In front of Yizhuo, Aeri had tried to appear cool, saying how she would obviously plan their whole date all by herself. But the second Aeri came back home, she cursed herself, knowing that she would need to spend the whole night on planning their date. And it had to be perfect, because that’s the least Yizhuo deserves. And Aeri absolutely doesn’t want things to get sour between them again.
And that’s how, exactly a week after their discussion at the café, Aeri and Yizhuo found themselves standing right in front of Han river, lazily sprawling on a blanket on the floor. Steaming cups of ramyeon were displayed in front of them, reading to be savored.
Aeri’s plan had been simple. She knows that Yizhuo would have liked anything superficial despite her princess tendencies, so a fancy dinner would have been a non go. But Yizhuo would have also loved something that they could both share and enjoy, meaning that Aeri definitely couldn’t bring her to the amusement park, a common place for dates, since she’s absolutely terrified of any rides that aren’t carousels.
So Aeri went for what she knows for sure that Yizhuo loves more than anything else: food.
Aeri had bought them some fresh ramyeon from a nearby store, and had carefully laid a comfortable blanket on the grass, ensuring that Yizhuo would feel as cozy as possible.
“Those are my favorite ramyeon!” Yizhuo’s mouth was already full of noodles, but she couldn’t refrain from expressing her amazement to the Japanese woman sitting right next to her, although at a respectable distance. “How did you know?”
You see, Aeri would have loved to be able to boast and tell Yizhuo that she had never forgotten her taste. But the truth is that Yizhuo had somehow never shared this harmless yet extremely important fact with her, so she had to resort to asking the girl’s best friend, Minjeong, about it!
Trying to appear nonchalant despite the extensive search done on the subject, Aeri merely shrugged. “I had a feeling.”
Yizhuo suspiciously eyed her, looking for any signs of weakness on Aeri’s face, who immediately felt self conscious under the younger’s piercing gaze.
Yizhuo, ever the mischievous woman, subtly inched closer to Aeri’s ear, and slowly whispered. “Are you sure you haven't done some research?”
Aeri felt her cheeks burning, and a small chill running through her spine at the suddenly yet familiar feeling of Yizhuo’s breath against her skin. It had been years since they had last been this physically close, and Aeri isn’t quite sure if she can handle it for any longer.
So she sighed, feeling defeated. “I asked Minjeong about it…”
“Woah! You went as far as confronting my grumpy puppy of a best friend just to know my favorite kind of ramyeon? I have to say that I’m impressed Aeri.”
Aeri, now as red as a lobster, weakly punched Yizhuo’s shoulder. “C’mon, don’t tease me now…”
“I can’t help it though!” brightly laughed Yizhuo, happiness evident on her features. “But that’s adorable of you, thank you.” She poked Aeri’s crimson cheeks, a huge grin painted on her face.
Aeri sighed, but didn’t attempt to fight back, knowing that any battle against Yizhuo was already a lost one.
“You’re cuter though…” she murmured, not realizing that Yizhuo had clearly heard her, and was now fighting against her own thumping heart. “Let’s eat before it gets cold!”
Yizhuo timidly nodded. Aeri was taken aback by Yizhuo’s sudden change in demeanor, but still welcomed it. After all, a shy Yizhuo is an adorable Yizhuo. Although, the girl is always the cutest in Aeri’s eyes.
The two wordlessly savored their noodles and stared at the calm and relaxing movements of the water in front of them, the silence surrounding them being one of comfort. When they first met each other, they spent most of their time idling without a word, and simply existing together in front of the sea. It was a way for them to relax, and just let go of the stress and the complicated thoughts surrounding them at the time.
They had always been able to communicate without having to utter a single word. That’s how deeply connected the two had always been, and even the time and distance didn’t seem to have changed this fact.
And eventually, both bowls of ramyeon were completely emptied, leaving the girls laying down on the blanket, both of their stomachs well filled. But they didn’t have too much time to laze around. After all, Aeri had other plans for this day!
“Ning, get up!” she called, gently nudging the girl’s arm. Yizhuo whined, looking all sleepy. At the sight, Aeri had to physically refrain herself from squealing out loud at the other girl’s cuteness. They really had places to be and couldn’t afford to lose more time, so Aeri mustn’t falter!
“C’mon you big baby,” she said, a huge grin on her face. “I planned a whole shopping afternoon for us.”
At the mention of the ‘S’-word, Yizhuo’s eyes immediately widened and before Aeri knew it, the chinese girl was up on her two feet, almost as if she hadn’t been laying down like a slug merely a second before!
