As we waited for our food, the conversation drifted toward life and the future. Riza twirled a lock of her blue hair around her finger absentmindedly as she spoke, her cerulean eyes focused somewhere past me.
"Honestly, I don't think ship life is for me anymore," she admitted, her tone unusually serious. "Once this rotation ends, I'm thinking of not re-enlisting."
I blinked, caught off guard. "Really? Why?"
She sighed, resting her chin in her hand. "There's no one for me here. I mean, eight years on this ship, and I've barely seen or done anything beyond these metal walls. I haven't even been to another planet. It feels like I've wasted so much time."
I leaned back, nodding slowly. Her words hit closer to home than I cared to admit. "I get it," I said after a pause. "Life on a ship can feel… stagnant. It's like no matter how many decks and activities they cram in here, you're still just floating through space, waiting for your rotation to end."
She tilted her head toward me, her expression softening. "Have you thought about getting out?"
"Sometimes," I admitted, swirling my drink with my straw. "But I haven't made up my mind yet. I guess it feels easier to stay than figure out what's next."
We sat in comfortable silence for a moment, the weight of the conversation lingering between us. Then, as if sensing the mood had grown too heavy, Riza grinned. "Well, that's future-us's problem. Let's focus on today. What should we do after we eat? It'll still be hours before the movie."
Just as I opened my mouth to answer, the door slid open, and our waitress waltzed in with her usual cheer. This time, her tray carried our meals, and her mischievous smile was already locked and loaded.
"Here we are! Two Vesuvio al Ragù di Salsiccia, extra sauce and mozzarella as requested," she announced, placing the steaming plates before us. Then, she paused dramatically, looking between us with a twinkle in her eye. "You know, I just realized—your orders match so perfectly. You're like two peas in a pod."
Both Riza and I froze, exchanging nervous glances. The waitress continued unabated, picking up on our flustered reactions. "Aww, it's so sweet when couples know each other's tastes so well. I bet you even finish each other's sentences."
"W-we're not a couple!" Riza stammered, stabbing at her pasta with her fork.
The waitress pressed a hand to her chest in mock surprise. "Oh, my apologies! My mistake. It's just that you two look like such a perfect match." Her grin widened as she turned toward the door. "Enjoy your meals, lovebirds."
The door hissed shut behind her, leaving us both red-faced and speechless. After a moment, Riza broke the silence with a soft groan. "She's relentless."
I chuckled despite myself. "Yeah, but she's not wrong. We did order the same thing."
Riza shot me a glare, but her lips quirked upward in a reluctant smile. "Don't encourage her."
As we ate, the conversation turned back to lighter topics. Riza eventually suggested heading to my quarters, closer to the theatrical deck, to kill time before the movie. "We could play a game or something," she said, twirling her fork. "At least it'd be productive—well, more productive than throwing money at rides and games we've already done."
"Sounds good to me," I said with a shrug. "Let's do it."
Her face lit up with a smile so genuine it caught me off guard. "Great!"
Just as we finished our meals, the door opened again, and the waitress returned, this time with two fresh glasses of strawberry milk tea on her tray. She set them down with her usual flourish, but to our surprise, she didn't say a word.
Riza raised an eyebrow, glancing at the waitress cautiously. "No teasing this time?"
The waitress smiled, tucking her tray under her arm. "Oh, I wouldn't dream of it. You two have had enough of my mischief for one night. Now, would you like dessert?"
We both nodded, still on edge. She took our order—a strawberry cheesecake for me and a six-layer fruit parfait for Riza—and left without a single jab.
"That was… unexpected," Riza said, eyeing the closed door warily.
"Right? I was bracing myself for another ambush," I admitted, sipping my drink.
When the waitress returned with our desserts, we had let our guards down completely. "One strawberry cheesecake for the gentleman," she said sweetly, placing it in front of me, "and a sextuple-layered fruit parfait for his gorgeous lover."
Both of us froze mid-breath, our expressions a mix of shock and embarrassment. The waitress's grin was wider than ever. "Oh, dear! Did I say something wrong?" she asked, feigning innocence as she gathered our empty plates. "You two are just so adorable, I must have gotten confused again. My apologies!"
She turned to leave but paused at the door, throwing one last playful remark over her shoulder. "Don't take too long, now. Parfaits and cheesecakes can melt pret-ty quickly."
The door closed with a soft hiss, leaving us both staring at our desserts in awkward silence. Finally, Riza broke the tension.
"Hey," she said timidly, poking at her parfait with her spoon. "There's nothing wrong with eating a six-layer parfait, right?"
I glanced up at her and smiled. "Of course not. It's basically just yogurt and fruit. You're good."
Her face softened, and for a brief moment, our eyes met. "Thanks," she said quietly, taking another bite. "You know, I'm really glad we did this."
"Me too," I replied, setting my fork down. "Wanna try some of the cheesecake?"
Her eyes lit up, her excitement breaking through her shyness. "Oh my god, yes! I was hoping you'd offer. Want to try the parfait?"
We exchanged bites of our desserts, leaning across the table to feed each other with exaggerated care. Just as I pulled back, fork in hand, disaster struck.
The door to the booth slid open with a soft hiss, and there she was—our waitress. Her timing was impeccable, or rather, disastrous. She stopped mid-step, the receipt she was holding fluttering slightly in her hand as she stared at us, her eyes wide with mock astonishment.
"Oh. My. God!" she exclaimed, freezing in place before her expression morphed into a delighted grin. "You two are SO cute! Sharing bites? That's straight out of a romance holo!"
Neither of us could move, let alone respond. I was still holding out my fork, while Riza sat frozen, spoon still held out across the table as well, her cheeks a bright shade of pink. We were caught red-handed—or in this case, red-faced—and there was no way to explain ourselves.
The waitress took a slow step forward, her grin widening as she soaked in the scene. "I mean, honestly, could you be more obvious? This is adorable."
Riza finally tried to speak, but all that came out was a strangled, "It's not—"
"Nope," the waitress interrupted, raising her hand. "Don't even try. You can't talk your way out of this one. I mean, look at you!" She gestured animatedly at us. "The way you're leaning toward each other, feeding each other desserts like it's a holo drama? Chef's kiss. Perfect."
I cleared my throat, setting the fork down carefully, but my voice betrayed me as I stumbled over my words. "W-we were just—"
"Sharing? I know." She winked, cutting me off again. "Listen, you don't need to explain. This is a judgment-free zone, and I fully support this adorable love story."
Riza, her face now the color of ripe strawberries, let out a nervous laugh and quickly busied herself with her parfait. I followed suit, pretending to focus intently on my cheesecake as if it held the secrets of the universe.
The waitress chuckled, shaking her head as she placed the receipt on the table. "Well, I'll leave you two lovebirds to your desserts. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." With one last knowing grin, she slipped out of the booth, the door hissing shut behind her.
For a moment, we just sat there in silence, staring at the table, neither of us daring to look up.
"Well," I finally said, breaking the tension. "I think it's safe to say she's never letting this go."
Riza groaned, covering her face with her hands. "I can't believe this is happening."
"You have to admit," I said with a smirk, "she's got a point. That was a pretty bad look for us."
She peeked at me through her fingers, her cheeks still red but a small smile creeping onto her lips. "Next time, you're sitting on this side of the booth."
"Deal," I said with a laugh, digging back into my cheesecake. "Though something tells me that won't stop her."
Riza let out a defeated sigh, but her laughter soon joined mine, filling the booth as we finished our desserts and tried to ignore the fact that we'd just handed the waitress enough teasing material to last a lifetime.