Reservations for Two
When Yuki woke, she saw her apartment basked in light. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. They were itchy from the night before, her cheeks felt dirty.
An alarm hadn’t woken her up like usual, no bad dream caused her to sit up in a panic, she just felt rested.
/What time is it?/
She’d guess it was morning, like she had planned.
Her phone’s display lit, she looked at it sleepily.
“15:00!”
To her horror, a number of stacked LINE notifications sat under the clock.
All from Rika.
“No, no, no, no!”
The most recent from three hours ago read.
|Call me when you wake up.|
“She’s so mad...”
Yuki unlocked her phone, and took a deep breath. Tapping the call Icon in the chat screen.
The phone rang and her chest tightened, prepared for the worst. For Rika’s anger.
“Hello?”
Yuki gulped.
“H-hi... I’m... I’m sorry I slept so late...”
“Oh, don’t worry about it!”
Yuki felt confused.
“Y-your messages, you seemed upset...”
“Really? No, I was just awake and wanted to see when and where we should meet up. It was a little early, sorry I was just excited I guess.”
Yuki smiled.
“It’s ok, I understand. Honestly I’m excited too, and maybe a bit nervous.”
She laughed a bit and scratched the side of her face.
“I’m glad I’m not the only one.”
On the other end Rika was smiling and kicking her legs and hugging a large cushion.
“There’s no need to be too nervous though. It’s just me.”
Yuki yawned loudly, it could be heard over the line.
“You sound tired, did you sleep ok?”
Yuki was sitting atop her bed, her knees drawn to her chest under one of the large T-shirts she usually wore when she went to bed.
“I’m fine, I just couldn’t sleep for a bit.”
Rika frowned a little.
/I hope she’s not overly nervous./
“Hm, will you be ok for tonight still? We can do it another night, there’s no pressure.”
Yuki’s eyes widened. The idea of canceling tonight reminded her of her dream, the one she had already come so close to fulfilling.
“I’m... I’m fine, tonight is still perfect. I don’t want to let you down or anything.”
Rika paused for a moment.
Yuki frowned when she heard no answer.
Then Rika spoke.
“Yuki, there’s no possible way you could let me down.”
Light returned to Yuki’s falling eyes.
“These past couple days have been really fun already. Tonight is just icing on the cake. If you need to take today off. It’s fine. I just...”
Rika paused, unsure if she was overstepping and saying too much.
“I-I just don’t want to cause you trouble, if everything is happening too fast, and it’s making you nervous we can take it slower.”
Yuki guiltily smiled, Rika had guessed at her nervousness, but thought she’d been the reason behind it. Unaware of Yuki’s past troubles.
“I’m probably getting over excited by all this, being too much. I don’t mean to freak you out or anything. It’s just been a while since I’ve liked someone...”
She blushed and covered her mouth with her hand to silence her giggles.
“I mean I am older, so it probably sounds silly coming from me. Jeez, I don’t remember how to do any of this really. I’m not sure I did in the first place. Trust me, I know I sound like a high school girl right now.”
Yuki had continued to silently giggle. Rika had sounded exactly like a nervous high school girl. It was funny to hear and picture compared to her work persona.
“...sorry.”
Yuki finally broke her silence.
“Rika, It’s ok. Everything is fine.”
Rika paused. On her end she was as red as a beet. She’d said aloud everything she’d been worrying about since the kiss at the bar. Then she admitted that a woman her age had no clue how to date someone.
“You’re not being too much. In fact you’re perfect.”
Rika hugged her pillow tightly and smiled.
“Thanks.”
“So, when and where are we meeting?”
“The reservation is for 19:00, so before then and is at the restaurant alright?”
“That sounds good, I’ll see you there! Oh and Rika?”
“What is it?”
“Try not to worry so much, It’s bad for your health!”
Rika began laughing, albeit in an embarrassed way.
“I’ll try.”
Yuki stuck out her tongue at the phone and ended the call.
/I get the feeling she just stuck out her tongue at me... And then hung up./
Rika locked her phone and fell over sideways on the couch. She glanced at the clock.
/I have no idea why I said all those things./
She turned to face the ceiling. Reaching up and looking at the back of her hand.
/I thought them.../
“I just don’t want to mess this up.”
Her hand fell back down and sat on top of her forehead.
