Do i… go casual?

A white t-shirt was held in one of his hands.

His eyes narrowed.

Fuck... what is this, a date or something? 

He let out a small breath.

Or did she just want to return the favour?

Ren was... overthinking.

Well, she's super famous. Someone like her wouldn't ask me out, right?

Ren's mind was wandering everywhere but the actual problem they were facing—shortage of food. Half of the seafood supply had gone bad. Ren had already cooked the last bit of salmon. All that was left to eat was cereal, eggs, some vegetables, fruits, rice, pasta, and—

“Bread!”

Lyra screamed in the kitchen. It was too early for her to be there.

“What the hell am I supposed to do with a bunch of nothing and bread?”

She scratched her head.

” Ughh, I regret asking for an all-seafood menu!”

In hindsight, she wasn’t entirely pleased with herself. 

Fine... I’ll just deal with what I have.

That thought had a bit of conviction. Rare.

“Inky, Pinky, Ponky, Boo.”

Ren’s finger pointed a black fitted shirt. Beside it were a white fitted shirt and a plain white t-shirt.

“Fine, I guess I’ll deal with what I have,” Ren said out loud.

Both of them had their own problems to deal with.

—

Thinking back, she didn’t really mention when to come...

Ren muttered to himself while looking out the window. It was getting dark, and he was getting impatient.

Lyra, on the other hand, was flipping the bread over and over again.

“Jeez, what’s going on? I’ve done this a thousand times!”

She stared at her burnt toast. She grabbed it and threw it in the bin—which already had four more burnt slices.

“I’m gonna empty this whole bag at this rate,” she murmured.

—

Ren exhaled.

“Fine. I’ll just get ready now.”

He slipped into the black fitted shirt and white formal pants, slid into his slippers, and headed to the kitchen, where he assumed dinner was happening.

He opened the door.

And there she was—Lyra Veyne.

In white pajamas this time.

Still looking elegant.

Lyra was startled by his sudden appearance.

“Oh—you’re here! Have a seat, please.”

Ren felt a bit embarrassed, but followed anyway.

Please don’t notice it...

Ren prayed to whatever God was left in that world.

Please...

“It seems like you really dressed up for the occasion!”

...

“Oh—yes! It’s a dinner after all,” Ren said with a nervous laugh, trying to hold his ground.

Kill me.

“True, but it’s not like we’re with a lot of people. It’s just us,” Lyra countered.

Kill me.

“It’s not the number of people that matters—it’s the occasion,” Ren bounced back quickly.

Kill me.

“Being stranded on a yacht somewhere in the middle of nowhere… is that your special occasion?” Lyra pressed, her tone turning more serious.

Shit... she actually makes sense... 

“I mean, who gets to experience this? So yeah, it is special, in a way,” Ren defended himself, not letting the momentum slip.

Okay... that was a good one Ren! 

“It is,” she admitted, then followed up without missing a beat, “but it’s a shame you’re all dressed up and have nothing fancy to eat…”

Kill m—wait, what!?

Ren froze.

With his own eyes, he watched Lyra place two pieces of bread onto a plate. Then the same on another. A small bowl followed—her special sauce from the morning.

She served him.

Kill me.

Ren had the urge to kill himself for the fourth time that night.

“I’m sorry... I didn’t really know what to do with the vegetables,” Lyra said in a softer tone.

“I-it’s fine, truly,” Ren replied quickly, recovering. “I don’t eat vegetables anyway.”

A lie.

“Oh really? Then I guess it’s fine,” Lyra said, relieved, easing back from the tension. “Let’s dig in.”

She looked... excited.

Over a piece of bread.

Ren couldn’t help but stare.

Are you not rich?

He was genuinely confused.

Just what kind of life have you been living?

It didn’t add up. From day one, she didn’t act like someone privileged.

“The bread is really nice,” Ren said, taking a bite. “It’s crunchy… good texture.”

“Yes, that’s what toast is supposed to taste like,” she replied, casually brushing it off.

“Well... I appreciate the thought anyway,” Ren added, softening his tone.

“Thank you—for the meal earlier.”

“No worries at all. Too bad we’re out of meat, though. Otherwise I would’ve cooked something better.”

“Hey... what are we going to eat tomorrow?” she asked, her expression shifting slightly.

“I’ll make egg sandwiches,” Ren replied.

“Do you think... they’ll find us?”

“They will. The world would go crazy if Lyra Veyne went missing.”

“That is true... my agency would rush to find me just to clear any controversy.”

“Then we don’t have much to worry about. Let’s focus on saving food for as long as we can. Thank God we have solar panels.”

“Yeah.”

The conversation slowed after that.

Neither of them said much.

They just ate.

—

The plates were empty before either of them really noticed.

Lyra stayed seated for a moment, her fingers lightly resting against the edge of the table.

Ren leaned back slightly, glancing at her—just for a second—before looking away.

It wasn’t awkward.

Just... quiet.

After a while, Lyra stood up.

“I’ll clean this.”

“Yeah.”

She took the plates and walked off.

Ren stayed seated for a moment. 

Then-

"Hey" 

She stopped. 

"you wanna... go out for a bit?"