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The city was bustling with people, even though it was late. Dark clouds up in the sky give the town an almost gloomy atmosphere. The wind was blowing ferociously.
The practice had gone smoothly. The rest of the members went their separate ways.
Except for Toko and Rui.
They walk through many winding roads before Rui asks, “are we there yet?” The pavement below is rocky, and soon it turns to smooth concrete.
Toko hums in response. “The GPS says there are 3 minutes left.” Her shoes clack beneath the gritty yet smooth gray terrain.
Rui nods, acknowledging the information. For a second, she peers down at the proximity of their hands. She mentally chastises herself for wanting to intertwine their hands.
She briefly recalls the moment she and Toko had in the morning. Deciding it was too much, she turned away and focused on a few buildings ahead.
“There it is!”
They both turned to look at the small local shop. It was an udon and soba noodle restaurant. The outside was small and almost cozy. The lights inside looked dim. The sign flickers every so often.
Toko grabbed Rui’s hand, and she was practically running. “Hurry up! This guitar case is killing me!” She pointed at her back with her other hand to further prove her point.
A pang of guilt appeared on Rui’s face as she stared at the case. “Right, I apologize. Let’s go in now.”
Toko squeezed her hand, “no, it’s fine, don’t apologize.” She turned her head back, reassuring her with a smile.
It felt normal to hold her hand, almost like they’d been doing it forever. But Toko’s mind was reeling. She hadn’t even meant to hold her hand. It just happened.
The doorbell chimed as they walked in. Immediately they were greeted by a hostess. “Table for two?” asked the lady.
Toko eagerly nodded, “yes, it’s just us.” She let her hand go. Rui stifled a gasp; she hadn’t thought Toko would let her hand go. She had been so distracted, her mind already conjuring up a new daydream. Imaging little moments with her always happened when they were near each other.
The lady escorted them to a small booth near a window.
”Alright. Here are your menus and water. I’ll come back to take your order.” She said, placing two glasses of water on the center of the wooden table. The laminated menus were also set in the center, gleaming under the dim lights.
“Well, what are you going to order?”
”Hm, me?” Asked Toko, not looking from her phone.
“No, I was asking the people sitting next to us.”
Thinking it over, Toko looked to see who was next to them. There was no one.
She scowled before deadpanning, “that was funny.”
“I was being serious, though. What are you ordering?” Rui asked, trying to sound as genuine as possible.
“Sesame soba noodles, what about you?” Said Toko, trying to continue the conversation.
Rui pondered before answering, “the beef stir fry soba.”
“Mmm, that sounds good. You better give me a bite!”
She nodded in response, “as long as you don’t eat it all.”
Toko laughed, and Rui allowed herself to smile. These were the little moments that made her stomach turn.
Rui narrowly avoided her gaze, afraid she wouldn’t be able to look away.
Toko hummed to herself, lightly tapping a rhythm on the wooden table. The melody unfamiliar, which was unknown to Rui, piqued her interest.
“What song is that?”
“It’s nothing special; I came up with it on the spot.” She said.
Rui didn’t say anything; she didn’t know what to say. Her mind would go blank, her heart would start to race, and the room would suddenly become unbearably hot.
Sometimes she wanted to avoid the blonde at all costs, but she was like a magnet.
She wanted to smack herself in the face. There was no way Toko could like her back. Did she even like her? Maybe she was just happy in her presence. But that was the first time she’d felt that way about someone.
With the sudden realization, her hands began to feel clammy. Awkwardly she dragged her hands on her skirt, just as she had that same morning. She was attempting to rub off any sweat.
“Are you girls ready to order?” Spoke the waitress.
Rui flinched. She hadn’t seen the lady walking to their table.
“Yes, I’ll have the Sesame Soba noodles.”
The waitress nodded, shifting her attention towards Rui. “And you?”
She cleared her throat before speaking, “the beef stir fry soba for me.”
They both thanked her, and soon they returned to their awkward silence.
Even though they were bandmates, it sunk in how little they knew about each other. Rui was often distant, and Toko was a blabbermouth.
It bothered Toko how distant they were. They had grown closer, but it wasn’t enough.
She struggled even to think that Rui had any inner turmoil herself. And now that she thought about it … why had she invited her? Why not ask the whole group?
