24 Chapter 24: A New Car

Yuzu although having gone to bed almost six hours after her raven-haired counterpart, was now wide awake, happily looking upon the spoken of's sleeping face. It was almost nine and Yuzu was once again filled with her excitement from the previous night, but a stronger, more urgent feeling was a side effect of her earlier thoughts. She was and had been for almost an hour, patiently waiting for Mei to wake up so she could act upon her impulses, but not wanting to disturb her girlfriends sleep, Yuzu was trying to wait until she woke up herself. Obviously, Yuzu didn't mind watching the peaceful resting face of her lover, it was the face she prayed she would wake up to every day for the rest of her life, but right now she wanted those daring eyes open or scrunched up while screaming her name. She didn't mind which one.

For maybe the tenth time Yuzu raised her hand had traced the back of it over Mei's warm cheek, it was so soft against her hand. Yuzu who had propped herself up on one elbow, gently grazed her hand over Mei's face as she observed the rest of it. Her brow having not the slightest bit of tension in it, her flawless skin was relaxed giving her entire face an innocent appearance. Her lips were parted ever so slightly, unknowingly teasing Yuzu with the exposed plump bottom lip. Her hot breath that quavered over them in regular intervals, brushed Yuzu's lips she was so close. Struggling to drag her eyes away from the lips before she kissed them, Yuzu drew her attention to the petit nose, the tip was a baby shade of pink, much like the girl's cheeks were.

Unable to resist, Yuzu placed a featherlike kiss to the end of Mei's nose, the action alone gave the blonde butterflies. But unbeknownst to Yuzu, it had a similar effect on the sleeping girl. Similar in the sense of actual butterflies. The light tickly sensation caused the previously sleeping girl to scrunch up her nose, and after less than a second a small, cute high pitched sneeze filled the room. Yuzu's hands flew to her mouth in an attempt to stifle her laughter, Mei's eyes slowly fluttered open slightly confused at her odd awakening. After rubbing her nose Mei looked up to the blonde, silently accusing her of the act.

Her cheeks now red and her laughter gone, Yuzu grinned at Mei after placing a quick kiss on her lips. "Good morning Mei! How did you sleep?" The bright welcoming that Mei would normally try and ignore until her coffee, seemed brighter today for some reason. Wiping her eyes and adjusting to the light in the room before she spoke, "I slept well, I feel very refreshed. Why are you so cheerful?" Mei looked to Yuzu who was still perched on her arm, eyes locked on Mei's.

"Well I slept very well last night, you were so warm and I woke up looking at that beautiful face, isn't that reason enough?" Yuzu smiled brightly as she traced the tip of her finger over Mei's jaw, who couldn't help the corner of her lips turning up at the statement.

"Also I was hoping before we got out of bed we could have some... fun?" Yuzu grinned awkwardly at Mei who didn't try and hide her giggle as she raised her eyebrow to the blonde. "So you've actually just been waiting for me to wake up for morning sex?" A smile of pure amusement was on Mei's lips as she faced Yuzu, she still lay on her side her head slightly propped up with her arm. Feeling bold, Yuzu decided she would go along with Mei and her teasing. Moving from her elbow onto her back, Yuzu rested both hands behind her head as she let out a sigh.

"Well, Mei, I've been craving you for hours I have been very patient, I think I deserve something as a reward. Plus, going by the noises you were making when you were asleep, I'm gonna go ahead and say you really liked the dream you were having. But that only made me want you more." A knowing smile rested on Yuzu's lips as she stared at the ceiling, knowing a look of embarrassment was on Mei's face. Her silent applauding towards herself was quickly put to an end as she felt a pillow slam into her face. Mei who was now sitting upright, turned her flushed cheeks away from a giggling blonde.

"I-I did no such thing!" Yuzu, after nudging the pillow off her face laughed again. One hand still behind her head, the other reached out and traced a finger down Mei's spine causing the youngers back to arch.

"Yeah you are right, you didn't but would you like me to make you make those noises?" Yuzu couldn't help the grin on her face as Mei flicked her head around, from both Yuzu's action and her words. With her grin Yuzu had her eyebrow raised, wordlessly asking Mei if she wanted to 'have some fun'. After less than a moments consideration, Mei slipped her leg over Yuzu, now straddling her as Mei's nightgown rose to her hips. Intertwining her fingers with Yuzu's free hand, Mei smiled and gave a brief nod before leaning down into a cheesing blonde.

When Mei's lips made contact with her own, Yuzu felt the butterflies once again arise in her stomach. Her lips were soft just like the last time she had felt them, but that feeling would never get old.

Knowing they had plans for the day Yuzu didn't want to hold them up too much with her morning activities, but then again she could try and push the boundaries of her limited time. They could go and view cars later.

Lifting the hand from behind her head Yuzu started slowly putting in on Mei's face, assisting her in deepening the kiss. After a moment she retracted her hand and it skillfully slipped down the length of Mei's torso to her small waist, making sure to brush over certain mounds on the way. Mei now deepened the kiss with her tongue, but Yuzu allowed herself to be dominated by the younger girl, her focus being on where her hand was going, not so much on her lips; She knew she would be topping that all in due time.

