Everything had to be perfect.
Everything needed to be perfect.
Mei flipped through Yuzu's old notebook for what seemed to be the tenth time. Nothing could go wrong, or should go wrong for that matter. As long as she was following every detail step by step, this date should go according to plan.
The funny thing about the situation was, that Yuzu didn't even know that notebook of her's wasn't in the trash. Ironically, Mei was the one who suggested they get rid of it, seeing as how they didn't need some rulebook or set of guidelines to tell them how they should act as a couple. After all, they should do what they want. It was the very foundation of their relationship and how they were both able to brace themselves through the challenges of outside forces that may have been displeased with their partnership.
And yet, on a bench out in the open, with her hands fidgeting among the pages in the notebook, Mei held onto those "guidelines" for her dear life. Outside of Yuzu's knowledge, Mei secretly hid that notebook, often writing her own notes on how to give the blonde the best date possible. Yuzu did deserve it, after all.
Pages upon pages were filled with the utmost research on how to be the best girlfriend for Yuzu-even if it meant having to put herself a little out of her own comfort zone. At that point, ownership of that ridiculous "lovelove" notebook now belonged to Mei.
As she read through the next few pages, Mei felt a shoulder tap her from behind, causing her to shriek in surprise and drop the notebook.
"Sorry!" Yuzu apologized quickly, "I didn't mean to scare you."
"It's...okay," she uttered as she scrambled to place the book back in her purse. The only thing on Mei's mind was keeping that notebook out of the older girl's sight.
Before she could reach out to grab it, Yuzu picked it up in curiosity. Mei almost groaned in embarrassment.
"The Great LoveLove Operation…?" Yuzu processed as she read aloud the title. Her eyes widened as soon as she recognized, "oh my gosh! You still have this? The blonde burst out in a fit of laughter, causing Mei's cheeks to redden. Memories came flooding back to Yuzu as she absentmindedly skimmed through pages of old love advice. It was almost nostalgic.
"D-Don't laugh!" Mei scolded as she tried to get the notebook off Yuzu's hands.
The blonde's laughter died down and took in a deep breath to recollect herself. She gave the notebook back to Mei and apologized for causing such a scene. Mei was lucky. Had Yuzu started flipping through the pages of added content, the younger girl would've passed out from the embarrassment alone. It was an odd feeling.
Usually, Mei would remain as calm as possible even during times of crisis, whether those were internal or external. And while she still viewed herself to be a collected person during stressful situations, she wasn't exactly the same kind of person around Yuzu.
How long had it been? Two years to be exact since they first met? Mei couldn't believe it.
About a year ago, she was aimlessly walking down a path with Yuzu, celebrating their one-year anniversary. The older girl often went out of her way, acting as cheerful and bubbly as she usually was, except with the intent of bringing a smile to the somber-faced girl at the time.
Anxiety of losing Yuzu kept Mei from enjoying herself. It was the one thing clouding her mind almost exactly that same day. Now, the one thing clouding her mind was making sure Yuzu would have the best anniversary gift.
Funny, how time flies.
Of course, Yuzu didn't really mind what Mei had to offer. The older girl was almost satisfied with anything resembling anything romantic. But this time, things were different between them, or in this case, Mei was different towards Yuzu. She'd do anything to make her girlfriend forget the events that transpired between them a year ago.
"What were you even doing with that?" Yuzu asked, "weren't you the one who said to burn it in a fire?"
Mei tucked a strand of hair behind her ear after she put the notebook away in her bag. "It's just for reference, that's all." Once she collected herself, Mei stood up and extended a hand for Yuzu to hold, "are you ready for our date?"
"Hmm...I don't know," the older girl mused playfully thinking back to the notebook. "Are you ready for our date?"
Mei gave her a deadpan expression for a bit while Yuzu sheepishly smiled at her own banter with her girlfriend.
Not another second passed and a smile began growing on that usually-stoic face. Yuzu grinned even more, hoping to get a giggle or laugh from the other girl.
Mei chucked softly, not before saying, "Happy anniversary, Yuzu."
They began with a brief visit to the cafe. While the two had their menus opened, Yuzu looked over to Mei, who eyed the options decisively. What to choose? The blonde looked back to her menu and couldn't think of what she wanted. She was almost tempted to try everything the cafe was offering. It all looked so good!
Though, while things in their lives have settled down immensely, this was technically still only their third date as a couple so far. Their first was riddled with an awkward, fumbling mess, from both parties, on how to even go on a date. But for two people who've never had prior genuine relationship experience, Yuzu thought they nailed it. Mei thought it was a disaster and often grimaced every time she inconveniently remembered.
While their second date didn't have that notebook hanging over their heads, Mei did everything she could to maintain Yuzu's smile for as long as she could. After the revelation behind Mei's lonely expression, the two jumped through hoops rebuilding their relationship, cancelling an unwanted marriage, and the most grueling part, revealing the truth to their friends and family.
So, their schedules during that period were unfortunately very booked.
Luckily, all of that was over and done with.
The trip to the cafe was followed by a leisurely stroll by the meadow in the park, hand in hand. Things seemed to be going okay so far.
"You know, it's been awhile since we've had a nice date like this. Though…" Yuzu flashed a smile towards Mei, "we'll probably have a lot more time once we move in together. I've even thought of different ways how our apartment would look!"
She loosened her hold on Mei's hand to pull out a large folded sheet of paper from her bag. The girl was absolutely beaming as she was showing her designs and plans for their future living space; it was a sight Mei's face couldn't help but reflect off of.
