S-2878 • L3 Sintoluna • D15 Irrasi
"Sintoluna reaches the height of radiance. Irrasi kindles fullness in the sky. Gaia celebrates the tide in a vast chorus. The narrative anchors light in form."
Exhaustion weighed on my body. Physical. Psychological. Emotional. My feeling overflowing in blood. But I put in my menstrual cup and came to an agreement with my Crone: Maia was waiting. Perhaps her presence would ease the weight I carried.
I stepped off the bus.
Her feral eyes settled on me. That searching gaze. Seeing all the way into my soul.
We walked in silence through the illuminated streets. My body remembered how light it felt to walk.
We entered a roboshop, Gearhead.
Lasers flashed dynamically. Flashes lit up in intermittent bursts. Adware danced in frantic patterns. Vibrant bluish neon. Hypnotizing.
We crossed a room crammed with sturdy safes. Climbed a staircase to an empty bar. Cheerful music in the background. At the center, a table. Two plates of pasta.
"Thought you might be hungry." Maia's voice suggestive. "Got my doubts about how well you hold your liquor."
I ignored the provocation. Inhaled the delicious aroma of the dish before me. "Did you make this?"
Maia gave a crooked smile. Eyebrows raised. Suggestive. Picked up her cutlery and began eating.
"Ah, that was so good." I pressed my hands together in thanks and bowed my head slightly. "Gochisousama," I thanked her.
"Osomatsu."
My eyes widened. "You speak Japanese?"
She shrugged, as though it were an insignificant detail. "A little here and there." She stood and went to the bar. "C'mere."
I rested my arms on the counter, curious.
"What'll you have?"
"Hmm… it's been a while since I had sake."
Maia smiled. Sarcasm on her lips. "All right."
She poured the drink. To my surprise, added a few strawberries. Slid the glass toward me. "There you go."
I took a sip. Smiled, satisfied. "Ahh, delicious! It's been a while since anything this good touched my lips. What are you drinking?"
She raised a bottle of IcyNova vodka. Opened it and took a long swig.
We settled onto a sofa near the bar.
The night flowed.
Maia took generous swigs of vodka while making more drinks for me.
Strawberries. Sake. Alcohol and laughter.
Soon, my head began to spin. The cramps went numb.
"D'you get drunk?" My voice slurred with intoxication.
She laughed. That husky, amused sound stirred something in me. "Think I do?"
There was something ethereal about Maia. A faint radiance outlined her. Or was it only my blurred vision? But now, watching her drink, I realized the vodka was more than a drink. Perhaps a shield. Some part of Maia was running from herself.
"I shaid." I bit my lip, imperceptibly.
She, of course, read me. Found it amusing.
I looked away, trying to hide it. "That'sh your shecond bottle. If it were me, I'd already be falling all over the place." I grumbled, frustrated by how easily I surrendered to alcohol.
She took another swig. Sighed. "Well… vodka makes certain things in life more tolerable."
I bit into a strawberry, intrigued. "Hmm, what things would those be?"
Maia shook her head, chuckling. "Y'know, when you're…" She hesitated. "Yeah, think I need to drink more for that." Took another swig.
"What?! Tell me." I pouted. The kind of thing I only did when drunk. I already knew I would regret it the next day.
"Nah. Got nothing to say."
I stood suddenly, losing my balance. Maia moved quickly to catch me. I steadied myself before she needed to. She drew back. Eyes still on me.
I pointed a finger at her. Tried to look serious, but my drunken posture ruined every attempt. My drink swayed in my other hand. I staggered from side to side. "Why?! You… jusht go quiet… y'know what? I'm t-tired of wanting to know!" I covered my ears dramatically. "Not gonna lish-ten to you anymore."
She laughed loudly. A laugh that echoed through the empty bar and threw me off balance. I stumbled and fell onto her. My drink spilled over her clothes. She barely cared.
My cheeks burned with embarrassment. I sank against her belly, unable to move. Or look at her. All I could do was stay there. Curled up. My mind spun with embarrassment.
She stopped laughing. Stroked my head. "Hey."
"Nuh-uh." My voice came out muffled against her abdomen. "Not comin' outta here."
"Look at me."
With sulky difficulty, I raised my eyes. "W-what?"
"I like this song. Wanna dance?" A smile played on her lips.
I grunted. Lowered my head.
"I'll take that as a yes."
I forced myself to plant my feet.
Maia stood and took off her stained top. Revealed a dark gray T-shirt beneath it.
