Chapter 2
Natsu was a moderately-sized restaurant downtown. They arrived in a taxi, Lauren having left her car at Mika's house. After consulting with Mika, she'd dressed in a light green satin blouse, buttoned to just below her collar bones, and a black knee-length skirt. Mika wore a sky blue silk high-necked sleeveless top, patterned with pink roses, and a dark blue open jacket. She also wore a black skirt, though hers was mid-thigh.
The hostess, a girl a little younger than Lauren, gave Mika a warm welcome. She clearly knew her, and greeted her in soft Japanese, Mika replying in kind, before adding, in English, "And this is my friend Lauren." At that, the girl gave her a small bow and welcomed her.
She seated them at a table for two, picking up a "Reserved" card and leaving a pair of menus.
A waitress appeared almost immediately. She also spoke to Mika for a moment, then left.
"Everyone knows you here, I guess?" said Lauren.
Mika nodded. "Will you allow me to order for you? I can ask what they recommend. Is there anything you like or don't like?"
Lauren folded her menu closed. "No. You choose. I'd like that."
Lauren found the meal, sushi, sashimi, and pork ramen, excellent. Mika explained that this has been a favorite restaurant of hers since her first arrival. She didn't visit for a couple of years after Nicole's passing, but when she returned everyone remembered her, though they were dismayed on her behalf at her loss.
When they'd both finished eating, Mika asked if Lauren wanted dessert. She was about to decline when an older man in heavy glasses approached the table. He wore an off-white uniform with a high, round collar of dark green, and a breast pocket of the same shade.
Seeing him, Mika scrambled to her feet. Lauren stood more slowly, as Mika and the newcomer bowed to each other. They exchanged what sounded like a polite greeting, Mika adding something else before turning to introduce Lauren, in English this time, as a friend.
"Mr. Yoshida owns the restaurant," she said.
"I'm very pleased to meet you, Mr. Yoshida," she said.
He smiled at her, then asked what they would both like for dessert, "As a gift from our family."
Lauren didn't feel able to refuse so she asked for whatever he would recommend. Mika followed suit.
A moment later, a waitress brought a confection consisting of a tempura fried banana with caramel and ice cream. Mr. Yoshida returned with a different carafe of sake and two more cups. Mika raised her cup, holding it delicately in two hands as he poured for her. Lauren attempted to imitate her, sipping the sake two-handed before setting the cup down.
"When we get to your place, I think I will need coffee and a few minutes rest before I can drive home," she whispered. "I'm feeling a little buzzed. Tea, I mean."
"You don't need to hurry to leave," Mika said. "We can listen to a CD or watch TV."
Fortunately, the desserts were not the bloated creations that many restaurants served, and were easy to finish. Or would have been, if Lauren hadn't let the final bite slip from her fork. Ice cream landed on her blouse, and a string of caramel trailed down behind it, landing lower on the fabric before she managed to contain the accident by setting the fork down.
Embarrassed, she scrubbed at the satin, removing all of the ice cream and most of the caramel, but leaving darker green marks and an ugly brown streak where it had been.
"Goddammit," she whispered, "I survived the ramen noodles and eating with chopsticks, to do this with regular silverware."
"That's it, I'm cutting you off," said Mika, sliding the now-empty sake cup away from her, a grin on her face. "I can't take you anywhere."
"At least it's washable," Lauren said. "But I should put my coat on before your friend Mr. Yoshida returns and sees me like this."
Mika nodded agreement, settled the bill, and arranged for the taxi home.
Lauren was fairly sure that her sake consumption hadn't caused the dessert mishap, but she was definitely too tipsy to drive. She was going to need to stay with Mika for an hour or two. She smiled. How unfortunate.
Her friend seemed even more delighted with the prospect of Lauren being stranded. She didn't seem any more tipsy than Lauren, but she was behaving oddly. Exuberantly. She changed into slippers at the door, of course, then tossed her jacket with accuracy onto a hook several feet away, and her purse onto a stand, then danced lightly into the kitchen, singing. She had a good voice.
After hanging up her own coat, Lauren followed her into the kitchen, where she'd started the electric kettle and was spooning tea into a clear glass pot, still singing. "Oh, I am what I am..."
"You fraud!" Lauren cried, grinning at Mika as she spun around, her jacket hanging from a finger until she dropped it over the back of a kitchen chair. "You claim to be indifferent to contemporary music, and you're dancing around singing Dido!" Mika's eyes shone as Lauren stepped close, into her personal space, but not close enough to feel like she might be making her uncomfortable as Mika leaned against the kitchen counter.
"It's a good song!" Mika countered. Her eyes held Lauren's for a moment, her cheeks seeming to gain a little color. She glanced down to Lauren's top. "We should wash that before the stain becomes worse." Then she slipped to the side, bypassing Lauren to head to the living room. "Come through."
Bemused, Lauren wandered into the living room, where Mika was replacing the CD in the player. A moment later, Dido's voice filled the room. Janeway, who was curled up on the couch, twitched her ear but ignored the music.
Mika pirouetted back around - no mean feet in slippers - stopping even closer to Lauren than they'd been in the kitchen. She traced the stain on Lauren's blouse, around her navel. "Take this off," she said. "Let me see the care labels." She began to unbutton the blouse.
She looked up again, one eyebrow raised.
"You're going to take my shirt off?" asked Lauren. "Right here?"
