Hold me tight, I love you
Author's note: All the characters belong to their respective owners.
Chapter 02: An honest talk between friends
Shizuma opened her eyes and looked up at the ceiling.
A year after and I still can't stop thinking about it. It feels as if it happened yesterday. And strange enough it is. Today would be our sixth year anniversary. And we would celebrate it by going in Disneyland in France. Nagisa always wanted to go there. I had made plans to travel together a year prior to that night's events. I even bought the tickets to that place online. It gets harder to order them later due to the huge amount of fans. It seems I won't need them anymore. I might give them to Miyuki or something. She needs a vacation from time to time, she thought.
She felt her cheeks getting wet. She placed a hand on them and sensed something that was like water. Then, she checked her eyes. They were wet too. She had been crying all this time without realizing it. She wiped the tears away with both her hands. She checked her watch once again. It said three o' clock. She had been spacing out for a while.
I took my sweet time thinking about nonsense. There goes my break. I will make sure to relax a bit when I get home, she thought.
She sighed.
"Well, I better check these papers before Miyuki decides to pay me a visit. I swear that woman must have put cameras in my office. How could she know every time if I'm working or if I'm on a break?" Shizuma said.
She sighed for a second time. She started to go over her papers once again. She was about to pick up a pen to write something when someone knocked on the office's door.
"Come in" she said.
The door opened and a tall figure came inside. It walked to Shizuma's desk.
"Still trying to study our partners' proposals?" a voice said.
Shizuma looked up and saw her best friend Miyuki Rokujo standing in front of her with a serious look on her face like usual. A look that no matter how many years had passed the blue hair woman wouldn't change whenever it came to business or whenever the silver hair woman did something to anger her.
"It's not easy. Some of them look interesting but others are totally insane. And there's something I don't get in this paragraph. I will send it to you later to check it out" Shizuma said while pointing to the papers in front of her.
Miyuki nodded.
"What did you expect? You are the CEO of the Hanazono Corp. There will be times things will go smooth and other times it will be the other way around" she said.
"Checking all their weird ideas is a pain in the ass Miyuki!" the silver hair woman wined.
"I never said it would easy" the blue hair woman said while folding her arms.
Shizuma took a look at her best friend. Despite being both adults it seems time gave a more positive outlook to the blue hair woman. Miyuki had become a fine lady through years, a better version of her teenager self. She had the same height and weight but she looked more professional. She had even decided to let her hair grow, something that their female employees found more appealing and they started checking her out from time to time. The older woman even found her office desk full of love letters once. Not that she answered to any of them of course. The only thing that mattered for her was her work. The strangest of all was the change in Miyuki's personality. Although, the old Miyuki would come to her whenever she had to scold Shizuma, the difference was still there. She had opened more to other people, she would often joke with their partners and she wouldn't stay quiet whenever her mother tried to undervalue her for not accepting any more arranged marriages.
If I didn't know any better, I would say it must be the doing of her newly found friendship with the former president of Spica, Shizuma thought.
Miyuki seeing her best friend checking her she raised an an eyebrow.
"Is something wrong Shizuma?" she said.
"I wonder how we became friends and why we still are" Shizuma said.
"We were both alone and ostracized from our families. Now, the reason why we still are together after all the years its because I love you too much to kill you?" she teased.
Shizuma shook her head smiling. Then, she folded her own arms.
"You seem in a good mood today. Did something happen?" she said.
Miyuki's cheeks slowly turned red.
"N-No. I woke up on the good side of the bed I guess" she said.
"Is that so?" Shizuma said. "If I wouldn't know better, I would say that it has something to do with your birthday party the day before"
Miyuki got redder.
"I-I don't know what you are talking about" she said.
"I thought you hated birthday parties or parties in general. They would always remind you of your parents and all those arranged marriages those old bats had prepared for you" the silver hair woman said.
"I can change my opinion some time" the blue hair woman lied.
"Or was it because the party was prepared by a certain blonde woman who happens to be your old school rival?"
Miyuki turned redder if she could.
"Even though we were school rivals that doesn't mean I hate her. Besides, doing something so sweet as to prepare a party just for me, it wouldn't leave me unaffected, now would it?" she said embarrassed.
"That's true. But, I believe there's something more in it" the silver hair woman said grinning.
"W-What do you mean?"
"I think you might...no...I'm pretty sure you are having a crush on her"
"WHAT?" she said shocked.
Miyuki hearing her best friend talking about possible feelings against her friend who happened to be in the opposite site in their school politics back then, made the young woman turned into four shapes of red.
"So, its true" Shizuma said smirking.
"No, it's not true. I don't have such feelings for her. We are just friends. I care about her and I was really impressed with the birthday party but only in a friendly way" insisted Miyuki.
"Miyuki you don't have to lie to me. I know you pretty well. I know when you are lying. Besides, you should take a look at your face. You are talking about her and your face is completely red. It's an actual prove that you like her"
"Fine! I like her but not in the way you think." she said quite furious.
Shizuma shook her head. Then, an idea popped in her mind. She smirked.
"I don't get it what you see in that woman anyway. She's serious all the time, she barely smiles and she always tries to pick fights when some of our employees forgets to comply her orders" she said.
"She has a reason for doing all these. She's the CEO of the Toumori Corp. and she has to do most of the work by herself. Besides, she's not as bad as you think" Miyuki said.
