Ryuugazaki: I think this is the third week in a row of consistent posting? Yay?
Either way, friendly reminder that this part ends in like two chapters. I don't really know if/when the second part comes out. I'm not quite there with it where I'm okay with publishing it.
But I think my doctors will be pleased to know that we're almost done with part one!
Chapter Fifty-Eight
(Monday, 14 December 2015 – 11:28am, Marseille, France)
Khoudia was standing with her ear pressed to Yuuri's door. "Oh! Victor!" Khoudia said as soon as she spotted him. Victor blushed. "Come here!" Victor looked at Chris and Chris shoved him. Khoudia hung up her phone and immediately dialed again. She put her ear back to Yuuri's door.
"What happened?"
"I haven't heard from Yuuri since last night," Khoudia said. "I don't hear their phone and they aren't picking up."
"Khoudia…"
"Yes?"
"I haven't heard from Yuuri since last night either," Victor said.
"You mean you didn't stay the night?" Victor shook his head. "How was the door when you left?" Victor firmly grasped the doorknob and twisted it. He pushed the door forward and let go of the doorknob. Khoudia looked at Victor.
"You didn't try opening the door?"
"I didn't expect it to be unlocked," Khoudia said. "Also, don't leave my friend's door unlocked. Something could have happened to them."
"Well now you have the opportunity to see if something did," Victor said. He stretched and got up.
"Aren't you going to come in with me?" Victor shook his head. "Is there something I should know before I go in? Did you kill Yuuri?"
"I left him alive." Khoudia grabbed Victor's wrist and started to pull him inside. Victor broke free of her grasp. "I have to get ready for my exhibition. You can go and check on Yuuri without me."
"…Okay, I guess," Khoudia said. She closed the door behind her. Victor sighed and looked at the door that kept him away for good measure. He walked towards the direction he was going before Khoudia had stopped him.
Yuuri threw Khoudia off of them. "Then get up!" Khoudia yelled. Yuuri rubbed their eyes and looked at the conspicuously empty space next to them in bed.
"How did I…"
"Have you not been up since the banquet?" Khoudia asked. Yuuri shook their head. "You remember nothing?"
"I wouldn't be asking how I ended up in bed if I could remember how I got here to begin with," Yuuri said. They rubbed their face.
"What's the last thing you remember?" Khoudia asked.
"Waiting for Ciao Ciao," Yuuri said with a shrug. They rolled over to get comfortable. "Is it time to leave?"
"Not yet," Khoudia said. "It's just the exhibition skate." Yuuri nodded. "If you want to watch, I'd start getting ready. Unless you'd like to do something else."
"We haven't properly gone sightseeing," Yuuri said. "So we can do that." Yuuri got out of bed and went to their suitcase. Their body felt weird, but it was nothing they hadn't faced before. They picked out all black items – but a piece all different from yesterday. "Did I come back by myself last night?"
"I thought Victor had stayed with you," Khoudia said. "I mean, I thought he would stay with you."
"I would think that he would stay, too," Yuuri said. "Did he mention anything about minding his rinkmate?" Yuuri looked back at Khoudia; she shook her head. "So he just… didn't come back with me last night?"
"No, he did – he literally carried you in – but I don't know why he wouldn't stay the night with you," Khoudia said. "I mean, I think he talked to Chris before everything unfurled for the night and he stans so I would think that he would encourage Victor to stay the night with you." Yuuri tossed their shirt to Khoudia; she smelled it. "Ooh, what scent is this?"
"Versace Eros."
"Gay."
"I know, right?" Yuuri said with a chuckle. "I smell sexy, though."
"I mean, aren't you always?" Khoudia asked. Yuuri cackled and smiled.
"So what are your parents doing?"
"They're on a date," Khoudia said. Yuuri grinned. "So we have no one to mind us. We should get into some trouble."
"Please don't. I don't want to be deported to two different countries."
"Not legal trouble, but like… we should go on an adventure," Khoudia said.
"Aren't we already going sightseeing?"
"Yes, but more," Khoudia said. Yuuri reached for their phone on their nightstand and started to look for things to do.
"Château d'If?" Yuuri suggested.
"What the fuck is a 'Château d'If'?"
"Island fortress-prison," Yuuri said.
"You're into some weird shit, Yuuri," Khoudia said. "I hope you know that. You have some weird interests and I want you to know this." Yuuri rolled their eyes. "I hope Olivia or Victor have given it to you about this in some way because we need to have this discussion."
