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Staring out the cabin window, Ochako pictured an invisible paintbrush stirring crystal blue skies into a murkier gray hue. The forecast’s claims of perfect weather over Ochako’s spring break transformed into little more than a myth.
The floorboards creaked beneath Ochako’s feet as she wound past the rental cabin’s plush red sofas. Embers flickered in the fireplace as Ochako soaked up its warmth. With a wistful sigh, she stared out the long paneled windows, wishing to shoo the clouds away.
Pencils were scattered across the coffee table and Ochako smiled fondly at a sketch Mina had made of saturn with wild messy strokes. A burst of creativity fueled by the sight of the telescope bursting out of the dome on the cabin’s roof. Sighing, Ochako half-heartedly rearranged the colored pencils into a rainbow. Too bad the unexpected shift in weather had made any chance of observing anything other than clouds across the night sky null and void.
Groaning, Ochako fell back against a wool rug littered with lint. As she blankly stared at the fan fastened to the ceiling, Ochako breathed in the faint aroma of juniper and pine enveloping the cabin.
Ochako supposed it was nice in the very least to get some reprieve from the sea of physics and calculus textbooks threatening to pull her under. Still, was it really too much to ask for a chance to crane neck up toward the heavens and gaze at the constellations that usually got washed out by the city lights?
Breaking through the quiet, Mina slid across the smooth wood floor at breakneck speed. Sketches fluttered everywhere as Mina collided with the sofa and collapsed onto the rug beside Ochako. Breaths hitching, Ochako’s brows furrowed with concern. She started crawling to her feet, ready to storm off for the first aid kit before purple bruises even dared to form on Mina’s kneecaps.
Yet, as Mina’s laughter resounded and she flashed a smile brighter than any galaxy Ochako’s worries got blown away like a spring breeze. Whisking Ochako into her whirlwind, Mina sat up and tossed a cardigan in Ochako’s direction, nearly knocking over with the shock of the sweater hurling at her.
Leaning in close enough that Ochako could smell Mina’s strawberry conditioner, Mina giggled. “Come on, let’s go hiking.”
Ochako crossed her arms, not loosening her grip on the cardigan in the slightness. She could already envision mud squelching beneath her sneakers and wet strands of hair sticking to the back of her neck. “It looks like rain though.”
Mina elbowed Ochako in the side. “Well, it’s not like you’ll melt the second you come into contact with water.”
“Says who?” Rummaging through the papers littered across the floor, Ochako held a sketch of an alien with yellow horns and deep obsidian eyes in front of Mina. “For all you know, I’m an alien who’s deathly allergic to water.”
“Then why did you come to a planet that’s 75% water?”
Ochako considered referencing some old sci-fi film but feared she’d accidentally instigate a movie marathon with Mina. And there was no telling whether or not Ochako would get caught up in the moment while cuddling beside Mina in a darkened room lit only by blueish television light. Yeah, the last thing she needed was to derail her friendship because Mina noticed her paying more attention to a certain pink-haired girl rather than the movie.
So Ochako settled on a different explanation.
“A tragic crash landing.”
“No need to worry, girl. Umbrellas exist.”
“Too bad I don’t have one,” Ochako sighed in false defeat.
“Well, I’m more than happy to share mine.” Wiggling her brows, Mina sighed wistfully. “ Ah , it’ll be like straight out of one of those shoujo manga scenes.”
A flush crept up Ochako’s cheeks and she hoped that she could pass her blush off as being the result of her close proximity to the fireplace. “Life isn’t a shoujo manga, Mina.”
“You’re right. It’s even better when it’s real.” Jumping to her feet, Mina held out both arms and swiftly spun around. Every tiny movement was precise and graceful. A testament to her status as a dance major. “I mean look at this place. The telescope, the forest – I mean it’s practically bursting with personality. Wouldn’t this be the perfect setting for a romance story?”
“Or horror. This is literally a cabin in the woods,” Ochako said.
“Hey, don’t rain on my parade.”
Wrapping Mina’s cardigan around her shoulders, Ochako melted away into the wool. Part of her wanted to reach out and stroke Mina’s hair to see if it was as soft as the cardigan. “Speaking of rain, that’s exactly why we should stay inside.”
“Ochako, live a little. Who knows when the next chance you’ll have to do anything other than studying?”
“I don’t only study.” Ochako pouted.
Snorting, Mina rolled her eyes. “Girl, I’ve caught you making flashcards during your lunch breaks.”
“So my degree takes up a lot of time… but I mean one day when I’m making big bucks it’ll pay off and I’ll be able to have a ton of free time.”
“Are you trying to give Yaomomo a run for her money by being a big fat nerd?”
