This chapter takes place several days after the last, starting on Thursday.
The new school year had started for both girls without a hitch. Mei was very much enjoying being back at school, and Yuzu although significantly less enthusiastic about going back, still had a relatively easy time getting back into things.
Mei had no classes on a Thursday afternoon and was using this time a slot for her weekly piano lesson. She had slightly fewer lectures compared to the blonde as she was taking a business course and Yuzu a science. Mei had a total of 9 hours worth of lectures a week while Yuzu had twelve, however, both liked to bump that up into the twenties with self-study. Mei more so than Yuzu had already started pulling that number up.
Today, however, Yuzu had the entire day off. Her having several lectures on a Tuesday allowed for her to have a clear schedule on Thursday. She usually spent her day going out with friends or actually studying, but today she had major plans.
She would start her Thursday like any other by walking Mei to her lecture at eleven, then she would come back home before going to Harumi's house. Next, she had a very important appointment to go to before picking Mei up from her afternoon piano lesson.
Currently, Yuzu was in the kitchen making breakfast for the two, humming happily to herself.
"I thought you said you had a class today, shouldn't you be more concerned about getting ready rather than making breakfast?" Mei came through, towel in hand as she dried her hair and looked to Yuzu.
"Haha... eh...turns out I don't... I read my timetable wrong, I have a class tomorrow afternoon not today." Yuzu said, giving a not so proud smile to the younger girl who was now leaning against the dinner table.
"But you said you were meeting Catty afterwards, would she not have known you got the dates wrong?" Mei looked at Yuzu confused as to how two people taking the same class could both mix it up. But as she thought about it properly, why would Catty need to call Yuzu if they were in the same lecture?
"Yes that's what I said, but she decided to change her degree this year. She dropped out of the biology course and decided to study art, which really sucks for me cuz now I am gonna have to find a new lab partner. But I'm still meeting her, we'll just be studying different things." Yuzu gave a sigh at the reminder that her friend had left the course.
Walking around Mei who was following the blonde with her eyes, Yuzu placed the dishes on the table before going back to the kitchen to get her tea.
"Oh, I see... I'm sure you will make a new friend to work with before the week is up." Mei gave the blonde a smile as she walked over to the kettle to make herself a cup of coffee.
"You know Mei, I really think you should drink less coffee. I mean including the one you are having now, you have already had like four cups worth of coffee this morning, and you no doubt will have more through the day." Yuzu grimaced as she watched the younger girl put two heaped teaspoons worth of coffee into her mug. Mei, in response dramatically tipped the last of the coffee from the spoon into her cup before putting the jar back in the cupboard.
"And?" The word came out bitterly as she turned to Yuzu. Once the hot beverage was in her grasp, she made her way to the table to eat her food never ceasing eye contact with the blonde.
"What do you mean 'and?' I'm telling you that you drink too much coffee, you need to cut down it isn't good for you." Yuzu still held Mei's firm gaze, though she wasn't certain she was going to win. Mei had her eyes narrowed and looked at Yuzu as if she had just sworn at her and cursed her entire family.
"My point is, that you saying this to me is the same as me telling you not to wear makeup every chance you get; Yet you don't see me complaining and telling you not to, even though it is probably bad for your skin." Mei continued to stare at Yuzu as she sipped on her freshly made coffee.
"Fine then, we'll make a deal. If you cut down the amount of coffee you drink every day, then I'll stop wearing so much makeup." Yuzu smiled to Mei feeling triumphant. Wearing less makeup didn't seem like such a big deal, and this way Mei stopped drinking as much coffee.
"...Fine" Mei eyed Yuzu for several more seconds before continuing to speak. "I'm not starting this until tomorrow." At her words, Mei seemed to grip her cup a little tighter, the thought of not drinking as much scaring her.
"I don't know what you are making a fuss over Mei, you used to always drink green tea. Why not just go back to drinking that? It's so much better for you." Yuzu raised her brow slightly to Mei as she ate her food, not knowing why Mei switched from tea to coffee when they started University.
"Perhaps you are right... If you are walking me to school we might want to leave soon, I don't want to be late for my lecture." Mei glanced between the clock and Yuzu. It was only ten twenty, but they lived off campus and it would take them almost twenty minutes to walk there.
"Yeah okay, I'll go and get changed when I'm finished. Oh, and is it okay if I take the car today? I am going to see Harumi after I drop you off, and I don't feel like walking." Yuzu looked up to Mei for a moment as she asked her question before going back to eating.
"You don't have to ask Yuzu, it's your car. If you want to take it to Harumi's house then do, you don't have to ask me." Mei said this with a sigh, tired of the tedious task of making Yuzu see the car as theirs instead of Mei's.
"Okay!" Yuzu gave Mei a toothy grin before quickly finishing her food and leaving to get changed.
The two were now standing outside of Mei's lecture hall, chatting until Mei had to go inside. Yuzu was leaning against the wall next to the door, while Mei was standing up straight in front of her. Both Mei and Yuzu greeted several of their friends who went inside while they spoke.
The excitement for the day to come was coursing through Yuzu, she was physically having to stop herself from bouncing up and down. Reaching her hand out to Mei, Yuzu motioned for the girl to take it.
