She Comes And Goes As She Pleases (Part 38)
by BrDPirateMan
The whole world was a fuzzy mess looking at it through droopy eyelids. Five more minutes… I didn't want to get up just yet.
As the grogginess subsided and my surroundings gelled into identifiable shapes, I realized I couldn't get up even if I wanted to.
Eri had invaded my bed again. Must have done it last night, the little imp. She was clinging onto me like I was a bolster. Her arms and legs had snaked around my body completely, leaving me no leeway for movement. The worst part was, every one of my limbs was asleep. I was trapped. The only thing I could move was my neck, but that's not going to aid me in my escape.
I gently wriggled this way and that to wake her up and get her attention.
"Eri," I whispered. "Hey, get up already."
Nothing. She stirred a little but her grip remained strong. And she was still blissfully asleep.
"Mmm, no you mustn't," she mumbled with a goofy smile. "That's my weak spot, Neku. Hee hee hee…"
Wh-What kind of dream was she having about me?! I renewed my efforts to shake her loose.
"Seriously," I said, a little louder. "Wake up! Rise and shine and all that stuff!"
The sleeping beauty finally roused awake. With great reluctance she pried her eyes half open and gave me a sloppy morning greeting.
"G'morning, Neku…"
"Who're you talking to? That's the bedside table."
"Oh, okay. Good night."
Then she promptly dozed off again. This was going to be a long start to the morning…
I struggled anew, trying to will my limbs to move. It was no use.
"Hey! C'mon!"
Damn, how should I do this? Oh hang on, how about…
"Eri, I hear that clothes are currently selling at half off at the boutique down the road – "
Suddenly she jumped and sat up, ramrod straight. I was free and the feeling started to return to my arms and legs. That's Eri for you – a total shopaholic and sale-chaser. The whole thing was stupid, but hey, if it worked then whatever. Unfortunately, there was one thing I didn't take into account.
She was still half-asleep. Meaning she had no idea what was actually happening or what she was even saying or doing.
"Sale!" she shrilled, bouncing off the bed.
She grabbed my hand and hoisted me to my feet. Gah! My feet haven't recovered yet from the pins and needles! My nerves registered only one feeling: pain. My legs almost crumpled like a pack of cards. But nothing's going to stop her, no… She kept charging like a rhino out of the bedroom, dragging me along. I nearly yelped in shock when she lurched towards the front door. Sure, she still wasn't fully awake, but was she seriously going to go out in the state she was in?!
"No time like the present, Neku! We've got discounts to take advantage of. Chop chop!"
"No, stop, stop! You're not even dressed yet!"
XOXOXOXOXO
Eri was miffed.
"To think I trusted you," she grumbled. "I never thought you'd stoop so low."
"Sorry," I half-laughed sheepishly. "It's the only way I could think of to get you to wake up."
My excuse was met with a sharp glare. I swallowed hard. I wasn't off the hook yet.
"You could have chosen a different course of action. Something a little less… cunning."
"Eri, I tried everything. To no avail."
"But still!" she snapped. "Luring me with false promises of great discounts… How could you even think of such a thing?!"
"Is… Is it that bad?"
"Of course! They're not selling half off; the discount's at a measly 10%! And what's more, it's only on tacky singlets from J of the M! That's nothing to write home about."
That's what you're mad about, Eri? Well, whatever…
What a crazy start to the morning, eh? And it's only the second day since we moved in.
We're still sorting things out and trying to reset our biological clocks in this strange new environment. Not even our cutlery and kitchenware had been unpacked. That totally slipped our minds somehow or other, and takeaway made up the majority of yesterday's meals. That and instant noodles. With so much to do and even more to get used to, we didn't feel like cooking at all. That should change in a day or two though, once things had settled down.