“If being a quote-unquote big fat nerd makes me rich absolutely.”
Shaking her head, Mina smiled at Ochako fondly. She stepped close enough that Ochako could count every gold speck flickering in Mina’s eyes. “Still, don’t overwork yourself, Ochako. Aren’t you tired of being cooped up indoors at the library all the time? Maybe a little fresh air could do you some good.”
Caught up in the pink shine to Mina’s lips, Ochako considered how soon enough she’d be swept away by a flood of midterms while Mina got dragged back into the height of rehearsals. Who knew when the next chance she’d have to hang out with Mina would be aside from stolen moments studying at coffee shops?
“ Fine ,” Ochako relented.
“Hurray!” Mina pumped a fist in the air and skipped over to the coat rack to retrieve a scarf.
Ochako followed suit and chuckled as she slipped a beanie over her chestnut hair. “You’re really good at annoying people into getting what you want, huh?”
Mina batted her thick eyelashes innocently. “What can I say? I’m a natural talent.”
As Mina opened the front door and the smell of pinecone and April blossoms hit Ochako, she couldn’t help but send a silent prayer to whatever being was responsible for the series of events that led her and Mina to meet in a shared class despite their vastly different majors.
Humidity entangled Ochako’s hair as dew clung to her eyelashes. Still, as twigs cracked beneath her sneakers, she got drawn in by the chorus of birdsong resounding overhead. Purple wildflowers wound their way up tree trunks. Squirrels raced up branches and snuggled in tree crevices. A stolen mystical scene straight out of the pages of a storybook.
A little moment in time, a small eternity suspended in metaphorical amber for Ochako to marvel over.
Burying her hands into her pockets, Ochako let a sunshine smile stretch across her face. Agreeing to go on a trek through the woods had turned out to be a pretty good judgment call for Ochako. Unfortunately, Mina seemed to think overwise.
Dramatically holding a wrist against her forehead, Mina wailed. “Carry me, Ochako! My feet they’re killing me.”
“We’ve only been walking for thirty minutes,” Ochako laughed.
“But it feels like an eternity ,” Mina groaned.
Slowing down her walking pace to match Mina’s, Ochako raised a brow. “Weren’t you the one who suggested hiking?”
Mina held up her hands in false defeat. “I did no such thing.”
Snorting, Ochako plucked a small bundle of grass from the forest floor and threw it at Mina. “Liar.”
“No way, I’m the pinnacle of honesty.” Picking up blades of grass, Mina returned the favor. As Ochako pulled grass out of her hair, Mina grinned wide and said, “Let me demonstrate. You’re really pretty. See, that’s the god-honest truth.”
“Yeah, right.”
“I’m serious. Your bob is like the cutest thing there is.”
Ochako tried to ignore the frantic pounding in her chest. Mina was a flirt at heart. No reason to get her hopes up that Mina’s compliments could mean something more . “You’re just trying to get into my good graces so I’ll carry you.”
“Hey, two things can be true at once.” Mina prodded Ochako’s biceps. “Besides, you’re so strong. Why don’t you put those muscles to good use?”
Thankful for the cardigan that prevented direct skin to skin contact with Mina, Ochako managed to stop her face from glowing like a traffic light. Ochako plopped herself on the ground and leaned against a tree before Mina could get a better look at her face. “Why don’t we sit down and take a break instead?”
“Fine, I’ll compromise if I really have to,” Mina giggled.
Turning her head toward the sky, Ochako observed billowing gray clouds chasing after one another. Not a single stray ray of sunlight broke through the canopy. Beside Ochako, Mina twirled a blade of grass she’d fished out of her hair between her fingertips.
“So… do anything fun for Valentine’s Day?”
Baffled, Ochako gaped at her friend. “Mina, it’s April. Why are you asking that now?”
“What? It’s just a super innocent question.”
“Mhm. Totally not like you’re trying to pry into my love life.”
Lighting up enough to make the cloudy skies seem brighter, Mina held a finger in front of Ochako’s lips. “Oh, hang on. Don’t tell me what you did. I’m going to guess. And I bet you that I’ll be 100 % correct.”
“And how are you going to do that?”
“With my psychic powers. Duh.” Pressing her lips together, Mina closed her eyes and held an index finger against each side of her head.
“Okay, okay. I think I got it. You were in a pretend relationship with a billionaire. But wouldn’t you believe surprise surprise the feelings started to turn real. The billionaire took you to a fancy restaurant on Valentine’s Day but in the end you broke up because you didn’t want the fame and attention.”
“Mina, you couldn’t be more wrong.”