"Hey Mei, guess what," Yuzu smiled as Mei complied and took her hand. Using their hands, Yuzu pulled Mei in closer so they were just brushing up against one another.
"What?" Mei replied quickly, her cheeks going red at their proximity in front of her peers.
"Closer," Yuzu gently pulled the girl in closer so she was mere centimetres from her ear. When Mei's ear was finally within reach that Yuzu's breath brushed over it, Yuzu placed her spare hand on the younger's neck; Her fingers lightly playing with the silky sable hair.
Whispering, Yuzu started to speak making sure that her lips touched the flushed ear.
"I love you," Yuzu spoke softly, her voice full of purpose but a hint of playfulness was laced in too. When she was finished, she made sure to place a kiss on Mei's ear, lingering long enough that the warmth of Mei's ear remained on her lips when she pulled away.
"Emm, Yuzu we-we're in school." Flustered and full of embarrassment, Mei didn't know how to react.
"I know, but that doesn't change how I feel." Yuzu pulled back just enough so she could see Mei's cheeks, the sight making her grin.
"I. Love. You." Saying the words again, this time Yuzu placed a quick peck to the soft lips. Having too much energy for just a kiss on the lips, Yuzu settled for peppering Mei's now ruby red cheek in chaste kisses.
"I just thought I'd let you know." Moving away from Mei to lean back against the wall, Yuzu grinned at her girlfriend; At this point, she was starting to wonder if she would ever stop smiling today. She was just too happy.
"O-okay." Stuttering, Mei quickly looked around them to see who had witnessed the act. Luckily for her, few people lined the halls and they all seemed to be preoccupied with their own lives.
"I love it when you get flustered Mei." Giggling, Yuzu traced her hand over the burning hot cheek.
"I don't. Please don't do that when we're in school, especially outside my class. I have to sit in there knowing that some of them saw me kissing you. It's embarrassing." Taking Yuzu's hand off her cheek, Mei tried to cool her flushed face.
Swinging one of her legs back and forth, Yuzu nodded to Mei. "Okay, if you say so." Yuzu grinned to Mei and kissed her hand, her actions contradicting her words.
"I need to go in, class starts in five minutes. I need to set my stuff up before the lecturer gets in." Taking her hand back out of Yuzu's grasp, Mei moved from the blonde preparing to go into her class.
"Okay, I'll pick you up from your lesson later. I won't be home when you finish your class, so you will have to make lunch yourself or if you want I can make you something before I leave?" Yuzu looked to Mei.
She saw the girl think for a moment before shaking her head. "No, I'll make something before I leave for my lesson. I'll see you later okay, don't forget I finish at four don't be late." Mei smiled to Yuzu and was turning to leave when an all too familiar voice stopped her dead in her tracks.
"Yuzu! It's been ages since we last saw each other." Quickly turning around, Mei was meet with the beautiful face of none other than Jasmin. The one thing summer break had done, was it stopped Mei from having to look at the face of the one girl Mei could honestly say she hated. Well maybe hated was too strong a word, but it was very near there.
She watched silently as Yuzu embraced the taller girl with a laugh.
"Hey, Jasmin. It's been months, sorry." Giving the girl a tight squeeze, Yuzu laughed before moving away.
In all honesty, since the events of the party months ago Yuzu had been trying to minimise her time with the other girl. The last time she had seen her in person was a week before the summer holidays. They had messaged each other throughout the break, but Yuzu didn't want to give Mei the wrong idea by spending too much time with the girl.
"Hey don't worry about it. Since the incident at that party a while back I thought you were avoiding me. I just wanted to make sure there were no hard feelings." Jasmin looked to Yuzu, a dazzling smile plastered on her flawless lips.
Turning to Mei for the first time since she greeted Yuzu, Jasmin bowed slightly before smiling.
"Hey, it's good to see you. I know we don't speak much in class but I hope we can become good friends. Also, I wanted to apologise for what happened at the party, I was really drunk and wasn't thinking straight. I hope you can forgive and forget." With a bright smile, pearl white teeth met Mei, and she couldn't help but think it was fake.
Forgive and forget, as if. You weren't even drunk when you were fondling Yuzu. You lying, manipulative little-
"It's good to see you again. I'm glad to hear that it was a misunderstanding, I look forward to getting to know you better." With a practised forced smile, Mei nodded. However, the bow was so insignificant, it might not have even been considered a one.
"This is great. I was a little worried about that actually, so it's great that you two are friends. I didn't know you guys were in the same course... Since it's been so long how about we meet up this weekend at some point?" Yuzu, oblivious to the tension between the taller girls, smiled and gestured to Jasmin.
"That would be nice. I have to go, class is starting any minute now, I'll text you later to set something up. Bye!" Smiling brightly, she left Yuzu with a nod off her head before walking past Mei and into the hall, leaving the two girls alone outside. Mei couldn't help but feel like the girl's smile was a little too smug as she walked past her.
"That was unexpected but I'm kinda glad we ran into her. I didn't want any weird tension going on between us cuz of what happened, but now that you two have made up I guess I have nothing to worry about. Right?" Yuzu spoke in a chipper tone, happy that her friendship with the girl would no longer be awkward as it had been over the break.