Toko released a breath, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. The hot pink nails caught her attention. She smiled, remembering how Rui let her keep them on even though it wasn’t allowed.
She continued to tap the table impatiently. Wiping the condensation off of her glass, she watched the water puddle on all sides of the glass.
“How’d school go today?”
The words infiltrated Toko’s mind; this was a chance for her to learn more about Rui.
She perked up before answering. “Boring, the literature teacher is so stingy with her grades. But how did your day go?”
Rui went on a spiel of her day. Toko listened intently, even when complaining about her Student Council Job.
Soon they had gotten lost in conversation, sharing personal anecdotes from their life until the waitress arrived with their food.
They stayed in a comfortable silence as they ate—sharing bites of food.
Once they left the restaurant, the wind began to pick up, blowing through their blouses and ruffling up their hair.
They’d decided that going home would be the best course of action. Both had tons of homework and needed time to decompress from the day.
Toko gazed up at the sky; it was dark, the street lamps illuminating the sidewalks. She felt a prick on her skin, and then another.
She looked over to her girlfriend—Just a friend, of course.
Rui had noticed the rain too.
They stared at each other.
In the blink of an eye, it began to pour.
Toko yelped, pushing the hood of her sweater up and over her head. She used her guitar case as a makeshift umbrella, hoping no water would get inside.
Unfortunately, Rui had no hood; as a matter of fact, her violin case would not protect her against the raging storm.
Without thinking, Toko slipped her guitar case back to her back. She was adjusting it quickly before running, holding Rui’s hand.
“What are you doing?!”
“Going to my house,” Toko replied.
“We can’t….”
Toko turned back to face her, “why not, it’s raining, and my house is only 5 minutes away.”
“I don’t think my mother would allow it.”
“My grandma can call her for you; she’s always sewing at night. Don’t worry.”
Although the rain and the wind was making Rui shiver, she couldn’t help but feel a warmth spread over her body.
She smiled a bit, “thank you.”
But suddenly, Toko started to laugh. It caught Rui off guard. Had she just been joking to get a reaction out of her? Had she deceived her into thinking they could be good friends?
No, it was ridiculous how two girls held hands while pouring rain.
In the middle of their laughter, Toko began to sprint once again. They were not slowing or stopping until they reached her residence.
They were both out of breath, taking a moment to inhale and exhale.
Rui had been to her house a handful of times. Each time had been to practice with the other members.
Now it was just … them.
While Toko was shuffling through her pockets for the keys, Rui inspected the outside of her house.
There were rounded bushes near the entrance, a stone pathway to the garden, and a few flowers blooming.
The door opened with a clink, revealing the inside of Toko’s house.
They stepped inside carefully, the old wooden floor creaking beneath their feet.
A small figure appeared, hurriedly walking towards them. Rui recognized her as Toko’s grandma.
“Thank goodness you’re home! I was starting to get worried!” Exclaimed the older lady.
“It’s alright; we weren’t far from home; we had been walking for a while.”
Her grandma nodded, tilting her head to look at Rui, “well, what brings you here?”
“Kirigaya-san invited me over.”
She didn’t know if she should keep using formalities or not. Toko turned away to cringe.
Both are equally oblivious to each other.
“Ah, of course, you girls should change so you don’t get sick. I’ll brew some tea.”
The older lady scurried away to what Rui could assume was the kitchen.
“Let’s go upstairs; I’ll lend you some clothes.”
Rui nodded.
They walked up the stairs, and Toko took a left. She followed her.
Then they were in her room.
“I’ll fetch you a towel; look for something in my closet,” Toko said.
So Rui did; it felt like she was invading someone’s privacy. Suddenly, she felt a towel draped over her shoulders.
She turned, their eyes boring into each other.
Toko could feel the butterflies in her stomach, except it didn’t feel like butterflies. It felt like she was sick.
They exchanged no words until Toko spoke again, reaching for Rui’s hands.
“Your hands are cold, so please let me hold them.”
The words came out more like a demand, and Rui dumbly nodded. Not even feeling her hands.
The energy between them sparked so suddenly. Both were leaning into each other, their lips touching, every doubt dissolving.
“Hey girls, I brought the tea….”