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Jecki’s piece of junk scooter refused to take off again after she stopped at a red light. It just sputtered and stopped as she waited for the light to turn green, and no matter how hard she turned the key the engine did not even cough up. Not only did she get honked at by the angry driver behind her when she did not move, but worst of all she was going to be late for work. She pushed the old thing on the side of the road and tried to start it up again. She could not feel resistance when she turned the key. She could check on the engine but she didn’t know anything about engines, and anyway she would need a screwdriver to open the back of the scooter.

With no other choice, she called her boss.

“Sol, I’m so sorry but I don’t think I’ll make it on time today. My scooter just died on me. I’m still pretty close to home…”

She looked around her. There was a bus stop at the end of the bloc, but she couldn’t just leave her scooter there.

“Don’t worry,” Sol told her. “I will have Yord cover for you until you arrive.”

Despite the stressful situation, half a smile appeared on Jecki’s lips. Her boss was always so nice and understanding.

“Are you still near the Academy?” he asked.

“Yeah, I only made it to the first red light.”

“I know a mechanic not far. I’ll text you her info. Hopefully she can help.”

“Thank you. And I promise I’ll make up the lost time as soon as I can.”

“No need, Jecki. Just make sure you get here safe, okay?”

“Okay.”

Sol hung up and Jecki waited for his text. She unclipped her helmet and glanced at her scooter once more. What a piece of junk. She knew she should have gotten a bike, but no, she had chosen the easy way out, and now it was coming around to bite her. Her phone vibrated in her hand and she looked at the address Sol sent her. According to the Internet, it was only ten minutes on foot. Probably it would be more while pushing the scooter, but there was no point in delaying the inevitable. She grabbed the handlebars and pushed onward.

She knew she looked ridiculous, pushing her scooter on the sidewalk. She was inconveniencing all the people walking around her. She dropped weak apologies and little ‘coming through’ every so often. When one old lady gave her a seething glare, she felt she had to explain herself:

“My scooter broke down. I’m taking it to the mechanic.”

It did not ease the lady’s glare, or Jecki’s self-consciousness.

Ten minutes felt like an eternity pushing the dead scooter. It wasn’t even that heavy. Still, when the mechanic’s shop appeared ahead, she let out a sigh of relief. The small brick building was caught between a pharmacy and a fast-food restaurant, with a first story on top and a flat roof. The garage’s front door was open and a car was already parked inside.

Jecki pushed the scooter to the edge of the garage then called:

“Excuse me? I could use some help?”

She looked on either side of the car but could not spot any mechanic wearing a jumpsuit who could help her. Then, she heard wheels on the concrete floor and looked down. The mechanic was coming out of under the car. She was wearing a jumpsuit, but had wrapped the top around her waist. A dark green tank top freed her strong arms, with a little tattoo on the right one. They flexed as she rolled herself from under the car and Jecki could feel herself blushing.

“Hey, sorry,” the mechanic said. “Do you have an appointment?”

“Er… No… My scooter just broke down and Sol recommended I come here.”

The mechanic stood up and brushed her grease-stained hands on her pants. Jecki took the time to look at her once more. They were the same height. The mechanic had thin, ruddy colored dreadlocks. Her brown skin was stained with little dots of grease. Her dark eyes landed on Jecki and she smiled.

“You work for Sol?”

“How do you know?” Jecki replied, doing her best not to stutter as the mechanic continued to look at her.

“You’re wearing a ‘Master Sol’s Korean Noodle Bar’ shirt.”

Jecki looked down at herself. She had forgotten that she was dressed for work.

“Oh yeah…”

“I used to work there too, a few years ago.”

Jecki’s mouth fell open.

“You did?”

It certainly explained why Sol had recommended the mechanic’s shop to her.

“I’m Osha,” the mechanics said as she held out a hand.

“Jecki. Is that a nickname, Osha? Like did you get a lot of OSHA violations so they…”

She pursed her lips to stop herself from talking when she realized how stupid she sounded. Osha’s smile hadn’t fallen, but she shook her head.

“My name is Verosha, but my friends call me Osha.”

“Well, Jecki isn’t short for anything, it’s…”

She cleared her throat.

“Can you help me with my scooter?”

“Of course. What seems to be the problem?”

Jecki walked over to her discarded scooter. She turned the key and yet again, nothing happened.

“It’s like the engine died on my way to work.”

Osha crossed her arms as she looked over the old scooter.

“Let me take a look at it and I’ll call you once I’ve figured out what’s wrong.”

“Thank you. I know I don’t have an appointment, but if I’d known it was going to break down, I definitely would have taken one.”

Osha brushed her worries aside. She grabbed the scooter and pushed it inside, so it stood beside the car.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. Here.”

