text: [Themes: modern, romance]
  
  As soon as you press 'Send', you mull over the new low you've sunk to this week.
  
  Going out with another woman while you have a long-term girlfriend? Are you nuts?
  
  But you can't retract the text, and you're far too prideful to change your mind so soon. Your moral fibre ties knots in your stomach as you digest your fickle limerence, but you're snapped out of your self-berating by the arrival of your next student.
  
  You focus on the math, giving your student some relatively tough problems as a cognitive escapism for yourself. The mathematics is so pure and beautiful, it brings you to a better, calmer place. Top it with that spark, that moment where your student 'gets' the concept and can apply it seamlessly...you remember what it is you love about this job.
  
  After teaching your penultimate student for the day, you glance over at Sophia, who tenderly smiles back and brushes your back as she walks past you to grab her next student. You try to forget how lucky you are that Ray doesn't notice your budding 'friendship'.
  
  You are coaching your last student for the day, and you somewhat unpleasantly greet them with a prolonged yawn. However, Sophia's student is running a little late and a minute into your session, you notice Sophia place a chocolate bar on your table.
  
  It reminds you of Kim's kindness in cooking you meals after your hard day at work, although somehow Sophia's small thoughtful gestures touch you more deeply at the moment. Now you have to decide what to do with the chocolate bar as you delve into some highly spatial math with your student.
  
  > share the Chocolate with your Student
  Sophia is probably not as tired as you, so you take the hint that you need a little bit of chocolate to prop your brain through the final hour of work, but you can't just eat the entire bar of chocolate in front of your student either.
  
  As you and your student read the first question together, you remove a piece of chocolate for yourself, and before eating it, offer a piece from the bar to your student (which he accepts, of course). The chocolate slowly melts in your mouth and you feel your energy flow back. Your student does pretty well with the questions considering their difficulty, and he leaves your session with a much stronger understanding of geometry and a fresh passion for math.
  
  It's right on 7pm. Noticing Sophia has already left her station, you rush downstairs to find her. She hasn't come down yet, which gives you a moment to reflect on a serious moral quandary.
  
  You always hated it whenever one of your classmates or colleagues boasted about dating two women at once, as you strongly believed in the exclusivity of a relationship. You vowed that, if you ever wanted to go out with some woman while in a relationship with another, you would break off your existing relationship before starting a new one.
  
  However, now that you're in the situation, it's not so simple. What if Sophia doesn't come and you've ended things with Kim for nothing? If your date with Sophia doesn't work out, you want to still have your relationship with Kim.
  
  You recognise Sophia's gradual footsteps down toward you. She'd frown upon you texting in her presence, so.if you want to break it off with Kim, you'd better do it quick.
  
  > break Up with Kim
  You really hoped you'd be able to say it to Kim's face when you broke up with her, but it's not in your nature to be polyamorous, and if you postpone the call you will only hurt Kim more.
  
  To: Kim Xu
  
  Msg: Sorry but I'm breaking up with you. It's not your fault at all. Sorry it has to be this way.
  
  You press 'Send' before you can talk yourself out of it.
  
  Some seconds after pocketing your phone, you and Sophia lock eyes and flash a smile of relief at one another. You've both had a very tiring day and finally you can gel out!
  
  You open the door...only to find it just started raining.
  
  Your look at Sophia asks if she wants to wait inside for the rain to stop, or rush out to your car and get drenched, but Sophia reveals an umbrella from her pocket, and you walk to your car, both clutching the umbrella. At one point you think your fingers briefly touch, but maybe you were just fantasising that.
  
  You get into your car with Sophia and drive to Sophia's 'Teppanyaki' place, a restaurant called 'Nobu-san'. Sophia's absorbed in navigating you to the place, but you fit some chit chat in between her directions.
  
  It's only when you step inside Nobu-san that you understand 'Teppanyaki' is a type of food. You really could do with some food; you've only had eggs, a sandwich and a piece of chocolate all day!
  
  Examining the menu, you predictably order a large teppanyaki, and start salivating at the thought of the various meats and fish in the dish. Sophia tells you she will have a small portion of your meal as she isn't a big eater. After the waiter departs, you admire her petite body and wonder how much she'll eat before she feels full.
  
  Sophia breaks you out of your train of thought with 'Hey there (waves hand), what were you daydreaming about?'
  
  'I was daydreaming about you actually.' She makes an adorable 'Awwww' sound and tells you how sweet that is.
  
  'Sorry if I seem a bit out of it, I actually didn't sleep at all last night. I don't know how I managed to stay awake so long', you admit. You hope that doesn't turn Sophia off, but you can't help being honest, it's just in your nature.
  