Mei, not liking the situation at all, didn't share Yuzu's smile. Her expression cold and neutral, Mei shuffled her bag pack on her should as she turned to leave into her class. Not quite wanting to explain what she was feeling to the blonde.
"I have to go, I'll see you later." Completely dodging the question, Mei turned and walked into the hall leaving Yuzu alone outside.
Walking into the lecture hall, Mei ignored the subtle shouts from the blonde and made her way to the back of the room where several spare seats lined the last row. Sitting down, she had only just managed to pull her notes from her bag when someone sat next to her.
Initially, she paid them no attention, not concerning herself with this person who couldn't have chosen to sit a seat away from her. But her efforts to ignore the person were futile when they started talking, what was worse for Mei was that it was the voice of the girl who had just left her.
"Hey Mei, how about we sit together?" The smooth voice rang through Mei like a drum. When she turned to her side she was met with non-other than Jasmin. She was just as Mei remembered her from their first meeting; Tall, silky hair, beautiful crystal clear eyes, and her body was still as flawless as Mei remember, only this time it was flaunting a little less skin. Now in high waisted skinny jeans, and a low cutting crop top. Even though less skin was visible, the excess cleavage being shown made the outfit just as provocative.
Minutes ago those breasts were pushed up against her girlfriend. Although Mei would never admit a thought like that had gone through her mind, she couldn't help the glare in her eyes as she looked at the girl sitting next to her.
"I appreciate it, however, I prefer to sit alone when learning it helps me concentrate." Mei mustered a smile but she knew she was still sending cold rays with her eyes.
"Oh I see, I apologise for any inconvenience I may have caused. It's funny though, I could have sworn Yuzu told me that you were super smart and didn't even need to try to get the grades you do. Perhaps she was wrong, I'll make sure to ask and correct her later." Voice laced with venomous intent, Jasmin got up to leave placing a 'caring' hand to Mei's shoulder.
"It's been great getting to know you better Mei, I feel even closer to Yuzu now. I guess I'll see you on the weekend." With a crisp smile, Jasmin walked away, her friends already waiting for her arrival.
Unsure why her mood would be affected by passive-aggressive motions from the taller girl, Mei once again found herself mindlessly tapping her pencil off her desk.
Why did Yuzu have to be friends with someone like Jasmin, she couldn't pick a nice girl who Mei would like.
Having no evidence at all, Mei still believed that Jasmin was making a pass at her girlfriend. She wasn't sure what annoyed her more: the fact that Yuzu was friends with someone who would try and sleep with someone who was in a relationship or that the girl thought Mei was naive enough to fall for her fake attempt at friendship. Most likely, Jasmin knew that she wasn't fooling Mei, but she was smart enough to know that Mei wouldn't act out because she hadn't said anything that would make her seem like a bad person.
To Yuzu, those accusations would just seem like fits of jealousy and thus, Mei was somewhat pinned by the taller girl; Unable to voice her worries to Yuzu for the risk of seeming like a jealous, overprotective girlfriend.
Maybe that was what annoyed Mei, that she had been cornered by this girl who she knew was just trying to get with her girlfriend. And Yuzu, who she loved dearly, was too oblivious to see the difference between a friendship and an attempt at a relationship. Not even a relationship, maybe it was her protectiveness getting the better of her, but Mei just knew this Jasmin wanted a one night stand with her girlfriend and didn't seem like she was going to give up any time soon.
'Are you okay? You left without saying a proper goodbye, are you mad at me? xxx' Mei looked down to her phone and sighed. It wasn't even thirty minutes into her lesson and Yuzu was already texting her to make sure she was okay.
'Yes I'm completely fine, I was just in a rush to get into class and get set up. I'll see you later x' Discretely using her phone under her desk, Mei sent a quick response before trying to focus for the rest of the lesson.
She had nothing to worry about, Jasmin wasn't going to get anywhere with Yuzu so she wouldn't let it affect her education.
"Yuzu stop worrying, Mei said she is fine so just forget about it and tell me what this big surprise is." Sitting crossed legged on her bed, Harumi leaned over to Yuzu and pulled the phone from her hand.
"Hey, give that back!" Snatching the phone back from her best friend Yuzu browsed the message from Mei again, 'Yes I'm completely fine, I was just in a rush to get into class and get set up. I'll see you later x'. Frowning Yuzu looked back to Harumi.
"I know she said she is fine, but you didn't see her face before she left. She looked really sad and upset and I have no idea why. Two minutes before that she was happy as a bee. What do I do?" Yuzu, like a child, dramatically sprawled out on the bed, hoping her friend would be able to see what she was missing.
"C'mon this is the Prez we're talking about here, she isn't going to tell you straight up if there is something bothering her. Just send her a text back saying you'll see her later and put some mushy crap on the end just so she knows that you care, then when you get home later you can talk to her about it in person. But, you have been here for almost twenty minutes and you still haven't told me what this big secret is, I even sent Matsuri back to her house just so we could be alone and you aren't even telling me what's going on." Pouting, Harumi gave an exasperated sigh and waited as Yuzu did as instructed and started to send Mei a short reply.
