Page 49 of Sixty Meters Under

Ryosuke didn’t even manage to reply, Ayame jumped to her feet and started undressing with a mischievous smile playing on her lips. “After the last time I want more.”

?

Despite the canteen’s vastness, the atmosphere was cozy that day. Clusters of balloons bobbed near the corners of the room, their cheerful colors softening the starkness of the artificial light. A handmade banner hung above the table laden with varioustreats. The rest of the room was dotted with groups of people laughing and chatting, their voices rising and falling like waves.

Two figures emerged from the doorway, pausing to take in the scene.

“Wow!” Ayame looked around, speechless.

Ryosuke also watched the scene in front of him in awe. “Wait, is this real?”

“That’s exactly what I wanted to ask,” Ayame said, stepping forward.

All the faces around them seemed happy. Some residents were hardly recognizable, dressed in their formal attire and with elegant hairstyles.

For this special occasion Ayame wore a black cocktail dress that reached just above her knees, and Ryosuke was dressed in a formal black suit.

“Where are we going to sit?” Ayame asked.

“There’s Aki.” Ryosuke pointed at the table where his sister was sitting in the company of another girl.

Ryosuke didn’t know Aki’s friend, so Aki introduced them when they sat at the table.

“Nice to meet you.” Lilien smiled and tucked a lock of her long black hair behind her ear. The dark purple shirt she wore suited her; it was a little wider and translucent around her arms giving her appearance a romantic charm.

Ryosuke looked around the room then turned to Aki. “Mom and Dad aren’t here?”

“Not yet. Mom said they would come later.”

“Did we miss anything?” Ayame added.

“No.” Aki shook her head. “They will present the cake around 19:30. You can go and grab something from the table if you want.”

“We’re a bit hungry. Yes.” Ayame nodded and they went to the table with treats.

?

The cake was huge, but it was no surprise; it had three layers with three different flavors for everyone to choose from. Once the cake cutting was over, the residents with younger children retreated to their rooms, and the residents who wished to stay longer moved to the bar.

Ryosuke, Ayame, Aki and Lilien sat down at a round table with four wooden chairs. They ordered red wine, and the waitress came back with full glasses.

“Don’t drink too much, Aki.” Ryosuke took a sip, and smugly smiled.

Aki laughed and pointed finger at him. “Haha! You better be careful, soyoudon’t end up drunk.”

Ryosuke shrugged. “I’m old enough for that.”

Ayame interjected. “Hey! We should all drink in moderation.”

“Don’t we have limited drinks?”

“I have no idea.” Ayame shrugged. “No one told us anything about it.”

“Maybe they forgot.” Aki giggled.

Ryosuke took another sip and thought that maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get a little bit drunk, to take his mind off everything for a while and numb his senses.

Soon enough the girls found interesting topics and engaged in fiery girly conversations. There weren’t topics Ryosuke enjoyed debating, so he mostly kept quiet. He focused on his drink, his gaze wandering across the bar. When he didn’t see what he was looking for his mood became dour. He downed his drink and ordered another.