Someone is in My Seat
The alarm went off at 6:30.
Ayaka opened one eye, looked at the ceiling, and immediately decided that going back to work after the New Year holidays was a terrible idea.
She reached for her phone and stopped the alarm.
For several seconds, she didn’t move.
Her room was still dark. Outside the window, Tokyo was slowly waking up, but Ayaka had absolutely no intention of joining it yet.
She pulled the blanket higher.
Five more minutes.
That was reasonable.
Ten would probably be reasonable too.
Her phone vibrated.
6:32.
Ayaka sighed.
“Fine.”
She pushed herself out of bed.
The holidays had been too short. They were always too short.
Only a few days ago, she had been sleeping late, eating too much, watching television and convincing herself that January was still far away.
Now she was standing in front of her wardrobe trying to remember what normal working adults wore.
She wasn’t trying to impress anyone today.
Actually, that was the one thing making the first day back bearable.
Nobody would be there.
Most of her coworkers had extended their New Year holidays. Professor Tanaka and her boss were attending an event. They wouldn’t return until tomorrow, and even then, probably not until sometime after lunch.
Which meant that today—
Ayaka smiled slightly as she put on her coat.
—the lab was hers.
No meetings.
No unnecessary conversations.
No one asking her questions while she was trying to concentrate.
Just her, her work, and her music.
Maybe going back to work wasn’t such a terrible idea after all.
By the time Ayaka arrived at the Tokyo Advanced Materials Institute, she was feeling considerably better.
Her earphones were already in.
She walked through the quiet corridor toward the thermal analysis lab, humming softly along with the song playing in her ears.
The institute felt different when almost everyone was away.
Peaceful.
Exactly what she needed.
She unlocked the laboratory door and stepped inside.
Then stopped.
Someone was sitting at her desk.
Ayaka pulled one earbud out.
For a moment, she simply stared.
A man.
No—a boy?
A young foreigner, anyway.
He was sitting in her chair, looking at something on his phone. A backpack rested against the desk beside him.
Ayaka frowned.
Of all the empty places in the room, why had he chosen that one?
She walked toward him.
“Excuse me.”
A dark-blond hair, fair skin, grey-blue eyes young man turned.
Ayaka pointed at the chair.
“Sorry, this is my place.”
He blinked.
Then looked at the desk.
“Oh.”
She pointed toward another empty seat.
“But over there is free. You can move there.”
For half a second, he just looked at her.
Then he stood.
“Sorry.”
He picked up his backpack without arguing and moved to the other side.
“Thanks.”
Ayaka sat down.
There.
Problem solved.
She placed her bag beside the desk, opened her laptop and put her earbud back in.
She had just opened her work folder when she heard his voice again.
“You should read your email.”
Ayaka slowly removed her earbud for the second time.
“…Sorry?”
“Your email.”
The stranger nodded toward her computer.
“From Professor Tanaka.”
Ayaka stared at him.
How did he know Professor Tanaka had emailed her?
“Professor Tanaka?”
“Yeah.”
She opened her inbox.
There it was.
An unread email from Professor Tanaka, sent early that morning.
Ayaka clicked it.
Good morning, Ayaka.
Sorry for the late notice. Our visiting student from the UK starts today. Since we are at an event, could you please let him join you and observe your work in the lab?
His name is Oliver Bennett. He is copied on this email.
Thank you.
Ayaka read it again.
Her eyes moved to the CC line.
Oliver Bennett.
Slowly, she turned her head.
The stranger was watching her.
“Oliver?”
He gave her a friendly smile.
“That’s me.”
Of course.
Ayaka looked back at the email.
So much for working alone.
She closed the email and turned toward him.
“Okay, so you’ll be joining me today.”
He stood and gave her a small, slightly awkward bow.
“Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.”
His pronunciation wasn’t perfect.
Ayaka stared for a second before answering in Japanese automatically.
“Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.”
Oliver seemed pleased that she had understood him.
A little later, they stood in front of the DSC.
Both were wearing white lab coats now, with blue nitrile gloves on their hands.
Ayaka pointed toward the instrument.
“This is the DSC. Differential Scanning Calorimetry.”
Oliver leaned slightly closer to look at it.
“What are we measuring?”
“Basically, heat-flow behavior while the temperature changes.”
She showed him the small aluminum pans.
“We prepare a very small amount of sample here. Then we weigh it, seal the pan and load it into the instrument.”
Oliver nodded.
“And then?”
“We run the temperature program and check the thermogram afterward.”
He nodded again.
She continued preparing the run while explaining each step. Oliver mostly stayed beside her, watching carefully and occasionally asking a question.
Once everything was ready, Ayaka turned to the instrument.
“Okay. We can start.”
She clicked the command.
Nothing happened.
Ayaka frowned.
She tried again.
Still nothing.
She checked the screen.
No obvious error.
Behind her, Oliver shifted slightly closer to her.
Ayaka pretended not to notice.
While she was checking the settings, Oliver looked at the screen, then he touched the latch.
Click.
Something shifted into place.
The instrument responded.
Ayaka stared at the screen.
The run started. Then Ayaka looked at him.
“How did you do that?”
Oliver showed his hands to Ayaka while saying
“Lucky fingers.”
Ayaka blinked, surprised by the joke.
She hadn’t expected that. “That sounds more like name of a biscuit.”
Oliver laughed. “A biscuit?”