"What would you rather do then?" Yuuri asked. They gave Khoudia their phone.
"Palais Longchamp?"
"Nope," Yuuri said, "went there with Victor yesterday."
"Then what the fuck do we even do?" Khoudia exasperatedly yelled and tossed Yuuri's phone on their pillow.
"We can fuck," Yuuri said with a stone-cold expression. Khoudia looked at Yuuri, deadpan.
"You and I both know that's not funny." Yuuri chuckled.
"I know, but it doesn't stop me from suggesting it," Yuuri said.
"I know, but why don't you stop suggesting it? Eventual hope I'll say 'yes'?"
"Oh gods, no," Yuuri said, "I have no clue what I'd do if you said 'yes.'"
"We need a new in-joke," Khoudia said. "A better in-joke."
"Well, you know me: I lack a sense of humor."
"It's not that you lack one, but your humor is… unconventional. And that unconventional wit is what throws a lot of people off." Yuuri shrugged. "Please tell me Victor's said something about this." Yuuri shook their head. "Goddamn it, Victor, you're dropping the ball."
"Why does Victor have to be the one to talk to me?"
"You love him," Khoudia said. "You usually listen to the people you love."
"No you don't," Yuuri said. Khoudia deadpanned. "Case in point? You."
"Hey now…" Khoudia said. "Go take your shower. I'm sick of your shit."
"Won't be the first nor the last," Yuuri said. They grabbed their underwear and went to take their shower.
#
(Monday, 14 December 2015 – 12:26pm, Marseille, France)
"Don't come out!" Khoudia yelled from a close distance. "I am trying to pee."
"I'd look at you, but you just asked me not to," Yuuri said. They sat on the floor of the bathtub and waited for the sound of a liquid hitting another liquid from a distance to cease.
"Okay, you can come out now," Khoudia said. She flushed the toilet and turned on the faucet. Yuuri turned off the shower and grabbed their towel. They sighed inwardly and wished it was Victor on the other side of the shower curtain. But it wasn't, so they wrapped themselves in their fluffy hotel towel. Khoudia placed Yuuri's shower slippers in front of them. "I came to give you these."
"Thank you," Yuuri said. They kissed her cheek.
"I'd touch you, but… you know…" Yuuri nodded.
"I understand," Yuuri said. "Wash your hands." Khoudia nodded. Yuuri sat at the edge of the tub and watched Khoudia wash her hands. "Did you run into Victor?" Khoudia nodded. "And?"
"He's getting ready for his exhibition skate so he couldn't talk much," Khoudia said. "I guess we'll just see him when we get home."
"'We'?" Yuuri said as they rubbed the towel against their thighs.
"Yeah, 'we,'" Khoudia said. "I'd like to see him when we get home, too. You should invite him to hang out with us." Yuuri's face turned cough drop red. "Afraid we'd expose you?"
"I would rather keep my normal and sane boyfriend away from my weird ass friends."
"Victor is neither normal nor sane," Khoudia said. "He loves you and you have to be some degree of strange to date you long term."
"It's only been a month." Khoudia grabbed a towel off of the rack and draped it around Yuuri's shoulders. "I don't think we're at the point where we can say that we're in a long-term relationship."
"Well, are you two steady?" Khoudia asked as she dried off Yuuri's back.
"I think Victor would cry his soft eyes out if I ever posed the idea of being open or told him, well, you know," Yuuri said. "So, I think we're steady. We've been moving like we're exclusive. Not 'move in together and get a plant and keep a dog' exclusive, but we're exclusive enough that Jean-Jacques and his girlfriend noticed." Khoudia dried Yuuri's neck.
"Wait what?!" Khoudia yelled. She dropped the towel.
"What?" Yuuri said as they picked up the towel and started to dry their legs.
"You two were seen together before the banquet?" Yuuri nodded. "Oh no. This cannot possibly be good." Khoudia put her hands to her head. "Um, fuck fuck what damage control can we do here? Fuck fuck fuck."
"Victor didn't seem worried about it."
"Victor's gay and in love; he doesn't give two shits," Khoudia said. She stopped her frantic cussing briefly and looked at Yuuri. "You two have a brand to maintain."
"I didn't know you were my PR Manager," Yuuri dryly said. Khoudia looked at them. "I don't think Jean-Jacques or Isabella care, though."