As soon as the scooter was placed inside, Osha pulled her phone out of her pocket and handed it to Jecki. Jecki looked over the device for a quiet minute, then she realized Osha needed her number to call her once her scooter was fixed. She entered herself in Osha’s contact as Jecki Lon (Scooter girl) and returned the phone. Osha gave her another smile.

“Give Sol my best.”

“I’m sure you’re always welcomed at the noodle bar.”

Osha shrugged.

“Maybe another day.”

“Of course. Thank you again.”

Jecki hurried back to the nearest bus stop, feeling like an absolute fool.

By the time Jecki arrived at the noodle bar, three buses later, her thoughts had spiraled beyond reason. She had been absolutely ridiculous with Osha. She knew pretty girls usually made her loose her train of thoughts, but this had been on another level of foolishness. She was ready to abandon her scooter and never speak to the other woman ever again. Unfortunately, she also had to ride three buses just to get to work and back to her dorm, so she could not forgo the scooter either.

She was still processing her conundrum when, behind the counter, Yord elbowed her in the ribs.

“Earth to Jecki? I told you to send those out.”

Jecki looked down at the counter in front of her, where two hot bowls of noodles waited to be dispatched.

“So sorry.”

She grabbed them and called the order’s name. The two patrons stood from their table and went to pick up their order. Behind her, she could hear the pans sizzling as Yord prepared the next order.

“What had gotten into you today?”

“I don’t know, Yord, maybe I’m worried about my scooter? I don’t know how long it’s going to take Osha to fix it…”

“So you’ve met Osha?”

Jecki turned to him with surprise.

“You know Osha?”

“Of course. We used to work here together. I haven’t her from her in a while though.”

“What happened?”

Yord hesitated.

“I’m not sure it’s my place to tell. Money troubles, I think. She had to quit the Academy.”

Jecki grimaced. She understood. That was the reason she worked at the noodle bar to begin with. But she was lucky to have a scholarship.

“Look, I can’t swear to Osha’s skills as a mechanic, but I know she’ll do her best to fix your scooter. So worry about doing your job?”

Jecki hated it, but Yord had a point. Not about the scooter, she didn’t care about the scooter at all, but she needed to focus on her job, instead of being stuck in the memory of how stupid she had been with Osha. The door rang above the door and a new client stepped in. Jecki put on her best smile and said:

“Welcome to Master Sol’s Korean Noodle Bar. What can I get you?”

When Jecki returned back to her dorm – after another three bus rides – she was absolutely exhausted. She had forgotten all about her scooter and her terrible first impression with Osha. She crashed onto her bed, determined to take a quick nap before she had to complete her homework for the following days. Then, her phone vibrated in her pocket. She picked up without looking at the screen. There were only so few people who could be calling her.

“’Ello?”

“Jecki? This is Osha.”

Jecki jumped into a seating position, but as she didn’t say anything back, Osha added:

“From the mechanics’ shop? OSHA violations?”

Jecki cringed. Did she really have to twist the knife in further?

“Yeah. Yeah, of course. Sorry, about that. Again.”

Osha chuckled.

“It’s fine. Well, anyway, I called about your scooter. I wish I had good news though.”

“Noooo…”

Jecki let her head fall back on her pillow.

“I’m sorry. It’s a really old model and the pieces I would need to fix your engine are very expensive now. You’re better off throwing the whole thing to the junkyard and buying a new one.”

“I don’t think I have that kind of money right now…”

“I figured. Now, I can try a quick fix, but it might not work, or not for very long anyway.”

“Would you? Please? You would literally save my life.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Thank you. Thank you. I owe you.”

“I’m just doing my job.”

Jecki was acting like an idiot again and the other woman wasn’t even physically in the same room. What had gotten into her? She better hang up now, before she made a fool of herself again.

“I got to go but please keep me update?”

“Of course. Have a nice evening.”

“You too. Bye.”

Jecki hung up and threw her phone on the bed. She didn’t have the time to have a crush, she told herself. She had classes, a job, homework and training with the school’s fencing team. She groaned into her pillow, wishing for death.

She was coming out of class and running to catch her first bus out of three – she hated how much longer it took to get to work now – when her phone vibrated with an incoming call. She pulled it out and saw that it was Osha. A good news/bad news situation, she hoped. Good news: her scooter was fixed. Bad news: she had to speak with Osha without stumbling or stuttering or saying the dumbest things.

“Hello?”

“Jecki, hi! I was wondering if you could drop by later today?”

“Did you fix it?”

“I think so. I’m waiting for the final piece of be delivered in an hour but the installation shouldn’t be long. It should be ready by three.”

“My shift ends at five. I can be there by six.”

“Great. Awesome. I’ll see you then.”

