Chapter 7

You knew something was wrong the second you stepped in the door. All the lights were off, even though Oshiro had been home all day. Minoru called from another room, “Aina? Could you come here for a second?”

You followed the sound of her voice to the kitchen. Her back was to you, but Oshiro was facing you, looking apprehensive, like she knew whatever was about to go down wouldn’t be good. Then Minoru picked something off the stovetop and turned around.

She was holding a cake, covered in clouds of white icing as if it were for a wedding. There was a lit 1-shaped candle sticking up from the middle. In the dim candle light, you could make out loopy writing in baby pink. Happy Anniversary!

“Happy anniversary, baby,” she cooed. She must have counted the time you first started annoying the crap out of her as the beginning of your relationship. If only you knew then what you know now. You would have stayed the hell away. “I know it’s not traditional, but why don’t you blow out the candle and make a wish?”

She was treating you like a small child again. You fucking hated that. In any other circumstance, you would have destroyed that cake. Hit the bottom so it smeared all over her perfect white dress, hit the top so it splattered to the floor at her feet… But you had a wish that was within her power to grant.

So you stepped forward and blew out the candle. Oshiro looked astonished that you actually complied. Minoru practically glowed with pleasure, like a lit candle herself. Then you took the cake from her hands. Both girls stiffened, anticipating you would throw it at the wall or something, but you just set it aside on the kitchen counter.

Once the cake was out of the way, you went in for a hug. You wrapped your arms around her neck and rested your head on her left breast. You could hear as it skipped a beat. There was a heartbeat’s pause before she returned your embrace, loosely holding your waist and tucking your head under her chin.

“Do you wanna know what I wished for?” You asked, soft as warm butter.

“Yes, tell me,” she demanded.

She hated secrets, hated that you had thoughts of your own. When you two quietly laid in bed together, she would talk about how she wished she could crack open your skull like a fortune cookie and read all the thoughts within. The very thought made you shudder.

“I wished for a new playmate.”

You whispered it, hoping that Oshiro wouldn’t overhear, but she was bound to find out sooner or later. Sooner if you actually got your wish. “No!”

“You can be so overwhelming sometimes,” you confessed, burying your face in the crook of her neck. She shivered as your breath fanned across her throat. “It feels like you’re smothering me. I think another girl would balance out our relationship.”

“I’m sorry, baby. That was never my intent…” This was the first time Minoru ever apologized for anything she did to you. Gaslighting was more her forte. Most of the time she just found a way to shift the blame onto you.

“Minoru, you promised!” Oshiro said through gritted teeth. Her entire body was clenched like a fist. Her hands were balled up at her side as if she were ready to start swinging. Minoru didn’t even look at her.

“People who don’t play the game don’t get a say in the rules,” you said primly.

You wanted to plant the seed of doubt in Oshiro’s mind, that maybe you wouldn’t be having this conversation if she submitted to Minoru’s ministrations as well. But you alone were the one being smothered and drugged and punished whenever you “acted out.” So this talk had to be had.

You couldn’t win in a physical altercation against her, so mental warfare had become your specialty. It helped that she was already so guilty all the time. But, until she felt remorseful enough to let you go, you were going to keep guilt-tripping her.

“You have to be very good,” Minoru said, reaching one hand up to boop your nose with her index finger, “I want things back to the way they used to be, when you were nice and sweet.” Oshiro stormed out of the room.

Panic bubbled up from somewhere deep inside you. You let some of it shine through in your voice, so she knew how difficult that would be for you. “I’ll try. So much has changed. I don’t know if I can be that girl anymore.” Trauma changed a person, after all, and you had been through a lot these last few months.

“Try, for me. And one more thing…” She pulled out a small box from her apron pocket and opened it facing you. It was a ring box. And inside was a large princess-cut diamond set in a gold band. The band was lined with several, smaller diamonds. It was beautiful. “Aina Sato, will you marry me?”

No! You wanted to rip the ring box from her hands and throw it down the kitchen sink drain, turn on the garbage disposal so it could never be retrieved. But a good girl wouldn’t do that, and you needed to be a good girl if you wanted to get Satou into Minoru’s inner circle.

Calm down, you told yourself. Take a deep breath. It was just an engagement. Weddings took a long time. You’d be out of the country before you signed any certificate. You could even sell the ring for some extra cash while you were on the run.

Unable to trust your voice, you just nodded. Minoru gave you a toothy grin as she slid the ring onto your finger. Its weight felt like that of a ball and chain. “I love you so very much, sweetness,” she said. “You know that, right?”

All you could do was nod again. As she turned to cut the cake, you let a couple tears fall before quickly brushing them away with your sleeve.