Love Potion No. 19: Chapter 7
Alicia Blade
I hope that the new year will bring happy stories, inspiration, and romance to you all!
Thanks to Storm-chan and all reviewers!
Chapter 7
Love is in the Self-Help Aisle
"Mama, what times does the bookstore open?" Usagi yelled from the stairwell as she slipped on her shoes.
Kenji looked up from his newspaper suspiciously as Ikuko dropped the pancake she'd been flipping and spun around. They traded surprised glances.
"Er, Usagi?" Ikuko called.
"Yeah?" she responded, emerging in the kitchen doorway wearing a cute orange sundress with her purse slung over one shoulder.
Simultaneously, her parents checked the clock wall, before turning back to her.
"Ikuko?"
"Yeah, Kenji?"
"Is it really 8:30?"
"Yes, honey."
"In the morning?"
"Yes, dear."
"And Usagi is…?"
"Yes, love."
Kenji slowly put his newspaper down, stood from the table, and proceeded back to his bedroom. Usagi watched him go, silently, before turning back to her mother, who appeared strangely stricken and pale.
"Mom?"
"Yes, dear?"
"What time does the bookstore open?"
Ikuko pursed her lips together and stood without speaking for a long time, before calmly turning around and removing the skillet from the stove.
"Sweetheart, is this about that boy?"
Usagi dug the toe of her shoe into the carpet. "What do you mean?"
"Why are you up at 8:30 on a Sunday? And why do you want to go to the bookstore? You've been acting very strange lately, and I'm just wondering if it's all because of that boy."
She shrugged. "Maybe. I just thought that I might be able to find a book to help with my situation."
"What situation?"
"You know, trying to get someone to fall in love with you. I mean, there's a book on everything in the world, right? I figured I could find something to help."
Ikuko sighed and shook her head. "Honey, you're wonderful just the way you are. You don't need a book to show him that."
"Yeah, but every little bit helps. Oh! Mom, did I tell you?"
"What's that, sweetie?"
"He doesn't hate me!"
"Well of course he doesn't."
"He might even like me!"
Ikuko smiled at her daughter's beaming face. "Well I should hope so. He'd be an idiot not to."
"Thanks, Mom. So, the bookstore?"
Ikuko rolled her eyes, feeling that it would be useless to try and talk her daughter out of whatever scheme she was working on now. "I don't know what time they open, Usagi. Why don't you call them?"
"Naw, I'll just go and see for myself. Thanks, Mom! I'll be back later!"
"Fascinating," she breathed, looming over the book in her lap. If anyone in the store had wondered why there was a fourteen year old girl sitting in the middle of the 'sex and relationships' aisle, apparently entranced by the stack of books she'd pulled in front of her, they hadn't said anything. And two hours later, while her neck was starting to hurt, Usagi felt as though she'd pulled away some very valuable information. Who knew books knew so much about love?
"If men are from Mars, what does that say about Rei?" she mused, browsing the table of contents. "'Scoring Points with the Opposite Sex.' That sounds about right." She flipped to that chapter and began scanning the subheads, waiting for some epiphany to jump off the pages and tell her precisely how to make Mamoru hers. Soon, she came across a list of ideas for women to 'earn points' with men, and she hungrily read through the ideas.
"'Number 3. He gets lost while driving and she doesn't make a big deal out of it.'" Usagi snorted. "First that would require him driving me somewhere, and I bet he never gets lost anyway. What else?
"'Number 17. She is happy to see him when he gets home.' Well I certainly would be, if we lived together. But I'm happy enough just to see him at all. No matter where we are.
"'Number 21. She really enjoys having sex with…'" Usagi blushed and slammed the book shut. "Okay, I don't think that book is quite what I'm going for." She grabbed the next book from her stack, titled 101 Ways to Flirt and began flipping through the ideas, but soon became frustrated upon finding that most examples were for first meetings, not for flirting with a boy you'd known for almost a year.
