A Table for Three

Kanae wondered if she should have followed Ayaka’s lead. Her salad suddenly looked far less appealing than Ayaka’s salmon and vegetables. The longer Ayaka took to choose a seat, the more the thought gnawed at her.

Ayaka was not sure why she was being so picky about where to sit, but she found herself drifting away from every open spot. Then Kaito sat down at a table in front of her, and she rushed over without thinking.

The two figure skaters settled across from the swimmer, comparing meals. The difference felt absurd; in their minds, athletes were not supposed to eat that much, or at least that was what their coaches had drilled into them.

Once the initial shock faded, Ayaka gave a small wave. “Hayasaka-san,” she said with a sweet smile.

Kaito returned the smile with a slight bow. “Fujimoto-san.” He showed no sign of feeling intruded upon.

Kanae nudged Ayaka under the table and tilted her head toward Kaito with an inquisitive look. Ayaka shot her a warning glance, silently reassuring her they were only friends.

“Have you met Mori-san?” Ayaka asked, presenting her friend with an open palm.

Kaito shook his head as he chewed, waiting until he swallowed to answer. “I’ve seen her with you a couple of times, but we’ve never actually met.”

Kanae smiled. “Oh, so you’ve been watching her from a distance.”

Ayaka jabbed her hard enough to make her bend in pain. Kanae turned toward her, only to find Ayaka shaking her head. Ayaka mouthed, careful, he is shy.

Kanae turned back just in time to see Kaito looking flustered, and she finally understood what Ayaka meant.

“No, I mean,” he fumbled, “I just noticed you with her, that’s all.”

Not wanting to make things more awkward, Kanae dipped her head in a small apologetic bow. “I see.” Then she quietly returned to her food.

“How does it feel to be back at practice for so long?” Ayaka asked, wearing the expression of someone who desperately wanted to steal that energy for herself.

“The water is like a sanctuary for me,” Kaito said without looking up from his meal. “I feel like I’ve found my place again.”

He must have been more frustrated with his injury than he ever let on; Ayaka had not expected such a long answer from him.

“How much longer until you can practice again?” he continued, surprising both girls with his sudden talkativeness.

Ayaka leaned back with a dramatic groan. “Two more months of this.”

Kaito finally looked up at her, as if wondering whether it had been wrong to bring it up at all. Kanae felt her friend’s frustration and shot her a supportive look that said, you’ve got this.

“I’ve got another meeting with Morita-sensei after this,” Ayaka said, sensing his mood shift. “Maybe I can receive good news then.”

She sank back into her chair and continued eating. The others followed her lead, and they ate in silence for a while.

Ayaka finished her meal and gave a satisfying tap on her tummy. She grabbed her plate as she stood, and Kanae followed her.

“Good luck with your practices, Hayasaka-san,” she said before walking away.

“Good luck with Morita-sensei,” he responded, lifting his head long enough to watch her walk away.

His friends, who had been sitting at a nearby table, rushed to claim the seats the two figure skaters had left behind.

Kanae bumped against Ayaka on the way to Morita’s office. She gave her the I want the gossip smile they usually exchanged when trading information about other people.

“It is really nothing. He is just very shy,” Ayaka said with the ease of someone who believed she was completely innocent. “We’ve bumped into each other a few times at the medical facility.”

Ayaka bumped her back and laughed.

“Sorry, nothing there yet.”

“Yet,” Kanae pounced. “I feel like that’s the key word here.”

Ayaka sighed. “Well, I think you should get to practice.”

“Why?” Kanae suddenly felt like she was being pushed away.

Ayaka pointed at Morita’s door and widened her eyes. Kanae followed her gaze, realized where they were, and stepped back sheepishly.

“Practice,” she muttered.

They waved to each other as Ayaka entered the office. The vigor Kanae had shown while searching for gossip left her as she turned toward practice.

“Morita sensei! Don’t you think it is unfair that Kaito can practice and I can’t?” she said, launching straight into the playful pressure routine she had perfected just for him.

“Close the door behind you, Fujimoto-san, and we’ll see what we can do about that.” Morita had long since stopped trying to resist her antics.

Ayaka turned to close the door, excitement bubbling up even though she knew the news was not going to change overnight. At least he had not started by dampening the mood.

Kaito knew why he was sitting on the bench outside Morita’s office; he just was not sure what had given him the courage to do it. He found himself staring blankly at the door, not thinking about anything at all.

When it finally opened, he straightened instinctively. Ayaka stepped out slowly, her back still turned toward him. His doubts grew to near panic at the sight.

“I expect better results next time, sensei,” she said, her playful nature spilling into places Kaito could never imagine himself going.

She turned and froze for a heartbeat when she saw him sitting there. Panic fluttered through him. He still could not lie, but he was not brave enough to tell the truth either.

“I was checking on someone,” he blurted as she gave him yet another smile.

“I know. Me.” Ayaka had no shame in anything she did, a confidence he had come to both admire and envy.

He stood and fell into step beside her, and together they started down the hall.

“No change, I take it,” Kaito said, regaining a bit of composure.

Ayaka lifted her foot and twisted it as if inspecting the boot, then continued walking with a disappointed sigh. There was no miracle, of course.

“Technically good news. I am still on track for recovery,” she said with a shrug. “I was just hoping for a miracle.”

Kaito could not imagine three months. His own two-week wait had felt like an eternity — no team, no support, no sanctuary in the water. For her, he guessed, the ice was that sanctuary.

“I’m tired of the same views,” Ayaka admitted. “Maybe I’ll go watch your practices.”

Kaito answered before he could think. “You would be welcome.”

Ayaka laughed. “I was joking. Too many cannibals there.”

Kaito nodded; he wished they would go back to their own tribe and leave his alone.

“Oh. Maybe I can get you into a closed practice,” he offered, wanting to be useful to the person who had saved him more than once.

“I would like that,” Ayaka said softly.

They continued down the hallway, trading small talk; each feeling quite unexpectedly that they had found a new safe place in the world.