"Okay, but if they saw you, other people saw you two, too," Khoudia said. "You have to start moving differently and that's that." Yuuri sighed. "I know. I'm sorry. But you, Victor, and I can deliberate on what to do once we get home." She sighed and massaged her temples.
"Are you mad at me?"
"Never, I'm just stressed," Khoudia said. Yuuri kissed her cheek. "Aah! Go get dressed!" Yuuri started to dry off their waist and thighs. "Wait!"
"Yes?"
"My cousin's having a party. We can swing by before we leave."
"Won't it be too late for us to go to the party?" Khoudia shook her head. "I don't really want to go. I won't know anyone but you there."
"We'll be fine! We can dance and feel good before we go home!" Yuuri rolled their eyes. "It'll be fun. We deserve to officially let our hair down."
"I have Nationals after this."
"I said that we can officially let our hair down," Khoudia said. "Or you can at least unwind a bit before you go and make everyone in Japan suck your ass." Yuuri looked at Khoudia. She held out her pinky finger. "I will make sure you have fun today. Pinky promise." Yuuri rolled their eyes and linked pinkies with Khoudia. "Great. You won't regret this!"
"I already do." Khoudia deadpanned. "Can you leave so I can get dressed now?" Khoudia sucked her teeth and left the bathroom. Yuuri put on their underwear, sat on the floor of the bathroom, and sighed.
#
(Monday, 14 December 2015 – 7:37pm, Marseille, France)
Khoudia successfully convinced her parents to let her and Yuuri go to A'aisha's party. Mama Awa was wary, but she eventually conciliated into them going; Mouhamadou was the final boss. He let Awa sweet-talk him into letting them go, though. Yuuri and Khoudia were shocked that Awa had her husband wrapped around her dainty little finger, but they didn't question it and left before Mouhamadou could change his mind. Khoudia rang the intercom.
"Qu'est-ce?" A'aisha asked over the loud music.
"Khoudia et Yuuri," Khoudia replied.
"D'accord," A'aisha said. The buzzer sounded and they went upstairs. There were people in the stairway smoking weed and you could hear the afro-beat playing from the first floor.
Khoudia: Ready to flex your French?
: No.
Khoudia: You'll be fine. We're amongst our people.
: *Your people. I'm still Asian.
Khoudia: Nah, you're just a brown sugar black with 4A hair.
A'aisha opened the door. "Kiki?" A'aisha said with a smile. "Ah, how lovely it is to see you again!" She kissed both of Khoudia's cheeks then she looked over at Yuuri. "And this is your… rink mate?" Khoudia nodded. "Hello, I'm A'aisha." She kissed both of Yuuri's cheeks. "Pleasure to meet you. Come on in! I'm just getting the real food ready. Eat some yams, drink, be merry." Yuuri and Khoudia followed A'aisha inside.
"Drinks?" Khoudia asked Yuuri.
"I need one," Yuuri said. They both walked over to the table with the plastic red cups. Yuuri grabbed one and sniffed it.
"Okay, you don't have to be extra," Khoudia playfully said. Yuuri gave her a cup and she took a sip.
"So what is it?"
"MD 20/20," Khoudia said. "A'aisha's fun already."
"Should we really be drinking Mogen David before we have to see your parents?"
"*Mad Dog."
"Pardon?"
"It's Mad Dog; not Mogen David." Yuuri quickly Googled "Mad Dog 20/20."
"Nope, you're wrong. The internet is saying it's Mogen David 20/20."
"The internet is often wrong about things," Khoudia said. "That included. It's Mad Dog. Now shut your eating hole and drink this Mad Dog." Yuuri rolled their eyes and took a sip of Mad Dog. "What flavor did you get?" Yuuri took another sip.
"The blue one."
"I got one of the red ones," Khoudia said. "Can I have a sip of yours?" Yuuri nodded and gave Khoudia their cup. She took a sip and nodded. Then she took another. "Oh fuck yeah, I love A'aisha." They exchanged cups. "Let's have roasted yams."
"I don't quite know how to eat ñame, though. I'm only used to ube."
"I'll show you, you fake African," Khoudia said with a laugh. Several people looked over at them.
"…Goddamn it, Khoudia," Yuuri said.
"I forgot, okay," Khoudia whined. "Also, forewarning: I have no clue if A'aisha is a good cook so you might be turned off of roasted yam and aloko."
