The ring was starting to feel more like a weight than an ornament.
Like a curse, rather than a blessing.
Ichigo fought the urge to pick at it as she dropped a tray of dirty dishes off in the kitchen. It would be suspicious to stop wearing it during her shifts now, but Ichigo was starting to resent the way it seemed to gleam up at her with every turn. It glinted and sparkled at her with a brilliance she knew she didn't deserve, as if to say that it knew her secrets. As if it was a mirror to her imperfections. The gem was flawless.
Like Masaya. Unlike herself.
Ichigo blew her bangs out of her face and wiped her brow on the back of her arm.
Quiche had returned back to work that day, and was working the early afternoon shift just barely overlapping with Ichigo's. Ichigo had made a point to avoid him as they passed each other in the dining room. She felt his eyes burning into her the whole day, and it made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Ichigo knew she couldn't avoid him forever, but she hadn't yet figured out exactly what she was going to do about the grave she had just dug herself into. And she wasn't about to accept suggestions from the boy who was proverbially handing her the shovel.
Ichigo felt just about as pristine as the pile of dirty dishes she had just dumped in the kitchen sink. Whispers of memories from the night before danced through her head the whole day. Memories of hands, lips, hungry eyes. Of perfect words uttered in a dangerous voice. A sickly feeling sat in the pit of Ichigo's stomach as she heaved a deep breath, collecting herself in that short, stolen moment. Stop it, Ichigo. Pull yourself together.
"H-hey, Ichigo," came a voice from behind her. Ichigo unwittingly jumped in surprise, flinching. She turned slowly to observe the look of curiosity on Lettuce's face. Her friend pushed her round glasses up the bridge of her nose and tilted her head to one side. "Um, do you have table 10 or should I take them?"
"Ah, uh," Ichigo stammered, clapping her hands behind her back, "y-you can take them. Thanks!"
She grinned, knowing it was only a semblance of a natural smile. Lettuce looked like she was about to comment on her jumpiness, but just smiled and nodded instead. She tucked a pen behind one of her ears and turned back to the dining area of the café. Ichigo, grateful that Lettuce hadn't been in the mood to pry, cringed as Pudding bounded into the kitchen not a moment later. The blonde nearly tripped over Lettuce as she leapt towards Ichigo.
"Big sis Ichigo!" she exclaimed excitedly. "I have a verryyyyy important question for you. The utmost importance!"
Ichigo sighed and crossed her arms. "Yes, Pudding?" she replied, chancing a glance at the kitchen clock. The day was flying by. Ichigo felt like she had hardly had a moment to herself between her classes at school and an uncharacteristically busy Monday afternoon at the café.
"Okay okay, well Berry said I shouldn't ask you this but I'm asking you anyway because I think it's super important!" Pudding exclaimed, glancing around to make sure she wasn't overheard. She leaned in comically close to Ichigo's ear. "I need to know … what kind of cake Aoyama likes."
Ichigo furrowed her brow at the question. She tilted her head. "Aoyama?" she repeated curiously.
Pudding nodded. "Yep, you heard me!"
Ichigo thought for a moment. "Well," she started, "He doesn't eat much cake, but he always asks for a chocolate cake for his birthday."
"Mmm, perfect!" Pudding exclaimed. She jabbed her finger in the air as if she had reached a momentous conclusion. "This concludes Detective Pudding's work! Oh, and Ichigo?"
Ichigo tilted her head to one side as Pudding leaned in close once again. She held a hand up to her mouth and whispered in Ichigo's ear, side-eyeing the kitchen entryway. "Don't go looking around the fridge in the basement. But don't tell anyone I told you that."
Pudding snickered and put her hands on her hips. Ichigo began to understand what all of this was about. The mews were planning a surprise party — likely for their engagement, or for Masaya's going away, or both. She cringed at the thought, and was unable to stop herself from grimacing. It was the last thing she needed, considering the delicate circumstances of her relationship as of late.
"Ah, Pudding?" Ichigo prodded. "You're not throwing us a surprise party, are you?"
Pudding blinked, then adopted a comical grin. "Of course not! We're just planning a party for … uh … Zakuro's birthday!"
Ichigo had to stop herself from laughing at Pudding's inability to keep a secret. "Then why did you ask about Aoyama's favorite kind of cake?"
