A Couple of Couples – Part 1
April - 1 Year Ago
"So how far have you and Mari gone then?" Sugi's silky voice penetrated the background bustle of Starbooks.
Akko swallowed her mouthful of white mocha in one go and stared at Sugi wide eyed.
"Erm, Mari?" She queried reflexively. Deep down she had suspected and now knew that Sugi had known for a while she was dating Mari, but having not told her directly she was reluctant to simply volunteer the fact.
"Yeah, you know your girlfriend right?" Sugi added as though a parent talking to their young child; she gazed off out of the window, seemingly bored by the whole charade.
"Ahh..." Akko sighed, it really had been useless to hide things from Sugi. "Well I guess we're going good."
"So does that mean you've done it then?" Grey, green eyes snapped back onto Akko with the added emphasis of well applied black mascara in efficient, curving contours framing them.
Akko found her head rising to oven temperatures; they were in a fast food chain, anyone might hear! She nodded, glancing up at Sugi to check she'd understood. Sugi's eyebrows were raised, as though the answer had surprised her.
"Well good for you!" Sugi said and then with her face returning to a more natural tan and sly grin added, "was it good?" Akko had been going to take a full mouthful of coke, instead she froze and huffed; grateful she didn't have a mouthful of liquid to choke on. It's just Sugi winding me up after all...
The Present
Well that's what I thought then, Akko thought as she shielded her eyes against the sun and watched Sugi and Tamamin approach across the grass; it was just the prelude to our holiday two...no three months later. It's nice to think our coming out played some small part in what happened then.
Lazily her left hand stroked the back of Mari's as Sugi and Tamamin stopped a few meters away.
"How come you're here?" Akko asked, glancing at the pair whose hands were entwined. She knew from texts late last year they were officially going out but this was the first time they'd met up since then. Life had a way of creating distractions that made it tough to meet old friends, especially ones who lived some distance away.
Of course it was really the Summer Holiday last year when they came together, the texts stating it as official weren't such a surprise.
Sugi smiled, glancing at their entwined hands. "Same reason as you I suspect Akko. It seemed too nice a day not to go out. We're going to have lunch here then do some shopping." Akko noticed Tamamin was holding a chunky bento box covered by a crumpled green and white picnic sheet.
"Do you want to eat lunch together then?" Akko asked. "We'll pass on the shopping though as I blew my budget yesterday."
"Sure!" Tamamin exclaimed, "It's been so long since we've seen you both! It'll be like a double date."
Mari stood next to Akko watching Sugi and Tamamin with a joyful smile. It's surreal seeing childhood friends after long periods apart. Sugi seems a lot less, how should I put it, fashion conscious and her stance is more relaxed. Tamamin seems taller, slimmer and with less freckles. The same yet somehow not, like a beach before and after full tide.
I'm so happy things seem to be working out between them though. Who could have known Sugi-san had such a troubled past? That was a turbulent night in that log cabin last summer; with the air hot and humid and the rain pouring down from a growling, flashlit sky.
As they began walking on down the trees in a line of four with Akko, Sugi and Tamamin discussing the best spot to go eat, Mari let her thoughts replay that evening again:
July – 1 Year Ago
It was the fourth day of the trip. They had already spent a fun filled Saturday and Sunday on the beach and climbed up to a hidden woodland shrine. Today though, a Tuesday, had been overcast and they had needed supplies. That necessitated a trip to town, which Sugi and Tamamin had rather unusually volunteered for in return for Mari and Akko cooking tea.
Following a rather filling tea of ramen and barbequed chicken the four of them had flopped down onto the large shapeless cushions, of varying shades of cream, in the living room and let the food settle as outside the sky murmured in discontent.
The air was warm as the fist drop of rain speared across the modern patio windows looking out onto an evergreen hemmed grass garden, 10 meters wide and about as long. The cabin itself was part way up a hillside in a wooded area, with similar cabins nearby; all part of the same resort.
Mari recalled resting with her head staring out onto the dimmed green through the windows, hearing the grumbling weather and smiling at how safe and warm she felt among her friends.