"I'll find you something to wear," Mika said, sounding aggrieved. A moment later, she returned with a dark red cami. Handing it to Lauren, she resumed unbuttoning the blouse .
When the final button was unfastened, she let the blouse hang loose, but didn't make any attempt to part it. Lauren turned away to shuck it off, passing it behind her to Mika, then shrugging into the cami. It was too tight in the chest, though it hung loosely over her stomach. The neckline wasn't much higher than the top of her demi-cup bra.
When she turned back around, Mika's eyebrows twitched. She'd clearly not expected it to fit quite so snugly. She took Lauren's hand and led her to the utility room.
Releasing Lauren, Mika studied the labels on the blouse. She reached for a spray to pretreat the stain, looking to Lauren for approval, using it at Lauren's nod. Swaying again to the sounds from the living room, she prepared the washer, dialing in a delay to allow the pretreatment to work before pressing the start button with a flourish.
When she turned back to face Lauren she glanced down at the cami. Her fingers came forward to brush the front of the fabric above her waist, observing the way it swayed. Then her gaze slowly lifted, taking in the cleavage that the cami revealed, until her eyes had travelled to Lauren's mouth.
Lauren knew what that meant, but she wasn't going to initiate. She didn't need to wait long. A moment later, the woman took the hem of the cami and tugged, drawing her closer, until she could raise her lips to Lauren's.
Mika's tongue immediately demanded admission. Lauren let it roam deep before meeting it with her own. She moved closer, pressing her face into the other woman's, holding her warm, bare shoulders to keep her in place as she closed her teeth on Mika's tongue and suckled, drawing a deep moan from Mika's chest.
Heart racing, Lauren drew her head back, letting her teeth slide along Mika's extended tongue before licking the tip, bringing another sound of passion from the woman. Then she took the initiative, fastening her mouth to Mika's, ramping up the intensity of the kiss.
Fingers caressing her sides felt like an electric charge, and her throat seemed to constrict with arousal. She moved her mouth to Mika's neck, drawing her teeth down the side, feeling the pulse point hammering against her lip. She kissed it, her friend's heartbeat rapid against her mouth.
When she pushed Mika back a few inches, the woman gave her a mischievous smile, but her eyes seemed feverish. Lauren pulled her out of the utility room and pressed her against the wall beside it before closing the gap between their bodies. Those electric fingers slid down, then back up inside the borrowed cami and around her back, the skin to skin contact inflaming her arousal.
The fingers met for a moment, then fumbled together. Lauren felt her bra straps drift down her back. Mika's hunger for her was building her own desire for the slender, captivating woman. She ran her own hands down to her skirt, bunching it and drawing it up until she could reach under the hem to Mika's ass. Mika moaned into the kiss as she kneaded the tight muscles.
Lifting Lauren's loosened bra, Mika cupped the breasts within, pinching her hardening nipples as she pressed herself forward into Lauren. Her hips began to rock, her breathing into the kiss heavier by the moment.
Lauren moved far enough to press her hip into the apex of Mika's thighs. Her hands continued to squeeze her ass, as Mika's hips rolled, dragging her pussy against Lauren. The loud moan she made drove Lauren's libido yet higher, but a whisper of rationality broke through Lauren's need. She drew her face back from her companion's.
"Mika," she groaned, "we need to stop. You don't want this."
The woman's eyes were on fire as they turned to Lauren's. "I do want this," she growled. "I do. I've wanted this since the day you came to me."
"Are you sure?" Lauren asked, not quite ready to yield to her own desire. There was something she wanted more than taking her immediately, and that was to be able to take her again, and again... and she didn't want to destroy their relationship when it had barely started.
Releasing her breasts, Mika drew her hands out of the borrowed cami, then wrapped them around Lauren's head. Holding her face so that their eyes were bare inches apart, she said, "I am sure, Lauren." She drew her face in, widely parted lips meeting Lauren's. Her whole body shuddered as they kissed, then she pushed Lauren's face back far enough to speak again. "I am... fucking sure."
The word shocked Lauren. She'd never heard her use even mild profanity. She must really have meant the words.
Lauren pressed her face forward again, but Mika held her back. "Lauren..." she groaned. "Don't... don't be gentle."
Before Lauren could express surprise, her face was yanked back against Mika's again. Hands moved back inside the cami, gripping her waist as Mika ground herself against her hip.
When Mika's tongue penetrated her lips, she bit it, making her partner shiver. Then she moved her hands to Mika's skirt, tugging it and then her own higher, so that only thin panties stood between her upper thigh and Mika's sex. Grabbing her ass again, she jerked Mika's body against her in powerful strokes.
Mika's moans grew louder. After another minute, she broke the kiss, moving her face to Lauren's ear, panting as she bit her earlobe.
There was a thunk from the next room.
Both women jumped, drawing away from each other. As the noise of running water followed it, they realized the washer had started, and both laughed. Lauren unfastened her partner's delicate top, then lifted it, Mika releasing her waist to lift her arms.
The top may have been delicate, but that didn't stop Lauren from tossing it aside while she lifted Mika's bralette. Her partner raised her arms again. This time, Lauren wrapped the fabric around Mika's wrists, binding them together, pinning her arms above her with one hand. Her exposed breasts were breathtaking, small, but perfectly shaped, her narrow nipples rock hard and quivering as she writhed.
Lowering her face to them, Lauren suckled, biting each nipple until Mika groaned and twisted in her hold.
