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    The Last Birthday Party
    The Last Birthday Party
    The Last Birthday Party
    Ebook36 pages27 minutes

    The Last Birthday Party

    By Mere Rain

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    About this ebook

    Their favorite holiday is going away. Will it take their friendship with it? 

    Since 1989, the birthday of the Emperor of Japan has been celebrated on December 23rd. But this is the last year; the Emperor is abdicating, and next year there will be no holiday.           

    For twenty-year-old Akihito, the holiday has always been special. It’s his birthday, too, and a perfect excuse for spending the entire day celebrating across Tokyo with his life-long best friend, Kenji. But now that they will no longer get the day off and will soon face adult responsibilities, will they drift apart? Or if Akihito confesses the secret love he’s held in his heart for years, will their closeness be ruined? One thing is certain: nothing will be same by the end of the day.

    A story from the Dreamspinner Press 2018 Advent Calendar "Warmest Wishes."

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDreamspinner Press
    Release dateDec 1, 2018
    ISBN9781644050422
    The Last Birthday Party

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      Book preview

      The Last Birthday Party - Mere Rain

      Table of Contents

      Blurb

      Text

      About the Author

      By Mere Rain

      Visit Dreamspinner Press

      Copyright Page

      The Last Birthday Party

      By Mere Rain

      Their favorite holiday is going away. Will it take their friendship with it?

      Since 1989, the birthday of the Emperor of Japan has been celebrated on December 23rd. But this is the last year; the Emperor is abdicating, and next year there will be no holiday.

      For twenty-year-old Akihito, the holiday has always been special. It’s his birthday, too, and a perfect excuse for spending the entire day celebrating across Tokyo with his life-long best friend, Kenji. But now that they will no longer get the day off and will soon face adult responsibilities, will they drift apart? Or if Akihito confesses the secret love he’s held in his heart for years, will their closeness be ruined? One thing is certain: nothing will be same by the end of the day.

      December 23, 2018

      Tokyo

      AKIHITO COULDN’T hear anything over the pounding in his head, but he knew that it had been the sound of gravel against the panes that had woken him, just as he knew before he staggered to the window that it would be Kenji waiting outside in the predawn dimness. The frigid air swept most of the cobwebs away. He made let-yourself-in motions at Kenji and inhaled deeply. As he moved to close the window, he saw a few dried soybeans on the sill. Kenji must have carried them from his house. That was his best friend, always planning ahead.

      He put one in his mouth and held it on his tongue, imagining he could taste the salt of Kenji’s palm lingering on the bean.

      By the time he had showered and dressed, Kenji had made tea and turned last night’s rice into ochazuke. His face did not show any of the aftereffects of debauchery. Probably he had stopped drinking as soon as Akihito was past noticing.

      Happy birthday, Tsugu. It was a childhood nickname, left behind by everyone but his parents and Kenji.

      Are we late for the train?

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