Kei vents her frustrations to Jake

"Uh ... sure?" Jake wasn't feeling particularly chatty in the moment, but didn't want to be rude.

Kei sat down on one of the benches. She had lost a small trace of the glamour that she carried back up at the club, perhaps from one drink too many at the bar. She wore a black silk blouse that was fully open in the back and partly open in the front, clasping at the neck, and then bunching together at the waist. Her sternum and upper stomach were bare, and her navel was visible. She had long white oversized linen pants and black heels. Her long, dark hair was pulled back tautly, and she wore round sunglasses.

She took off her sunglasses and dropped them on the bench next to her. Jake looked at her face a bit, trying to place if he knew her. He also couldn't quite determine her ethnicity, though Jake imagined she was Asian or Pacific Islander. He stared a little too long, but Kei didn't notice as she was looking off in the distance, past Jake.

Jake nodded to himself. "We met up at the club," he said. "You probably don't remember me. I was with a beautiful redhead."

Kei smiled. She remembered the redhead. "Oui, up at the club." She had an accent, but again, Jake couldn't place its origin. "You are in the wedding party?"

"No. I'm just a guest. Staci's a cousin of mine."

Kei looked around. "Where is your beautiful redhead?"

Jake laughed. "I'm not sure. We were walking along a path here, found this little house, and were just hanging out for a bit. We heard a noise -- which turned out to be you. I think she may have ... you know, I have no idea where she went."

Kei crossed her legs. It was very dramatic, being that she was quite tall and that she was wearing these white pants. She sighed. Jake could tell that something was amiss here, but he had no idea how to approach this kind of situation with a total stranger. Where is Abbie when you need her? he wondered. She would know what to do.

"I don't want to sound like I'm making some kind of weird judgment statement," Jake said, "but you look a little, kind of sad? Are you okay?"

Kei made eye contact with Jake. "Yes." Then she dropped her head. "No."

Jake partially regretted opening the conversation, but he didn't like the idea of ignoring someone who was in at least a mild state of distress.

"It's my boyfriend, Aguri," Kei said.

"Oh, I met him too," said Jake. "Kind of shaggy dark hair, dark glasses?"

"I wish he had gotten a haircut before we came here," said Kei. "But he doesn't want to listen to my fashion advice. Look at me," she said, standing and gesturing to herself. "I'm a model. I know fashion. Look at me!"

Jake looked. "I'm looking! You're a model. I would trust your fashion sense."

Kei sat back down on the bench. Jake took a seat on the other bench, still holding his unfastened pants against his body.

"Did something happen?" Jake asked, wondering if he would regret this question as well.

"Something always happens," said Kei. "I know he loves me, but he still says things he shouldn't say. And I know I love him, but I still get very hot tempered. And when he says something he shouldn't, I react strongly."

"Did you break up or something?" asked Jake.

"Probably not," said Kei. "Who knows?"

Jake considered this, and realized he certainly didn't know. "Maybe you? If anyone knows, maybe you do?"

Kei shook her head. "Then we're not broken up. We're just in a fight. It's always the same thing. Every few weeks. I get mad, I bark something at him, and then we don't talk for three days. Then he calls me and we make up and it's fine."

"That's it? That doesn't sound so bad."

"Well," said Kei, looking up at Jake. "It's not bad, it's just ... wrong."

"Wrong?"

Kei took a deep breath. "I don't even know you, but who cares. I tell you anyway." She leaned in closer to Jake. "Aguri and I get into a fight. Then we get mad. Then we go our separate ways. And every single time ..." She trailed off.

"You ...?" Jake was sincerely curious now. He had no idea how that sentence ended. Maybe they spent a lot of money. Maybe they got really high. Maybe they travelled somewhere.

"Every time," Kei said to herself. "Now it's practically expected. I expect it from him, that's for sure."

Jake was still confused. "Expect what?"

Kei sighed, exasperated. "Sex! I expect sex!"

Jake shrugged. "I don't know, that sounds kind of normal. Lots of people have make-up sex."

Kei laughed. "Ha, no. I expect that Aguri will go off and have sex with someone else, and then come back to me."

"Ohh," said Jake, thinking he understood more of it.

"And I expect that I will do the same exact thing, I will go off and fuck someone until I can't move, and then I will wallow in regret, and then I will go back to Aguri, and we will be all happy again."

Jake took a breath but didn't speak.

"You judge me?" asked Kei.

"No, absolutely not," said Jake. "I don't know you, what you do is none of my business, and plus, if it works for you and Aguri, who am I to tell you otherwise?"

Kei threw her hands up. "Who are you? I don't know. Someone with a clearer view of life, probably." She stood, walked over to Jake's bench, and sat down next to him. "And you and your beautiful redhead. You are true to each other?"

Jake smiled. "In a manner of speaking," he said with a smirk. He hoped Abbie was nearby and could hear him.

Kei laughed. "And what does that mean? You are true or you are not true?"

Jake looked at her. "It's complicated. But we're honest."

Kei nodded. "Same for me and Aguri. It's complicated and we're honest."

Jake looked ahead, nodding slightly to himself, but didn't respond. Kei leaned forward, her elbows on her knees. She turned to look at Jake.

"Thank you for talking to me."

"My pleasure," he replied.