I’m glad (and relieved) to announce
Partners isn’t on hiatus anymore. I want to thank everyone who showed me their support after I voiced my concern about my capacity to continue this story. Believe it or not, it helped a lot. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and the previous one, comforting me in the idea that my heart wasn’t aching anymore. I’m back for good, and I’m going to keep up with my original plot for this fanfic. In the meantime, I hope you'll enjoy this (long) chapter.
CHAPTER 8
Yuki looked through the rear-view mirror of the rental car, her mouth tugging into an amused smile at the view of the two girls sleeping in the backseat. Rena was leaning against the right window - eyelids tightly shut - while Jurina was laying on the seat next to her, curled into a ball, her head resting on the older Matsui’s lap. Yuki found the view truly adorable, and she couldn’t help but elbow the front seat passenger on her left, while keeping her attention on the road.
“Mayu,” Yuki murmured, trying not to wake up the two Matsui in the backseat, but unknowingly startling the AKB member who was starting to doze off. “Take a look.”
Mayu straightened up in her seat and tilted her head in curiosity towards her, before frowning when she started to give a few pointed looks in the direction of the rear-view mirror. Mayu didn’t trust her sleepy voice right now so she simply did as instructed, nodding after witnessing what her girlfriend was trying to show her. Yes, Jurina and Rena were having a peaceful nap, but who could blame them? Yuki’s habit to be overly cautious behind the wheel was transforming the car ride in a real nightmare.
“Can you drive a little faster, please?” Mayu asked tentatively. She had kept quiet since they departed the train station but she was now starting to feel sleepy, and she knew the summer heat wasn’t the only reason. Yuki’s very slow driving wasn’t helping in any way.
Yuki’s amusement vanished at her suggestion, and she arched an eyebrow in confusion. “Are you complaining about my driving?”
Mayu immediately realized she had said something wrong and she gulped, not daring to look at her girlfriend anymore. She could almost feel her fuming by her side, and her sleepy brain tried to come up with a clever solution for her sudden unfortunate problem, to no avail.
“First my cooking, now my driving,” Yuki continued when Mayu chose to stay quiet. “What next?”
“No, I’m not complaining,” Mayu stuttered, knowing her quivering voice was far from being convincing. “We’ve almost arrived anyway.”
It was not true, especially considering how slowly Yuki was driving, but it was the best her brain managed to offer. However, Mayu prayed it would be enough to calm the older girl. She believed to have succeeded when Yuki didn’t utter a single word after that, until she realized it was only a short respite.
“I think you should find yourself another girlfriend,” Yuki declared, now very calm. “You don’t seem very satisfied with your current one.”
Mayu immediately turned blank - utterly speechless - not believing the direction their conversation just took. Suddenly very much awake, she turned her head towards Yuki swiftly - mouth agape - before waving at her energetically. “What? No! I’m very satisfied!”
A soft giggle escaped Yuki’s lips, shaking her head in amusement at her mortified expression. “Calm down. I was only teasing you.”
Mayu stared at her in shock for a few seconds - not believing she had just been played - before blurting out the first thing that crossed her mind. “Oh.”
“But I’m still not going to drive faster,” Yuki announced, now more serious. “I don’t want to have an accident.”
Mayu nodded before looking out the window, watching the scenery unfolding very slowly in front of her eyes, and soon blinking again to fight off her sleepiness.
Trust me, there’s no chance.
Rena paused on the doorstep of the house when Mayu opened the front door and invited them in, scanning the place in curiosity. A month ago, Jurina had invited her to spend a week at Mayu’s beach house during the summer and she had accepted, knowing some time off out of the city would give her the short respite she really needed. These last months had been quite hectic, between the SKE activities and her outside jobs, and Jurina’s invitation came along at just the right time.
“Jurina has already been here a few times, she will show you around,” Yuki addressed her, when she noticed her slightly disoriented state. “Once you have unpacked your bag, we can go for a walk.”
Rena gave her a quick nod in reply and took a few steps forward, taking in the kitchen on her left and the living room on her right.
“This way,” Jurina said, and Rena followed her as they penetrated a long corridor, before the young Ace turned the handle of a room and entered.
Rena paused briefly at the doorstep to take a look, and was just about to get in when Mayu’s voice sounded at the end of the corridor.
“There’s another guestroom a bit further on the left,” Mayu indicated, before realizing her mistake when Jurina popped her head out of the bedroom to stare at her - a deep frown on her face - and she backpedaled quickly. “Or you can stay with Jurina, of course.”
