Momo woke up the next morning with a loud yawn and a wide smile on her face. She felt more relaxed and happier than she could remember being in a long time. She rolled over and came face to face with Mina. The other girl was staring at her intently and there was a small crease in her forehead. Reaching up to smooth it, Momo stared back at Mina and asked, “Something on my face?” Mina shook her head and continued staring.

‘I like looking at your face. You’re really pretty and I felt too embarrassed to ever look at you properly when we were friends.’

Momo mouth curved into a smile and she raised an eyebrow.

‘So we’re not friends anymore?’

Mina blushed slightly and averted her gaze.

‘After what we did last night? I think friend doesn’t quite qualify anymore.’

Momo laughed lightly and reached under the blankets for Mina’s hand. “I don’t know how you can blush when you were so demanding,” she said, entwining their fingers. Mina met Momo’s eyes with a sulky look on her face.

‘Am I not allowed to kiss the person I like?’

Momo patted Mina’s cheek with her free hand. “You can,” she replied. “Maybe I’m just wondering why are you aren’t doing it now.” Mina’s expression brightened and she grabbed both of Momo’s hands and raised them above her head. She pinned Momo to the bed, staring into her eyes as she kneeled over her. “You’re such a tease,” Mina said before leaning her head forward and kissing Momo. Momo closed her eyes as soon as their lips made contact. All she could think about was the way Mina’s lips moulded to hers and the sweet scent of her shampoo. Hair tickled her cheeks but she ignored it focusing on the closeness of Mina. Mina kissed her with passion, like she was hungry for the taste of her. However, the kiss only lasted for a short while and Momo stared disappointed as Mina pulled away.

“Morning breath,” Mina laughed and walked into the bathroom. Scowling, Momo propped herself up on an elbow as sounds of the tap running came over. She’d wanted the kiss to last a bit longer but it felt embarrassing to tell that to Mina. She sighed softly and rolled onto her stomach. Stretching, she sat up and hesitated before getting up and walking to the bathroom. Hissing as her feet made contact with the cold marble floor, she stood behind Mina, resting her chin on her shoulder. She wrapped her arms around Mina’s waist and watched the other girl brush her teeth in the mirror. Mina’s face broke into a smile at the embrace and she seemed to brush slower than before.

“What are we doing for today?” Momo asked when Mina was finished. Mina wiped with a towel and patted Momo’s hands. “Breakfast downstairs,” she answered. “But after that, I was thinking of paying a visit to the aquarium. After all, what’s the point of coming to Okinawa without experiencing that and the beach?” Momo nodded and the tap as Mina left the bathroom. She splashed some water on her face then started brushing her teeth. When she was done, she changed out of her pyjamas before following Mina down to the first floor. They ate breakfast in the lobby’s restaurant then stepped out into the sun to make the short walk to the aquarium.

The aquarium was relatively quiet when they arrived, with only a few people walking around. It was a welcome change from the crowds at the beach as they were allowed to stroll casually, enjoying the view. The aquarium tanks were massive on each floor, filled with a wide range of colourful marine life. Only the blue glow of the water illuminated the dark hallways and Momo felt comfortable resting her head on Mina’s shoulder as they watched the fishes swimming leisurely in their tanks. Conversation among the visitors was muted and created an overall calmer atmosphere than one might have expected from one of Asia’s most popular holiday destinations.

‘Doesn’t it make you feel small?’

Momo nodded, staring up as the shadow of a large shark fell across them. “I wonder what it’d be like to swim with one of them,” she said softly. Mina’s head jerked around to look at her in surprise. “You’d want to swim with one of those?” she asked, pointing at the shark. Momo shook her head, an amused smile beginning to spread. “Not a shark obviously, but maybe one of the fish. They look so cool moving through the water with ease,” she explained. She watched as the shark waggled its tail and swam away. “Well that’s if I could swim,” she added as an afterthought. Mina nodded in agreement and they walked away, moving to another section of the tank.

When the sight of fish going about their daily business finally lost its appeal, the two went to watch the dolphin feeding near the aquarium. A small crowd had gathered, waiting for the activity to start. An attendant handed them a small bucket filled with fish and gave them a brief introduction on what to do. Left to themselves, they stood at the edge of the water and waited as a few dolphins approached. Crouching, Momo accepted a handful of fish from Mina and tossed some in the air. She moved back in alarm as one of the dolphins leaped out of the water to catch the fish in mid-air. She felt Mina’s hand at her back and comforted, crouched back down to throw another fish. The dolphin swallowed the fish then rolled onto its side to eye her. “You don’t want to try?” she asked, looking up at Mina. Mina shook her head.

‘I think I’d prefer not to get my clothes splashed by oversized fish.’

