The Past

Dean entered his office and slammed the door closed behind him. He stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window staring at the shiny metropolitan skyline that he helped build. His stormy eyes saw nothing at all as he replayed what had just happened in his head. He knew he was being irrational, but he could not help but be irritated by David, and by Mia for that matter.

Dean turned away from the window and sat slumped at his desk. He rubbed his eyes hard with both hands. Looking up, he stared at the documents piled up in his in-tray and the number of unread emails on his computer screen. He let out a long sigh because he suddenly felt exhausted. There was so much to do, he could not be distracted. He did not have the time for all this with the award season approaching as well. There will be submissions, reporters, interviews, press releases, gala, and events that required his attention for the rest of the year.

Mia...

He frowned at Mia's report in front of his keyboard. He had printed it out as he knew the building negotiation was happening today. He was prepared to leave the discussions with David before Mia mistakenly asked him to join them. He was so close to being indifferent. So close.

"All I have to do is to get through the architectural and interior design discussions with her and I won't have to be near her anymore..." His chest tightened at his own resolve.

"Just one more month..." He grumbled.

---***---

A few days after the successful negotiations for the Fuji Street property, Dean's secretary called Mia to organise a meeting to discuss architectural plans. They settled on meeting at her Zhongshan flagship café.

"Hello, Bryan? Are you on your way?" Dean spoke through his car phone. He was meeting his project manager in front of the café.

"Ah, Dean. Something serious has come up with the airport project and I need to meet the council today to fix it. I can be on the phone if you want me?"

Dean swerved his car to stop on the side of the road, "What do you mean? You can't make the Fujin Jie meeting?"

"I'm sorry, Dean. I think you would agree with me that the airport project is more important."

He grunted and gripped his steering wheel tight. He was going to have to meet Mia alone.

---***---

Mia's standalone two-story Zhongshan store was near the Zhongshan Elementary School MRT station and within walking distance from the Simplesmente headquarters. That afternoon, as usual, Mia decided to walk there from her offices. She entered the store through the café doors to check whether Dean had arrived. As there were no signs of him, she headed inside to greet her staff. After a short discussion, her Manager and her counter staff turned their attention to a customer behind her.

Mia turned around as well and was startled by Dean standing stiffly next to her with one hand casually in his back pocket and the other holding his tablet. "Oh, Dean. You're here!" She jumped back a step and held her chest. His grave expression disappeared as he let out a chuckle, "Sorry, did I scare you? I saw you as I was coming into the store instead of the cafe. I'm sorry."

Mia responded with a grin, "It's quite alright. Shall we head to the café?"

"After you." Dean followed Mia into the sunlit space.

The flagship store had a beautiful parquetry floor and natural white coloured walls that felt calm and inviting. Unlike other stores, Mia had placed indoor plants everywhere to take full advantage of the warm sun pouring in from all directions.

Without waiting for her cafe staff, Mia headed to a large round wooden table in the middle of the café, where it was a little cooler and away from the glaring sun. She sat down in one of the wooden wishbone chairs and pushed one of the chairs out for Dean to sit in so that they were next to each other on this enormous table. Dean hesitated but obliged, uncomfortable with the closeness.

"Would you like a drink?"

"Oh. Latte, please."

"Sure." Mia nodded her head while looking at one of her staff and they came right away. Handing over the menu that the staff had given her, she inquired, "Would you like some pastries or cakes?"

Dean took the menu. "Are you having something?"

"I am," Mia giggled. "What would you like? We have lemon tart, Mont Blanc, and mango pannacotta today, I think." Mia turned to the waitstaff, who nodded in agreement.

"Anything. They all sound good," Dean gave Mia a small smile.

"Perhaps we can order different things to share?" Mia suggested. Impulsively Dean's face started to redden, "Whatever you like to do...Mia."

After the waitstaff walked away, Dean unfolded his tablet on the table to show Mia the plans, impatient to start.

"How is David?"

