Romantics
“Whaaaaaaaaaa?!”
Kiko clapped excitedly.
“You two are the picture of romance!”
Rika was smiling as she swirled the little bit of beer left in her can.
“Yeah?”
Kiko lightly pushed her.
“Don’t sell it short! How you both sat together in the park under the moon and Sakura trees...”
Kiko wiped a tear from her eye.
“Are you actually crying, or just joking?”
Kiko pushed her again.
“Yes I’m crying you bully! That was beautiful, I’m so happy for you two.”
She wiped the corners of her eyes with her knuckles.
She looked at Rika seriously.
“You never told her you loved her.”
“I mean, I think it was implied...”
Kiko rolled her eyes.
“Ugh, this is going to kill me, can you please avoid all that stupid, romance novel stuff?”
Rika reeled, shocked by Kiko’s sudden seriousness. And looked away defensively.
“I’m not doing that...”
Kiko grabbed her hand to get her attention.
“Don’t go all tsun tsun and not say how you feel. This isn’t high school, or even university. We’re adults, for the most part, we’ve got it figured out. Life isn’t some manga, trying to get extra mileage out of the plot. Like an entire volume spent ‘confessing your love’. Do you love her?”
Rika nodded, her face was entirely serious.
“Yes.”
“The profess it to her. And as a third party, 100% she’ll say she feels the same.”
Kiko sat back in her chair and spoke less intensely.
“Of course she may first. Then there’s nothing to worry about. However, the longer either of you wait, the more you both will start to question things and it’ll be too late.”
Rika looked fearful.
“Too late?”
“It will cause friction and anxiety. You question each other’s dedication, and eventually will move on.”
Rika imagined all of what had happened, and in Kiko’s scenario of what could happen. Everything just going away. Back to square zero. Her heart became heavy.
Kiko grabbed both her hands, seeing the sorrow and guilt painted on her face.
“Don’t think like that though. I believe in you two. Focus on saying what you feel, and build that emotional bridge between each other. The meaning is clearly there, you only have to put them into words.”
Tears appeared in Rika’s eyes, and she suddenly hugged Kiko.
“As always, thank you.”
Kiko patted her head as she hugged her.
“Always. But, I do feel like you’re just drunk.”
Rika laughed while crying.
“Shut up.”
Kiko smiled stroking her hair to comfort her.
“Bring her to an amusement park this weekend, it’d be a good setting to get the meaning across. Rather than at the office.”
Rika still kept her head on Yuki’s shoulder.
“I’ll call her tonight.”
Why don’t you wait till tomorrow. Let her sleep, and that’s beer number five.
“I’m drunk aren’t I.”
“Probably a little bit.”
Rika laughed through her tears again.
“You know, you’re pretty good at this.”
“Chock it up to my goofball of a husband. Honestly, he was more hopeless than you.”
“The office?”
“The office. But, given the context, it meant just as much.”
“And so I pass this knowledge onto to you, Rika my dear. Although, that last part seems more like Yuki’s line.”
Rika laughed once more.
“You’re the best.”
Kiko’s voice took one a more sincere tone.
“I’m just being a friend.”
Rika sat up again.
“Shall I call us a cab?”
Kiko finished her drink.
“I think it’s about that time.”
