Michiru had been staring at the woman for the whole evening. There was something special about the mysterious blonde who refused to order anything yet. Michiru kept making excuses to walk past her, just to take a better look at the woman. It was too bad that the restaurant was almost empty, apart from the noisy party at the other side of the restaurant, so Michiru was soon running out of tables to clean.
The woman kept glancing at her phone every few minutes. She kept staring at the door, as if that would make it magically open. Michiru had seen this kind of behavior plenty of times. The poor woman had been stood up.
Michiru leaned against the counter and watched the woman. The blonde kept playing with the sleeve of her button-up shirt, and every once in a while she opened and closed the menu. Michiru saw her coworker, Minako, coming out of the kitchen.
"You like her, don't you?" Minako teased. Michiru pretended to be busy with cleaning the counter.
"Of course not. I don't even know her," she lied. In reality, she was fascinated by the stranger.
"As if that mattered. It's not busy right now, so I can take care of the other customers. Go and talk to her," Minako said with a wink and left of to take orders. Michiru sighed and walked over to the customer.
"Excuse me, are you ready to order yet?" she asked. The woman looked up at Michiru, and then to her phone.
"I guess so," she sighed. Michiru could see the disappointment in her eyes, and she felt sorry for her.
Michiru walked into the kitchen, and soon came back with the order. On the way back to the table, she glanced at the clock on the wall. Her shift would end soon, but she didn't want to leave yet.
"Thank you," the woman said as Michiru placed the plate in front of her. Just as Michiru was about to leave, the woman spoke again.
"Wait. Could you… sit down with me for a moment?"
Michiru turned back around and stared at the woman. Before she had even noticed, she had sat down on the chair next to the table.
"Can you tell me your name?" the woman asked.
"I'm Michiru."
"Haruka," the woman said with a smile. Michiru felt something shift inside her.
"I know that this might sound rude, since it's none of my business, but were you expecting someone?" she asked as Haruka started to eat her food.
"Yes. Though I think I'm done with her, since she couldn't even call me and tell that she's not coming." Michiru could hear the bitterness in Haruka's voice.
"But I don't want to think about her. Could you tell me something about yourself? Do you have a boyfriend? Or a girlfriend?" Haruka continued. Michiru felt like this was a date, but for some reason she didn't mind.
"No, I'm single," she replied with a smile.
"Oh, okay. So, is this your dream job or do you want to do something else?" Haruka asked.
"No, I actually want to be an artist. That painting over there is mine," Michiru said and pointed at the wall. Haruka seemed to examine the painting carefully.
"I'm not an expert, but it looks good to me. I take it that you're not making a living with painting, though?" Haruka said and took a bite from her food.
"No, I'm still trying to get myself out there. I have to make art under a different name, since my parents are quite known in the art circles, and I want to make sure that I'm appreciated for my talent, not for my name," Michiru replied. She had no idea why she was telling Haruka all of this.
"What about you? What do you do for a living?" she continued.
"I'm a racer," Haruka said.
"Oh? That sounds interesting."
"It is. Driving is something I've loved to do for a long time. There's nothing like the feeling when you're sitting behind the wheel, and you get to go fast, almost like the wind." Michiru stared at Haruka's face. The look in her eyes was so passionate.
"Do you like to do anything else besides painting?" Haruka asked.
"I play the violin," Michiru said and glanced at Minako, who was giving her the thumbs-up.
"Really? I play the piano. Well, not so much anymore," Haruka replied. Michiru could only smile.
The two of them sat there talking even after Haruka had finished her meal. Michiru could feel a connection between them.
"Listen, I know this is going to sound weird, since we just met, and this is not really even a date, but would you like to come over to my apartment?" Haruka asked after she had paid for her food. Michiru stared at her.
Michiru Kaioh does not have one-night stands, a voice in her head said. She was above those things. Michiru Kaioh did not sleep with a person she had just met. She wanted to know that someone was worth her time before jumping into bed with them.
"Sure, let me just go get my things," Michiru said and got up. She had no idea why she had just agreed to this. She didn't even know Haruka! Well, they had talked for a while, but for all she knew, Haruka could have been lying, and she could really be a serial killer or something.
"So?" Minako asked as she appeared out of nowhere.
"My shift ended. I hope you'll be fine on your own," Michiru said as she packed her bag.
"That's not what I meant. You're leaving with her, aren't you?" the blonde grinned. Michiru didn't bother to answer.
"Well, whatever. I'll see you on Monday," Minako said and skipped off somewhere. Michiru walked back over to Haruka.
"I'm ready to go," she said.
Michiru Kaioh does not have one-night stands.
