If one could peer into the Matsuoka household tonight, a brisk Saturday evening, one would find a Matsuoka girl slumped on her desk with her arms over her head.
"Huuuuugghhhhh," she groaned into the wood. She thought back on the events of this past Monday, juggling her feelings around in her head.
"Why am I still thinking about that time after schoooool? Why does it make my heart beat fast whenever I think about hugging herrrrr…" Gou agonized.
She managed to pull herself up from her desk and plop down onto her bed, where she could mull over her confused feelings in slightly more comfort. Gou rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. "I still have to make the team's lunch for Monday, but I don't have any ingredients from the last time I made them. I should probably go shopping tomorrow."
Gou had a thought. What if she had invited Ama-chan to go shopping with her? Maybe that would cheer her up after the disheartening news she received from the VP.
'Stupid VP. He can't tell her what to do. I mean, he can, technically, but that doesn't mean what he said was right.'
She picked up her cellphone and opened it to reveal a bright screen. A warm blush was enveloping her face when she thought about texting Ama-chan. She shut the phone and slid it to her pillow, covering her face with a dirty shirt she had lying on the bed.
"Yeah, I can't do this."
She peeked over at the phone from behind the shirt, feeling a little silly. She eventually groaned and reached over the retrieve the phone.
"….. Here goes nothing, I guess."
She opened the device up to the new message screen, and started typing, albeit nervously, and a little awkwardly.
Heeeey, Ama-chan!
"…Oh god no." Gou deleted the message quickly, retyping her greeting.
Hi there Ama-chan! I was just wondering, if you weren't doing anything tomorrow, maybe we could go shopping together for ingredients for the team's lunch. I thought they could really use more protein in their diet, and I don't have anything I could use to make anything really healthy, so, yeah.. You don't have to! I just thought, since it's probably a really nice day, it wouldn't be too bad to finally hang out together. He he.
After rereading the text over and over again, Gou finally decided that it wasn't going to get much better than that, and she pressed send with a heavy sigh.
"I really hope she doesn't think I'm too weird for suggesting this."
After what seemed like an eternity, a light buzzing filled the silenced room. Gou rolled over and snatched up that phone so fast, you'd think she'd have broken it upon impact. Her fast little fingers flipped open the device and navigated to the new message, her eyes starting to scan the screen rapidly:
Good evening, Kou-chan! I'd love to go on a date with you!
"D-date?!"
Just kidding. But I certainly wouldn't mind accompanying you. I'll buy you lunch, as well. How does 10 sound? I don't mind driving either, so please don't worry about transportation.
Gou's heart was pounding away just as quickly as she could conjure up a reply.
Ahaha, yes that sounds perfect. You really don't have to buy me lunch though, let me pay for myself! I'll be waiting outside at 10, then. See you tomorrow, Ama-chan!
She pressed send, and 'twas not even a minute later that she received another wondrous text.
Kou-chan, there is a saying. It goes, "be gracious of friendly offers, as there are times you will have to offer yourself."
See you tomorrow. (heart)
My oh my, how effective emoticons can be. One little heart can send a girl's mind spiraling, even after reading the admittedly suggestive quote that apparently exists.
Gou set her phone down gently, in an attempt to fool some apparatus of romance that may have descended to watch her, that she was perfectly calm.
This ploy failed immediately when she resolved to roll around her bed, hide her face and let out girlish whimpers.
A few miles away, a rather giddy Miho sat with her knees up to her chest at her dining table, taking a quick break from grading to reply to our little Gou.
"Maybe the heart was a bit much?" She pondered, taking a sip of her coffee.
She let the thought go in a blissful sigh, and resumed her work.
Ah, yes, Sunday morning. Birds were chirping, children outside playing, all seemed well, and all seemed relaxing. Even at the Matsuoka household, everything seemed to be going swimmingly.
The time was 9:40, and Gou was finishing up getting ready for her outing today. She chose blue jean shorts, a beige camisole covered by an almost-sheer light green cardigan with rolled up sleeves, matching light green sneakers and a light brown leather wristwatch to top it all off.
She twirled in front of her body mirror, "I…guess this isn't too over the top for shopping."
She was aiming for a casual look, that said 'Oh it's just shopping with a friend, nothing peculiar about it,' and yet she didn't want to just throw on a t-shirt and shorts and call it a day. She wanted to look cute. Charming, even. She wasn't positive that it was entirely for herself, either. She had quietly accepted the fact that she was dressing with Miho in mind.