Dean narrowed his eyes at Mia, "He's fine. You're meeting him Thursday, isn't it?"

"Yes, that's right. It will just be over the phone so that will save us both travel time."

Dean hesitated, "Ah, well. I'm sorry but I wanted to talk to you face to face about the plans to gauge your feelings on them. It's harder over the phone to do that..."

Mia shook her head. "Oh, I totally understand. I'm happy to meet face to face."

Dean changed the subject, "Anyways. I wanted to introduce you to Bryan, who I've assigned as your project manager. But an emergency on another project came up that he needed to deal with so I will have to introduce him to you another time."

Mia glanced at Dean and nodded while he spoke. She was looking forward to discussing the plans with Dean, regardless of who else was present.

Dean commented, "I know you received the plans from me already. But I wanted to walk you through the details so that you can understand my vision and reason behind some of the architectural decisions that we have proposed." Mia simply tipped her head in agreement, watching him. She could feel some tension from Dean but could not pinpoint the reason.

Dean touched his tablet on to show his CAD drawings of Mia's building, "Because you're converting a residential building for commercial use. There are elements that you need to open up the space." He tapped on his tablet to zoom into the front of the store, "I'll come back to the front of the store later. Let me begin with the ground floor structure."

Dean's eyes did not leave his tablet as he talked excitedly, "Foundationally, the building is sound. However, as it is a three-story building built in the 1950s, I want to make sure that the ground floor is sufficiently strong enough to withstand future improvements to the upper floors. Therefore, I would suggest constructing two structural beams here and here, so that they can provide additional support. These will be anchored into the ground as deep as we can."

He was conscious that Mia was moving progressively closer to him so that she can see the tablet but he tried to remain calm. "I would also suggest putting in a layer of new concrete so that we can ensure a completely flat surface. At the moment, the surface, perhaps due to a little land movement underneath and probably age, is tilted ever so slightly to the north side. It may be slight, but over time as you get used to the space, without the correction, you will notice it." He stopped and looked up to see if she had any questions and caught her looking at him, rather than the plans, absorbed.

Dean tried to brush the look aside but felt his ears heating up. He abruptly turned back to his tablet, "Other than that, the rest of the space is relatively straightforward. Except for the roof, which I would like to insulate and enforce so that in the future we can add a rooftop terrace."

"Why can't we add it now?" Mia breathed in her soft voice, seemingly a little sad. She had one hand under her chin, gazing at him with those dark eyes. It was hard for him to pull away from her face.

Dean steadied his voice and replied, "It is actually a big undertaking and takes away a third of the space on the third floor for the stairs. And if that is the case, I would suggest reforming all the stairs on each level together to optimise the space and keep the stairs design uniform."

Mia nodded slowly, "I see. Ok, I understand. Let me think about it. Can you send me a quote specifically for what we have to do to get the rooftop terrace?" She tried to catch Dean's eyes, "Because, Dean, having that would be so awesome!" He chortled at her enthusiasm, "I know. Parties and art space. I know."

"So anyways, that is the architectural plans. Shall I show you the interior design and mood board?" He continued.

"Before you go on, could I take a closer look at the plans?" Mia gestured for the tablet. Dean slid the tablet in front of her to avoid any physical contact. She moved the plans about and zoomed in and out with a contented smile on her face. "She's so beautiful when she smiles," Dean caught himself thinking. Watching her intently, he mentally sketched her profile in his head.

Still smiling, Mia slid the tablet back to Dean and said, "Show me your interior design?"

"Has Kai-Lin send you his yet?"

"Yes, he has..."

"I bet this is very different from his," he smirked as he gave Mia a confident sideways glance.

Opening up another 3D drawing, Dean began, "Here, we would suggest folding French windows instead of your usual steel windows to bring softness to the building. The space is similar to this one in that the sun will be strong coming in from the front. So, having the folding French shutters will allow you to soften the glare on your patrons so that they can comfortably sit anywhere." He glanced at Mia now and then to gauge her attention. She never failed him. Her features were set in concentration as she glanced back and forth between his face and the tablet.

