Book 5: Chapter 7 (2/2)

“Steal them… and if you come to realize that is impossible, then learn to share.”

“Sh-share!”

I laughed, scratching the back of my head as I suddenly realized the kind of stuff, I was telling my sister. For a brief moment, the words I was saying felt so right. However, it probably wasn’t the best advice. Take what you wanted? Share your loved ones? Those were bold thoughts that a guy like me didn’t have the right to even think. I finally pulled my hand away from her and gave her a farewell.

Maria barely looked at me. She seemed completely lost in thought. I hoped she didn’t take my words too seriously. I didn’t even know where they were coming from. Although, now that I said it out loud, sharing Akiko and Kira was an option, wasn’t it? We had agreed to it last night. I just wasn’t sure I could be so bold as to keep two girlfriends. Now that I had that conversation with Maria, all of that was brought right back to the surface.

By the time I took a bus and managed to get to that old coffee shop, it was about the only thing on my mind. The coffee shop she was speaking about was a teenager’s spot. They had coffee, couches, and music. It was a very platonic place to go. Compared to the place that Kira’s brother tried to set up, it was definitely much more PG, but for that reason, it had also been around for as long as I could remember.

I immediately could pick Mary out of a crowd. Not only was she very beautiful, but she definitely stood out with fishnets, dyed hair, and tight shorts. She was an incredible beauty, and she was definitely drawing the eyes of many of the guys in that room. Yet, when she saw me and broke into a big smile and waved excitedly, I could feel a lot of jealous looks in my direction. Her actions were so innocent and wholesome; I suddenly felt like I wanted to have my way with her.

Calm down, Hakaru. You came here just to have a conversation.

Mary is just some kookie psychic girl you decided to chat with over girl problems. She was not another potential love interest. How could I really start pursuing another woman after already having Kira and Akiko? In fact, this place had many students from my school, which included those giving dirty looks. I wouldn’t put it past them to take pictures or otherwise try to inform Kira that I was cheating on her to cause problems. I suddenly didn’t feel so good coming out to such a public location to meet a cute girl.

I quickly gestured her to a corner in the back under the gaze of many angry men. Mary followed without question, but she did have a bit of an amused look on her face as if she guessed what was going on. She had already ordered a large, sugary drink, and she had a coffee which she put in front of me.

“I hope you don’t mind coffee. You can put whatever you want in it.”

“It’s fine. Um, how are you doing?’ I asked, suddenly feeling awkward in coming here.

She smiled happily. “Better now that you are here. I was afraid you’d stand me up.”

I blinked. “What, I’d never do that!”

She blushed cutely. “Ah… I didn’t mean… I guess I’m a little rusty to this kind of thing.”

“Ah…” I looked away, afraid I’d end up staring if I watched her too closely. “It’s fine.”

She smiled, looking relieved as she took a drink of something iced and covered in chocolate. “Mmm… tasty.”

“If you drink too many of those, you’ll get fat.” I watched in horror as I said such inappropriate words.

I was repeating words my mom had often said to my sister instinctively. I wouldn’t be surprised if she got angry at me. However, she only laughed it off while taking another sip.

“Are you worried about my looks, Hakaru?” she asked mischievously.

“Ah, no, I mean… what I mean is…”

“Well, it’s fine. I like the taste. I feel it’s okay to cheat everyone in a while. After all, how can someone avoid temptation forever? As long as you return to what is… healthier, then you’ll be better. In fact, one could say that it is the healthy lifestyle that makes those moments so exhilarating, don’t you think?”

“Uh, yeah, sure, of course.” I agreed, not really knowing what she was talking about.

“So, how did last night go?”

“What?” I looked up.

“You bought condoms… didn’t you have a girlfriend?”

“Right…” I breathed easier.

For some reason, I felt like I was cheating or something, but she already knew about my girlfriend. There was no way she was interested in anything more. It was just friendship or something. I was really looking way too much into things here.

“Okay… so here’s what happened.”

I was going to give her a truncated version, but the more I talked, the more I realized I couldn’t hold back. I ended up telling her exactly what happened, from me ending up with Akiko to Derek’s sick plan, which I still didn’t even know if it was over yet. The only thing that I skipped was the part where I finished with Akiko while Kira watched. That was too much to tell anyone.

At first, I thought she’d be disgusted or horrified. Instead, she seemed a bit thoughtful. After a moment of thinking about what I had said, she gave herself a nod.

“So, who will you pick?”

“Huh?”

“Akiko, or Kira? Which girl do you love?”

“Um… both?”

She let out a laugh. It was pretty and held no condescension or scorn.

“Is that really fair?”

“What? I mean… they both care for me. So, if I had both, then… everyone is happy.”

“Perhaps…” She responded, taking a sip.

“Why, what are you thinking?” I demanded.

She shook her head. “I don’t doubt you care for them both, but your time and energy are finite. At some point, one girl is going to get less than the other, right? It’s impossible to be fair in such a relationship. That’s why I feel it’s better if you pick one girl to be with. Yet, the other girl will be hurt for a time. However, time heals, and she’ll be free to move on and find a guy who can dedicate all his love for one girl. It’d be… healthier for everyone.”

I frowned hearing her words. They were exactly the opposite of the words I had just spoken to Maria, but there was a ring of truth to them. I had worried that I wouldn’t be able to make either girl happy.

“Then again… there is a third option.”

“A third?” I looked up.

She smiled gently. “If you can’t pick which girl, it’s probably because neither girl is capable of giving you everything that you want. The best woman for you is the woman who fills all of your needs. So, if Kira and Akiko are insufficient, then maybe the best course of action is to dump them, and find the woman who really can satiate… all of your desires.”