Her fingers played with the hem of Mei's nightgown, after less than a minute the teasing of the fabric became old news to Yuzu, she wanted more. Reaching beneath the ruffled silk-like material her hand was surrounded by warm air. Eager to touch the hot skin, Yuzu wasted no time with the underwear as her hand slipped straight past them, taking one of the round cheeks in her grasp.

After the first firm squeeze, Mei had no choice but to pull away from the blonde's lips. Coming up and taking a much-needed breath of air, Mei took the moment to look down to Yuzu who much like herself, was using the moment to catch her breath.

"Yu-Yuzu... I... booked the appointment for ten...ten thirty..." Through husky breath, Mei finally managed to spill the words out. Yuzu, who seemed to have caught her breath much faster than Mei, quickly reached for her phone to check the time.

09:15 Really Mei, why so damn early?

Letting out a groan of frustration Yuzu flopped herself back onto the mattress, her hand that was busy now just rested on Mei's thigh.

The closest car dealer shop was a twenty-minute drive from where they were, and that was only if Mei had chosen that one. That bringing their time together down to about fifty-five minutes, plus the time Mei would take for leaving early. Aside from this, they both needed to shower, have breakfast and look presentable before leaving. Giving them virtually no spare time at all.

"God Mei, why did you initiate something if you knew we didn't have time to actually do it?" Yuzu looked up to Mei, but unlike she had expected to see Mei only saw love in the grass green eyes. There was no annoyance or irritation at the loss of contact, Yuzu had a slight smile on her lips as she reached up to her face with her hand and caressed it lightly.

"Sorry, I guess I forgot. You don't even look disappointed, I guess you didn't need it that bad." Mei gave a playful smile to which Yuzu countered by sitting upright, the motion knocking Mei off her torso and onto her thighs. Unlocking their fingers as she rose, Yuzu slipped a hand behind Mei's back to make sure she didn't accidentally hurt the girl and flopped her onto her back. She was now leaning between Mei's legs, resting on her elbows that were either side of Mei's head. A mischevious grin on her face, Yuzu peppered Mei's face in kisses which were responded to with a cute giggle. Hmph, I bet no one else can make Mei giggle.

"Oh how wrong you are, I really want you. I'm only slightly disappointed because I know we can do it later. You know, unless you have plans to run away with another amazingly fashionable, super smart, funny blonde, then I have nothing to worry about." With a grin, Yuzu pressed her lips back onto Mei's. Soft, they were always so damn soft, like kissing hundreds of baby marshmallows.

"I would never." Mei smiled once her lips were released, she watched Yuzu reluctantly move back onto the bed. Taking the outstretched hand, Mei also sat up and waited while Yuzu quickly checked her phone before she jumped from the bed.

09:27

Time not seeming to be on her side as when Yuzu looked at her phone it had already been more than ten minutes since she last checked it. God how unfair life could be sometimes.

"I'm gonna go put something together for breakfast. You should shower now, then we'll eat together after that I'll go for a shower and hopefully we leave in time." Giving Mei no time to argue, Yuzu took her now empty can from the night before and made her way towards the kitchen.

Flopping down onto the bed Mei decided to give herself ten more minutes to wake up. She had slept for more than twelve hours yet her body still needed just that little bit of time to adjust to the bright morning light.

"Mei! I can't hear the shower yet meaning you're still in bed! Get up!" Well, that was her plan, but less than three minutes into her extra sleep the very loud voice of the blonde rang through the apartment. Probably loud enough that any neighbours they had that may have still been sleeping, were definitely awake now. Letting out a groan of her own, Mei ever so slowly made her way over to her wardrobe where she eventually picked out an outfit and made her way to the bathroom.

She really didn't like being the one on the receiving end of instructions.

When she eventually came through, Yuzu was already at the table waiting for her. Her food was untouched as she patiently waited for Mei to finish showering so they could eat together. When hearing the girl come along the hall Yuzu smiled but she was met with a dull glare. Mei still feeling bitter about being shouted at, silently sat down at the table and started eating, not uttering a word to Yuzu.

"What's wrong with you?" Yuzu quizzed as she too started eating. She could only think of one thing that could have made Mei like this, but she didn't really see why that would have this effect on the girl. Mei spoke to her like that all the time.

"You mean aside from you shouting at me, nothing." Giving the monotone response Mei didn't look up from her plate, she didn't know why she was in this mood she just was.

"Mei, as much as I love your petty side, we really don't have time for it this morning. I need to go shower and because you took so long we are probably going to be late. So putting aside time, I really don't want to have to deal with any attitude." Yuzu scolded, and Mei once again flinched at being told off, but she couldn't deny that the girl did have a point. Mei being slow in the morning, it had taken her the better half of thirty minutes to shower. Thus giving Yuzu twenty minutes at the latest to shower, get dressed and put makeup on.

"Listen I'm sorry for shouting at you, I didn't mean to make you feel crappy. I have to go and shower when I come back you better be smiling, cuz I can't be cheery and happy if you are being all gloomy."

After eating her breakfast in record time, Yuzu left the table with a kiss to Mei's cheek hoping the small action would cheer her up somewhat.