"'Number 24. Four flirting props that attract men like crazy: A book with great word of mouth, a controversial author, or an intriguing title.' Hm, that does sound like something that would get Mamoru's attention. Better keep that in mind. What else? 'A chique car.' Yeah, at this point, just a driver's license would be impressive in itself. 'Jackets and T-shirts with team logos, because men love women who like sports.'" Usagi pursed her lips together and thought of all her previous conversations with Mamoru, not able to recall any mention he had ever made about any sport, and, shrugging, returned to the list. "'Food.' Well, cookies are food! I got one thing right, then!
"'Number 50. Compliment the things money can't buy. Anyone with access to an unexpired credit card can buy a snazzy tie. You'll score more points by pointing out the way an accessory enhances his smile.'" Usagi shook her head and tossed the book aside. "That's a little hard to do when he expects me to insult him every ten minutes." She started to reach for the next book in her stack, when one on the shelf snagged her attention. She gasped and grabbed it, her heart pounding giddily as she read the title out loud.
"How To Make a Man Fall In Love With You. It's perfect!"
"Usagi-chan?"
She squealed and turned to the voice, hiding the book behind her back. "Oh, Ami-chan!" she breathed nervously, giggling. "Fancy meeting you here!"
"I'll say. Usagi-chan, what are you doing in a bookstore?"
Ami's disbelieving tone almost hurt Usagi's feelings (after all, she could shop for reading material as well as the next person) but she was too busy trying to shuffle her stack of love-advice literature out of her friend's line of vision to notice.
"Just, you know, browsing." As Ami's eyes suspiciously glanced at the 'sex and relationships' sign above Usagi's head, she hurriedly continued, "What are you doing here?"
"Picking up some medical textbooks. The one I was reading last week only had one chapter on pregnancy and fetus development, and I wanted to get something that went more in-depth."
"Well that sounds so interesting," Usagi said, slowly standing with the book still clutched behind her back.
Ami tilted her head. "It does?"
Blinking, Usagi ran over the last few moments of conversation in her head. "Er, it sounds like it would be something that really interests you, that is! So, um, I hope you find something. I was actually just getting read to leave, so maybe I'll see you later…?"
"What do you have behind your back?"
Usagi flushed, her fingers twitching over the book's cover. "Nothing?"
Ami quirked an eyebrow. Usagi searched for an escape route. Neither budged.
Finally, the blonde committed herself to fate and, sighing, showed Ami the book. She read the title silently, before a comprehensive light flickered on in her eyes.
"Oh! Are you studying love for your psychology paper?"
Her words rang hollowly in Usagi's ears. Psychology paper? What psychology paper? "Er, yes! In fact, I am studying love. For psychology. My psychology paper. That's due…?"
"Next month."
She blanched. Who started writing a paper a month in advance? "Yes, that's the one. Just getting a head start. You know me!" she chirped.
"That's great, Usagi-chan. Let me know if you need help finding research material."
"You'll be the first person I call. I have to run. Bye, Ami-chan! Good luck with that pregnancy thing!"
She ran to the check-out counter to purchase the romance guidebook, ignoring Ami's blush as nearby women raised their eyebrows at Usagi's exclamation.
Usagi was amazed. A moment ago she'd been standing on a busy, loud city street filled with cars and bikes and businessmen and air pollution and now she found herself in a private, serene, intoxicating oasis.
The walls of the salon were painted a pale sage green and decorated with choice Monets and Childe Hassams and lined with potted orchids. Piano music hummed languidly on the air and Usagi recognized the faint scent of lavender. A tiny water fountain sat bubbling on the receptionist's desk as Usagi nervously grabbed a brochure.
The woman behind the counter looked up from an appointment book and smiled. "Hello, welcome to Sakura Salon and Day Spa. How can I help you?"
Usagi hesitated, picturing her savings account and the new PlayStation game console she wouldn't be able to afford after today. Sighing, she glanced down at the extensive list in the brochure. "I want the works."
