REMAID- Reflection Charred and Burned

What time is it? Ngh, it feels like morning. Hey, if it is, shouldn’t Tanya be waking me up? Shit, she must have passed out again. Alright, let’s get to moving her. I open my eyes. It in fact is morning, but I have a bigger issue. I’m not in my room. So, where am I? I try to sit up, but I finally notice something wrapped around my chest. Someone’s…arm? Am I in a murder-house? That’s the only thing that makes sense. I mean, come one, me? In someone else’s bed? Fucking wild. I want to laugh but I can’t. Looking to my side, I see a very familiar girl. She’s fast asleep, and her face is content. She’s…wearing my shirt.

She’s wearing my shirt.

So…so…

Does that mean…

Did I…

And then…

It’s at precisely this point that my brain stops functioning.

“Mmm?” Rimi opens her eyes, and yawns. Moving her eyes to me, she seems surprised. Jolting up, she looks down and notices my shirt on her body. She moves the collar to look inside. A gulp. There’s a silent understanding between us of what has most definitely occurred. Red flavors her cheeks as she returns to looking at me.

“W-we should talk.” She whispers.

###

Sitting on the couch, she comes back to me with a cup of coffee (plenty of cream and sugar mixed in). Once she sits down, it feels like an immovable weight has found its way to my back. What…the hell do I say?

Thanks? No, that would get me slapped. Maybe…did you enjoy the backbreaker? That’s probably worse, but she’ll be laughing while beating my ass. I sip from my coffee. Shit, I’m really stuck.

“Uhm…I feel…I mean.” She starts talking. Happy to not be the one to have to begin the discussion, I wait for her to continue. There’s a heavy silence until. “This is fucking stupid.” She mumbles, before laughing. Hey…this is kinda stupid. “Okay, let’s just break the ice, alright?” She coughs, and clears her throat. “We had sex.” She says, and now that it’s been released, all the memories of last night fill me back up.

“We…had sex.” I admit it, and It feels good to say. I start to laugh. The apartment becomes filled with the laughter of two no-longer virgin bozo’s.

“I’m sleeping!” A child's voice rings out from somewhere and we both cover our mouths.

“Sorry Yoru!” Rimi yells back, giggling under her breath. After that, another quiet descends, as another issue starts to cloud my mind.

“...so, why though?”

“Yeah…I don’t really know.” Rimi pulls her legs into her. The shirt lifts, and I can see she’s put on spats…I don’t feel anything about it.

What the hell? Aren’t I supposed to be thinking loser perverted things I should be calling myself out for? Why do I feel so calm?

“I think…I may have just wanted comfort.” I’m broken from my thoughts by her beginning to think out loud. Comfort? Is sex comforting? I mean, I think I felt comfortable.

“I…I may understand what you mean.”

“You showed me I existed.” I look over at her and see her seemingly lost in thought. “You showed me you were telling the truth…and I never felt so happy.”

“I…can see how you’d view it that way.” Honestly, what the hell am I supposed to feel? Should I know why I did it? I just feel confused. When I think about my reasons, a mix of guilt and passion flood my mind. All I can imagine is that for me, it was some selfish action I’m allowing to be justified by the other person’s feelings, and it makes me sick. “I…don’t know why I did it.” I admit. “I have no good reason. Nothing as justifiable or understandable as yours.”

“Yes you do.” She said, “You did it because you wanted to. So did I. That’s nothing to feel guilty about.” Her words touch my heart, but it doesn’t feel like I can believe them.

“I know myself too well.” I whisper.

“Well, if you’re so set on it being because you were selfish, then I guess we’ll say you owe me something.” Rimi says.

“Owe you?” I say the words like they’re foreign to me. Rimi, however, looks like she’s just executed a perfect trap.

“Yuta Mamoya, you owe me a date.”

###

A harsh knocking fills the apartment. Rimi, cooking pancakes, now dressed in her usual outfit, seems confused. I, now dressed in my very dirty clothes from yesterday, look at her with equal confusion.

Yoru does not care. She is drinking juice.

“YUTA OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!” The violent sound of Mina’s voice seems to sooth Rimi’s face and send mine into a pale white fear. Oh fuck, I’m going to die. Getting up, I carefully walk to the door and, after searching in Rimi’s eyes for strength, open it. Mina barges in, grabbing my collar and slamming me against the wall.

“I WILL HANG YOU BY YOUR FUCKING SHOELACES YOU LITTLE SHIT! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?! DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW PANICKED I WAS WHEN YOU DIDN’T COME BACK?! MOM WAS ON THE VERGE OF TEARS THINKING YOU WERE DEAD OR KIDNAPPED! YOU ALMOST MADE MY MOTHER CRY! I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU!”

“Mina there’s a child here please don’t yell.” Mina freezes up at my words, looking over at the couch. Yoru looks unphased, watching us as she drinks her juice.

“Hey Yoru.” Mina greets the child.

“Nice seeing you Miss Mina.” Yoru smiles.

“What a sweet kid…too bad I have to traumatize her by hanging your SORRY ASS!!” Mina returns to yelling in my face. At this point, Rimi finally steps in, grabbing Mina’s shoulders.

“Please stop, I made him stay!” Rimi explains. Mina, surprised, turns her head.

“Rimi?”

“He..he found me...having an attack. So he took me home. I-it’s my fault.”

“He could’ve called. This isn’t on-”

“I made him sleep with me. I didn’t want him to leave. Please Mina, don’t hurt him.” Rimi begs, holding onto her friend’s shoulders.

“You…you were having an attack? Hey hey, it’s okay.” Mina lets me go, hugging her friend close. “You could have found me stupid. I would have helped you in a second, you know that.” Mina speaks so kindly, she sounds like the maid I almost always forget she is when I’m outside the house.

“H-he found me…and he carried me home…so please don’t be mad.”

“I’m not mad. I’m not mad at all. Don’t worry Rimi.” Watching the two together, I begin to relax from the near assault I just received. Thank god Rimi is so easy to lose your anger over. After a moment, Mina finally looks back at me.

“Thank you, Yuta.” She says, and I can tell she really means it.

“Y-yeah, of course.” I answer back.

“SISSY THE STOVES ON FIRE!” Yoru yells. The flames of the charred black pancakes cause smoke to fill the air.

“SHIT, FUCK, DAMN YOU YUTA!”

“MINA I DIDN’T FUCKING DO ANYTHING!”

“SHUT UP AND FIND THE EXTINGUISHER!”

And so, my morning has ended up being something of a mess.