The drive to the motor shop was a much happier environment than the dining table had been. In the ten minutes, Yuzu was in the shower Mei seemed to have taken on her words, she was happy and was showing it as much as she usually did; Which to anyone outside of close friends or family looked like she was bored out of her mind but Yuzu could tell that Mei was feeling better, the unnecessary small talk she was making was a clear sign of that.

"So what type of car are you wanting to get, something very different from this one I assume?" Yuzu briefly looked to Mei from the driver's seat and saw the unappreciative look she got for her statement.

"Yuzu I said that I don't like the colour of this car I didn't mean the make or design. And it's our car so if you want to stick to Mercadies then I don't mind, but I think I want a black car. They don't attract too much attention and it has to have been made in the past three years, though I would prefer the past two. Other than that I don't have anything specific. What about you?" Mei looked at Yuzu from her side of the car and watched as Yuzu seemed to be having a small debate with herself.

"Anything is fine, I don't mind." Yuzu gave the short answer as she intently watched the traffic. In actuality, Yuzu was still wary about spending such a large sum of money, money that she didn't really see as hers. Mei although having assured her that it was theirs to share, she didn't want to put to much input on what they were going to buy. As if her not specifying what she liked would make whatever car they ended up buying Mei's choice, and therefore taking the guilt off Yuzu somehow. She didn't exactly feel comfortable saying she wanted this specific thirty grand car and for Mei to just buy it for them, it felt wrong. Yuzu had agreed and come to understand Mei's views yesterday, but she wanted this to be Mei's choice, it was technically her money.

"Yuzu we talked this over yesterday, I know you care about what type of car you drive, so stop thinking about money. When we get there I want you to actually give your honest opinion on the cars. Okay?" Mei continued to watch Yuzu as she leaned against the window of the passenger side, she saw the blonde give a small nod before a smile crept onto her lips.

"Oh, totally off topic but I have some news, Mei!" Yuzu once again took a quick peek at Mei who was waiting for the continuation of the sentence. After a nervous chuckle Yuzu took a deep breath before speaking.

"I know your gonna be totally mad and be all 'That's unnecessary, or that's bad for school' but... I got a job, well I might have depending on how my first week goes. It's only part-time so I'm not going to be away all the time, but when I went in and asked what hours I could work I got a lot more than I expected which is good." Daring to look around to a silent Mei, Yuzu was met with a stern stare.

"And exactly what is so important that you need to work and jeopardise your education?" Mei didn't even raise her brow, her expression blank. She did not like the idea of Yuzu falling behind in school for some part-time job.

"And what is the job and where?" Adding that last part at the end, seeing as Yuzu had missed it out.

"Just saving, and it's a waitress job at an Indian restaurant not that far from the house. It's only about a ten-minute walk. We have actually ordered from there a couple of times cuz they are a restaurant and a take-out place. They are super busy on weekends so they said I could work from Thursday till Sunday in the evenings, and several days throughout the week or on the weekend as well. Obviously, I'm going to work the shifts around my lectures and I'll make sure to leave time for extra study. So you have nothing to worry about." Yuzu smiled, she was happy she had found a job, it gave her the luxury of having more money but it also made her feel just that little bit more grown up.

"You realise if you work all those days one you will be exhausted and two, you won't be able to go to any parties or anything? Well at least not on the weekend, and you are not going to any on a school night. You will practically be giving up your social life." Mei made sure to point out all the negatives hoping one would be enough to make Yuzu reconsider, she really didn't like the sound of this. Perhaps if it was just one or two days a week, but from the sound of it Yuzu would be working thirty hours a week plus the twelve hours of lectures she had, Mei was sure she would burn herself out. For Yuzu that was a lot of energy, but everybody had their breaking point and Mei didn't want to see the blonde hit hers.

"I don't mind. I like going out, but if I am working all night I would rather just come home, shower and be with you. Oh but you might already be in bed when I get home so I guess not, I'll just cuddle in with you then." Yuzu gave a dry laugh as she thought about it, she would most nights be coming home to a quiet apartment. Her new boss stated that if she did take the weekend hours at night, most shifts ran from five till between ten and twelve, and that was only if it wasn't really busy. This, however, didn't bother Yuzu, she was happy to work for her money and she would be able to socialise while doing it.

"If that is what you want then so be it, but when your grades drop I will be expecting you to quit." Mei looked to Yuzu who still smiled as she nodded her head in an exaggerated manner.

"Yes Mei I know the drill, but I think what you meant was if my grades drop." Yuzu smiled as she pulled the car up, the conversation had gone smoother than she thought it would have and had left her in a happier mood.

Turning off the engine, Yuzu jumped out and got around to Mie's side just in time to open the door for the younger girl with an outstretched hand.

"My lady." Bowing for dramatic effect, Yuzu waited for Mei to take her hand, a cheesy grin on her face. However, not far from what she expected, Mei swatted her hand away and got out herself, her cheeks red in embarrassment. They were surrounded by people, this was no place for Yuzu's silly stunts.