While the blonde was in the middle of her fervent talk about their apartment, Mei let out a sigh of slight concern. "While I appreciate your efforts trying to make our new place look nice, don't you think you should be worrying about your classes?"
Yuzu let out a pout, "aw come on, Mei! It's still summer vacation. No need to be so strict all the time." She folded the paper and placed it back in her purse, "besides, I already know what I'll be taking."
"I know you've worked hard to get where you're at, but I can't help but worry about your future," Mei said coolly, "remember, you only barely got into the university right by the one I'm attending." Her reprimand towards the blonde masked the overwhelming wave of relief when she found out she and Yuzu would still be in close proximity after graduating high school. The issues of long-distance were completely none of their concern. It was a miracle to say the least.
Yuzu simply made a gesture, brushing off Mei's comment. "Don't worry about me!" she took ahold of both Mei's hands, "besides, I wouldn't have gotten where I am if it wasn't for you!"
"I feel I should be saying that," Mei muttered under her breath.
"What was that?" the older girl perked up.
"Nothing."
They continued walking along the meadow, exchanging no words, taking in the scenery and peaceful calm surrounding the both of them.
Yuzu then turned towards Mei, breaking the silence, "say, it is our two-year anniversary, after all. I was wondering...do you remember?"
"Remember our anniversary?" Mei raised a brow.
The blonde gave a chuckle, "no, I mean do you remember how we first met?" She had no idea why she was bringing that up all of a sudden. But for some reason, with where they were now, Yuzu couldn't help but think back to that day.
"I remember it clearly. It's a bit difficult to miss the student dressed as if she's ready for a fashion show, for that matter," she paused briefly for a moment, "and you always did stand out from the crowd." Not that she would ever admit it to Yuzu, but she was glad the blonde never conformed to the strict rules of the school.
In the beginning, Mei always thought Yuzu would learn a thing or two from her during their years at the academy. And yet, it was Yuzu who became her source of new experiences.
The younger girl felt a slight tug behind her and turned to face Yuzu, who stopped in their tracks and had an almost mischievous grin.
"What?"
"Admit it," bringing her face inches away from Mei's. "You're glad I broke the rules."
Mei simply rolled her eyes at the comment, "it would've been nice if you did follow the rules at least once."
Yuzu pursed her lips in an almost childlike manner. "Then you would've missed my blonde hair," she paused, gazing into the younger girl, "I can see it in your eyes."
She then moved over to her side and started teasingly nudging Mei on the shoulder, hoping to get an outward confession of her real thoughts.
The younger girl concealed her entertainment with another deadpan face. Was it always this difficult to hide her amusement from the other girl?
"Stop fooling around."
But the blonde just laughed. "Aw, you know you love me!"
Resistance was futile. Mei melted under that radiant smile and shyly averted her eyes from the blonde's admiring glance.
Tucking a strand of her own hair behind her ear, the dark-haired girl tried driving her focus away from the heat spreading throughout her face.
"I do…" she admitted.
The indirect confession caused the older girl to part her lips, almost wanting to say something afterwards. But she was rendered speechless.
While Mei had opened up immensely since the first day they met, and especially after freeing herself from her family's burdens, Yuzu still felt as if she was hearing every confession, every chuckle of fondness and admiration, and every "I love you" for the very first time.
The blonde attempted to cover the tint of red on her cheeks with her hand.
What am I going to do with you? Mei thought.
She smiled, gently removed Yuzu's hand from covering her own face, then leaned in to close the distance.
RIIINNNG~
The sudden noise startled both girls, shattering the intimate moment.
"Oh geez," Yuzu disappointedly fumbled inside her bag searching for her phone. When she opened up the message, she raised a brow, "huh? Mom wants us to come home soon."
"What for?"
The older girl shrugged as she put her phone back in her purse, "I don't know. But all she said was for us to come home early after our date."
Yuzu paused for moment, having to replay the words she just said aloud a few seconds ago. Despite their parents being a little more open and understanding, more so, than Mei's grandfather, it still felt surreal having to casually acknowledge that they were now completely aware of their relationship.
"We should probably head home right about now," Mei declared.
"Alright," Yuzu agreed, holding onto the other girl's hand before walking back.
During the walk back, a pestering thought nagged Yuzu's mind. She didn't even know what else could be bothering her at the moment. Mei seemed happy, their parents accepted them, their friends surprisingly already knew, and the best part, they would be living together while going to their separate universities. Ideally, this should be the part in the story where they "lived happily ever after".
But it didn't necessarily feel like that.
Whatever was in store waiting for them back home, they had no idea what to expect.
A/N: First and foremost, I want to say thank you to all the people kind enough to leave reviews on my Citrus fics I've written so far. I'll be honest. I have been losing a little of my writing confidence lately, but I really appreciate all of them and you guys are also the reason I've enjoyed writing again after a dry spell for about a year.
Also, referring to my other fic, Couldn't Ask For More, there is a reason I marked it as incomplete for awhile and it's because I originally planned it to be a two-shot/three-shot. But while I was on vacation, the follow-up chapter I wanted to write kinda grew into something else and all the ideas I planned ended up being part of that expanded story. This is part of that, and I do have plans for this and can hopefully see it grow during these next couple months (I really hope...).
On a side note, this and my other fic here, From the Inside Out, are cross-posted on AO3 under the name Rolex. I'm probably going to have some fics exclusively on either/or.
Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed!