Chapter Text
"Half past nine and she's STILL somehow running late?" Maria muttered under her breath, stuffing her hands back into her pockets, eyes wandering around the block. I mean, sure, it was her fault she forgot her scarf at home, but the weather didnt need to punish her for it, for gods sake!
Losing patience by the minute, she tried (and failed) to nonchalantly lean against the lampost like those frat boys on tv. Bad idea. Resulted in her tripping on Mysterious Slimy Green Stuff™️ and nearly diving face first into it.
But then—hands. Warm ones. Firm at her waist, keeping her from falling as they pressed her back flush against someone’s chest. "God, Maria!", came that oh-so-familiar voice. Never too sharp, never too soft, something a bit like the gentle, grainy voices she'd hear from her granmama's broken vinyl player. If she could, she'd listen to Rinri's voice all day too, the mere sound itself akin to a warm embrace. The thought made her go very still, before she mentally attempted to shrug it off
And unbeknownst to poor Maria, the heat creeping up her neck failed to escape her friends' keen notice. Prying herself, albeit a bit reluctantly, out of Rinri's grasp, she brushed off the nonexistent dust on her skirt and shot a sidelong glare at the sound of barely muffled giggles, spinning on her heels to face the other girl.
"You're _late,_" Maria muttered, voice tight as she stubbornly crossed her arms.
Rinri just grinned at her, unbothered. "Yeah, but apparently _just in time_ , so... you're welcome? I guess?" gesturing vaguely at the offending muck.
Maria scowled, wincing as a particularly sharp gust of wind aimed for her neck as if it held a grudge. And Rinri noticed. Of course she noticed. A beat. Then Rinri started unwrapping the thick wool scarf around her own neck.
"Come closer, wont you.", tone casual, but something far too tender in her touch as she draped the scarf over both of their shoulders. The resulting sight was rather silly. Neither of them could be bothered to care, though, too wrapped up in the head of the moment.
It smelled faintly of spices.
~~~~
Cracking the entrance open with a gentle nudge, Maria let out a sigh of relief—she’d half-expected the place to be closed already. The dim yellow lighting and the fireplace glowing softly in the corner gave the room quite an inviting ambience. Deep red couches lined the walls, and the tables were spotless, meticulously clean. It really was a lovely spot.
How Rinri had even found this place remained a mystery—she flat-out refused to say. The café was tucked into such an unassuming corner that you’d never know it existed !
After settling into one of the plush couches and placing their orders, Maria pulled out her laptop and finally got to work on what they’d come here for in the first place: their literature assignment.
Seconds turned into minutes, minutes into an hour, and before she knew it, it was nearly midnight!.
She leaned back from her crappy shrimp posture and sank into the couch with a deep sigh. Glancing over at her friend, she saw Rinri still tapping away at her keyboard. Lips perfectly glossed, not a strand of hair out of place, brows furrowed in concentration.
Ugh, of _course_ . Little miss fucking perfect.