'I have a little time before Ama-chan gets here, I'm just gonna go ahead and grab a quick breakfast.'
She headed downstairs to the kitchen and propped open the fridge, trying to decide what would be a good idea for a quick fix.
Outside, gentle footsteps were making their way to the Matsuoka's front door. Miho had come early for Gou, wanting to catch her by surprise.
"I don't want to tell her that I was too excited to take her out, though." The brunette raised her finger to the doorbell.
Inside, a troubled high schooler couldn't decide between eggs or toast. Her hard decision-making was luckily interrupted by the doorbell..
"…who could that be?"
A soft, "coming!" could be heard from the hallway. She strode over to the door and cracked it open slightly, at first, but upon laying her eyes on her visitor, she swung it open with a full, flustered force.
"A-Ama-chan! You're um, a little early!" Gou stuttered.
"It's not polite to have a lady come out to your car, so I came to get you at the door. I am sorry for being a tad early, though. I can wait out here for you if you'd like." Miho looked as if she was beaming. She seems to be proud of her chivalrous action.
Gou took a little step back. 'This woman never quits smiling, does she?' She thought to herself. It wasn't really a bad thing, though.
"Oh no no! Please come in. Just let me get my bag from upstairs and we can go."
Miho made her way into the girl's home, and Gou hurried upstairs. Miho took this opportunity to look around from the entrance area, not wanting to seem like she's snooping.
"Is anyone home right now, Kou-chan?" Miho asked as Gou came down the steps.
"No, my parents usually go out on Sunday's on their own. It's their date day, and they like to end it by having dinner, so they don't come back until late at night," Gou replied as she checked the contents of her bag.
"I see." For some devilishly sinful reason, Miho believed that heart flutter felt like, this information made her oh so slightly nervous.
Gou double checked if she happened to leave anything behind as she put her shoes on. She looked up at the older woman and grinned. "Ready to go?"
Miho nodded in reply, and followed the excited red head out the door.
The two traveled to a shopping plaza a good distance away from home, making use of the nice day, and Miho's car. The plaza had every store under the sun; the higher layers made up of retail and specialty stores, while the ground floor was home to a supermarket, and an especially wide variety of restaurants, cafés and fast food joints. In the center, there was an impressive fountain, and right next to it, a friendly looking crêpe stand. Being a Sunday, it was already bustling with shoppers, eaters and couples on dates. The place had a rather relaxed ambience.
Next to the plaza was a public park, which was home to a convenient parking lot. How nice.
"I've never been to this part of town before, it's really pretty! I didn't even realize there was such a shopping center so close to us," Gou commented, taking in the sights and sounds.
"I think it's only close if you drive, but I know what you mean. It's… surprisingly breathtaking, being what it is," Miho remarked.
Upon entering the market, their senses were bombarded with bright lights, lovely smells, and two energetic greeters at the door almost yelling, "welcome!" at the two of them, startling them a little.
Miho picked up a basket from the side of the store. "So what did you plan on making for them?" She asked Gou.
Gou pressed a finger to her forehead, "I wanted to make them something simple, yet relatively healthy, and still balanced. Maybe sandwiches? Chicken salad sandwiches with lots of celery. The bread would probably have to be gluten free, but I'd still like to make it tasty for them."
Miho admired Gou for having such consideration for the boys. She noted how she was always thinking of ways she could help improve the team. Hardly ever was there a time Miho could recall that Gou said something about her own concerns, that didn't involve muscles in some fashion. She closed her eyes and walked toward the cooled lockers that stored various meats, gently taking Gou's hand in the process.
Catching Gou by surprise, she ended up getting dragged along a little bit, "U-um…"
"We'll decide the ingredients as we explore the store, okay?" Miho reassured her.
Gou swallowed, her face tinged an innocent pink. "Alright, then."
The pair spent quite a while meandering around the store, picking up stray ingredients here or there, but they somehow managed to get everything they needed in the end. Gou decided on chicken salad made from scratch, from organic chicken breast and a low fat mayonnaise. She planned on adding lemon juice, mustard and salt for a little taste. The bread she decided on was an artisanal bread, and she also picked up fresh tomatoes and lettuce.
"This is gonna be delicious, you just watch, Ama-chan!" Gou was beaming. She was so proud of her successful shopping trip.
'She is so adorable. I think, against all of my better judgment, it's possible I may fall for her.' Miho playfully surmised in her head.
