“Oh har har.” Elmira replied.
Sascha finished packing and then she came over to her friend and hugged her.
“In the words of the great philosopher, Kendrick Lamar, ‘we’re gonna be alright’” she said.
Elmira smiled though her heart wasn’t in it.
*****
"Get up, bitch, we're going shopping."
Sascha blinked blearily and made her body go limp so it was harder for Atalia to pull her up. Atalia looked way too cheerful for - Sascha glanced at the clock - oh, she slept through lunch again.
"Come on, let's go," Atalia said, tugging at Sascha's arm, and Sascha bid her Saturday adieu.
"Are we hitting the duty free shops?" Sascha asked, stubbornly ignoring the luggage Atalia was happily tagging along. "Atalia, we can get better deals in the city."
Sascha had fallen back asleep the moment she settled into Atalia's car, after Atalia sleep walked her through washing up and spoon-fed her a few bites of cereal. Somehow, she hadn't noticed the luggage in the backseat. Or realized that her passport had been missing from her hand luggage. They’d been in Paris for three days while Atalia spoke with suppliers. They were supposed to go down to the South of France to taste wine but Sascha didn’t think they needed passports for that.
"Relax, it’s just Japan. Easy two day trip."
Sascha stopped in her tracks, back going rigid as the situation finally sunk in.
"Japan?" She didn't even pack or exchange currency. Granted, she’d pretty much been following Atalia around like some besotted puppy. Okay, she was a besotted puppy, and if Atalia wanted to take her to Japan, then she was going to Japan.
"We have time," Atalia said soothingly and she was gently rubbing circles into the back of Sascha's hand while lowering her voice on purpose so Sascha let herself be led to the boarding gates.
And they do have time. Sascha was stuck in that period after grad school, with the slow realization that she was overqualified for entry-level jobs and under-qualified for a proper managerial position.
Atalia had flexible work hours and she was in between projects after completing her summer collection for NYFW. She was taking time off to get some inspiration for her next collection.
When the plane was going down the runway, Atalia laced their fingers together and brought their locked hands up to her lips for a reassuring kiss. "Hey, don't worry, I've got you."
"Thank you," Sascha said sincerely. "I love this."
*****
From the Tokyo Skytree observation deck, they could see past the glittering city below as the city readied itself for a busy night. All those lighted buildings are symbols of someone pulling an all-nighter, and Sascha had never been more grateful to be unemployed.
They spent the day fooling around in Harajuku and Shibuya, taking far too many silly purikuras and hitting up Alcatraz ER, the prison themed restaurant.
"Just to check it out," Sascha claimed but anyone could see how she lit up when they found out they could stir their drinks with dildos. The vagina shaped cakes were a bonus.
"Come on, we should take a picture to commemorate," Atalia urged as she watched Sascha press herself against the sky deck’s glass windows to drink in the darkening skyline. She fumbled in her bag to pull out her phone and tugged Sascha closer.
Sascha obediently struck a quick V, giggling when Atalia leaned forward to nip at her fingers and then steal a quick kiss at the corner of her mouth. The photo came out funny, with Sascha's face half distorted because she was turning her face away to avoid Atalia's kiss. They were in public, after all. Who knew how tolerant the Japanese were?
"I almost don't want to go home," Sascha sighed, leaning into Atalia's chest and ignoring the tittering tourists around them.
"Good, because tomorrow we're going to Taiwan."
Luckily, the windows of the observation deck were fortified, but if you squinted closely enough, you might have seen the soft imprints of where Sascha pushed Atalia's face into the glass.
*****
Taiwan was dizzying.
If Sascha was comfortable in the bustling streets of Hongdae, Shi Lin night market caught her off guard with the sheer number of young people pushing around the place.
"Dick waffles." Atalia pointed out the stall, having a keen eye for these sorts of things.
"We're stumbling upon a lot of phallic objects in our travels," Sascha mused but they stood in line anyway. It was penis shaped waffles and they never claimed to be the most mature.
They join everyone else in taking inappropriate selfies and Atalia choked while pretending to deep throat the waffle.