"Oh? Enlighten me please"
"She always gives a hand when a problem arises and she's always there to keep our partners in check in case they do something inappropriate"
"Like asking you out and insist for a positive answer? I remember that one. The guy wouldn't back off until he get the answered he wanted. But, Shion gave him the answered he deserved"
"He must be still crying with the hard punch she gave him" she said smiling.
"That didn't go unnoticed though"
"What do you mean?" the blue hair woman said raising an eyebrow.
"I saw you smiling when that blondie punished the guy"
"T-That's cause she saved me from him" she said blushing.
"Tch, tch. In fact you liked the attention she gave you. It really intrigued you that she would step in and put herself in trouble for your sake. Come on Miyuki. Admit it that you liked it"
The blue hair woman blushed more. Indeed seeing the blonde woman putting her pride aside and do something that a well known person like her wouldn't even think to do, it was something that made the blue hair woman feel giddy inside her.
"Am I true?" Shizuma said.
Miyuki slowly nodded.
"But, that doesn't mean I feel any sort of attraction towards her" she said.
Shizuma sighed.
"Miyuki come on. I have seen the way you are looking at her when you think no one looks. It's nothing like the way you have seen most of the people you liked in your life. Besides, I have seen the way you talk to her or about her. The way your face shines whenever you mention her name. Also, I have seen the way you act whenever something bad happens to her or whenever she gets sick. You look like a lunatic" she said.
Miyuki looked away from Shizuma nervous.
"It's pretty obvious that you must feeling something about her. She isn't just a friend to you." her silver hair friend said.
Miyuki sighed and looked back at Shizuma.
"You are right Shizuma. Shion and I aren't just friends. At least for me. It's being a while that I caught myself thinking like that about her. She's on my mind all the time. I can't sleep at night if I don't talk with her on the phone. Even though we spend a whole day together at work. Whenever she comes in my office I get really excited. I feel like a kid again. Whenever our eyes meet whether we are alone or in the meetings I can't help myself but stare at her. Sometimes we touch by accident and it sends shivers in my body. There are times when I can barely hold myself when I'm with her and don't make the mistake to take her in my arms and kiss her. She's driving me insane but I can't stop it. I love her. I want her" she said.
"Why don't you tell her?" Shizuma said.
"Shizuma are you insane? I can't talk to her about my feelings"
"Why not?"
"Cause we won't be the same anymore. I might end up losing her friendship. Besides, what if she doesn't feel the same? I will end up alone and rejected. Shion means the world to me. I can't do this to her"
"But, Miyuki-"
"Shion has been there for me when my marriage was going downhill" she interrupted her. "She has been there for me when I had to take my divorce. And she has been there for me when I had to face my parents and their friends for turning down their arranged marriages. She supported me when there's was no one around to give me a helping hand. She was always giving me a shoulder to cry on whenever I was suffering. She never asked for anything in return"
"All the more to tell her the truth. She deserves to know that the person she had been helping all this time, is giving her in return the most precious thing in the word: her heart"
Miyuki sighed again.
"But, I cant do this to her Shizuma. She's very important to me. I don't want to lose her" she said.
"You are going to lose her anyway" Shizuma said.
"What do you mean?" the blue hair woman said questioningly.
"What if someone else takes an interest in her? What if Shion takes an interest to the said person? Shion was always an attractive girl. She had many fans back in Spica. The same happens now. So, what if the attraction is mutual and what will happen when both parts decide to take it to the next step? Shion will end up with someone else and you will have to spend the rest of your life wondering what would have happened if you had just put your fears aside and told her how you felt about her"
Miyuki stared at her for a bit.
"You are right Shizuma. I know how it sounds but still I can't tell her. I'm really scared and I won't stand another rejection" she said a bit sad.
"Don't say I didn't worn you though" the silver hair woman warned her friend.
"Anyway" the blue hair woman trying to change the subject. "How is it going? It's already a year since she..."
Shizuma sighed.
"I'm still trying to cope with it. It's not everyday that your girlfriend takes her stuff and leaves you after what you have been through" she said.
"It still shakes me whenever I think about how we found you that night. I thought you would die" Miyuki said.
"If it wasn't for you and Shion, I would"
"Bless the weird feeling I had that day"
"And how fast your girlfriend drives"
"Shizuma! She's not my girlfriend. And yes if it wasn't for her fast driving, you wouldn't be here today talking to me"
"I guess I have to thank her"
Miyuki nodded.
"What are you going to do? Since...you know" she said.
"I guess I will relax on my couch, drink some wine and curse my luck" Shizuma said in sarcasm.
"Why don't you come over? I will cook something for us and talk for the old times"
"Nah, I'm not in the mood. Besides, I'm pretty sure you might have plans tonight with a certain Spica woman."
Miyuki blushed.
"Possibly. But, I can always cancel them" she said.
"Nah, I don't want to interfere. Go and have fun" Shizuma said.
"Are you sure?"
"Yup"
"Don't make anything stupid ok?" she said worried.
"I will be fine" the silver hair woman assured her.
"Make sure to check these papers...the most of them at least"
Shizuma smiled.
"I will. I will send you later what I didn't get" she said.
Miyuki nodded. She turned around and walked to the door. She opened it and walked out closing the door behind her.
"Once a softie, always a softie" Shizuma said smiling.
She took a deep breath and started looking her papers over once again all the while trying not to think the sad and lonely night that was waiting her when she would get home.