Before picking up Gou today, Miho had spent a long while strengthening her resolve. She knew if she came out today, she would have fun. Fun with this girl whom she has spent a great deal of time with, a girl who makes her feel appreciated not only as a teacher, but as a woman; a girl who makes her feel like she wants to be with her more and more. Outside of school, during the night, on the weekends... she wanted to push past that boundary. Miho knew all of this, and she definitely weighed out the consequences of her actions, sure. But there are things that you simply just do on a whim. And sometimes the best things in life can come from taking these chances. She decided last night that she would take the blissful, passionate feeling she felt sitting on that planter with Gou, and just run with it.
"I'm looking forward to you letting me have the first taste, Kou-chan," Miho replied, earning an indistinguishable sound from Gou.
On the way to the registers, they happened to walk through a sweet foods aisle. Gou mindlessly let her eyes wander over the colorful packaging, but they had stopped on one particular package. It was a small pink box, with chocolate covered strawberry bits. Gou hadn't had these in a long time, but she remembered they were her favorite.
Miho noticed Gou's side trip and placed herself at her side, leaning down to inspect the same package.
"Even you like sweets sometimes, don't you, Kou-chan?"
Gou turned to say something, but was stopped in her tracks after noticing the distance had immediately disappeared between the two, causing her to stumble back.
"I, um, yeah I used to really like these as a kid. I don't have them anymore though, it never really occurred to me to get them. My brother used to buy them for me all the time when he was still living with us."
Miho smiled. "You don't want to get them?"
"No, it's fine! We've already got the stuff we need for the team's lunch, so we can just get going, ehehe." With that, Gou got in line to pay.
"Hm hm, you shouldn't hold back, Kou-chan. It's not healthy," Miho hummed to herself quietly, following the younger girl into the line.
The rest of the day was filled with exploring the plaza and trying out different food places. For lunch, Miho had taken Gou to a little café where they had a humble meal accompanied by coffee for Miho, and tea for Gou. Gou had found out through conversation that Miho absolutely adores coffee, and could surprisingly go on for several minutes talking about the subtleties in the tastes of different beans. She had also finally gotten the courage to ask Miho about her past career, and was met with a professional answer. Why she decided to change occupations to teaching, however, was met with a shortened one, yet one that did not diminish how important her job is to her. The lunch ended with Miho grabbing the bill and paying for it against Gou's wishes.
After their lunch, Miho took the opportunity to guide Gou to the crêpe stand they saw earlier next to the fountain.
The day was nearing its end, and the two sat side by side on the edge of the fountain, enjoying the cool spray of droplets on their skin. Gou had ordered a strawberry crêpe, and Miho a banana one.
"Is yours good, Kou-chan?" The older woman asked, while taking a small bite out of her own.
"It is! I really like the little bits of strawberry in the middle." Gou took a bite, and had a thought. "Would.. you like to try some?"
An excited Miho replied, "I thought you'd never ask!"
'I wonder… this could be a good opportunity to test a few things out.' Miho had suddenly devised a small plan.
Miho leaned over to Gou, sliding locks of hair behind her ear slowly before continuing. Miho purposely tried to accentuate her jaw line, and make herself look inviting. Gou watched the woman take a bite of the pastry, clearly entranced; well, more like watched her lips take possession of some of the sweet wrap. Miho used her tongue to lick some of the stray cream off the side of her mouth, Gou secretly wondering what this part of her tasted like…
'What am I even thinking of?! I can't believe I'm actually getting.. e-excited, just by watching her take a damn bite of my crêpe. This is so bad,' Gou's thoughts were running a little rampant.
"Kou-chan, would you like to try some of mine?"
"Oh, yeah sure! Banana, right?"
Gou repeated the action of leaning in to take a bite, but was interrupted by something sweet entering her mouth.
"?!"
Miho had already broken off a piece of her crêpe and popped it into Gou's mouth. Her finger lingered on the redhead's lips for a tad, fueling Gou's embarrassment. Miho brought the finger back to her own mouth to clean up even more stray cream.
"It's good, isn't it?"
Gou stared in awe at the woman. How could she be so smooth? So unbothered by her actions? Gou was having trouble deciding whether or not these interactions were appropriate, to say the least. Not that she minded at all. She thought of the time that Miho was crying on the planter at school, and the reason was because she was warned not to get to comfy with the students. 'Isn't this a little… intimate?' Gou thought. The last thing she wanted to do was get Miho in trouble, but she was so overcome with happiness at the moment, it was hard to imagine that this behavior was wrong. "Y-yeah, it's.. really good."