The wall began to vibrate as the washer motors kicked in. Lauren dipped her free hand under Mika's skirt and into her panties, which were soaked with her arousal. Finding her clit, she began to stroke.
"Nnnnghhh..." Mika grunted, her body squirming in place.
"Do you like that?" Lauren whispered.
"More..." she groaned.
"There'll be more," Lauren agreed, then lowered her face to nip at her left breast, her teeth scratching the nipple.
"Hhhnnnnngh!" Mika rasped.
Lauren pressed a second finger into her panties, then moved her hand lower, pushing both fingers inside her, caressing the wall of her sex by curling and straightening them. Mika gasped as she curled them forward and began to rock her hand.
Mika's eyes were blown and unfocused when Lauren moved her face back to hers and began to kiss her savagely. She seemed surprised at the contact of Lauren's mouth, but she groaned and rubbed her tongue against Lauren's. Still locked in the kiss, Lauren pressed her thigh between Mika's legs, lifting it against the back of her own hand in a strong rhythm.
"Ah! Ah! Ah!" cried Mika, breaking the kiss. Lauren lifted her slightly, bearing her weight on the hand buried in her sex, thrusting her body against the hand as her partner's moans grew in volume.
Writhing against both of Lauren's hands, Mika's bound arms twisted and her thighs tensed as Lauren slammed her into the wall.
Mika's body began to stiffen. Her moans became strangled grunts, then stopped altogether. Her sex clenched around Lauren's fingers. Then she shook, gasping for air. Her breasts quivered as her body convulsed against Lauren's hand, a ferocious pulsing around her fingers confirming what the quaking of her body was telling her.
As Mika's gasps turned to sobs, Lauren slowly released the pressure of her hand and thigh from her sex. The sighs became sobs. Then Lauren realized the sobs were real. Tears were coursing down the lovely narrow face.
Contrition smacked against Lauren's pleasure at bringing her partner to climax. "Oh, Christ, Mika," she said, dropping her arms so that she could free herself from the bra. She hugged her. "Oh, God, I'm sorry."
Mika's head turned from side to side against Lauren's neck. She had dropped the bra behind Lauren to wrap her arms around her back, and Lauren's shoulder was wet with her tears. She hugged Lauren's body tightly to hers, then said, "No." She continued to weep, but her tears were slowly coming under her control.
"You did... nothing wrong," Mika finally managed to say. "It was what I wanted. But it's... hard." She detached herself from Lauren, her head bowed, her arms crossed over her breasts. "I'm sorry," she said, then she began to cry again. "I'm sorry."
Not sure what to do, Lauren collected her blue top, shaking it out gently. She held it out to Mika, who took it without looking up or uncrossing her arms, letting it hang from her fingers.
"I think... I think I need to be alone," Mika said. "I'll get your shirt to you." She choked up before continuing, "Should I find a cardigan to cover that?" She lifted her eyes just far enough to indicate the cami, then looked back down.
Lauren reached behind her, lifting the cami far enough to refasten her bra. "It'll be fine with my coat, Mika," she said. "Is there anything... I can..." Her voice trailed off.
Mika shook her head again. "No," she said, "I'll be okay." Her voice was soft, still rough with tears, but Lauren felt that she meant it. "Lauren..."
When she said nothing else for several seconds, Lauren said, "What, honey?"
"Just... don't give up on me. Please?"
"I won't, Mika," she said.
Completely sober after the time, exercise and events, Lauren put on her coat and shoes and left quietly.
Lauren didn't hear from Mika for almost a week. She was beginning to wonder if she should break the silence, but she really didn't want to risk it. Finally, her phone pinged early one morning.
Mika: "I thought I was ready."
Lauren: "I know, honey. I'm sorry."
There was no reply, and Lauren regretted using the term of endearment. But it had been a very casual one, and she felt it showed that she cared.
At around the same time on the next day, the phone pinged again. This time, Mika had sent her a YouTube link. She clicked through to find the Dido song "White Flag," the official video with David Boreanaz as the ex. After watching it through, she replied.
Lauren: "I love that song."
Mika: "Yes."
Then, in the absence of other communication, Lauren reconsidered the video link. Overanalyzed, maybe? "I'm in love, and always will be." Well, yes. She knew that. Was it a caution? Telling Lauren that she was wasting her time? Surely there would be more tactful ways to do that. Or perhaps it was the message of the song that she'd live her life in spite of a love she couldn't fulfill?
It had been one of the songs on the CD that Mika had played during their impromptu makeout session, which Mika had initiated. Was she reminding her of that? Telling her that Mika was thinking about what had happened?
Or was it just a song that Mika liked, that was meaningful to her? She wouldn't know if she didn't ask, but asking seemed risky.
Maybe the best response was to post a favorite song of her own, and if it could be one with a complex interpretation all the better. It took her an hour or more to choose something suitable. She was at her office when the idea of using a VNV Nation song occurred to her, and within a few minutes she sent a link to Teleconnect 2. Whatever the story behind the lyrics, they and the music told of challenge, overcoming adversity, and hope.
Then, of course, she started second guessing her choice. Perhaps Mika would see the last verse as memories of her lost love. But the deed was done.
It was mid-afternoon before Lauren's phone sounded again.
Mika: "You sent me rave music?"
Lauren: "You go to quality raves."
Mika: "Not in well over a decade. I'm not keen on not being in control. This song grew on me. How are you doing?"
Lauren: "Stressed from work."
