Acceptance [WMatsui fanfic]

Epilogue

Three years later.

It was the beginning of Summer, and Jurina relished the small breeze caressing her skin and blowing delicately through her shoulder-length dark hair as she leaned over the apartment's balcony and swept over the peaceful streets of Tokyo. At 9 a.m., people were few and far between, and Jurina was thankful for the pleasant temperature at this early time of the day. Her attention got drawn to a mother walking hand in hand with a little boy, who couldn't have been more than 5 years old, as they approached the nearby children playground.

The child cheered and pulled onto his mother's hand as he recognized one of his closest friends, the mother gently warning him to be careful as she let go and the two children reunited, soon climbing the playhouse together. Jurina couldn't help but smile, finding the sight truly adorable, until her expression darkened. Letting out a deep sigh, she forced herself to look away.

She dropped her head into her hands, her fingers biting into her closed eyes as she warded off a flood of emotion. She refused to let her negative thoughts affect her once more. Lately, it had been happening quite often, and she wished it would stop. At the age of 26, she was at a stage of her life where she was at her happiest. Not only was she successful in her job, she also shared her everyday life with a girl that she loved.

So why couldn't she rejoice in what she had? Jurina fluttered her eyes open and glanced up to the blue shiny sky above her head, beginning to think that it might be time to resign herself. Maybe this strong inner desire, that she had had within her for a while, was simply not meant for her after all. Jurina, deciding to return inside the apartment, leaned back from the balcony, before the sound of footsteps approaching caught her attention.

"What are you doing up so early?" A sweet, feminine voice murmured against her ear, and a pair of arms gently enveloped her from behind.

Jurina relaxed into the embrace, a smile returning to her face, before tilting her head in the direction of the long, dark-haired girl who had joined her side on the balcony. "I need to deliver a construction plan for Monday," Jurina leaned closer, planting a kiss on her girlfriend's lips. "I'm hoping to finish it by tonight."

"Oh, so that's what I saw on the table..." Rena nodded in understanding. "You're working a lot lately. Please don't tire yourself up."

"I'm not," Jurina assured, but knew by her girlfriend's knowing look that she was far from convinced. "What about you?" she thought it wiser to change the topic of the conversation. "It's Saturday, you don't have to get up so early. Why don't you go back to bed and sleep a little longer? You had a very long week."

"Well I-" Rena cut herself off in mid-sentence, before adding. "I need... I need to go to the drugstore."

Jurina's brow furrowed and she studied her girlfriend's appearance: she had indeed already swapped her night garment for a weekend casual outfit. "To the drugstore? Why? What's wrong? Are you feeling sick?"

"No, I'm..." A flash of uncertainty crept into Rena's face. "I won't be long." She pecked her on the cheek, and her mouth tugged into a reassuring smile. "Promise. Love you."

"W-Wait." Jurina didn't have the opportunity to question her further. Before she had time to add a single word, Rena had turned on her heels and put her sneakers on, grabbed her keys and pulled the door shut behind her. Jurina stood on the spot, a little taken aback, her concern growing a notch at her girlfriend's lack of proper reply. Was it a figment of her imagination, or Rena also looked slightly nervous?

For some reason, Jurina couldn't shake off the feeling that Rena hadn't been entirely honest with her. But why would she hide something from her? Brushing the ridiculous idea aside, Jurina stepped back inside the apartment and approached the table, observing the unfinished house plan waiting for her beside the laptop. She risked another glance at the front door, before shaking her troubled thoughts: she was probably reading too much into her girlfriend's attitude. Drawing the chair towards her, she decided to focus back on the task at hand and engrossed herself into her work.