From my place on his futon, the shadowy room seemed to spin in a cool while light flowing from a laptop computer on the tea table.
“Don’t be sick, I beg you.” I heard him pouring liquid, and he put a glass to my lips.
“That smell,” I said before sucking down the most delicious glass of water I’d ever had.
“A harmless hydrocarbon mixed in with the natural gas. It’s there to warn you, thank God for it.” Hugh coughed again and drank straight from the thermos.
“Someone rigged the heater,” I said after I’d regained my normal breathing. “And my light wouldn’t turn on, and the door was locked!”
“My overhead light’s not working either, so it’s probably a tripped fuse.” Hugh sounded thoughtful.
“Why were you outside my room in the middle of the night? What time is it?”
“It’s just after midnight. I’ve been awake, working. A few minutes ago I heard a pounding sound which made me think either the Ikedas were having an awfully good time or someone was meeting his maker.”
We both jumped at a new sound, three sharp knocks on the door. Before Hugh could move, the door was thrown open by Mr. Yamamoto, whose eyes widened at the sight of me sprawled on the futon.
“Excuse me for intruding, but I heard something—I was worried—”
“Rei had a wee accident, left her heater halfway on, and woke up to a bad smell,” Hugh said. “We’re airing the room. In the meantime, she’ll rest here.”
I started to shake my head, but Hugh camouflaged that by laying his hand heavily on my hair. “She’s feeling a bit grim, but it’s nothing serious.”
“I smelled gas when I came down the hall,” said Yamamoto. “It is very dangerous and also difficult for foreigners to understand.”
“Yes, you always tell me that,” Hugh was trying to close the door, but Yamamoto stayed squarely in the way. “My heater’s on now, but I promise to extinguish it when I go to sleep.”
“That’s a good idea, I am very glad Miss Shimura is safe. Do you wish me to wake the innkeepers and see if another room can be found for her? Or if it is more convenient, she can have my room and I will sleep with you, Hugh-san.”
“Are you kidding?” Hugh’s low chuckle was full of innuendo. “Do me a favor and keep things quiet. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“You had no right to say that,” I protested when Yamamoto was gone and Hugh began shaking a second futon out of the closet. “This is Japan. I’m supposed to be an innocent flower, especially when I’m traveling alone.”
“Stay where you are. You’ll have your own bed, but you shouldn’t be alone tonight.” Hugh tucked the blankets around me tightly, as if to prevent escape. “We’ll talk more about what happened tomorrow.”
I closed my eyes. I didn’t trust him one hundred percent, but I didn’t want to go back to my room. Like him or not, he was the closest thing I had to an ally.
“Do you mind if I stay on the computer a while longer? I have some work…”
I was relieved he would remain awake, but I couldn’t muster the energy to say it. Instead, I sighed, pulled the blanket over my head, and drifted into a thick, restless sleep.
When I awoke, I felt unusually warm. Hugh sat cross-legged before the small tea table, still tapping at his computer. The shji screen was pulled away from the window to reveal the sun dappling snowy mountains. It was a perfect morning.
“Didn’t you sleep?” I squinted at him, a vision in a fresh white shirt and charcoal trousers.
“I slept from two to seven. And don’t worry, the heater wasn’t on all night. Just since I’ve been awake.”
I sat up, hugging the quilt to me. “Would you bring me a yukata?”
“There’s an extra in the closet.” Hugh didn’t seem willing to get it, so I slunk out of bed and got it.
“That’s what American girls wear to bed? Hardly feminine, but on you it’s okay.”
“This is Japanese thermal underwear, and it’s perfectly normal and practical in this weather. Why are you so dressed up?” I challenged.
“Strategy meeting at the Alpenhof. Yamamoto booked a conference room so we can troubleshoot with the guys who came up from Sendai.”
“If you’ve got so much work, you should just go back to Tokyo. What are you doing?” When I knelt behind him, he instantly switched screens to a boring menu, which made me wonder what he wanted to hide.
“Nice, hmm? One of Sendai’s products in development.”
“It looks about the same as the Toshiba I have at work.”