Sugi was the one to get bored first. Smiling she rose and walked across into her room, shortly emerging with a carrier bag emblazoned with bright green lettering on wrinkled cheap plastic; clearly from an off licence. When she dumped it in front of her cushion it made the unmistakable clink of cheap glass.
Akko, lying closer to the window, slightly to Mari's right, but angled so she was facing towards Mari and away from the window groaned. "Trust Sugi to bring back the booze."
Tamamin, opposite Akko and perpendicular to her, so that all four faced inwards in a very poor approximation to a circle chuckled, sitting up as Sugi began removing the catch. "Sugi's been able to buy booze for a while now, although she usually just gets her boyfriends to donate."
"Hey! They offer to buy me the stuff mostly," Sugi said proudly. "And you shouldn't complain Akko, see I even brought your favourite." She held aloft a medium sized brown glass bottle with an arched gold label bearing the words in shiny gold 'Kahlua'. The label was decorated with two golden stone pillars running up to an Aztec style arch with a palm tree scattered rural village sitting beneath hills, clouds and a white bright sun; all in various shades of gold, with the gold becoming darker the further from the white sun. A red ribbon ran from the top of the label to the neck and was stamped by an imitation wax seal giving it an official look. Sugi had found out some time ago from her at a drinks evening that this was Akko's favourite, after which Sugi had taken to bringing it to drinks evenings to placate Akko and tease her in equal measure; this being the drink Sugi associated with male charlatans.
"I'll get a bottle opener," Tamamin exclaimed. Most of the cans were in fact self open-able or screw-top but it seemed Sugi had gone for a bottle of European wine as well.
"Can you get some milk from the fridge as well?" Akko asked, implicitly giving in to the temptation. Akko always added milk to the Kahula as it took away the excessive sweetness and changed the colour from syrup to light chocolate. Having tried both versions she preferred the milky version, it felt smoother and richer and brought out the smell of freshly ground coffee beans better; it was probably also because it reminded her of her first, and a number of other, kisses with Akko. Back then she remembered catching Akko's eye and knowing she understood what she was thinking; back then the sensation of syncing and thinking those thoughts was enough for both of them to turn bright red and glance away.
"Yes!" Tamamin had said and left the room. Their eyes had met up again. Akko's eyes such a warm shade of hazel brown...or slightly darker...maybe even like the lightened Kahula milk itself...
The Present
"Mari? Mari!"
"Eh?"
We're here. You were staring off into space." Akko stated.
Mari blinked, Sugi and Tamamin were already spreading their blanket out over the grass; dark green and white squares covering the short mint green grass. Beyond the lake sparkled and rippled causing the wraith of dancing sparkles at the centre of its surface to shrink and swell.
"Ah, sorry." She went to lay out their rug and then realised they hadn't brought one. The ground was dry anyhow so it wouldn't have been a problem but Tamamin's looked big enough for four.
"Were you thinking of Akko per chance?" Sugi asked innocently.
Mari smiled back, "a little I guess...would you mind if we shared your rug?"
"Not at all," Sugi said looking cheerful; but a little disappointed that it hadn't been as easy to tease Mari as she had hoped. So she pushed a bit harder,
"Were you thinking about anything in particular in relation to Akko?" The insinuation alone in the past would have rendered Mari near speechless but to Sugi's disappointment she didn't even blush.
"Su..." Akko began sternly but Mari cut through,
"No, well I was just thinking back to last Summer when we were playing Truth or Dare..."
And for once the tables were turned as Sugi's own face flushed in embarrassment.
It's become quite hard to write in recent months, I'm out working 6am-8pm during the week, have no home internet and suspected Chron's so have lacked energy to write on weekends. I also had writers block for this Chapter/next sequence of events - probably because I find it harder to morph into Sugi and Tamamin's characters (particularly Tamamin). But I have a fair idea how to progress the next section now that goes over how Sugi and Tamamin came together. I also got the first volume of Girlfriends in English at Hyper-Japan in London last week; couldn't believe it was on sale – totally made the trip worth going for just for that! I was so excited when I saw it XD
It shows how out of ouch with tech I am that I didn't realise coffee shops have free wi-fi nowadays - thanks to Costa I managed to get this out earlier than expected :)