"Aloko?"
"Fried plantain."
"So maduros then?"
"I don't know what maduros are," Khoudia said.
"Essentially fried plantains," Yuuri said. "They're good even when they're bad." Khoudia took a sip of her drink and nodded. "I just hope I can keep it down."
"Come with me to the bathroom," Khoudia said. "And bring your bag."
"Did something happen? Did your period come?"
"No," Khoudia said. "I just need to give myself a shot before I eat." Yuuri nodded. The both of them went to the kitchen. "A'aisha, where's your bathroom?"
"Room after the this one," A'aisha said. Khoudia nodded and grabbed Yuuri's hand. They walked to the bathroom and locked the door. Yuuri gave their bag to Khoudia. She grabbed the kwik pens from Yuuri's bag. Khoudia pulled her pants down and sat on the lip of the sink while Yuuri had the lid down on the toilet to sit. She put a needle tip on her immediate action pen and set it to her dose. She took the tops off of the needle tip.
"Do you need me to give you your shot?"
"I've got this," Khoudia said. She quickly swung her arm and jabbed herself in the thigh with the pen and pushing down on the plunger. She held it in place. "Count to ten."
"One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten." Khoudia removed the needle from her thigh and put the main cap back on the needle tip. She unscrewed it from the pen and threw it away.
"Do you need the other pen?" Khoudia shook her head. She remained on the lip of the sink with her pants down. "…Any plans to get up anytime soon?"
"I'm trying to give you space to get not overstimulated," Khoudia half-truthfully said. She looked at Yuuri's pen and mentally deliberated on if they should give them a shot, too. She jumped off of the sink and pulled up her pants. "I gave myself my daily shot this morning while you were busy being in a coma."
"Was it a coma? Or was I just in a pleasant sleep to which got interrupted when you jumped on my chest?"
"I needed to wake you up," Khoudia retorted.
"You didn't have to jump on my chest."
"I kind of did, though," Khoudia said. "Close your eyes."
"Why?"
"Why do you feel the need to be difficult?" Khoudia asked. "What if I just wanted to waterboard you with my drink?"
"With my eyes closed?"
"Yes, I'm trying to give you the full Guantánamo treatment." Yuuri deadpanned. "Too soon?"
"I think it's always too soon to talk about waterboarding and human torture, but that's just me," Yuuri said. "But fine. I'll humor you and close my eyes." Yuuri closed their eyes. Khoudia quickly prepared Yuuri's pen and set it. She grabbed her cup. "Tilt your head back." Yuuri nodded and did as Khoudia said. Khoudia quickly gave Yuuri a shot as she poured dragon fruit Mogen David 20/20 into their mouth. She mentally counted to ten, removed the tip from Yuuri's flesh. She quickly removed the needle tip from the pen, threw the tip away, and put the pen in her pocket.
"Swallow," Khoudia said.
"I think I've said and heard 'swallow' a bit too much in my life at this point, but that's just me," Yuuri garbled with a mouthful of Mad Dog 20/20. They forced themselves to swallow and felt a hard lump in their throat when they did. Pain tears came from their nasolacrimal ducts and they opened their eyes.
"Hey there, buddy," Khoudia cajoled. "How you hangin'?"
"They hang verily," Yuuri replied. Khoudia rolled her eyes.
"So how does this red taste to you?" Khoudia asked.
"I'd walk past it in the liquor store… if I knew what flavor it was," Yuuri said. "I think I prefer my drink."
"Should we tell A'aisha that her Mad Dog selection could have gone without this one?"
"Don't be mean to your cousin," Yuuri said.
"Is she really my cousin if I just found out about her like two days ago?" Yuuri deadpanned. "It's a valid question. When does family become family really?"
"When you love them."
"Oh good, so we're family then," Khoudia said. She discretely put the cap of the pen back on. "Glad you finally acknowledged our relationship. A shame it took four years for it to happen, though." Yuuri deadpanned harder. "Do you want to dance?"
"I'm not even drunk yet."
"You know what… you're right," Khoudia said. She took Yuuri's cup. "Alcohol is now contraband for you. No more drinking." Yuuri rolled their eyes. "Plus, you have Xanax so it's already a party for you."
"Xanax isn't a party drug, though. It's more of a…" Yuuri bit their lip. "You know that children's book 'Go the Fuck to Sleep'?" Khoudia nodded. "Xanax is an instant that. It's really not that fun of a drug."