Satisfied with Mia's attention, Dean proceeded, "Be aware that sunlight will fade the furniture over time, so we would actually suggest white tables and chairs. I know you like the wishbone or oriental design so the ones here that we have selected fit that style, is inexpensive and durable." He continued, growing with excitement again as he talked, "Flooring wise, we would actually go for a light oak stain. It's something that I really like at the moment, so I'm partial to it."

Dean's voice picked up speed as he forgot his anxiety around Mia, "In contrast to what you have in your existing stores, I would go for vivid white colour walls. I want patrons to be lively and alert in the store, senses awakened, rather than just a comfortable lazy atmosphere." Dean paused as he noticed Mia's small frown, "Don't get me wrong, comfortable is fine. But research has shown that it doesn't promote sales."

Dean pointed at the drawing on his tablet, "Having a vertical garden feature wall or a glass waterfall also triggers the senses and no one in Taiwan is doing that for a lifestyle store at the moment. I don't know why but they should." He shrugged.

Always conscious of costs, Mia asked, "Is it because it's high-maintenance?" A crease formed between Dean's eyebrows, "To be honest, that's a misconception. It's actually not if you set up the correct maintenance process." He sighed and gazed at the beautiful Mia, "I believe a building needs to have a feature, your signature, a talking point. Ideally, I would like to have a running river on the ground floor..." He caught himself staring at Mia and quickly focused back on the tablet. "But we can discuss that in more detail should you want to proceed with us in terms of interior design services." Wanting to make a point, he glanced up at Mia again, "I'm partial to water features. Water is just so sensory. Water walls especially remind me of a grand art gallery or a museum."

"He can really talk all day about architecture," Mia thought as she let out a giggle. "What?" Dean asked as he raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh, nothing. You're very passionate about architecture and the sensory journey," Mia teased.

Dean laughed, "Oh, you know the term." Mia gave him a playful look, "Yes I do. I love reading design magazines." He chuckled, "Well, then you understand where I'm coming from." Then, he let out a heavy sigh, "I put my heart and soul into every single building I design. Each one is my baby. That's why I am very protective of them."

Mia reacted warmly, "I can see that."

Mia cocked her head to one side while looking at Dean. In a quiet voice, barely audible, she said, "Kai-Lin's design is different from yours. But then he knew what I wanted. He draws ideas from what I want. But you create a vision from your understanding of my stores, its purpose, my staff, and the position of the stores, without even asking what I want..."

Dean's lips fell into a frown, "I'm sorry, Mia. Is that bad? My clients usually want me to give them something new, something different.”

Mia said softly, "Well, I probably would still have liked it if you asked me what I wanted..." She smiled a little while waiting for his response. After a few moments of silence, Dean swallowed and looked at her, "I am sorry about that. I don't know why I didn't ask you. Tell me about your vision for this store."

Mia liked the way he asked about her vision rather than the physical aspects that Kai-Lin would have asked about. They were so different in their approach. Encouraged, she began, "Well, I want it to be a space where people want to gather and visit again and again. I want people from all walks of life to feel comfortable coming here, not just for the elite. There should be something for everyone. I want to support Taiwanese artists and creators and lend the space to them for free. I want it to fuel creativity and make happy memories for everyone... I want that for all of my stores."

Dean thought Mia's eyes sparkled as she spoke. He was taken also by her words, "I can totally see it, Mia."

Mia chuckled, embarrassed, "Is it realistic? I hope it's achievable because that is my vision."

Dean's eyes glowed as he looked at Mia, "It's absolutely achievable, Mia. I would love to create that vision...with you..." His voice faded. Caught in the moment, Mia smiled happily at him. They held each other's gaze for a brief moment until the waitstaff interrupted, bearing their coffees and cakes.

Mia arranged the cakes between them to share.

"The Mont Blanc is good."

"Isn't it!"

"Hmm. Is that rum?"

"No, bourbon whiskey."

