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The air was brisk with the scent of sea salt, refreshingly cool with the ocean so close. Above the skies were crystal clear, blue, and disarmingly wide. As if Shuri had noticed for the first time how freeing it felt to see such a sky. A sky ripe with possibilities. A sky that felt like a good omen to the rest of the day.
Her first ever Pride.
She shivered, the cool air a touch chilling but Shuri didn’t care. Too excited from the sights and sounds surrounding her. There were so many people around her, smiling and happy. She didn’t have time to be cold.
“You’re gonna regret not bringing a jacket.” Riri mentioned, patting her own coat knotted around her waist.
“It’s fine. I’m sure it will warm up later. Besides,” Shuri made a small twirl to show case the outfit she had specifically chosen; a gothic lolita style dress reminding her of her favorite animes. Complete with a pair of cat ears. “It will ruin my whole outfit.”
Riri rolled her eyes with a smirk. “I’m gonna say ‘I told ya so’ later.”
“Whatever.”
“You look like sailor moon in her goth phase.”
Shuri let out a choked laughter, reaching up to touch the buns on top of her head as if to protect them. “Shut up!”
They stop near a small coffee shop that is overspilling with customers. The parade brought on a much larger crowd than normal, but it was clear that this coffee shop was used to this situation.
One person took orders while one screamed out names for the finished drinks. Everybody else was focused on grinding beans, steaming milk, and applying whipped toppings. It didn’t stop the line from being a block long.
And from the looks of it, there were several other coffee shops in the same predicament.
“I know the guy who works here, I think I can get us our drinks faster if I go by myself.” Riri balanced on her tiptoes to better look at the crowd. “Will you be good on your own?”
“Tini Riri to the rescue.”
“Girl, shut up.” Riri laughed and took off to quickly disappear into the crowd.
Shuri waited until she was sure she couldn’t see Riri’s bobbing head in the line of people before turning to find a nearby bench-
-Only to immediately bump into a solid body. A sweet woodsy scent momentarily distracted Shuri until she heard a crunch.
She looked down to see her cat ears snapped in half after having been stepped on.
“No!!” Shuri stooped down to grab her destroyed ears. The cloth the only thing keeping the plastic band together. “Shit.”
As she was examining the damage, wondering if she could somehow pin it to her hair and make do, a manicured hand reached over to take them from her. Shuri looked up to find the most beautiful woman she had ever seen.
“I’m so sorry.” The woman said sincerely, but Shuri barely managed a nod in response.
The woman was wearing a crimson poncho over a long tan dress that had a high slit that showed an ample amount of thigh. She was a head taller than Shuri and would be perfectly described as, in Shuri’s humble opinion, voluptuous.
Her hair in thick black waves down her back, that showcased a beautiful copili wrapped around her ear. Shuri's heart sped up and was delighted to see the feathers displaying the colors; red, orange, white, pink and purple.
She must be here for pride.
“Miss?”
Shuri snapped out of her trance to find the woman staring back at her. Head tilted to the side. Shuri quickly took the ears back and shoved them in her bag. “I-it's alright! They were cheap anyway.”
The woman continued to stare at Shuri for a long time, her eyes flitting over Shuri slowly before grabbing her hand. “Come on.”
Completely stunned mute, Shuri was easily led across the street into a small store that smelled strongly of incense. The store sold an assortment of trinkets ranging from candles, candies, pencil cases, hats, and animal ears.
The woman plucked out a pair of black cat ears that had small golden hoop earrings along the edge of both ears. “Do you like these?”
“They're perfect.” Shuri was delighted at the design and reached out to touch them, but the woman turned away and went straight to the cash register.
“E-eh! You don't have to do that!”
“I stepped on your other pair, so it's only fair.” After she paid for them and they were outside, the woman carefully placed the ears on top of Shuri's head. Adjusting them just so they sat in front of Shuri's buns. She gave Shuri a heart stopping grin, “There, the outfit is complete. You look very cute…Ms?”
“Shuri! My name is Shuri.” She felt flushed from the compliment.
“My name is Ch'ah.”
“Ch'ah” Shuri sounded out carefully, biting her lip when Ch’ah gave her an affirming nod. Her eyes flicked to the copili and pointed at it. “Are you here for pride?”
