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When fortune favored her, Nijika was able to stretch her legs and relax. On such a lucky day like today, she was but an attendant to a few live bands. Not working, not performing, not practicing. Just a girl who was attending a show on a weekend night with her girlfriend to make up for lost time.
Nijika slid a bill on the counter, staring lemon-sour daggers at Seika on the other side as she claimed her drink. She was a customer today, not an employee. When Seika usually gave her a free drink after her shifts, too bad she didn't have one today.
"This one's for your girlfriend." Seika, swarmed with orders, thoughtlessly glided the drink over before turning around to make more. It swirled in all kinds of directions, yellow and sparkling with fizz. On the bottom were sunken chunks of vibrant, golden mangoes. Nijika recognized the recipe immediately and winced— it was her own, and it was one of her worst ideas.
The younger girl's brows furrowed, "So a free drink for her, but not your dear old sister?"
Seika sighed, "You should know your girlfriend can't afford a drink to save her life. Go join her, I gotta finish up here."
Well, it was true.
Nijika supped from her own drink and ran up to Ryo, who was enjoying the solitude of some corner she's made a home of for the night. She leaned against the wall, finding a spot in the ceiling to stare at as the next band took up the stage.
Nijika didn't call out to her yet. She couldn't; she was in some state where time paused and all sounds turned off. Her ruddy-orange eyes flit across Ryo's figure, worshipping the shape of her collarbone, and how that silly jelly sandwich necklace Nijika bought nestled over them. Again, Nijika's eyes looked elsewhere, this time her gaze ended up on her girlfriend's fingers. Perfectly sculpted and slim, red on the joints, and rough on the tips. She loved every single thing about her.
"Seika said this one's on the house." Nijika's gaze fell to the floor, arms outstretched to hold the drink against Ryo's forearm; she couldn't look at her for long. She would implode.
Ryo's highlighter eyes (as her girlfriend liked thinking of them) darted from daydreams to the medium cup on the drummer's hand. "Does this come with an interest?" Ryo took the drink anyway.
Feigning reflection, Nijika stared innocently to the same spot on the ceiling, "One kiss every day."
"Isn't that bad for business— a free drink for stuff I'll do regardless?"
"I'm not an accountant." Nijika laid her head against Ryo's own shoulder, trying to use the shadows to hide that impossible smile on her face,
The vocalist started with an introduction, big smile on her face as the drummer counted in, and the song began. Ryo recognized the beat in the first two or three chords; it was some popular love song her music app kept playing in ads. She regretted not saving enough to get that no-ad subscription.
"I don't like this song," Ryo huffed.
"Really? I like it, I've had it on loop since it came out."
"Oh, then," Ryo sucked in an abnormal amount of air. "It's not so bad."
Nijika saw right through her. "Hush, you," she said, giggly. "If you don't like it, then you don't like it."
"I will learn to like it," she whispered. Her subtle-smiling eyes found Nijika's in the dark. "It's not so hard if it's for you."
Every time Nijika got shy, there was a noticeable lift in her tone. Ryo could hear it now.
"I mean, you don't have to! You like psychedelic rock and synth-pop, no? This is just so not your style, and I understand. Just because I'm your girlfriend doesn't mean that you gotta forceyourselftolikethestuffIlikey'know—"
Ryo hushed her with one of her slim fingers, "I will learn to like it."
Nijika stuck herself against Ryo's chest. Though the red stage lights gave her possible deniability, no one could mistake how red she was at that moment.
Ryo's hand travelled to the small of her back up to her golden crown of hair. She cleared her throat, holding Nijika close so she could hear. "The afternoon sun is so warm, that I can't help but fall asleep." She sang, "When you're by me, my heart smiles and I never get sleepy."
"I can't say I love your smile when you look at me like that," Ryo kept humming. The lyrics came to her naturally, because she was sure she's thought of them before.
Slowly, Nijika started singing back. Her voice went weaker, and trembled. She never really liked singing; she wasn't the best at it, but she tried now.
Ryo kissed her on the forehead, nodding along as if to say, 'You're doing amazing.'
Maybe, just maybe. That love song wasn't so bad.