'Okay, if you're sure. I'll see you when I pick you up, and just so you know I'm taking you out for dinner tonight so make sure you don't have any plans this evening. I love you! xxx' Smiling slightly, Yuzu finally turned off her phone and sat up on the bed looking Harumi in the eye.
"Okay, okay. What I'm gonna tell you, you can't say to anyone, not even Matsuri. I love her and all but she hasn't got the best track record of keeping things secret, and I don't want her letting anything slip when she is talking to Mei." Yuzu looked expectantly to Harumi, who in response nodded her head without a second thought. The blonde had been very vague about what she was coming over to talk about, only stating that she had some big news and that she couldn't tell anyone and had to be alone.
Getting up from the bed, Yuzu walked over to her bag and pulled out a fluffy pink sketchbook. Opening it, she flicked for a couple of pages before she smiled brightly and handed the book to Harumi as she sat back down on the bed. After several moments of looking Harumi's jaw dropped and her eyes shot up to Yuzu.
"Are these what I think they are?" Her tone rushed, Harumi seemed to shuffle closer to Yuzu. "Well, that depends what you think they are." Yuzu smiled, a hint of playfulness in her voice.
"...Engagement rings?" Harumi asked as her eyes flicked back and forth between the pages of sketches and the cheesing blonde next to her.
Yuzu had a nervous grin on her face but her eyes were sparkling, "What do you think?" Yuzu asked while nodding her head, feeling like she needed Harumi's approval for this.
"This is amazing Yuzu!" Almost squealing in delight, Harumi wrapped Yuzu up in a tight hug, her excitement getting the better of her.
"You think it's a good idea?" Yuzu smiled as she pulled back from the hug, happy that her best friend seemed to support her. "Hey, it's not my decision, if you think you want to marry her then go right ahead, just be sure she will say yes. Are these the rings you were looking at, cuz these are all beautiful." Now smiling brightly, Harumi went back to looking over the many options of rings.
"I'm like eighty per cent sure she will say yes." With a chuckle, Yuzu sat up next to Harumi so they could look at the book together.
"These are designs that I've been drawing up since last week, I kinda want to have it specially made so that there won't be a single ring like it in the world. So, I thought I'd draw up some design and then we could go through them and pick the best one. I have an appointment later today at the jewellers, I'm taking the final sketch in and they are going to get a proper sketch artist guy to draw it out, then they are going to give me a price." Yuzu's voice was full of happiness as she browsed the page, there were some that she really liked and some that she only liked parts of, but that was why she was here with Harumi.
"Yuzu I don't mean to put a downer on your plans or anything, but going off your drawings this ring is gonna be hella expensive, honestly each one has multiple diamonds. How are you gonna afford this?" Her features softening in sympathy, the auburn-haired girl smiled to the blonde suddenly feeling she was being a little too ambitious.
"I know it's going to be super expensive but I only want to give Mei the best. I got a trial day for a waitressing gig at an Indian restaurant not far from our house if all goes well I'll be earing almost two-fifty a week, but that's working thirty hours a week but they said if I want long hours I should be able to get them."
A shocked expression overcame the darker haired girl as she listened to the blonde. "Yuzu thirty hours a week is ridiculous, you still have school to think about. You are going to be absolutely exhausted. How did you get Mei to agree to that? In no universe can I see Mei letting you work thirty hours a week plus school plus extra study time." Looking at her friend Harumi still flicked through the pages of the sketchbook, there seemed to be a never-ending amount of them, she suspected that the blonde must have spent hours drawing these.
"Well... I actually got the job before I told Mei about it, that way she couldn't say no. She wasn't even mad, she was just upset that I didn't talk to her about it, but she did say that if my grades drop even slightly I have to quit which is understandable... So what do you think?" With a smile, Yuzu waited as she watched Harumi think as she eyed several of the drawings.
"Well, as long as I get to be your maid of honour at the wedding I'm fine." With a grin that matched Yuzu's, Harumi flicked to the start of the sketches.
"How about we start picking out a ring?" Yuzu squealed, this made her so happy, Harumi nodded enthusiastically and pulled out a pencil.
The next few hours were spent with the two girls going through all of Yuzu's sketches, and just as it was nearing two they were finishing up on a final fresh sketch; a combination of several of the others, one that highlighted both the main diamond and the amethyst crystals on either side of it.
"Ahh Yuzu this is going to be so beautiful! What time is your appointment its almost two?" Tracing her fingers over the newly drawn sketch, Harumi waited for a reply.
"Crap is it that late already?! I'm supposed to be there at two thirty. I'm gonna have to leave soon." Sighing Yuzu looked at her phone to see the time, and sure enough, it was five to two.
"Hey I could come with you if you wanted, I have nothing to do this afternoon." Harumi smiled to Yuzu kind of hoping she would be able to see the real sketch that a professional took from their drawing. A smile appeared on Yuzu's face as fast as it had disappeared, "Really? That would be great, I was kinda nervous about going alone." Nodding to the girl who was getting up from the bed, Yuzu continued, "The place I booked is about a fifteen-minute drive from your house, so we have about ten minutes before we should start getting ready to leave." Taking the book and pencil from Harumi, Yuzu continued to add little details into her sketch. It was by no means a good sketch, Yuzu hardly ever drew but it was her best effort and with help from Harumi it was looking okay.