Momo laughed at the description. “They are not just oversized fish,” she said, accepting another handful of fish. She threw them to a dolphin who was lurking at the back then straightened up as she saw that Mina was right. The hem of her skirt was wet with the spray from the water. She emptied the bucket standing back from the water beside Mina and watched happily as the dolphins performed acrobatics in their attempts to get the fishy treats. After they finished feeding the dolphins, they decided to attend to their own stomachs and left to grab some lunch.

Mina led them towards a small eatery that was nearly hidden between two large department stores. They took a seat in the corner and Momo marvelled at the brick walls and the hint of spice in the air. A waiter came and noted down their order, leaving behind a small basket of breadsticks. “Do you honestly think that dolphins are just oversized fish?” asked Momo as they waited for their food. Mina shrugged at the question, a splinter on the tabletop.

‘Never really given them a second thought. They’re not fish but they’re pretty much the same.’

Momo gestured her hand, considering the reply.

‘I suppose you’re right. But I’ve always thought of them as more than mammals. They’re just as intelligent as humans. More in some cases. Have you ever heard the story about the woman and the dolphin?’

Mina raised an eyebrow.

‘Story?’

‘Yeah. Basically there’s this woman who’s always dreamed about swimming with a dolphin. So one day when she’s at the beach, she gets really excited when she sees one swim up to her. She stretches her hand out to touch its nose but it dives under her hand and crashes into her hip. She cries out at the pain, wondering if it was an accident when the dolphin knocks into her hip again. The woman becomes really scared of the dolphin at this point, her dream ruined as the dolphin hits her hip again. She starts to swim away in fear and makes it to the shore albeit after the dolphin has bashed into her multiple times more. She goes home but her hip continues to hurt even after a few days. She sees to a doctor to get it checked and it is found that she has the early stages of a bone cancer. They are able to begin early treatment and cure her cancer. When the treatment is finished, the woman goes back to the beach and tries to find the dolphin but it’s nowhere to be found.’

Mina didn’t say anything when Momo finished the story and she felt her face flush, embarrassed at realising she had rambled on for a bit. After a second, she heard Mina’s soft voice say, “That’s actually a really sweet story. Where’d you hear it?” “I read it in a library,” Momo replied offhandedly. She didn’t want to tell Mina that she had discovered the story when she has been searching for answers to her grandmother’s cancer. It had been something that always gave her hope until the end when it was obvious that there was no magical cure. She looked up as a plate was placed in front of her, the delicious smell of freshly grilled beef wafting into the air.

She peered into the glass that was beside her plate, looking at the bubbly golden liquid. She took a sip and her eyes widened as a tingly apple taste ran down . “What is this?” she asked, taking another sip.

‘Apple cider. Goes well with the burger.’

Momo set down her glass as Mina broke a breadstick in two and waved a half at her.

‘Want one?’

Momo eyed the breadstick with some wariness. “A breadstick with a burger?” she questioned. “Nothing wrong with that,” Mina answered waving the breadstick again. Trusting Mina’s sense of taste, Momo accepted the half. She spread some butter in the middle and bit into the warm bread. Chewing, she wondered what kind of life Mina had led for her to be so different. The two girls might have attended the same high school and university but that seemed just a twist of fate with their completely different personalities and tastes in things. She took another bite of the breadstick then dipped it into some of the juices dribbling out of her burger. She finished off the breadstick and started into the burger when she noticed that Mina was staring at her.

Mina reached out with a hand and thumbed at the corner of Momo’s mouth. “You had something there,” she said at Momo’s confusion. Momo frowned inwardly, unable to recall any crumbs from her eating.

‘Did I really?’

Mina hesitated then flashed an embarrassed smile.

‘No. I just wanted to touch you.’

Momo laughed and cradled Mina’s reddened cheek.

‘In that case, you have something on your face as well.’

Mina grinned and reached up to grab her hand. She lowered it to the tabletop and they finished their meals eating with only one hand.

~

They finished their lunch then sat for another half hour chatting light-heartedly, letting their stomachs digest the food. When they felt comfortable standing up again, they left the restaurant and stood on the kerb. “What are you waiting for?” Momo asked, looking around. Mina didn’t reply and held her hand up. She whistled loudly and a few seconds later, a tanned man wearing loose-fitting clothing pulling a rickshaw behind him appeared. “I was thinking about visiting one of the local markets,” Mina explained to Momo. They got on and Mina relayed their destination to the driver. He nodded once then set off on a run. “I think I’ve always had a hidden desire to ride one of these,” Momo said to Mina softly.

‘It’s better than a taxi, isn’t it?’

Momo nodded, looking at the street flashing by. She turned as the driver pointed out something in the distance.

‘That’s one of the famous castles of this region – Shuri Castle. It’s the only one that’s been fully restored.’

“We’ll be visiting that tomorrow,” Mina whispered. Momo looked in the direction the driver was pointing and saw a large building standing at the top of a hill. It looked brilliant under the glow of the midday sun. The driver motioned to something e