"Uhhhh because I was thinking about his birthday too!"
"Aoyama's birthday is in January."
"Well then we're all ready and prepared for it when it rolls around again ... next year!" Pudding exclaimed, hardly missing a beat. She grinned up at Ichigo. "Anyway, forget we had this conversation! I'll see you later, big sis!"
And with that, the whirling ball of energy bounded out of the kitchen with a leap and twirl. Ichigo let out an exasperated breath and grabbed her next table's order from the prep station — two creme brûlées. She popped two fresh raspberries atop each and whisked them away to her next table. If she couldn't get a moment to herself to think, at least she could stay busy, and keep her mind off of things for a little while.
On her return to the kitchen, Ichigo caught a flash of blue as Mint disappeared into the back room. She suddenly remembered something Quiche told her last night, something she'd forgotten about after everything else that had happened around it.
"Your friend Mint tipped me off to him carrying it around the day we fought that rat chimera, and he's had it on him ever since."
Something between anger and curiosity was alight in Ichigo as she set her serving tray down at the kitchen prep station. Why was Mint talking with Quiche? Why would she clue him in about her engagement? What kind of secrets was she keeping?
Ichigo dusted off her hands on her apron and headed to the back room with the intention to confront her mysterious friend.
Mint sat on the far end of the back room, scrolling through her phone in her café uniform. She briefly looked up to catch Ichigo's eye. "Oh, hi Ichigo," she greeted in her soft voice. Her words always sounded like bells — graceful and light. Ichigo couldn't help but feel a pang of annoyance, even before Mint had a chance to explain herself.
"I need to talk to you about something," Ichigo said bluntly. She crossed her arms. Mint looked up from her phone. She flipped her phone screen off, then set it down on her lap.
Ichigo looked behind her and, seeing the open door leading out to the hall, kicked the doorstop up so that the door swung shut. She had Mint's full attention now, her hazel eyes boring into Ichigo's carefully, curiously.
"How long did you know Aoyama was going to propose?" Ichigo asked. Her question was harsh, blunt.
"Mm, for a little while," Mint replied nonchalantly. If she was anxious, she didn't show it. "He wasn't being very subtle about it."
"Because he was carrying around the box, right?" Ichigo prodded.
"So you knew he was going to ask?" Mint asked curiously. She picked at one of the cuticles of her French manicure.
"No," Ichigo started, "but you did. And you told someone else about it."
Mint raised one eyebrow. "Ah," she said quietly. "You've spoken with Quiche. I was wondering why I saw him walking around in uniform today. I haven't seen him in days … you must have talked some sense into him."
Ichigo clenched her jaw. Memories of his hands on her legs and his lips on her neck threatened to take over her thoughts, to give away her secrets. She fought a flush threatening to creep up her face. "That's besides the point," she argued. "I want to know why you're going behind your friend's back and trying to mess with my relationship with Aoyama."
Mint looked taken aback. Ichigo could see the surprise clearly in her delicate features. She blinked twice. "No, Ichigo, it's not that."
"Then what is it?" Ichigo demanded. "Because last time I checked, friends don't conspire with the people trying to split up their friend's relationship."
"It's not conspiring, Ichigo," Mint bit back, impatience beginning to seep into her tone. "It was a warning. I saw the box in Aoyama's pocket and told Quiche to back off. For his own good and for yours."
Ichigo hadn't considered this explanation. She bit her lip and cast her gaze to the floor. She thought carefully as she clenched her fists then released them. "Then, why didn't you tell me any of this?" she asked finally.
Mint shrugged, calm returning to her features once more.
"What friend ruins the surprise of another friend's proposal?" she said simply.
Ichigo sighed. Mint was right — her anger was misdirected. She immediately felt guilty for accusing her of ill will. Her explanation made sense, and lined up with what she knew from her conversation with Quiche.
"I'm sorry Mint," Ichigo said dejectedly. She crossed her arms. "It's been … a rough few days."
Ichigo should have known better than to say that in front of the gossip queen. Mint tilted her head to one side curiously. She put her phone away in her bag and replaced it in the cubby behind her. Then, she rose from her seat and smoothed her apron. "No need to apologize," she said. "You owe me one, though. Now tell me why you look so upset when you should be celebrating your engagement right now."