“Yes, it's the first time in-”
In her excitement at hearing the word ‘first’, Shuri bounced on the balls of her feet. “It’s my first time at Pride too!”
“Oh?” Ch’ah tilted her head, giving Shuri a warm look. “Well, actually, I was going to say it’s the first time I’ve been back since my wife passed.”
Mortification was not a strong enough word to describe what Shuri was feeling in that moment.
“Oh. oh- uh- Shit. I’m so sorry to hear that.”
“Thank you. It was…a long time ago.” She reached into her bag and pulled out a small collapsed umbrella to hand to Shuri. “But I’m glad my cousins convinced me to come.”
Shuri took the black umbrella automatically. Still too embarrassed and smitten to say anything else. Ch’ah’s fingers slid over Shuri’s wrist, showing off the red lacquer of her nails.
“I have to get back to my family. Hopefully I’ll see you again. And Happy first pride, Shuri.”
Minutes later, with Ch’ah gone and Shuri still looking in the direction where she had walked off in, Riri came back with two iced coffees in her hands.
“What’s that?”
Shuri looked down to see that she was still clutching the umbrella in her hands, so she pressed the button on the handle and watched as it sprung open. The top fabric had been black, but underneath was a rainbow, bringing a wide smile to Shuri’s face.
“A gift.”
The event was everything that Shuri had ever hoped for.
There was an electricity in the air that made everything more vibrant, more exciting. It was a time that felt entirely theirs.
Shuri and Riri was caught in the wave of its energy, cheering loudly as they watched the parade pass them by. Cable cars filled with drag queens, biker gangs, rainbow balloon displays, giant flags fluttering above them depicting different orientations and so on. The two girls followed behind as the main procession passed, dancing as they marched along.
When Shuri brought out her new umbrella to take a selfie with Riri with the rainbow backdrop, she was suddenly bombarded by strangers who wanted to take pictures with her. It left her cheeks hurting with how much she was grinning, the experience leaving her exausted yet happy.
After a handful of photos were taken, Riri cut in and pulled Shuri away. “I need food, superstar.”
“Please!” Shuri said breathlessly, and walked arm in arm with Riri to keep from being separated by the crowd.
They found a small Taiyaki Ice cream shop that had a long line but the ice cream flavors looked too good to pass up. A large chalkboard displayed the flavors made specially for the celebration of Pride month with cute little drawings:
🥑Green Avocado Banana🍌
🌹Red Rose Cherry blossom 🍒
🍊Orange citrus with bitter cocoa nibs🍫
🎂Yellow Birthday cake with sprinkles 🍰
🍠Purple Ube with Coconut cream swirl🥥
Introducing our new flavor:
🔵Blue SeaBerry🌊
“I’m getting the red one.” Riri stated. “How about you?”
“I really want to try that new flavor.”
“Mmhmm Good luck with that.” She pointed to the long line that was still ahead of them. They were about halfway there but still quite far. “20 bucks says they sell out before we get there.”
Shuri grimaced, “Don’t jinx it.”
“All I’m sayin is that you better have a back up plan.”
“I do, but I just-” She blinked when she spotted a familiar red poncho walking their way. A lighthouse in an ocean of people. Before she could stop herself Shuri blurted, “Ch’ah!”
“The hell kinda flavor is Ch’ah?”
The small group that Ch’ah was walking with paused when they heard Shuri call out Ch’ah’s name. A large smile bloomed across Ch’ah’s face when she saw Shuri and quickly walked over. Shuri felt breathless despite her not moving at all.
“Are you enjoying your first pride?”
“Yes. That umbrella-agh!” Shuri felt Riri’s elbow dig into her side sharply. She shot her a quick glare and Riri simply lifted her eyebrows in response, loudly communicating with just her eyes to be introduced.Then Shuri quickly conceded before she got elbowed again. “This is my best friend Riri.”
“Nice to meet you. These are my cousins Attuma and Namora.” Standing behind Ch’ah was an impossibly tall man and a tiny woman. The two of them looked curiously at Shuri, just as Riri was eyeing Ch’ah.
Neither of the two women seemed to notice as they continued to chat with each other as if they were in their own little bubble.
