FIFTY-SIX
Monday morning begins bright and early—a bit too early for her taste, but it's a sacrifice she has to make if she wants to get to the school on time.
She rolls over, dangling her arm over the edge of the bed, but immediately finds her arm in a squashed position. She groans; she keeps forgetting that this is a tatami bed, significantly lower than the bed they had back at the apartment.
At any rate, she's fully awake now, so she gets up reluctantly.
On the other side of the sliding doors, Tsubasa asks, "Maria? Are you awake yet? Breakfast is ready."
"Um. Give me a moment," she says, rubbing sleep from her eyes. She can see the faint silhouette of her wife moving around the bedroom, and she hears drawers close.
Tsubasa pokes her head into their inner bedroom, asking, "Have you seen a manila folder marked 'Business' anywhere?"
"You mean the one you've been insisting that I don't look at because you want your new job to be a surprise?" she clarifies, moving past Tsubasa to get herself ready for the day. "It's in your pants drawer—didn't you see it this morning?"
Tsubasa frowns, returns to the drawers, and, sure enough, there is her business folder. "Oh," she shakes her head, "I must have overlooked it in the dark. Thank you, dear." She kisses Maria's cheek before exiting the bedroom once again.
Maria gets herself ready in less time than usual—it must be her giddy anticipation that has her moving quickly.
Eating together at the small kitchen table instead of in the adjoining dining room, they discuss their commute.
"Well, we do still have time if you want to make a brief stop at where I work, but I insist you wait until you return. I do not want you to feel rushed; with an unfamiliar commute, it is better to be safe than sorry, you know," Tsubasa says, tracing the path Maria has drawn on a paper map.
"You have a point," Maria sighs. "Okay, so you'll drop me off at the village station, then I'll take the train to the city; when I come back, I'll meet you at your place and we'll go home together?"
Tsubasa nods.
"Alrighty then! Now that you mention it, though, I really hope I don't get lost."
Getting up, patting Maria's head as she passes, Tsubasa says, "Don't fret."
"Well that makes me feel better, darling," Maria grumbles, and Tsubasa smirks.
"I'll be a few minutes, which should give you enough time to get your hair in control."
Indignant, Maria splutters, "Hey!"
She can hear Tsubasa laughing down the hall.
When she joins Tsubasa in their bathroom, she makes it a point to mutter, "My hair's not that bad."
"Perhaps it is because you tossed and turned so much last night—and every night since we arrived," Tsubasa notes, beginning to sound concerned.
Flashing her a quick smile through the mirror, Maria reassures her, "Don't worry; it's just taking me a while to adjust to the tatami mats. Though, maybe we should add on the mattress? For the sake of my hair and my back."
"Need some help?" There's an undercurrent of laughter in Tsubasa's voice, though she says next, "I will remember to do so when we get home tonight," and picks up another brush to help Maria tame her mess of hair.
It's actually a good thing that Tsubasa helps her, because they just barely make it to the station on time for Maria's train.
"Where's—" Maria wheezes—"train 56?" As soon as the attendant points her in the right direction, Maria is off.
She turns around just inside the train doors, and she manages to wave a last goodbye to Tsubasa, who waves back.
a/n: So, there's four chapters left to the first arc.I hope to finish and publish them before midnight today, but I'm not quite sure if I'll make it.
Nonetheless, let me outline what's going to happen over the next few updates:
1. I will be revising the chapter titles to reflect the addition of the second arc, and I might change the summary, though I've not yet decided on that. If there's anything you think I should change, please tell me!
2. Once I finish and publish the last four chapters, which will either be tonight or tomorrow, I will take the rest of the year off. The second arc's updates will start January 1st. This is because I want to devote the rest of my winter break on my other stories, one of which is slowly but surely gaining attention.
That's pretty much it. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed [I will answer PMs soon!]. I wish you all happy holidays and a merry Christmas, for those who celebrate it.