The Very First Night
Fuuka felt her hands shaking as she dialed the number Mitsuru gave her, but she kept her courage. She called the other woman, waiting. Mitsuru picked up.
“Hello? Is this Fuuka?”
“Y-yeah, hi! I was just calling about that dinner offer you-”
“I’ve made reservations at a place downtown. I’ll see you there. It’s called The Palace.”
“I’ll see you soon!”
Fuuka hung up and looked in the mirror one last time. She’d picked out a nice, teal dress that had been living in her closet for a while. She’d put on a small pearl necklace, wanting to look really nice. Fuuka began the walk to The Palace.
About 10 minutes later, she arrived. The restaurant was very,very fancy, with only the highest of society allowed. Fuuka walked into the doors, looking around for Mitsuru. She felt slightly out of place, but nobody else seemed to notice her. She sat down in the waiting area, when she saw Mitsuru walk in. She was wearing a red dress with black heels, and a necklace with a blue stone in the center. Fuuka was absolutely taken aback, but didn’t show much emotion. She stood up and walked over to Mitsuru.
“H-hello, Mitsuru! It’s great to see you!”
Mitsuru was just as taken aback, her blush obscured by the redness of her outfit.
“It’s amazing to see you as well, Fuuka. It seems you’ve dressed for the occasion.”
“I have.”
Mitsuru walked up to the register, stating she had made reservations a little while ago. The lady at the counter welcomed her happily, escorting the two to a high-floor city view table, isolated from everything else. They could have their own conversations in private.
Fuuka was flattered even further at this point, not having expected Mitsuru to go all-out for this one dinner dat- meeting. Dinner meeting. It was a meeting. Even though, secretly, they both wished it was a little more. Mitsuru sat down, breaking the silence first.
“So, I contacted my agents and met with the higher-ups, and we can make the exchange. If it clears you, of course.”
“Of course it clears! I’m more than happy to work with you, Mitsy.”
That name slipped Fuuka’s lips without a second thought, an old nickname that they used to call each other back in high school. But here, it carried another meaning, something more significant.
“Then let’s shake on it.”
Mitsuru extended her hand out to Fuuka. Fuuka took it, shaking her hand. The handshake lasted a few seconds. It slowly lowered to the table, their hands now just resting on one another's. There was a prolonged silence. It wasn’t awkward or uncomfortable, but… nice. Fuuka was the first to pull away, lightly blushing.
“S-so, the deal should go through in a couple of business days. Just have to file the paperwork to make the company public.”
“Sounds lovely, Fuuka. So… this also means that you’ll have to hold shareholder meetings with the people who own shares. Which… At the moment, it is only me.”
“So… we’d just be alone together for an hour or so.”
“Yes.”
“Just like this. But with nobody else around?”
“Exactly, Fuuka.”
They just sat there for a while, staring at each other. Would they even be able to make it 10 minutes in a room, totally alone, without something happening? Chances were low. Very low. Their food came in, and they ate, looking at the view of the city, and never at each other. They never wound up talking any more throughout the night, and only said a small “goodbye” at the end.
Mitsuru got on her motorbike and drove home. She watched the streetlights flash against the ground, thinking about the night. She could’ve done so much, said an infinite amount of things to Fuuka, but she… didn’t. Why didn’t she? It would’ve been so easy… She got off her bike and walked into her mansion, pardoning the servants. She walked up to her room, sliding off the heels and flopping into her bed.
“Why didn’t I say anything?”
Fuuka spoke to herself, staring up at the ceiling.
“She was right there! I mean, all I had to do was say ‘Hey Mitsuru, do you want to go out sometime again?’ But nooooooo!”
Fuuka let out a small grunt, looking over to her indoor garden. She’d just recently moved into a decent penthouse downtown. It let her have a much bigger area, which she loved. She finally had a good amount of space to have all sorts of flowers and things. She got up and grabbed her watering can, watering her plants while simmering over the details of the night. Sure, the food was absolutely delicious. But there was one thing she wanted that couldn’t be ordered off that menu… She sighed again. It’s best to leave it in the past.