“What are you waiting for Aeri?! Let’s go!” Yizhuo swiftly grabbed Aeri’s hand, and tugged at it like a child.
Aeri fondly rolled her eyes at Yizhuo’s nerves. But again, the girl has been like that for as long as Aeri can remember, and it’s an aspect of her that she has come to like as well. Because it shows how passionate Yizhuo is for her hobbies.
Aeri softly tightened her hold on Yizhuo’s hand, and guided them towards their destination of the day. Little to say that their shopping session had been quite the hectic one. But it isn’t all that surprising, considering the fact that both of them are just as passionate when it comes to shopping. And at that point, every single shop they visited became their very own runway.
Aeri thinks that she hasn't had this much fun for a long while. Probably since the last time Yizhuo and her had hung out in the aisles of Okinawa’s market three years before. Their time was filled with giggles, and lingering touches. Whether it was when one gave some clothes to the others, making their hands softly brush in the process, or when they brushed their locks away from each other’s face, which were easily messed up by them changing clothes every two minutes.
Things felt familiar yet so exciting between them. They weren’t doing anything out of the ordinary, but the sole fact of being there together was enough to make this time all the more precious.
The sun was still high up in the sky by the time they exited the last shop marked on their itinerary, their arms full of shopping bags, but their hands tightly linked nonetheless.
“Hey Ning,” cautiously asked Aeri.
Yizhuo, who had apparently been zoning out, probably exhausted from their intense shopping session, slowly turned her head to face Aeri with a lazy smile. “What’s up?”
“Do you think we can make a small detour? It’s still early, and there’s somewhere I really want to go with you.”
Yizhuo appeared surprised at the request, but quickly nodded. “Of course!” She then muttered, a bit quieter. “I don’t want this day to end either…” Aeri cracked a soft smile hearing this, and gently guided Yizhuo towards the nearest train station.
“It’s a bit far from here, but you can sleep on the way there if you want.”
And Yizhuo seemed to have really needed the small power nap. Because the second the two women settled on their seats inside the train, Yizhuo’s head fell on Aeri’s shoulder. The Chinese woman let out a small sigh, before shuffling closer to Aeri and wrapping her arms around Aeri’s.
Aeri gently brushed some strands of hair from Yizhuo’s face, and softly whispered to her. “Sleep Ning-ah, I’ll wake you up when we’ll be there.”
Yizhuo sleepily nodded against the crook of Aeri’s neck, making the latter stifle yet another squeal.
And around an hour after, Aeri softly nudged Yizhuo, telling her that they had reached their destination. They exited the vehicle, and were immediately met with a strong marine smell invading their nostrils.
Yizhuo’s eyes widened at the sight in front of her. “Is that-”
“The sea? Yeah,” smiled Aeri, before sneakily lacing her fingers with Yizhuo’s, who mindlessly reciprocated the gesture. “I thought that bringing you there would be the best way to end this day.”
Yizhuo softly smiled at her, her gaze full of gratitude and fondness. “I’m so glad, thank you Aeri.”
Aeri squeezed her hand as an answer, and guided them towards the beach. During this time of the year, and at this hour, nobody really frequented this place, so they mostly had the beach all for themselves.
Aeri grabbed the blanket from earlier from her bag, and sprawled it on the sand. She sat, before inviting Yizhuo to do the same. The woman quietly sat right next to Aeri. So close that their knees were touching, but neither of them really pointed it out.
Aeri was the first one to break the still silence. “I know that the sea is not as pretty as it is in Okinawa, but I hope that you still like it.”
“It’s perfect Aeri, don’t worry,” smiled the younger woman, putting a shy hand on top of Aeri’s. “Thank you for today, I had lots of fun.”
Aeri smiled to herself, before gazing at the ocean again, relieved to see that the day had gone exactly like she had planned. She didn’t want to overwhelm Yizhuo, so chose to keep it simple and platonic enough. However, deep inside, she itched to get closer to the other woman. She craved for our touch again, for her affection, for her trust.
But if Yizhuo wants to take things slow, then Aeri will gladly and obviously give her that. It’s the least they both deserve after all.
Suddenly, she felt something poking her cheek. She turned around, and saw Yizhuo grinning at her. “What’s going on in this pretty head of yours?”
Aeri tried to stifle a laugh, but ultimately failed. “What the heck Ning! Since when are you such a smooth talker?”
“I’ve always been one!”
Aeri shook her head at the retort, her laughter slowly subsiding. “For real though, I’m not thinking about anything in particular.” She then turned her head towards Yizhuo, tilting it to the side a bit. “What about you?”
