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Mai wears the gentlest blush on her pale, perfect face as she chats to Renako on her side of the classroom, the wintry sunshine striking Mai’s hair gold as it beams through the windows. One hand perched on her hip, the other fitting atop Renako’s jittery shoulder, Mai is the picture of beauty and grace, lips curved into a winning smile.
“I have so many ideas,” she enthuses to her girlfriend, “so many places I could take you for Valentine’s Day. How about I make a list of options, you select ten of your favorites, and then on the special day I surprise you with one of them?”
“Ten?!” Renako splutters, red-faced and exasperated. “Are these ideas of yours worldwide or something?”
Mai laughs, carefree and tender. “Perhaps,” she muses, fingers lifting to sprawl through Renako’s bubblegum hair, “you would rather spend the whole evening at my apartment, just the two of us.”
Renako karate chops Mai’s forearm and jolts toward the windows. “No freaking way! You can’t say that at school! What if someone overhears?” She crosses her arms, supporting her heavy chest, and averts her eyes. “Not to rain on your parade, but I don’t think it’s smart for us to go out on Valentine’s Day. You can’t afford to let the public see us together in light of the whole, you know, situation.”
Mai opens her mouth to protest, but a girl with an iron grip tugs on her sleeve. Mai turns to glance over her shoulder and meets the bloodred eyes of her fiancée, her sleek black bangs casting a shadow over her face. “You ought to listen to her, dear,” says Satsuki, employing the pet name as a weapon. “You already severed your engagement to Lucie. You wouldn’t betray your current betrothed, too, would you?” A wicked smirk darts across her lips like a flickering candle flame.
Despite Satsuki’s terrifying stance and the disappointment of having to take a rain check with Renako, Mai’s smile blooms further like she’s truly grateful to her girlfriend and her fiancée for saving her from a massive blunder regarding her reputation. “Never,” she assures Satsuki, swiveling to grasp each of Satsuki’s arms and push her toward the back of the classroom. “I want to see you on Valentine’s Day. What would you like to do?”
Isolated in their little corner, Mai and Satsuki stare at each other, a storm of schemes rolling through each of their heads. “Nothing too exclusive, as you tend to choose,” Satsuki demands. “This is a performance, isn’t it? Dinner should suffice.”
“And perhaps a walk along the promenade?” says Mai.
“If that pleases you.”
“Wear something cute for me,” Mai requests.
Satsuki rolls her eyes.
Leaving Satsuki to stew in her silent plotting, Mai returns to the windows, where Renako and Ajisai are deep in conversation about some video game. “Good morning, Ajisai,” says Mai. She clasps her hands into one over her chest and lowers her voice to inform them of the change of plans. “Satsuki and I have a date on the fourteenth of February. I’m sorry I can’t spend the evening with either of you, but in my absence I encourage you to keep each other company, since you are girlfriends, after all.”
There’s always the latent pang of jealousy deep inside the cavern of her chest, but she does want everyone to make the most of the romantic holiday. Renako seems to analyze Mai’s expression for signs of doubt, but she can’t find one. “Sure,” Renako says, tentative, “then how about next year we go all out?”
Mai beams. “I would love that.”
She starts toward her desk on the opposite side of the classroom, and behind her, Ajisai’s voice trickles into her perked ears. “Do you want to come to my house that day?” Ajisai asks Renako, fiddling with the hem of her skirt.
Mai plasters a smile on her lips and slides into her empty seat.
♡♡♡♡♡
Satsuki waits with her arms folded, the cuffs of her button-down wrinkling at her wrists. Her red sweater vest and the sheer black tights beneath her jean shorts keep her warm enough to stand outside, her back propped against the brick wall of the restaurant.
The limo rolls to the street corner and glides to a halt. Hanatori opens the side door for her mistress. Mai steps out, her black heels appearing first, attached to long legs, then her sleek red dress, a black shawl lined with white designs, a pair of pearl earrings, and her pretty face and pale gold mane. She thanks Hanatori and dismisses her, and then, when she turns to Satsuki, her vivid blue eyes sparkle in the yellowed glow of the lanterns hooked on the walls.