"Come on, you can take it. Work that gag reflex girl, you know it’s your last chance," Sascha laughed and the camera in her hand slipped, almost crashing to the ground before Sascha dove to save it.
Atalia hummed non-committally and shuffled off to check out a bubble tea place, leaving Sascha standing there and wondering if she was just shaded.
"Hey!" she cried a minute too late, pulling her lips into a pout and stamping her right foot for good measure. She bumped Atalia's hip with her own and sniped back huffily, "What? My vag not good enough for you?"
"You're cute," Atalia laughed and swept Sascha's bangs aside to brush her lips against Sascha's forehead, an unspoken apology.
Sascha let out a tiny contented murmur and they both knew Atalia was forgiven.
They landed in Hong Kong at noon and Sascha was far too sleepy for anything that required her to move. They decide to skip Disneyland and Disney Sea and just spend the day lounging around in the hotel room watching b-flick movies on the TV.
Sascha took everything she said about Shi Lin market in Taiwan back. The night market was crowded but nothing compared to their destination for dinner, Mongkok, where their senses were bombarded with so much stimuli Sascha had to cling to Atalia to find her ground and not be swept away by the moving crowd. Atalia was very pleased at this new development.
Atalia nudged Sascha in the side and cocked her head to draw Sascha's attention. The street was lined with photographers offering to capture instant memories in film, promising great shots for a low price.
To their left, a young couple wearing matching baseball jackets lay on the ground with their chins propped up, smiling at each other. The photographer crouched on one knee and with a few shouted directions that Sascha and Atalia couldn’t understand, the flash went off, and the photo was instantly printed on the spot. Even from so far away, Sascha could see that the photo came out well, and the happy couple walked away with bright smiles.
They were actually so adorable Sascha felt her jaw hurt.
She turned to Atalia to complain about the sheer amount of cute and found Atalia grinning at her expectantly.
"No," Sascha said, so horrified she let go of Atalia's hand.
"Why not?" Atalia widened her eyes and blinked rapidly in an attempt at being cute. It was really not appealing but Sascha had to stamp down the little curl of adoration anyway.
"Closer," the photographer directed in hesitant English, gesturing for them to cut out the awkward posing.
Sascha peeked up at Atalia just when she heard the click of the shutter and that turned out to be Atalia's favorite shot- Sascha staring up at Atalia like Atalia was her anchor while Atalia's smile was so soft and indulgent.
Secretly, Sascha liked the last two shots the most. In a fit of playful impulse, Atalia had lifted Sascha off her feet and the first shot showed Sascha's arms wrapped around Atalia's neck, head thrown back in gleeful joy. In the second, Sascha improvised by planting a playful kiss on Atalia's nose and Atalia's eyes were scrunched shut mid-laugh.
They may have drawn a fairly large crowd of curious onlookers, but as they went through the photographs again later in the hotel room, Sascha thought it was all worth it.
*****
"Isn't this fun?" Atalia yelled. Her voice sounded distant, even if they were strapped together, Sascha against Atalia's chest.
Yeah, Sascha wanted
to reply, but her answer was swallowed up by a scream as they went hurtling down the Macau tower together.
Atalia covered Sascha’s screams with kisses so fleeting it felt like the wind whipping up their hair. It was entirely unromantic because Sascha could acutely sense the rapidly approaching ground and the safety harness was digging painfully into her thigh, but if Sascha ignored the fight with vertigo, kissing Atalia always did feel a little like falling off a cliff, all racing heartbeats and breathless gasps.
The bungee jump attendant smiled knowingly at them when they'd safely planted both feet on the ground and Atalia cheerfully said, "I hope that was caught on camera!"
Vietnam proved to be a welcome retreat after days of rushing through crowds and concrete jungles.
They wanted to head to Halong Bay but the date they were arriving in Vietnam happened to coincide with the 14th day of the lunar month, so they ended up in Hoi An instead.