“Thank you,” Rena nodded, suppressing a laugh at Mayu’s embarrassed expression, before disappearing in the bedroom with Jurina.
Mayu cursed at herself when she entered her own bedroom a few doors away, her eyes falling briefly on Yuki who was already unpacking her bag, before mimicking her action and her fingers pulled the zipper of her big green bag.
“You don’t want them to sleep together?” Yuki joked.
“I don’t know why I said that,” Mayu sighed as she placed a few clothes in the drawer near her bed, “I think I’m a bit tired.” At the sound of a soft giggle behind her back Mayu stopped what she was doing, surprised, until a groan escaped her lips in frustration. “Stop it. It’s not funny.”
“You’re very cute when you’re flustered, Mayuyu,” Yuki teased, wrapping her arms around her waist from behind, until hearing a small yawn escaping the young girl’s lips.
“You’re really sleepy,” Yuki noted.
“A bit,” Mayu conceded. She surely wasn’t about to admit Yuki’s driving was in part responsible for her sleepiness - especially not after their conversation in the car - so she judged it much safer to blame it on the weather. “It’s the heat.”
“You should rest,” Yuki suggested, placing a quick kiss on her cheek. “We can go out later.”
“No, I have guests,” Mayu protested, despite her already half closed eyelids. “I can’t take a nap.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Yuki shook her head softly, pulling away from the embrace. “I’ll take care of them.”
Mayu wanted to argue but a yawn unintentionally formed on her lips again, and she nodded reluctantly, leaving her bag aside to lay down on the white bedcover. She watched sleepily as Yuki closed the curtains, before sending her way a thankful smile when Yuki shut the door behind her carefully.
It had already been two days since the four friend’s arrival at Mayu’s beach house and they had decided, on the third one, to go for a ride. Four bikes were aligned when Jurina followed Mayu into the garage, and she paused in curiosity when she discovered the white one Mayu was currently checking the tires.
“Is that a new bike?” Jurina frowned. Her attention shifted briefly to the familiar dark blue bike by its side - the one Mayu had always used until now - but she definitely didn’t remember seeing this shiny white. After a quick studying of it, she also realized it had more gears than the previous one.
“It is. I wanted a more modern one,” Mayu explained absently, before shaking her head lightly when she kneeled in front of the white bike, and discovered the front tire needed more air.
“Why?” Jurina exclaimed, startled, until her mouth tugged into an amused smile in realization. “You think it will help you win this time.”
Mayu froze - pump in hand - before quickly detaching the tire vale. “Don’t be ridiculous. The previous one didn’t work properly anyway,” she scoffed.
“It seemed to work fine last time I checked,” Jurina smirked. “It’s not the bike’s fault if you can’t pedal fast enough.”
“Shut up, Jurina,” Mayu groaned, pumping some air in the front tire.
“Is everything alright?”
Jurina looked over her shoulder towards Yuki and Rena who had just entered the garage, before shrugging at Yuki in reply. “Mayu thinks she can beat me with her new bike. I was explaining her that a few more gears won’t change a thing.”
Yuki tilted her head to take a brief look at the bike mentioned - realizing indeed that it was a new one - before noticing how Mayu was cleverly avoiding her gaze. It appeared Jurina had hit the bull’s eyes. “I see.”
It didn’t take long before Mayu and Jurina started bickering again and Yuki chose to leave them alone for now, instead turning towards the green bike she always used, and motioning the red one to Rena.
“What is going on?” Rena murmured, when Mayu and Jurina’s arguing seemed to reach no end.
Yuki, who was checking the tires, looked briefly over her - witnessing her very confused expression - and she sighed, knowing her friend was missing a big piece of the puzzle. “Each summer, there’s this competition going on between them. Mayu gets absolutely convinced she will win the race, and every time, Jurina manages to beat her. It appears Mayu believed a new bike would turn the tide.”
“That’s not why I asked for a new bike!” Mayu protested, seemingly having eavesdropped their conversation.
“Of course not, Mayuyu,” Yuki forced a smile at her girlfriend, before turning and whispering to Rena. “Before, I used to think Jurina was the competitive one. Now, I’m starting to have my doubts.”
“I see,” Rena giggled, shaking her head in disbelief when the bantering between the two friends resumed like nothing happened.
A few minutes later, both Rena and Yuki were now more than ready to go, and Yuki knew she had to put an end to this little argument if they wished to leave the garage before sundown. “Alright girls, it’s time to leave.”