“Hello, darling,” Satsuki deadpans.
“Satsuki,” Mai breathes, strangely reverent, dashing across the sidewalk to meet her. She snatches Satsuki’s hand and Satsuki’s arms uncross, her free arm falling limply to her side. “Come on,” says Mai, flashing a pearly smile. “This is one of your favorite restaurants, isn’t it?”
Satsuki nods. Not that she has the luxury of eating at this place often. She catches a glimpse through the windows as Mai guides her toward the entrance; there are plenty of couples dining inside, mostly older, a few their age. Witnesses.
“I asked you to wear something cute,” Mai says, whirling around at the door to face Satsuki, who shifts her weight from one hip to the other, suddenly conscious of her semi-formal, semi-casual, tomboyish outfit. Mai lets go of her to clutch the vertical door handle, and Satsuki lifts her hand to clutch her opposite elbow, adorably sheepish. Mai tips her head to one side, and the corners of her lips twitch. “You look spectacular, Satsuki,” she praises, unpredictable as usual. “That outfit is so you.”
Satsuki tilts her chin down so that her bangs shadow her blush.
♡♡♡♡♡
There’s an unspoken agreement between the two faux lovers as each dines across from the other in a little booth parallel to a window. Passersby will see them through the glass, and at least a dozen other patrons at the restaurant have a direct view. Already people have recognized Mai, casting furtive glances from neighboring tables. Satsuki quirks a brow at Mai, whose eyes glitter and darken. She’s saying yes. She’s saying, Treat me like I am your beloved.
Satsuki doesn’t have to pretend—actually, all she needs to do is drop the act.
She offers Mai a slice of strawberry from her salad, and Mai dips forward, holding her hair back with slender fingers, and eats the slice straight out of Satsuki’s hand, Mai’s lips grazing her fingertips. One point to Mai.
During the main course Mai takes a bite which smears red sauce across the corner of her mouth. It’s most likely intentional, and Satsuki takes the bait, folding her napkin into a point and leaning across the table to dab at the edge of Mai’s lips. One point to Satsuki.
Mai twirls a few thick tendrils of spaghetti around her fork and props her elbow on the table, extending the bite for Satsuki to taste. Satsuki hovers for a moment, staring down the edge of the fork like it’s poison. She opens her mouth and accepts the bite, but the delectable flavor is lost on her as her face flames at the thought of her lips touching a place Mai’s lips have also touched.
Mai collects another heap of noodles and sauce from her plate and stuffs the fork into her mouth like she isn’t bothered by the indirect kiss. Satsuki isn’t so lucky; her stomach churns and all at once she’s battling to keep her food down. Her voice is thin as she excuses herself from the table and strides to the bathroom for a moment alone to quell her blush and frenzied pulse. Point to Mai.
When Satsuki returns, her skin vibrant from washing her face at the sink, her gait is calm as she treads down the aisle and slips into the booth, folding her hands in her lap. Her dish is nearly empty, and her stomach is still turning, so she’s content to gaze through the window, sparing a glance at Mai once in a while to keep up appearances.
“While you were absent,” says Mai as she clears her plate, wiping her pink mouth with her napkin, “I took the liberty of ordering dessert.”
Not a moment too soon, their waitress delivers a huge hunk of cheesecake to the table, centering the plate between them. Satsuki’s eyes bug before she remembers to school her expression into indifference. Mai invites her to take the first bite. The cheesecake is rich and creamy and drizzled with a flavorful raspberry sauce, and the crust crumbles on her tongue. “It’s delicious,” she admits, licking her lips once to savor any residual taste. “Your turn.”