The day began with unpacking, which was a solitary affair. At first, we offered to help each other out, but the thing is, each of us had very different belongings. Only I knew best what to do with my stuff, and the same went for Eri. It didn't help that she was very fussy about me not jumbling up her clothes, which she had apparently taken pains to categorize. We tried to coordinate our efforts but it ended up taking more time and effort than it should and we quickly dropped the idea of cooperation. Long story short, she minded her stuff and I mine.
So now I was alone in my bedroom putting my stuff in the right places. I had worked up a good pace and to my delight everything was practically done by mid-morning with only one box left to go.
"Guess my comics should be in this one."
Like clockwork I sliced along the tape that held the box closed. What didn't go like clockwork, however, was the contents. All of my comics, including my sixty-seven treasured volumes of Petalchaser Chronicles, had turned into a wide assortment of lingerie. For one second I thought I was the victim of a bad joke.
Okay, so I took one of Eri's boxes by mistake… Big deal. I'll just return it… after I… um, after I…
Ooh… So she wears bras like that too. Interesting. I wonder what other kinds of –
What the heck was I doing?! I shouldn't be looking through other people's things, and their private things even less so!
Then came a knock on the door. I nearly jumped out of my skin and instinctively closed the lid on the box.
"Neku?" called Eri through the door. "Sorry, but I accidentally took your Petalchaser Testicles comics."
"For the last time," I huffed, "it's Petalchaser Chronicles!"
"Uh-huh, what you said. Um… is my box of underwear with you, by any chance?"
"Y-Yeah, good guess. Come on in."
Eri helped herself in while I took my box inside.
"So this is how you've decked out your lair," she gushed, surveying my room from top to bottom. "There's something about its spartan simplicity that I find endearing."
"Really? Uh… thanks?"
"It's missing something, though. Can't quite put my finger on it… Ah! I've got it! What you need is a nice big poster of The Prince to complete the picture. I got a spare one and it's, like, jumbo XXL size."
"I am not sticking that on my wall. No way."
I made a face in disgust while she tittered like a bird. She knew the flamboyant – oftentimes obnoxious – J-pop singer was one of my pet peeves.
"Can I sit on your bed, Neku?"
"Sure, make yourself at home – uh, wait, you already are at home…"
"Ha ha ha! I'm not a guest anymore, I'm officially a roommate since yesterday. Better start remembering!"
I sat next to her on the bed. "I didn't mean anything bad by that. But yes, I'll have to change the way I do things from now on."
"Like leaving the toilet seat down, for starters," she said bluntly. "You didn't do that the last time and when I next used it in a hurry I got quite wet. Been meaning to tell you, by the way."
My whole body went rigid when I heard that last bit. Something stirred within me, something strange, something I usually wouldn't feel even when my imagination was at its wildest. It made me put forward an equally strange request.
"C-Could you say that again?"
"You left the toilet seat up, Neku. You ought to – "
"No, not that. The part after that."
"You mean when I got wet? Well, yeah, it's no thanks to you that I had to – "
"Hold up. Say that one more time."
"I, uh, got wet?"
"Yeah, one more time."
"I got… wet. Look, what's the point of – "
"Once more. Final time, I promise."
Eri scrunched up her brows in confusion, oblivious to the hidden meaning of her own words. Double entendres were dangerous like that. You either knew it, or you didn't.
Nonetheless, she complied. "I got wet. Happy now?"
"Yes, thank you. That's very good."
"No it isn't," she protested. "What part is good about getting your butt stuck in the toilet seat? You sure have some weird ideas in that head of yours. Anyway, don't do that again!" Then she poked me in the forehead lightly.
Sorry, Eri… I was just tapping into my perverted side. I hardly go there but this time I couldn't stop myself…
We chatted a little more before I helped to carry her box back to her room. She took this as her grand opportunity to show it off as the masterpiece of interior design that she made it out to be.
There was only one word to describe it.
Chaos.
All aspiring fashion designers must have some kind of odd streak in their blood, I suppose. If you asked me what a headache looked like, her room would be it.
