femslash feb 2022 prompt 2: vacation.
A Dollar Store Romance Novel
The beach was as peaceful as she expected. Yukari dug her toes into the warm sand while she rested on her towel. She observed the crystal clear water where her students played, listening to other tourists and the waves lapping against the golden shore. She breathed in the scent of sea salt and yawned, nestling her head into her crossed arms and slowly stretching her legs behind her.
Next to her was Minamo. She was reading one of her many romance novels. Glancing at the cover, Yukari wrinkled her nose. A chiseled sailor, bathed in the moonlight illuminating the boats behind him, embraced a woman dressed in silk threads who couldn't take her eyes off of him.
"So, as an English teacher, I can tell how trashy that novel probably is based on the cover alone," she remarked, snickering as Tomo served a volleyball into Yomi.
Minamo did not look at her, but the corner of her mouth twitched. "Well, so what? I can't remember the last time I saw you reading anything that isn't the comics in the school newspaper."
While Yomi tried hitting Tomo back, Yukari grimaced and gritted her teeth. She supposed she had walked into that jab. "They're more highbrow than your crappy trite. What is he saying right now? I bet it's something like, 'My darling, I've returned to steal you away. We'll sail across the Pacific and make the world our oyster.'"
Silence stretched between them. Yukari surreptitiously rolled onto her side, propping her head up with her hand. She narrowed her eyes and waited for Minamo's answer. And when she didn't, her face beginning to burn, Yukari's lips stretched in a wide sneer.
She pounced, snatching Minamo's toned thigh. "No way! Did I hit the nail on the head?"
Minamo pulled away, keeping the book out of Yukari's prying hands. She grabbed Yukari's forehead and shoved her back, growling as Yukari struggled to maintain her footing in the sand. They swatted at each other, appearing like bickering children to the onlookers and their students, who ceased their volleyball game to watch them fight.
Minamo quickly gained the upper hand. She smacked Yukari on top of her head with the spine of the novel. The shock of the blow forced Yukari to stop altogether, cradling her aching noggin as tears brimmed in the corners of her eyes.
"Don't give me that look. You brought this on yourself," Minamo snapped.
"Jeez, that brought me right back to high school! You always hit me with your textbook whenever I asked to copy your math homework," Yukari whined, massaging her scalp. She huffed and crossed her arms, surveying the scenic beach and glaring at anyone who came within her vision. Many avoided her gaze, and she triumphed, delighting in their fear, lifting her nose in the air as Minamo groaned.
She folded the corner of the page. "Anyway, even if you're an English teacher, I don't see why you're interested in my preferred literature. I seem to recall you saying something about killing a prince on a white horse if he tried taking you away."
Clicking her tongue, Yukari flopped onto her stomach. "Yeah, well, romance novels are cheap. They're not realistic at all."
"And that's why they're fictional."
Snorting at Minamo's smug tone, she listed the reasons in her head why they were foolish. The plot twists were easily digestible and mundane, most of them involving jilted lovers. The prose was purple to the point where wisterias paled in comparison. And she didn't want to get started on the overly dramatic metaphors sequestered within paragraphs upon paragraphs of awkwardly elegant dialogue.
Instead, Yukari dragged her fingers through the sand, muttering, "I get enough fantasy out of Playstation games. I don't need a romance novelist's unreliable perspective."
Minamo didn't immediately reply. Yukari felt her gaze crawling along her back, and she ignored her. She distracted herself with the antics of her students. They were in the middle of their match, Sakaki and Kagura hitting the volleyball back and forth over the net, seemingly unaware of the presence of their friends. Tomo screamed as Yomi dashed after her with another volleyball. At some point, Osaka had fallen asleep in the middle of the court, Chiyo-chan and Kaorin struggling to drag her to safety.
Amidst the chaos, the scent of the waves soothed her. Yukari let her mind wander. She had never been the one picked for dates when she was their age. She was either too boisterous or combative for the boys to be interested in her. In college, she had been on dates with classmates, but no one impressed her. There was no excitement, no connection, and no love. It had become tedious to the point of repetition where Yukari accurately guessed what her date would say next. (In one case, after promising that his credit card wouldn't decline, one man asked her to pay the bill despite knowing she was struggling financially. She happily and tearfully splashed her ice-cold wine in his face.)
Romance was nothing like what the novelists promised. Even if a handsome, filthy rich heir came up to her in a carriage bedazzled with rare jewels, she might have truly killed him. Then, she would have skipped town and flown across the world to start over. If anything, it would have made her mother cease nagging her for sleeping in until noon.
The novel fell to Yukari's side. She caught it in her peripheral vision and glanced at Minamo. Their gazes met, neither saying a word. Still maintaining eye contact, Minamo lay flat on her stomach, too, and Yukari felt the warm bristle of her skin against her.
Lowering her voice, Minamo asked, "Hey, do you want to go somewhere together? Just the two of us. No students."
She made a noncommittal grunt. "Wha-? Us?"
"Yeah. Us." Minamo rested her hand next to Yukari's, their pinky fingers brushing together. "Maybe somewhere quiet in town will do us both some good."
Yukari wasn't able to comprehend her words. Her breath remained caught in her chest, and she forced it out with a hushed, "Why?"
Minamo winced. She broke away. She licked her lips and fidgeted with the strap of her bikini, Yukari taking in her every movement. "Why not? Um, unless, of course, you think we have to supervise the girls. They can be trouble when left unattended."
"Hell no," Yukari blurted with a quick shake of her head. "They're fun, but we can't even get sloshed around them." She smirked. "Not since your incident, of course."
Heat colored Minamo's face a dark, glaring red. "Shut up. That was to keep you in line."
"And will taking me out to dinner keep me in line, Nyamo?"
She wasn't sure why that line escaped her. It was something akin to the romance novels she loathed. She clapped her hand over her mouth, her complexion turning a shade brighter than Minamo's face, who sneered at her longest friend.
Minamo stood up. Yukari watched her long, strong limbs as she reached her full height. And she quickly shook her head, unsure of why she had liked the tan on Minamo's skin or how the sun hit her face at the right angle.
Offering her hand, she said, "Come on. Let's go get some juice for the girls."
Clicking her tongue, Yukari snatched her hand and felt Minamo's strength as she heaved her to her feet. "Yeah, yeah, we'll finish up our babysitting job and head out when they're sleeping. Maybe some socializing with other adults will do me some good," she said, shrugging, "or just talking to you without those girls eavesdropping every second."
Nudging her novel onto their towel, Minamo chuckled. "It'll do us both a lot good."
Yukari giggled and followed Minamo over to the girls. As Minamo asked to know what kind of drinks they wanted, Yukari didn't release her hand until it was pointed out by Tomo.
