The restaurant finally closed for the day, and before I could even sigh in relief, Aki was already bouncing with excitement.
"Alright, guys, let’s go! Hurry up!" she shouted, pumping her fists in the air.
"Wait a minute!" Ruka stumbled as she tried to catch up, nearly tripping over her own feet.
Meanwhile, Keiko, Miko, and I stood outside, waiting patiently. Well, Keiko was patient. Miko was scrolling through her phone, and I was just trying to process how I got dragged into this gathering.
"Let’s buy a cake and snacks first!" Ruka suggested once she finally caught up.
"And beer!" Miko added, her eyes lighting up.
Aki nodded in agreement. "Alright, to make this faster—since SOME people walk slower than my grandma—we’ll split into teams!"
She pointed directly at me and then Keiko. "You two go buy the cake."
I blinked. "Wait, what?"
"Me, Ruka, and Miko will get the snacks and drinks," Aki continued, ignoring my surprise. "We’ll meet back here in twenty minutes. Got it? Now, go, go, go!"
Before I could protest, she grabbed Ruka and Miko and dashed off, leaving me standing there in shock.
I felt a soft tug on my arm.
"Come on, Ryuko," Keiko said, already walking ahead. "We don’t have much time."
"Oh, right... wait up!" I hurried after her.
---
The cake shop was filled with the sweet aroma of freshly baked pastries. We scanned the display case, looking for the perfect cake.
"Don’t get anything too big," I reminded Keiko. "Cake isn’t really my favorite."
Keiko chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, I know. You’re more of a 'meat and rice' kind of person."
"Exactly," I nodded, pleased that she understood.
After a bit of deliberation, we finally settled on a simple yet elegant cake.
"Would you like a message written on it?" the staff member asked.
I glanced at Keiko. "You decide. Surprise me."
Her lips curled into a playful smile. "Alright, but don’t look while I write it."
"Fine, fine," I turned away, waiting for her to finish.
Once the cake was ready, we hurried back to the meeting place.
As soon as we arrived, Aki crossed her arms and tapped her foot dramatically.
"Finally! What took you guys so long? Were you on a date or something?" she teased.
"We weren’t late!" I defended.
Miko grinned. "Yeah, but you took longer than we did. Suspicious~"
Keiko just smiled, completely unfazed.
After another chaotic fifteen-minute walk, filled with Aki’s endless teasing and Ruka’s attempts to keep her in check, we finally arrived at my apartment.
"I'm sorry it's really small," I said, unlocking the door. "It might be a little suffocating for all five of us."
Before I could finish my sentence, they all barged in like they owned the place. Aki flopped onto my tiny couch, Miko stretched out on the floor, and Ruka peeked into my kitchen like a curious cat.
"Wow, you really do live like this," Miko commented, glancing around.
"What’s that supposed to mean?" I frowned.
Keiko, on the other hand, took a quiet seat, observing the chaos with an amused expression.
It was already 9:40 p.m., but their energy levels were still off the charts. After some effort, I finally managed to get them to settle down in a circle, snacks and drinks in the middle.
"Alright, to celebrate Ryuko’s new apartment!" Aki raised her drink.
"The night is just getting started!" Miko added.
"Cheers!" we all clinked our drinks together.
As expected, Aki immediately turned the celebration into a gossip party.
"Okay, okay, listen up," she leaned forward excitedly. "Did you guys hear what happened to our neighbor’s cat?"
"Aki, no one cares about the cat," Ruka sighed.
"I CARE!"
While they continued their nonsense, I got up to prepare the cake in the kitchen.
I opened the box and—
My heart stopped.
There, written in elegant icing, were the words:
"I love you <3!"
...What.
What the heck is this?
My entire body froze, my brain short-circuiting. I felt the world slow down, the background noise fading into a dull hum.
I hesitantly turned my head towards Keiko.
She was already looking at me.
And she was smiling.
A soft, gentle, knowing smile.
My heartbeat pounded so loudly I was afraid they could all hear it.
Was this... was this a confession?!
No, no, no, wait. Calm down. Think rationally.
Keiko—she has a daughter… with me… who was a guy. Wait, was she into girls? But she was with me! So does that mean—?!
No, no, what the heck am I even thinking right now?!
Maybe this was a joke? Maybe she was teasing me?
Or...
My face started burning.
I had no idea what to do.
And in that moment, the only thing I could hear was my own heart, thundering in my chest.