Mika: "I made myself a shepherd's pie yesterday and I will have leftovers for days. Would you like to help me with it?"
Lauren: "Maybe, but I need to work late. Is the shepherd still fresh?"
Mika: "I used frozen shepherd, is that okay?"
Lauren: "It will do, I guess. I'll change first, You don't want me in my business suit."
Mika: "Maybe I do, at that. Would you like to collect a change of clothes and soak in my whirlpool tub?"
Lauren: "OMG YES."
Lauren: "I mean, oh, that does sound delightful."
Of course as soon as the text exchange was done, Lauren started to second guess herself again. The "OMG" was supposed to be ironically enthusiastic; she didn't worry about Mika misreading it. But had she leaped too quickly at Mika's invitation? She didn't want her to feel trapped by Lauren's eagerness to spend more time with her. But she couldn't take back her choice now.
Dusk arrived early in mid-november. It was completely dark when Lauren parked at the yellow house.
Mika seemed relaxed, which was a relief. She sensed that her friend was embarrassed, though she hid it well, especially when Lauren took off her coat, and she gave Lauren a thorough once over, from her tight bun to her black heels. She was wearing a knee length dark charcoal pencil skirt, with a matching jacket, buttoned, and plain black blouse.
"Your office is very formal?" Mika asked.
"Yeah, especially when I'm meeting a client. Even the men don't dress down much."
"Lucky client," Mika said. "You look fab. But I suppose the goal is to get you out of those, today. Let me show you where everything is."
When Mika left her alone in the bathroom with the water running, she stripped, folding her suit into the garment bag she'd brought for the purpose, then hanging the bag outside the room to avoid humidity.
Then she soaked in the most relaxing bath she'd taken in years. She only had a poky little tub at her house, so she only ever took showers. But this - she could soak in it for days. Literally, probably. Especially since the tub kept the water warm.
Mika knocked on the door at one point.
"You can come in, if you like," Lauren called out to her. "There are plenty of bubbles."
Mika declined that option, asking only when she thought she'd be ready for dinner.
"Tomorrow, maybe?" Lauren offered. Mika laughed. "Thirty minutes," Lauren said. "I think I can drag myself out in thirty. Or maybe forty."
That gave her time to soak just a little longer, and still have time to dry off and change into the short tank top and long lounge pants she'd brought. Her copper hair was damp, cascading over her shoulders, and her fingers were still wrinkled when she sought out Mika.
"Well, that is a different look," her friend said.
"Is it too casual?" Lauren asked. Even in her house, Mika was always well put together.
"No, you're quite dishy," Mika said. "I firmly approve."
The shepherd's pie was good. Lauren didn't often eat lamb, and the restaurant versions of shepherd's pie she'd tried from time to time were beef and bland. This was full and rich. There was wine, too, a heavy, dry red that complemented the flavor of the lamb.
"At the risk of undoing the relaxation of your bubble bath," Mika said, "why are you so stressed today?"
Lauren sighed. "Work stuff. I've told you I can bore a date to sleep."
"Tell me anyway," Mika urged. "I have no answers, but it might help to talk."
"If you're sure?" Lauren asked. "I'm being pressured to sign off on a large loan. The largest of my career so far. Even if everything was perfect, I'd be nervous. But I'm not convinced it is. I have two separate audits of the company, and all of the books between the two, and some of the numbers don't add up. Literally. It's a very small difference, but it should be perfect. So my managers and the client's attorneys are pushing me, but I don't think I've done my due diligence. I think I need at least a week longer."
"Will you be fired if you decline?" Mika asked.
"No, but I will have to document the reason. If I accept, I only have to point to the most recent audit for backup. But if I accept and the client defaults, it will be a huge black mark on my record."
"I see," Mika said. "So for your career it's worth being certain of your decision."
"Yes, but the company employs hundreds, and without a loan to get them through the next few months, they will probably be laying off most of them. So my career isn't the only one on the line."
"Still, keeping them afloat doesn't help much if they go pear-shaped in the next year, does it? In addition to your bank having to eat the costs of defaulting."
"Go... pear-shaped?" Lauren frowned.
"Nine years, and I still keep learning that I don't know what I thought I did," Mika said. "It means to go wrong, probably catastrophically. Now you know a new thing, too. It doesn't help, of course."
"I don't know, I might use it to distract the next guy who tries to hurry me along."
"And it does help me," Mika said. "Because you're wrong. You didn't put me to sleep at all."
"Don't challenge me," Lauren retorted. "I have far less interesting stories I can tell."
Mika laughed. After a moment's silence, she spoke again. "Would you like to come to my relaxation room with me?" Mika asked. "I'd like to talk."
"No phones, right?" asked Lauren. She placed her phone face down, to activate the do not disturb feature, then followed Mika. She spent a moment looking at the painting on the wall before sitting on the low cushion across from her friend.
"Thank you for being so understanding," Mika said. "I..." Her face was coloring. "I enjoyed what we did. Very much. I'd like to get back to that place again. I think it will take some time. I wasn't expecting to have such strong feelings."
"I can't regret causing strong feelings," said Lauren. "To be fair, I was having very strong feelings, too. I do regret that I caused you so much distress."
"I asked," Mika replied. "I'd had a very good evening. I think it made me a little... high? I'm not bipolar, but I feel like I was a little manic." She glanced up at Lauren, then looked away again. "I asked you not to be gentle. That's... not me."