Two heads turned towards her immediately and Mayu gave her a sheepish smile, before nodding and climbing on her white bike.
“Looks like I will have to use your old bike then,” Jurina faked a pout, hopping on the blue one. “I’ll never be able to win.”
A retort was already forming on Mayu’s lips - guessing by Jurina’s confident expression that she was thinking the exact opposite - when she heard Yuki clearing her throat and saw her warning look directed at her. Unfortunately, it appeared she would have to let it go for now.
Fifteen minutes later the four girls were riding along the beach coast, enjoying the small breeze of the ocean, much appreciated at that time of the day. Luckily, it wasn’t a scorching afternoon as the two previous days. The drop in temperature had enabled them to finally get out of the house and away from the comfort of its air conditioning to enjoy a peaceful ride under the cloudless sky.
However, Yuki knew Jurina had something in mind when she saw her approaching Mayu’s bike, and a little voice inside her head told her the annual competition was about to begin. Indeed, she realized she had been right when she eavesdropped their conversation five seconds later.
“You’re going as slow as a snail, do you want to spice things up a bit?” Jurina quipped as she drew closer to Mayu.
“Don’t tempt me Jurina,” Mayu huffed.
“Come on,” Jurina smirked, “you know you can’t wait to show off your new bike.”
Yuki rolled her eyes. That was it. The moment Jurina spoke about Mayu’s new toy, she knew she would fall victim to her little game. Her girlfriend was just so predictable, and Jurina always knew which buttons to push to provoke a reaction.
“Fine, but don’t come whining at me if you lose,” Mayu countered, already adjusting the gears of her new shiny white bike.
“I can give you a head start if you like,” Jurina offered, a huge grin plastered on her face.
“You’re so full of yourself,” Mayu groaned, her attention now very much focused on the road ahead of her. “I won’t go easy on you.”
“Be careful,” Yuki warned when the girls suddenly hurtled off in front of her. Unfortunately, her words fell on deaf ears as the two friends were already too far to hear, and much focused on their friendly competition to pay attention to anything else anyway. “And they’re gone.”
“They look very motivated,” Rena chuckled by her side, watching in amusement the two girls drawing away until they were no more than two barely distinguishable silhouettes on the horizon.
After that, Yuki and Rena rode quietly next to each other for a little while - appreciating the beautiful scenery offered to them and relishing the comfortable presence of each other - until Yuki gave a side glance to her riding companion. As she watched her silently, she realized they never really had the opportunity to spend some time just the two of them outside of work before, and words left naturally her lips when she spoke. “This is nice.”
“It is,” Rena confirmed. “We should do this more often.”
Yuki nodded in agreement, admitting she wouldn’t mind repeating this moment in the future. Much as she enjoyed the company of other members, a peaceful feeling always filled her chest when she happened to be around Rena.
“I never had the opportunity to tell you, but I’m glad things worked out in the end between Jurina and you,” Yuki stated, reciprocating the genuine smile soon directed at her.
When Mayu had, months ago, informed her about Rena’s confession, Yuki found herself - contrary to her girlfriend - not completely surprised by it. After reflecting upon this strange realization, and wondering why a part of her somehow knew Jurina’s feelings weren’t one sided, her conversations with the older Matsui came to the forefront of her mind. Rena’s questions about her own relationship with Mayu seemed truly out of the blue at the time, but now she realized Rena never said anything by chance.
After witnessing Rena’s intense look on Jurina during the Tokyo Dome concert, she knew she wasn’t just reading friendship in her eyes, but a question remained nonetheless: would she be brave enough to take the next step? Her own procrastination seemed to reach no end after Mayu’s confession - she had even stupidly rejected her at first, out of fear - and a part of her hoped Rena wouldn’t make the same mistake. Feelings needed to be shared, not to be kept to yourself.
Yuki snapped out of her thoughts, more than glad Rena followed her advice in the end. Studying the older Matsui anew she noticed her eyes now glued on the locomotive moving slowly down the hill on their left, and an idea popped up in her head.
“There’s a railway museum no far from here. Do you want to visit it?” Yuki suggested.
“Really?” Rena’s voice pitched up in excitement, before noticing Yuki’s amused expression, and regaining her composure quickly. “No, it’s fine. We don’t have to.”
“I don’t mind,” Yuki shook her head. “I’ll send Mayu a text. They’ll join us once their little friendly competition is over.”