“I was thinking about you. About us… I think,” replied the younger girl, her gaze directed to the endless sea.
Aeri wordlessly watched Yizhuo, waiting for her to collect her thoughts. Yizhuo had always been like that. When things would get heavy inside of her mind, the girl always needed to take a second to organize her thoughts before being able to talk.
Aeri softly smiled at the thought. Some things never changed.
“I- I realized that I had a really fun time with you today. And I want to spend more time with you, I think. No… I’m sure,” she finally said. “I know we said that we would try again, and that we should take it slow but… I don’t know, I can’t suppress my feelings anymore. I think.”
Aeri gently gazed at Yizhuo, understanding the feeling all too well. However, it has always been important for her to let Yizhuo freely explain herself. So that’s why she didn’t say anything back. Because, despite the time that passed, Aeri still knows Yizhuo. And she knows that she is still just processing her probably overwhelming feelings. And it always took a little more time for her to do so. Something Aeri knows, respects, and honestly finds kind of adorable.
“I think that I’ve never stopped liking you, Aeri. I mean, I’m sure that I’ve always felt way more than just ‘like’ for you, and now that we’re here… together with the bad feelings of the past behind us… I kind of… don’t want to wait?”
Yizhuo looked at Aeri, her eyes filled with worry. “I-Is it too soon for this? Am I weird for feeling too much again so quickly?”
Aeri turned Yizhuo’s hand to properly grab it with hers, and tightly squeezed them together, in a reassuring gesture. “It’s not too soon Ning-ah. I understand, I feel the same after all.” She softly smiled at the younger woman, conveying her deepest feelings with her mere eyes.
“I-Is it okay if-”
This time, Aeri didn’t give Yizhuo the time to properly express herself, and cupped the girl’s cheek with a shaky yet firm hand.
“It’s okay Ning.” Aeri inched closer to Yizhuo’s face, making sure to stop right before their mouths could touch, wanting Yizhuo to be completely sure of her choice. “I want it to,” she breathed against the girl’s lips.
Yizhuo didn’t waste a second, and lunged forward, successfully capturing Aeri’s lips in hers in a swift movement. And gosh did Aeri miss this feeling so much.
Kissing Yizhuo had always felt almost feverish. Like Aeri was high on something, which might have well just been her own feelings for the woman. But feelings Yizhuo’s lips on hers, even if it hadn’t been the first time, felt just as special.
Aeri quickly brought her second hand up, and gently grabbed Yizhuo’s neck, pulling her even closer. This caused the other girl to grunt against her mouth, but they didn’t part ways.
Quite the contrary actually. Yizhuo engulfed her hands in Aeri’s hair in a desperate yet passionate gesture. And from there, things rapidly grew more heated.
Before Aeri knew it, Yizhuo had practically made her way to her lap, completely straddling her legs already. Aeri’s heart erratically thumped in her chest, and despite the nagging feeling slowly growing in the pit of her stomach, she knows that they should take things slowly. Or at least, they shouldn’t be making out this… strongly in a public place. Even though nobody was actually around.
“N-Ning…” she breathed inside of Yizhuo’s mouth. She was expecting the woman to keep going but surprisingly, Yizhuo broke their passionate exchange, and looked at Aeri with curious eyes.
“What’s up?”
“C-Can we wait until we get home for… this?” stuttered Aeri, completely embarrassed by the situation, yet finding herself enjoying the sensation of Yizhuo’s body being so close to hers.
Yizhuo immediately grinned mischievously, understanding Aeri’s implications. “Oh my, you suddenly grew bold, Honey.”
Aeri groaned. She should have expected such a reaction. It is Yizhuo after all.
But she knows what she has gotten into. And she wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.
And Aeri couldn’t help but to tease the girl. “Fine. Then, I’ll politely send you back home?”
“Hey, how dare you!” whined Yizhuo, weakly punching Aeri’s arm with her paw. “At least take me on another date!”
Aeri laughed out loud, burying her head in the crook of Yizhuo’s neck. “All right m’lady! But you’re planning the next one, okay baby?”
“Save the pet names for when we’ll properly be dating, dork!”
Aeri pinched Yizhuo’s mochi-like cheeks, her mouth fully forming a smirk now. “You started first baby, gotta face the consequences now.”
Yizhuo tried to maintain a serious and angry expression, but the second her gaze met Aeri’s she joined her laughter. Aeri brought Yizhuo closer to her, tightly hugging her.
And for the first time in three years, she was finally where she had always belonged.
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