  'I had a good night's sleep and I still feel tired from the work today! You must be an Energizer Bunny!' She giggles softly at her own joke.
  
  Meanwhile, the waiter serves the Teppanyaki meal, and kindly provides both chopsticks and a knife and fork to eat with. You recollect something you read about the psychological bond formed between people when sharing a meal, but your pensiveness is soon interrupted.
  
  'OK smarty, can you show me your chopstick technique?' You haven't used chopsticks in a long time, but your mum showed you how to eat with them many years ago. If only you could remember! Maybe it will come back to you once the chopsticks are in your hand, but you would prefer not to make a fool of yourself in front of your date if possible.
  
  > Chopstick time!
  'All right, let's see if I can avoid spilling my food on the table, or myself for that matter.' you darkly joke. Sophia tries not to laugh, and you test your skills on a grain of rice...
  
  Success! You bring the grain of rice to your mouth, and savour its flavour. Sophia claps her hands together as he says 'Not bad! Now can you do it with a piece of meat?'
  
  Admittedly it's much harder with the meat. You try and keep a grip, but its harder with a larger piece and the meat falls back into the bowl a couple of times before you finally stab it with the chopsticks in frustration...which works!
  
  You both laugh at your quirky manner of eating the food. This prompts Sophia to demonstrate how to use the chopsticks with a pincer grip on a piece of cooked fish. She eats it and suggests 'Now you try', eagerly smiling at you.
  
  You struggle to get your fingers to a comfortable position; seeing this, she grabs your hand...and you completely forget about your meal as she slides your fingers into the right position. You're caught up in the angelic touch of Sophia's fine piano fingers on her tender, warm hands as you grab five grains of rice successfully with your chopsticks.
  
  Superb, I'm now a Chopstick Master! Now that you have the hang of it, you eat the meal together, and as you near the end of your meal, you move the chopsticks with the food toward her mouth to encourage your date to eat up. She's very amused by this and decides to feed you some food back with her chopsticks. When you have finished feeding each other, you have to settle the payment for the meal.
  
  When you were eating out with Kim, you would split the bill, but you aren't very familiar with Japanese culture. You've watched a couple of dubbed Japanese films that were more patriarchal in nature, but fiction isn't a very reliable source to say the least. Are you going to pay up, split the bill, or let Sophia pay?
  
  > pay the Bill
  While you perceive women as equals to men, if there's one thing you have understood from today's events, it's that a little flexibility doesn't hurt your thinking. You sacrificed a stable relationship with a nice woman for this date, what difference will an extra $30 make?
  
  You decisively tell Sophia that you'll pay for the entire bill, including the chocolate bar she bought for you earlier.' Sophia blushes at that last part.
  
  'Oh no, it's a gift, you don't have to pay! Let me pay!' Sophia pleads, but you can tell she's just saying that to show her affection for you.
  
  'It's fine, here's my money. I'll make sure to tip the waiter as well for serving us so promptly.' you continue, and pay at the register. The waiter bows in acknowledgement of your gratuity.
  
  As you both get up from the table, Sophia looks up at you with gooey eyes as she declares 'You're such a gentleman'. You reach the exit to the building, and are about to walk through when you stop to see Sophia trailing behind. In this moment, you appreciate that you have a choice after all. The door only fits one person through at a time, so will you walk in front of her, or let her through first?
  
  > go through the Doorway First
  As you reflect on the dinner, a flashback of an old Japanese couple walking out permeates your mind. Your mental video shows the man walking in front, with the woman trailing behind.
  
  Monkey see, monkey do, you muse as you walk through the door. However, you then hold the door open after walking through, so the door doesn't slam in Sophia's face.
  
  As you click open the umbrella to protect against the rain, you walk directly to your car with your female company. As Sophia sits beside you in the front seat, she looks into you with her big brown eyes. As your eyes connect with hers, you think you see her pupils dilate. You say nothing, not wishing to disturb this intimate moment together.
  
  Sophia continues to gaze at you as she whispers 'You are truly special, you are even more than a gentleman...', and with that you and Sophia share your first kiss. It's a quiet, slow kiss, as time itself seemed to slow down to foster more time for your love.
  
  Sophia gives you the directions to her place and you drive her there, still warm and fuzzy from your kiss. Before unfastening her seatbelt, she asks you a tricky question.
  
  'I am curious about something. I thought you had a long-term girlfriend, did you break up with her recently?'
  
  You were a bit bothered that question might come up, but already you feel committed to Sophia by now, and it is not hard for you to answer.
  