Now that it was almost dry, Lauren's hair was drifting into her face. She brushed it back. "You seemed a little wild. I should have backed off when I sensed that."
Shaking her head, Mika said, "Please try to stop feeling guilty. I told you it was okay. It was much better than okay. I am just sorry for driving you away. Maybe I can return the favor... soon? I just don't know how soon."
Lauren pushed her hair back again. "I'll wait," she said. "I don't want you to be disappointed for me. You're under enough pressure."
Mika nodded slowly, then looked up at her. "Did you bring a hairbrush?"
"I did. I just didn't want to take the time to dry my hair."
"May I brush your hair for you?"
The question startled Lauren. "I'll fetch it."
When she returned, Mika had her turn to face the window, then sat cross-legged behind her. She began to brush out her hair in long strokes. The scratching of the bristles on her scalp was soothing. She found the experience relaxing.
She closed her eyes, enjoying the sensations. It was a surprisingly intimate feeling. Not just the brushing. Mika was so close to her that she could feel her presence, the occasional tickle of her breath against Lauren's neck. When she brought her hand up to move a strand of hair, her fingertips grazed her skin, feeling like a caress.
She knew she was attracted to Mika. She'd been attracted to her physically from the start; an attraction that only grew as she sensed her turmoil and her inner strength. She liked spending time with her. She was comfortable with her. She was fond of her. She was aroused by her - especially in their "snogging" sessions, and the time she'd had her fingers inside her, however unfortunate the outcome.
She wanted to be closer to her. She wanted their relationship to last. But the idea of being with her was both exhilarating and terrifying. What if Mika was never able to find room in her heart for both Nicole and Lauren? Her own heart would break.
"Why did you send me the Dido song?" she asked.
"I like it," Mika replied. "I listened to the CD again since it was in the player, and it reminded me of your visit."
"I wasn't sure if you were sending me a message," Lauren said. "About how hard it was to hide how much you love Nicole."
"I don't try to hide that," Mika said. "You know how I feel." She was silent for a moment before continuing. "It's a song about a woman coping through loss and dealing with the consequences of her choices. I don't think the situation applies directly. But I do think I want to move forward with my life in spite of what's gone before. If there's a message, it's that I'm not going to surrender. I like you, Lauren. If you felt I was trying to say you couldn't be important to me, then I apologize, because you already are."
It was early days in the relationship by any standard. She'd met Mika no more than a month ago, but Lauren was having a hard time imagining ever not wanting to be around this strong, sensitive woman. She would wait as long as needed for that to be possible. Mika seemed to be telling her that she was committed to reaching that point.
"I won't be here over Christmas," Mika said, interrupting her thoughts.
"Oh, really?" That was disappointing.
"It's a quiet time. I have no weddings until mid-January, so I'm going to spend a few weeks with my family."
"In Japan?" Lauren asked.
"Yes. I'll be flying out the second week of December and returning the first week of January."
"I think that will be good for you," Lauren said. "I'm going to miss you."
"I'll miss you, too, Lauren," Mika replied. "We should video chat. It isn't easy to find a time though, since I'll be seventeen hours ahead. Noon for me to your evening would be the best option. It's the only time I can ever talk to my parents."
"Video chat would take some of the sting out of it," Lauren agreed. "Oh, that means you won't be here when Mandy moves in." Mandy was moving in on the first of the year, but Mika had told her she could move furniture over the Christmas holidays if she wanted. Lauren planned to help her. It was disappointing that she wouldn't be able to cross the yard to see Mika.
"Yes, I need to arrange to get a key to her," Mika said.
"I can take it for her, if you like. Do you want me to feed Captain Janeway? And change her litter box, of course."
"Oh, that would be wonderful. I was planning to board her, but she would hate that. Are you sure you don't mind? You realize she isn't going to say thank you."
Lauren laughed. "Maybe you can video chat to her, too, so that she can ignore you in realtime."
Mika's brush strokes continued, smooth and intimate, but for a moment a finger caressed the line of her jaw affectionately before drawing back.
"Wait here," Mika said. Lauren turned to see her leave the room, then return a minute later with a dangerous looking steel pin, about eight inches long. The end of the pin was decorated with red and gold flowers, and a few short strings of beads in the same color.
Mika resumed her place behind Lauren. A moment later, she was gathering up her hair into a tail. Lauren couldn't see exactly what she was doing, but she felt the tail tighten and twist a few times, along with a sideways pressure which was probably the pin being pushed into the twist. A little adjustment, and Mika released her. "There's a mirror in the bathroom. Take a look," she said.
The knot was comfortable. A few inches of hair extended below it, against her left shoulder. When she saw herself in the mirror, she marveled at the effect. Her hair was in a beautiful tight knot, centered, but with the decorations on the pin on the left side, and a tail on the left. The beads enhanced the decorative effect, swaying as she moved her head.
After she'd admired herself for a couple of minutes, she picked up her phone and returned to the room, though she didn't violate the electronics ban by entering.
"This is beautiful," she said. "I want you to take a picture of it."
Mika took a look at the cellphone in her hand. "I can do better than that, pet," she said. She led the way to the room between her relaxation room and the bedroom, which held photography equipment, with a minimum of furniture. She selected a string hanging before one wall, pulling down a neutral backdrop, turned on a couple of the lights, and executed a quick photoshoot, posing Lauren between shots.