"You should know." Khoudia unlocked the door.
"Hey now… you let me get robbed."
"I fell asleep, okay," Khoudia said. "We should eat, though. I started thinking about aloko when I was interrogating you and my mouth is watering."
"All you think about is food."
"All you think about is dick." Yuuri rolled their eyes. "Now, aloko and yams."
"Aloko and yams," Yuuri repeated. They went in their pocket for their phone. They hadn't touched it much today – which was weird. Victor would have texted them a thousand times by now, but their phone was suspiciously dry, and they needed to know how the exhibition went, at least. "So you saw Victor earlier?" Khoudia nodded. "Before the exhibition, right?" Khoudia nodded and took a sip of her drink. She opened the door. "It's over now, right?"
"Yes," Khoudia said.
"So he's probably on the plane back to Detroit, right?"
"Probably," Khoudia said. "Why?"
"He hasn't texted me since yesterday," Yuuri said. "Do you think something's wrong?"
"Shouldn't be," Khoudia said. "Text him and see what happens."
"What do I say?"
"Send him a kiss emoji with a pretty heart," she suggested. Yuuri unlocked their phone and went to their iMessage conversation with Victor. No messages from today nor last night. They sent him the kiss emoji with a blue heart and went to their other messages. Yuuri and Khoudia picked an inconspicuous spot in the living room to eat and drink in some sort of queer comfort. They scrolled back up and sighed. They finished their first drink; Yuuri went to go get a second, but Khoudia grabbed Yuuri by the wrist. "What did I say?"
"Okay but hear me out: You said we can let our hair down at the party and I would like another drink." Khoudia deadpanned. "You said it. Don't deny it."
"…" Yuuri kissed Khoudia's cheek, broke out of her grasp, and went to the beverage table. They grabbed two cups and returned to Khoudia. Their phone buzzed. Yuuri gave their cup to Khoudia and fished their phone out of their pocket. To Yuuri's chagrin, it wasn't Victor, but he did read the text.
: Lmao
Was all Yuuri could say. What could Yuuri possibly have done that provoked that lack of response? Yuuri showed their phone to Khoudia.
"Give him like two minutes," Khoudia said.
"Why two?"
"That's usually how long it takes you to respond to me when I text you," Khoudia said. Yuuri looked at her.
"You… time me?" Khoudia took a slow sip out of a cup.
"No, I just… estimate. Usually takes you about two minutes and you're a fast typist." Yuuri shrugged. "But don't like, set a timer for two minutes to time him because that's weird."
"Have… have you timed me?"
"…Once," Khoudia said. Yuuri looked at her. "I was curious! You sent me four complex sentences in your second language in two minutes, and I was amazed." Yuuri grabbed a cup from Khoudia and took a slow sip.
"Nothing you say is going to make this better; you know that, right?"
"I figured," Khoudia said. "Shit, while we're at it, I stalked your Facebook and Instagram before I sent you a friend request, too." Yuuri rolled their eyes. "I retweeted all of your original Tweets for the culture."
"And you did all of this within a month?"
"Not that hard to find 'Yuuri Katsuki' on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter," Khoudia said with a shrug. Yuuri deadpanned. "I said what I said." Yuuri sighed, but they were filled with a wild curiosity.
"Was I the only one?"
"Nah, think of it like a background check," Khoudia said. "This is normal."
"You should stop."
"No."
"No?"
"Yes."
"Wait, I'm confused."
"'No' as in 'No, I'm not going to stop,'" Khoudia said. "I need to know if any of my potential friends have odious opinions before I decide to move forward with our acquaintanceship."
"I have my privacy settings set to friends only."
"No you don't," Khoudia said.
"Um, yeah I do."
"No. You don't."
"Yeah I do."
"Yuuri, you're talking to the person who stalked you two weeks before they sent a friend request. I would be the first person to know about your privacy settings in the year 2012." Yuuri looked at Khoudia. "I'm right. And this was before you made spam accounts, so I knew everything there was to know about 1992 to 2012 Yuuri Katsuki."
"…You didn't follow me on Tumblr, though."
"We don't discuss Tumblr," Khoudia said.
"See, this is where we differ because we do discuss Tumblr."