Osha hung up and Jecki was so flustered by the news that she almost forgot to step into the bus. She went about her day working on autopilot, building up her wall, bracing herself for a very professional conversation about her scooter and nothing else. Of course, she was a terrible wall builder, absolutely incapable of putting distance between her and other people. She loved people. She was a people person. So the moment she reached the garage, and she heard Osha swear and kick her toolbox, all of her carefully prepared defense crumbled.

“Osha? What is going on?”

Osha let out a long, frustrated breath.

“Is it six already? Oh, no. I’m so sorry, Jecki. The fix didn’t work. I was trying something else but nothing is working.”

Jecki approached the scooter while Osha stepped away to cool off. The engine lay partially gutted as pieces sat all around it, some very similar to one another, as if Osha had been trying to change one piece with as many replacements as she possessed.

“It’s okay,” Jecki told her.

“It’s really not. I told you I would have it ready for six.”

“You did your best. It’s all that matters.”

Jecki patted the old leather seat.

“How much do I owe you for-”

Osha cut her off.

“Oh no, nothing, I… I can’t accept your money. I failed, so…”

“But it’s your job? And you bought new pieces for me.”

“I’ll find a way to use them eventually. I can’t make you pay for a failed repair job,”

Jecki contemplated the situation. They were at a standstill. She would not leave until she had paid Osha back for trying, and Osha would not take her money. As they stood face to face, waiting for the other to budge, the smell of grease and boiling oil floated from the fast-food joint next door.

“Would you let me buy you dinner?” Jecki asked.

Osha looked at her curiously.

“What do you have in mind?”

“Oh, just the burger place over there.”

Osha did not ponder over Jecki’s proposal for very long. She smiled and nodded.

“Alright. Give me a second to make myself more presentable, though.”

Osha disappeared deeper into the workshop, then up a black metal circular staircase. Jecki waited, pursing her lips, wondering what she had just gotten herself into. It shouldn’t be too hard to have one conversation with Osha without turning into a mess. When Osha returned downstairs, she had traded her jumpsuit for black slacks, and her dirty tank top for a forest green long-sleeves tee-shirt.

“How do I look?”

Jecki thought that, with her arms covered, it would make it easier for her to think, but she was wrong. There was just something about Osha’s smile, about the way her eyes shone whenever she did, that was positively solar.

“Great,” Jecki replied.

Osha brushed past her to head to the burger joint and Jecki had to remind herself to walk. They ordered at the counter then went to sit in one of the booths. The restaurant was pretty old, if the stained and gutted seats were anything to go buy. The smell of grease was overwhelming, and it made Jecki even more hungry.

“They have a pretty great Sunday too,” Osha said as they sat down. “If you want to try it afterward.”

“Maybe.”

Jecki was terrified that they would both fall quiet and sit awkwardly as they waited for their order, but luckily Osha started them off:

“So, Jecki, you’re an Academy student, right? What do you study?”

“History, mostly. I think it’s so interesting, how History seems to always be repeating itself, or, well, it’s like poetry. It rhymes. What about you?”

“Oh, I… I left the Academy a few years ago. But I used to study engineering.”

“Is that why you became a mechanic?”

Osha nodded.

“I’ve always liked fixing stuffs. It just makes so much sense, as long as you know which pieces goes where.”

“Why did you leave? If you don’t mind me asking?”

Osha pursed her lips as if she were hesitant to answer. Jecki regretted asking right away.

“You don’t have to answer. Yord said it had something to do with money, I understand.”

Osha frowned.

“Yord? He still works at the noodle bar?”

“Yeah. He told me you used to work there together.”

The waiter arrived with their meals and set the red plastic tray on the table. While she answered, Osha gave Jecki her items and pulls hers to her side of the table.

“It is because of money, though it’s a bit complicated. My moms were helping me paying for the Academy, but then something happened with my sister, I just… I’d rather not get into details tonight.”

“Yeah, of course. So, you have a sister?”

Osha sighed.

“A twin. Mae. We don’t speak much anymore.”

Jecki nodded then bit into her burger. It was so greasy and filling. She felt bad just taking one bite. She knew she would have to work out a little longer during her next session at the gym. It was better if her fencing coach never knew she had eaten it. The fries were so oily she could press the stuff out of each fry.

“Well, I don’t have siblings, that I know of.”

Osha gave her a strange look and so Jecki explained:

“I don’t know my parents. I’m only here because of a fencing scholarship.”

“I’m so stupid,” Osha replied. “I’ve just been complaining about my family and you-”

Jecki shook her head.

“You couldn’t have known, don’t worry.”

Osha let out a little sigh of relief and her smile was back. Jecki hid behind her giant cardboard cup of soda to mask her blush.

“Fencing, uhm?”

“Yup.”

“You must be pretty good, then.”

She shrugged.

“I can handle myself.”

