Cocoa

“I think she’s going to like you."

"You said that last time, Sakura. We both know how that turned out.”

"Who, Minju? Look, not everyone can be perfect girlfriend material like me. That was a bad idea, I'll admit—but this time it's totally different, and I know you're going to adore her. Don't you trust me?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

Sakura shoots you a glare, adjusting her coat as she fiddles with the keypad to her apartment. "Well, this time I mean it. I think she’s perfect for you.” 

You have to roll your eyes at that, because so far, every girl she’s picked for you has been a downright disaster. “Perfect? Pretty sure you said that two girls ago. I’m starting to think you don’t really know anything about the type of girls I go for.” 

Sakura unlocks the door and practically pushes you inside. The moment the door shuts behind you, she takes her coat off, hanging it up in the closet right next to the doorway and turns around to face you. 

"Of course I do—you go crazy over those quiet, shy types. Tall, long legs, with pretty eyes and a charming smile. Brunette, not blonde. Oh, and a nice ass of course. This one fits every last criteria." 

"That's way too specific," you say, taking a seat on the couch as Sakura beelines straight for a bottle of wine that's left uncorked and pours herself a glass. "Besides, you really don't have to keep playing matchmaker. I'm perfectly fine doing things on my own, you know."

Sakura quickly kicks her high heels off and casually plops herself down beside you, placing her bare feet atop the coffee table as she takes a generous sip before setting her wine back down. "You haven't been on a date in what, four months? That doesn't seem perfectly fine to me."

You sigh. "I'm not in any hurry to get back into the dating scene, Sakura."

"Not when I can do it for you," Sakura says, with this wide smirk of hers forming across her lips as she shifts back into the sofa, smug as ever. She takes a long sip of wine before continuing, swirling it around slowly. "Speaking of which, you're meeting her Friday."

"Friday? This Friday? That's in like two days," you reply, taken aback by how sudden this all is. "I don't even have anything to wear. Where am I even supposed to meet her?"

"Relax," Sakura tells you, placing her hand on your shoulder. "You'll be fine. Just show up, wear something casual, and be yourself."

"Easy for you to say," you grumble as you struggle to keep your composure. Sakura just stares, her soft gaze making everything a thousand times harder to resist. 

"Trust me. She'll fall head over heels for you. Promise."

It's late in the evening by the time Friday comes around. Winter has made its presence known for several months, so unsurprisingly, it's snowing. Which means you'll have to dress warmly, especially if the only instructions Sakura gave you are the nearby park by that little cafe you always visit downtown. 

A quick taxi ride and you arrive, not quite sure what you’ve gotten yourself into when the snow starts coming down a bit harder than expected.

You don't even exactly know who you're meeting, but you can’t imagine there’s anyone else here when the weather is like this, which should make whoever it is easy to spot. Thankfully, it doesn’t take long to find this mysterious girl, a bright pink scarf in the distance acting as a beacon in this white landscape. So carefully, you walk up a snowy staircase that leads up to where she is, stopping right at the last step when she turns around. 

She's beautiful. Maybe the prettiest girl you've ever seen, even under all these layers. And she’s everything that Sakura mentioned—tall, brunette, gorgeous eyes with a smile to match. 

“What are you doing just standing there?” 

“Me? I’m totally waiting for you. You must be Sakura’s friend, right?” 

Not that there would be anyone else crazy enough to meet a girl for a date in weather like this. “Guilty.” 

“I’m Kazuha, Nakamura Kazuha,” she introduces, adjusting the scarf wrapped around her neck. “Sakura told me I was meeting someone cute, so it seems you fit that description.” 

You’re stunned—surprised to hear something so charming right off the bat while she offers a gloved hand out. You’re not easily smitten, you tell yourself, but there’s something about this girl that makes words difficult—but eventually, you compose yourself, grabbing her hand and taking a deep breath to respond.

“Sakura says lots of things.”

“Oh, I’m sure most of them are true.” That damn smile shows itself again—and it warms you up more than anything could in this frigid weather. Maybe you’ll have to thank Sakura after all, because this girl is every bit your type and more. 

You follow Kazuha’s snow-covered steps, until she takes a seat on the nearby swing set, a clear invitation for you to join. There's relative silence for the next moment, both of you staring at the fresh powder that surrounds the small playground. 

"So…was meeting at the park in the snow your idea or hers?" you ask almost sarcastically, following her lead and swinging the slightest amount, just enough to get some momentum going.

“Sakura’s. I told her I love the outdoors, so she suggested this place."

"In the winter? At night?"

"She said it would be romantic. And what's more romantic than cold weather and darkness?" Kazuha chuckles, swinging with just enough force to raise herself up in the air for just a moment. "We get weather like this all the time back home. It's what we’re used to."

You can’t say you share the sentiment. While you’re not a stranger to snow days, it’s hard to get used to bundling up just to walk down the block during the later part of the year. It’s admirable how unaffected Kazuha is by it—she hasn't even shivered once since making her introduction. Despite that you’ve made this your permanent residence for years, you can’t exactly handle the cold for more than an hour or so. 

"Japan, right? Sakura never mentioned exactly where you were from, just that you two were friends back in college."

"Oh yeah. We were roommates. We did everything together, but then ended up going separate ways after we graduated. I moved here a few months ago, and somehow bumped into her again."

"And then she decided to be your personal dating service…"

Kazuha laughs. "She doesn't take no for an answer, does she?"

"No, I’m afraid she never does."