The ride over to Haruka's apartment was quiet, almost awkward. Michiru looked outside the window, watching the surroundings. She had not been to this part of the town that many times. Finally they arrived to Haruka's building.
Haruka led Michiru inside to her apartment.
"You can sit down while I'll get us drinks," she said. Michiru walked into the living room and looked around. There was nothing too special about the interior design. There were a few racing magazines here and there, and nothing looked like a warning sign for a serial killer. The only thing that bothered Michiru was the amount of mustard, but she didn't have a lot of time to focus on the horrible color of the curtains as Haruka sat down next to her on the sofa. Michiru took her drink from Haruka.
They sat there drinking in silence. Michiru couldn't understand where the silence had come from. At the restaurant they had talked so much, but now it was as if they had nothing to talk about. Finally Hauka set her glass down on the table before taking Michiru's glass and putting it next to hers. Michiru could hear the voice in the back of her head.
Michiru Kaioh does not have one-night stands.
As Haruka leaned in for a kiss, Michiru found herself leaning closer. Her arms wrapped around Haruka's shoulders, and the blonde gently rubbed Michiru's thigh through her dress.
Michiru Kaioh does not have one-night stands.
Haruka's movements got a little bolder, and she pulled Michiru onto her lap. Her hands began to tug at the zipper of Michiru's dress. Michiru deepened the kiss and pulled Haruka closer. She felt the cool air hitting her back as Haruka opened the dress and slid it down her arms so that it was now crumpled on Michiru's hips.
"You're so beautiful," Haruka moaned as she started to kiss down Michiru's neck.
"Bedroom," Michiru whispered. Haruka stood up quickly and supported Michiru with her arms.
Michiru Kaioh does not have one-night stands.
Michiru wrapped her legs around Haruka's waist for more support as Haruka started to carry her to the bedroom. She was slightly surprised at the blonde's strength. She used her right hand to keep herself from falling while her left hand tried to tug open Haruka's shirt. Michiru let her mouth place kisses along Haruka's jaw and neck.
At last, Michiru felt the soft mattress beneath her when Haruka placed her on the bed. This allowed her to finally get rid of Haruka's shirt, while the blonde pulled off Michiru's dress and threw it to the other side of the room. Michiru didn't care. She opened her bra while Haruka struggled with her belt.
"Let me help you," Michiru whispered and opened Haruka's belt for her before pulling her down for a kiss. Haruka wriggled out of her clothes and trailed kisses down Michiru's neck and chest.
Michiru Kaioh does not have one-night stands.
Michiru just wanted the voice to shut up. She didn't care. She wanted – no, needed to be with Haruka.
When Haruka's fingers slid between Michiru's thighs, the voice finally shut up.
The next morning Michiru woke up to the sound of birds chirping outside the window. For a moment she was confused about where she was, but as she looked to her side, she saw Haruka still sleeping next to her. Michiru stood up quietly and walked over to the window. She pulled it open just slightly and breathed in the fresh air. The sun seemed to be high up the sky already. Michiru wasn't sure what time it was, but she didn't care.
"Mmh… it's cold. Come back to bed," Haruka mumbled from under the covers. Michiru turned around and saw that the blonde's hair was all messed up. She could guess that her own hair must have looked the same.
"I hope you don't mind that I opened the window," Michiru said as she crawled back on the bed. Haruka wrapped her arms around Michiru's waist.
"It's fine," she replied.
The two of them lay in bed for a while. This wasn't really how Michiru had imagined a one-night stand ending. She had thought that by now Haruka would have asked her to leave and she would have been walking home. Yet here she was, curled on the bed, with Haruka stroking her hair.
"I'll go make us some breakfast. You can wait here," Haruka said and kissed Michiru's forehead. Michiru watched as she picked up her clothes from the floor before leaving the room. She closed her eyes and listened to the birds' chirping. She could really get used to mornings like this.
It wasn't long before the doorbell rang. Michiru could hear Haruka walk over to open the door. She sat up and tried to listen to what was going on. The sounds of the conversation were muffled, so Michiru got up and wrapped the sheet around herself. She sneaked out of the bedroom quietly and listened to the conversation from around the corner.
"-could have at least called!"
"I lost my phone."
"That's the worst excuse you've given so far." Michiru could see Haruka's back, and someone with dark hair standing in front of her.
"I was going to come, but when I got there, you had already left," the other person said. Michiru stretched her neck to see her better. The girl must have been Haruka's date from last night.
"I was there for two hours and you didn't show up! I don't even care about your excuses anymore," Haruka replied. Just then, the girl's eyes landed on Michiru.
