Chapter 11 Cute Lesbian Stuff #2
“How so?” I ask, leaning in as if it’ll help her words fall on my ears faster.
Yua chuckles. “I attended some summer schools in London to help bring my English up to speed. One of my classmates was an amateur tattoo artist and, well…yeah, Mum wasn’t happy when she realized I’d come home with a tattoo on my ankle.”
“Really?” I gape. It must be something indecent if her mom freaked out about it. I. Need. To. Know. “Can I see it?”
Yua nods, then sets her foot on the bench between us. As she reaches for the hem of her jeans, I imagine what her tattoo could be. Maybe it’s a Japanese demon with tusks and horns. Or maybe it’s something gnarly like blood seeping from a rose.
Yua lifts the hem up to reveal…
A frog.
With bulging round eyes.
It’s no bigger than a quarter.
I look back up at her with a quirk on my lips. “Yua Matsumoto, I didn’t realize you were a hardened criminal.”
Yua laughs, then covers her ankle and sets her foot back down. “Oh, please. You sound just like my mum.”
There’s a bite to her voice like she’s speaking from a place of hurt. Even though she’s laughing, talking about her mom probably isn’t something she wants to get into right now.
“Okay, so if that was your first tattoo, then what’s your most recent tattoo?” I ask, changing the subject.
A brilliant smile radiates from Yua. Without looking around for other people paddling by, Yua rolls up her sleeve to reveal black ink on dewy pink skin.
It’s a fierce dragon coiling up her forearm, but it’s not colored in like her other tattoos.
This outline is still fresh, a work in progress.
Yua’s puffy pink skin peeks through the black ink, and a sheet of plastic wraps around her forearm. I imagine it’s to help her tattoo heal.
“I designed it myself,” Yua says proudly.
“I’ve been sketching tattoos since I was sixteen, but Mum said I had to wait till I turned eighteen before she’d let me get another one.
She thought I was done after I got the koi fish on my thigh, but I’ve always wanted a dragon tattoo.
Dragons are brave and strong. And to be a Japanese woman who follows her heart, I also need to be brave and strong. ”
Her tattoo draws me in like a satellite in orbit. There’s still a bench separating her from me. I lift a leg to sit on it, but the moment I do, the boat teeters. I rock back immediately, keeping us balanced.
“What does your mom think about it? Does she understand its message?” I ask.
“She hasn’t seen it yet.” Yua’s voice is so soft that it would’ve been smothered by the sound of a thousand chirping birds if we were back on land.
“She made me promise not to get any more tattoos. She doesn’t like the way people perceive our shop because I look like yakuza.
It shapes the way they see our family history, too.
And if I’m supposed to inherit Matsumoto Alturations once she retires, then I can’t look like… ”
The last of Yua’s words are replaced by the gentle lapping of water against the boat. Her brows pinch, and I know what she’s saying, even in the silence.
I’m drawn to her again. It’s like there’s a fishing hook latched to my ribs and the longer the quiet stretches, the more I’m reeled in.
But the weight of both of us on one end would turn this boat belly-up.
Against my better judgment, I take the risk and slide onto the middle bench.
Gracefully. It’s the closest I can be to her without tipping us over.
“I wish your mom could see you the way I see you.” I can’t physically close the distance, so I do so with my words.
Yua chuckles. “Yeah? And how do you see me?”
The corner of my lip twitches because there’s only one way I can describe it.
“When I’m with you,” I say, “I don’t want to be anywhere else.”
Yua smiles, and this time, she doesn’t glance away. Slowly, Yua slides one leg over the bench I’m sitting on. She meets me in the middle, and we’re both still afloat. “I feel the same way about you, Lilyn.”
I’ve heard many people say my name before.
But never has the sound of it made my heart literally skip a beat.
My gaze latches onto Yua’s, and the skyline fades away.
It’s just me and her and the rocking of the boat.
All at once, everything changes. Those clichés about hearts skipping beats?
They actually mean something to me now. I used to think the phrase meant that my heart would try to leap out of my chest. But that’s not what it is.