Yuki looked at the her phone’s unlit screen.
/I don’t think I’ve ever hung up on anyone./
She wrapped her arms around her knees and sat her chin on top.
/I don’t think anyone has said they liked me over the phone either./
The tub finished filling while Yuki ate a piece of toast. As she turned off the tap she dropped a bath bomb in and sat a rubber ducky afloat.
She tied up her hair, undressed, and gently sat in the water that had begun changing color.
Usually when took baths she could feel all the sadness and anxiety from the night before evaporate away.
But that day had she already felt ok even before getting into the tub.
She scooped up some water and washed her cheeks that were stained with salt.
/I feel better./
She remembered the night before, the painful memories and her misspent youth. They’d been more than enough to bring her to tears.
She found though that this morning she was fine. Despite the sadness she didn’t want to curl up and disappear.
/Maybe I ran out of tears./
After talking on the phone with Rika, she felt like instead of looking back, she could look forward.
‘There’s no possible way you could let me down.’
/If only./
Rika was unaware of her past, of how capable she was of letting people, including herself down.
She’d paid the price, doomed to be alone, in a place she shouldn’t be. The only solace from her misspent days would be bad dreams.
/It’s easier not to remember./
She sank her chin into the water and began blowing bubbles.
The trouble was, facing her past scared her. More likely than not Rika would be curious about her. Her family and where she went to school.
/Will she think differently of me?/
Yuki was well aware of the innocent and meek aura she usually gave off.
She smiled slightly.
‘Objectively Cute.’
Would Rika be disappointed when her perception was shattered? Then aware of the awful person she had a crush on?
/I can’t just lie./
This was why Yuki didn’t like getting close. Inevitably they would just run away. /She/ would run away.
/How long am I supposed to be alone./
Yuki sat back and stared at the ceiling.
“Maybe.”
/Maybe, this will be different./
Despite her fears, there really was the chance that she wouldn’t be alone for much longer. There was someone who would understand.
She’d already recognized herself changing when they were together. Someone she’d much rather be.
“It’ll be ok.”
Rika had taken all the pressure off the date and their relationship with her phone call.
/She’s kind of a goofball./
Yuki gently swished the water in the tub about.
/There’s really only one way to know what will happen./
Yuki braced herself and stood up.
“Cold!”
She walked over her bed a towel wrapped around her and Inspected the new outfit and “first date” underwear she’d lain out earlier.
/That was a pretty successful shopping trip, I never wear stuff like this./
She got dressed and looked in the mirror.
/I’m not sure if this really suits me, it’s kind of embarrassing./
She put her hair in the usual twin tails, however with her current outfit I didn’t match at all.
/How does Rika wear her hair?/
Yuki pulled the ties and shook out her hair.
/I think like this./
She nodded in approval.
/I hardly recognize myself. I’m missing something though./
“Make up!”
Historically speaking Yuki, at least in the past 5 years hadn’t had any reason to wear makeup. Only until very recently had she even purchased some, mainly for her first day of work. As a result, she hadn’t even considered of putting any on for that night.
“Oh god!”
/I don’t even know what to do!/
She ran over to her dresser where she’d stored her small amount of makeup.
/I guess basics, they’re all I have./
She looked at the clock,17:30.
/I don’t have any time to get anything else./
Before doing her makeup Yuki draped a large towel to cover her clothes.
/I’m not staining these. That goes for dinner tonight too./
As she did her makeup Yuki noticed in the mirror the dark circles under her eyes.
“Ah! What’s with these! I know I was up late last night, but still!”
She began to apply her mascara.
“And I smudged it! Right on the first try!”
She wiped it off.
“Second attempt!”
Through determined concentration, perhaps even the stars and planets aligning. She pulled through.
“Now the dark circles! Yay!”
She applied concealer.
/At least I don’t look like a zombie now./
After applying lip gloss she admired her handiwork in the mirror.
/Not half bad Futaba. Not half bad./
As she put her makeup away. Her phone made the triple beep line message sound.
She walked over and saw a text from Rika.
|I’m leaving now, I’ll meet you out front.|
Yuki responded with a saluting text face.
|Roger that!|
Rika responded almost immediately.
|Lol|
/I’m never living that down./
Yuki triple checked that she had everything before locking her door and leaving for the train.
/Good luck to me./
