On a sunny, chilly fall morning in Manhattan, Amanda Pham is tucked under the warm, soft covers of her bed sleeping peacefully and soundly. All of the sudden, her slumber is interrupted by the loud ringing of her cell phone. Startling her out of her sleep, she drowsily opens her eyes and peels herself off her bed to answer the phone, still wrapped in her blanket. “Hello?” Amanda says, her voice deep and groggy.
“Amanda, where are you? Your shift started thirty minutes ago!” says an aggravated voice on the other end of the phone. Amanda’s eyes nearly pop out of her head when she realizes who it is; her manager wanting to know her whereabouts.
“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry, I’m on my way now!” Amanda says, her voice saturated with panic. She hangs up the call and springs out of her bed to get ready. After putting on a baggy blue and white striped button up shirt, tan cargo pants, and white sneakers, she rushes out the door grabbing her phone and keys on the way. During her morning power walk, she pulls out her phone to scroll through her emails to see if any of the jobs she applied to got back to her, and to her surprise, one of the companies she wanted to work for the most emailed her back. In shock and disbelief she opens the email; however, her mood lessens more and more as her eyes scan the message: “We greatly appreciate your application for this position. Upon further inspection of your qualifications, you were not selected for this position. ” Tears begin welling in her eyes as she continues to power through the crowded streets of Manhattan, her focus shifting back to getting to work. Finally, she arrives and walks straight to the break room to clock in. “Oh wow, look who finally decided to show up.” her manager ridicules. Amanda, clearly aggravated, takes a deep breath and replies as sincerely as she can, “Yes, I know I’m late, I’m sorry it won’t happen again.”
“It better not or you’re out of here.” her manager bites back. Amanda hears the comment, but takes another deep breath and chooses to let it go to avoid getting herself into more trouble.
About two hours later, her lunch break finally arrives. She goes to the break room to get her things and makes her way out of the store to her favorite bakery that her best friend, Rebecca Acosta, happens to work at. Amanda and Rebecca have been best friends since their senior year of high school. Amanda was super shy in school and always kept to herself. That was until Rebecca decided to sit with her at lunch one day and they instantly clicked. They’ve been inseparable ever since.
On the way to the bakery, Amanda looks up and sees a giant billboard promoting a game made by the company she got turned down by. Seeing that billboard made her think back to that email as her eyes began to well with tears once again as she continued to make her way to the bakery. Finally, she reaches her destination and walks through the door, very visibly upset.
“Oh, hey Amand- oh my gosh, are you alright? What happened?” Rebecca asks, taking a double take at her best friend, seeing the tears in her eyes.
“Everything! Everything happened! I swear the world is out to get me today. I was late to work today, I got rejected AGAIN, I didn’t even have time to eat, and, I don’t know. I’m just done with today.” Amanda rests her elbows on the counter and hides her face in her hands as tears begin to stream down her face. Rebecca looks at her best friend with sympathy, wondering what she can do to make her friend feel better. She removes Amanda’s hands from her face, takes her thumb and gently wipes the tears off Amanda’s pale cheeks, now slightly flushed with red.
“Aw, Amanda it’s okay, we all have those days. It’ll be alright, I promise. Your food is on me today.”
“Thank you, but you don’t have to do that.” Amanda says in a quiet tone, letting out a tiny sniffle while looking down at her hands.
“Too late, I already paid for it.” Rebecca says with a smile as she hands her her usual order; a large iced coffee with extra vanilla and sugar and a chocolate croissant. Amanda looks in Rebeccas eyes with gratitude as she wipes the remnants of her tears with her sleeve. Rebecca feels warmth start to rush to her cheeks and quickly looks away.
“Uh - anyways, try not to get so discouraged, Amanda. Things like this always happen, and just because someone said no to you doesn’t mean someone else won’t say yes. You’re extremely smart and talented, don’t let a couple of rejections make you forget that,” she says, slightly flustered.
“Thanks, Rebecca.” Amanda says gratefully, a small smile beginning to form onto her face. She glances at the time on her phone and realizes how much time has passed.
“Thanks for the food, Rebecca. I’ll see you later. I’ve got to go, bye!”
“Bye -” Rebecca barely even geta the word out before Amanda is out the door. She’s so adorable, Rebecca thinks to herself, not realizing a small smile is starting to grow on her face as she continues to work. Sipping her coffee and nibbling her croissant on the way back to work, Amanda can't help but think about Rebecca. How she comforted her, the way she wiped her tears, the way she paid for her food out of the kindness of her heart. She's amazing.
What would I do without her? Her thoughts are suddenly cut off by the feeling of cold glass pressed against her face. She had been so lost in thought, she had walked right into the door of the store. After discreetly looking around to make sure no one saw what just happened, she walks through the door back to the break room to discard her trash. Making her way back to the floor, her thoughts about Rebecca continue. She’s right. Just because a few companies rejected me doesn’t mean one won’t accept me. I’ll fill out one more application when I get home.