Mai fumbles for a clean piece of silverware, but Satsuki shakes her head and raises a forkful of cheesecake to Mai’s mouth. “Say ‘ah’, dear,” Satsuki taunts, and Mai’s eyes droop half-lidded, her brows furrowing with a hint of abashment. Her lips part, and she makes the sound, so Satsuki pushes her fork into Mai’s open mouth, giving her a taste of her own medicine. Point to Satsuki. Whew.
But the game isn’t won; the score is tied. And Satsuki sees through the fake smile plastered on Mai’s face—her features are dripping with deception. That’s when Satsuki feels Mai’s toes nudge her calf, her knee, Mai’s leg stretching forward to slide her foot across the inside of Satsuki’s thigh. Satsuki’s dark eyes sweep the restaurant, but she doubts Mai’s tricks are visible to the other customers. Is Mai merely doing this to taunt her? Should Satsuki take offense or enjoy the attention while it lasts? It is her fault that she and Mai are engaged…
Mai’s toes creep further between Satsuki’s thighs, and Satsuki’s hand shoots beneath the table to seize Mai’s ankle, nearly crushing her bones in her fist. That’s better; Mai loses the upper hand, and her smile falters, her imposing leg rigid. Satsuki hikes an elbow atop the table and leans forward, craning her neck to smirk at her fiancée. Her iron grip loosens, and her thumb sweeps a gentle caress across Mai’s ankle, curving over the bone. Satsuki rubs circles into Mai’s skin under the table, hidden from view, her touch delicate.
Mai overheats on her side of the booth, her toes curling, lips pursing, eyes glazed over with, what, desire?!
Satsuki’s head spins. It’s about time for some fresh air!
♡♡♡♡♡
The fountain at the town square is running again as the snow melts into sludge and the atmosphere warms in patient increments, the weather safe for a leisurely walk along the promenade, as Mai intended. Water spews from the mouths of angels and the beaks of birds conglomerated into one old stone sculpture, and the coins in the ring pool at the base of the fountain glisten as the liquid arcs animate the surface of the water. Satsuki extends a hand, palm facing the sky, to feel the mist sprinkle onto the pads of her fingers.
Mai’s hand floats away from her side and covers Satsuki’s, Mai’s fingers tracing the lines etched into Satsuki’s palm. Mai weaves her fingers between Satsuki’s and pulls their linked hands toward her mouth, where her lips pucker to brush a kiss across Satsuki’s knuckles.
The flash of a camera draws Satsuki’s shoulders stiff, and she turns her head to spy Mai’s phone raised in her free hand, snapping a picture of the two of them. It’s a candid shot for Satsuki, her eyes soft in the photo and focused on Mai, her skin prickled a subtle shade of red.
“I stole a page out of your book,” Mai muses, waving her phone in front of Satsuki to gloat. Even so, she squeezes Satsuki’s hand. “Thank you for accompanying me on this date, Satsuki. If you don’t mind, I’d like to walk you home.”
Her arm swings down to her side, but her grasp remains firm on Satsuki’s hand.
As the outskirts of town connect to the suburbs, a vacant park catches Satsuki’s eye. She reasons that Mai has controlled most of their date thus far, so she tugs Mai into the park via their joined hands. Mai removes her heels to stroll barefoot across the mulch as Satsuki pulls her toward the swings swaying gently in the breeze. When Satsuki releases her hand and swivels to face her, it’s obvious that Mai is far more relaxed than at the restaurant or the fountain; it’s quiet here, a little lonely place reserved for the two of them. This version of Mai feels real.
Satsuki settles on a swing and walks backward until she’s leaning back on her tiptoes, then lifts her legs, gravity carrying her forward in the air. Her hair billows behind her and then whips across her back when she tucks her knees and swings in the opposite direction, back and forth, steadily building height and speed. Mai idles on the swing beside hers, toes tracing illegible patterns in the mulch. Her expression is undoubtedly fond.
Satsuki scrapes her feet across the ground on her next forward swing, skidding to a halt. She’s a little bit breathless from the wind and the exercise. She draws her hair over her shoulders and combs her fingers through it, taming the tangles collected there.
