"One, two, three, four and turn!"
Rika blushed as she stepped on Yagyuu's foot yet again. Yagyuu disguised his pain easily. At least she wasn't stepping on his toes at every movement like when they began. Yagyuu didn't stop but effortlessly lead her. Rika followed his lead but found the steps a little daunting.
"We'll take a break for a few minutes!" the instructor announced and the other two couples with them nodded.
Rika stepped out of her heels and then sat down on a chair. The heels were a bit too high for her taste but Yagyuu had insisted in buying them for her. If she wanted to learn to dance, it would be better to learn while wearing heels. Yagyuu handed her a bottle of water which she drank gratefully.
"Why did you bring me here, senpai?" Rika asked suddenly.
"Because I didn't have a partner" Yagyuu replied easily.
"You're lying" Rika said with a small smile. Years of living with Akaya and her own father had accustomed her with a sixth sense of when people were lying.
"Fine, I did this for another reason" Yagyuu sat down next to her.
"Go on"
"You seemed to be rather stressed as the weeks went by. I thought that by coming her, you would have something to distract yourself with even for a couple of hours" Yagyuu admitted while looking at the floor.
"That's really nice of you, senpai. Thank you" Rika patted his shoulder before standing up.
"I thought we were on a break" Yagyuu said as she put on her heels.
"If I'm doing this, it would make me feel better if I put more effort into it" Rika replied. She held out her hand and Yagyuu took it. They took their positions and began the steps again.
The whole tennis club had noted the growing closeness between Rika and Yagyuu. Kirihara didn't seem to find anything wrong with it but Marui and Niou didn't stop with their teasing of Yagyuu. Rika and Yagyuu admitted to the dance lessons but that only increased a few rumours of them dating.
Yukimura tried to curb the jealousy and then tried to date some other girl. Rika didn't really pay much attention at all. She kept herself busy and soon enough graduation came by. The third years left, leaving Akaya and Rika alone. Everyone moved on to separate high schools. Yagyuu and Yanagi moved to Tokyo for a high school that specialised in science and technology. Sanada and Yukimura moved on to Rikkaidai High. Niou left for Tokyo but for acting and modelling.
Marui initially pursued high school but then after a month found an internship at a cake shop which eventually managed to get him a famous patissier to teach him about desserts. Jackal returned to Brazil but wrote emails to everyone. Rika found it rather lonely now but she still tried to her best at school. Kirihara constantly visited Yukimura who would advise him on leading the tennis club. The year passed quickly despite the slow moving days and Rika soon found herself a week before graduation in the maids cafe, waiting for her pay from the manager.
"I'll be leaving then, Rika-chan" Keiko, a maid, said before walking out.
Rika played with her phone for a bit and then began swinging her legs back and forth just waiting. The door to the kitchen opened and Yamato Nadeshiko walked out. Everyone in the cafe thought that Nadeshiko was absolutely beautiful. She had long natural blond hair with large grey eyes, rather unusual in Japan. Her mother was French and her father was Japanese.
"Rika-chan, you're still here?" Even her voice was light and pretty.
"No, I'm waiting for the manager. She still has to pay me" Rika replied with a smile.
At first, Rika had been intimidated by Nadeshiko. Who wouldn't be? She was a girl that every girl would take their man away from. Everyone turned when Nadeshiko entered a room because of her beauty. Nadeshiko was a second year college student but always declined the confessions of different boys.
"Hey, Rika-chan, have you ever had a boyfriend?" Nadeshiko asked quietly.
"No, I haven't. I have gone on dates but nothing really came out of them" Rika replied.
"My father wanted to arrange my marriage in my third year of high school. He said if I could find a boyfriend then he would let me go but no one here interests me" Nadeshiko said.
"I have a couple of senpais from school, if you're interested" Rika offered.
"Rika-chan, I like girls, not guys" Nadeshiko admitted making Rika's mouth drop open in shock.
"Yamato-san"
"I know it's strange and abnormal but Rika-chan, how long do you expect me to keep a secret? I know I can trust you because you're honest and you don't judge anyone. I can't tell my father. He'll be heartbroken" Crystal clear tears began falling from her eyes.
After two years of battling with herself inside, Rika felt that the time was right. She took a deep breath before speaking.
"Yamato-san, I'm the same"
Nadeshiko looked up and stared at her in shock. After seeing the serious look on Rika's face, she smiled. Rika hugged the older girl tight and let her cry on her shoulder. Nadeshiko smiled wide as Rika pulled away.
"I never expected you to like girls. Everyone in here thought you had a boyfriend that you were keeping a secret about" Nadeshiko said after wiping away her tears.
"Not really. I just don't talk about dating because I haven't found any man attractive until now" Rika replied.
"When did you realise you were gay?"
"I was ten. I had a crush on my best friend. She doesn't know anything about me being gay and I don't think of her as a lover would anymore" Rika replied.
"I was nine. I was at my cousin's New Year party and one of her drunk friends kissed me. I felt so light headed and happy. I had a crush on her for quite a while. I confessed and she was happy but I was underage so we couldn't be together"
"I haven't really even kissed anyone. I just keep this secret to myself"
"You don't need to hide it from me. I'm happy that I have someone to talk to now" Nadeshiko admitted.
"You'll always have a friend in me, Yamato-san" Rika hugged Nadeshiko again just as the door to the cafe opened.
"Oh my, did I interrupt something?" The manager, Saitou-san asked.
"No, we are just fine" Nadeshiko quickly said.
Rika nodded and Saitou pulled out two envelopes. She handed them one each before bringing out her next idea for the cafe. Nadeshiko winked at Rika before turning to Saitou. Rika smiled as a warm feeling entered her heart. She was not alone anymore.
So now everyone's moving on. Thank you for your reviews!