"Please at least try and act like an adult. We are here seeing a professional, it won't look very good if you look like you are helping a Disney Princess out of a car. So please just try." As she stepped out of the car she took Yuzu's hand, but only when it was at her side and they were walking towards the entrance of the shop.

"Hey, I am a grown-up, and I was helping a Princess from the car. A beautiful princess called Mei, also known as my girlfriend." With her signature smile, Yuzu ignored Mei's eye roll and lead them into the shop.

"Good morning ladies, how can I help you today?" A short lady with a bob cut welcomed them at the front desk, her smile rivalling Yuzus.

"Good morning, we have an appointment booked under the name Aihara. It was for ten thirty, I apologise that we are slightly late, we were running behind schedule." Politely introducing them, Mei gave an apologetic smile knowing they were almost ten minutes late. Yet without question, the receptionist had them with an employee within the next five minutes.

"So ladies, what are we looking for today? Something new and flashy, affordable or maybe you are going rustic?" The crisp man smiled as he met the two, a firm and probably forced smile on his face.

"Good morning, we would like something new, preferably in the last two years and black. Other than that we don't really have anything in mind... Yuzu do you want to stick with the same style we have now or not?" After talking to the man who seemed to be making a short list of the cars they had, turned to Yuzu who instantly shook her head.

"No, we can look at anything I don't mind. I don't have anything in particular in mind either." Yuzu smiled to Mei who nodded before moving towards the man who was gesturing for the two to follow him.

They walked for less than two minutes while the middle-aged man created friendly small talk. They passed many cars on their small travel, some of which Yuzu really liked the look of however they weren't black. They were being led outside where most of the cars were kept, but Yuzu couldn't help her eyes wandering over the shop. There weren't many people inside, but it was fairly early, and Yuzu had noticed this particular store had quite high pricing. Not the place for everyday buyers.

Just as they were exiting she saw a very nice car in the back of the store, a barrier separating people from touching it without permission.

She had to hold in a gasp as she took in the sight, it was sleek, smart and just God damn gorgeous. And it was black. Her eyes flicked to the red tag on the window and her heart broke in two, she may have even chocked a little.

£190,000

Giving the forbidden beauty one last look, Yuzu pulled her eyes back to Mei and the suited man who were now several yards in front of her. Jogging to catch up, she took Mei's hand in her own and apologised for stopping.

"Did you see something you liked?" Mei glanced towards Yuzu who instantly shook her head.

"Ahh no sorry, I was just in a daze... what did you find?" Giving a squeeze to her girlfriend's hand, Yuzu looked back and forth between her company. They were now surrounded but modern cars, not all of them black like Mei had specified but at least a dozen and a half were.

An hour passed maybe more, and Yuzu was sure she would have been having a better time studying. Mei, on the other hand, was getting annoyed that Yuzu didn't seem to have an interest in any of the cars she pointed out. Her opinion either saying it was okay or it was nice, and if it exceeded the price range of £40,000 it would always be 'If you like it we can choose this one, but I don't like...'.

She could tell that both Mei and the employee were getting irritated by her indecisiveness, but she couldn't help it. She wanted this to be Mei's choice. So in an attempt to avoid putting in too much input, whenever Mei was looking at a new car Yuzu's eyes wandered to the car behind the glass windows. It looked just as amazing from every angle she saw it. Yuzu obviously didn't know the specifics of the car, all she could see was that it was an Audi and that it looked like a sports car, but other than that she didn't know a thing. Which didn't really matter considering she wasn't buying it. The constant looking away didn't pass Mei, it seemed every chance she got Yuzu was looking back to the doors they had come out of.

"Excuse me, sir, do you have any cars that meet my specifications inside?" Mei asked as she pointed to where Yuzu was gazing, but at what she still didn't know. The windows being slightly tinted alongside Mei not having seen the car on her way out, stopped her from noticing the car at the back of the store.

"We have one Ma'am but I don't expect you'd be interested in it." Shuffling at his sentence, the assistant gave an awkward smile.

"And why might that be?" Folding her arms over her chest, Mei was sure to challenge the man. He had known her for less than a day and yet he knew what she liked? That did not sit well with Mei, not at all. Her now cold stare hollowed the man from the inside out, leaving him a stuttering mess.

"I-I meant no offence Ma'am I assure you. I just assumed that you and your partner here were looking for something a bit more modest, in both design and price than the one we have over there." Noticing the change in the man's tone, Yuzu looked back to see Mei staring down the now sheet white man.

Unsure of what had happened in the few seconds she had been looking away, Yuzu stepped in front of Mei, who at this moment was trying to send her fireballs straight through Yuzu to the man behind her.

"Hey babe what's going on, how about you stop looking at the attendant like you want to kill him?" Yuzu lightly pushed on Mei's upper arms making her take several steps away from a relieved man.

"Nothings going on, we were just about to go and take a look at the car you keep ogling. Unless you still have a problem with that?" Mei stated, her tone going cold and eyes narrowed as she looked over the blonde's shoulder to the man, who was only just starting to regain the colour to his cheeks.

"No-no let me take you over. Please follow me." Briskly walking back to the door he left the two women to follow behind him.

