Miyuki's Dilemma

Miyuki’s eyes sparkled like diamonds as she stood in front of a white booth selling crepes. Several different types of crepes were showcased behind a wall of glass. “I’m surprised this place is still around!”

“I remember how much you liked their crepes, so I looked to see if they were still here,” Jin stepped forward to order a couple chocolate strawberry crepes from the aged man behind the display.

She spotted a bench a few meters away and waited there for Jin to receive the crepes. Her legs kicked like an excited child as she thought about the delicious sweetness that the crepe would hold.

A couple minutes later, Jin approached the bench holding a crepe wrapped in a red and white striped paper wrap in either hand. He handed one to Miyuki, whose mouth watered at the sight of the pastry. Slices of strawberries were seen in the chocolate and cream filling, and powdered sugar sprinkled it like flakes of snow.

“Thank you so much! I haven’t had one of these in ages,” she took a bite, and a creamy explosion filled her mouth with sweetness. “Mmm! It’s just as good as I remember it.”

“This is only the first stop,” Jin said as he took a bite of his own.

“I’m looking forward to what else you have in mind,” she took another bite and melted from the deliciousness. “We used to come here so often when we were younger.”

“You wanted to stop for crepes every time we walked past it,” Jin chuckled at the memory. “It was an addiction for you.”

Miyuki grinned. “You liked them just as much as I did! Don’t go pinning our frequent visits all on me.”

“I’m just saying, I’m not the one that was always asking to go,” he shrugged playfully and took another bite of his treat.

“That may be true…” Miyuki looked away, blushing. “Part of the reason I wanted to go was because it was with you. A-anyway, what else do you have planned for today?”

Jin looked at the crepe in his hand and reminisced for a moment. “Remember that pool we used to go to in the summer?”

“The one where you helped me overcome my fear of water?”

“Yes, that one. Would you like to swim for a bit?” He asked.

“I would love to!” Miyuki breathed. “But we’d have to stop by my apartment first since I didn’t bring a swimsuit with me. You didn’t either, by the looks of it…” She sized him up, noting the lack of a bag where he might have stored extra clothes.

“I’m wearing it under my clothes. Makes it so I don’t have to take a bag with me,” he grinned.

“Oh, okay.” A drop of cream latched onto Miyuki’s cheek while she nibbled on her crepe.

The drop of white cream did not escape Jin’s notice. “You’ve got something on your cheek,” he pointed to the matching location on his own cheek.

“Oh, that’s embarrassing,” she took a finger to the opposite cheek and rubbed it across her skin. Since her finger had no trace of food on it, she tried again.

“Here, let me get it for you,” Jin leaned forward and wiped the food off the cheek Miyuki hadn’t wiped yet.

At the touch of his finger, Miyuki turned red like a beet, and she could swear she felt steam escaping her ears. ‘He wiped it off my face! Wait… Don’t tell me he’s going to lick it off his finger!’ The red tone of her flushed face deepened as the image filled her mind.

Her disappointment was immeasurable when he rubbed the cream onto the paper wrap in his hand, and she gave herself a mental bonk on the head for thinking he would pull something that romantic.

They continued to chat while they ate, recalling some of the memories they made together in the past. After a while, both of their crepes were gone, and Jin took his and Miyuki’s wraps and threw them in a nearby trash can.

“Time to head back to my apartment?” She asked him for confirmation, to which he nodded. “Let’s go!”

When they arrived, Miyuki instructed Jin to stay in the living room while she searched for a swimsuit in her bedroom. She opened a drawer in her pearly white dresser. Inside the drawer were three pairs of swimsuits

“There we are!” She pulled the fabric out for inspection. The first she looked at was a pink floral blouson swimsuit she had bought when she was twelve. Miyuki held it up to her body and shook her head. “I don’t think this fits me anymore…” Not only was it a little short, but her body had also matured since she last used it years ago. She gently placed the swimsuit back in the drawer she found it in.

The next piece was her school swimsuit–a dark blue one-piece that was more modest than most. “I can’t wear my school swimsuit! Everyone would make fun of me…” She put it back on top of the other outfit she had put away.

Only one more option remained. A blush rose to her cheeks as she stared at the swimsuit. It was a purple bikini with white horizontal stripes that she had once used for a summertime photoshoot. “Jin can’t see me in something like this! I’ll die from embarrassment!” She was about to throw it back in the drawer and buy a new swimsuit when an intriguing thought came to mind.

“If I’m trying to win him over, maybe seeing me in something as little as this will make him see me as a woman instead of just a childhood friend… No, no, that’s not going to work. Jin’s not like that.” She paused for a second. “But he is a boy, so maybe it will work? It’s worth a try at least.” Miyuki covered her face with her hands and squirmed. “I’m going to be so embarrassed if I wear this in front of him…”

She grabbed a small purple purse that was sitting next to her bed and threw the bikini inside. “Fine, I’ll wear it.”

On the other side of the door, Jin was sitting on the couch waiting. He stood up when he heard the door open. “You found something?”

“Yes…” She nodded slowly. “Let’s head to the pool.”