The conversation trails off as you stare back up at the sky, watching the snow fall as the creak of the swings becomes the only thing audible. 

"Well," Kazuha starts, steadying the swing as she stands up. “You look cold. There’s a cafe close by that probably has some hot chocolate. How does somewhere warmer sound?” 

Anything sounds better than freezing your ass out here. 

“Yeah, sounds nice,” you answer, hopping off the swing to follow Kazuha back down the stairs and walk along the path together that leads out of the snowy park. It doesn’t take long to reach the cafe, only suffering a few mere moments in the cold. 

“It’s cute, isn’t it?” Kazuha asks, looking up at the menu and all the different options offered, hot and cold drinks and all these various pastries that sound delicious. You nod in agreement while she steps up to place your order. “Two medium hot chocolates, please. One with whipped cream and—“

“Just plain for me,” you say, wanting to keep it all simple. 

“Coming right up,” the girl behind the counter says with a smile as you both take a seat by the window that gives a perfect view of the snowfall. 

“It’s so pretty. Does it usually snow this much?” Kazuha asks while she pockets her gloves and hangs her coat on the back of her chair. It’s far from unusual. This type of weather can last all the way into April if it wants, but there’s something different about the timing, like the universe has somehow planned this snowy backdrop just for your date. 

“It’ll be like this for the next several months, usually.” 

Kazuha smiles brightly at the thought. Your drinks arrive shortly after, one plain hot chocolate for you, and one with an obscene amount of whipped cream for Kazuha who looks so eager to dive in. 

“It’s delicious.” It only takes one sip to form her opinion, giggling after she wipes leftover whipped cream and puts her warm mug down. “How about yours?” 

You take your first sip before answering, savoring the way it warms up your body just right, the taste of chocolate lingering in your mouth. “Perfect. I can feel my hands again.” 

Kazuha laughs way too easy at that as she takes another drink, being more careful with the whipped cream this time. “You’re welcome to try some of mine if you’d like.” 

It’s tempting, but you’re already satisfied enough with this level of sweetness. So you politely decline, taking another sip to confirm you’ve made the right choice. You don’t know much about Kazuha other than what you’ve been told, but there’s something about her that’s comforting, that makes it so easy to talk to her—perhaps how reserved she is, especially in comparison to Sakura. 

“Tell me, what makes someone move all the way to Toronto for work? Must have been a long flight,” you ponder out loud. 

“Oh, it was exhausting. Slept almost an entire day afterwards,” Kazuha replies, wrapping her hands around the warm mug as she looks out the window and takes a long, purposeful sip. “Modeling gig. They offered me a huge bonus and covered all my relocation costs, so I couldn’t turn that down. And it was nice to have a change of scenery.” 

A model—of course Sakura would set you up with a girl so pretty she gets paid for it. “You’re a model? That makes sense.”

Kazuha lets out a shy smile at that response, covering her mouth with her palm while the slightest blush forms on her cheeks. “Is that your way of saying I’m pretty? Still have a ways to go, I’m not very well known yet, not like those girls on magazine covers.” 

“I’m sure you’ll get there. Wouldn’t be surprised if I see your face on a bus in a few months from now.” 

“A bus? How did you know? It’s always been a dream of mine to be on a bus ever since I was a little girl,” Kazuha teases, licking her lips clean of hot chocolate. “It’s not the must luxurious job. Standing around for hours trying on different clothing lines, but most of the time I just stare into the camera wearing underwear from some lesser known brands.” 

It’s hard to hide how your eyes light up from that, because that’s sparked your imagination. “So you’re saying I’m on a date with an underwear model? I think I owe Sakura my thanks.” 

Kazuha looks flustered by the sudden praise. You have to keep your thoughts from wandering, because you’ve only seen this girl wearing layers upon layers, and the idea of her wearing barely anything underneath makes your head start to spin. 

"So what about you, what do you do for work? Sakura didn't really mention it," she asks, quickly trying to move on and change the subject. Which is really for the best, because you can’t let the thought of this pretty girl in her underwear linger for too long. 

“Oh, uh—I’m between jobs at the moment.” 

“Between what and what?” 

“Ah, well. It’s a long story—the company I worked for went under and it’s been hard to get back on my feet. I’ve been living with Sakura for the time being until I find something.” 

“That’s so sweet of her. She’s always been good at looking out for others.” You give a gentle nod while finishing off your hot chocolate and wiping your mouth with the back of your hand. 

“So…were you two ever together?” Kazuha blurts out. If you hadn’t finished your hot chocolate, you’d be close to spitting it out by now. 

“Not exactly. We weren’t dating, but it was—“ 

“Complicated? Say no more, I’m sorry for bringing it up.” 

“Don’t be. She’s a great roommate and she introduced me to you. Can’t exactly complain about that.” 

"Is that…a good or a bad thing?" she asks, leaning forward to stare into your eyes while she waits for an answer. 

“A very good thing.” 

Kazuha seems to like that as she looks around to see that you're all alone and the cafe has cleared out, with staff members wiping down tables, another flipping the sign on the door from open to closed. "Looks like we're about to get kicked out."

“That late already?” 

“Seems so,” Kazuha says and grabs her jacket, sliding out of the booth. “The night isn’t over yet. Now, I don’t mean to be so forward on the first date, but my place is much closer than Sakura’s apartment if you’d like to come over. At least until the snow gets less crazy…” 

“Depends. Do you have hot chocolate there?” 

“I have all the hot chocolate you could ever want.”

“Then by all means, Kazuha, lead the way.”