Ichigo shrugged, avoiding Mint's prying eyes as her friend stood a few paces from her. "I guess … I guess I'm just having a hard time with Aoyama leaving for London in a couple days," Ichigo said lamely. She inwardly cursed herself for lying. Again. Why am I like this?
This time, the lie wasn't convincing enough. Mint narrowed her eyes suspiciously. She opened her mouth to reply, but the door to the back room swung open before she could. Both girls turned to see Lettuce pushing the door halfway open, a look of embarrassment flashing across her heart-shaped face.
"I uh — Sorry to interrupt!" Lettuce blurted out. "Um, I was actually wondering if I could get one of you to help take care of this party of eight that just showed up."
"Yes, but in a minute," Mint replied quickly. Lettuce leaned against the door and tilted her head to one side. Mint started: "I was actually—"
She stopped mid-sentence as her eyes drifted to the space behind Lettuce. Ichigo watched Quiche walk behind Lettuce, carrying an order out from the kitchen.
Ichigo held her breath as Quiche caught her eye through the doorway. A hint of a smirk, a faint flash of a knowing look passed over his face as he locked eyes with Ichigo for half a second. The spark of something wild – that little touch of fire – was alight in his eyes, just like the night before.
Quiche turned and waltzed into the dining room the next moment. But that one look was enough to cause Ichigo to stiffen.
And it was enough for Mint to notice.
Mint's eyes widened as she turned her attention back to Lettuce. She beckoned her to come closer with a waving hand. "Lettuce! Get in here!" Lettuce opened her mouth to protest, but thought better of it. She let the back room door swing shut behind her and curiously approached the other two girls.
Ichigo began to sweat as she felt Mint's eyes boring into her expression. She averted her gaze to her shoes and clenched her jaw, knowing that Mint was beginning to put two and two together.
"What was that?" Mint demanded, crossing her arms.
Ichigo's breath hitched in her throat. "Wh-what?"
"Oh don't play dumb, Ichigo," Mint scoffed. "You and Quiche, just now. What did you say to him yesterday that he decided to suddenly show up to work again?"
Ichigo struggled to scrape together what she would say, panicked eyes darting between Mint and Lettuce. Lettuce looked on in confusion as Ichigo stammered, "I uh— it was—really nothing to look into!"
"Really, Ichigo?" Mint asked, moving her hands to her hips. "You're going to keep this from your closest friends?"
Ichigo chewed the inside of her cheek and let out a breath through her nose. Mint was right, yet again. She owed it to her friends to be honest with them, after everything they had done to support her. It was time to let the cat out of the bag, and it terrified her. But where would she even start?
"No, you're …" Ichigo started. She sighed and thought hard about what she should tell her friends. She needed advice, badly. Thinking about the conflict swirling madly through her head, she braced herself for what she was about to say.
Ichigo glanced at the closed door of the break room briefly, then lowered her voice. "I just — I just have this feeling. I'm …. I'm thinking about breaking off the engagement."
"What?!" Lettuce and Mint both exclaimed in a hushed shock, their voices rising just above a whisper. Ichigo shushed them quickly and grimaced. The last thing she needed was someone listening in to their conversation.
"This soon? You've only been engaged for a few days!" Lettuce hissed. She quickly slapped a hand over her mouth and looked ashamed. "Sorry, that was rude to say," she murmured through her hand.
"I mean, we were all wondering about you being 17 and engaged, but we all figured after everything you and Aoyama have been through, it sort of made sense," Mint said, tapping one foot as she spoke. She furrowed her brow. "Wait, but Aoyama leaves in two days — his last full day in Tokyo is tomorrow, right?"
"Right," Ichigo confirmed. She grimaced as she spoke: "He has a red-eye flight Wednesday morning. He's taking me out to dinner tonight."
"Somewhere nice?" asked Mint.
Ichigo nodded. "It's some high-end raw bar downtown … the website has a dress code and everything."
Lettuce and Mint exchanged a look somewhere between concern and surprise. Ichigo watched them warily. She suddenly felt like the silence was weighing heavy on them, uncomfortable and thick with worry.
"Ichigo … what are you going to do?" Lettuce murmured. Her wide blue eyes searched Ichigo in a way that made her avert her gaze in shame.
Ichigo pulled her hair back from her face out of nervous habit, sighing deeply. "I don't know yet," she said in a huff as she held her thick, ruby-red hair in her hands. "I'm just … confused. About everything."