"Sure that's great, I can't wait to have a shot of your car!" Harumi smiled as she peered out her window to the sleek Audi that was in her drive. "You know you can't drive it though right? I'm pretty sure Mei would kill me if anything happened or if she even found out about it." Yuzu laughed as she saw the pout on her best friends face, "Yeah yeah I know, but I'll still get to be in it that's the main point." Moving her eyes from the car to the blonde Harumi smiled and walked towards her wardrobe, even though it was two in the afternoon she was still in her pyjamas.
"Well I need to get dressed then we can leave." Already stripping out of her clothes, Harumi searched her closet for something to wear. Yuzu, unfazed by her friend's actions, sat down at the desk and continued her work. Until a buzz came from her pocket, quickly fishing the smartphone from her trousers Yuzu smiled at the text.
'Why are we going out for dinner, and why did you wait till now to tell me? x' Yuzu smiled at the text from her girlfriend.
'Mei I sent that text at like half eleven this morning, you just haven't opened it till just now. And I'm taking you out to dinner because I want to, we haven't gone out for dinner in a while and I thought it would be a nice change and maybe it would cheer you up. xxx' Yuzu sent the text but she was unsure if she should have sent that last bit. What if Mei really was fine and Yuzu was just making her mad by insisting something was wrong, or was she actually upset and didn't want to let Yuzu know? Either way, Yuzu wanted Mei to be happy, and because she was unsure as to why her girlfriend's mood had changed so quickly she was at a loss and unsure how to fix it. So dinner and some quality time was her solution.
'I already told you I'm fine Yuzu. I'm almost at my lesson now so I will see you in a couple of hours.x' Yuzu received the text and couldn't help but notice how Mei had failed to respond to her mistaking the time of receiving the text from Yuzu. Putting the phone away, Yuzu glanced over to Harumi. "Are you almost ready yet, it five past?" Although Yuzu asked this question she frowned when she saw her friend standing in her bra, still flicking through the coathangers of her wardrobe.
"Almost, you said we needed to leave in ten, give a girl some time to choose." Harumi laughed alongside Yuzu. Smiling Yuzu looked back to her book, the warmth in her core grew again.
It was thirty-five past when the two girls walked into the jewellers, apologetic smiles on their faces. "Hello, sorry I'm late. I had an appointment for half past for Yuzuko Aihara." Bowing to the middle-aged woman behind the counter Yuzu hoped they would still see her.
"Of course... It says here you wanted to get a sketch done and figure out a price and payment plan. Is that correct?" The woman read from her computer screen before she looked at Yuzu, a smile on her face.
"Uhh yeah, that's right." Nodding her head, Yuzu waited for the woman to continue before she said anything. She had no idea how this sort of thing worked, it felt awkward.
"If you would like to follow me we can discuss your design first, while we have a sketch being drawn up we can discuss your other questions." The woman smiled before gesturing to a desk with two seats.
Sitting the two down at the desk, the woman walked away and returned with another woman who looked like she was maybe the same age as Yuzu, perhaps several years older. She's so young, will she even be able to draw something proper? Speaking to herself as she watched the two women approach her, Yuzu smiled when they sat at the table.
"It's great to meet you Yuzucchi, my name is Rio I'll be drawing the sketch for your engagement ring. Do you have a rough idea of what you want or are we starting from scratch?" Smiling the woman dipped her head and smiled to both the girls.
"Please the pleasure is mine, but you can just call me Yuzu and this is my friend Harumi. We actually already have a sketch drawn up, but we aren't the best drawers." After introducing herself and her friend, Yuzu handed over her sketchbook with it open on the page with the large sketch on it. The woman immediately smiled, "This is really helpful, It is really bothersome when someone comes in without a clue of what they are looking for." The younger woman said as she took the book from Yuzu and studied the picture intently.
"I see you have labelled the diagram, are you sure you are sticking silver-plated gold and amethyst?" The woman looked to Yuzu expectantly. "Yes, it has to have those. I'm not sure about the positioning of the actual diamonds though." Yuzu said sternly as she eyed her drawing. The woman only nodded and looked to Yuzu. "That fine, I can create a base sketch and we can switch up the positioning, size and amount of crystals. Going by your drawing the main crystal looks like a round cut diamond and it looks like a one point five or two carrot. If I make my sketches based on that size would that be okay for you?" The woman once again studied Yuzu's attempt at a sketch and picked out the detail she could.
"Yeah that was the size I was going for, and yes it's a round cut I don't want a princess cut if that's okay." Yuzu was feeling more comfortable and was starting to feel a little more confident. "Of course that's okay. Going off your sketch I will make one sketch that is the same as yours, I will also make a sketch that has the key features of yours and using some transparent paper I will be able to make several different designs that I can overlay onto the base ring for you to look at. This way you will be able to get a better grasp at what you could have and what you don't want. Is this okay?" Putting the book down on the table the woman looked towards Yuzu again, seeking approval before she got up to make her drawings.