"Hmm."

"Dean looks so cute when he eats," Mia smiled as she thought to herself.

"Dean, tell me, how did you end up in Taipei all the way from New York? Do you have family here?" Mia bravely asked between bites of cake.

"Hmm. I'm actually from Honolulu, Hawaii originally. I moved to New York for college and graduate school." Dean finished his mouthful of hazelnut mousse.

"I followed my girlfriend here. Well, ex-girlfriend. She was Taiwanese. She wanted to come back, so I just thought why not. I had visited Taipei a few times before and was intrigued by the architecture here. So I came with her."

Trying to be nonchalant, Mia asked while focusing on the cakes, "What happened to your ex-girlfriend?"

"She went back to the States because she missed her friends and her faster pace lifestyle there."

"You didn't follow her back?"

"Unfortunately, or fortunately, I started my business with David around that time. So, I said that I would work something out and started a long-distance relationship with her."

Dean was thoughtful for a moment and then said, "It worked for a while but I didn't have time for her as we were getting real traction with the business. And because of the time-difference, catching up was hard, let alone romantically."

"I can't believe I'm telling her all this," Dean thought.

"Then, what happened? Sorry for being nosy..."

"No, it's fine. It's not like I'm the only person that it ever happened to..."

Picking at the lemon tart with his fork, Dean muttered, "I found out through a friend of mine that she met someone. She didn't tell me directly but shortly after that, she wanted to break-up." He frowned, "For a long time, I thought about what I should have done...What I could have done better... In the end, I thought, it wasn't meant to be."

Mia had to ask, "If she came back to Taipei, what would you do?"

He paused and looked at Mia with amusement, "She's married with a child."

Mia gasped, "Oh my gosh."

Dean frowned, "What?"

Mia closed her mouth, "Your story is so similar to mine. I mean, my ex-boyfriend is also married with children." She gave Dean a weak smile, "I came back for my boyfriend too. I came back because he wanted to take over his family business. It was always his intention. It was mine too to come back to my family and start my career here."

Mia put her fork down as she spoke, "We were happy for about three years together. Then, things began to change between us, like he was unsatisfied with me. He started asking me to dress a certain way and talk a certain way. He said I was too stubborn and assertive. He said why couldn't I be like other Taiwanese girls, sweet and cute."

Mia put her knuckles under her chin, absorbed in her storytelling, "Like you, I was at a loss in terms of what I had done. Who did he fall in love with, I hadn't changed. But I guess he was comparing me to other girls he was meeting in Taipei..."

Mia sighed, "Can you believe he dumped me via email? I cried and cried for months. But I stopped crying when someone told me that he was secretly seeing someone else..."

Dean felt an urge to put his arms around her, "Mia, I'm so sorry..."

"No no. I'm telling you this because I just wanted you to know that I was in a similar situation. Don't pity me. I'm over it. Looking back, we were so different. We wouldn't have lasted, or I would have had to change. Well, in the end, he wanted someone else, plain and simple."

"Ah well, totally his loss."

"No. As you said, it wasn't meant to be. And I guess our partners are better off without us and we are better off without them."

Dean nodded with an understanding smile on his face. He stretched out his left arm and placed his hand gently on Mia's, exposing a hint of his grey wash tattoo.

Mia couldn't help it and reached out to touch it. Dean pulled away, "Ah sorry."

"Why are you sorry?"

"It's not very professional."

"I like tattoos, actually."

"Oh really. Do you have any?"

Mia began, "I do..."

"Show me?" Dean asked eagerly.

Mia reasoned, "Um, I can't show you... Be-because they are..." Dean realised that perhaps they did not often see the light of day. "Ah...then, describe them to me," he said as he deliciously guessed where her tattoos could be.

Embarrassed, Mia looked everywhere but at Dean as she divulged, "One is just in the small of my back, and it's just the words, "Simplesmente Amor" which means Simply Love or Just Love, if you know what I mean. And then..."

