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Mina opened her eyes slightly, patting around her bed. She stopped abruptly upon realizing she was alone, and even though she knew that, she sat up to confirm with her own two eyes that the other side of her bed was indeed empty. Her gaze wandered around the room, letting out a long sigh after taking it all in. In the end, she was already used to waking up alone. No matter how many times she asked them to stay, she always woke up the same; alone.
It was ironic, how the world works. When Minako was in high school she was in love with being in love; she spent so much of her time pursuing other people, begging to be loved. She went through crushes, having a new one every other day and swearing that one would eventually be “The One”. In college that changed a lot. It didn’t happen overnight, but before Mina could realize she had spent too many nights with people that she would never see again; not in the morning, not in a week, not ever.
The blonde stood up, smiling. She wanted to believe that it was perfectly acceptable because she didn't want to be with anyone in a serious way. She was just passing a good time, nothing less, nothing more. She repeated to herself how she didn’t need a partner, how she didn’t want one. Thats why she was fine with this arrangement.
“It’s better this way” she mumbled while putting on that black shirt that somehow was always close to her in the morning.
The blonde sat on the couch and her mind wandered for a while. Could she be lying to herself? Was she actually fine with being alone every morning? Was it…too lonely? or was it just what she wanted?
Minako stood up from the sofa, basically running to reach for her phone. She had forgotten to put it to charge last night, but that five percent wouldn’t stop her. The blonde went through her contacts, scrolling for a bit before stopping at that...that contact. After a few minutes of doing nothing but looking, she dialed, without allowing herself to think any further. Thinking too much would only make her a coward and cowards never actually made the call. She also didn’t have enough battery to waste time wondering if she should call or not.
One...two...three seconds. It took three seconds before her heartbeat stopped and at the same time, accelerated.
“Mina? It's too early for this”
“Good morning” she immediately responded, a smile creeping on her face. She could imagine the answer before even asking, judging by the sleepiness and annoyance of the sentence but she carried on. “Are you sleeping?”
silence for a second.
“No,” the girl on the other line finally said, her voice making obvious that this was a complete lie. “if I were sleeping I wouldn't have answered the call, Minako.” Minako could always tell when Rei was lying. Not that Rei particularly cared. “What's going on? Did someone stay at your house?”
“No, no, of course not.” Minako laughed at the question. Once, someone had indeed woken up next to her, and thanks to Rei’s help, she had managed to get him out without having to explain much. Turns out that when you have Rei Hino walk through the door of your house with an angry face, men fear for their lives enough to leave without saying goodbye. “I just woke up”
Minako felt so dumb. Was that the best she could come up with?
“And…why are you calling me?” Rei sounded confused. Maybe even annoyed, which made the blonde’s heart feel a twitch. A hurt. She wasn’t sure why.
“ I thought we could do something today.” she said, dragging the words a bit. “Yes. We should do something.”
The call was silent for a few more seconds. Mina hated those just as much as she hated to hear what Rei said next.
“I don't think so. I don't believe we should.”
“Rei. I promise it's nothing like that.” she said quickly, the hurt feeling getting to her chest. “you're the only one who can accompany me today! Usagi is away with her looove today, and Mako has that bake sale…and Ami, she’s traveling!Besides...you haven't come in a long time. What? Are you afraid of me or something?”
The girl sighed on the other end. “You wish.”
“I do. I do wish” Mina thought she was so clever, and she giggled. “Come on, Rei, its just to hang out! What’s the worst that can happen?”
Rei thought about it. She wasn’t really doing anything that day anyways, but she didn’t want to just accept the invitation like she would do it just because the blonde asked. She wasn’t desperate or anything, she thought.
“I'll go in a bit. I hope you have something good to do. And food.”
Mina smiled, forgetting the hints of hurt from before. “I promise.”
When the blonde heard the ring of the door announcing Rei had arrived she almost fell face first to the floor while running to open it. The smile was almost immediate as she looked at the raven-haired woman at the entrance of her apartment . Her hair fell perfectly like dominoes, a dark waterfall all through her back, which was uncovered for everyone to see. Rei Hino never left the house without spraying her favorite perfume, that one that smells like her favorite flowers. Mina couldn’t help it; her eyes wandered through Rei’s clothes noticing how her skirt was just below her knees and her heels made her just an inch taller than the blonde. She was also wearing a necklace she hadn’t worn the last time they had seen each other...one that Mina recognized but decided not to mention.