Instantly nodding Yuzu smiled, "That would be great thank you." Nodding her head, the woman gestured to the book that was now on the table, "Would you mind if I took this with me for reference, I will only be in the back of the store where all my supplies are. I guarantee you will get it back unscathed." Already picking up the book, the young lady looked to Yuzu one last time and after receiving a nod she bowed and walked away.
"Okay, we usually give our sketch artists between thirty minutes to an hour and a half depending on how intricate the design is. Rio is our fastest sketcher so you shouldn't be waiting too long, for the moment we can't discuss a price until you have seen the sketches and settled on a final design, however, we can figure out your payment plan." The woman smiled towards both the girls, waiting for a response.
"Do you want me to wait over there while you talk about this Yuzucchi? I can just go and look at the jewellery if you want." Smiling Harumi looked to Yuzu, knowing what they were about to discuss wasn't really any of her business.
"No, it's fine Harumin You can stay." First smiling to her friend then back to the woman who was patiently waiting in front of her. "I'm not sure how much it is going to cost, but I was hoping I could make monthly instalments until I've paid it off." Regaining her nervousness Yuzu watched as the woman nodded in response.
"Absolutely. We can do that, although this way we do require a set amount to be paid each month. However, if you did decide to take out the contract today using this method of payment we do require a deposit of ten per cent. Alternatively, today you could choose a ring, or one of the sketches Rio comes back with and we can give you a quote. After you have the money you can come back in with the sketch and pay the whole thing at once, the ring can take between six to eight weeks to be made so you would have to wait a little while before receiving it." When she was finished, she smiled and waited for Yuzu to speak.
"I think I would like to stick to paying monthly, otherwise I'll spend my money before I buy the ring." At the statement, all three laughed until the woman spoke again.
"So if you make your purchase today, you will pay ten per cent of the total cost of the ring then the remainder will be paid in set amounts over a designated number of months. These payments can be direct debit or if it suits you better you can make a cash payment in the store. Once the ring has been made you can come into the shop and inspect it, make any changes or ask any queries you have. You will be able to take the ring home when it is completely paid off, do you understand?" The woman smiled to Yuzu who was listening closely on what was being said to her.
"Yes, I understand. I think cash payments would suit me better." Smiling Yuzu felt butterflies in her stomach, whether it was because she was nervous or excited she didn't know but she could feel herself brimming with happiness. She was about to buy an engagement ring, she was going to propose to Mei. It might be months away before that happened but the thought made her restless with excitement.
"There's not much else we can discuss until Rio has finished sketching and you have made a decision on the design, after that we will have a price and we can write up a contract. Until then you could either leave and we'll email or call you when she is finished or you can remain in the store. The choice is completely up to you however I don't know how long Rio might be." Smiling apologetically, the woman rose from her chair and waited for the girl to do the same.
"That's fine, we can go and grab a coffee or something, you can call me when she is finished." Smiling Yuzu bowed before exiting the shop with Harumi not far behind her.
Sitting down with her iced latte, Harumi looked to Yuzu. A concerned look was on the blonde's face, "What's up Yuzucchi?" Waiting for her answer, Harumi leaned in closer to the blonde who was mindlessly stirring her drink with her straw.
"Nothings up, I was just wondering if I'm gonna end up being late to pick Mei up. It's already half three and they haven't called, I'm supposed to pick Mei up from her lesson at four I don't really want to have to make her walk home alone after I said I'd pick her up. But at the same time, I can't leave until I have picked a design, I really want to get this all sorted out today." Sighing Yuzu took a sip of her drink.
"Hey c'mon Yuzucchi cheer up this is supposed to be a happy day for you. Listen I'm sure they will call any minute now and at the latest, you will be maybe five minutes late for picking Mei up." Her voice was full of cheer as she attempted to restore her friends earlier happiness. It seemed her wish was granted as before Yuzu could reply, her phone went off lighting up with the number of the jewellers.
"Hello, is this Miss Yuzucchi Aihara?... Yes, your sketches are ready you can come back whenever you would like... thank you, I'll see you soon." Smiling Yuzu jumped from her chair and walked out of the cafe, heading towards the store.
"See what'd I'd tell you." Boasting, Harumi laughed as she and the blonde walked back into the store where both the older woman and Rio were waiting patiently for them. Upon entering, Rio was the first one to talk as she gestured for the two to sit at their earlier table.
"I apologise for the long wait, I got a little carried away with the drawings however, I do believe that you will find at least one of the designs I drew to be satisfactory." Sitting down, she pulled out several pieces of paper from a sketchbook.
"This is my drawing of your sketch, I took what I could from it but I did have to use my imagination for some of it." Placing a piece of paper into of the two girls, Rio smiled, very happy with her work. She practically heard the blonde gasp. Her drawing was mainly graphite but she had taken the courtesy of painting in the amethyst crystals on either side of the main diamond in watercolour, highlighting them.
"Woah that's beautiful, how did you draw that in an hour!" Yuzu's raised voice caught the eye of several other employees, but her enthusiasm didn't falter.
"Thank you, I appreciate it. I also have several others." Smiling, the young woman took a small stack of papers out next. She placed a single sheet in front of the two, it was simple with only the silver band and the two-carat diamond in the centre.
