Lyra opened her eyes and immediately wished she hadn’t.

The memory of last night came back too clearly—the way she followed him, staying close behind without saying much, keeping her eyes anywhere but on him because meeting his gaze felt like too much. The image lingered just long enough to make her stomach tighten, and she pressed both hands against her face, dragging them down slowly.

“Oh my gosh…”

She stayed there for a moment before shifting slightly, propping herself up just enough to glance toward the window. Sunlight poured through, bright and sharp, hitting her eyes harder than she expected. She squinted.

The sun was already high.

“…you’ve got to be kidding.”

A quiet groan slipped out of her as she sat up properly, pulling her knees in and resting her elbows on them. She rubbed her forehead, shaking her head once.

Nice. I overslept.

The thought didn’t help, but it didn’t leave either. After a moment, she pushed herself up. Sitting there wasn’t going to fix anything.

She walked to the door, hesitating briefly before opening it.

The deck was quiet.

Ren stood at the far end, facing the ocean, dressed in a loose white shirt and white linen pants.

He didn’t seem to notice her at first. The wind moved lightly against his shirt, the fabric shifting with it, and he stood there without doing anything else, like he had nowhere else to be. The water stretched out endlessly in front of him, sunlight reflecting across the surface in scattered flashes.

Lyra slowed for a second, then forced herself to keep moving.

Don’t think. Just walk.

She kept her eyes forward as she passed him.

“Hey, good morning.”

His voice came from behind her, calm, almost too casual for the time of day.

She almost stopped.

“Hello… good morning,” she replied quickly, managing a small smile even though he couldn’t see it, and kept walking without turning back.

She didn’t even catch that he was joking.

The words felt off the second they left her mouth, but she didn’t go back to fix them.

Ren watched her for a moment before looking away again. He let out a quiet breath, more thoughtful than annoyed.

—

Lyra walked back to her own room and closed the door behind her, leaning against it for a second before pushing herself off and heading straight into the shower.

The water helped, but not enough to clear her head completely. By the time she stepped out, wrapped in a towel, the same thoughts were still there, just quieter.

She moved to her wardrobe and looked at the outfit she had planned earlier.

A white tank. Linen pants.

She stared at it for a moment, then let out a short breath and turned away.

“Yeah… no.”

Instead, she grabbed something different—a loose brown tee with small flower prints and a pair of joggers. It wasn’t anything special, and that was exactly the point.

After drying her hair with a towel and getting dressed, she realized she was hungry, the feeling settling in more now that everything had quieted down. She didn’t want to eat the same old meal again, and the thought lingered for a moment before her mind drifted back to yesterday. The ramen. A small spark of excitement followed.

She stepped outside and looked around. The bottom deck was empty. She let out a small breath before moving on.

She headed slowly toward the kitchen, her eyes scanning the area as she walked. The moment she stepped inside, her pace picked up. She went straight to the cabinets, opening and closing them one by one, her hands moving quickly as her eyes ran over each shelf. Plates. Cups. Nothing she actually wanted. Her expression shifted with each cabinet, a slight frown forming as the disappointment built.

By the fourth, she closed it and paused, her hand lingering on the handle for a second.

Where did he even—

“Looking for something?”

She flinched slightly and turned.

Ren had walked in behind her.

“Oh—yeah, I was just looking for the bread,” she said, the words coming out a bit too quickly.

Ren leaned slightly against the counter and nodded toward the side.

“It’s right there.”

She followed his gaze and saw it immediately.

“Oh.” She let out a small laugh, reaching for it. “I guess I wasn’t really looking.”

“Clearly.”

There was a brief pause.

She took out two slices and set them down, trying to focus on something simple.

“Eating that every day doesn’t get boring?” he asked.

She shrugged. “It works.”

“For what?”

“My calories.”

He looked at her for a moment, like he was about to say something else, then didn’t.

“Wanna try ramen?” he asked instead.

She paused, her hand resting on the bread.

“The one you had the other day?”

“That was yesterday.”

“…oh.”

She shifted slightly. “Feels longer.”

“Yeah.”

Another pause settled between them.

“So where is it?” she asked.

“In my room.”

She nodded once. “Then it’s fine.”

Ren straightened.

“Stay here. I’ll go grab it.”

“Wait—”

He was already walking off.

Lyra stood there, watching him go before looking down at the counter.

Why is he being so nice?

The thought came.

A few moments later, he came back with two cups of instant ramen.

“You take a seat,” he said, setting them down. “I’ll make it.”

“No, I can—”

“I insist,” he cut in, not harsh, just firm enough to stop her.

Then, a second later, lighter, “It’s not every day I get to cook for a celebrity.”

She froze for a second, not sure how to respond.

“…then I’ll do mine, and you do yours.”

The words slipped out before she could think them through.

Ren stopped for a moment. He didn’t look at her right away, his hand pausing mid-motion before he set the cups down more carefully than he needed to. He stood there for a second longer than usual, like he was weighing whether to say something, before continuing.

Then he smiled.

“Hey… it’s really fine,” he said, turning toward the stove as he filled the kettle and set it over the gas flame. “Trust me. I make good ramen.”

She hesitated for a second before nodding.

“Okay.”

She sat down at the dining table and watched him as he moved around the kitchen. He worked without rushing, like he’d done this enough times that he didn’t need to think about it. The sound of the water heating on the stove filled the space between them, along with the faint movement of the boat beneath their feet.

She didn’t know why she said that. It didn’t come out the way she meant it.

But she didn’t think much of it.