  'Actually I broke up with her today, because when I talked to you today, I knew you were the one I wanted to be with.'
  
  She needs a moment to take in the magnitude of what you're saying.
  
  'That's a pretty massive gamble, if something happened with us than you would have nothing.'
  
  'I had thought the same thing at one point, but I knew that it would be wrong to string both of you along simultaneously, and I had to make a choice. It was a risk, just like anything in life, but I could sense that we were going to work out.'
  
  Sophia blushes for a moment and holds your hands as she speaks to you. 'You are the most special, affectionate and beautiful person in the world to me. I love how we understand each other on such a profound level.' She pauses for a while as you just look at each other again, before sharing another brief kiss, this time with your hand caressing her neck.
  
  'It's a bit cold and stormy outside, would you like to come inside with me?' You don't need to think about this one!
  
  You enter the home, which has two bedrooms just as Sophia told you, two bathrooms, a large kitchen and living room, and a special work room. The place is in superlative condition and you figure that Sophia's parents must be quite wealthy.
  
  Feeling sleepy, you both recline on the lounge, snuggled in a warm embrace. You are so serene you nearly fall asleep, but Sophia pulls you even closer to her, and you two are about to kiss once again. You cannot compare any other experience to the uniting of your lips with hers. Her taste brings you to another world - one transcending mere emotion.
  
  Your heartbeat flutters as you make your final choice.
  
  Where will you place your hands as you kiss your new partner?
  
  > On her Buttocks
  Now that you've signalled your undying reciprocal love, you feel it's the right time to move toward consummating your relationship. You place your hands on Sophia's smooth buttocks as you kiss her, but after a few seconds she suddenly severs your pathway to a spiritual plane.
  
  'I'm sorry, it's just...', Sophia starts.
  
  You have no idea what she means, but you want to know, so you ask her to continue.
  
  'It's just that I think you're still in rebound from your previous relationship', Sophia suggests. 'While I can tell you care very deeply for me, you're also seeking something you either lost when you split up with your ex, or wanted and didn't receive with her.'
  
  You wonder if this is a dream. Your intent was to make love to Sophia, not screw her and never see her again.
  
  This is all some terrible misunderstanding.
  
  'I still want to go out with you, but I think we should hold off on sexual relations until we're sure you aren't carrying baggage from your past relationship.'
  
  You accept that she's probably right. You do still have some feelings for Kim and it's probably best to let them pass so they don't affect your relationship with Sophia.
  
  It takes you a few months to fully move on from your ex-girlfriend, and when you do, you approach Sophia about rekindling the old passion in your relationship. You go back to having great times with her, sharing meals every evening and spending the weekends doing romantic activities together. It is on your first camp together that you first directly say 'I love you' to one another.
  
  Your relationship blossoms perfectly for the first six months, when just as you both feel ready to take your commitment to the next level and move in together, your girlfriend has another surprise waiting for you.
  
  'My father in Tokyo is very sick and I need to go see him.' Well, you can understand that, family should always come first.
  
  'I don't know when I will be back, but I will come back.' You say 'I love you' to each other and share a long affectionate pash before she leaves.
  
  It transpires that this is the last kiss you two share.
  
  Over in Japan, her mum and dying father put a lot of pressure on Sophia to marry a wealthy Japanese businessman they recently communicated with. Sophia begs and pleads to stay with you, her true love, but her parents physically force her to give in to their wishes, and she marries her parents' selected man for her own self-preservation.
  
  The month of no contact is a sad one for you, but you feel your love grow stronger even with her absence. Then you receive a letter in the mail.
  
  From: Sophia Yamoto
  
  My dearest,
  
  I am so sorry. My parents have forced me into an arranged marriage. I tried everything to show them my love for you and that I need to be with you. There was nothing I could do. My heart will always be with you, but unfortunately we cannot be together anymore. I cling on to a small hope that everything will change and I can feel your tenderness again, but it is best that you do not hold a torch for me.
  
  I love you always,
  
  Sophia
  
  You have no words to describe your excruciating pain.
  
  Nothing in this whole world could be worse - to not only lose the love of your life, but know she is imprisoned in a cage from which she can never escape.
  
  You are powerless to do anything about it.
  
  You know you cannot move on.
  
  The hope is too faint for you to hold onto as the agony rips you apart.
  
  There is nothing to live for anymore in this desolate, hollow and unjust world.
  
  But before you commit suicide, you write a final message to your love, even though she will never get the chance to read it.
  
  From: You
  
  Dearest Sophia,
  
  I will always love you, and we will be reunited in the next life.
  
  You reached the tragic ending.