"Mei, are you trying to give the man a heart attack?" Yuzu said, her voice full of amusement at what had occurred.

"He was claiming to know what I would and wouldn't like. The man doesn't know me so he shouldn't make assumptions. Anyway, we are going to take a look at the car you keep ogling." Mei started off still bitter at the man, but her tone grew lighter as she continued to conversate with the blonde.

"What car are you talking about, I haven't even seen one that we both liked yet?" Talking as they walked, Yuzu didn't need an answer as she was soon met with the car she had seen when first exiting the building.

"Ladies this is an Audi R8 coupé plus, a 2018 model. As you can see it is a sports car and has a five-point two litre engine, not something most people are looking for however the car does have several interchangeable setting to accommodate driving conditions. She runs an average of twenty-three miles to the gallon. Along with this, it's an automatic and has many features inside the car such as heated leather seats and a rearview camera... The price coming in at £190,000." Having regained his confidence, the man spoke proudly as he recited the memorised information.

Looking at the car, Mei couldn't deny that it did look attractive but it was definitely not one that would attract little attention. She, had it not been for the euphoric look in Yuzu's eyes, would have walked right past it.

"Do you like it?" Mei nearly laughed when she saw Yuzu's jaw drop at the question. It was higher than she had initially planned to spend on a car, but if Yuzu liked it she did mind. If it was within her power to get Yuzu something she wanted, the blonde could almost guarantee it would be hers.

"Yeah it's... stunning, I think it's amazing but c'mon that car is worth more than a fricken house. It's waay too much. Let's just go back outside, there were some nice ones out there." Yuzu after getting over her new found love for the black car, urged Mei back outside by lightly tugging on their intertwined hands.

"Given an estimated driving time, how much would it cost to run the car for a year? On fuel alone I mean, don't add on tax or insurance." Mei didn't budge as she turned back to the man who had taken out a tablet, that Mei assumed held detailed information.

"For the average person, it would cost between two and three thousand pounds a year. Assuming that you stay within those limits with limited long trips you shouldn't hit the four mark." The man smiled, now interested in knowing he might be making a very big sale.

Information was received and after a long conversation, in which Yuzu insisted she didn't want the car, Mei was currently going over paperwork with the man; Discussing a test drive.

"Hey, can we stop and talk about this for a second?... In private?" First looking at Mei then to the man next to her, he clearly got the message.

"Of course. I'll be over here when you are ready, I'll go and get the fog." He gave a polite smile with a bow and left the two alone.

"Mei, what the hell are you doing?" Yuzu asked in a hushed voice as she walked the two away from the reception where they had been filling out the forms.

"I'm filling out papers for a test drive." Mei, although knew what Yuzu was referring to, decided just to answer bluntly.

"I know you know what I mean. I know it's a nice car... a really nice car, but that amount of money is just preposterous. Why are you looking at this one, what about all the ones you liked outside? They suddenly don't seem as bad anymore." A troubled look was on Yuzu's face, she really couldn't help it. She could have sworn she was having a panic attack at the thought of spending so much on one item.

"You said you didn't like any of the ones outside, and you were looking at this car like you had fallen in love with it. Literally, I mean I can't remember the last time you looked at me with that much love and adoration." Although it probably wasn't the time for teasing, Mei couldn't help it, it was too easy.

When the flustered girl didn't respond Mei placed a hand on her shoulder, a warm smile on her lips. "I'm kidding Yuzu, but only partly. I swear I have said this a thousand times, but money isn't a problem if this is the car you like then we will get this one. And before you say it should be something we both want, it's black and was made in the last year. It may not have been what I would have initially gone for, but it is an attractive car I can't deny that." Mei spoke calmly, trying to reassure Yuzu who was obviously panicking about spending all of her money.

"We're not getting a car, especially one that costs this much, if you don't like it Mei. I want it to be mainly your decision, and this car doesn't really seem like your type." Yuzu continued her argument, this was definitely not something Mei would buy for herself.

"I did just say that it's not a car I would have bought had you not liked it, but it's a nice car none the less. I don't dislike it at all, and it most definitely is your type of car, and if you like it as well as me then there isn't much else to say. We are going for a test drive and you can complain after you have driven it." After assuring the blonde for what felt like the thousandth time, Mei led them back to the man who was patiently waiting for them.

"Sorry for the wait, we just had some final things to discuss. Are you ready for the test drive?" Smiling again, Mei and gave a squeeze to Yuzu's hand.

"It's no problem at all, who would like to go first?" The man walked over to the passenger side and waited. Someone had already moved the car outside and it was ready for either of the two to get in and drive.

"Mei you're going first, I'll wait here. If you like how it feels I will have a shot, if not then we look at something else, deal?" Yuzu motioned towards the car as she let go of Mei's hand.

"Okay, fine. I shouldn't be longer than fifteen minutes." Mei nodded once to Yuzu before stepping into the car.

Yuzu saw Mei talking to the employee for several minutes, who was probably explaining all the functions of the car, then the car swiftly left the store. Yuzu watched as Mei disappeared along with the car, the drive looked smooth and controlled. It really was just like Mei to get the hang of something like this so quickly.