Not for me, anyway. My heart skipping a beat is more like an extended pause.
Like this long stretch of time, my pulse so frozen, I worry it won’t start up again.
I get it now. This feeling is worth risking an end for.
How is my day over when it feels like it’s only just begun?
Yua and I spent all day at the park, admiring the various birds and talking about our hopes, our dreams, and our aspirations.
Before I know it, the sun is setting, and it’s time for me to return home.
As tempted as I am to ask her out to dinner, I decide against it because Yua mentioned she’d be busy for the rest of the week.
Between her deadlines, her apprenticeship, and her other jobs, she won’t even be at her mom’s shop tomorrow.
Plus, she needs to wake up early to get to work at Cuppa Coffee.
After a long, lingering hug goodbye, Yua catches a cab, and I walk back to the station.
I step onto the platform right as my train pulls in.
I take a seat on the bench, and slowly, the train rattles down the tracks.
The sun plays peekaboo between the buildings.
Golden hour is fading to dusk by the time I’m kicking my boots off at the Nakamuras’ entryway.
The TV is on in the living room. Based off Mr. Nakamura’s cheering, his baseball team must be doing well. Aiko’s head pokes around the archway into the dining area. She blinks at me twice before saying, “I thought you were sewing in your room.”
I set my boots in the cubby by the door before flashing her a wide smile. “You’ll never guess where I was.”
Aiko’s eyes narrow. “So then should I even try or…”
“Yua and I went on a date.”
Aiko’s jaw hits the floor. Metaphorically, obviously. But if she were an anime character, I’m sure it would’ve literally dropped. “What? You? How? And then—?”
I giggle to myself, still dazed.
“Get over here,” Aiko barks, waving me over to her. “I’m making us some tea, and you’re telling me everything!”
Moments later, I’m kneeling at the table with a cup of green tea in my hands.
I haven’t taken a sip yet because I’m too busy telling Aiko about everything that happened today.
Even though I’m reminiscing about the date Yua and I went on, I can’t believe it finally happened.
I have Polaroids of it, yet it feels like a dream.
Aiko’s leaning so far forward on the table, I’m worried she’ll climb on top of it. “You’re welcome.”
I blink at her. Now that I’ve finished my recap, I can finally take a sip of the tea. All the ice has melted by now. “Oh. Sorry. Thanks for the tea. I should’ve said that sooner.”
Aiko smacks my arm like I’m the densest person alive. “Come on, Lilyn. I saw you draw her on your workbench. You’ve had a crush on her since you met, haven’t you? You tried to deny it, but I could tell. Why do you think I disappeared so many times?”
I can’t hide my smile as I sip my tea. Aiko was right from the start. What would it have been like if I hadn’t been so resistant? Today could’ve been my second or third date instead of my first.
“Yes, you called it, Aiko. You’re a matchmaker,” I grumble, even though the corners of my lips are pulled up.
Aiko twirls a finger around her hair. “That’s why you love me.”
I can’t keep a straight face, so I roll my eyes.
That seems to make Aiko giggle. She reaches for her tea again but sets it back down before taking a sip. “What does this mean for Auntie Hana, though?”
“Yua and I both decided it was best not to tell her mom, but we aren’t the only ones who have to keep this private. You’re involved now.”
“I won’t say anything.” Aiko waves a hand.
Even though I feel like I can trust her, she’s Aiko.
There’s nothing quiet or subtle about her.
In some ways, she reminds me of myself. I can’t sit quietly when I’m anxious.
Aiko can’t sit quietly. Ever. So, what’s going to happen when Mrs. Matsumoto puts her steely gaze on Aiko?
When she uses silence to force words out of her?
I tap my fingernails against the cup.
“What are you going to do if Auntie Hana finds out?” Aiko asks when I’ve done nothing but stare at my green tea.
I nibble on my lip. Why do I even have to do something? Why does this have to be so complicated? Because I’m dating my mentor’s daughter. Ugh. What’s the Japanese word for Tylenol?
I throw the tea back like medicine and set the empty cup down. “That sounds like a Tomorrow Problem. For now, I’ve got some homework to do.”