off limits | petalz

5

Kazuha's stomach twisted completely unfairly when Kento laid out his plans for the day.

"It's our last day before I go," Kento said, and the our in his sentence made it painfully clear he was addressing Sakura. Kazuha was, unfortunately, extremely attracted to her, but she didn't know much about Sakura's personality yet.

However, something told her that she'd only become more magnetized to the other girl as time wore on.

"What did you have planned?" Sakura asked softly, stirring her tea.

The three were gathered in the living room, Kazuha sitting behind the counter as usual, Kento leaning against the other side, and Sakura sitting next to Kento across from Kazuha. Sakura held a mug full of sencha tea, adding to her cozy vibe; she was dressed in a fuzzy fleece sweater and white sweatpants, and her blond hair was loosely looped into a claw clip.

"Lots of things," Kento grinned, running a hand through his floppy dark hair. He wore a dark fleece to match Sakura's, and dark baggy jeans underneath. "I want to take you out for a bit. On a date, you know, because we don't see each other a lot. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, of course," Sakura replied with the gentle smile that made Kazuha's heart flip, even after just a day. "I'd love that, Ken-chi."

"Okay," he beamed, and Kazuha felt like a third wheel. She was eternally glad when her phone rang.

"Hello? Sorry, I have to take this," she said, standing up and pausing at the edge of the living room, thanking whatever deities existed that Naoi Rei was calling her at the moment.

"Hello? Zuha-chan?"

"Rei!" Kazuha exclaimed, watching Sakura and Kento talk softly at the island. "How are you? How are Liz and Riki? What's up?"

"I'm good!" The girl's voice came through the tinny speakers, delighted. "Thanks for asking! Liz has been good too. Riki-chan has been really busy, but he's getting by fairly well. His university is giving him a lot of work, but I've been trying to help."

"That's good."

Rei was one of Kazuha's friends from university, one of the few Japanese girls she knew. Kazuha had very few friends in the exact same year of college as she was, and Rei was a sophomore. Rei's brother Riki was a freshman, and her girlfriend Liz was a sophomore as well. They'd met at a party, funnily enough, through very, very extended relations: Rei was dating Liz, who was close friends with Gaeul, who was in the same year as Yizhuo, who was being crushed on by Aeri, who was friends with Kazuha.

So, in short: Rei was Kazuha's friend's-crush's-classmate's-friend's-girlfriend.

Again, very extended relations. But that was how it was in Kazuha's neighborhood; everyone hung out together, because they lived in the same area, knew the same people, and liked the same things. Nevertheless, Kazuha and Rei had quickly hit it off, and Rei, Riki, Kazuha, and Aeri had formed a sort of tight-knit group of Japanese. Aeri had graduated the year Riki enrolled at Seoul National, so they weren't too close, but the group stayed together. Kazuha used them as a sort of support unit.

"Yeah, it is," Rei's voice agreed through the phone. "How's Kento? I heard his girlfriend was coming to stay?"

"Yeah, Kento's good, he's actually here right now with me," Kazuha laughed as Kento's head snapped up curiously to listen in. "His girlfriend is here too. Sakura. Want to say hi?"

"Oh, sure!"

"Ken-chan, Kkura-chan, this is Rei," Kazuha introduced, putting the phone on speaker.

"Rei, hi!" Kento said to the phone, and turned to Sakura. "Rei's a year below Kazuha in university. She's Japanese."

"Oh, konnichiwa, Rei," Sakura said to the phone in that beautifully passive voice of hers, and Kazuha's throat went dry. "Hajimemashite."

"Hello, nice to meet you!" Rei's voice responded cheerily, and then she asked, "Sakura, right? Last time we met Kento was so excited that you were coming to Korea! He made us come up with all sorts of elaborate greetings. Promposals, kind of! All American-style!"

Sakura laughed, and Kento looked embarrassed, but Kazuha only paid attention to the former's reaction. She watched Sakura's eyes turn into gentle crescents, her cheeks puff out slightly and her mouth open. Sakura, it seemed, laughed to the fullest, and her blond hair fell over her face.

Kazuha stared at her warmly, her face turning into a shy smile. Sakura's honest, sweet reaction awoke something in her she hadn't felt for a while. Kazuha, being a college student, was used to hook-ups and flings, but seeing Sakura laugh like that at such a small thing suddenly turned all the colors and smells in the room sharper. Kazuha's mind focused. Her heartbeat increased, and that was when Kazuha realized for the first time that she was well and truly fucked.

She had known the girl for two days, and already Sakura's grin, her laugh, her face was worming its way into Kazuha's brain. Was this how Kento had felt when he first saw Sakura? This intense feeling of falling in love?

Love.

That was it.

Rei was still talking, and Kento was listening and replying, and Sakura was smiling and laughing.

But Kazuha had gone quiet.

Her eyes were on Sakura and Sakura only, finally realizing that she had fallen in love at first sight.

For her brother's girlfriend.