Pasted onto all four walls was a multitude of posters of famous singers both local and foreign. So many were crammed in until there was barely anything left of the walls showing through, raising the question of whether there was any need to repaint at all. To my extreme chagrin, The Prince's face assumed complete domination in the form of that aforementioned XXL-sized poster. It was the black sheep I'd rather see burnt to a crisp.
Eri pestered me for feedback. "Well? Well? Whatcha think of my décor?"
"It's nice, but just for that poster of The Prince I'm going to have to deduct 40 points."
"40 points just for that?!" she laughed. "You really have an axe to grind with him, don't you?"
"The maximum number of points is 50, by the way."
"Just how big is that axe of yours, Neku? Ha ha ha!"
Her desk was the sole area of her room that was blissfully devoid of showbiz. There was her class timetable and a general schedule as well as the odd sticky note here and there. Just when my eyes were about to finally take some refuge from the clutter, I caught sight of this particular note:
9.15 pm: ambush Neku; clothing optional
It's a weird feeling, knowing of your impending nosebleed doom at the hands of someone right next to you.
"Eri, do you actually keep a schedule for your pranks?"
She brushed off the weird look I was giving her. "What can I say, I'm a busy woman. Busy busy busy!"
"You're a real handful."
With that trademark hand motion of hers and a giggle to match, she waved off that last jibe and the jokes were put on hold. She flopped onto the bed, not caring about daintiness at all, inviting me with a couple of slaps to the mattress to join her. Meekly, I perched on the edge. However, she just yanked my arm and pulled me down to lie side by side. I found myself almost on top of her.
"Wow," I blurted for no reason, "y-you smell like peaches."
"I used peach-scented soap," she revealed with a wide smile. "Like it?"
"Y-Yeah. It… It smells nice on you."
I braced myself for what might have been the inevitable follow-up of her hugging my head into her bosom and me nearly dying of oxygen deprivation, but she didn't do it.
"Just for your information," she growled, "I'm still holding a grudge against you for pulling that trick on me this morning."
"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, huh? Or something like that."
"Whatever. I'm mad at you, you know." Her face flashed with mock anger. "Still, as much as I want to curse you with the insomnia of a thousand sleepless nights, I think I'll be generous for once and give you a chance to repent."
These conversations of ours were enjoyable. We'd try to out-tease one another; despite the fact that I almost never won, I never backed out of them either. It was just too much fun.
"Sure. Name it, Eri."
The fake frown melted away into a smile.
"Wrestle me," she sniggered. "I'll forgive you if you win."
"Huh?"
Without warning, she plunged her hands straight into my abdomen. My entire body convulsed uncontrollably. There was nothing I could do to help myself. Like a beetle that had been flipped onto its back, I was powerless. Reduced to a spasming wreck. And laughing like an idiot.
"Getting ticklish, eh?" she cried out. "I knew you had a weak spot!"
Ravaged by her relentless fingers, I tried to get back my comfort zone by pushing her away, but it's not easy when you're laughing and your muscles are rendered totally useless.
Amidst the confusion, I made a big mistake. My flailing arms afforded her another opening she wasted no time in taking advantage of. The moment my arms were thrown wide open, she attacked my armpits with a vengeance and now it was even worse than before. My laughter could destroy a skyscraper.
"You're not gonna win if you keep this up!" she taunted. "How about you try fighting back?"
Her hands were like spiders, skittering all over my body. I couldn't even make a retort. I had one ace up my sleeve, though…
"Hee hee… How do you like this, Neku?"
Summoning all of my remaining strength, I yelled:
"Big sale! Get hot stuff at 60% discount! Two days left!"
Eri perked up immediately, just as I expected. "60% off? Two days left?! Oh my g– wait a minute… that's not – !"
She didn't take long to realize it was all a trick, but those two or three seconds were all I needed to launch a counterattack. With an almighty war cry, I reached up to grab her in a bear hug, then spun round swiftly so that our positions were switched. Eri lay beneath me now, eyes wide open as she remained stunned from my little stunt. With her body trapped in my embrace, I had all the time to sneer at her. It's time for a little payback.
