A Sister Christmas

Ah, Christmastime! A nice time for love, relaxing, food, presents, and family. Ha-ha, right!  Miho rolled her eyes.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” she complained. Her older sister, Umiko, shrugged at her laptop.

“Mom and Dad are going to Okinawa for Christmas,” she said. Miho tilted her head.

“So you’re staying in Tokyo for Christmas this year?” she asked.

“That’s right.”

Miho collapsed back onto her futon, groaning. “Why does God hate me so much?”

“Sorry.”

“Shut up.” So this was how Christmas began for the Shigi sisters.

-Miho’s Christmas-

“Why can’t get rid of her?!” Miho wailed at her girlfriend’s apartment. “A whole year and she still won’t go away!” She pressed a pillow over her face. “Does someone hate me upstairs?” Her girlfriend, Andi, tilted her head.

“Why would that be so bad?” she asked. Miho turned her head.

“Are you kidding me?” she asked. “My life has been hell ever since she started at the academy with us!” Andi climbed on top of her.

“Baby,” she said. “She doesn’t to be with us all the time.” Miho raised an eyebrow.

“Huh?”

Andi broke into a cat-like smile. “There’s goes to be a big Christmas party at Noiz’s place tonight.”

“A party?”

“That’s right. Interested?”

Miho sat up. “Can we get away from her?”

“Of course.”

The Japanese woman finally began to smile. “Well then, I think I will go.”

“Yay!” Andi kissed on her the lips. Sadly, the joy ended up being short-lived within six hours.

-Umiko’s Christmas-

At the party, Umiko sat in the back of the room, drinking. Her sister watched across the room, frowning.

-Two Hours Earlier-

Miho spat out her green tea. “What?!”

Umiko blew out her cigarette. “I am going.”

“Why?!”

Umiko leaned in with a serious look on her face. “Because I am bored. This party could be the best thing right now. So I’m going!”

“No, you’re not!”

Her sister smirked. “Watch me.”

-Now-

Umiko looked around at the party and found it… utterly disappointing. There was barely any food and most of the people were out cold and drunk. The music on the karaoke machine made things much worse. Umiko rushed her forehead.

Really? What the hell did I come out here for? She rose to her feet and walked out of the gym with a half-empty bottle in her hand. Umiko looked up at the winter night sky.

“Now what?” she asked. A soft clicking sound caught her ear. Umiko turned and spotted a man dressed in a black coat. She gritted her teeth, glaring as she recognized him from behind.

“You!” she barked. The man in black pretended not to hear her as he took a smoke. Umiko marched over to him and grabbed him by the shoulder. He looked down and saw the shorter woman flaring her nostrils.

“Oh, hi, Umiko,” he said. “I didn’t know it was you.”

“Don’t bullshit me, Taro!” she barked. “What the hell are you doing here?”

The man smiled with his cigarette. “A buddy of mine landed me job as security for the night.”

“Don’t give me that crap!”

“What are you getting all pissy for?”

“Your face

Taro rolled his eyes. “Oh, here we go again. What do you have against me?”

“Take a guess!”

“You’re jealous?”

Umiko gave him a puzzled look. “What?”

Taro smirked. “Just admit it.”

“Admit what?”

His face came within inches of each other. “You. Are. Jealous.” Umiko pushed him away.

“I am not!”

“Liar.”

Her face became so red as she resisted the urge to scream. “You’re doing it again! You make me so mad!”

“But why?” Taro asked.

“Because you never give me the chance to let me say that I like you!” she shouted.

“Well you never let me say that I like you!” he said back. Both stood with bright red cheeks when they realized what just happened.

“Do you really?” Umiko asked.

“Yeah,” Taro said, shoving his hands into his pockets. She began to hope that he would say that he was kidding and laugh at her face. When he didn’t, Umiko didn’t know whether to nervously laugh or run away. Taro pulled her into an embrace and she didn’t have it in her to push him off. She looked down at his arms with pink cheeks and a racing heart.

-Inside-

Takeo, Miho, and Andi watched the potential couple from the gym window.

“Oh, what do we have here?” Andi asked. Miho leaned back, smiling.

“Oh, I don’t think my sister’s going to be tagging along with us for the rest of Christmas this year,” she said.

Potential Christmas Love