Now
Rika stared at the ceiling. Guilt, again, gripped her.
“So, what’s wrong.”
Yuki sat down next to her on the couch.
“Nothing really.”
Yuki poked her cheek.
“Don’t go and lie about it.”
Rika feigned a smile.
“It’s stupid. Really.”
“Judging by how you were today, and now, something’s clearly up.”
Yuki stroked Rika’s locks.
“Well. I feel bad.”
“Why is that?”
“...”
Yuki patted her head.
“It’s Mary.”
“Hm.”
Yuki’s face dimmed a little, she hid a frown by looking away.
“Do you still like her?”
The pang of guilt gripped Rika’s chest tighter.
“No... I mean.”
“You mean, yes.”
Guilt turned to fear.
“Not outright, like a crush. More, I can’t get what we were out of my head.”
Despite her clearly displayed reaction, Yuki still stroked Rika’s hair.
“...”
Rika’s throat felt parched.
“I shouldn’t have brought it up, I’m sorry.”
Yuki looked down into her eyes.
“I feel better that you did. I want you to trust me.”
Rika sat upright.
“I do!”
“I know. Still.”
Rika’s heart sank a little lower.
“I... I don’t know how to feel about it.”
She looked away again, scanning the view from the apartment window.
“This is new still.”
Rika’s heart continued its slow descent.
“But, I don’t feel good, you know?”
/I don’t know what I’m doing./
“I know. I really am sorry.”
Yuki reaches toward Rika, who took her hand.
“These are your feelings, I can’t do much about them. But, I love you, I just didn’t expect to being sharing a space with someone else.”
Yuki finally looked at Rika again.
“That may be naive of me though.”
She saw a tear rolling along the bridge of Rika’s nose. Her head turned down now.
“You’re not naive. I don’t want you to share anything. I’m being so unfair.”
She paused to wipe the tears from her eyes.
“I love you, and don’t want to spend time thinking about all that. I want to focus on us and the future.”
She looked back up into Yuki’s eyes.
“I can’t be around her anymore, it was a dumb idea in the first place.”
Yuki instantly frowned.
“That’s...”
“The professional boundary should have stayed. I’m... I’m glad I got the chance to end it all with her, but it should be the end.”
Yuki squeezed her hand, and she stopped herself from continuing the run-on thought.
“Okay. I trust you, If you feel this is right.”
Rika waited before blurting out all her thoughts, seeing the meaning in Yuki’s affirming stare.
“This. You. Are my life now.”