Looking the furthest thing from defeat, Mina swung an arm around Ochako’s shoulder. “Aw, darn. I thought I really had something there. So no billionaire date?”
Ochako kept her voice steady all while hoping that Mina couldn’t hear how loudly her chest was beating. “Nope. All I did was homework. And I did a little weight-lifting at the gym.”
“So nothing special?”
“Does eating an entire box of strawberry mochi ice cream by myself count?”
“Sure! That stuff is delicious. I can drive to the general store nearby tomorrow and get some if you want.”
“I’d like that.” Ochako fondly recalled the drive in Mina’s pick-up truck to the cabin. Top forty hits blasted from the radio the entire four hours and Mina belted from the top of her lungs completely off-key but enchanting all the same. “Why all the questions though? Are you trying to see if I’m single so you can make fun of me about it?”
“What? No way. Why would I do that?”
“Because teasing people is your hobby.”
“Only when it’s all in good fun.” Going a bit glassy-eyed, Mina stared off past the trees. “Besides, it isn’t like I have ever dated anyone.”
“Why not? Maybe I’m a little biased as your friend – but I think you’re a real catch.” Ochako almost clasped a hand in front of her lips. Oh dear, hopefully, Mina had not detected the deeper meaning to her words.
“Aww, thanks, Ochako.” Mina picked at her cuticles. “I don’t know… it’s complicated. I keep reading all those stories, you know. Where people talk about butterflies in their chest yada, yada. And it’s just something I haven’t felt yet.”
“Maybe you will someday.”
“Who knows? But I guess I can live without all that. Still, picnics in the park, coffee shops dates… I think that’s still something I would like to have. I don’t know if that makes sense.”
“It does! I mean those things are pretty nice,” Ochako said.
“Yeah, they are.”
For the first time since Ochako had met her, Mina looked a little overcast. But sunlight still broke through in the form of the bright expression Mina sent Ochako’s way.
A thunderous rumble boomed in the distance. Rain drops trickled through the trees, falling light at first and then roaring louder and louder until the water came pouring down in sheets by the time Ochako and Mina rose to their feet. As Ochako shook raindrops out of her hair, a slightly panicked gasp sounded beside her.
“Crap, I forgot the umbrella!”
“I told you it was going to rain,” Ochako sighed.
“Sorry. I got distracted.” A flush covered Mina’s face. Though maybe that was a trick of the light. With the rain obscuring Ochako’s vision, seeing things was well within the realm of reason.
“By what?” Ochako asked.
“Things and stuff.”
Blinking through the rain caught in her eyelashes, Ochako snorted. “So specific.”
Mina shrugged. “Gotta uphold the mystery, you know?”
Shaking her head, Ochako wondered whether using the trees for cover would be worthwhile. Yet, she frowned as it dawned on her that the branches were a little too thin to provide much of a shield for the rain. Ochako stared at the cardigan Mina had given her. Even drenched in rain it still smelled like Ochako’s favorite fruit.
“Wait, I have an idea,” Ochako said.
Huddling close to Mina, Ochako unbuttoned the cardigan and hung it above their heads like a makeshift canopy. Even with mascara turned runny Mina looked hypnotizing as ever. Drenched curls hung against Mina’s chin and Ochako’s eyes went wide at how much longer Mina’s hair looked – it nearly reached to her shoulders. Entranced by Mina’s dark eyes, Ochako could feel Mina’s breath brush against her skin.
Huddled beneath the cardigan, Mina whispered under her breath. “Um… do you want to know about the things and stuff?”
“What stuff?” Ochako asked.
“The stuff that distracted me.”
“Sure.”
Silence hung heavily in the humid air. Only the symphony of rainfall surrounded the two girls. Frozen in time within a clearing lined with moss and wildflowers, Mina didn’t look quite like the bold dancer who’d pirouette across the stage. Instead, her expression looked a little more… hesitant. But her gaze soon hardened as she looked Ochako directly in the eye.
“I was thinking about what it would be like to kiss you.”
Ochako’s next words spilled from her lips before she could even fully process them. “Why don’t we find out?”
Raising her chin to close two inches of a height difference, Ochako cupped Mina’s face. The gravity between them grew weightier as Mina sank against Ochako’s lips. As rain ran down their faces, Ochako greedily chased after the taste of Mina’s skin. Freshly picked strawberry berries hanging from a vine. An acidic tangerine undercurrent. And something else that seemed to glow directly beneath the surface.
Marveling over how Mina’s lips were like starlight, Ochako thanked the heavens that the weather forecast had been completely off the mark. She didn’t need a telescope to look at stars. Not when she had practically an entire galaxy beneath her fingertips.