Jecki had a lot of fun spending time with Osha. There wasn’t a lull in their conversation. They talked about Jecki’s classes and her antics with Yord at the noodle bar, about Osha’s pastime fixing old pieces of technology and her ferret Pip. When she had finished her meal, Jecki felt fuller than she would have liked. Osha suggested they get sundaes. Jecki could not stomach one, so instead, Osha ordered one with two spoons. It was the right move.

When their meal was over, they lingered at the edge of the garage. Jecki knew she should head back to her dorm, as it was getting pretty late and she still had homework to do, but Osha was smiling brightly at her, pining her in place.

“Thank you for the dinner,” she told Jecki. “I had a great time with you.”

“Same. We should do it again someday.”

“Hopefully, soon.”

Jecki nodded with a smile of her own. If there was one silver lightning to this whole scooter debacle it was that she had made a new friend.

“And thank you again, for trying to fix my scooter.”

“No need. I was just doing my job.”

Looking into Osha’s eyes, Jecki thought she looked like she was holding something back, though Jecki couldn’t figure out what. Before she could give herself too much time to ponder what was going on in Osha’s mind, she was reminded of the work waiting for her on her desk.

“I really have to go. Goodbye, Osha.”

“Bye.”

Jecki gave her a little wave then turned away, walking briskly to make up for lost time. However, when she turned back to look behind her at the corner of the street, she saw that Osha hadn’t moved, and was watching her leave.

Between work and school, Jecki barely had a moment to herself. She tried searching for a new scooter, to no avail. They were all far out of her price range right now. If she started saving up now, she just might be able to buy one by the time the semester was over, which was better than nothing.

She was at the noodle bar, restocking the display fridge with soda cans, when Osha called her again for the first time since their dinner together.

“Hey! How are you?”

“Fine, just a bit tired,” Jecki replied. “This whole ‘no more scooter’ situation has kept me even busier than usual.”

“Of course. Speaking of which, I think I found you a new scooter.”

“No way!”

Just as Osha began to explain the situation, Yord walked past her carrying a large contained of marinated meat.

“Jecki, no phone on the job.”

“I know, just… give me a second.”

She turned her attention back to Osha’s voice in the receiver.

“I’m really sorry, I’m at work right now. Can we talk about it later?”

An idea popped into Jecki’s mind.

“Or, you could drop by the noodle bar?”

Osha sounded hesitant on the other side of the line.

“Maybe… I’ll let you work. Bye.”

Jecki grimaced as the phone call ended. She pocketed her phone once more and started putting the cans on their shelves once more.

“Did something happen with Osha that she doesn’t want to come here anymore?”

Yord picked up the pans from their hanging racks above and set them down on the stove.

“I’m not sure. Sol tried to keep her working here, after she left the Academy, but she decided she needed a change of career. I don’t think he holds it against her, though.”

Jecki considered the situation. Maybe she should call Osha back and tell her she would drop by later. Before she could, however, their first clients stepped through the door. Then, as per usual during the midday rush, Jecki’s mind was a flurry of orders, taken and given as efficiently as possible. She had completely forgotten about Osha or the scooter, until sometime after the rush was over, in the early afternoon, when the door opened once more.

“Welcome to Master Sol’s Korean Noodle Bar. What can I get y-?”

Jecki’s voice squeaked in her throat when she saw Osha step into the noodle bar, wearing that stupid tank top she always wore.

“Osha, hi.”

“Hey. Sorry I couldn’t drop by earlier, I had an appointment to take care of.”

“Oh, it’s no problem at all.”

Especially since Jecki thought she wouldn’t be coming over at all. Jecki’s eyes darted between Osha’s face, with that bright smile of hers, and her arms. She zeroed in on a faint line of oil on her neck, which it seems Osha had tried to clean, but had smeared instead.

Yord dropped two plates on the counter beside her, snapping Jecki out of her staring.

“Well, well, look who it is,” he said.

Osha crossed her arms and smirked. Jecki had never seen that look on her face before and it was derailing her thoughts. She picked up the bowls to bring them to the customers as an excuse to get away. Still, she heard the former coworkers talking behind her.

“After all these years I would have thought that you would have graduated by now,” Osha told him.

“I’ll have you know, I have graduated. I’m doing my masters right now.”

“Oh, congratulations. Does that mean you finally remember that the Peanut & Japchae has peanuts in it?”

“Oh, ah ah, very funny.”

Jecki returned as swiftly as she could, fearing an all-out fight between the two old friends. She nudged Yord away from the register.

“Go put your apron back on,” she told as soon as she noticed that he had once again taken it off.

“Yeah, Yord, go put your apron back on.”

Yord eyed them both, as if he couldn’t believe that they were in league against him. Then, he returned to his cooking station. Jecki gave Osha a little smile.

