look this cute with bedhead?” She giggles again. I don’t think I’ve ever heard her say an unkind word to someone. Whereas Cas usually makes up for that by being the first to call a rude stranger a cunt. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Odai, but I’m afraid I’m in a rush. Hopefully, we can get together soon, huh? It has been forever since we hung out, Jeffrey. Bye, you two!”
SJ flutters past us like she might sprout fairy wings for real. I think she might have been an anime character in a past life. She and Cas live together a few blocks away, and the reason SJ—short for Samantha Jo—is so busy is because she started her own clothing store recently in the queer district.
Apparently, my idols are always entrepreneurial girl bosses.
Odai is staring at me when I finally tear my attention from the now disappearing SJ as she dashes into Madame Mattie’s.
“What?”
“The braid does indeed look fetching on you, beautiful one.”
“I-I am not beautiful right now! I mean, look at me.” I make a hopeless gesture at my appearance.
“I am looking at you,” Odai says.
Before I can turn any redder on a public street, I return to the matters at hand. “Okay, so… the hotel.” I don’t know how to handle Odai’s flattery. It’s nice, and since he promised to always tell me the truth, he must mean it, but what even are we? Last night were the dirtiest acts I’ve ever experienced with a person, and now we’re strolling down the street talking business?
Only Odai will eventually need more, not just more wishes to grant, but more... sexy stuff, and shit, I cannot think about that right now.
Focus, Jeffrey.
The Amore hotel is one of the businesses that likes us. The people who stay there are usually the type of tourists who enjoy being next to a racy tour with a sordid history. Their tunnels are still open to us, which is crucial. The hotel was a truly connected part of the brothel once, with its rooms also used by the seamstresses. It has since been renovated multiple times but hasn’t changed owners in decades.
Beyond them is the Jimmy Johns. They don’t really care about us but still closed their tunnels thinking them unnecessary to their business and a possible liability.
The other side of the street has St. Mary’s church. You can guess their stance on Madame Mattie’s. Then there’s Tony’s Antique Shop, who loves us, the Starbucks, with a slightly more overbearing corporate slant than Jimmy Johns, and Cold Stone Creamery, who are more ambivalent again.
Oh, and also—
