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Ninomae Ina’nis wakes up to faint beams of sunlight pouring in through her bedroom windows. Groggily, the girl with messy dark hair groans, shifting her way out of the warm bed and onto the creaky hardwood floor. Stumbling, her grey-blue eyes struggle to adjust to the wire-rimmed glasses placed in front of them.
“Wake up, Ina! It’s a brand new day~” The chipper voice of Mama’nis calls through the door.
Showering, getting dressed, eating a bowl of Tak-O’s, and packing her things, the girl makes her way onto the yellow school bus before riding to Holo High. Ina tries to recall why she’s so tired she always tries to get a full eight hours of sleep! It must be something she’s done over the weekend.
As Ina makes her way from class to class, the normally diligent student is stuck daydreaming, reminiscing over what events happened over the past two days. Failing to take notes of any kind, it’s only fortunate that most major assignments are done, leaving the majority of classes to be for review.
It isn’t until lunch that Ina remembers everything.
Amelia Watson sits alone, humming to herself while toying with a peculiar necklace. Even in the drab school uniform, she looks gorgeous. Instantly, Ina is transported to the town square.
Ina isn’t exactly sure what happened beforehand. If anything, she recalls the blonde girl and her simply walking around town and exploring what sights there were to see. Even menial activities like this flew by quickly with Amelia. Short blonde hair and eyes blue like the sky kept Ina mesmerized.
Later that night, the two went back to Ina’s to watch some movies. Her parents were away for an anniversary, trusting Ina to look after the house. It was some dumb, cheesy, romantic comedy, the kind that always makes Ina cry.
Normally, Ina feels a responsibility to remain cool and composed. On the couch with Ame, she felt free to laugh, to cry, freedom in emotion, just being herself . It seemed that all the emotion made her tired. The next thing Ina knew, she fell asleep in the warmth of the girl next to her.
Startled awake by a soft kiss on her lips, Ina was captured by the smell of lemons and a tender softness to Ame’s eyes that she had never seen before. Face reddened and profusely apologizing, the girl left Ina alone without another word.
Almost operating on autopilot, Ina finds her legs carrying her to the girl’s table. Trembling slightly with a pounding in her chest, Ina sets her tray down before staring her directly in the eyes.
“Oh, hey Ina!” Amelia beams a brilliant white smile. Ina envies the girl’s confidence, her ability to say whatever’s on her mind without any anxiety or worry.
“Ame… would, w-would you like to get some, uh, coffee after school today?” Ina stammers.
“Coffee? With you? I couldn’t imagine !” Amelia smirks. At that moment, Ina fails to recall that she and Ame have gotten together once a week for coffee for several weeks now. Somehow, it’s almost as nerve-wracking as the very first time she asked.
After a long and tedious school day, Ina finally finds herself sitting at the same booth with her curious date. A quaint little store, there’s something that feels so homey about it. Ina orders a plain green tea, no sugar, no fuss. Even by this point, Ina doesn’t know what Amelia’s favorite drink is. A bizarre concoction of flavors and copious amounts of caffeine, Ina hesitates to refer to it as “coffee”.
“So, Ina, why did you want to meet up?’ Amelia asks earnestly.
Staring deep into Amelia’s bright blues, Ina’s mind floods with questions that all seem trivial now.
It was probably a kiss to wake her lazy self up. Who knows, maybe it was a tap on the lips or some weird dream she had? Nosy little Ina, she thinks. Who is she to assume romantic feelings for another person?
Then again, what if it was true? How could Amelia possibly be okay with it? She probably forced herself to be here, disgusted at Ina’s pathetic displays of affection. If only she had a chance to kiss her back! No, that would have been a mistake .
“Ame… No, forget it, it’s stupid,” Ina hisses.
Gently caressing Ina’s hand, Amelia’s head cocks to the side slightly, her expression turning to one of genuine interest.
“Ina, you can tell me anything . You know that!” Amelia pleads.
“Last night… Did--did you mean that?”
“ Ina !” Amelia gasps, somewhat offended at the notion.
“I’m sorry, it’s just--You seemed so upset, and left so quickly, I know you can do far better than me …”
“Ina…” Amelia sighs, gently caressing the side of Ina’s face, parting wayward strands of hair behind her ear.
“I meant every moment of it! I was excited, but I wasn’t sure how to feel… and I didn’t want to overstep boundaries,”
“After I clammed up, I can understand completely !” Ina giggles nervously.
“Ina, you did not clam up…” Amelia snickers.
“W-what do you mean?” Ina sputters.
“That first kiss, I tried to move back, but you pulled me in for another! I don’t think I’ve been kissed like that before!”
“Kissed like what? ” Ina begins to panic slightly, sweat forming at her temples. Was she sloppy? Unattractive? God, she must have looked like such a mess.
“With love! ” Amelia admits, her cheeks going pink. Leaning over the table slightly, Amelia gives a light peck on Ina’s cheek as the dark-haired girl feels her face flush with warmth.
“I hope to return the favor. Same time this weekend, perhaps?” Amelia offers.
Ina finds herself at a loss for words, only able to bob her head up and down repeatedly.
“Great! I’ll see you there, love,” Amelia smiles, guzzling down the rest of her drink before slamming it in a trash can and sprinting off to parts unknown.
“She called me 'love'…” Ina sighs dreamily, taking a long sip from her tea and anticipating the days to come.