“Sorry about that. So, what can I get you?”

“How about a Sol special?”

Jecki frowned.

“We don’t have that on the menu.”

“I know,” Osha replied, looking like she was sharing a great secret with her. “It’s a special menu item.”

“We have a special menu?”

Before either Osha or Yord could explain what the special menu was, the curtains to the back room parted and Sol stepped through. He usually stayed at the back, making noodles and preparing the meat.

“Osha! I knew I recognized your voice.”

Jecki had never seen Sol looking this happy before. He looked like his long-lost daughter had returned to him. Osha looked a lot more apprehensive. She gave him a small smile.

“Hi, Sol.”

“What brings you to our side of the city?”

“I needed to talk with Jecki.”

Sol turned to her.

“Why don’t you take a little break so you and Osha can talk?”

“Oh, but…”

“We’ll be fine over here. The midday rush is over. Go on.”

Jecki was too stunned to move, at first. Sol was way too nice. She didn’t know many bosses who would let their employees slack off like that in the middle of the day. She felt bad for being allowed a break when Yord was still toiling in front of the stove. Since she still hadn’t moved, Sol clasped her on the shoulder.

“Go on. Yord will call you if he needs any help.”

Jecki obeyed with a nod. She and Osha went to take a little squared table in the serving room.

“Has he always been this nice?” Jecki asked once they were seated and Sol had returned into the back kitchen.

“Yeah. I don’t think he has a mean bone in his body.”

“I didn’t think you were going to drop by when I suggested it.”

A shadow of uncertainty passed over Osha’s features.

“I almost didn’t, but I figured it would do me some good, coming back here. And also, I missed the noodles.”

“Obviously.”

They chuckled. To Jecki’s surprised, Osha reached for her hands, as she looked over Jecki’s painted nails. She liked to paint them colorful, sometimes orange and sometimes pink and sometimes both, as was the case now. The colors alternated on each finger.

“I like it,” Osha told her.

Jecki was too focused on how warm and callous Osha’s hand was to think anything of the compliment. They felt rough against hers but Jecki did not find it unappealing at all. On the contrary.

Yord dropped a bowl of noodle on the table beside them and a pair of chopsticks.

“The Sol special.”

“Thanks, Yord.”

Osha let go of Jecki’s hand to take the chopsticks, to Jecki’s great disappointment.

“Do you want anything, Jecki?”

She shook her head at her coworker, to signal that she didn’t want anything but also to shake the blush out of her cheeks. Yord returned behind the counter and Osha picked up a few noodles with her chopsticks, blowing on them. Jecki watched her without a word, giving her the time to take her first bite before asking her about the scooter. Osha smiled.

“They are just as good as I remember them to be.”

“Awesome. So, what’s this about a new scooter you found for me?”

Osha took another bite of noodle. Jecki tried to figure out what else was in those noodles, but beyond the bright orange carrots she wasn’t sure about the rest.

“Yes, so, a client this morning tried selling me his old scooter for parts. He’s switching to an actually motorbike, anyway, I looked it over, and it needs a bit of fixing but it’s honestly nothing compared to your old one. I can have it ready before the end of the week if you want it.”

“How much?”

“Oh, I’ll make it dirt cheap, don’t worry.”

“I want to pay you a fair price.”

“I’m the expert, I know what the fair price is, don’t I?”

Jecki bit her lower lip as she could not deny Osha’s assertion. Osha stopped eating, staring at her. Jecki frowned.

“Do I have something on my face?”

“No, sorry.”

Osha lowered her face, staring at her noodles as if she wanted to make sure that she wouldn’t miss as single one with her chopsticks. Jecki glanced at the noodles again, but she could not figure out what made them special.

“Can I have a bite?”

Osha looked at her with uncertainty.

“Are you sure? They’re pretty spicy.”

Jecki brushed the comment away. She had grown used to Sol’s spicy noodles since she had begun working here.

“Yeah, I’m curious.”

Osha picked up a handful of noodles with her chopsticks and offered them to Jecki. Jecki took the bite. At first, they tasted like the great beef stock noodles she had grown used to. Then, the spices kicked in. It was like a sun on her tongue, burning not just her taste buds but everything they had come into contact with, from the inside of her cheeks to the back of her throat, to her lips. She forced herself to swallow and as soon as her mouth was empty, she coughed like she had caught a sudden virus.

“Oh no…”

Osha was trying very hard not to laugh, caught between worry and giggles.

“I warned you. Are you okay?”

“Yep… Never better…”

Jecki was crying now, though it was out of her control. She understood why the Sol special was not on the menu. What she did not understand was how Osha was so casually eating it.

“Excuse me…”

She rushed behind the counter, took a soda can, cracked it open and drained half of it. Beside her, Yord chuckled. She glared at him.