There was a computer in one corner of the room. Mika uploaded the photos, and after a quick visual check, emailed them to Lauren. "If there are any you want editing or enhancing, let me know," she said. "You can take the pin, if you want to keep the style for now. Bring it back next time."
Always happy to know that there would be a next time, Lauren agreed.
When she left, Mika brought her blouse on a hanger. The stain was completely gone. She added it to her suit in the garment bag, then gave Mika an affectionate goodbye kiss, but didn't attempt to turn it into a makeout session.
Lauren: "Can you show me how to make that hair knot? I love the way it looked."
Mika: "I can. It takes a little practice, but it isn't hard with a mirror."
Lauren: "I have news, too. At the risk of boring you to sleep, relaxing yesterday gave me a fresh perspective on my problem. The good news: no one is pressuring me now. The bad news: hundreds of people are likely to be laid off 😢."
Mika: "Do you want to come over to talk about it? Curry&noodles."
Lauren: "You had me at come over."
This time, Lauren did stop by her home to change, showing up at Mika's in tee shirt and jeans. The curry had small chunks of fried chicken in thick sauce over noodles. Mika ate hers with chopsticks, of course, while Lauren stuck to silverware.
"This is good," Lauren said. "Was it hard to make?"
Mika laughed. "I chopped a few vegetables, but the curry paste comes from a box, the noodles were frozen and take two minutes in boiling water, and the karaage chicken is from Trader Joe's, so I'd say not.
"I feel cheated," Lauren grumbled.
"Tell me the good news," Mika instructed.
"Oh, right," Lauren began. "So like I said, I went home feeling very relaxed. This morning I felt that I was looking at the audit reports with fresh eyes. I found an unusual pattern in the purchase of high-dollar capital equipment. The kind of purchase you'd only make once or twice. Turns out they cooked the books to hide a loan repayment. So they already have a substantial loan they're about to default on, made to a different company entity, so it didn't show in a search. Suddenly management is praising me, saying they knew I was right to dig deeper, and the lawyers have gone silent, and are you asleep yet?"
Mika laughed. "No, it's interesting, and it sounds like you've saved the bank from embarrassment and a huge loss."
"Yeah, well, I feel so relieved I'll be able to coast on the lack of stress for days, at least. Though I'm sad that the company's going to crash and burn."
After dinner, Lauren gave the hairpin back to Mika, who took it to her bedroom, returning with a hand mirror and a pair of wooden pins with what appeared to be jade gems instead of the ornate flowers and beads. "You can keep these. They're more suitable for everyday wear."
Lauren objected to Mika's generosity, but she insisted, then took Lauren to the relaxing room. Using the hand mirror, she showed her how to gather her hair, then twist it around the pin. She also showed her how to form the knot without leaving a tail, and how to twist the tail around the second pin for a style with two sticks.
"I've seen knots made with chopsticks before," said Lauren, "but I don't think I've seen one as elegant as this."
"This is the version I like," Mika said.
"Do you wear your own hair like that?" Lauren asked.
"I haven't in a long time," Mika said.
"I'd like to see," Lauren said. Only when the words were out of her mouth did she consider that "a long time" might be five years, but she couldn't keep assuming that Mika had a problem before she admitted to one.
After hesitating only slightly, Mika nodded. She left the room, returning with two silver pins.
"The last time I did this, my hair was like yours," she said. "Red, I mean, though more ginger, and much longer." She pulled her hair into a single tail. "It was hard to maintain in the pandemic. I cut it short myself, and dyed it black, so that it could grow back in its natural color." She'd twisted the length of her hair, then pushed a pin in and twisted it tight. "It used to be long enough for a second twist, but I can still add the pin for decoration," she said, as she pushed the second pin beside the first. The heads of both pins dangled small white and blue flowers.
"That's beautiful," Lauren said. "It suits you."
Mika smiled. "Maybe I'll start dying my hair again, now that avoiding hairdressers is not an issue. You can help me choose a color."
"If you like," said Lauren, "but you're the artist."
Over the next few weeks, Lauren didn't see Mika as often as she'd have liked. She was wrapping up the year's business in readiness for three weeks' absence, and preparing for the trip itself. She did invite Mika for movie night at her house, which turned into a long-lasting makeout session that left them breathless and reluctant to part. After Mika left, Lauren felt equal parts elated and frustrated.
Mika accepted her offer to drive her to the airport for her trip, enduring her repeated questions about having her travel documents. She carried two passports, Japanese and British - well, E.U. until it expired - which wasn't technically allowed on the Japanese side, but was mostly overlooked, she said. And she had her green card to return. E-ticket and printed copy. Fully charged phone. Her phone plan included Japanese carriers, and her tablet would work on her parents' wifi, so they would be able to video chat.
"Yes, Mum," said Mika after the second time Lauren asked. "I have a checklist, Mum."
"I know, I know, I'm sorry," Lauren said. "I've never traveled internationally and I'm nervous on your behalf. Do you have cash?"
Mika just laughed.
The air was decidedly cold when they exited Lauren's Lexus. Mika stacked her suitcase and travel bag, which held one of her cameras. She had also brought a plastic grocery bag. Lauren had assumed it contained reading material or a neck rest or some travel accessory, and was surprised when she handed it to her. She looked inside to find a package wrapped in Christmas paper.
"Don't open this until we can do a video chat," she said.
"Umm, okay," said Lauren. "Thank you! But I don't have anything for you."