When she recovered, she grumbled, "You used that trick again, Neku."
"And you always fall for it. That's your weak spot."
"I've still got some kick left in me!"
Try as she might, though, she couldn't squirm out of my grasp. I was stronger than her. There were one or two times when she almost slipped away but I always managed to maintain a firm grip. Eventually, she knew she was out for the count for this fight and gave up.
"Alright, you win."
"Wow, Eri, you're actually admitting defeat for once? That's rare. Should I record this moment on video?"
"I'd rather you get off of me instead. You're… heavy."
"Oh… sorry."
I loosened my arms, slipping them out from underneath her. To lessen the burden of my weight on her, I propped myself up on my elbows.
"Neku? You're still not getting off."
"Y-Yeah, I… I know."
Disheveled from our wrestling match, Eri was a total mess. Her hair looked like it had been swept up in a typhoon. The flimsy spaghetti top she was wearing had ridden up until her belly was partially exposed, and both straps had slipped off her shoulders, cleavage threatening to spill out for the world to see. Yes, she needed grooming badly. But for now, she could stay like this a little longer…
As my gaze continued to drink in her messy beauty, she too started to lose herself in the moment.
"Neku?" she squeaked, slightly more urgently. "Um… hello?"
"S-Sorry… I'm… uh…"
Almost unknowingly, I drew my face closer and closer and it was only when we were a mere inch apart that I saw what I was doing. Surprised by my own audacity, I gave myself pause but was too deep in my trance to fully wake up. If this was a dream, then this was the best damn one I ever had.
But it wasn't a dream. And that made it a whole lot better.
She looked like she was game for a spot of impromptu romance too… and her next words confirmed my suspicions.
"If you're not gonna get off," she said quietly, "then you might as well make it a good one."
When her eyes fluttered closed, I knew that was my green light to go. Don't want to disappoint the lady now, do I?
Her lips were soft and tender and tasted like lemons. The scent of peach soap on her body lingered in my nostrils.
This was heaven.
I was so engrossed in our little world that I lost track of time. In fact, if it wasn't for Eri gently breaking the kiss on her own, I'd have kept at it for hours.
"Neku," she breathed with a giddy grin, "I hate to stop our fun, but there are still things that need doing."
"R-Right. Um, sorry!"
Suddenly I felt embarrassed over my actions and leapt away from her. Did I just do that? And for so long too! On the other hand, she was unfazed by the whole experience and took her time smoothing out her hair and clothes before speaking to me.
"One of the benefits of living together, I suppose," she observed. "Kinda like 24-hour pizza delivery, but with making out instead of pizza. You can order a big one anytime you like."
"Sorry, I just kinda sprung this on you all of a sudden. I didn't mean anything bad by – "
"That's the second time you said that and it's not even 10 am. Stop apologizing so much! It's not like I hate it. You don't have bad breath either."
"Oh… uh, good to know on both counts."
"And you're a great kisser." Her fingers reached up to her lips, touching them briefly.
"Y-You're no slouch either. Well then, I… I gotta get back to work!"
In a vain attempt to hide my reddening face, I made a dash for the door, but she was up on her feet even quicker and grasped my hand, preventing me from leaving. When I glanced back at her, I was surprised to see her smiling with her cheeks ablaze.
"Hey, um… could you try and be like that more often?"
"Huh? B-Be like what?"
"You know, aggressive. Like just now! I kinda liked it… and, well, I don't want to be the only one to do the jumping."
Hmmm… if we both were cool with it…
"Sure," I said at last, "count on it."
That's what she wanted to hear and she rewarded me with a quick kiss. That didn't go badly at all… In fact, if she's as ready for spontaneous fun times as I was, then things could get really interesting from now on!
Now to turn my attention to my second love: my stash of comics. There was a gap on the shelves where they could sit nicely and I wanted them in there now to complete the picture of the perfect lair.