"Not when they're yours," Khoudia said. "Fucking queer art hoe fudanshi." Yuuri rolled their eyes and accidentally caught the gaze of an ombre pink afro. Her eyes invited Yuuri outside. "What?"
"Um, I think I'm going to get some fresh air for a bit," Yuuri said. "Getting kind of sensory weird in here."
"Oh of course, then," Khoudia said as she gently touched Yuuri's arm. "Zip your sweater or you'll catch a cold. And bring your phone in case I need you." Yuuri nodded. They got up and put their plate in their seat. "Leave your cup and bag if you want. You know I'll watch it."
"…You let me get robbed."
"I was asleep!" Khoudia yelled. The ombre pink-haired girl looked at Khoudia, but soon returned her gaze towards Yuuri. "Just go. I'll be here." A'aisha came out of the kitchen and set multiple dishes on the table. She stopped Yuuri before they could get away.
"Leaving so soon, mon Colibri?" A'aisha asked. She gently touched Yuuri's arm.
"N-no, just getting some air," Yuuri said.
"Come back soon before Kiki goes wild without you," she urged.
"Trust me," Yuuri said, "I can't leave her alone for too long. She's… her."
"I'm right here."
"We know," Yuuri said. Khoudia rolled her eyes. A'aisha touched Yuuri's upper back and urged them to get the air they claimed they needed. Yuuri left the building and sat on the stoop. The pink-haired girl followed and eventually joined Yuuri on the step.
"So you've gotten in good with the hostess already," she said.
"She's my friend's cousin and she already likes me for some reason," Yuuri said. "It's weird, but A'aisha seems nice."
"Dragged here by your friend then?" Yuuri nodded. She chuckled. "I'm glad she dragged you here." Yuuri hehed. "I'm Lailah. What's your name?"
"Yuuri." Lailah nodded and smiled. "I like your hair."
"Thank you! I like your, um… face." Lailah said with a giggle. "I'm sorry. I didn't know what else to say. The compliment caught me off guard." She reached into her sock and produced a tube. She opened it, took the conical object out, and lit it. "Smoke?" Yuuri nodded.
"So, why'd you ask me to come out here?"
"I just wanted to talk to you one-on-one," Lailah said. "Away from the music, the people, your friends." Yuuri nodded.
"Well, you have me out here and in the cold. What do you want to talk about?" Lailah passed the cone to Yuuri.
"Um… I don't really know," Lailah said with a goofy grin. "I didn't think all of this through, but I just really wanted to talk to you." Yuuri took two hits and passed it back. "Where's your family from?"
"Japan," Yuuri said. Lailah nodded. "I'm assuming you're African."
"No, actually," Lailah said. "I'm Martiniquaise and Dominican, but I get that a lot." Yuuri nodded. Lailah took a pull. "Your friend?"
"Senegalese."
"Huh, odd," Lailah murmured. "Isn't A'aisha Ivorian?" Yuuri nodded. "So… how?"
"My friend's mom's mom was Senegalese," Yuuri explained. Lailah nodded and took another pull. "Do you know A'aisha well?"
"We go to uni together. She's really smart and funny." Lailah passed the cone back. She leaned back with her elbows on the next step. "Um… where are you from? I don't think I've seen you on campus before."
"Khoudia and I live in America. We're just visiting."
"Khoudia?"
"A'aisha's cousin," Yuuri said. Lailah nodded.
"So you're visiting? What's the occasion?"
"I'd tell you, but I don't want to relive the event," Yuuri explicated. "You can ask Khoudia if you want, though." Lailah shrugged. Yuuri took a pull and dropped the ash. A phone started to ring; it was Lailah's.
"Hold on," she said. "Who is this?" Yuuri looked at Lailah. "Ah, is this the new number?" She chuckled. "I'll be sure to save it when we're off the phone. How are you?" Lailah gently touched Yuuri's arm when they reached for their phone. They looked at the lock screen; no text from Victor. Yuuri decided to give him another two minutes even though it's been a solid ten. They took the plunge and texted him again.
: Did I do something?
Yuuri put their phone back in their pocket and took another pull. There was a buzz and Yuuri immediately took their phone back out. It was just Khoudia.
Khoudia: Where did you go
: I'm having a smoke
: And I'm taking a drag
Khoudia: We haven't been to any bodegas bitch where did you produce this cigarette
: I went to a tobacco farm and rolled it myself.
Khoudia: …
Khoudia: Get a better sense of humor please.
