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Rei was an interesting girl. Her face made all sorts of odd expressions that Hanna had never thought possible before.
Unfortunately for Hanna, they were usually looks of annoyance or disgust pointed at her. But she refused to give up.
She had seen the way Rei Chan had looked at her, and the way Rei had recoiled in response. That was a queer girl in denial if Hanna had ever seen one.
The odd obsession with Hansum only really convinced Hanna of this further. As they had gotten closer, Rei’s chasing after the senior president had become more…performative. It didn’t seem as sincere as when she had thought Hanna was competition for him. That was a horrible time.
Maybe it was Hanna’s…girl kisser qualities, but she didn’t see what the rest of the student body saw in him. He was very sweet, sure. But…Hanna was gonna be so honest, she didn’t think that guy was human. His chin was lowkey freaky as well. Maybe it’s a side effect from all the Chinritos?
Hanna had literally never seen anyone else eat those things unless they were starving and broke, which she and Rei fit the category for.
Hanna had finally convinced Rei to hang out with her after school (with the promise of free food, help with homework, and letting Rei yap about her mangas). They stopped by a convenience store on the way to their study spot to grab some food, and by that Hanna meant she just smiled as Rei raided the store with a grave look on her face.
Hanna could really pick ‘em.
After leaving the store, Rei told Hanna all about the newest episode of a magical girl anime she liked. After seeing a picture of some of the characters, Hanna told Rei they should get together to watch it sometime. Not at all because she thought the girls in the show looked cute.
Shut up. She doesn’t want to hear it from anyone, everyone else would think the same.
Finally they got to the park and their “study session” became more of a long discussion about different mangas. Hanna still did Rei’s homework because she was feeling generous today.
And she really, really wanted to be able to gaze into Rei’s beautiful eyes for a bit longer before the girl noticed and called Hanna weird.
Rei really did look so beautiful like this. Talking about something she was passionate about, bathed in the moonlight, she looked so gentle.
(Your daily reminder not to listen to love sick lesbians, Rei scared off all the creatures in the park—including people— with her shouting).
That was until Hansum Ochinchin crashed the party. Hanna was going to explode. Why was this guy literally everywhere?!
“Hanna! Raelynn!” Hansum called out, running over to them with his weird gait. Hanna grimaced when Rei’s face fell after Hansum got her name wrong.
Hanna whined to herself. Why couldn’t Rei just love her? Hanna would never mess up Rei’s name, she would remember all of Rei’s favorite things, she would get Rei all of her favorite foods! Hanna would be the perfect girlfriend for her but—
“Hanna? You good?” Rei asked, waving her hands in front of Hanna’s face. Hanna quickly corrected herself, waving Rei off. But when she turned to Hansum, she was struggling to keep that facade off. The senior didn’t seem to notice.
“It’s nice to see you here, fellow students!” Hansum winked, but Hanna wasn’t quite sure about what. Rei immediately fell for…whatever this was, though, and smiled and bashed her lashes at Hansum. Three feelings raced through Hanna in that moment.
- Disgust. Really, what did Rei see in this guy? He was so…pointy. And Hanna was all for retaining a sense of whimsy but this guy took it to the next level. She kept catching him talking conspicuously with beetles.
- Shock. Hanna didn’t even know batting her eye lashes was something Rei knew how to do. As much as Hanna wanted to watch a romance with Rei(shut up!), maybe she needed to try and steer Rei away from them so Hanna didn’t have to watch her crush flirt with Hansum O’ChinChin of all people.
- Self pity. Hanna felt like a puddle as she watched the most beautiful girl ever pine over a guy with a head shaped like a chip. Why couldn’t it be her?
“Hanna, are you sure you’re alright?” Rei asked, turning back to Hanna. The girl squeaked a little, lost in Rei’s eyes. Oh what Hanna wouldn’t give to run her hands through Rei’s hair, to feel Rei’s face in her hands, to feel Rei—
Hanna cut herself off as her fantasies took a turn. Hansum chose that moment to ruin everything and said,
“Yes, Rachel is right. You look a bit red. I know! I will get my young human girl friend some water! Yes, water! Radical, keep an eye on her!” Hansum shouted before taking off. Hanna lost her sapphic train of thought for a moment as she watched Hansum in confusion. He ran like he didn’t have knees. Hanna didn’t even know that was possible.
But much to Hanna’s surprise, Rei was not watching him. The girl was firmly locked onto Hanna, hesitant.
Finally, Rei put a gentle hand to Hanna’s cheek. It definitely didn’t help with the blushing.
Or the thoughts, her subconscious whispered, which Hanna took a moment to beat up and lock in a dark room.
“Hansum is right, you’re really warm. Do you have a fever?”
It’s official, Hanna was gonna faint. Her face was flushing more by the second but she had to keep it cool. Rei always freaked out whenever Hanna was too forward, but surely it couldn’t hurt for Hanna to bask in her crush’s attention for just a moment longer, right?
Rei’s eyes were sparkling with concern, but there was a bit of mirth behind it, as if she was amused. Hanna suddenly felt self conscious. Did she look stupid? She did a quick inventory of all her body parts, nothing was doing anything weird or out of the usual, so why was Rei looking at her like that?
A thought struck Hanna. Did she know?