With her mood lifted, the rest of her shift flies by. A few hours later, the sun finally setting, and the chill in the air a bit stronger, Amanda clocks out and makes her way home. On her journey, she notices Rebecca’s bakery across the street. She ca't help but stop and watch Rebecca work. The way her dark red curls bounce a little every time she moves, the way her light brown eyes look so kind and genuine, especially when she talks to children, the way her olive skin glows under the ambient golden light of the bakery, and her smile when she talks to customers. Everything about her is perfect.
Not realizing how deep in her thoughts she is, a random stranger bumps into her shoulder while walking by, snapping her back to reality. After feeling how warm her cheeks and ears are in comparison to the rest of her body, she continues her walk to her apartment. After finally arriving home, her thoughts about Rebecca return with a vengeance. Her cheeks are red and hot to the touch, along with her ears and just the mere thought of her makes her heart race.
She sits on her bed with the intention of filling out one last application, but the thoughts of Rebecca continue to swarm her mind; there’s no way she’s into me like that though. I don’t even think she likes girls, Amanda thinks to herself, trying to get her mind off her to finish her last application. She takes a deep exhale after pressing submit, hoping things go the way she hopes. Tossing and turning for what feels like an eternity trying to get to sleep is no use due to the thoughts of Rebecca racing through her mind once again. In an attempt to put her mind at ease, she decides to send her a text message thanking her friend for her advice:
Thank you for the advice you gave me today. You really don’t understand how much I appreciate you. You’re always so kind and understanding and I genuinely feel like I can talk to you about anything. Again, thank you so much. Goodnight. With shaky hands and a racing heart, Amanda sends the message. Not expecting an answer until the morning, she puts her phone down and closes her eyes. A few minutes later, she hears a faint buzz from her phone. Lifting it up, she notices it’s a message from Rebecca. Her heart racing a little faster, she opens the message:
Of course, Amanda! Don’t even worry about it. We’re best friends, you can talk to me about anything. Have a good night!
A smile creeps onto her face reading the message, her cheeks warm to the touch once again. With a satisfied heart, she finally drifts off to sleep. The next morning starts much better than yesterday: she wakes up well rested and on time, has time to get ready, and even has time to make herself her favorite breakfast: avocado toast with iced coffee. After finishing her breakfast, she is out the door on the way to work. During her much more relaxed commute, she decides to scroll through her emails, not expecting an answer from the company she applied to the night prior but to her surprise, the company has replied. Her eyes widen in shock as she hesitantly opens the message, expecting the same treatment as yesterday, but as her eyes scan the message, her heart practically beats out of her chest:
Thank you for your submission! Upon further inspection of your qualifications, we are pleased to welcome you to our team! If you accept this position, we are willing to fly you out to Tokyo, Japan to start as soon as possible. Congratulations!
Agase Entertainment Team
Amanda, both thrilled and anxious about her acceptance, picks up the pace on her way to work. Bursting through the doors to the break room, her manager notices the drastic shift in her mood from yesterday
“You seem happy and you’re actually on time today,” her manager says with a condescending tone as she sips her coffee.
“I was late once,” she says with slight annoyance in her tone, “And yes, I am. I just got accepted by Agase Entertainment to be one of their game developers,” she beams with excitement.
“Wait, but that company is in Japan and what about your job here?” her manager questions.
“Oh, I quit. Today’s my last day here. I put in my two weeks already. I thought you’d remember that considering you’re my manager,” Amanda says, confidently looking her manager in the eyes as she sips the remnants of her iced coffee.
“I -” her manager stammers. “I guess I forgot,” she mumbles, looking at the floor in defeat. Amanda tosses her cup in the trash and leaves the break room, satisfied with her day so far.
A few hours later, her lunch break rolls around again. She grabs her things and makes her way back to Rebecca’s bakery; the only thought running through her head is how she’s going to tell her. During the duration of her walk, she decides to meet her outside the bakery once her shift ends to tell her just to make it more special. Just as her train of thought ends, she is right outside her destination.
“Hey, Rebecca!” Amanda says excitedly while opening the door.
“Hey, Amanda! Glad to see you’re in a better mood today.” Rebecca says with a smile, unaware of the blush forming on her cheeks.
“Thank you,” she giggles. “There’s a reason but I’ll tell you it once you get off work, it’s really special and important.”
“Ooh, the suspense,” Rebecca says with a sarcastic gasp, “how ever will I be able to wait that long?” she says as she hands Amanda her order.
“I don’t know, I guess you’re going to have to.” Amanda says with a teasing giggle. “I’ll see you then, bye.” Amanda is already out the door.