Yuuri took another drag off the joint. "Did she have the baby yet?" Lailah asked the person on the other end. "Really?!" She gasped. "I'll definitely stop by this weekend to come and see the baby!" Lailah rubbed her hand up and down Yuuri's arm. "Yes, of course. We have to celebrate this!" Yuuri took another pull and started to process that Lailah might be interested in something. It was the touching – definitely the touching. She's touching them the way Victor would touch them during their museum dates and it… surprisingly didn't make them nauseous like they had been in the past few days. "Okay. I love you, too. Good night." The call was over. "I'm sorry. My cousin was calling to tell me that his wife had the baby a few hours ago." Yuuri nodded and passed the marihuana back to Lailah. "So are you in college?" Yuuri nodded. "What do you study?"
"Art and dance," Yuuri said. Lailah nodded.
"You know what? I can see that. You give me a really light-hearted, creative vibe."
"I don't think 'light-hearted' is the word most people would use to describe me, but I'm glad at least one person doesn't immediately associate me with death and decay." Lailah chuckled and took a hit.
"Well, I guess I'm the first," she said after she exhaled. "And I'm glad about that." Yuuri chuckled. "So do you have a girlfriend?" Yuuri shook their head.
"Do you have a boyfriend?" Lailah shook her head. "How old are you, anyway?"
"19. You?"
"23," Yuuri said. She was a bit on the younger side – which immediately puzzled Yuuri on how old A'aisha actually was. Yuuri assumed she was around the same age as Khoudia and them, but they were hit with the reality that she might not be. "Do you happen to know how old A'aisha is?"
"Um, she's a junior right now so I think about… 20?" Yuuri nodded. "I want to know more about you."
"I'd like to know more about you, too," Yuuri said. "What do you study?"
"I'm in med school so I'm going to be in college for a long, long time," Lailah said with a sigh. "Is it any easier with your degree type? I was thinking about switching majors to something else. I hate med school."
"The work is different but just as demanding," Yuuri said. "You're just exchanging one burden for another."
"Sounds like you just hate college," Lailah said. Yuuri pondered that and shrugged. They had a different college experience compared to others, but, then again, not everyone is essentially a student athlete. "Yes? No? How accurate am I?"
"Uh, well, it's not that I hate college. I just… I don't particularly enjoy it either." Yuuri shrugged again. "Senioritis is real. I'm just ready to graduate." Lailah chuckled.
"Thinking about going for your Masters?"
"Please do not remind me that I need a Masters to do anything in art or dance," Yuuri said. Lailah laughed and, for once, Yuuri wasn't fearing the sound. It was sweet and airy and pretty – just like Lailah with her hematite eyes and gap-tooth smile. "I was actually thinking of going back to Japan and…" Yuuri sighed. "I don't know. I'm in a transitional period right now. I haven't made any big decisions yet."
"I'd love to hear about it when you come to them. What's your Facebook?"
"My name?"
"I don't know your last name," Lailah said. She gave Yuuri her phone. Yuuri went to Facebook and sent themselves a friend request from Lailah's account. "Remember to accept my friend request when we go back upstairs."
"I will. It'll be hard to forget you." Lailah grinned.
"I was hoping that you wouldn't," she said. She took another hit. "So when do you leave?"
"Tonight," Yuuri said. She knit her brow.
"You can't leave. I want to spend the morning with you." She passed the joint back to Yuuri.
"I don't speak enough French to afford to stay an extra night," Yuuri said. "I also don't think my wallet can handle me staying an extra night." Yuuri took a pull. "I'm sorry, but I actually do have to leave." Lailah sighed. Next thing Yuuri knew, Lailah's lips were on theirs and Yuuri kissed her back. Two people came downstairs and the door loudly shut behind them, pulling the two of them away from each other. "Um…"
"I should've asked before I initiated; I'm sorry. I just wanted to kiss you before you left." Yuuri shrugged.
"It's fine. I shouldn't have kissed back."
"Why shouldn't you have?" Lailah asked. "You're not in a relationship and I'm not in a relationship, so… All I'm saying is that we're not doing anything wrong."
"I am," Yuuri said. "I can't explain it to you because I have no clue what's going on, but this is wrong and I'm sorry."
"You're just blaming yourself to get out of having to be with me," Lailah accused.
"I'm not," Yuuri enunciated. "It's really not you, Lailah. Trust me on this one."