Almost twenty minutes had passed when Yuzu saw the car come back, and unlike she had expected Mei stepped out with an uncharacteristically large smile on her face.

"I take it you liked it then?" Yuzu asked as she watched Mei jump out of the car. Practically skipping over to Yuzu, Mei took her face in her hands.

"That was amazing Yuzu! I love that it's an automatic, there are no keys and it locks by itself, it makes things so much easier. It drives so smoothly and it looks and feels so good inside. I will be very disappointed if you can't drive it, because I want this car." Mei continued to smile at Yuzu, her eyes were sparkling and her white teeth were showing she was smiling so brightly.

With a quick kiss to the blonde's lips, Mei pulled herself away and gestured to the car.

"I'll take that as a big yes then." Yuzu couldn't help but laugh as Mei bounced up and down on her toes as she waited for her to get in.

Yuzu's mind soared as she looked around the interior of the car. It was as slick as the outside was, and she couldn't help but giggle knowing she would soon be driving it.

"So you partner told me you currently drive a non-automatic car, so it may take you a little time to get out of the habit of reaching for the clutch, but if you are anything like your partner you should be absolutely fine. Whenever you're ready, you can start her up and head out." Giving the mandatory briefing, he then smiled as he went over several other features in the car.

Soon much like Yuzu had, Mei, with slightly more excitement, watched the black car drive out of the store.

When the car was out of sight, Mei's smile depleted somewhat.

Wanting to make sure the blonde gave the car a fair test, Mei may have exaggerated her excitement for the car. All of the points she had made about it were true, and Mei did like the car more than she thought she would have. But it was very rare for her to show such open excitement towards something, especially if they were in public.

She understood why Yuzu was acting the way she was, but Mei wanted this to be their car. If that meant she showed her approval of the car with exaggerated expressions, so be it. As long as she got an honest review from the blonde at the end she didn't mind.

Fifteen minutes later, the car came back and Mei couldn't decide whether to roll her eyes or smile when Yuzu roared the engine before turning it off.

"So what did you think? Can you drive it properly despite it being an automatic?" Mei asked as this time both Yuzu and the assistant got out the car.

"She was a natural, much like yourself. Though she seems to like the engine more than you did." The man smiled, and Mei couldn't help but imagine Yuzu going down the street making a show of herself.

"That was great Mei!" Trying to sound casual, Yuzu walked over to Mei and took her hands in her own.

"Well, it's settled then. We'll be taking this car." Mei looked to the man expectantly, who much like she had expected wore a huge smile.

"Of course, please follow me there is some paperwork for you both before you can drive her away." He said while motioning to the reception where the paperwork work was already waiting for them.

"How would you like to pay today? We can do monthly instalments over a number of years, however, if you are able to make an all-cash payment right now we are able to knock down the price slightly for you." Looking between the two, he really didn't expect the answer he got next.

Yuzu looked to Mei, not knowing what she wanted to do. It seemed more responsible to pay it every month, but she knew Mei had the cash to buy it outright.

"We will be making an all-cash buy, also we would like to put our other car against it. Is that okay?" Mei looked to Yuzu for confirmation about their old car. After she had shown her excitement for their new car, Mei didn't think Yuzu would want to keep the old one but she still had to ask.

Like she had expected, Yuzu gave a quick nod of her head and smiled to the man.

"That's absolutely fine, we can get someone to have a look at it and have it valued. Other than that everything is all set then." Walking towards a back room, he emerged with another man who ended up valuing their current car and giving them a final price.

Within half an hour Mei and Yuzu were placing the items from their old car into the new one.

"I didn't realise you kept so much crap in the car Yuzu. I mean honestly, this is just embarrassing." Placing the bag of stuff at her feet, Mei waited while Yuzu jumped into the driver's side.

"It's not crap Mei, I need back up makeup in here. What if we are out and I need to redo my mascara or something, and having paper and pens is hardly embarrassing. Anyways some of this stuff is yours, for example, there were your briefcase and your jacket, they took up loads of space. Are you sure you don't want to drive?" Yuzu gave her defence easily as she settled in the leather seat.

"Those two things I was using the other day and they don't count as embarrassing, they are every day and business items. Makeup and random objects from your pencil case that you have chucked in the back seat out of laziness is embarrassing. No, I don't want to drive... just be careful." Mei gave the lecture as she waited for Yuzu to pull away. She knew Yuzu was a good driver but she had been told, and her earlier experience told her that getting used to using the automatic would take a little time.

"Hmph it was my car, I don't care what other people think about what I have in it." Grumbling Yuzu started the car, she didn't like the accusations she was receiving. Why should it be a problem if there was some random stuff in the back of their car? It wasn't like anyone ever used their back seats so it shouldn't have mattered.

"Well please don't treat this car the same, I know we have insurance but I'm not sure it'll cover your foundation stains." Turning to look out the window, Mei sighed.