“Oh!” Shuri noticed the Taiyaki cone in Ch’ah’s hand. The fish cake’s mouth opened wide and filled with blue soft serve ice cream. “That’s the flavor I want to try.”
“The flavor is sold out. Ch’ah here got the last bit of it.” Attuma stated, looking sourly at the nearly finished yellow ice cream in his own hand. Painting a picture that said he clearly had wanted the blue ice cream as well.
The news had Shuri deflating. “Oh.” But then Ch’ah took a step closer to her, tilting her ice cream toward Shuri. She looked between the fish cake and Ch’ah, and felt herself getting flustered when she realized the woman in front of her meant to share. “It’s alright! I can-”
“Go on,” Her voice went an octave lower, causing Shuri’s insides to ignite. Ch’ah kept her eyes solely on her. “Lick.”
Shuri felt her mouth water, but it had nothing to do with wanting the ice cream.
Obediently, she leaned forward and took a small lick. The flavor was tart with a hint of sea salt that brought out the sweetness. It was delicious, but a little of the cream escaped and dribbled down Shuri’s chin.
With her other hand, Ch’ah gripped Shuri’s chin, swiping a thumb across her skin to wipe away the cream. She then popped her thumb into her mouth to lick away the excess ice cream. “Well, aren't you a messy eater.”
Oh.
OH.
Shuri wasn’t sure what face she was making, but she was sure it wasn’t doing her any favors. Thankfully Ch’ah didn’t seem to mind. The line began moving, and Shuri felt Riri’s arm loop through hers to pull her along.
“I’ll see you later, Shuri.”
It sounded like a promise.
“Holy shit!” Riri squealed excitedly, “That is way tooooo much woman for you. I think you should let me at her.”
“Riri!” Shuri hissed in surprise, shoving her friend away, but Riri held onto her arm tightly, cackling.
“I’m kidding! Look, if we see her again, you should go for it. Seriously. Because NONE of that was platonic or subtle.”
The memory of Ch’ah holding her chin left Shuri speechless. So she answered her friend with a simple nod. She hoped to see that woman again. There was a large part of her that believed that her and Ch’ah would meet again before the day was done.
As if it was fate.
Which was strange because Shuri didn’t believe in fate, or any of that nonsense.
She ended up choosing the ube ice cream.
After the sun began to set, and the skies were rapidly getting dark, Riri took Shuri to the beach where there were several bon fires dotted along the stretch of coast. Despite the night taking a lot of the crowd home, there were still plenty of people left over that were still up for socializing.
People had set up small picnics along the beach, sharing a small dinner with a few beers. The low sound of chatter a soft ending to a long day full of loud laughter.
However as soon as the sun was gone, so was any hint of warmth.
“I told ya so~” Riri sing songed as she snuggled smugly in her large jacket she had brought with her.
“It was hot earlier.” Shuri countered, her teeth chattering as another shiver tore through her body. The cold ocean air prickling her skin. Her dress felt like it was suddenly made out of tissue paper.
“Not so hot now.”
Shuri wanted to snap back, but a freezing breeze from the ocean found its way under her skirt, making her entire body lock up in an attempt to preserve any type of warmth. She had to wait until she could move again so she could take several steps closer to the fire. The heat had her sighing in relief.
She didn’t want to go home yet. Not because she wanted the day to continue, because she was ready to go home and sleep, but because she still hadn’t seen Ch’ah again.
It felt stupid to suddenly believe in fate when she had never believed in it in the first place. Yet here she was. Trusting in the overwhelming feeling that they would meet again before the night was done.
The fire before her danced wildly. Crackling and popping with a sound that was almost deafening with how large the bonfire was. Shuri closed her eyes, soaking in the warmth as she wished to see Ch’ah again.
Just once more before I go home.
Then Shuri opened her eyes and looked up.
As if summoned, Ch’ah was standing on the other side of the fire, cast in a warm orange glow. Her dark eyes glinted brightly as she stared directly at Shuri. She tilted her head away from the fire and crowd, beckoning.
Shuri took a single second to look back at Riri, who was already shooing her away and mouthing ‘good luck’, before she rounded the fire to get to Ch’ah.