A few seconds of silence passed between the group as Ichigo listened to the distant sound of plates clattering and the chatter of café guests in the dining room. She felt relieved at telling her closest friends about her concerns with the engagement, but she couldn't help but feel uneasy that something she had languished over in silence for so long was out in the open. Were they judging her for her bad decision-making? Would they judge her even more if they knew the rest of the truth?
She didn't have to wonder long.
Suddenly, Ichigo felt Mint tug at the collar of her café uniform. Ichigo quickly let her hair down and slapped her hand over her neck, but it was too late.
Mint looked up at her with wide eyes. "Ichigo. You're wearing makeup on your neck," she said.
"Wait, what are you talking about?" Lettuce asked in a harsh whisper, her brow furrowed. She looked between Mint and Ichigo, confused.
"Ichigo, you're covering up a love bite on your neck, aren't you?" Mint asked slowly, staring into Ichigo's terrified eyes, " … and it's not from Aoyama ... is it?"
Ichigo didn't have time to conceal her panic. She didn't have time to lie. She inwardly cursed her inexperience with makeup. The concealer was hard to blend over the small, splotchy red mark on her neck. Ichigo had noticed it in the mirror while getting ready for school that morning. She knew it had to have come from Quiche kissing her neck the night before. Damn, Mint is good.
What was one more secret? After all, her friends already knew she wasn't happy in her engagement. Ichigo bit her lip, took a deep breath through her nose, and shook her head in response.
Mint clapped her jaw shut and furrowed her brow.
"I knew it," she said. "You're in love with both of them."
"N-no!" Ichigo stammered, waving her hands in front of her defensively. "That is, I'm in love with Aoyama, of course, but not with him. No, not love. At least, I don't think."
"But it's enough that you'll break off an engagement!" Mint was quick to point out. Lettuce looked on in stunned silence as Ichigo struggled to gather her thoughts.
"I-it's not just that!" Ichigo squeaked. "It's … I don't know, being engaged right out of high school and living in a foreign country and starting my career at some expensive university with no friends and no family and BEFORE any of that I have to work with someone who literally makes me feel like I'm on fire whenever he touches me and—"
"Woah woah woah, wait!" Mint interrupted, holding up a hand of caution. "Slow down, Ichigo."
Ichigo walked in a circle anxiously and held her head in her hands, groaning. Telling her friends her secrets felt like vomiting – she felt disgusted with herself, but her stomach felt lighter, like a sour feeling had dislodged itself from her gut.
That, and she felt like she might actually puke.
Lettuce grabbed one of Ichigo's hands, stopping her from continuing her anxious pacing in a circle. Ichigo looked up at her with wide eyes, feeling frantic, embarrassed. Lettuce's gaze was nothing but soothing. Her calm, quiet presence countered the rapid-fire interrogation from Mint.
"Ichigo, we're always going to have your back," Lettuce murmured reassuringly. "No matter what decisions you make. No matter where you are or who you're with. We'll be here. That's what best friends are for."
Ichigo heaved a deep breath and nodded slowly, feeling like she might cry at the reassurance. She didn't know how much she needed to hear it. Mint took Ichigo's other hand in hers, then took Lettuce's free hand to form a circle.
"Everything stays between us," Mint added. "You can trust us, Ichigo. We'll be here for you no matter what. Even if you're a continent away."
Ichigo nodded again. She heaved a sigh. Her chest felt lighter already.
"Thank you, Mint. Thank you, Lettuce," she said meekly. "It's just … so much to think through. I just don't have enough time. It's all happening so fast."
Mint glanced over at Lettuce, and she returned the worried look. "So walk me through this," Mint started slowly. "If you stay engaged to Aoyama, you go a few more months long distance, then you break the news to your families that you're engaged, and then you move to London in the fall for university."
"Exactly," Ichigo replied, nodding.
"... but you'd have to work through your fears around your future without Aoyama for the next few months," Mint continued. "Keeping your engagement a secret ... worrying about if you made the right choice. Not to mention the whole situation with that gold-eyed snake who can't keep his hands to himself."
Ichigo could hear the annoyance in Mint's voice. She cringed, biting her lip and trying not to appear too bothered. "... yeah," she agreed finally. She twisted the engagement ring on her finger absent-mindedly.
