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Over the past thirty minutes, Allison thinks she’s learned enough about Kira Yukimura to write a book.
She's learned that Kira is in her last year of a history program at the local college and that she hopes to do a master's in Japanese Mythology. She used to live in New York and even after four years, she still hasn’t gotten used to the California heat. She loves dogs but her apartment is far too small to have one, so she has to make do with a goldfish named Einstein that her roommate brought home after a night of drinking. She prefers tea to coffee, sleeping in to getting up early and frozen yogurt to ice cream.
She seems like a very sweet person. Her smile stretches from ear to ear and she fiddles with things as she speaks; her napkin, one of the beaded bracelets around her wrists, the silver fox necklace hanging from her long neck. She’s also very pretty and if the circumstances were different, Allison would be more than happy to be sitting across from her, listening to Kira talk a mile a minute about the different types of kitsunes, Japanese fox spirits.
There’s just one problem.
Before Kira came in, Allison had been sitting alone at her table, planning on treating herself to some delicious chicken parmigiana as a way to celebrate being done a twenty page paper. According to what Kira said when she sat down across from Allison in a flurry of gestures and words, she’s supposed to be on a blind date with someone her roommate set her up with. And although Allison has tried multiple times over the last half hour to tell Kira that there’s been a mix-up, she just hasn’t managed to get the words out yet. She doesn’t want to interrupt Kira, because she’s just so passionate about everything, and if there’s one thing Allison hates, it’s watching the passion leak out of someone’s eyes when you have to interrupt them or give them bad news.
But still, while part of Allison wants to be selfish, stay quiet and just let Kira keep talking, she knows that isn’t fair. She doesn’t want to lie to her and besides, somewhere in this very restaurant, another person is probably getting very impatient and wondering where Kira is.
She wishes that she could hear Kira talk some more, but she also doesn't want to ruin someone else’s date.
“Kira,” she says, taking advantage of a moment where Kira stops talking and sips her Coke, “I need to tell you something.”
“Am I talking too much?” Kira asks, her cheeks turning pink, a single drop of soda sliding from the corner of her lips. “I talk a lot when I get nervous. But you probably figured that out already.”
“No, that’s fine!” Allison says. “It’s just… I’m not the person you’re supposed to be on your date with.”
Kira’s face drops and her smile immediately disappears, twisting into an expression that looks almost horrified. The pink on her cheeks turns violently red and she stammers for a few moments before pressing both hands to her mouth.
“Oh my God,” she squeaks from behind her fingers. “Oh my God. I am so sorry, I’ve ruined your night! I just… well, you look exactly like Marie. I should have asked first!”
“I do?” Allison asks, curiosity getting the best of her. Kira nods rapidly and pulls her phone out of her pocket. After a moment, she pushes it across the table at Allison. The screen is displaying a photo of a young woman with thick, curly black hair falling past her shoulders. Her face is lightly splashed with freckles and her pink lips are quirked up into a smile, making shallow dimples pop into her cheeks.
It isn’t quite like looking into a mirror, but Allison can still see the resemblance.
“I was actually going to ask if you got a haircut, but I thought that might be rude,” Kira sighs, taking her phone back when Allison hands it to her. “Seriously, I’m so sorry.” Before Allison can assure her that it’s really alright, Kira taps her phone screen and frowns slightly.
“Hmm,” she mumbles. “I just got a text from Marie. She said she can’t make it, something about her brother getting into a fight.” She sighs and quickly types out a text before putting her phone back in her pocket. “Well, this night has just been a disaster. I’m still sorry that I barged in on your evening. Were you supposed to be meeting anyone?”
“No,” Allison says with a laugh. “This place just has really great food, and I thought I deserved a treat after writing a twenty page paper on the French monarchy.” She pauses for a moment and looks up at Kira. Her smile has come back, albeit smaller, but she’s twisted slightly and her fingers are hovering a few inches above her coat, like she’s deciding whether or not to pick it up.
Allison debates with herself for a moment, before finally deciding to just ask. At this point, it doesn’t look like it will do anyone harm.
“Would you like to stay for dinner?” she asks. “It doesn’t have to mean anything, but it’s been nice, actually. Listening to you talk, I mean.”
“Really?” Kira asks quietly, her hand dropping away from her coat. “You’d be okay with that?”
“Of course. It’d be too quiet if you left,” Allison teases. Kira’s smile comes back in full force and she settles back in her seat, looking comfortable once again. Allison locks eyes with the waiter she’s been putting off for half an hour and waves them over.
Once they’ve ordered (chicken parmigiana for Allison, spaghetti carbonara for Kira), Kira leans forward in her seat and props her head up on her hands, her dark eyes sparkling in a way that has a tiny part of Allison hoping this won’t be their last dinner together.
“So since I monopolized literally half an hour of your life, I think it’s your turn to talk,” she says with a bright grin.
Allison returns the smile, and thinks about where to begin.