Chapter 9

The three whittled the time away with interesting and varying conversations, never once edging into relationship topic territory. Lily sneakily guided the duo to converse in discussions that caught their mutual preferences, all of which including favourite foods, hobbies, favourite songs and so on. They even occasionally ventured into their opinions over current events, only causing Miku to lose track of time. The girls had gone through multiple beverages when the pinkette reminded the others of the time. It was almost noon, and the film started in two hours.

Miku sighed and placed her empty mug of her fourth tea onto the table in front of her. By now, she knew her mother would be passed out or so drunk she wouldn't even realize or remember her daughter skulking back into the house to make herself presentable.

Luka stood up and stretched her slender arms up and out with a slight pleasant moan as her muscles eased with the movement. Young teal-eyes met the flesh of her stomach, and she felt her stomach flip. Peeling her eyes away was difficult, but she was only forced to when Luka relaxed and her shirt fell.

"I'm going to get ready, Lily, you should to." She advised, knowing her friend would otherwise leave it to last minute. She was the only one dressed, but she'd still find some way to delay the departure. Luka turned to Miku, "We'll come pick you up when you're ready, oka-", "No!" Miku interrupted in a panic, and when she noticed the woman's confused but startled expression, she tried to save the conversation.

"I'll wait outside the apartments when I'm ready!" Having two women, older than her nonetheless, turning up at the house would not end well for Miku. There always was the possibility her mother would notice. Even having the door knock would be enough to rile the drunken woman up.

"Oh... um, okay then... just ring up and I'll let you in. I don't want you waiting outside on your own."

Lily glanced to her friend in concern, but one that was softer than previous times. Luka took note of the look and smiled assuringly, indirectly telling her it was okay. She could practically hear the woman scream 'Slow down!' in her head. It almost made herself chuckle.

Miku pursed her lips, trying to fight the cheesy grin she knew was trying to break out. For a reason unknown to her, those words made her giddy. Maybe it was because it was matched with a protective tone. Unless she was looking for something that wasn't there, something she only wanted to hear, the tealette was assured more-so that Luka felt something for her. Platonic or romantic, she didn't care. Entirely. All she hoped she knew, was that Luka cared, for her.

After a temporary goodbye, each female went to their own quarters to get ready for the afternoon out. Miku did manage to sneak back inside her house, and as predicted, her mother was asleep on the sofa with an empty bottle laid on her chest.

Despite the awful way in which their last encounter ended, the tealette still pitied her. She tip-toed to the sleeping storm and took the bottle from her, placing it quietly on the floor. Her mother slurred in her sleep, causing Miku to flinch, then freeze, waiting for her to lie still before unwrapping a nearby blanket from the closet and pulling it over the woman who still stirred.

Eventually, she had adequately dressed herself and vacated the household, doing as instructed and ringing up for Luka under the button 'Megurine'.

"Hello?" a mechanically hazy yet familiar voice answered the call.

"Um, is this Luka?" the girl asked to ensure it was who it should be, although it was hard to tell over the monitor.

"Oh, Miku! Yes, come up!" she politely instructed and the door beside her slowly slid open automatically. The call cut out and Miku stepped inside.

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"All I'm sayin' is that you should y'know... give her a big fat hint or somethin'." The blonde insisted, pacing the hallway of the pinkette's apartment impatiently as said woman, who was so stern with Lily's timing, was panicking over what to wear to impress their last minute guest.

"Wh-ahh-t!?" Luka heaved, jumping around in an uncharacteristically, undignified manner to pull the black skinny jeans up. When she achieved her goal, she slipped on a blouse similar in colour to her hair. "Just earlier you were telling me to be careful?".

Lily subconsciously imitated her sigh, "I know that," but that was before she knew what Miku's opinion was on this entire girl on girl relationship stuff. Although the girl hadn't given Lily a clear and concise personal review, she knew enough to know that she felt something for her dear friend Luka.

"I just meant maybe you should do this right, if you're gonna ignore my warnings and go ahead and chase her anyway."

"Oh, apologies mother, but I'm a grown woman, I'll do what I like." The pinkette muttered.

Lily rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue, something she was usually on the receiving end of.

There was a knock on the door, and Luka gasped, immediately retreating to the safety of her bedroom walls.

"Oh, I'll get it!" Lily shook her head, resisting the urge to laugh at her friends unusual behaviour.

"Thanks!" the woman cheerily shot back.

Moments later, the pinkette could hear welcoming exchanges between her friend and her... um, other friend from behind her closed bedroom door. She inspected her attire and smoothed out non-existing crinkles. Breathing deeply whilst silently judging herself, she couldn't help but worry over her appearance when she was with Miku. She'd been caught out this morning, so she felt the need to make up for it. Although it was a simple get-together, she hoped to make Miku fawn over her. She wanted to make Miku hers, one way or another. One day at a time, she told herself. In a sense, Lily was right; she was falling too fast. It was how the chemicals in her system made her react when she liked a woman. But what Lily didn't know, is that Luka felt different to the others. It wasn't just lust, it felt like something deeper. Something... real.

When she emerged after minutes of poking and preening herself, she met with a blonde slouching over her couch, and the teal-haired girl sitting politely and awkwardly on the edge of her sofa. She noted the stiff way in which she sat, unlike the more relaxed way she behaved at Lily's apartment. The pinkette hoped she could get Miku like that around her soon, and her inner voice assured her it was simply because she knew Lily a lot longer, nothing more.

"Are you ready yet?" Lily interrupted just as Luka opened her mouth to naturally compliment her interest in her choice of clothes, or hair, or her eyes, anything really. She liked everything she could see.

"Uh, hello!?"

"Oh!" Luka jumped, dragging her eyes from a blushing Miku to her friend, "Yes! Yes I'm ready!". The tealette tried not to giggle, seeing a cute, distracted side of the normally composed woman was awfully nice. Lily had told her she wasn't always so refined, so it was nice to see first-hand with her own eyes.

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The short distance from Luka's apartment to her car in the parking lot a few flights was a little awkward, to only Luka's and Miku's surprise. Lily, at the entire last minute, had pulled out because she was feeling 'sick'. But Luka knew far better.

When they sat in the car, Luka started the engine whilst Miku buckled herself beside her, but the seatbelt was jammed. Each time she pulled, the more it stubbornly refused to release. Each tug and the shorter it infuriatingly became. Luka watched in amused silence before a confused and slightly embarrassed Miku stopped trying and looked to her friend pleadingly. No words were needed when the older woman tilted her head adoringly at the girls frustration. She leaned over Miku, who pushed herself as far back into the seat as possible. Whilst the pinkette aided her, Miku's head was growing light and dizzy.

She smells so good... she's so close... All such thoughts washed over her as the woman made little to no proximity between them. Miku's eyes followed the dangling of the silver necklace, hovering freely above her chest, and just past the jewellery, was the soft looking flesh of her breasts that were in fact respectably covered, yet revealed enough through a low buttoned blouse. The tealette inhaled a shaky breath, she felt the warmth emanating from Luka, smelt her perfume, felt every little movement, bit her lip at every little bit of skin she visually ate up. When she deed was done, Luka ensured she 'accidentally' brushed the girl with her body as she pulled away, barely managing to catch a faint and delicious squeak.

"There we go, all buckled." She chimed and locked her own, gripping the wheel.

Miku looked flushed, and sat rigid, clutching the edge of her seat with both hands.

Luka grinned, grateful she knew she clearly had some form of an effect of her companion.

"So, decided what you want to watch yet?"

Continued in Chapter 10