I opened the last box, expecting nothing out of the ordinary, and, well…
My comics were all there, but so was a single pair of panties. A jet black number with lace trimmings and a tiny ribbon, sitting right on top of my Petalchaser Chronicles issues like the cherry on a sundae.
I don't remember wearing underpants like that.
So I showed up at her doorstep again, dangling the mystery item in my fingers.
"Hey Eri, you forgot this."
She took one glance and started giggling. Ah well, that's proof that this was another one of her jokes. She always did like to make me the butt of her pranks.
That's why I totally didn't expect what she had to say next.
"I didn't forget," she admitted slyly. "I left it there for you."
Stupidly, I asked, "Uh… why?"
"Well, since we're so close, I thought I'd give you a… present."
It's nice that she was at total comfort by my side and vice versa, but I wasn't aware if there was such a point in any relationship where you could give presents of the sexy kind to your partner. Then again, normal relationship ours was not, so… yeah.
My eyes darted from her to the panties in my hand and back to her again. Never in my life had I received anything like this, so I was stuck. I mean, was this even legal? There was no mention of this in the manual!
"It's clean, mind you," she continued. "All you'll smell is the fragrance of detergent, so don't even try."
"…I'm not even going there, Eri. Just… no."
"You can have it; it's yours now. Heck, why not keep it in your wallet while you're at it. Anytime you feel lonely, you could always, you know, take a whiff. Hee hee."
"Stop it, Eri. That's not even my cup of tea. But since you gave this to me, I'll graciously accept, weird gift idea notwithstanding – "
"Neku?"
"What is it now?"
Unable to stop chuckling now, she pointed at what I was doing with the panties. To my horror I saw that my wallet was open in one hand and I was about to stuff them inside. I must have done it subconsciously!
"Dammit!" I spluttered. "You made me do this! You… I… My hands, they just… I-It's your fault!"
But my accusations fell on deaf ears. She was too busy doubled over laughing and slapping the floor like a maniac.
XOXOXOXOXO
Eri scanned the living room with a searching eye. Then she proclaimed:
"Our apartment is missing something."
"No giant pop star posters, please."
"Relax, I'm aware of my boundaries. Now, don't get me wrong. I love our new home. But there's a je ne sais quoi it so desperately needs."
"Like what?"
"I don't know, but… don't you think we could use a little greenery here?"
"Greenery? As in plants? That's not a bad idea, but I don't think we should get one that's too much of a hassle to take care of. We're not gonna settle for a banana tree, for instance."
"The florist's is nearby, isn't it? I'm sure they've got something that's right up our alley. Let's take a look?"
We'd finished unpacking and it was a nice day out. There was no reason not to.
We were spoilt for choice at the florist's. Eri was awestruck at every turn, but because of her short attention span, she would get distracted so often by the bouquets of flowers on sale, and then I'd have to drag her back to the potted plants section.
"Best we pick something small," I said. "Something that doesn't take up too much space. And it shouldn't need too much minding. What I'm really looking for is a hardy type of plant."
"That's a heck of a lot of criteria to tick off of the checklist. Luckily for you, I may have found a winner."
She directed me towards this one fellow sitting almost unnoticed amongst the flowers and other plants. Her choice surprised me. I thought she was going to go for something more lively and colourful, but…
"A cactus?" I quizzed. "Why a cactus? Are you really okay with that?"
"Sure. I think it reflects you as a person aptly."
"How so?"
The naivety of my question amused her but she had a thoughtful answer. "You come across as prickly and impatient at first, so that might put some people off. It's a little difficult for you to fit in with the others, but you're the survivalist type of guy who wouldn't ever give up. Once we take a look at you on the inside, you turn out to be a real softie. An incredibly good and warm person beneath all the spikiness. Just like the cactus!"
That's how she saw me… I knew that, of course. It's just nice to be reminded once in a while that she loved me for who I was.