“Alright,” Rena replied, her face lightening up. “Do you know what kind of trains are exhibited?”
“I have no idea,” Yuki chuckled, very much amused by the familiarity of Rena’s enthusiasm. It looked a lot like the one she would witness when Mayu started talking about her favorite anime characters.
Jurina, wearing a blue short-sleeved shirt and a pair of brown shorts, could feel the wind against her skin and hear the sound of the waves as she gazed down at the ocean. After admiring the view for a little while, her attention shifted to the few people laying on the sand. Despite the time of the year the beach was luckily not well known and as a result not as crowded as you would expect it to be, making it a place of choice for people who were looking for a peaceful afternoon by the sea. Her eyes started to shut as she relished the pleasant feeling of the soft wind against her skin, cooling down a bit the hot weather.
Just as she was about to get lost in the pleasant sensation footsteps caught her attention and she turned around in curiosity when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Her mouth tugged into a smile as she saw Rena looking at her in expectation, briefly catching Mayu and Yuki a few feet away indicating them the way down to the beach. Her smile vanished when the scene suddenly felt oddly familiar to her, and she ignored Rena’s quizzical look upon her for a bit - trying to understand why she was feeling this way - until everything suddenly made sense.
Her attention got drawn to the ocean again, following the small waves crashing on the beach. Many times in the past she had dreamed of this place, in not a pleasant way. Despite the fact it had haunted her nights for so long, she had never been able to connect the dots before. This place was not the fruit of her imagination: she had dreamed about it because she had been there before.
“Jurina, are you alright?”
Rena’s voice jolted her out of her reverie and she turned around to see the older girl gazing at her in concern. Jurina reached out to squeeze her hand immediately, hoping the small gesture would reassure her effectively. She could guess Rena was expecting some kind of explanation for her odd silence but she chose to keep her thoughts to herself, not willing to dwell on the past. She simply refused to let this place remind her of bad memories anymore.
Her attention shifted briefly to Yuki and Mayu who were already descending the small wooden stairs leading to the beach, before sending a genuine smile at Rena. Yes, she was going to make new memories. Good ones. “I’m perfectly fine.”
The four friends had been laying on the beach for fifteen minutes now, and Jurina was starting to feel very bored. It was simply not like her to stay idle for so long. After realizing counting the grains of sand around her towel was ending up frustrating her more than anything else, she tilted her head left to Rena who was laying quietly by her side.
The older Matsui had been very much engrossed in a book since their arrival on the beach, a French one judging by the title she couldn’t manage to decipher. After her fruitless attempt at reading it her eyes traveled downwards to the red bikini she was wearing, admitting it was highlighting successfully the slim curves of her body. She let her gaze wander over the older girl’s skin for a little while, appreciating the sight offered, until a soft giggle reached her ears and she looked up in surprise.
“You’re staring, Jurina.”
“Ah,” Jurina trailed off, an impish smile forming on her lips, “sorry.”
Rena shook her head softly and lowered her book, her amused small brown orbs falling onto her. “Getting bored?”
“A bit,” Jurina admitted. Until now, she had let the three girls enjoy their peaceful afternoon without saying a word, but she couldn’t keep quiet anymore. She had to do something.
Anything.“Why don’t we go for a swim?” Jurina suggested, getting up on her feet in determination.
“It’s cold,” Rena exclaimed in disbelief.
“No it’s not,” Jurina protested.
“I heard you squeak when you dipped your toes in the water twenty minutes ago,” Rena chuckled.
Jurina gulped, cursing her own voice for betraying her, but decided to push things through nonetheless, “I’m sure it’s fine once you get used to it.”
“Sorry Jurina, but I don’t feel like freezing to death,” Rena replied, “and I really want to progress in my book.”
“It’s in French. Who wants to read that?” Jurina mumbled.
When she understood by Rena’s decided look that she wouldn’t get anything from her, her attention shifted briefly to Yuki - who was reading a cooking magazine and who quickly shook her head at her - before focusing on Mayu.
Her feet led her to the girl who was laying on her towel, eyes shut, and seemingly relishing the warmth of the sun against her skin judging by the contented sigh escaping her lips.
“I think you want to have a little fun with me in the water,” Jurina affirmed.
“What?” Mayu frowned, taking a peek at the girl standing in front of her and blocking the sun, and much unaware of the conversation that had just occurred a few seconds before.
“You. Me. The water.” Jurina explained, crossing her arms over her chest, light amusement dancing on her lips.