"I took the main idea of your design but I made changes to different aspects of it, which we can switch out and change to give you a better look." The woman smiled as she shuffled through her pile of paper looking for a particular one. Yuzu wasn't quite sure what the woman was talking about, the picture in front of her, although it was beautiful, didn't exactly scream 'pick me' for her.
Finally finding the piece she was looking for the woman pulled out a piece of paper that had several purple shapes on the seethrough page, Yuzu assumed it was watercolour like the previous one. Placing the sheet on top of the other, the woman aligned them and took her hands away, "Woah," was all Yuzu managed to say. The simple ring from before now had two amethyst crystals either side of the diamond, the second amethyst crystal on either side was slightly smaller than the one closest to the main diamond.
Fishing out a second overlay, the woman placed it down. This time, several smaller diamonds were added around the base of the larger one. After the blonde had finished gushing over this adjustment, Rio added a final sheet of paper, this time diamonds so small Yuzu could only imagine the handy work used to get them into place were added to create an outline around the amethyst crystals.
"This is where I personally like the design, however, I do have several other designs I can show you but some, including myself, believe it makes the ring look a little too cluttered." Pinning another sheet on top of the previous, two semicircles of diamonds not quite as small as the ones lining the crystals were added to the outer of the diamonds around the centre one. This added a little bulk to the ring but Yuzu thought it made it all a little too busy.
"I think I prefer it without those added on. I really like this design, I don't think I want any other changes. Completely forgetting about the design she had made up, Yuzu's eyes sparkled as she looked at the potential ring in front of her. Her heart beat for some reason had elevated and the warmth in her heart had resonated through her entire body.
"Are you sure, I have several other things we could try on it before settling on anything?" The woman looked at Yuzu, not wanting the young lady to rush her choice but her comment went unheard as she watched Yuzu trace the ring. "I'm sure, I want this one." Her statement was strong and resolute.
"Well then, if you are set on this one, allow me five minutes to write up a sheet of all expenses for you. Then we can get your payment plan sorted out." Smiling the woman turned to her consultant and nodded before looking back to the girls. "If you would mind browsing the store for several minutes while I write this up.
Yuzu immediately nodded, getting up and giving the woman a bow before walking away.
"Crap Harumi, it's quarter to, I'm definitely gonna be late. Maybe I should call Mei and tell her I'm gonna be late? I still need to drive you home before I pick her up, she's gonna be so mad." Her stomach churning, Yuzu pulled her phone from her pocket and found Mei's contact. Before she pressed call she stopped to look at Harumi who was laughing hard behind her. "What's so funny?" Yuzu raised her brow in question to her friend, not seeing the humour in her situation.
Finally catching her breath, Harumi looked to Yuzu her eyes dancing with amusement, 'You have Mei down as 'Cutie Patootie AKA Sungglebear...' Laughing again upon actually saying the name, Yuzu's cheeks reddened in embarrassment. "...Does Mei know you have her down as that?" The name still amusing her, Harumi decided to drag out the conversation by asking this question even if she pretty much knew the answer was no.
"Hey! I don't know what you are laughing at, it's cute. And I'll have you know that Mei does know," Yuzu tried to brush it off as nothing but her cheeks betrayed her. She thought the name was cute and it applied to her girlfriend, Mei was cute and she was her snuggle buddy. Yuzu should have had no reason to be embarrassed, but that didn't stop her from being so.
"Oh really? Does she love it, maybe she has you down as the same on her phone?"
Yuzu only rolled her eyes as she looked at some of the bracelets in the glass cabinet to distract herself. "I said she knew, not that she liked it. She made it very clear that she didn't want her name to be that, and sadly I'm just 'Yuzu' on her phone." Feeling self-pitiful, Yuzu sulked for a moment while Harumi was sent into another fit of laughter.
"Anyways I'm gonna call her and tell I won't be able to pick her up." Yuzu went to call Mei for the second time but she was once again stopped by her friend. "Hey don't do that. I'll just get Matsuri to meet me, she only lives like fifteen minutes from here. I can even meet her down the street so she doesn't know where we were." Smiling, Harumi took out her own phone to call her girlfriend.
"Just call up 'Cutie Patootie' and tell her you will be a little late," Smiling smugly Harumi put her phone to her ear as she waited for her girlfriend to pick up.
Similarly, Yuzu put the phone to her ear, she nodded thanks to Harumi before walking a few feet away. After a few rings the phone picked up and she was met with the icy voice of her partner.
"What do you want Yuzu? I'm in the middle of my lesson, do you know how rude I am being right now?" The tone made Yuzu shiver. Crap I forgot she was still in her lesson.
"Oh shit, sorry Mei!" Her tone was rushed as me uttered her apology but it seemed to do no good as her reply was as harsh as her greeting.
"Watch your language Yuzu." So cold, her tone was so damn cold.
"Right sorry, I'm calling to let you know that I might be a little late picking you up. Only like five or ten minutes, would you mind waiting?" Yuzu was so nervous, Mei rarely used such cold tones with her, but Yuzu knew why she was talking to her like this.
"I don't really have a choice, do I? Goodbye Yuzu, I'll see you soon." And like that the call went dead, Mei not even giving the blonde time to wait until she hung up. Gulping down the saliva that had built up in her throat, Yuzu put her phone away as she turned back to Harumi who was just finishing up her call. Yuzu wished her's had ended as smoothly as her friends.