Sascha bought her first hanbok in a tiny tailor shop for a fraction of the price in Korea, a graduation present for herself and a symbol of her new life. It took only one day for the traditional Korean outfit to be ready for the first fitting and it fit Sascha like a glove, the workmanship outstanding for the price. Sascha couldn’t thank the seamstress enough and she beamed, pleased with Sascha's attempts at broken Vietnamese.
"Well?" Sascha stepped out from the fitting room in her newly bought clothes and asked, giving a small twirl for Atalia.
Atalia didn't answer but merely stared, drinking in the sight of Sascha until Sascha felt oddly self-conscious. "Is it... too small?"
"You look amazing." When Atalia finally spoke, Sascha felt her stomach swoop with desire. Atalia's voice was but a throaty whisper, low and dark with promise.
It only took two steps into their chalet before Atalia had Sascha pushed against the wall in a rough and searing kiss, mouthing hungrily down the side of Sascha's neck and across her collarbones.
They christen the outfit in a very different way, and with all the memories clinging to the dress, Sascha definitely wouldn't be able to return it anytime soon.
At night, after they had tired themselves out and ordered dinner in bed, they took a stroll in town and finally saw the hype of the lantern town for themselves.
It was a breath taking experience sipping on beer among hundreds of lanterns and their soft reflections in the calm river. Sascha’s life had been one fuck fest after another ever since she’d left her crime lord family to seek her fortune on her own. Staying one step ahead of her father, keeping up with school and trying to keep her real identity under wraps meant that she barely had time to just take a breath and relax. This holiday with Atalia was exactly the break she didn’t know she needed.
For kicks, Atalia ordered a cocktail with a shot of iced Vietnamese coffee despite Sascha's protests and let Sascha take the honor of first sip.
"This tastes like poison," Sascha blanched, pushing the glass away from her.
"Baby," Atalia said fondly, tapping Sascha's nose and laughing when Sascha tried to bite her finger. She brought the glass up for a sip and immediately started coughing, the strong alcohol and bitter coffee taking her by surprise.
Atalia was generous enough to let Sascha bask in the satisfaction of the unspoken 'I told you so'.
They spent another two nights relaxing in Hoi An and Danang before they flew to their last destination, Koh Samui, Thailand.
The island was thronging with too many tourists but it didn’t stop Koh Samui from being absolutely beautiful. They splurged on a villa with a stretch of private beach and it was there that they took their dinner, simple sandwiches on a picnic mat taken from their room.
Sascha had seen many sunsets by beach but none as beautiful as this one; and she watched the dip of the horizon quietly, too enthralled to look away. She didn’t even notice that Atalia had disappeared until she felt the mat move.
Atalia offered her, her hand and smiled, "I have something to show you."
"Close your eyes," Atalia told her and Sascha played along, amused by her girlfriend's antics. Sascha concentrated instead on the soft slip of the sand beneath her toes and the steady warmth of Atalia's palm.
It didn’t take long before Atalia stopped them both and asked Sascha to open her eyes.
The first thing Sascha saw was a sandcastle, a small fort with carved in doors and even a moat.
Then she noticed it. A simple ring peeked on the top of the castle and Sascha's breath hitched in her throat, suddenly hearing nothing but the rhythmic crashing of the waves.
Only then did she pick up on how nervous Atalia looked, or how she was dressed too finely for the beach in her Wicking maxi dress. Atalia's palms were sweaty as she held Sascha's hand again, this time cradled carefully with both hands.
"The sandcastle may crumble, but my love for you won't."
It almost drew a laugh from Sascha but as soon as the urge came, it was replaced with a heady rush, and Sascha managed to choke out, "I can't believe you said that."
Atalia dropped Sascha's hands to pull out her phone, already set to a video and she held it out shakily, pressing play.
The video was a slideshow of pictures, all taken by Atalia along their three week long getaway- the Eiffel tower and Champs-Elysees in Paris, on Victoria Peak in Hong Kong, outside a ramen store in Xi Men Ding, Taiwan, on the elephant in Hoi An, but all of them shared something in common.