"The spikiness," she added, "applies to your hair too, by the way."
"Heh. I guess I'm kinda like a cactus after all… in more ways than one."
"So whatcha think? Shall we get it?"
The cactus was stout and shaped like a pincushion. Looking at it, it's hard not to be taken in by how adorable it was. And something about it being the only one of its kind amidst a sea of much more vibrant flowers made me empathize with its loneliness. I wanted to take it home with me.
"Well, when you say you're right, Eri… you're right. Let's get it."
The florist's assistant came over to serve us. "Is there anything I can get for you?"
Eri giggled, "Dibs on Mr Spiny!"
"Um… I beg your pardon?"
I gave the flummoxed assistant a translation for Eri's poor choice of words. "We'd like the cactus, please."
"Ah! I see."
The assistant gingerly picked the cactus from the shelf, and I fancied it must be whooping in celebration over being bought at long last after what must be weeks of ignorance and a bad case of judging the book by its cover.
Meanwhile I turned to Eri. "Giving it a name already? I see you're taking a page from our friend Shiki."
"When you're around someone who calls her plushy Mr Mew for long enough, her naming habit rubs off on you."
"I'm not sure 'Mr Mew' is a fitting name for a stuffed pig."
"Careful," she laughed. "She'll sit on you."
Our household now numbered three. There's Eri, myself… and Mr Spiny, who loved to chill on the window sill.
XOXOXOXOXO
I was so used to staying on my own that I wasn't exactly prepared to accommodate the many peculiarities that came with living with a girl. And we're talking about a very peculiar girl indeed.
Over the years I more or less got the gist of her strange behaviour, but that was just the tip of the iceberg – she had habits and tendencies that she displayed only in the comfort of her own home. And now that she was home, well… I got to see everything she had to offer, got to see all the little secrets I never knew she had.
Now, what I'm going to relate wouldn't sound important, but – for me, anyway – it was still a nice tidbit of information worth knowing.
One night very shortly after we moved in, I was deep in the middle of an assignment. It was difficult and my head hurt from thinking too much. Yet I couldn't afford to take a break; the deadline was in a couple of days and there still was a lot to cover.
Still, I had been marinating for too long in my room and enough was enough. I'll just pop by Eri's room for a quick tête-à-tête.
Our rooms were separated by a short hallway, with the doors facing directly opposite to each other. So if either of us wanted to visit the other, we were literally two steps away. Tonight I took those two steps out of my room and was in front of her door.
"Come in!" she called. "Don't worry, I'm only half naked this time."
"Oh? Which part of you is decent? Top or bottom?"
"Top."
"Got underwear on?"
"Yup."
"Okay, good to know I wouldn't bleed to death tonight."
"Can't guarantee that, Neku," she giggled. "I'm dressed pretty hot tonight."
"I'll take my chances. I'm coming in."
To the uninitiated, again I say, don't think too much about it. This was just part and parcel of our daily interactions. Although our teasing may get out of hand, nothing was ever spoken in ill of each other. This was a relationship where the abnormal was normal.
I helped myself in but froze in mid-stride when I saw her.
It's not that she wasn't wearing any pants that got my attention. Or even the cute pink panties sitting so low on her hips.
No, it was something else I never imagined would be there.
Eri's head was cocked to side in puzzlement after seeing me stay stock still for so long. "Neku? Something the matter?"
I fought hard to find my voice. "Um… did you always wear glasses?"
She hefted her glasses up the bridge of her nose a bit. "Ah, I guess you've never seen me like this before. But yes, I do wear specs. I just don't wear them when I go out. My eyesight's not so bad that I need them all the time."
"Didn't know you were myopic."
"My vision's only 20/25," she huffed. "But I do need them if I have to read or work on my assignments for an extended period of time. My eyes hurt if I don't."
"How many fingers am I holding up?"
"Oh, stop it," she laughed, tossing a cushion at my face with stunning accuracy. "I'm not like Shiki. And for the record, it's three fingers."