"I've trusted you this far and you haven't done anything to revoke it." She sighed. "I wish you could stay."
"I don't," Yuuri said. Lailah frowned. "I'm sorry, I just had a really bad… stay in Marseilles."
"You should have picked a better hotel."
"No, it wasn't the hotel," Yuuri said. "Just that the events that transpired make me want to leave and never come back."
"Not even to see me?" Yuuri bit their lip. "No problem. I can just come and see you. I've never been to America before. You can be my tour guide."
"Oh no," Yuuri said. "Do not do that. America is a hellhole."
"It's not if you're in it," Lailah said. There was a silence between them. Then Yuuri's phone started to buzz repeatedly. Lailah looked at Yuuri's pants. "Shouldn't you get that?" Yuuri bit the bullet and picked up despite Lailah's eyes being firmly fixed on them.
"Hello?"
"Yuuri!" Khoudia yelled. "We have to leave right now. The block is hot."
"What?"
"The block. Is hot."
"Okay, you just repeated the last sentence and that explained nothing," Yuuri said.
"Bitch we gotta go. The police are on their way; someone's doing coke in the kitchen; and my parents are calling us so we can go home."
"Who brought coke to a Muslim's party?" Yuuri asked. Lailah started laughing. "You know what, doesn't matter."
"Just come up, grab some aloko, and get your shit. Also request an Uber. We won't be at the hotel before Celestino if we walk." Yuuri sighed. "D'accord? D'accord."
"If you have to come down, you might as well bring my bag with you because I'm already outside."
"Ugh, fine," Khoudia groaned.
"Tell A'aisha that her party was great, and the Mogen David 20/20 was appreciated for me," Yuuri said.
"Okay," Khoudia said. "I'll come down in two minutes."
"Okay. See you soon." Khoudia ended the call.
"Someone brought coke to A'aisha's party?" Yuuri shrugged.
"I mean, that's what Khoudia's saying. And the police have been called, too, so you should probably run up and get your things before they arrive. And put the weed back in your sock."
"Good looks," Lailah said. Yuuri gave her the joint back and Lailah ashed it on the stoop. She slid it back into her shoe. Lailah grabbed Yuuri's hand. "So…"
"So…"
"This is a goodbye."
"For now," Yuuri said.
"You'll be back?" Yuuri shrugged. "Then why say 'for now'?"
"Maybe you can come and experience Detroit sometime before I graduate," Yuuri said. "I don't know. We'll have to coordinate." Lailah wistfully smiled. "Let me get an Uber before Khoudia comes down." The front door shut loudly.
"Okay, hoe, where the Uber at?"
"Oh, she's here already," Yuuri said. "That wasn't two minutes."
"I can't tell time," Khoudia said. She gave Yuuri their coat. "Hello."
"Khoudia?" Khoudia looked taken aback when Lailah said her name. "I'm sorry, Yuuri had mentioned that you brought them here during our smoke break."
"Yeah, that was me," Khoudia said. She leaned on the fencing to the basement. "Enjoy the party?" Lailah nodded. Yuuri booked the Uber.
"Three minutes," Yuuri told Khoudia. They put their phone in their pocket and grabbed their coat. They shrugged it on and grabbed their bag.
"Your aloko is in your bag," Khoudia said. Yuuri nodded. "Oh, you should go and get your things. It's about to go down," she said to Lailah.
"Dually noted," Lailah said. She forced herself up and gave Yuuri a kiss before she retreated upstairs to avoid the impending shitstorm. Lailah went upstairs to grab her things. Khoudia looked at Yuuri.
"So, what happened here?"
"We just had a smoke and talked," Yuuri said.
"That looked nothing like just talking."
"Who are you to judge?"
"Your sister and co-parent. Which means that I can judge the shit you do with no restraints." Yuuri rolled their eyes. "You know that's my cousin's friend right? I can just ask A'aisha to ask her what happened between you two."
"Ask away then," Yuuri said. "But A'aisha has no reason to tell you the tea." A car pulled up, and Yuuri and Khoudia froze. Yuuri's phone buzzed and they slowly took it out, not making any sudden moves. They exhaled when they saw the message. "It's just the Uber. We're good." Khoudia exhaled. Yuuri and Khoudia got into the Uber and their driver drove them to the hotel so they can go home.
Ryuugazaki: So close. Oh so close.