(Five minutes later . . .)
She emerged from the dressing room with the plush white robe tied firmly around her waist. An attendant was waiting outside for her with a glass of lemon water and a schedule in one hand.
"You ready?" the woman asked, noting Usagi's slight discomfort.
The girl nodded and accepted the water.
"Alright, first we're going to have a full-body sea salt exfoliating scrub, followed by a mud bath and seaweed wrap."
Usagi nearly gagged on her water. "Excuse me?"
The woman glanced at her from the corner of her eye and began ushering her down the hallway. "Is anything the matter?"
"Well, no, it's just… I wasn't expecting mud and seaweed to be involved in this beauty regime."
The woman laughed. "Mud is great for pulling impurities and toxins out of your skin and seaweed helps to mineralize your body and hold in moisture."
Realizing that she had no real idea what any of that meant, Usagi faked a weak smile and nodded. "Well, you're the professionals."
Giggling, the woman checked the itinerary. "After that we'll get you all rinsed off and proceed to the waxing room."
"Waxing?"
"Full-body waxing?"
"Full-body waxing?"
"Yes. That… is what you wanted, right?"
"Um. What does that mean, exactly?"
"Well, we place a thin layer of warm wax on your skin followed by a strip of linen. The wax adheres to any hair on your body, which gets removed when we pull off the strip. Unlike shaving, which only cuts hair off at the skin's surface, waxing removes the hair completely from the follicle, leaving you hair-free for up to six weeks."
"Oh. That sounds good. Does it hurt?"
(One hour later . . .)
"Aaaii!" she yelped. "I want to go back to the mud bath!"
The waxing specialist sighed and dropped the linen into a wastebasket. "But now you'll have one hairless strip on your leg. That might look a little odd."
Sniffling, Usagi nodded and leaned back on the cushioned table. "Okay. I can handle this. I've been through worse. Go ahead." She flinched as another strip was removed, but found that it really wasn't as bad as she'd thought it would be.
"It's hard to be beautiful, isn't it?"
"You can say that again. So, what's after this?" she asked, looking for something to take her mind off of the procedure.
"Next will be lunch," said her attendant, who had opted to stay with her throughout the day.
"Ooh, lunch is included in this, too? Great! Do you have—ouch!—burgers?"
The attendant and specialist exchanged glances.
"Um, here we serve light, detoxifying lunches."
Usagi could feel her heart sink and a grumbling in her stomach. "And that would include…?"
"Green tea, fresh fruit, and a spinach salad with a vinaigrette dressing."
Sighing, Usagi turned her attention up to the ceiling, the pain from the hair-removal dulled by her disappointment. "My mouth is watering already," she muttered sarcastically.
"Oh, but we can put honey in your tea!"
"Gee, that's much better."
(Forty-five minutes later . . .)
"Let me guess," Usagi mused, staring at her face in the mirror, "the green stuff detoxifies, nourishes, and moisturizes."
"Precisely."
"And the cucumbers?"
"Will sooth the area around your eyes and reduce swelling and redness."
"If you say so." She leaned back and let them set the green slices over her eyes.
"Now, you need to leave this mask on for thirty minutes, so during that time we're going to get started on your feet and hands. Do you have a preference on color?"
"Um… I'm a big fan of pink."
"Alright. My two favorite shades are Blushing Rose and Pretty in Pink."
Usagi grinned, feeling her skin stretching beneath the green goop. "Blushing Rose. Definitely."
(Twenty minutes later . . .)
"Mm, now this is more like it," Usagi mumbled dreamily as the pedicurist massaged lotion onto her feet and (incredibly smooth) legs.
The woman laughed. "You wanted the same color on your toes as on your nails?"
"Sure, that'd be great."
"Can I ask," said the woman after a moment's hesitation, "why is it you're doing all this? You're already a very pretty girl. Is it just to pamper yourself or is there a special occasion coming up?"