“You could really take a picture if you are enjoying it so much” Rei tried not to smile while the words left her mouth but seeing the heat flush Mina’s cheeks made it impossible.
"I bought chocolates while you were on your way," said the blonde, moving aside to invite Rei in, trying to hide away from her face in hoped that she wouldn’t see her red face. The girl in front of her seemed to hesitate a little to go in but she went in at the end. she always did. “I also got some good music.”
“Good music?” Rei couldn't help but smile slightly. Her gaze wandered around the apartment, looking at the photos the girl had there. She hadn't been to her house in a long time. “You still have them.”
“They're just photos.” said Mina, looking at where she was pointing. “We are friends, nothing happened, you said so yourself.”
Reí nodded. They were talking about the couple of pictures where they were the main focus. There was a photo of them when they went to a concert where Rei was smiling and Mina too, showing their two fingers with happiness while hugging Rei. Another was of them at the beach, although the other girls had gone to that one. The dark-haired girl then opened one of the drawers in the hallway, knowing well what she would find, and softly laughing upon finding that drawing of both of them that Mina always kept hidden from others, but that Rei knew was always there.
“Don't your lovers ask you?” Rei took out the drawing of both of them, reviewing it. She had one too, but she wasn't going to tell her that.
“ I have with the others too. Besides...there's no time for questions anyway.” she murmured, still allowing Rei to hear her. The girl looked at her, nodding, wondering if that was true. Wondering how many people had seen their pictures and that drawing and still had gone straight to Mina’s bed for the night. She tried to stop the thought.
Both remained silent until, as always, Mina took the reins. The girl put on music, then looked for the sweets she had recently bought and showed them to Rei, who couldn’t help to roll her eyes in amusement.
"Come on, they're your favorites," she said with a smile, taking the black-haired girl's hand and then placing chocolates in it. Rei brought them to her mouth, smiling at her. “I told you.”
“Idiot.” the girl said as she finished the chocolates. Then Mina took her hands, moving the coffee table in the middle of the room with her feet. “What are you doing?”
"Let's go!" exclaimed the girl with excitement as she heard Star on Star begin. Rei gently shook her head, still joining her in the middle of the room. Spending time with Mina made her forget that she was a refined and serious girl, and she became a... teenager.
The girls began to dance, singing at the top of their lungs the song they knew so well. They had spent so many nights learning it that they could sing it even in their dreams, and both knew very well that it was their song. Theirs.
“I will keep all the power of attraction, yes!”sang Rei, seeing Mina grin.
“It's me, the star of the stars!” Mina shouted, pretending that one of her hairbrushes was a microphone.
“Star of the stars!” Rei followed, laughing.
“ I won't lose, I won't break, I won't fall! - both shouted ” Star of stars!”
When the song ended, they both threw themselves onto the sofa, laughing loudly. After a few minutes, they looked at each other with a smile. They used to do that all the time before, and they had forgotten how much fun they had doing it. Even when Rei thought that Mina was annoying, she knew she was her first choice when it came to a partner for karaoke.
"I missed you coming around," Mina admitted, looking at the black-haired girl with an apologetic expression “I'm sorry for being so...stupid.”
“No, it's fine. It's your life, I shouldn't have said those things.” she said. “You can be with whoever you want...we're friends. I have to support you, thats what friends do, no?”
Mina looked at her, raising an eyebrow after a few seconds. “Why did it bother you? The truth.”
Rei looked away, shrugging her shoulders, pretending it didn’t matter. “I don't know. Surely it was just a bad day”
“ Bad day? You told me I was desperate for love. And also...”
“I know what I said” Rei interrupted her abruptly “I've already apologized for that, Mina.”
“ I know! I know. I'm sorry.” she said, letting out a long sigh before she kept going “But...you never came back. I'm still surprised you wanted to come today.”
“It's...it's just that you wouldn't understand.” she said, her eyes going anywhere in the room but the girl in front of her. She started playing with her fingers, and hoped that Mina didn’t realize she was now nervous “You always do things like... these. You want to change who you are, and that makes me…upset.”