“I’m not interested,” Mayu retorted, watching her cautiously as the young girl came to kneel by her side in the sand.
“It will be fun,” Jurina insisted.
“I’m fine where I am,” Mayu repeated, not liking at all Jurina’s sudden huge grin. This expression of hers always meant one thing: trouble.
Indeed, five seconds later she saw Jurina slipping her arms under her head and her knees, but she was too late to react when she ended up trapped in her arms, Jurina soon getting up on her feet and moving towards the water.
“Put me down, Jurina!” Mayu shouted in shock, trying to free herself from Jurina’s strong grip. Unfortunately for her, the young girl was holding tight, and all her attempts failed miserably one after another.
Mayu realized the urgency of the situation when Jurina stepped into the water, knowing she only had a few seconds left to react. She searched her brain for a solution, desperate, but all thoughts vanished into thin air when Jurina threw her in the water. When she got back to the surface she faced a grinning Jurina, seemingly enjoying very much her little prank.
“As you wish,” Jurina smirked, avoiding cleverly a splash directed at her.
“You’re going to pay for that,” Mayu, soaked from head to toe, threatened.
“Bring it on.” Jurina took a few steps back in the water, watching her short friend’s every move in anticipation. She was always up for a good challenge.
“Jurina is so full of energy,” Yuki noted, following the two girls who had been splashing water at each other for the past five minutes.
“Isn’t she?” Rena admitted, chuckling when Jurina suddenly launched herself at Mayu - in the apparent intention of drowning her - before shaking her head in disbelief and focusing on her book again.
Yuki watched them a little while longer, not surprised in the least when Jurina managed to have it her way and Mayu suddenly disappeared under the surface of the water, before shifting her attention in curiosity to her companion.
“Le Petit Prince?” she exclaimed, startled to discover which book had been monopolizing Rena’s attention, “don’t tell me you’re reading it in French?”
“It’s an edition in Japanese and French,” Rena explained as she looked up from her book. "The plan was to read it in French but to be honest, I’m more reading the Japanese version than anything.“
"French is hard to learn, isn’t it?” Yuki trailed off, impressed her friend would venture into a new foreign language.
“It is, but I’m sure French people think the same about our language,” Rena smiled, before turning the book around and placing it on her lap. “It’s interesting, but it’s hard to get around all the metaphors. Now, I’m not so sure it was the best book to begin with.”
“Probably not,” Yuki admitted. “ But I admire you for trying to learn a new language. I’m struggling enough with English.”
After that, Yuki’s attention shifted to the ocean, watching briefly the two friends enjoying each other in the water, before she gazed back at Rena in amusement. “You know, it’s a relief you were able to take the week off. For once, I’m not stuck between those two.”
“I’m glad I could be of any help,” Rena laughed.
“What are you reading?” Jurina asked, taking a curious peek at the magazine Yuki had been pretty much engrossed into since their return to the house thirty minutes ago. Now that she took a better look at the cover she recognized the magazine Yuki had also been reading on the beach early on, and her friend’s focused attention on it picked her interest.
“I want to do some
hiyashi chuka,” Yuki explained, briefly looking up to Jurina who was taking a seat at the table opposite her, before pointing at the page on the left. “It shouldn’t be too hard.”
Just as Jurina was about to reply that it was indeed a good idea with this hot weather she noticed Mayu waving her hand at her frenetically from the kitchen, and she immediately figured her AKB friend wasn’t terribly fond of Yuki’s suggestion. It was not that she didn’t like cold noodles - quite the opposite - but she apparently didn’t trust her girlfriend not to poison them all.
Jurina had to restrain herself from laughing at her desperate expression - which luckily Yuki couldn’t see thanks to having her back turned to the kitchen - and Jurina couldn’t help playing a little prank on her shorter friend. Her facial expression was just simply too hilarious to leave it there.
“I think it’s a good idea,” Jurina confirmed casually, noticing out of the corner of her eye Mayu now waving both her hands at her, and mouthing something she couldn’t decipher. Never mind, her terrorized expression spoke louder than words, anyway.
“You think?” Yuki’s voice pitched up in excitement, a broad smile on her lips. “I’ll do it tonight, then.”
Those words finished off Mayu whose face turned as white as a sheet. She wasn’t even trying to get Jurina on her side anymore, having apparently lost all hope of escaping Yuki’s new cooking adventure. An amused smile fell on Jurina’s lips, having too much fun with the scene unfolding in front of her, until deciding Mayu’s suffering had lasted long enough.
