Read this slowly ok? Listen to a few ballads while you read and perhaps the effect will be better
Enjoy!
F.Y.I
Chapter 15
Love Genre~ Ballad
December 23 (5.54pm) (Around the same time as that of Chap 14 if you have forgotten...)
As Yossie turned into the familiar street, she glanced at her watch rather habitually. It was 5.54pm. Seeing that she was early for the date, she slowed down her footsteps. The sky was already dark by now and the cool wind caressed her cheeks and a wave of nostalgia washed over her soul. This street was where she first met Rika and the Chinese restaurant was where they had dined on their very first date. Rika had transformed from an innocent girl to a sexy woman since then. Those days just seemed to be so long ago, too long ago.
Wearing a short skirt on an early winter evening, she felt cold standing out there on the streets. Her mother would never approve of that length of skirt on such evenings. But she knew Rika would approve of it. She entered a rather empty jewellery shop to find some warmth and she was surprised to see a familiar girl in the same store. She sneaked behind her and tapped her on her shoulders. The girl turned and shock was written on her face when she saw the former Morning Musume leader. “Yossie! What a coincidence! You’re wearing a really short skirt!” she exclaimed.
Yossie raised her eyebrows. “Don’t you always wear them?”
“I do but you don’t and I don’t wear short skirt on a cold evening like this. I wonder why you do.” Ai winked.
“Ok fine. I’m meeting Rika later. Satisfied?”
“Having a date, I see? So nice!”
“What are you doing in here then, Ai?”
“I want to buy a pair of matching necklaces-”
“For Risa?”
Ai blushed. “Yeah, but I can’t decide on one.”
“Can’t you just drag her in and ask her what she likes?”
Ai shook her head. “But I want to give her a surprise for Christmas! What are you getting for Rika for Christmas?”
Yossie thought for a while before she replied, “I haven’t quite decided on it yet. But matching necklaces is a good idea.”
“I’m stuck in this shop since 4pm. Please help me, Yossie,” Ai begged.
Yossie smiled. “I don’t think I can help you on this, Ai.” Yossie glanced at her watch and it reflected 5.59pm. “Anyway, I have to go already! Wish you luck in deciding!” Yossie hastily left the shop and the image of a frustrated Ai who couldn’t decide on a Christmas gift was embedded in her mind.
She has grown up as well… Yossie ran towards the Chinese restaurant so that her body could generate some heat to keep her warm inside. When she reached there, she was surprised to see Rika leaning against the wall right outside that restaurant with her arms folded. She was wearing a similar short skirt as well. She seemed to be in a daze and her eyes were looking at somewhere distant. She looked sexy despite the lonely aura around her. Yossie tried to look at where Rika’s eyes were fixated at and when she did, without a doubt, she knew what Rika was looking at. She was looking at their past.
“Rika!” Yossie shouted and waved at her. Rika looked at her and appeared shocked. It wasn’t an everyday affair for Yossie to walk around Tokyo in a skirt, let alone a short one. Rika looked down at the similar skirt that she was wearing and she grinned. She knew that they were thinking of the same thing when they went through their own wardrobes earlier before the dinner date.
When Rika’s eyes were fixated at her after she called her name, Yossie blushed. She wished that time would pause at that very second when their eyes met. They were wearing matching skirts on a cold evening and their eyes never left the other. It was such a magical moment which she promised to store in the hard disk in her head for life.
“Let’s get in Yossie. It’s getting cold out here,” Rika said as she locked her arms with Yossie’s. They then proceeded into the restaurant together and sat at the same corner as that of their first date. As opposed to their first date whereby they were still awkward with each other, now they were at ease together.
Right after they were seated, Yossie passed the menu to Rika and asked, “What will you like to have, Rika?”
“The same as our first time will do. Do you remember?”
Yossie nodded and told the waitress, “Can you get me a plate of fried rice? Do you have Chinese ramen here for her? Oh she meant Chinese noodles. Thank you.”
Rika laughed. That was how nervous she was on her first date with Yossie. She had wanted Chinese ramen then. What a joke. She felt touched that even though 7 years had passed, Yossie still remembered the intrinsic details of their first date.
“See, I still remember,” Yossie whispered and winked.
“Yossie,” Rika murmured and her eyes were fixed on Yossie.
You’re so charming, baby. “I love you especially when you wear skirts.”
Yossie laughed. Her eyes met Rika’s again and she smiled. “I love you, Rika especially when we wear matching skirts. Do you know why I am wearing a skirt today?”
“Why?” Rika asked rather innocently.
Yossie ran her fingers up Rika’s legs and murmured, “Skirts are easier…” At this moment, Yossie’s handphone on the table vibrated and her ringing tone, Osaka Koi no Uta, played. Yossie picked up her phone but Rika took it away from her. Nothing could be more important than this. No one had the right to disturb this magical moment. Rika then leaned over and kissed Yossie on her lips. There was no one dining near them and she didn’t give a damn to paparazzi or anyone at that very moment when their lips touched. Yossie didn’t give a damn about the phone call as well. The only person in Yossie’s mind now was Rika.
When their lips parted, Yossie said cheekily, “Our lip glosses match as well. It’s strawberry flavor.”
Rika whispered, “It is called telepathy. So that’s why you wear a skirt today.”
“Part II will be at Yoshizawa Hitomi’s house later.”
Rika smirked. “I hope it will be more exciting.”