"Ichigo, I —um," Lettuce started hesitantly. She was blushing as she pushed her glasses up on her face. Her eyes flicked from Ichigo's eyes to her neck, then back again. "You and Quiche, you didn't … you know…"
Ichigo immediately felt her neck grow hot at the insinuation that they had done something more than kiss, especially coming from Lettuce. She tried to tamp down thoughts of Quiche's hands gripping her legs as she shook her head quickly. "No, no, no!" Ichigo squeaked. "It got a little … heavy … but I stopped it before it went too far."
"A kiss is still a kiss, Ichigo," Mint remarked, raising an eyebrow. "And twice? I hope Quiche knows he'll be in big trouble if Aoyama finds out he kissed you again."
"That's the problem," Ichigo muttered under her breath. She massaged her temples as she sighed, feeling the truth leak out piece by piece. "I was the one who kissed him."
"You WHAT?" Mint exclaimed.
Ichigo cringed and shushed her. "Shh! Quiet! Listen, I wasn't, like, planning on it or anything! We were just talking and he gave me this whole speech about being in love with me—"
"He SAID that?" Lettuce squeaked, gasping. Ichigo started to shush her too, but the door of the back room burst open before the sound left her lips. All three girls whirled around to see Pudding bounding into the back room.
"What's going on in here?" Pudding exclaimed, laughing and throwing her arms around Ichigo and Lettuce's shoulders. "Keeping secrets from Pudding? C'mon, spill! What's the hot gossip?"
Ichigo laughed nervously, a little too loud to be natural. Mint grimaced across from her before quickly jumping in: "We were just talking about Ichigo's romantic date tonight with Aoyama!"
"Ooo, a hot date!" Pudding said excitedly. "Where at?"
"I don't know, some fancy place downtown!" Ichigo squeaked. Her voice was about two octaves too high, her nerves taking over her ability to hold a normal conversation. She cleared her throat and continued. "It's uh – called a 'raw bar'? It has a bunch of sushi, sashimi and shellfish?"
"Ugh, shellfish? Like oysters? Ew!" Pudding said, sticking out her tongue. "Well, sounds super fancy! Have tons of fun and don't get too drunk at the bar!"
Ichigo snorted, feeling some of her nerves leaving her as she laughed at Pudding's remark. "No, Pudding, raw bar just means fancy seafood! I'm only 17; I can't drink yet!"
"Alright, well, have tons of fun tonight!" Pudding grinned. She took two steps back and nodded to the door. "Anyway, can one of you help with the tables? I'm a little swamped out there!"
"Yep, you got it!" Lettuce chirped, following Pudding towards the door. Pudding darted out of the break room as Lettuce propped open the door once again. She looked back at Mint and Ichigo reassuringly, nodding with a small smile and raised eyebrows.
Ichigo turned to Mint as Mint took her hand in hers. She gave it a squeeze as she searched Ichigo's eyes carefully. "Listen, Ichigo … you're an absolute moron, but you know we'll always be here for you anyway."
The corner of Ichigo's lip twitched. She thought of a retort to the insult, but Mint continued: "Here's the thing … this is your decision, not ours. Only you know what you have to do. Just follow your heart and everything will be okay."
Ichigo nodded and sighed. Something soft and uncharacteristically warm passed over Mint's expression in the next moment. Ichigo counted her lucky stars that no matter what, she knew she could rely on her closest friends for support. Teasing, insults and all. In the end, she always had her friends.
A small smile crept up her face, and she squeezed Mint's hand in return.
"Thanks," she murmured softly. A second of silence passed between them before Mint released her hand.
"Uh, I actually have a favor to ask," Ichigo stammered. She rubbed the back of her neck. "I don't really have anything to wear tonight…"
Mint sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine, you can come over after your shift. I'm sure I have something you can borrow."
"You're the best, Mint! Thank you!"
"But if you get even a drop of gross oyster juice on my clothes, there will be hell to pay, got it? I know how you commoners are."
"Hey! Haven't you insulted me enough for one night?!"
"You're welcome."
(A.N./
Sorry about the wait on this chapter! A lot of life stuff came up over the past week and this one got a bit delayed. Hope it was worth the wait. :) Please leave a review and let me know what you thought!)