"That's fine," Mika said, with a smile. She was wearing glasses, for the first time that Lauren had seen. She must not want to deal with contacts on what would be about twelve hours of flight time and three airports to navigate.
Lauren stayed with her as long as she could. At the security line they hugged, then exchanged a tender kiss. "I'm going to miss you," she whispered. "Be safe."
"I'll miss you too," Mika replied, then turned to scowl at the line before joining it.
Mika: "Arrived safely. All unpacked. Time for the ritual interrogation."
Lauren: "Will it be bad?"
Mika: "No, it's just a habit for us. I've been regularly separated from them since I started boarding school, so there's always an intense catching up session."
Lauren: "When you've been thoroughly interrogated send me photos."
The photos arrived a couple of hours later, showing the interior of a small but comfortable house. The exterior of the same house, separated from the street by a narrow sidewalk and a vivid green hedge, under a cloudy sky. Finally there was a photo of Mika between her parents. She must have taken the photo on a timer. Mika looked very much like her mother, though her eyes may be more like her father's.
The first video chat took place the next day. Mika had travelled to the city, and gave her a brief video tour of car-free streets lined with shops, the colors of the unreadable signs striking. She switched between the camera showing her face and the one showing the street scene. She wore a face mask, as did about a quarter of the pedestrians. Some were glued to phones, some carried shopping bags. A number wore large headsets. All wore heavy coats. One young guy was eating fast food with chopsticks as he walked.
A couple of days later, Mika called her from the house. They talked about Janeway, who clearly wasn't happy being left alone, but who was tolerating Lauren's presence, how chilly the weather was in both places, and how Mika was finding her trip. After a pause in the conversation, Mika said, "There's something I need to ask you, Lauren."
Instantly nervous, Lauren asked, "What's that?"
"Mum asked me if you're my girlfriend. I didn't know how to answer her. Are you?"
Lauren smiled. "I'd like to be," she said. "I didn't know if you'd be comfortable putting a label on our relationship, so I haven't tried for one."
Mika's lips made a popping sound as she exhaled. "I want us to be girlfriends," she said. "But now I'm not sure if I should tell her because she'll want me to put her on the call. Would you mind?"
"Of course not, honey," Lauren said.
"I'll set it up for the weekend. I'll give you plenty of warning."
"Okay, Mika," Lauren said. "Tell her I'll look forward to it."
The call happened on Saturday - well, on Sunday in the early morning in Mika's timezone, which was Saturday afternoon for Lauren. Mika's mother looked very much like her, though she sounded very different, with a much stronger accent. Between her "Nice to meet you, pet," and "I like you, I think Mimi found a sharp one, pet," there was a quite thorough interrogation.
Lauren recalled that one time Mika had called her "pet." It had seemed strange at the time, but she must have been influenced by her mother and her upbringing in the same area.
Mika's mother had worked as an accountant before her marriage, until her husband's work had recalled him to Japan, when she'd quit to be able to travel between the UK during Mika's vacations and Japan when Mika was away at school. So she was able to understand much about Lauren's job.
Mika's father showed his face on the call for a few minutes, demanding that she visit with Mika on her next trip, whenever that was. He seemed more reserved, though both parents were very polite.
When she and Mika were alone on the call, she breathed a sigh of relief. "You'll need to give me lessons in etiquette before I speak to them again," she said.
"They liked you," Mika asserted. "Dad reconciled with my being gay before my wedding. They loved Nicole so much that I was afraid they'd have trouble accepting you, but they seem to have determined that you're a suitable girlfriend. I don't need their permission, but I do respect them and value their opinion."
"I'm glad. I like them. What is your mother's accent?"
"Newcastle," Mika said. "I used to sound like that before boarding school. I got bullied for it. I worked hard to change it. It seemed necessary at the time, but I'm not sure the way I speak now is an improvement. Being Japanese and gay I was never going to fit in."
"I like the way you sound," Lauren said. "I'm really missing you."
"I know, me too," said Mika. "I could totally kiss your face off right now. We're going to have to snog for three days straight when I get back to make up for lost time."
"Only three?" asked Lauren.
"Alright, four, but then we'll need to take a pizza break."
Mika conceded that Lauren could open her Christmas gift on Christmas Eve, largely because if she waited until Christmas Day, it would be the day after Christmas for Mika. So she called in the late afternoon, a little before eleven at night Lauren's time.
Lauren had her tablet set up on the small dining table in her house, so that she could sit close enough to the display to see all of the details of her beautiful girlfriend's face. "Are your parents around today?" she asked.
"No, it's a work day. Christmas isn't really a holiday. New Year will be. There are illuminations, and there will be fireworks. It will be, umm, seven a.m. your time when New Year's Eve ends, but I'll get some video for you."
"I'd like that," said Lauren. "The difference in times feels strange. It's been dark for hours here, and you're sitting there with sunlight streaming into your room. It makes the day feel warm. When you're ringing in the new year, it will be early morning. Oh, Mandy and I will be finishing up getting her moved in on New Year's Eve."
"You're going to be spending New Year with your ex! In her home! There'd better not be any bloody New Year's Eve snogging!"
"I'm totally not," Lauren objected. "I'm going downtown with my friends from work. There's a rock band ushering in the new year. There will be dancing. There may even be New Year's kisses, but there will be no snogging, as you define the difference. I'm saving that for you. Now, are you going to let me open my gift? Or are you just trying to build anticipation?"
Mika laughed. "It would be a huge let down if I were," she said. "Go on, then. Merry Christmas."