Well obviously Rei knew, Hanna thought to herself. Stupid, you confessed to her the first time you held a real conversation because she called you pretty. What Hanna meant was had Rei really realized it wasn’t a joke? If Hanna leaned in right now could she—
“I have returned! I do not know what would help in this situation so I bought everything!” Hansum called out, dropping about six bags into Rei’s arms, successfully breaking them apart.
Now Hanna was red for a new reason. Anger. Hansum always came at the worst times. Why was he always here? No wonder everyone thinks they’re dating! Hanna gagged at the thought, which didn’t help the conclusion Rei and Hansum had come to that Hanna was sick.
“You really don’t look good, Hanna. You should go home. Why don’t you have Hansum take you, I can get home by myself. My house isn’t that far.” Rei looked slightly dejected, but there was still an unmistakable concern in her voice.
Hansum looked all the part of a noble knight, waiting to rescue the princess. Hanna was gonna throw up. But she saw an opportunity.
Before she could think it through fully, Hanna began to sway back and forth, playing up her “fever.” She fell towards Rei, dodging Hansum and his stupid reflexes to make sure she fell into Rei’s arms.
Rei looked down at Hanna, and while she wasn’t one to be talking, Hanna could see a hint of a blush on Rei’s face. Hanna channeled all of her energy into coming across weak and pitiful.
“I don’t feel so good.” She slurred, like only a sick person would. And technically, Hanna was being truthful, she was sick.
Lovesick. Horribly, horribly lovesick.
Plus all those volunteering hours at the hospital really helps you develop a sick impression.
“I should really get you home. Where do you live?” For once, it seemed like Rei had forgotten about Hansum. Hanna fought to keep up the facade and forced the smile off her face.
“So far.” Hanna croaked, hoping Rei would catch the hint. She didn’t. Rei looked at Hanna blankly, expecting more. God, Hanna really had to do everything. “Take me home with you?”
Rei’s face turned a soft, rosy pink. Hanna couldn’t help but think about how it matched Rei’s eyes.
“Oh, um. I guess. It’s a short walk, but, er, do you need to message your parents? About staying over? They’ll be okay with it, right?” Rei asked. Hanna was celebrating so hard internally that she couldn’t focus on Rei’s words, but she pulled out her phone and sent a quick message to her mom. She smiled weakly at Rei, letting herself lean on the other girl a little more. Hanna felt perfect in Rei’s arms, like she belonged.
Only now, did Hanna notice that Hansum was still watching. He had this knowing look on his face, so different from the utterly ignorant one she was accustomed too. Hanna flushed. Did he know? Was this all some convoluted plan of his to help her out?
“I hope you feel better Hanna. Rei.” With that, Hansum sped off, presumably to the chinritos bag Hanna assumed he lived in. Hanna didn’t notice that Rei was so focused on her, the girl couldn’t be bothered to notice that Hansum had finally gotten her name right.
They slowly made their way to Rei’s apartment. Hanna walked, but she had draped herself over Rei, breathing in the girl’s scent. Her breath must’ve been hot against Rei’s neck, and Hanna could still see that rosy flush on her face. Hanna smiled.
Eventually, they made it to Rei’s apartment. Her father was sitting at the counter, berating a dog that looked more like a cotton ball.
“Rei! I didn’t expect you to be back so early!” Her father said, barely looking up. When he did, he looked shocked. “Oh! You brought company! Is this the friend you went out with?”
Rei’s father looked like a kind man. He was everything Hanna imagined when she thought of a father, from the warm eyes to the coffee stained shirt.
“Yes, dad, this is Hanna. Hanna, dad.” There was some type of warning in Rei’s voice towards her dad, and while Hanna had no clue what was going on, Rei’s father clearly understood.
“Shes not feeling well so I said she could sleep at ours and we’d take her back in the morning, if that’s alright with you.” Rei said. Her father nodded, and told Hanna if she needed anything to not hesitate to ask. Rei practically carried Hanna the rest of the way to her room.
Hanna wasn’t completely sure what she had been expecting, certainly more of a mess. But Rei’s room was, in a way, pristine. She had bookshelves lining her rooms, and while the bed was a mess, the floor wasn’t. Everything seemed to have a place, even if it was a bit chaotic. It was very…Rei. Hanna smiled.
Rei laid Hanna down on the bed, gently tucking her in. Honestly, Hanna was already half asleep. She felt so safe and warm here. Rei turned to leave, but Hanna rushed to grab the other girls wrist. In a weak, sleep-addled voice, Hanna quietly said,
“Stay.”
Said wasn’t the right word. Hanna was pleading. She had no plans to take advantage of Rei’s kindness, she was a good person. But Hanna did let her heart hope that maybe Rei would let Hanna get closer to her.
Rei stayed.
It was awkward at first, and Rei laid stiffly in bed next to Hanna. Eventually, Hanna rolled over onto her side to face Rei. She kept her eyes closed, but let her hand find Rei’s underneath the bed. To Hanna’s shock, Rei took Hanna’s hand and entwined their fingers.
With the warmth emanating from Rei, Hanna finally fell asleep.
At some point during the night, Hanna woke up and found Rei wrapped around Hanna like a cat. Hanna smiled and tucked her head into Rei’s neck and went back to sleep.
Maybe Rei wasn’t ready to admit anything to herself yet, but this was a start. And right now, whatever Rei was comfortable with was good enough for Hanna.
Because that’s all Hanna really wanted, wasn’t it? She wanted Rei to be happy.