(aka they are in high school and this is an excuse for me to use all the dumb tropes that I didn't actually use in the novel.... yes, this is going to be ridiculous and extremely unedited)
Enjoy!
Scene 7 Morning Kiss
Kathleen looked at the bicycle. "You built this yourself?"
Yuriko, who was checking the tire pressure, nodded. "Yes. Well, mostly I fixed it up."
It looked like a fairly standard bike. There was a basket in the front and a wire rack over the back wheel. Kathleen could tell that some of the parts, like the pedals and handlebars, didn't match the frame. The gear shift also looked newer than the rest. "Will it hold two?"
Yuriko glanced up at her, smirking. "Of course. I made sure this thing was rock solid. I think I could ride it off a cliff and it would survive."
Kathleen wasn't sure if that comforted her.
"Come on!" Ai whined. "I didn't get up this early to stand around and chat."
She was leaning against her own handlebars. Her bike definitely looked store bought and only had a basket in the front, which was currently holding a bag full of food. Ever since the summer vacation had started, they had been wanting to go for a bike ride together. They thought it would be fun to bring lunch. Or it would really be breakfast, considering it was barely dawn. Yuriko had insisted on the time, however. It was already warm and by the afternoon it would be sweltering with humidity.
"I've never ridden on the back of a bike before," Kathleen said, watching as Yuriko mounted. At least Yuriko had attached a blanket over the wire rack.
"Just sit down, rest your feet away from the wheels and hold on."
"And don't let her go too fast," Ai added.
Kathleen swung a leg over the back wheel and carefully sat down. There was a small bar in the axle of the wheel, just large enough to rest the sides of her feet on. She gently put her arms around Yuriko, still not sure if this was a good idea. She looked at Ai, who was grinning.
"Ready?" Yuriko asked, one foot on the pedal. Kathleen clutched a little tighter as the bike swayed.
"I guess," she huffed.
Ai took off first, gliding down Kathleen's street. Yuriko pushed off and Kathleen leaned into her, cheek pressed against her back as the bike began to move.
"Just relax and move with me. Don't try to fight it. I'll tell you if I'm losing control," Yuriko soothed.
Kathleen couldn't respond, her eyes glued to the pavement moving below them. She might have she holding on too hard, but she wasn't about the budge. She could feel every bump in the concrete. Every time Yuriko made a turn, she felt like she would fall.
"Okay back there?" Yuriko called as they turned onto a main road.
Kathleen felt too petrified to speak and managed only a high pitched squeak. She heard Yuriko laugh as she began to pick up speed.
Kathleen looked up then, the cars moving next to their bike lane. There was one with a kid in the back seat who waved to Kathleen and Yuriko. Kathleen was too afraid to let go, but she found herself smiling back.
She turned her head to look at the sidewalk. Even so early, there were people walking around. Women in wide brimmed hats, business men chatting loudly, a group of preschool kids all wearing the same bright yellow hats. Women on bicycles, loaded with groceries and a kids in a seat attached the the front, passed them by, weaving around people and cars like they weren't carrying at least a hundred pounds. A group of boys from their high school passed, calling out to them. Ai shouted something back, but Kathleen couldn't hear. She just saw them laugh, arms looping around their waists or necks.
They passed a park. A man was throwing a ball to his dog, a woman attempted to console a crying toddler, and a group of adults were playing soccer in an empty field. They passed by shops with clothes and cheap cookware spilling from the front doors. They passed convenience stores and fast food restaurants that smelled like grease and some fried food.
They turned onto a smaller street and Kathleen braced herself as they went over train tracks. They were traveling by the river. A woman jogged next to them and a man was fishing, though the water was very low. The sun was warm on Kathleen's neck and she ached from sitting on the bouncing, hard bicycle. She didn't know how much farther they needed to go. She squeezed Yuriko's waist and felt, for just a moment, Yuriko put a hand over hers.
She didn't want it to end. She wanted to ride all through the city. She wanted to weave between the crowds of people and get stopped by a passing train. She wanted to smell food from the restaurants and hear shop workers loudly greeting customers. She wanted to hear the passing conversations and feel pleasure that she could understand some of it. She wanted to be awake in this city that never seemed to sleep. In which there were always people around as long as there was daylight or warmth or 24 hr karaoke to enjoy.
When she had moved here, now over a year ago, she thought she would always feel like an outsider. She did often still feel like a foreigner, but now she felt like she had been let in a little. That is was okay for her to participate and enjoy. It was okay for her to feel like she belonged. It was okay for her to want to stay.
She felt Yuriko slow down and Kathleen squeezed tighter, as if the action would make Yuriko keep going and not ever stop. She looked up to see they were at a small park by the river. Ai was already walking her bike to the shade of a concrete pavilion.
Yuriko slowed to a stop and looked back to Kathleen. "Want to get off?"
Kathleen really didn't, despite the pain in her back and legs from the position. She scooted off carefully, just in case she was too stiff to stand. She went to stand next to Yuriko, who also dismounted.
Yuriko smiled at her, face flushed from the exercise, eyes warm in the morning light. "See? Not so bad, right?"
It was okay for her to fall in love with this city, with this country, with this person.
Kathleen tilted her head up. "A few bruises might have been worth it," she said.
Yuriko, knowing that look too well, leaned down, pressing a firm kiss to Kathleen's mouth. It was brief. Too long and Ai would tease them mercilessly. "Definitely worth it."
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