"Oh, you have another one," Dean interrupted sheepishly. Gesturing across her chest, Mia finally said, "Yes, it's across my heart, my parents' first names in script." Glad that she got her tattoos out of the way, she lightly tapped on his left arm, "Ok, your turn."

Dean chuckled and rolled up the sleeve of his indigo linen shirt to show an intricate grey wash tattoo that covered his wrist to his left collarbone. Mia saw waves, mountains, birds, flowers, monuments, dragons, and phoenixes.

"Are there meaning behind them?"

"Yes. It shows the places where important events have occurred in my life."

"Here are the waves from Waimea Beach, my favourite beach in Oahu. A lai of yellow hibiscus that is the national flower of Hawaii, and a figurine of my Mama, my beautiful Makuahine." Pointing higher up his arm, Dean continued, "Statue of Liberty and a chain of rose, the national flower of America. Grand Canyon, a place I am in awe of, and finally heart and arrow representing my first adult relationship there." He paused for a moment, caught in memory. He recovered and moved his shirt away from his collarbone, "Dragons and phoenixes for Taipei. Plum blossom tree, the national flower of Taiwan, and the Chinese characters, Baodao[1]."

Mia ran her finger up his arm as she took a closer look. Dean felt tingles on his skin where she touched. She breathed, "It's beautiful."

Dean gave her a satisfied grin, "It's not finished yet. I want to continue the tattoo on my right arm. Who knows where my life will take me..."

"Do you have itchy feet?"

"I have yet to do any projects in the Middle East and China, and they are the game changers at the moment. Big budget and crazy vision. Screaming for someone like me to bring some tranquillity and elevated elegance to the place." Dean winked at Mia. She chuckled, unconsciously tracing her finger over the heart and arrow, "Your ex-girlfriend was Taiwanese, huh. That's interesting."

Dean asked, "Did Beverley tell you... that I don't date Asians?" Mia nodded but smiled apologetically.

Dean scoffed, "It's not that, but most Asians don't last past a few dates with me. They run for the hills when I tell them that I don't want a family; I don't want children."

Mia was deep in thought, "Hmm. I understand where they’re coming from. Even though I've yet to decide whether I want children or not, I wouldn't want someone else to shut it down completely for me."

Dean gazed at Mia with a slight frown and said in a quiet voice, "There you go..."

At this moment, the waitstaff came over and advised that it was the last order for the day. They glanced at each other, longing to stay but could not articulate it out loud.

"Dean...was there anything else you wanted to show me?"

Coming back to reality, he replied, "No. No. That was all."

"Ok...then. I will be in touch with you shortly?"

Remaining in his seat, Dean exhaled, "Sure. No problems."

Mia gave Dean a radiant smile, "I had a really nice time... even if it was about business." Dean returned the smile, "Me too, Mia."

Mia stood to leave and Dean followed suit. She awkwardly leaned forward to hug Dean. He hesitated but gave in to the warmth of her torso. Enjoying the feeling from Dean's body heat and heady scent too, Mia unwillingly pulled away.

Together, they moved towards the café entrance side by side. Suddenly, Mia turned to face him, "Dean, please don't hate me. I love your designs, I really do. But I have already said to Kai-Lin that he would do the interior design." She cringed, ready for the backlash from him. As predicted, Dean was not happy. He gave her a deep frown but remained silent. Mia caved, "Ok ok. I will talk to Kai-Lin."

Dean raised his eyebrows but spoke playfully, "Remember my reputation." Mia rolled her eyes but gave him a warm smile, as warm as how her heart felt, "See you at my office this Friday for the Purchase Party?"

"Yes, I will be there," Dean answered smiling as he turned and walked away. He glanced back before he arrived at the sidewalk and was surprised to see Mia still standing there watching him. She gave him an enthusiastic wave that made something turn in his chest. He held up his hand to wave back and reluctantly looked away again.

"Damn it, Bryan," Dean growled under his breath.

Footnotes

[1] Baodao (寶島）another word for Taiwan or precious island.