"I'm terrible at daancin'."
"Put your hands here." She guided my arms to her shoulders and rested her hands on my waist.
The song's melancholy beat filled the space. The woman's singing voice enveloped everything around us, like a dream.
I looked at Maia. My face burned. All I could do was bury it in her shoulder. My body swayed with her laughter.
She rested her head against mine.
Silence stayed between us. Warm. Alive.
Maia breathed deeply. Drew me closer. Her woody scent mixed with vodka.
I hesitated. My hand slid to the back of her neck. Rough scars beneath my fingers.
Maia shuddered. Almost imperceptibly, but I felt it.
I closed my eyes, trying to escape the suffocating awareness of our closeness. I felt my blood flowing down with the same intensity as my restrained desire.
The music ended.
Our heads moved slightly apart. We were still holding each other. Her face so close to mine. My eyes examined her cheeks. Were they flushed?
No.
It had to be the alcohol. Surely… only the alcohol.
"Ah…" She clicked her tongue. Bit her lips provocatively. "You… looking at me… like that… in that way of yours…"
I frowned. Looking at her how? Damn it, what did she mean? My heart hammered. I buried my face in my hands. Silence swallowed me. Completely surrendered.
Maia chuckled. "C'mon, let's sit."
Music filled the silence.
I only wanted to disappear inside myself.
She took another swig of vodka. Only half remained now. Maia raised the bottle. "Gotta finish this one, or else…"
"Or elshe what?" My voice came out thick. The room began to spin in spectral shades.
"Or else… I'll stay awake." Maia walked to the bar. Imperiously, she pointed a finger at me. "Anyway, only water for you from now on." She handed me a bottle.
"Whaddya mean?" I complained, trying to drink. Spilled some on myself. "You'll be able to shleep."
"How can you be so sure… when you're gonna be so close?" Maia breathed into my ear. Her eyes half-closed. An unnerving, predatory gleam held me. A predator about to pounce.
I choked on the water, coughing. "W-what… what're you shaying?"
She leaned toward me. "You really think you're going home alone? This drunk?"
My breath caught.
"There's a bed we can share…" The warmth of her presence surrounded me.
My thoughts tangled. I buried my face between my knees. Tried to hide the heat rising to my cheeks. Damn it.
Maia laughed. Amused by my embarrassment. She knew exactly what she was doing.
Minutes later, I lifted my head, sleepy. "Think I'm gonna sleep here. This sofa's so soft…" Everything grew hazy. My last memory:
Maia finishing the vodka. Staring at the floor.
Then, a subtle back-and-forth movement cradled my senses into unconsciousness.
In the middle of the night
I woke. Everything spun. My head throbbed. An uncomfortable wave of heat swept through me. I turned my face.
Maia slept beside me. Her soft hair fell over her face. Her breathing peaceful. A serene expression. So far from the intensity she exuded when awake.
Was I dreaming? I massaged my forehead. Tried to ease the mounting pain.
"Hey, you okay?" Maia whispered.
My shoulders jolted with surprise. I had not noticed she was awake. "N-no… but I will be."
Maia turned slightly in bed. Moved closer. "Can't sleep?" She took my hand. Her fingers stroked mine. Delicate.
I nodded, unable to hide the tension.
Maia picked up something from the bedside table and handed me a pill. "Here. This'll help you sleep. You'll be dreaming soon."
I swallowed the pill too quickly. Trusted her more than I wanted to admit. Shortly afterward, my turbulent thoughts quieted. A comforting drowsiness enveloped me. I was about to drift off.
"Unlike me…" Her voice cut through the silence. Low. Intimate. "Awake, imagining all the things I could do with you beside me."
Her words vanished into the darkness, but left a latent mark.
Echoing.
In the morning
I woke refreshed.
We had breakfast together. Comfortable silence.
I only avoided looking at her for too long. Last night's embarrassment still weighed on me. I wanted to be home. Process everything calmly. Far from her, who amplified every emotion.
I called a taxi. It arrived.
Maia walked me to the door. "See you, Akiko." Her tone calm, but with a depth that disarmed me.
I got into the car. Released the air trapped in my lungs.
The engine rumbled softly.
I looked back. Maia was already gone.
For a moment, I thought I had imagined it all.
The car glided along the airways. Then… a thought struck me like lightning. My heart danced out of rhythm. My body warmed. All I could do was admit it:
I was falling in love with Maia, and my soul was still fumbling for a way to handle it.
All I knew was that, from now on, everything would change.