Usagi felt a light blush creeping into her face and she looked down at her beautifully manicured, Blushing Rose nails. "Well, neither, really. It's actually…" She sighed, feeling her heart melting just thinking about Mamoru. "It's actually for this boy…"
(Indeterminable amount of time later . . .)
"…So then he invites me to stay and study with him, knowing that I'm an awful student and probably wouldn't be able to focus, but I could tell he was just trying to help me and boost my confidence. And he was so sweet the whole time. I mean, okay, we weren't actually talking most of the time because he did have to study, and I forced myself to study some, too, but when we were talking, he… Oh, he's just amazing. He had a whole bunch of snack food and he insisted that I wasn't stupid, just needed motivation, and he was right. It was like he really believed in me, and that's not something I can say about a lot of people. Oh! And then when I was leaving he got the most adorable expression on his face, like he was really nervous and shy all the sudden, and said I could come back any time. That I was always welcome. It almost felt like he was asking me out, you know?" Usagi laughed cheerfully, elated tears brimming on her lashes. "He wasn't, of course, but it's just a lovely thought. Oh, and the best part is… so, okay, I asked his best friend what kind of girls he likes, and Motoki (that's his friend) said that he likes girls who are unique and different. So then I asked him, Mamoru, what he thinks makes a girl unique and you know what he said?"
Usagi peered around at the cluster of giddy faces around her: the waxing specialist, the skin care expert, the stylist, the manicurist, the makeup artist, the massage therapist, plus her attendant, a whole bunch of customers-called-guests, and even the owner of the spa, all watching her with love-struck, dreamy expressions.
"He said, 'Odango,' (that's what he calls me—isn't that sweet? I used to hate it but now every time he says it my heart skips), 'Odango, you are the most unique girl I have ever known in my entire life.'"
The women all swooned with one simultaneous sigh.
"He sounds wonderful," the stylist murmured, still holding a pair of scissors in one hand as the woman she'd been working on stood beside her with a head of half-long and half-short hair.
"He is. I can't even begin to describe to you how wonderful he is. He's smart, focused, handsome, sweet, kind, ambitious, polite, charming, witty…"
"Stop, stop," breathed a manicurist, holding up her file in defiance. "I can't take anymore. If you keep this up, I think I'm going to fall in love with him!"
The women all laughed and nodded in agreement and Usagi couldn't help but feel that she'd made an entirely new bunch of friends.
"So, what are you going to do to get him?" asked another guest, her face painted green.
"Well, I tried to be very domestic. You know, do his dishes and bake cookies and show him I'd be a good wife and all that, but it didn't go as well as I'd hoped. He seemed to like the cookies enough, but after that it just seemed to make him nervous. So, this is my plan B. I read in a book this morning about how men are attracted to girls who… um, mimic them, in a way. Not completely copy them, but have similar tastes, because that makes them feel like maybe they'd have something in common with that girl. And Mamoru is always so put together and classy and sophisticated, hence the beauty maintenance. I just need to be irresistibly beautiful and hopefully the next time he sees me, he'll just… you know, fall madly in love." She shrugged, pretending that she had more faith in her plan than she really did.
"Well, he doesn't sound like the kind of guy to base his affections on looks, but it never hurts," the owner proudly announced.
"Amen to that, honey. And you know what, I don't know about the rest of you girls, but I'm treating you to this pedicure. You won't be charged for my services today, dear."
"Or the hair trim."
"Or the makeup artistry!"
Soon, as tears clouded Usagi's vision, she found every spa employee offering their services free of charge, before finally, the owner held up her hands, laughing. "Fine, fine, this girl's visit is on the house! But would you all get back to work before you run me out of the business?"
As the crowd slowly dispersed, Usagi felt a tissue being dabbed on her cheeks. "Now, now, sweetheart, none of that. Your mascara will smudge."
Okay, chapter six is probably my fav chapter of this story, and this is probably my least fav. Eeh... but the next one will be much better and more romantic!