A Sky Full of Stars

| 3 || The Ex |

//

"Shh!"

"It's 4PM, she shouldn't even be sleeping!" The guest hushed loudly.

"You can't tell someone what they can and can't do so just get this table up there," Mami ordered.

"You just said you can't do that," a girl's voice muttered. Despite the protests, they both lifted the wooden study desk and brought it over to the wall beside the bathroom door. Mami's ex-girlfriend didn't take too much care when letting her end down onto the floor and matched the orange-haired girl's glare with her own. Mami lost and simply went back out the front door to collect her box of things. Rina leaned against the desk they just displaced, grimly scanning the cracking white drywall and landed her eyes on the girl passed out on the mattress. She was a mess of brownish-red hair and the Toy Story sheets only covered her top half, exposing her buttock and see through panties.

Mami came back in to see Rina's scrutinizing stare and sighed. She placed the box on the ground beside the desk and went to pull the sheets over Tomomi's legs. "If it bothered you so much you could've just done that," she said.

"I don't think she's safe to be around, Mami. I'm only saying this because I'm worried about you."

"She works at the strip club, Rina, not the mafia."

"Okay, fine, I don't mind that but why don't you at least live with me and then just come visit her like before? This neighbourhood is way too sketchy-"

"Oh, you minded when I lived with you and now you don't when I'm not living with you? You're moving into the dorms anyways," Mami pointed out.

"So when I moved out you would've dumped me anyways? You just needed a place to stay, is that it?" Rina gritted.

"No!" Mami shocked herself and immediately checked to see if Tomomi was still asleep. The lump never moved. "Sorry, no, I didn't mean that. I just... honestly, I'm tired Rina. I don't think I can maintain a relationship right now."

Mami's ex-girlfriend stood in silence, her gaze slowly softening until a heavy breath blew out from her lips. When she turned around Rina almost gasped at the sleeping girl, who suddenly sat up. Her hair was disheveled over her face and streaks of mascara smudged her cheeks.

"Who's she?" Tomomi grumbled half-asleep. She raked her fingers over her hair and blinked several times to force the blurriness away.

"Rina. Remember I said I needed a desk," Mami answered.

"So soon?"

"Well, I need someplace to work." Rina was a bit baffled by personally seeing the friendly exchange but what made her wheel around again was Tomomi standing up from the bed half-naked.

"Relax, it's solid at the front," the redhead reassured. Rina turned back around hesitantly and glanced at the girl's waist for a millisecond. The panties were solid black at the front.

"You've got a real modest one," Tomomi giggled. The sound of it was feminine, too now that the sleepy rasp was gone, cute even. She grabbed a large grey T from the drawer and slipped it on, unclasping her bra top from underneath and stuffing it in the bottom drawer. The brunette pursed her lips when she saw several bruises on the girl's knees, shins and even her waist.

Rina coughed loudly. "Uhm, I think I'll be out of here then. Good luck, Mami.  Call me if you need anything." The brunette walked out the front door fast and the engine of her car started up in another two seconds.

"I think you scared her off," Mami said, having never moved from her spot.

"Did she mean what she just said?" Tomomi questioned. She walked past the girl and opened the fridge not expecting much. As predicted, there wasn't much.

"I don't know but it could be awkward..."

"Really? Why?"

"You didn't sense that? Plus, I don't want to take any more from her. She's gonna need all the money she's got, too." Mami watched as the girl poured herself some cold coffee.

"Thanks for the coffee. Let's go out for breakfast?" Tomomi suggested.

"It's almost 4:30 in the afternoon, Tomo," Mami said and shook her head with a smile.

"Dinner then!"

//

The diner was clattering with noise and additional orders being yelled out. The cliché, checkered tiles filled the floor and red and white counters decorated the homey eat-in. They had found a spot by the corner where the outside reflected a foggy sunset. After each ordering their share, Tomomi beamed a smile at Rina.

"May seem kind of shabby but you'll never taste anything else like it," she said smugly. The ex smiled back a bit uncomfortably and adjusted her burgundy skirt, pulling her curled hair to the side.

"Why am I here again..." Rina muttered.

"Because your tires got slashed and why not enjoy some great food while waiting to get it fixed, right?" Tomomi answered with great jest. Mami coughed across from her.

"Khm, well, you said you wanted to broaden your horizon. From what I remember their burgers are, like, out of this world," Mami said.

"And they taste exactly the same. That's why I always come here," Tomomi piped. "But it's been a while since I've seen it so busy. I usually come at the dead of night."

"So you did have a night shift." Mami moved the salt and peppers out of the way as she said it, and their plates were placed in front of them. Rina thanked the waitress.

"Yeah. 11 to 3AM so yes, I do enjoy sleeping in until 4PM," the redhead directed at Rina.

"Mami visits you all the time after work. So all you do is strip, sleep, and strip?"

"I work."

"Hey, Tomo, you still play the guitar?" Mami interrupted hastily. The girl's eyes cleared in less than two seconds when she turned her attention to Mami instead. Then she started looking a bit worried.

"N-no, not really... I put it up for sale a few days ago but it wouldn't take. I'll get it back on my way home tonight!" Tomomi promised enthusiastically.

"It's fine, Tomo, you can sell it," Mami chuckled. "It's not like I have time to play it anymore either."

"No, shut up. I only sold it 'cause I thought you were gone for sure and it was just going to be collecting dust," she pouted. 

They chatted for a bit more between bites of the famous town burger. Chatted meant Rina to Mami, and Tomomi to Mami. It turned out that Rina was attending chef school, which was pretty expensive but the only way her parents would allow it would be for her to take some sort of academic classes, too. So she ended up moving to room in a friend's dorm. Tomomi ate silently when Mami and Rina went off into a brief arguement contest against teachers and homework. She did ask plenty of questions about how that was going for her friend, reminding themselves of their high school days. By the end of the one-way conversations, Mami was exhausted and quickly took the bill up to the cash register, not caring that Rina and Tomomi might be staring daggers at each other again. As long as she wasn't in the middle of it.

"I'll take it." The brunette snatched the bill from Mami's hand and quickly worked out the bills from her wallet.

"Nonono, it's fine really. Tomo was just trying to get free food out of you." Mami took out her own wallet in protest but that got snatched away, too.

"I know that. Just consider it me treating you one last time. Save yours for college," Rina said sweetly, handing back the worn leather wallet. She hugged Mami and gave her a kiss on the cheek before walking out of the diner. Tomomi waved at her for the sake of her friend.

"This is also yours." The counter lady shoved a take-out bag into Mami's arm and just as she was about to deny it, Tomomi took it from her and started out the entrance. She smiled cheekily and made the girl sigh, putting in the back of her mind to thank Rina again.

//