“What did you put in that thing?”

“Half a million on the Scoville scale,” Yord told her as he showed her a bottle of unlabeled sauce – most likely Sol’s own recipe.

“Are you insane?”

“And now you know why they are not for everyone.”

Jecki took another gulp of her soda than returned to Osha’s table. The other woman was giggling still.

“I’m so sorry. I never should have let you try them.”

Jecki shook her head, signaling that it was fine, even as her lips still burned like someone had put a hot-red band around her mouth. Still, Osha took another bite and looked completely fine.

“How are you enjoying this?”

Osha shrugged.

“If you think this is hot, you wouldn’t last a meal with my moms. I grew up eating very, very hot Cajun food.”

“Spicier than this?”

Osha shrugged. Jecki finished her soda with a sigh of relief.

“You’re crazy.”

Her comment only made Osha laugh.

A few days later, Jecki found herself back at Osha’s garage. For once, however, she didn’t find Osha under a car or rummaging through an engine. She was in the little office at the back, listening to music as she was looking through a bunch of papers. Jecki came to knock at the office door. It was ajar, and on the back of it, Jecki saw an old, faded poster of a painted pin-up, with her ridiculously short space suit. Jecki decided not to comment on it.

“Hey!”

As soon as Osha noticed her, she stood up and turned off the music.

“This time, I promise, it’s ready.”

“No hiccups?”

“Not even a little cough.”

Osha brushed past her, and Jecki caught the faint smell of vanilla under the garage’s usually oily stench – although the longer she spent around the mechanic and the less she found the smell repulsive. She began to follow Osha, until the other woman turned around and grabbed her by the hand.

“Close your eyes.”

Jecki smiled and obeyed. She let herself be led around the garage until she felt Osha let go of her hand. Footsteps shuffled around her.

“Osha? Can I open my eyes?”

“Hold on… Yes, you can.”

Jecki found herself standing in front of a small, yellow scooter. It wasn’t brand new, but it already looked leagues better than Jecki’s old piece of junk.

“So, what do you think?” Osha asked.

“It looks nice.”

“Do you want to try it?”

“Where should we go?”

Osha looked taken aback by the question at first. Then, after thinking about it for a second, she said:

“I’ll be right back.”

She rushed up the staircase and returned a moment later with a bike helmet and a jacket.

“This is the best helmet that I have. Do you think it’ll be fine?”

Jecki put on her own helmet which she had brought with her and shrugged.

“We’ll just have to be very careful.”

Osha smiled at her. Jecki sat on the scooter and kicked the stand back. She brought the scooter out of the garage and to the edge of the road, as Osha walked beside her.

“Moment of truth.”

She turned the key in the ignition. The engine purred like a kitten. Osha climbed in behind her, arms wrapped securely around her waist. Jecki tried not to think too hard about Osha pressed against her back or her arms wrapped against her stomach, fingers threaded together as if she never wanted to let Jecki go.

“So, where are we going?”

“Do you know Sandy Shore?”

“I think I’ve been there once or twice.”

With their destination set, Jecki turned the handle, pushing the scooter onto the road with a roar.

They spent the afternoon at the beach after parking Jecki’s new scooter near an ice cream truck. Jecki bought them ice cream and they walked side by side on the beach, talking about anything and everything. Osha was still tentative talking about her sister, but Jecki had no trouble talking about her time in boarding school, leading the conversation for the two of them. Once they had finished their ice cream, they sat on the sand and watched the sunset. They were seated shoulder to shoulder, and Jecki felt Osha’s hand climbing slowly, first on her arm then descending, inch by inch, until she could hold her hand in hers. The callous pads of Osha’s fingers against her pale skin made Jecki shiver despite the warmth of the evening.

After that afternoon, however, Jecki found herself swept up in life once more. With her mid-terms and a fencing competition coming, she barely had the time to text Osha every so often. She was leaving a mid-term one afternoon when she found Osha seated on the bench in front of her dorm building, sunglasses on, casually taking in the sun.

“Osha? What are you doing here?”

Osha stood up.

“I was waiting for you. I thought, if you have a little time, we could, I don’t know, grab a coffee or something.”

Jecki was hesitant. She still had half a chapter on the French Revolution to read through for her exam in a few days. Her hesitation gave Osha pause.

“I don’t want to impose. If you have other plans, I’ll leave, don’t worry about it.”

Jecki held her back before she could walk away.

“I can spare half an hour.”

Osha smiled at her.

“Don’t tell me you missed me?” she joked.

Jecki felt herself blush once more. She looked down, hoping the shadows would hide it.

“Do you want to walk around the campus?”

“Sure.”