How does she manage to look that beautiful everyday? Deep in her train of thought, it is like she has teleported back to her job, counting down the minutes until she can see Rebecca again. Her shift ends and she races out of the store. Finally outside, she sees Rebecca closing up the bakery. She waves at her through the window and Rebecca waves back, feeling the blush return to her cheeks. After a few minutes, Rebecca steps outside and locks the door.
“So… what’s the exciting news? I’ve been thinking about it all day, it’s been killing me.” Rebecca asks, putting the key to the bakery in her pocket.
“Well… I just got a job at Agase Entertainment in Japan! Isn’t that amazing?” Amanda exclaims.
“Oh wow… that’s...amazing, Amanda, I’m really proud of you.” Rebecca's mood is very clearly deflating and her smile fades.
“Um, are you alright? I don’t mean to sound rude but, I thought you’d be happier for me.” Amanda asks with concern.
“No no, trust me, I’m very happy for you… it’s just that…”
“What is it?” she asks, her concerned tone shifting to a more worried one.
“Well, to be honest…I’ve liked you for such a long time and.. I’m worried that if you leave to Japan, you’ll forget about me and leave me behind,” Rebecca says softly, looking away from the short pale girl standing in front of her. Amanda takes a second to collect her thoughts and gently holds Rebecca’s hands, forcing her to look back at her.
“Rebecca, I love you so much. I could never leave you behind, let alone forget about you. You’re my best friend and…” Amanda pauses and takes a deep breath, “the love of my life. You’re the only girl I want and I’d love for you to come to Japan with me.”
“Oh, Amanda I’d love that- I really would, but what about my bakery?”
“We can get our own place and you can open one in Japan. I actually did some research and found out it’s way cheaper to open an establishment, especially a bakery in Japan. They’re in pretty high demand over there,” Amanda says.
“Well… okay then. I’d love to go to Japan with you.” Rebecca says smiling, the blush on her cheeks redder than ever before.”
“Really? Wow - okay, amazing.” Amanda says barely able to contain her excitement. “I’ll tell you more details tomorrow so we can work this out.”
“Okay great! Bye -”
“Oh, wait. There’s one more thing I have to tell you.”
“What is it- -” Rebecca is cut off by the feeling of cool lips on hers. She closes her eyes and basks in it until she feels them being pulled away.
“Goodnight, Rebecca.” Amanda says with a satisfied smile.
“Goodnight, Amanda.” Rebecca says, completely red in the face at this point.
A month later, the time to leave finally arrives. The girls hold hands as they sit down in their seats on the plane.
“You forget anything?” Amanda jokes.
“Hmm, let me think… nope!” Rebecca replies with a smile. Amanda giggles, resting her head on Rebecca’s shoulder as she drifts off to sleep.
A few hours later, Amanda is woken up by the feeling of the wheels of the plane hitting the ground. Yawning and rubbing her eyes, the girls grab their things and make their way off the plane and out of the airport.
After finding their taxi, the girls hop in and enjoy the ride to their new home, holding each other’s hands and stealing a few kisses on the way. 30 minutes later, they arrive and make their way into their new home. Opening the door makes them both gasp with excitement. It isn't a huge place, but it is big enough for just the two of them.
“I love you," says Amanda.
“I love you more.” Rebecca says, placing a kiss on her forehead, excited about what the future will hold for the both of them.
A year later, things are going extremely well for the girls. Amanda has become so successful at Agase Entertainment, she has been able to start her own company, Pomni Studios, after only 10 months at Agase Entertainment. Rebecca has finally opened up her dream bakery right across the street from Pomni Studios. The bakery is highly successful, and Rebecca even reads to the children and holds storytimes for them everyday.
One night, after a long day at the bakery, Rebecca finally returns home ready to knock out, oblivious to the surprise Amanda has waiting for her.
“Hey, honey I’m home -” Rebecca’s eyes widen in shock as she sees what’s in front of her; Amanda has made popcorn, baked some of Rebecca’s favorite desserts, and even had her favorite movie ready to be played.
“What’s all this? We’re not celebrating anything today, are we?” Rebecca asks.
“Nope,” Amanda stands up from the couch and puts her arms around Rebecca’s neck. “You’ve just been working so hard and I wanted to show you how proud I am by doing this,” Amanda says with a small smile.
“You’re the best.” Rebecca says, closing the gap between them with a kiss. Amanda takes her hand and leads Rebecca to the couch, letting her head rest on her lap as she turns on the movie.
About halfway through, Amanda asks her girlfriend a question, but is met with soft snores instead of an answer. Looking down at her lap, she admires the sight in front of her as she softly brushes a dark red curl out of her face and places a soft kiss on her forehead.
“Goodnight, my love,” Amanda says softly as she turns off the movie and drifts off to sleep, joining her girlfriend.