“But why? Why does it make you upset? It's my life.” Mina shrugged, trying to find her dark eyes and failing “It's not like you were with them anyways. They don’t mean anything to me”
"That's the problem!" Rei exclaimed with exhaustion , then closed her eyes in an attempt to calm down. “Mina, you don't feel anything for them, for anyone, and then... then you call me and want me to do everything they want to do with you.”
“That's not true. “ Mina denied, now confused because of Rei’s attitude. She never understood why she took her one night stands so seriously. So to heart. “ I just... want us to be friends, like the others. We are friends, we hang out”
“Minako.” Rei looked at her. The way she said her name sent goosebumps all over Mina’s body, and she was now hyper aware of that. Of the feelings in her stomach growing, her shaky hands, her heart beating so loud she could swear Rei would hear it too. She stayed quiet, out of fear she would voice all that.
“If we are friends, like the others, why don't you call them?”
Rei didn’t want to be like that. She didn’t want to confront Mina about this, not again, but she also couldn’t just keep acting like the fact that Mina only called her in the mornings after a hook up didn’t make her feel irritated. She was sure Usagi, Makoto or Ami had never seen Mina’s house in the morning like she had so many times.
“I do!” she said, defensively “I call the girls too. The girls come all the time.”
“Then how come I’m always the one who is here in the morning when they leave?”
Mina thought about it for a few seconds.
“Our friends are more busy”
“What about your lovers?” Rei asked immediately, like she had been waiting to use the word ‘lovers’ again.
“Fine! Fine. Maybe that's true. But it's just because I have a good time with you, not with them, you know? It's different when I feel lonely at night...”
“You know what Aino? That's the exact reason why I stopped coming” she said, taking a chocolate and popping it in her mouth, defeated “You don't realize anything.”
“What do you mean?” Mina was trying to pretend that Rei calling her by her last name had suddenly taken all her breath away. She took a chocolate, but mostly to play with it and keep her hands busy. She wanted to concentrate in her words, but those same words were making it harder.
“ Them. They are in love with you, and you keep calling me in the morning. If what you need is company, have theirs.” Rei finally looked directly at the pair of blue eyes that hadn’t stopped looking at her the whole time “They want to make you breakfast and lunch, and cuddle, and probably take you out before hooking up again. If you want company, have them.”
“Who are they anyways?” Mina groaned loudly “Come on! they dont actually want to be with me”
“Yaten does, for example.” Rei rolled her eyes. “Asai, and Armand for sure too. Come on, you can’t be seriously that gullible.”
“I am not in love with them.”
“You are so strange” said Rei, shaking her head with amusement “Why don't you just stay with one of them? In the mornings, they would surely love to be with you.”
Mina stood up, shaking her head, while searching for another song. “Why don't you stay with Nicholas?”
The dark-haired woman raised an eyebrow, standing up too. She couldn’t believe she asked that, but she answered anyways “You know very well why.”
“You don't love him. Exactly. “ said Mina, looking at her. The blonde approached the other girl, getting close enough to look her in the eyes and, for the first time, make Rei feel somewhat intimidated. “Why should I stay with someone I don't love?”
“Why do you keep calling someone who does?”
Mina observed Rei, who maintained a serious demeanor. For a split second Mina forgot she needed to keep herself composed when talking to her.
“Are you talking about them...or about yourself?”
Rei then changed her expression completely; she was now clearly angry. She just walked away from Mina, grabbing her bag and heading towards the exit as fast as she could. The blonde watched her walk away, staying in her place, and letting her go. When the door slammed, signaling that Rei had left, Mina covered her face with both hands and let out a frustrated scream. Then the blonde ran after the dark-haired girl, leaving her apartment and going down the apartment stairs, hoping to reach the first floor before the elevator. She wasn’t used o running down stairs, but she as proudly a fast runner. To her luck, she arrived just in time, seeing Rei who looked like she was flaming, step out of the elevator.
“Rei.”
“ No! Don't start.” Rei didn’t even look at her while walking towards her car. She cursed herself for even coming in the first place.
“You get angry about everything!”
“You make me angry!” she said without looking at her still. “You never do anything, according to you. You act like a child! For the love of mars, I have feelings too!”
“You're the one acting like a child!” Mina hurried to her side, catching up. She wasn’t even sure if her labored breathing was because of the running, or because of Rei.
Rei stopped, finally looking at her. “Me? I'm the most mature person here. The only one, maybe.”