Lauren had set the wrapped package on the table beside her tablet. She picked it up. It was limp. She was fairly sure it contained an article of clothing. Surely Mika hadn't bought her lingerie? She didn't think they'd been at that stage of their relationship when she'd left.
"Alright, I'm opening it now," she said, holding the package up to the tablet's camera before ripping the paper.
Inside the paper was another layer of tissue paper. Within that was a dark green tee shirt. The design on the front was a set of large birds. They had the look of water birds, all with large feet and long bills. One's feet were bright red, another's sky blue. At the top was the word "boobies," in lowercase, large enough to read from a distance.
"Oh, my God," said Lauren, then burst out laughing.
"I would have liked it to say 'large American boobies' as a companion to mine, but most of them aren't American. They are large though. The birds, I mean." Mika's grin was wicked.
"It's perfect," said Lauren, unzipping the front of the hoodie she was wearing.
"Uh, what are you doing?" came Mika's voice from the tablet, as she pulled the hoodie over her arms, to stand before the tablet in her lacy rose bra and jeans.
"Trying it on, of course," said Lauren, grinning at the color that had risen to her girlfriend's cheeks. She worked her arms into the tee shirt, taking her time before pulling it down over her bra, then tugging it into place. "It's a perfect fit."
Mika's cheeks were still pink. "Uh, yeah, it looks good on you," she said.
Lauren did a twirl before the camera. "I won't wear it until you return," she said. "My boobies deserve their small British tits." She lifted the hem to remove the tee shirt, chuckling when she heard a strangled sound from the speaker. She folded the tee shirt before turning back to the tablet, grinning as she slipped her arms into the sleeves of her hoodie.
On the tablet display, Mika took a deep breath. "I wish you were here," she said.
"Oh, you do? For snogging?" asked Lauren.
"I want to touch you," Mika breathed. "I really, really want to touch you."
Mandy's furniture wasn't due to arrive until the 28th. She had boxes of essentials with her, and she was living out of two suitcases. On Christmas day, Lauren took her to look around the apartment, giving her the key. She was excited. Lauren left her moving boxes from her car while she walked across the yard to feed Janeway. The cat wasn't exactly thrilled to see her, but she'd realized that Lauren was the current food source, and wound herself around her legs until said food was in her bowl, then ignored her.
Lauren found it strange that the cat clearly missed Mika, but wasn't pining in the way that Mika had said she did after losing Nicole. She wondered if maybe the cat had been responding to her own sadness as much as missing her person.
She texted Mika to let her know that the cat was fed, that Mandy had the key, and that she was cooking for her, since she was stranded in a hotel. She invited Mika to call to verify that there was no hanky panky going on, and sent her a selfie of herself and Mandy outside the apartment.
On the following day, she was back at work. Though the office staffing was light, and most of her colleagues were dressed down, she was not. She had a scheduled chat with Mika in the evening, and wanted to surprise her.
"Oh, wow, you were working today?" Mika said when she answered the call. "You're still all dressed up."
"I wanted to save my PTO," Lauren replied. "Are you alone? Your parents aren't behind you?"
Mika's image shook its head. "Why? Should I get them? New Year vacation started today, so they're here."
"No, it's just that I haven't had chance to change yet. I didn't want to shock them."
Saying that, she unzipped her pencil skirt.
"Oh," exclaimed Mika. Her eyes were wide. "But you don't mind shocking me?"
"Are you shocked?" Lauren asked, taking her time unfastening the skirt, before lowering it slowly and stepping out of it, revealing her thigh-high stockings and garter belt. She was fairly sure she heard Mika gulp. She unfastened the lowest buttons of her blouse, so that her girlfriend had a clear view of her actions.
"Now I'm shocked," said Mika. "Is that what you usually wear to work?"
"Not often," Lauren admitted. "Pantyhose are easier, but I like the feel..." She ran her hands down her thighs. Mika blinked, a muffled groan escaping.
Lauren unclipped her stockings, sliding them down her thighs unhurriedly, one at a time. Then she unfastened the garter belt, letting it drop to the floor.
Mika's eyes were large, but her smile showed how much she appreciated the view.
Working from the bottom to the top, Lauren began to unbutton her blouse. When she reached her chest, she paused to unfasten her ribbon tie, draping it over her neck as she finished opening the blouse. Siding it down her arms, she folded it before setting it beside the tablet. Then she drew the ribbon tie off and set it on the shirt, leaving her in black panties and her black balconette bra.
She bent down toward the tablet, ensuring that the camera got a good view of the cleavage. "Are you okay, Mika? You seem to have turned red. Do your parents keep the house too hot?"
"Right now, yes," her girlfriend said, with a chuckle. "Ten minutes ago, I'd have said not."
"Maybe you should ask them to turn the heat down while I finish getting changed," Lauren suggested, picking up her cream silk pajamas.
"I... don't think so," Mika said as she fastened the pajama top, then stepped into the silk pajama shorts. She reached behind her to unclasp her bra, then detached the straps so that she could draw it out of her top.
"All done," Lauren announced.
"You are so mean," Mika said, her voice sounding a little gruff.
"Too mean to give me a goodnight kiss?" teased Lauren.
"I wish I could," Mika admitted. "I'm going to be daydreaming about this little game of yours."
Lauren smiled. "When you come back, we'll play it in person. I promise."
"That doesn't make my afternoon any easier, you know..."