While Sascha was admiring the scenery or caught up in an interesting souvenir at the stores, Atalia was watching Sascha intensely in all of the pictures. Sascha immediately understood what romantic comedy heroines mean when they say to find someone who treats you as if you're their world, because Atalia's gaze was so raw and open there was no mistaking the emotion burning in her eyes.
The slideshow stopped on the final shot of them on the beach. Atalia's hand was long enough that the camera captured half of their bodies and Sascha had her head thrown back in a laugh. This time, Atalia was not looking at Sascha but staring straight into the camera with a bright grin, her other arm stretched by her side to hold out a card hidden in her palm.
"When did you do this?" Sascha gasped, eyes starting to feel a little wet. She was right next to Atalia and she didn't even notice-
Because the card read in Atalia's signature scrawl, will you marry me?
“Sascha," Atalia said, voice sounding stronger and more confident now. She plucked the ring from the sandcastle and dropped to one knee, head turned up at with this goofy smile.
"You've made the past month of my life the most blissful I've ever had. You curse in Spanish when watching police dramas and you’re always so vocal about your opinions; and you do that thing with your tongue that absolutely blows my mind. You’re the strongest woman I’ve ever met, you have a mind of your own but you’re willing to take my interests into account. I know we haven’t known each other long, but I hope we can have these treasured moments for the rest of our lives.” She took a deep breath and continued, voice dropping low, “Will you marry me?"
Sascha sniffed, tears spilling over now. "You're stupid."
Atalia was off her knees in a flash, reaching out to embrace Sascha and fitting her snugly in her arms. She rested her chin on the crown of Sascha's head and closed her eyes. "I love you."
Sascha buried her nose into Atalia's collar and gripped the back of Atalia's shirt, clinging on tight. "So stupid."
Yes.
Chapter 10
“You’re never going to believe what’s happened!” Sascha’s voice woke her up even before she realized she’d picked up her phone and put it to her ear. She sat up slowly, reorienting herself in an unfamiliar space.
“Sascha? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong! Everything’s great!” Sascha laughed into her ear. She sounded at least a bit tipsy.
“Okay, so why are you calling me at…”, Elmira glanced at the bedside clock glowing on the table, “3a.m?”
“Oh my gaad, I’m sorry. I didn’t think about the time di
fference. I am sooo sorry El. Silly me.” Sascha said.
“Tell me why you called Alexandra or I will reach through the phone and break your neck.”
Sascha laughed, “Ooh I’m so scared. Anyway, just wanted to share the news with my bestest friend in the world.”
“Yes? What news?”
“I’m getting married!” Sascha shouted so loud that Elmira had to move the phone away from her ear. Beside her, Sven turned in the bed to stare up at her, eyebrows raised. She could see by the light of the phone and the glowing dials of the clock. She shook her head at him and waited for her friend to stop screaming with joy.
“Are you serious right now?” she asked.
“I ain’t never been more serious in my life Elly,” Sascha said.
“Then…I’m happy for you. I guess.”
“Oh Elly, I know it’s fast but…you know when you meet the one you just know. You just know Elly.”
Elmira glanced involuntarily at Sven. Maybe there was something in the water at fashion week…
“Yeah Sascha. I know.” She said quietly, “So where are you? You back?”
“Naw. We're doing south east Asia right now. I’m not even sure which country we’re in. Or where we’re going next. But don’t worry, I’m not getting married without you girl. I wouldn’t do that.”
“ ‘preciate it Sash,” Elmira said warmly, she was genuinely glad for her friend if still shocked that this was happening.
“Mwah. Go back to sleep. We’ll skype when you wake up.”
“Yeah okay. Bye bitch. Get me a sari or some shit.”
“You got it.”
They hung up and Elmira put her phone back down on the table with a sigh.
“What happened?” Sven asked.
“Sascha’s getting married,” Elmira said avoiding his eye. She didn’t know how she felt about this. Worried for her in case she was rushing into things too fast, maybe envious that she had the courage to just jump in like that…she glanced at Sven again. Yeah, there was definitely some envy. But mostly she was happy that her friend wasn’t gonna die alone after all.
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Sven’s voice cut into her musings.
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