They talked as they walked. Shortly into the walk, Osha’s hand brushed against Jecki’s. Jecki wanted to grab her hand, to feel it in hers, warm and solid, but she thought it might be inappropriate. Friends didn’t hold hands like that, she thought. Or, maybe they did, as after she hesitated for a moment, pinkie brushing against the back of Osha’s hand, Osha reached for her hand and entwined their fingers. Jecki smiled, then continued to talk about how her exams were going.

After her final mid-term but before her next fencing competition, Osha invited her to her place. She had promised Jecki that she would show her Pip one day, and this weekend was the perfect opportunity for it. So Jecki bought a frozen pizza and a bag of sweets and traveled on her little yellow scooter back to the garage. When she arrived, she found that Osha was finishing up her final maintenance for the day. She parked her scooter beside the car and as soon as she cut up the engine, Osha rolled out from under the car.

“Is it time already? Damn, I thought I would have the time to take a shower before you arrived.”

“It’s not that bad,” Jecki told her, trying to think of anything but Osha and showers.

Osha showed her hands. They looked like she had taken a scoop of motor oil with her bare hands.

“I take your point.”

Osha grabbed a dirty rag to clean her hands, though it wasn’t as effective as she had hoped.

“Give me a second to close up, shower, and I’m all yours.”

Osha shut the door to the garage, securing the lock, then climbed up the spiral staircase. Jecki followed her. She had not been invited upstairs yet. At the top, the stairs led to a small living room with a balcony overlooking the back of the building. Thick plywood surrounded the staircase, affixed to the metal railing and the little gate at the top of the stairs. Jecki could tell that this was an Osha addition.

“I had to install all this because Pip kept trying to escape downstairs.”

Pip was in his cage beside the couch. The four-story cage had little platforms and ladders, a slide, a hammock and a bunch of toys scattered on every floor. When Pip heard voices, he tumbled off the hammock and scurried down to the ground floor. Jecki looked at the ferret. He was pretty small, with a dark brown fur that looked dark red when the light caught on it, like the color of roasted coffee beans. His little mask was surrounded by white. He chirped at the sight of newcomers.

“Here.”

Osha opened the cage and Pip scurried out excitedly, holding one of his toys, a little pink fish, between his teeth.

“You can play with him, just give him time to get used to you. If he starts jumping around like a maniac he’s just happy.”

“Got it.”

Osha disappeared through a door that Jecki assumed was the bathroom, an assumption only confirmed when she heard water running. On the ground, Pip had found another one of his toys, a plastic ball with sparkles inside, and he was chasing after it and curling around it. Jecki chuckled at the sight and sat down cross-legged.

It took a long minute for Pip to approach her, when curiosity finally got the better of him. Jecki held out her hand. Pip smelled it for a very long time. Then, he returned to his toys. He seemed to have established that she wasn’t a threat, but wasn’t interested in her beyond that. Jecki was determined to remedy that. She grabbed another toy – how many toys did the little guy have? – and shook it in his direction.

“Hey, Pip? Do you want this ball?”

This one had a little bell inside. It seemed to drive him nuts. She threw the ball in his direction and it rolled on the ground. He lunched for it and grabbed it. Jecki had to fight to get it back, laughing all the while. She threw it in another direction and Pip dashed after it.

The game went on for a little while, until the bathroom door opened and Osha stepped out in a cloud of steam, brushing the dampness out of the tip of her hair. Pip rushed past her after his toy, then ran in the other direction to grab another toy.

“I see you two are having fun.”

“He has a lot of energy,” Jecki noted.

“Well, he sleeps 18 hours a day, he better have a lot of energy when he’s awake.”

Osha sat on the couch and turned on the TV.

“What should we watch?”

“I have no idea. Oh, we should also put the pizza in the oven.”

“I’ll take care of it. Here, pick what you want to watch.”

Osha left the couch to head into the small kitchen in the other corner of the apartment. Jecki stepped away from Pip who was still playing on the ground and sat on the couch. She began searching through the Netflix library. There were so many movies that it was difficult to choose. She tried reducing the selection to handful of movies. When Osha returned, she picked up Pip from the floor and set him on her lap. The ferret immediately calmed down and curled on her lap and she petted it.

“He seems really comfortable,” Jecki joked.

“Why? Are you jealous?”

Jecki’s head exploded, or at least it felt exactly like it. The rush of heat that came to her was so intense to short-circuited her thoughts. Osha only smiled at her and asked:

“So? What are we watching?”

“I’m not sure… I don’t know…”

Jecki began to panic, she had forgotten every single movie she had spotted that would be interesting. She grabbed onto the first one the cursor landed on.

“Pacific Rim: Uprising?”

“Sure.”

Jecki tried to calm herself as the movie began. Osha had only been joking, just teasing her because she had probably figured out how easy it was to fluster her. Although, if Osha knew why it was so easy for her to fluster her, perhaps she would feel different about her joke. Jecki forced herself to focus on the movie. She had seen it already; she knew what to expect.