"Hey! You do your makeup in the car sometimes, and you drop stuff more than I do." Being cautious of what she was doing, Yuzu still managed to fight her side of the argument. It was true that Mei was more prone to dropping things, especially her makeup when she was in the car. Whether it was just because she wasn't as used to handling the small items or she was just clumsy Yuzu didn't know, but she didn't like being accused of ruining something when Mei seemed to be more of a liability

Deciding not to respond, Mei continued to look out the window. There was no way she was going to win this one, she knew Yuzu was right which meant so did Yuzu.

There was a silence in the car, and aside from the engine, there wasn't a sound. This lasted for ten minutes, Mei never looked away from the window, and Yuzu put all her focus on her driving.

"When are you starting your job Yuzu?" Not wanting the trivial argument to continue, Mei finally broke the suffocating silence.

Yuzu was quick to lose her attitude. Mei changing the topic without a comeback was like her way of admitting she was wrong. For Yuzu that was as good as her saying 'I'm sorry'.

"I have a training day a week Thursday, so the fourteenth. I'm doing lunch which runs from twelve till two, and then I'm working that night as well. If I like it and they want me to work for them, they said I'll start the next again week and I'll get send an email with the timetable to let me know what hours I'm doing. They said that I should be working roughly the same hours and days every week, but they just send out the time table in case someone books time off. They have over a dozen staff cuz the restaurant is so big, so there is a work timetable sent out on Sunday for the rest of the week. I won't know till then what hours I'm working next week." Yuzu spoke cheerily, happy at the thought of working.

"So I won't see you at all over the weekend?" Mei although didn't mean to, sounded disappointed at what the blonde had said. She liked cuddling up at the end of the night, and she really didn't like going to bed without Yuzu. She felt she never slept well knowing that she wasn't in the bed beside her.

"Awe please don't be like that Mei, you'll make me feel bad. And the evening shift doesn't start till five, so you have the whole day with me." Reaching over Yuzu took Mei's hand and gave it a light squeeze. After, she lifted it to her lips and placed a kiss to the back of Mei's hand. Her eyes never left the road but Mei knew they would be glistening if she was looking at her.

"Yeah, I know. Why do you want to work Yuzu? It's not like you actually need the money, so why put yourself under extra stress for no reason?" Mei spoke calmly as she waited for Yuzu to respond, she still didn't like the idea of her working this much or at all.

"I don't need money no, but I just want to have some savings so if I ever want to buy something I can. And having a job makes me feel more grown up...If it does get to be too much for me you know I'll stop it to focus on school." Laughing as she answered, Yuzu took the moment to give a quick smile to Mei. A final bit of reassurance.

"Okay... Why didn't you discuss it with me first?" Mei knew there was nothing she could do about it now, but she was slightly confused or maybe even offended that Yuzu hadn't thought to talk to her about it before actually taking on the job. She would text her to make sure it was okay to stay out later than she thought she'd be, but a conversation about getting a job wasn't even considered.

"I wanted to talk to you about it but I knew you would say no. I thought if I got the job first then told you, you wouldn't be able to say no. I know it was wrong but I really wanted to get a job and this seemed like the only way... I didn't mean to upset you, Mei..." By this point Yuzu was parking the car and turning off the engine, she was now facing Mei who was watching her intently.

"I'm fine, I just wanted to know why you didn't ask me first. I understand, well I kind of understand why you want a job, so I'm not upset. But if you ever feel the need to do something important like this again, please talk to me about it before you go and make any rash decisions." Mei gave Yuzu a look that resembled a plea, and to Yuzu that was heartbreaking.

Quickly taking off her seatbelt, Yuzu leaned forward and after taking Mei's face in her hands, she gave a bright smile and a nod.

"Absolutely, you don't have to worry about that. Promise!" Smiling when she pulled back, Yuzu got out of the car and much like earlier met Mei at her side of the car. With a roll her eyes Mei took Yuzu's hand, allowing the blonde to assist her out of the car.

"Hehe see, a princess." Bending down, Yuzu once again dramatically bowed as she kissed the back of Mei's hand.

"Let's hurry up and go inside, you are attracting unnecessary attention," Mei said, she had already pulled her hand away from Yuzu, and was walking towards the stairwell of their apartment.

"Right, I'm sure it's me kissing your hand that's attracting attention and not the two hundred grand car parked in the drive." Yuzu gave the sarcastic remark and watched as Mei faltered in her step slight.

"Do you need to contradict me on everything?" Mei responded casually, ignoring the point Yuzu had. This only made Yuzu smile more.

Her laughing slowing her down, Yuzu tried to catch up to Mei. "Haha come on, I know you really love me for it." Eventually catching up to Mei when she was opening the door, Yuzu stumbled up the last steps and playfully jumped onto Mei, her arms wrapping around the younger's neck. The force made Mei tumble into the apartment with Yuzu right behind her.

The two entered the house clattering to the floor, Yuzu landing on Mei's back with her arms still around the girl's shoulders.

Mei let out a groan as she tried to push herself up from the floor.

"What the hell Yuzu? That hurt, hurry up and get off." Grumbling, Mei pushed Yuzu off her and onto to floor with her elbow. Mei sat up and quickly rubbed her hands together, hoping the movement would reduce the stinging sensation going through them.