"Oh. So you decided to cheat on me, then?" she asked Haruka, raising her eyebrows. Haruka turned and saw Michiru stand by the bathroom door.
"We were never even together," she said. Michiru could see her getting angry.
"Just a warning for you," the girl said to Michiru, still keeping her eyes on Haruka, "She's probably not serious with you. For her, you're nothing but a free whore, who can keep her satisfied for the night."
"That's it!" Haruka growled and pushed the girl out of the apartment, "Don't call me, don't text me, don't come over. Just leave me alone. We're done." She slammed the door closed and took a deep breath before turning to Michiru. Her expression changed in a second, from anger to something much softer, almost apologetic.
"I'm sorry," she said. Michiru walked closer.
"Well?" she asked. Haruka looked confused.
"What?"
"Was it true? Am I really here to just keep you satisfied for one night?" Michiru asked and looked straight into Haruka's eyes.
"No! Of course not! I didn't even plan this. When I asked you to sit with me in the restaurant, I only did it because I was feeling lonely. This was my third time going out with her. Well, it was supposed to be, but she never showed up to any of our dates. Bu anyway, I don't even know what made me ask you to come here. I just felt a connection between us, and-" Haruka's words were cut off as Michiru leaned in to kiss her.
"That's all I needed to hear. Now, how about that breakfast?" Michiru smiled as she pulled away.
Michiru got dressed and they ate breakfast in the kitchen. In the morning light, the mustard on the curtains didn't bother Michiru that much. Or maybe she was just too happy to care.
"Oh no! Is it that late already? I'm sorry; I need to leave before my roommate gets too worried. I forgot to call her and tell her where I am," Michiru explained when she happened to glance at the clock. She rushed over to the sofa and grabbed her jacket and purse.
"Wait! Can you at least give me your number?" Haruka asked and offered Michiru a pen and a piece of paper. Michiru took them and scribbled her number down.
"Thanks. I'll call you or something," Haruka said as she escorted Michiru to the door.
"Sure. I had fun."
"Me too."
They stood by the door, staring at each other in silence. Finally Michiru leaned in to kiss Haruka's cheek.
"I'll see you around, then. Bye," she said. Haruka was left there standing by the door, grinning like a fool.
"Where were you?" Setsuna asked as soon as Michiru opened the door to her apartment.
"Good morning, Setsuna," Michiru said as she took off her shoes.
"I tried to call you, but you didn't answer. You were supposed to pick up that book from me after work. Then I called Ami, but she said you weren't home so I got worried," Setsuna explained.
Michiru and Setsuna had been friends for a few years. They had met when Michiru had first tried to sell her paintings. In fact, Setsuna had been the first person to ever buy a painting from Michiru. After that, Setsuna had somehow ended up to be Michiru's best friend.
"I'm sorry. I forgot, and I had my phone on silent," Michiru said.
"So where were you?" Michiru finally noticed that Ami was sitting in the living room, reading some book.
"I stayed over at a friend's house," Michiru lied. Well, it wasn't a complete lie. Michiru wasn't really sure what she should call Haruka.
"Who was it, then?" Setsuna asked.
"Haruka. You don't know her," Michiru said and took her phone out of her purse. There were several missed calls and texts from last night. Setsuna studied Michiru's face for a moment.
"You were on a date, weren't you?" she asked finally.
"Well, not exactly," Michiru said.
"Fine. I know you're old enough to take care of yourself. Just let me know next time," Setsuna said. She said goodbye to Michiru and Ami and left. Michiru knew that Setsuna was just worried about her.
"So… Are you going to see her again?" Ami asked and peeked at Michiru from behind her book. Michiru chuckled. Ami was curious and quite ready to gossip, even if she didn't admit it. At least she wouldn't demand to know all of the details like Minako, who probably already had a list of questions to ask on Monday.
"Maybe. I left her my number so it's up to her now," Michiru said.
Michiru had a day off, so she decided to go shopping. Unfortunately her thoughts were constantly on Haruka. Her mind kept wandering back to the previous night. Would Haruka call her? Would she wait a few days before asking Michiru out? Michiru decided to clear her mind by taking a walk in the park. It was warm, with the sun shining and some flowers already appearing on the ground. Spring was early this year.
Michiru sat down on the bench. Just then, her phone beeped. A text from Haruka. Michiru's heart skipped a beat.
I know this might be a bit soon, but I can't stop thinking about you. Would you like to go out with me tomorrow? -Haruka
Michiru read the text twice and looked around. It was a beautiful day. Spring was a time for new beginnings, wasn't it? Besides, Michiru Kaioh did not have one-night stands.
Yes, I'd love to.