Spencer woke to the angelic sound of Sakura singing in the shower. Once upon a time, that was a regular occurrence. They used to joke about how, because Sakura was a morning bird and Spencer a night owl, she didn't need an alarm clock. All she needed to start her day off right was the sound of her best friend's beautiful singing.

She couldn't have asked for a better view. They didn't have a chance to soak any of it in last night since Spencer was so tired by the time they got off the bus, but the Castro District was exactly the kind of place she imagined Sakura living. Thankfully, she wrapped herself in a blanket before stepping out onto the small balcony because the temperature was still far colder than she was used to. Her breath materialized in front of her with each rise and fall of her chest. She closed her eyes and took a few more of them quietly, allowing herself to wake up gradually with the rest of the city.

Six thirty. It was a miracle to be up that early, but she probably had the peaceful sleep from last night to thank for that. She didn't get nearly enough of it on a day-to-day basis. Work stressed her out. Family stressed her out. Her boyfriend stressed her out. Ex-boyfriend. She still had to get used to calling him that. Even though their relationship deteriorated a long time ago and had been on a slow, painful march down the road to extinction for the past year, she still counted on that label to help keep her afloat. If they were still in a relationship, they didn't have to admit defeat. They didn't have to accept they failed at tending to a relationship they once believed in. However, it didn't do much good because she spent most nights tossing and turning, desperate to stay lost in her dreams but cursed to find herself waking up right at all of the good parts.

The balcony door slid open and Sakura stepped out with a towel wrapped around her head. She took the other free chair situated amongst the potted plants and outdoor trinkets, including a ceramic toad wearing a top hat. (Spencer didn't question it.)

"Sleep alright?" she asked.

Spencer accepted the mug of jasmine tea. Some things never changed, including Sakura's morning rituals of shower and hot tea.

"You didn't need to sleep on the couch. I'm the one who sprung a surprise visit on you so last minute."

The two of them had been watching movies in Sakura's room, and then suddenly, Spencer was waking up the next morning. She didn't recall them having much of a conversation once they reached the apartment, nor did she remember a blanket being tucked around her. Thankfully, Sakura used silk pillowcases. Her hair didn't look as electrified as it did most mornings when she forgot to protect it.

"That's funny you thought I would let you sleep on the couch," Sakura scolded. She waited a few moments to let Spencer take a sip of her tea. "So, is it ridiculous of me to think you might have looked up things to do while you were here or—"

Spencer laughed. "Funny you thought I used more than a single brain cell when I booked my ticket."

"Well, you made it here so I think I would consider that an impressive output for one brain cell."

"Have you always been here? In Castro?"

Sakura shook her head. "Moved about a year and a half ago. I spent so much time coming here that it just made sense."

"And how are you liking it?"

"Best place in the whole world. Well, except for home."

"It feels very... you."

On one hand, Spencer wasn't sure if she was qualified to make that assessment anymore. On the other hand, as evidenced by the rest of the morning so far, some things truly never changed.

Sakura never had a problem being herself. Or if she did, she never let the rest of the world see it. She had a coming out moment, but she prefaced it by saying, in the most eloquent way, this is more of a formality. We all know I'm bisexual as hell. People accepted her without question, which was fortunate since that wasn't the case for everybody's experience. Spencer wondered for a long time if it was so easy for the people who loved her to do so because Sakura accepted herself in a way that left no room for anything else. What she wanted from the world, she put out into it. Or maybe that was a silly lens through which to view her coming out. Either, Spencer admired her for it. Especially when she went through a phase of testing out other labels to see what fit—bisexual, pansexual, omnisexual, oh but maybe pansexual, and then bisexual again. No matter how many detours and stops she took along the way, Sakura seemed to appreciate the journey of figuring herself out. Always one to enjoy the ride.

Off in the distance, Spencer caught a glimpse of the rainbow crosswalks. Almost every other house had some kind of pride flag hanging up. The district screamed of its pride and acceptance and love for one another, which made it so easy to feel comfortable waking up in it when Spencer was still trying to wrap her head around waking up in this new city for the first time. Day one and Spencer already felt revitalized.

"What time do you normally head to work?" Spencer asked.

Sakura had given her the spare key last night, so she figured she would have to spend most of her time exploring the city by herself, but Spencer wasn't sure about her exact work schedule. It appeared to be pretty easy to get around, so that worked in her favor. Google Maps would be her best friend. San Francisco seemed like the kind of place where one could keep walking without a specific destination in mind and eventually stumble upon something unique and interesting.

"I have to leave in thirty but it's just for today. I took the rest of the week off so I can show you around."

It was probably a little silly to play coy since she had already imposed the trip on her, but Spencer scrunched her nose. "The whole week? You didn't have to, oh my g—"

Sakura stripped the towel from her head and shook her hair out in such a smooth, hypnotic motion that Spencer looked away for no other reason than she thought she should.

"First time we've seen each other in five years and you think I'm not gonna drop everything for you? Spence, where has your head been?"

They didn't need to exchange any looks to confirm that perhaps that wasn't the best thing to say. Not that it was wrong. But there were a million other versions of that reply that would rank higher in comfort level since they had yet to unpack all of the reasons why they hadn't seen each other and spoken much at all over the last five years. They went from being best friends to occasionally liking each other's stories once in a blue moon. And none of that took into consideration how Spencer clearly didn't have her head on straight because she couldn't even stand to remain on the same island as her ex-boyfriend while she waited for him to pack his things and leave.

"There's a coffee place that's easy to get to that I really like. SPRO. I'll send you the address. They have cool lattes and stuff. Sandwiches are hit or miss, but there's plenty of stuff around here." Sakura rose to her feet. "I'll see if I can cut out early. Call you when I do? Wherever you're at, I can meet you."

Spencer nodded and made a mental note to share her location to make finding each other easier. No plan, just vibes became the new mantra of her trip. She thanked Sakura for the tea, promised that she would lock everything up before when she finally got dressed and left, and returned to her morning view of Castro.