They walked along the coast, going toward an old pier that was slowly falling apart. The two comfortably spoke about everything they could that felt important, from Shuri's college courses to Ch'ah's art gallery that she owned on 4th street.
Shuri had felt so giddy and comfortable that she nearly forgot how cold it was.
Nearly.
“Are you alright?” Ch'ah asked with a small smirk as Shuri's teeth began chattering.
“P-perfect.”
The woman quickly covered her mouth to suppress a sudden laugh that was so infectious that Shuri couldn't help but join. However it only made her colder and she visibly shook harder.
“Here,” Ch'ah chuckled, grabbing Shuri's hand. “Over here.” She led Shuri to stand just below the creaking pier and began messing with the collar of her red poncho.
“O-oh you don't h-have to-” Shuri didn't get a chance to finish when Ch'ah lifted the poncho up and over Shuri, carefully getting her hair through the hole of the collar. The sudden warmth and soft woodsy scent of Ch'ah's perfume surrounded her like a cloud…but it wasn't the poncho that made her feel hot.
Ch'ah hadn't taken the poncho off, the collar was wide enough to fit the two of them although it was now a tight fit. She had placed her hands on Shuri's arms and rubbed them up and down to bring her some extra warmth. Which helped greatly because the second her hands touched her skin, Shuri felt like she was on fire.
“Better?” Ch'ah murmured low, her face a few inches away from Shuri's now.
“Uh…y-” Shuri's throat went tight and she had to swallow before trying to speak again. Failing to keep her eyes off of Ch'ah's full lips. “Yes, I'm…”
Unable to stop herself, Shuri shrunk the distance between them and kissed her.
There was a blissful blinding moment as she reveled in the softness of her mouth.
And then Shuri realized what she had just done. She pulled back, not far since she was still trapped under the poncho, and kept her eyes trained on Ch'ah's neck. Her lips still tingling from the brief kiss.
“Sorry! I didn't mean to- I mean I did mean to but-”
As Shuri rambled, Ch'ah brought her hands up to cup Shuri’s face, tilted her face toward hers and promptly shut her up.
Their first kiss had been sweet and chaste, their second the complete opposite.
Ch'ah's mouth had been soft and insistent. Her tongue tracing Shuri's bottom lip until she opened her mouth, allowing the older woman to completely devour her.
Shuri let out a soft moan against her tongue as it hungrily curled around hers. Her back pressed against a hard wooden beam as Ch'ah's much softer curves pressed against her front.
Underneath the poncho their hands roamed greedily, Shuri taking a particular interest in the slope of her hips and keeping them pressed to hers. The cold was a distant memory to her at this point, and all she could focus on was Ch'ah's body molded to hers.
The distant sound of Ch’ah’s name broke their small bubble and they reluctantly pulled apart. A small smile mirrored on their faces.
Ch’ah pressed her forehead to Shuri’s, letting out a contented sigh. “When can I see you again?”
“Really?” She asked delightedly.
“The prettiest girl kisses me, of course I would want to see her again.”
Shuri inwardly preened at the compliment, holding Ch'ah closer to her. A surge of nerves rushed through her as she thought of the implications of seeing her again. “I have to let you know that…um that this isn't just my first pride.” Embarrassment heated Shuri's cheeks when Ch'ah gave her a curious look. A look that said she knew exactly what she meant, but Shuri couldn’t help but rush out, “There are a lot of firsts that I haven't done yet.”
“Hmm, Well,” Ch'ah purred against Shuri's ear, “I wouldn’t mind a pillow princess or being a teacher. If that’s what you’d like.”
It took several seconds for Shuri to respond. Her mind short circuiting as her mind spiraled at what Ch’ah was offering. “Then I have to also let you know that I’m competitively at the top of any class I'm in.”
The two women burst into a fit of giggles, holding onto the other tightly before sharing one last kiss.
Later…
“Sooooo~” Riri began, bumping her shoulder into Shuri’s as they walked back home. “How was your first Pride?”
Shuri couldn’t stop smiling. She was still wrapped in the red poncho, holding onto a business card that had Ch’ah’s number. They had made plans to meet the next day and all Shuri wanted to do was squeal the entire way home.
“The best!”