"Wrong," I informed smilingly. "It's four. I was hiding one more behind my back."
"What?" she gasped, pretending to be outraged. "You total conman! How dare you!" Then she threw the other cushion at me. I caught it this time, laughing.
"That aside, thanks for the treat."
"What treat?"
I scratched my cheek, suddenly feeling bashful. "Those glasses of yours. You, um… you look awfully cute with them."
Eri blinked at me curiously, not knowing what to say to that at first. But she took the compliment well and even replied with a snarky remark.
"So I'm only cute because of my glasses?"
"Huh? No, of course not… I think you're cute the way you are."
"Oh, I see. I'm cute but my glasses aren't, so when I wear them I'm not cute."
"What? Uh, no… I never said that either. You look great with or without them."
"Aha!" She jabbed a finger at me. "I knew it. You have a thing for girls with glasses!"
I clutched my forehead, pretending to have a headache. "…This conversation just went off on a tangent, Eri. How do I make you stop?"
"Hmmm, I know of one way…"
Being the tease she was, she need only cross her lovely gams seductively and give me a wink to send me a message I was quick to decipher: "Come here."
So that's exactly what I did, grinning wider in anticipation with each step.
She laid back in her chair, head tilted upwards to face mine directly as I bent down to her level. I rested both hands on the armrests of her chair, trapping her in. Up close I could see her bespectacled face in all its nerdy chic glory.
"You know," she whispered, "glasses aren't all that great. There's one major disadvantage to wearing them."
"And what's that?"
"They get in the way."
And to prove her point, she had to take them off before we kissed. Presumably so they wouldn't get smudged.
We didn't take too long this time round but it was still fun nonetheless.
"Thanks, Neku," she said with a satisfied sigh. "I needed that."
"Me too."
That was a remarkably effective pick-me-up. Plus I got to learn something new about her.
The image of her bespectacled form in a T-shirt and little else kept me going strong for the rest of the night as I continued to work on my assignment. One of life's simple pleasures, you know?
XOXOXOXOXO
Everything that I just talked about was but a taste of our new lives in Unit 5-D.
Aside from the new environment and the fun discoveries that came with it, everything stayed largely the same. We still waited for the same bus together to go to college. Saturdays were still reserved for cooking lessons and Sundays for swimming. I could always count on her to drag me along with her on her many shopping adventures. And I'd get really embarrassed without fail whenever we were in a lingerie store and she asked me point-blank, right in the middle of public, what kind of bra would look great on her.
I personally didn't mind having more of the same; it's what we liked and we moved here to make sure we had exactly that: our own eclectic mix of fun and flirting.
Sure, so far I've been painting a positive picture of cohabitation, but I know nothing's completely rosy and neither was our relationship. I could foresee a lot of challenges ahead of us. We're individual people with our own ideas and beliefs, and we might get into a few scrapes with each other here and again because of how our views might clash, but hopefully it wouldn't be anything serious. We just had to keep an open mind.
As it stands right now, though, this was paradise. I count my blessings every day.
"Oi, Neku," groaned Eri, "are you gonna play or what?"
Alright, been rambling long enough already. I'll stop. You get the idea anyway.
"Earth to Neku! We're playing a game here, if you can recall. A high-risk, no holds barred one!"
"This is just not my day," I grunted. "Remind me how you managed to rope me into this?"
"You lost the bet, simple as that." Ooh, I hate it when she gloats. "Now stop whining and toss the dice already. This is turning out to be quite the battle!"
"You have a lot of time on your hands, Eri."
"Ha!"
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to try and get myself out of a game of strip Snakes and Ladders and win my modesty back. Here goes nothing.
The dice rolled forth. I prayed. Anything but a four, anything but a four, anything but a –
"Four!" laughed Eri. "That makes this the fifth snake that got you today! Now, strip! You can only delay your inevitable fate for so long!"
…Damn.