"Oh, shit Mei, are you okay?!" Losing her laughter as quickly as she had gained it, Yuzu got to her knees and took one of Mei's hands and rubbed it between her two. Her eyes glancing over the rest of the girl's petite frame for any sign of injury; thankfully nothing stood out.

"I'm so sorry Mei, I didn't think you would lose your balance like that. Is anything else sore? Give me your other hand." Yuzu's voice was laced in concern and guilt as she switched Mei's hands, rubbing it much like she had the other one. The action similar to what you would do when a child fell, Yuzu rubbed the younger's palms until she thought they felt better.

"Maybe next time don't be so rough. I'm fine, you can stop that now." Standing up, Mei moved her hands out of the blonde's grasp, took off her jacket and shoes and moved into the lounge like normal. Yuzu, however, did notice she was still rubbing her hands on her thighs. Not that Yuzu was very heavy, but that extra weight and the speed combined would surely hurt Mei when her hands made contact with the laminate flooring. Yuzu heard the slapping sound of Mei's soft flesh smacking against the hard floor if it was herself, she would have definitely sworn at the pain.

Quickly plucking her boots off, Yuzu followed Mei into the house. It didn't surprise her when she turned Mei to look at her and was met with watering eyes.

"Mei I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you, please let me help." Yuzu was crushed inside, Mei was crying because of her. Taking the red-raw palms back in her hands, Yuzu continued to rub them. She didn't even know if the act was helping or not, it just seemed like the right thing to do.

"Should I get you an ice pack?" Yuzu asked, her sentence rushed as she tried to think of any way she could help. Yuzu felt like she was going to cry only because Mei was crying.

"No Yuzu I'm fine. It stings a little but I don't need an ice pack. Just sit down and stop worrying." For the second time, Mei pulled her hands away from Yuzu, her eyes telling Yuzu to back off.

"Sorry... Do you want some lunch or tea or something?" Yuzu looked down at her own hands, they were clenched into fists. How could something with such innocent intentions end up hurting her instead?

Why do I have to be so fucking stupid all the time, I just end up hurting her. With guilt swarming her, Yuzu could feel her eyes starting to water, she had hurt the person she loved whether it was unintentional or not.

Not wanting Mei to see her crying over this, Yuzu quietly got from the couch and made her way to the kitchen. However before she reached her destination, she was stopped by the sound of Mei's voice.

"Yuzu come here." Mei's tone left no room for debate, Yuzu with no choice, turned around and walked back to Mei. She dried her eyes with the back of her hand and looked down to the raven-haired girl.

Her eyes were no longer dampened by tears, and she had stopped wiping her hands together.

"Yuzu you don't have to cry over this. It hurt a little but I'm completely fine, my hands don't even hurt anymore. I wasn't expecting you to jump on me like that so I lost my balance, it was an accident it wasn't your fault." An understanding smile was on the younger face as she stood from the couch. Using her thumbs to wipe away the stray teardrops on Yuzu's pink cheeks, Mei left her hands cupping the warm face.

"I know you didn't mean to hurt me Yuzu, it didn't even hurt that bad. I think it was more of a shock factor rather than actual pain. Look my hands are fine, so you don't need to get upset or feel bad about anything... One thing you can do to apologise, maybe make me something to eat, how's that sound?" Mei gave her best attempt of a reassuring smile and waited for Yuzu to reply.

"Anything you want. Anything at all, what do you feel like?" Yuzu immediately perked up at the option to repay Mei for what she had done.

Seeing that Yuzu was back, Mei removed her hands from the girl's face and stood normally. "Anything is fine, but make sure you make something that you want for lunch as well. I will not have you going hungry." Mei sighed as she watched Yuzu rush into the kitchen and start preparing something for the pair to eat.

"Do you mind if I go and call Grandfather?" Mei looked over to Yuzu who smiled up from whatever she was preparing.

"Of course, go ahead. I'll call you through when it's ready if you aren't already finished." With a nod, Yuzu smiled to Mei before going back to her task. It was just like Mei to call her Grandfather as soon as she had done something he had asked. Yuzu suspected she was going to call him just to verify that the car was up to his standards. She wouldn't say that obviously, but she didn't like that Mei still sought so much approval from him. Mei was twenty years old, and it was less than a month till she turned twenty-one, she shouldn't have to do things just because he wanted things to be a certain way.

These thoughts also reminded Yuzu that she had to plan something for Mei's twenty-first. Yuzu's birthday had passed during the summer holidays, and she along with Mei had gone out with some friends to a club. Afterwards, Yuzu received a very intimate gift from Mei, and Yuzu could say with certainty that that was some of the best hours of her life.

Yuzu didn't think Mei would want to do that sort of thing for her birthday, Mei although could have fun at a club, preferred to go to quieter places. Mei, up until her meeting Yuzu didn't do much of anything in celebrating her birthday. Yuzu knew she did when she was younger, Sho had shown her pictures of small gatherings or parties of Mei's first birthdays before he left. But after that, Yuzu couldn't find any photos or stories from Himiko or Mei. After finding this out, Yuzu made a promise to herself that she would never let Mei spend a birthday alone.

Yuzu would brainstorm later, she still had two weeks. Right now she was focused on making the best make up lunch she could.