“Rena and I can help you if you like,” Jurina offered.
“That would be nice,” Yuki nodded, giving her a thankful smile. “I can use your experience.”
When Yuki wasn’t looking Jurina sent Mayu a playful wink, and by the mix of expressions crossing her face, she was having a hard time telling if she was relieved or angry at her for driving her nuts. Probably a bit both.
Rena shut her eyes as she stepped under the shower head, letting the water removing progressively the shampoo from her hair. A knock suddenly grabbed her attention half through the process and she glanced at the door, diminishing the pressure of the water before speaking. “I’m almost done.”
Just as she was about to get back to the task at hand she noticed the door opening nonetheless and she paused in surprise, until Jurina’s face came into view.
“Can I join?”
Rena’s features immediately relaxed and she sent her a quick smile, before nodding. “Of course.”
While Rena finished removing the white substance from her hair she watched Jurina taking off her blue short-sleeved shirt and her pair of brown shorts; her blue bikini soon being tossed aside on the floor as well. Rena shook her head in mild amusement at her behavior - clearly contrasting with her own clothes neatly folded on the chair near the sink - realizing some habits were hard to change.
“I just promised we would help Yuki cooking tonight,” Jurina declared when she slid the door open and stepped in the shower. “You should have seen Mayu’s face when Yuki announced she wanted to try something new. I almost believed she was going to have a heart attack.”
“You girls are awful,” Rena chided, indicating Jurina to turn around and starting washing her back with the soap, “Yuki’s cooking is really that bad? I thought she did well at New Year’s Eve.”
“You obviously never tasted it,” Jurina countered. “And Mayu did all the cooking last year. Yuki only prepared the mushrooms.”
“Oh,” Rena trailed off, now remembering indeed Yuki mentioning it during dinner. “Well, she’s doing her best.”
Jurina nodded absently and Rena continued carefully moving the soap on her skin, both girls falling into a comfortable silence. Rena progressively got lost in her own thoughts, realizing her week off was coming to an end. How long had it been since she had truly enjoyed herself in the company of friends? Yes, she spent some time out of work with Airi but it was not the same, from their activities to their conversation topics.
These last six days had been so different from everything she had experienced, and a tinge of melancholy filled her chest at the idea it was almost over. Tomorrow, she would go back to work, her holidays by the beach already a fading memory.
“Tomorrow is the last day,” Rena murmured, her eyes falling on Jurina as she turned around to face her.
“It is,” Jurina nodded in agreement, after briefly stepping under the shower head to get rid of the soap. “Did you like it here?”
“I did,” Rena’s eyes lit up, “This place is so beautiful and peaceful.”
“We can come back next year,” Jurina offered.
“I would like that,” Rena smiled. Of course, it was impossible to foresee the future - even less to know how her schedule would be next year at that time - but she knew she didn’t want those moments to be the last.
Rena’s brows furrowed in surprise when she noticed Jurina suddenly inching closer, until understanding what she had in mind by her playful expression. Indeed, two lips soon brushed hers in a - at first - chaste kiss, until it transformed into a more heated one when Jurina pushed her against the wall gently.
Rena couldn’t help but moan in the kiss when Jurina’s fingers caressed her skin and traveled down her body, guessing by her pressing touch where she was heading to. Lately, Jurina had become more bold towards her - not hesitating to shower her with affection when they were alone - and Rena had to admit this new behavior of hers sent shivers down her spine each time she happened to witness it.
Their relationship had evolved so much these last few months, being at first timid with a Jurina sometimes hesitant to make the first step. Rena didn’t mind the shyness, as she knew her somewhat sensitive heart had not completely healed from the hurt she had unintentionally caused her that day at the hospital. That was why she never lost an opportunity to reassure the young girl the best she could - whether with words of love or with demonstrations of affection - each time she saw a flicker of insecurity in her eyes.
So much time had passed since their first mutual kiss in that hotel room, and Rena could only relish this new step their relationship had recently taken. Jurina didn’t waste time anymore, at times being gentle and caring, and some other days more pressing and passionate. It seemed today she was going to be the latter.
“Jurina,” Rena murmured between kisses, wrapping her arms around the young girl’s neck.
Her eyes met Jurina’s when they broke the kiss, warmth filling her lower abdomen at the desire mixed with devotion she could read in the younger girl’s ones. It was an expression she never got tired of seeing, one that spoke louder than any words she could ever utter.
TO BE CONTINUED