“ Then accept it.” said Mina, crossing her arms and shaking her head “Say it, come on! Say that the reason it bothers you that I'm with them is because you wish it were you. Accept it!”
Rei’s cheeks turned a bright red, but Mina wasn’t sure if she was flustered because she had been discovered or if she was just red with anger towards her. Maybe both were true.
“You're an idiot.” Rei mumbled, now looking for her keys in her bag. She wanted to leave.
“Fine!” Mina let out a laugh devoid of humor. If anything, her whole body was now shaking with fear, not joy. “Then I'll be the mature one. The reason I call you in the mornings is because at night I wish it were you. With the person I want to wake up to, it's you, not any girl who looks like you, or any guy. Every morning i wish i was with you Rei”
Rei stopped abruptly, fixing her gaze on the blonde. Her eyes showed great surprise as she saw Mina's face full of nerves. Her cheeks were flushed, and she was trembling, still trying to keep a serious face. They looked at each other in silence for a few seconds, while Rei tried to grasp that the blonde had just confessed... that she accepted that she wanted to be with her every morning.
“ Don't talk nonsense.” Rei tried to sound annoyed, or mad, or anything that wasn’t a soft whisper full of hope but she failed miserably. She really didn’t want to get her hopes up, but that had sounded like a love confession to her and now she wasn’t mad anymore. She couldn’t be.
“I'm not talking nonsense.” Mina said, without looking away, scared. “You know I'm not talking nonsense. You have known for a long time, even if you don't want to admit it. Even though I didn't want to do it. When I slept by you...at that sleepover with the others, I knew. I knew it was you that I wanted with me. And when we kissed after the concert...we were so drunk, but I felt it. And every time I take your hand, or call you, or we fight together or against each other, I realize that it keeps growing. Every time I wake up, I wish the one who spent the night with me had been you. Not them. You. I want them to be you.”
Reí looked at the ground, then raised an eyebrow and turned her gaze back to her, trying to alleviate the tension “That last part didn't sound so good. Like, you want them to be me…or like…
“I'm trying!” Mina laughed softly, then tilted her head with a smile. “Rei Hino, I am in love with you. Does that sound better? or do you need me to explain more?”
Rei rolled her eyes. She wondered when that blonde, silly, oblivious girl had stolen her heart and why was it so easy for her to change her mood in minutes. She grabbed Mina’s arm, pulling her close to her until there were only inches separating them. It sounded perfect to her. She had been waiting so long to hear that Minako Aino was in love with her.
“I am also in love with you, Mina.” she whispered, with a big smile on her face.
Mina couldn’t help herself. Her hands went straight to the other girls cheeks, pulling her in and kissing her right there. They both closed their eyes, finally being able to show the other how badly they had wanted that. Rei pulled Mina by the waist, feeling proud that even when so many people wanted Mina…Mina wanted her.
(…)
Mina opened her eyes, letting out a long sigh before sitting up in bed. Looking to her side, as every morning, there was no one. She let out a yawn, trying to find her phone to see the time.
“Greatc just another great dream.”
Upon getting out of bed, she took her phone, looking at the numbers she had saved. Her eyes fell on the number of that black-haired girl, and she bit her lip before calling.
One, two, three seconds...
“Mina, I've only been out of bed for two minutes.
“But you left me alone” she whined, smiling at the voice of the girl she loved.
“Don't be silly Mina. Come have breakfast.”
The blonde hung up the call, peeking into the kitchen to see Rei, who was looking at her with a smile and a slight annoyance. Mina ran to hug her, leaving gentle kisses on her face, like she often did ever since they started living together. She couldn’t help giggle at the noise of her lover’s laugh.
“ Yeah, stop, you still need to wash your mouth.” Rei finally said, pushing the blonde away with a funny grin.
“You are so cruel, Rei!”
“You are so lucky that I love you.” said Rei, before squeezing her cheeks. “Come on, I made some pancakes and we can spend this Valentine's Day eating sweets and singing, okay?”
Mina smiled, walking towards the bathroom. For her, that had been the best year of her life...and it all started thanks to a silly argument about her calling Rei in the mornings instead of her suitor of the night.
Now, every morning Mina had the pleasure to wake up next to the dark-haired girl. Or at least she did on the days she woke up before Rei did.