“Definitely.” Rika passed Yossie’s handphone back to her and Yossie wanted to scream at whoever who called her. She guessed that caller was most probably Ai who called as she still hadn’t decided on which necklace to purchase. When she flipped open her phone, she was shocked that the caller was Miki. Ever since that day when Miki called to confide in her that she had fallen in love with someone who was, no doubt, Aya, she hadn’t been calling Yossie.
Why did she call me? It must be something important. She won’t call me for nothing…Yossie pressed the dial button and held the phone close to her ears. It was engaged. She tried for the second time and it was engaged as well. A gut feeling told her that something bad had happened to Miki. She dialed again and this time around, Miki’s phone was still engaged. She thought of the different things that might have happened to Miki and prayed that Miki would pick up her call soon. It was so worrying.
“Yossie, who are you calling?” Rika asked. She could see from Yossie’s expression who that person was but she wanted to hear her confirmation.
Yossie gazed at the girl sitting beside her. She knew she shouldn’t lie to her. She knew that honesty was important in love. She murmured under her breath, “Fujimoto.”
I knew it, it’s her. “What happened?”
Yossie frowned for the first time that evening. “I don’t know. Something is wrong with her. She called me.” She clicked on the dial button on her phone and her eyes were fixated on the phone.
If that person is me instead of her, will you care as much? “Is she not picking up your call?” Rika asked with tears welling up in her eyes. She wanted the attention back. She wanted Yossie to stare at her again and not at the unanimated object in front of her.
Yossie nodded. “Something must have happened to her.”
“Yossie…”
“Hmm?” Yossie asked without even looking at Rika.
“Do you like her?”
Taken aback, Yossie looked at the girl sitting beside her and shook her head repeatedly. “What are you thinking of? I only love you in my life! You’re my one and only.”
Rika shook her head in dismay. “Those are pick-up lines, Yossie. Your actions don’t go with your words.”
“I’m sorry Rika but I’m really worried for Miki as a friend. Trust me on that. We are nothing other than friends.” The same waitress walked towards them and placed the respective dishes in front of the 2 girls and went off. “Let’s eat. You must be hungry.”
Yossie pressed on the dial button and this time round, it wasn’t engaged. Almost immediately, Miki picked up the phone. Miki shouted, “What’s your problem? Why did you call me so many times?”
“Hey, you were the one who called me,” Yossie retorted.
“Did I?”
“Yes, you did.”
“Shit, I must have dialed the wrong number. I thought I was calling Aya. But you shouldn’t have called me so many times! Just send me a message will do.”
I should have guessed as much. You just called the wrong number. I feel dumb worrying about you. “I didn’t know that you dialed a wrong number. I mean how on earth will I know? I thought something had happened to you and I was worried.”
“Sorry, I ought to be calling Aya now. See you!” Miki hung up.
When Yossie put down her phone, she was furious. For the first time, she felt Miki’s daggers of words piercing through her heart. Miki didn’t even appreciate her concern at all. She tried to convince herself that maybe something bad had happened between Miki and Aya but it couldn’t stop the pain in the heart. She asked to no one in particular, “Did I overreact to her phone call?”
Rika gazed at the girl sitting beside her. She knew that even though Yossie was next to her, she was thinking of another girl.
Should I even attempt to answer her question? I think I ought to. “Yes, you did. A friend won’t be so worried and call the other numerous times just because of a missed call.”
You see her more than just a friend. Admit it. “But the point is she hasn’t called me for a few months already and she isn’t that kind who calls random people for nothing-”
Rika interrupted, “At least today you learn that there is something called ‘wrong number’.”
“True.”
“Aren’t you eating a bit? Your fried rice is getting cold.”
Yossie shook her head. “I’m not really hungry.” In actual fact, she had lost her appetite because of what Miki had said to her. Those words had pierced her heart.
Silence fell upon them for a while. Yossie gazed at the girl eating next to her. She ought to be fair to her. She couldn’t spoil the beautiful evening just because of a phone call. Yossie said, “After you finished eating, let’s go to my place-”
“Yossie, I have almost forgotten that my mum is coming over to my place tonight and I need to keep her company. Another day then,” Rika lied.
Yossie nodded. She knew she had ruined the entire evening. “Sorry Rika,” she murmured.
Rika laughed. “For what?”
“For spoiling the entire evening. It’s my fault.”
Rika should have just confiscated my handphone. “It’s not your fault. Ok, I’m done with my noodles. Let’s go.” Rika stood up and walked out of the restaurant with Yossie following closely behind. Rika recalled the image of them walking hand-in-hand into the restaurant and she shook her head. It was less than half an hour but the emotions that she had earlier and now and then were different. Earlier she was elated and excited about the date but now, she just felt upset and dismayed. The string tying to Yossie’s heart was no longer in her hands. She could no longer affect how Yossie felt and thought. It was in Miki’s hands now. She thought she had managed to keep Yossie beside her by sending those letters but it seemed as though it had brought about a very different effect.
Yossie sneaked a kiss on Rika’s cheeks before Rika hopped onto the taxi. She knew she had ruined the evening and Rika was hiding her emotions from her. Rika wasn’t very good at putting up a façade and she could see Rika’s sorrow in her watery eyes. She knew she wasn’t fair to Rika as she was thinking of Miki almost for the entire evening. She recalled Rika’s expression when she asked her whether she liked Miki or not and the pain in her heart exacerbated. For the first time, she wondered whether what Rika said was true.
Topic: F.Y.I 29 - Recurring Moments (Read 150630 times)