“Mai,” Satsuki sighs, unsure whether it’s safe to smile or not, “I’m happy, you know…”
Mai tips her head toward Satsuki, blue eyes deep as the bottom of the ocean beneath the dim, wavering glow of the streetlamps.
“I’m happy,” Satsuki continues, “and burdened by your friendship. The version of Ouzuka Mai that I spend my time with is more honest and true than any other, and I’m proud of that, but it also means that I’m the only one who can help you carry some of the weight on your shoulders.”
The chains supporting Mai’s swing chime as she begins to sway back and forth. “I’m fortunate to have you as my partner,” she says, her voice whizzing by Satsuki’s head as Mai flies forward and upward, and Satsuki wonders about that word.
“Partner?” she echoes, but either Mai can’t hear her or Mai ignores her, because she says nothing.
Satsuki bumps one side of her head against the swing chain, slouching in her curved seat. Eyes closed, she says, “This is far from that time you skipped work to play with everyone when we were kids, but I can’t help but think about it tonight.”
She hears the chains rattle, then the thump of two feet hitting the mulch, then the jagged swaying of an empty swing seat. Mai brushes the dust from the skirt of her dress and loops around the swing set to stand behind Satsuki, and Satsuki’s eyes jolt open when Mai’s hands curl into fists around the chains of her swing.
“What are you doing?” Satsuki demands, but it’s too late. She crooks her legs to keep her feet in the air as Mai pulls the swing back and releases it. Satsuki glides forward, then backward, and Mai’s palms press flat to her back to push her higher. Mai is much stronger than her slender figure suggests. Soon she gets Satsuki swinging high and far, reaching for the stars, and Satsuki clutches the chains with all her might, aware of the weight of her body in the seat and the rhythm of her pulse in her veins. Her stomach plummets each time she reaches the vertex of her parabola.
“Jump,” Mai calls from behind. Her voice sounds far away. Satsuki shakes her head. There’s no chance in hell she could jump from the swing when it’s moving at this speed, when she feels like she’s rising twenty feet in the air at each turn. Mai’s hands push at her lower back, so surely she isn’t that high. “Do it, Satsuki,” Mai urges her, her voice adopting a childlike quality that seizes Satsuki’s heart and chokes it to death. “Take a leap of faith.”
Satsuki shrieks as her fingers abandon the chains and her ass slips from the seat, and then she’s flying through the air in a clumsy arc, staggering when her feet touch the ground, and tumbling onto her hands and knees.
Mai’s footsteps approach, tearing across the dirt, and when Satsuki lifts her head she finds Mai’s hand outstretched to help her to her feet. Her fingers are so hot despite the cold. It almost hurts, it almost aches when Mai’s sizzling fingers bleed warmth into Satsuki’s numb ones. Mai pulls easily on Satsuki’s hand and in one motion, from kneeling to standing, before she thinks to brush the dirt from her knees, Satsuki barrels forward and connects her lips to Mai’s lips, the little breath Satsuki releases through her nose wafting across Mai’s nose, Satsuki’s bangs kissing Mai’s bangs just as Satsuki kisses Mai.
Mai squeezes Satsuki’s hand. She always seems to do that no matter how untimely. Satsuki probably shouldn’t read too much into it. Satsuki shouldn’t do a lot of the things that she does.
Under the stars she kisses Mai again, and this time Mai’s free hand cradles Satsuki’s face. Satsuki leans into the touch, her head tilting to deepen the kiss, to better the angle. Mai’s lips are softer than flower petals, and fragile, too, her lower lip quivering when Satsuki finds the sense to pull away.
Satsuki weaves her fingers out of Mai’s grasp and clasps her hands behind her back, staring dazedly at Mai’s bare feet, at the mulch, at the dust dirtying Satsuki’s tights. Mai ghosts the pads of her fingers across her mouth, those plush lips.
“What was that?” she asks, dumbfounded for once in her perfect princess life.
Satsuki’s bloodred eyes dart to Mai’s watery blues. “My leap of faith.”