Page 3 of Spoonful

That was exactly what Jaylin was afraid of. He wanted to work for lawyers, sure. Butafterhe knew enough to not flounder and look stupid. People talked, he knew that. If this guy didn’t like him, he could make all sorts of trouble for Jaylin in a couple years when Jaylin was actually looking to enter the field.

He already had concerns about what Brent might do, once Jaylin was in a position to end their arrangement.

“Look,” Jaylin said, a bit desperately. He didn't want Aditi upset with him either. “I’m grateful, I am. Thank you for trying to help. But I’m fine. Really.”

“Oh,” a smooth voice from behind him said. “So that’s a no on the tutoring, then?”

Jaylin flinched and turned.

Nothing came out of his mouth as he took in the man before him. A tall, broad-shouldered Asian man with a personable smile, and Jaylin’s throat clicked as he swallowed, in the face of that smile.

It was close-mouthed, but the man’s eyes were crinkled at the corners, arealsmile, one that looked…kind, somehow. Maybe a little bemused, but open and friendly, without a hint of annoyance. Like it didn’t matter that Jaylin was turning him away. Like he wasn’t upset to come all this way on a Saturday only to be told “no.”

The man’s dark hair had a streak of white, but he didn’t look weathered in the way a lot of the older men Jaylin hadexperience with did. Mid to late thirties, maybe? And going gray young? He was standing there in the study room holding his coat over his arm, with one hand tucked in his pocket, exuding an easy-going confidence. Like he knew he looked good.

He didn’t look like a guy who heard the word “no” a lot. But he—he didn’t seem upset to hear it now. Still, Jaylin sucked in a breath through his nose, trying to regroup. It was one thing to turn down a guy in theory. It was another thing entirely when he was already here, when he’d taken the trouble to come to some random community college on a weekend, all for Jaylin’s sake.

Jaylin didn’t want anyone to think he wanted trouble. He’d spent his whole life trying to not rock boats, so he didn’t get tossed overboard.

Somehow life always still made him feel like he was drowning.

The man’s smile didn’t dim in the face of Jaylin’s silence. “Aditi said you were really smart,” he said, voice warm and friendly. “I was looking forward to working with you.”

Jaylin suddenly felt over warm at hearing such nice things said in that voice. He tried to cover it, clearing his throat. “I—oh.”Stupid,he berated himself. He tried again. “I’m sorry, I-I didn’t… know she’d told you something like that.”

Aditi huffed, crossing her arms. “Only cause it’s true.”

He sent Aditi a startled glance, and she tilted up her chin, raising an eyebrow. As if to say,Well? What about it?

“My name’s Hirohito Miyazaki,” the man said, pulling Jaylin’s attention again. He held out a hand. “But you could call me Hiro. I really am happy to help.”

Jaylin couldn’t stop his flinch back at the hand reaching for him, and he stared at it for a beat too long before the words registered, that this guy washappy to helpand not angry with him for wasting his time.

Before he could make himself move properly to shake the offered hand like a normal fucking person who didn’t mind letting large, strange men touch them, the man did a little wave instead, then stuck his hand in his pocket.

Then the man’s name sunk in.

“Hirohito Miyazaki?” Jaylin stammered, desperately trying to look less like a fuck-up.Thiswas Hirohito Miyazaki? “Are… are you the same Hirohito Miyazaki who worked the Temporal Inc. vs Russel Center case?”

“Oh! Yeah,” Miyazaki’s smile grew, and he seemed willing to ignore Jaylin’s floundering. “Yeah, that was me. Well, my whole team. I couldn’t have won it without the support I had at my back.” His smile, somehow, got brighter. “Aditi said that’s what you’re in school for. You want to be on a team and make a difference.”

Jaylin swallowed. Russel Center had won that case, which had reversed Temporal Inc.’s claim on all patent rights for electro-neural prosthetics, allowing the technology to go open source. It had revolutionized the market, which had, in turn, forced the company to stop charging an arm and a leg for prosthetic arms and legs. It was one of the cases Jaylin hadstudiedlast semester.

Brent had been awful about it, when he’d read through Jaylin’s notes. As a lawyer for Temporal Inc., he’d put in a lot of hours on that case, and had been furious to learn that people were studying how his team had lost.

Jaylin could only imagine the shit Brent would give him if he ever found out Jaylin had even been in the same room as Miyazaki.

“Yeah,” Jaylin managed after he’d been quiet for too long. “I want to support someone in family law.”

“That’s a really great ambition,” Miyazaki said. “I’m sure you’ll be an amazing support.” He was meeting Jaylin’s eyes,expression warm and sincere, and something molten dripped down Jaylin’s spine.

He felt—jittery. Anxious in the face of Miyazaki’s praise, because what did this guy know, he didn’tknowJaylin, he had no reason to think Jaylin would do a good job doing anything. Empty praise, that was all it was. Probably because Aditi was in the room.

That had to be it.

“I’ve got to get going,” Aditi cut in, having somehow thrown all her stuff into her backpack without Jaylin noticing. “You two could decide what to do next, yeah? Okay, cool! Bye Jaylin, I’ll see you next week!”

Jaylin watched Aditi flee, feeling betrayed. He jumped when he heard Miyazaki chuckle.

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