"We'll have to try making crêpes ourselves, next time."
The next several minutes were filled with crêpe eating, water splashing, and joyous conversation, and as equally fun was the car ride home.
The pair was spent by the time they arrived at Gou's house. Somehow, it only took a day of shopping and trying out different food stops to wear the both of them out, but it was a satisfied type of worn out.
Miho parked the car outside the front. She was apprehensive, and a little nervous. "Are your parents home yet?" She inquired.
"No, I don't think so. It's still fairly early, I imagine they're having dinner right about now."
Miho's heart skipped a small beat. Somewhere along the lines, she realized that there were two paths she could take. One path, a safe path, could ensure her a long employment time without any upheaval or incident. The second path could lead just about nowhere. A complete dead end. Or, it could end up being a path for the better. A path she felt that could lead to a good place.
'Nothing ventured, nothing gained.'
"I'll walk you to your door, then," Miho offered.
Gou looked back at the woman while exiting the car with her groceries, "oh, you don't have to do that!" Truth is, she kind of wanted her to. Which was fine, because Miho had already made her way to Gou's side of the car.
Gou felt her cheeks getting a little red. "Thanks."
It was an awkward walk to the door, which was only about 8 feet away from the car, though the journey felt like an eternity to both of them.
Finally, they've made it to the front door. Gou took her keys out and stuck the house key into the lock. "Thanks for driving today, and helping me shop for food."
Miho chuckled, "No need to thank me, Kou-chan, I was really happy to go out with you."
Upon hearing her choice of words, Gou couldn't stop her poor heart from running a little wild. The next big step was to decide how to say her goodbye. A handshake? Hug? '…I.. I guess I'll just sort of..'
Gou set down her bag of groceries and muttered "um, well see you later then" while wrapping her arms around Miho's neck and bringing her into a strange, laughable, but tender hug.
Miho took a few moments before returning the gesture, and before too long she released the younger girl so that she may go inside. However, Gou's hands were resting on Miho's shoulders instead of unlocking the door.
"What's wrong, Kou-chan?"
Without much of a second thought, Gou quickly tiptoed and pressed her lips against Miho's. She kept the position for 3 beautifully long seconds before being overwhelmed with embarrassment.
Gou stood, face as red as a fire truck, with her hands behind her back. It looked as if she was expecting to be reprimanded, or maybe slapped, she wasn't sure which she preferred.
Miho, on the other hand, was stricken with disbelief and excitement, elation and euphoria, any positive emotion under the sun, you could find within her at this very moment. She was so surprised that her hands were still up in the same place she was hugging Gou just a minute ago.
"..Kou-chan, was that—" She started.
"Please, don't say anything, I'm sorry, that was really stupid of me. I don't know what came over me, it was just sort of in the moment and I was, I don't know, I.. You just looked really wonderful and the moonlight sort of did this thing, and I.. I'm sorry," Gou couldn't really stop the slew of words, she was trying to avoid Miho's comment for as long as possible.
"We don't have to talk about that ever again, I just hope you're not mad or any—" Gou's ramblings were interrupted by a delicate finger pressed gently upon her lips.
"You didn't do anything wrong, okay?" Miho leaned in a little closer. "In all honesty, I was about to do the same thing." She delivered to Gou a quick kiss on the cheek before pushing a small package into Gou's hands, and walking off back to her car.
"…I…" Gou reached up to her cheek and placed her hand on it, holding the package in her other hand.
Miho swung around and waved to her, "Goodnight, Kou-chan! I hope you have a lovely night."
Gou snapped out of her trance long enough to respond, "Night! And… call me Gou!"
With that, Gou hurried inside and slammed the door behind her.
Miho stood at the driver's side of her car for a moment, recalling what the girl's loving instructions were.
"I think that means we're getting closer!" Miho giggled, while searching for the keys to her car in her bag. "I might regret not asking her to invite me in… but there's always next time."
She pulled off the curb and enjoyed a relaxing drive home.
Gou had her back pressed against the front door before sliding down, wearing a big ol' grin. She unwrapped the package she received from Miho, which was just covered in a plastic bag, and found a box of strawberry chocolate candies.
Smiling, she tapped the box of candies to her forehead in thought. '...so where do we go from here?'
a/n
.. ff doesn't let you do hearts. even the less than 3 ones.
i might not be cut out for this 'chaptered story' deal. it's hard. it's awkward. i really want them to have sex already.