“Ladyfingers.” She was smiling, even if only a little.
The tension she’d been carrying since finding him in her chair loosened, just a little.
The screen showed the estimated run time.
59 minutes.
Normally, once the DSC was running, there wasn’t much to do except wait, check other things and enjoy the quiet.
Today, however, there was a twenty-something-year-old stranger sitting beside her.
They returned to the shared desk.
Oliver sat in his newly assigned chair.
Ayaka sat in hers.
Silence.
She could put her earphones in.
Technically.
But that seemed rude now.
Oliver appeared perfectly comfortable. He was reading, occasionally making notes, not behaving as though the silence bothered him at all.
After another few minutes, she stood up.
“I’m going to the cafeteria.”
Oliver looked up.
“To get some tea.”
“Okay.”
Ayaka hesitated.
She couldn’t just leave.
Well, she could.
But that would be impolite.
“Do you want one?”
“A tea?”
“Yes.”
Oliver smiled.
“No, thank you. I’m good.”
Then, warmly, “But thanks for asking.”
“Okay.” Ayaka stood and left the lab.
The cafeteria was nearly empty.
Ayaka bought a cup of tea and chose a seat near the window.
She wrapped both hands around the warm cup.
Beautiful silence.
She took a sip.
It wasn’t that Oliver was unpleasant.
Actually, that was the strange part.
He wasn’t.
He had apologized immediately when she’d told him to move. He listened when she explained the work.
And somehow, after being in the laboratory for less than an hour, he’d already made a joke about having magic hands.
Ayaka shook her head at the memory.
Very confident.
Or very strange.
Possibly both.
She had always needed moments like this. A few minutes without having to speak to anyone. A little space to reset.
When she finished, she threw the cup away and headed back upstairs.
She opened the laboratory door.
Oliver looked up from his notes.
“Welcome back.”
Ayaka stopped.
“…Thanks.”
Oliver smiled and returned to what he was reading.
Ayaka walked back to her desk, trying not to smile herself.
The DSC beeped.
Ayaka looked at the time.
The hour was already over.
“Finished?”
Oliver asked.
“Yes, and now we have to prepare the sample.”
Ayaka picked up the small container and showed Oliver what she was doing.
“This part is simple.”
She demonstrated the step slowly, more for his benefit than her own. It was something she’d done so many times that her hands barely needed her attention anymore.
“Like this,” she said. “Then we do the same with the next one.”
Oliver leaned closer to see. They were sitting side by side.
Ayaka finished and placed it down.
She reached for the next sample, then stopped.
“Do you want to try?”
“Yes!”
The answer came so quickly—and with so much enthusiasm—that Ayaka looked up.
Their eyes met.
There was something unexpectedly young in his expression.
Excited to be allowed to do something that, to Ayaka, had become completely ordinary.
For her, it was simply work.
But Oliver was looking at the same task as though she’d just offered him something interesting.
Ayaka felt the corner of her mouth lift.
“Okay,” she said, handing it to him. “Here.”
Oliver took it carefully.
His expression became serious as he concentrated.
Ayaka watched him.
She had arrived that morning wanting nothing more than to put in her earphones, finish her work and go home without speaking to anyone.
Now she was standing beside a twenty-one-year-old stranger, watching him become excited about one of the most ordinary parts of her day.
And somehow, the ordinary thing didn’t feel quite as ordinary while she watched him do it.
The thought surprised her.
So did the warmth that came with it.
Late in the afternoon, Ayaka looked at the clock.
She saved the file she was working on and began tidying her desk.
Oliver looked over.
“You’re leaving?”
“Yeah.”
He glanced at the clock.
“Now?”
“My hours are done. You should go home too.”
“Oh. OK.”
Ayaka removed her lab coat and hung it up.
Oliver watched her pack her things into her bag.
She put on her coat and adjusted her bag over her shoulder.
Ayaka turned toward the door.
“Ayana?”
Ayaka stopped.
She looked back.
Oliver was still standing beside the desk.
“Are you working tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“Can I join you again?”
Ayaka paused.
Ayana.
He had gotten her name wrong.
She should correct him.
It would take two seconds.
It’s Ayaka.
That was all she had to say.
Instead, she heard herself answer his actual question.
“…Sure.”
Oliver smiled.
“Great. See you tomorrow, Ayana.”
There it was again.
Ayaka gave him a small nod.
“See you tomorrow.”
She stepped into the corridor and let the door close behind her.
She took a few more steps.
Then stopped.
Oliver was still inside.
He was twenty-one, had arrived in Tokyo only recently, and today had been his first day at TAMI.
Ayaka looked back at the closed door.
She hesitated. Then turned around.
When she opened the door again, Oliver looked up from his desk.
“Did you forget something?”
“No.”
Ayaka stayed by the door.
“I just wanted to say…” She paused. “You’re new here. And new in Tokyo.”
Oliver waited.
“If you need help with anything, you can ask me. You have my Email.”
His expression softened slightly.
“Do you know how to get back to your apartment?”
Oliver looked at her.
“Yes.”
“You’re sure?”
“Google Maps.”
“That wasn’t what I asked.”
He laughed. “Yes. I’m sure.”
Ayaka nodded then she left.
This morning, she’d been looking forward to spending the entire day by herself. Tomorrow, Oliver would be there again. Plans were funny that way. You could arrange your day exactly as you wanted, and still have no idea who might suddenly walk into it.