"Just get your ass over here and meet me... Bye, I love you too." Flipping the phone shut, Harumi looked to Yuzu a smile on her lips. "Matsuri said she will leave in the next five minutes, so you can just go straight to Mei... Going by your face I'm assuming that it didn't go well?" The smile fell from her lips as she walked closer to Yuzu.
"Yup, she's super pissed. Not so much at me being late but cuz I called her during her lesson, then I accidentally swore, but she said she would wait which is something." Yuzu gave her best attempt at a smile before looking back to the bracelets.
"I'm sure she'll be fine, c'mon you're about to buy this girl a ring, SMILE!" Harumi playfully pushed the blonde's shoulder and in response, she got the laugh she was looking for.
"Excuse me, ladies, you can come over now." The older woman approached the two and smiled as she motioned for the two to follow her.
Once all Yuzu and Harumi were seated, the woman handed Yuzu a sheet of paper, a short list of the materials followed by their individual price lined the page, at the bottom was the total price. Yuzu chocked.
The ring alone, without the centre diamond, was two grand itself, this was fine but when Yuzu saw the pricing for the options she had for the diamond she could have died right there. The one point five-carat was £10,000 and the two-carat was an astonishing £17,000. Yuzu knew she was going for the one-point-five diamond straight away.
The total price for the ring was coming in at £12,000. More than anything Yuzu had ever even thought about buying.
"Wow, that's a lot." Yuzu said the words before she realised what she had spoken.
The woman noticing the troubled expression on the blonde's face interjected her thinking by taking her pen and writing on the bottom of the white sheet. "If you would prefer a smaller diamond, the one carat is quite popular and is five thousand." The woman spoke calmly as she retracted her hand.
After several moments of silence, the worker spoke again, "You do not have to decide here if you would like to go through with this, you can take the quote away with you can come in another day. We can keep the drawing and I can get Rio to draw up your final decision as a proper drawing for you to get a better idea." The woman tried to ease the blonde who was clearly not expecting the price to be this high.
"Emm... No this is fine, I'll go with the one-point-five carat. I will pay the deposit today." Eyeing the sheet a final time, Yuzu looked up to the woman and gave a nervous smile.
With a smile the woman left to get the appropriate paperwork, as soon as she was out of earshot Yuzu felt a tug on her arm. "Yuzucchi I know you really want to get this started today, but are you sure you can afford this? The deposit for this ring is twelve hundred alone, maybe you should wait and think it over." Keeping her voice low, Harumi had concern in her eyes as she looked at Yuzu. The blonde although looked nervous, Harumi could see the determination in her eyes.
"I'm sure Harumi, I can afford the deposit and I have no doubt in my mind that I want this for Mei. It just means I'll be working a little longer than I thought." Smiling, Yuzu nodded to Harumi a comfort to the worried girl.
After what felt like a mountain of paperwork, Yuzu was walking out the store with what felt like an empty bank and a giddy smile.
"Alright Yuzucchi, I have to go Matsuri messaged me and said she is waiting for me. Tell Mei I said hi, and that she better appreciate your ass." Grinning to the blonde Harumi readied herself to walk away. Yuzu laughed as she hugged h\er friend goodbye, "Yeah yeah, I'll see you soon and remember not to let anything slip." Smiling Yuzu walked away towards her car.
It was already past four and Yuzu knew it was going to take her almost ten minutes to get to Mei's tutor's house. Just as she was about to get into the car a familiar voice made her turn around. Yuzu instantly smiled when her friend greeted her.
"Hey Yuzu, whatcha doing out here?" The smooth voice of Jasmin filled her ears as Yuzu walked towards the girl. "Oh I was just out with a friend, I was just about to head out though I'm late for picking Mei up." Yuzu smiled to the beauty in front of her, reminding herself that she didn't have the time for chit chat.
"Oh I see, don't let me keep you. Before you go can we take a photo for my Insta? I haven't uploaded in a while, and I need to look like I have lot's of friends, you know to keep the following." Smiling the girl pulled her phone out as Yuzu nodded, "Sure I don't mind, put a cute caption on it though, and make sure you get my good side." Smiling Yuzu moved closer to the taller girl, while Jasmin laced her arm over Yuzu's shoulders effectively pulling their heads closer.
"One, two, three.." The picture was taking and after putting the best filter on the shot, Jasmin looked to Yuzu "Okay thanks Yuzu, It was great seeing you again. I'll message you later as we planned. Bye!" Smiling brightly to the blonde Jasmin walked away and Yuzu instantly jumped into her car.
Got Mei is gonna be so mad, shit she'll have been waiting for fifteen minutes.
Cursing to herself, Yuzu buckled up and drove away. Today was supposed to be about making Mei feel better not making her wait outside for fifteen minutes alone. Driving being her main focus, Yuzu concentrated on getting to her destination as fast as she possibly could.
Thanks for reading I hope you liked it. Sorry for the delay over the past couple of weeks, this chapter was already into the 20,000s but I wasn't sure when I was gonna be able to finish it so I've split it up so you guys could have a chapter.
Anyways let me know what you think ;)