“I would love to make my own super robot,” Osha told her as the main character discovered a teenager and her homemade robot.

This was good, Jecki told herself. This was comfortable. They were just two friends enjoying a movie. Soon, the pizza would be ready, and she would be too busy eating to say anything foolish. Unfortunately, the pizza did not come fast enough. As the main character’s rival kissed his mechanic girlfriend, Jecki could not stop herself from saying:

“I wish I had a mechanic girlfriend.”

“I’m a mechanic,” Osha pointed out with complete sincerity.

Jecki’s eyes grew wide. What was Osha on about? The oven let out a gentle beep and Jecki jumped off the couch.

“Pizza time!”

She ran so fast that she didn’t even hear Osha asking if she should pause the movie. Panic settled in her chest like pillows smothering her. She had to ask someone what to do before she made an even bigger fool of herself. She texted Yord.

I need help!

What is going on? Did she try to kill you?

What? No. We were watching a movie and I joked that I would like to have a mechanic girlfriend and she said ‘I’m a mechanic.’ What does it mean? Is she flirting with me?

Yord took so long to answer that Jecki had the time to pull the pizza out of the oven before checking for his reply.

Are you sure you’re not on a date?

Why would this be a date?

Because she invited you over to her place to eat pizza and watch a movie. Kinda sounds like a date to me.

Jecki scoffed. Obviously Yord had no idea what he was talking about. Before she could tell him as much, she felt Osha coming up behind her. She was about to tell her that she would bring their plates when she felt Osha’s arms wrapped around her. Osha placed the smallest kiss on the nape of her neck. Jecki turned completely rigid in her hold.

“Are you okay?” Osha asked as she relaxed her hug.

Jecki turned around to look at the other woman, completely speechless at first. She had to call on the calming techniques she usually used during a stressful fencing tournament to sort through her thoughts.

“Is this a date?”

Osha frowned.

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“What do you mean?”

Osha looked as confused as Jecki felt.

“Isn’t this, like, our fifth date?”

This was news to Jecki, whose mouth fell open in shock. Osha started to count out loud:

“The fast food. The noodle bar. The trip to the beach. The walk on the campus. And tonight. I’m not going crazy, am I?”

But those weren’t dates, Jecki wanted to argue. They were just two people who spent time together and learned things about each other. Oh no…

Osha caught up to Jecki’s stupefaction swiftly.

“Did I misunderstand? Oh no, I’m so sorry…”

She looked positively mortified and about two seconds away from running away. Jecki caught her hand before she could.

“I really like spending time with you, and this… I mean, it might as well be a date, don’t you think?”

Osha visibly relaxed. She looked between their clasped hands, then up to Jecki’s face. Jecki was smiling with genuine butterflies in her chest. She was elated.

“Are you sure?”

Jecki gave her a nod. Osha smiled, a little piece of sun chasing the clouds of embarrassment.

“I mean, I did think it was strange that you were taking things really slowly.”

Jecki chuckled.

“I don’t mind slow, but maybe not that slow. Maybe not first kiss on the fifth date kinda slow.”

“I see…”

Jecki’s eyes fell between Osha’s warm dark eyes and her mouth. For a second, she thought maybe it wasn’t the right time, that now Osha was the one having second thought. Then, Osha closed the distance between them. Their lips met in a short kiss, at first. Osha’s hesitation made her pull away almost as soon as their lips had touched. Jecki followed her into another kiss. It was sending little spark into her heart, like Osha’s kiss had fixed whatever little itch had been causing her engine to malfunction.

Jecki let go of her hand to cup her cheek, making sure they stayed close to one another as they continued to kiss. Osha held her by the hips with the same intent. Neither of them was steady, as if the kiss was upsetting their balance. Jecki leaned back, looking for support. She found the stove, and her hand brushed against the hot pizza pan. She jumped away with a yelp, breaking the kiss.

“Are you okay?” Osha asked.

Jecki checked her wrist, but it hadn’t touched the pan long enough to leave even a reddish spot. She pursed her lips.

“I’m okay. Maybe we shouldn’t make out in the kitchen though.”

“No making out in the kitchen, got it.”

They heard an explosion coming from the living room, and the rest of the world seem to return to Jecki.

“What happened?”

Osha glanced back through the open doorway, catching only a sliver of the TV.

“I think a robot just exploded.”

“Maybe we should return to the couch?” Jecki suggested.

“To watch the movie?”

“Yes,” she replied, but there was something in her voice that indicated more.

Osha nodded. She walked out of the kitchen and Jecki followed, pizza and phone all but forgotten. She couldn’t well tell Yord that he had been right, he would be insufferable about for the rest of Time.