'SEE YOU MORNING' 161: Heart's Ripple — Abridged Version

Lying behind Ruth, holding her waist, her hair scattered over her shoulders and back. Lübeck kissed her neck and shoulders, one arm around her waist and hips, the other slanting across her chest to hold her shoulders and neck. Her soft body fitted against his like water, rippling with him, stirring layer upon layer of ripples in the spring waters of desire.

The white of skin and the black shadow of hair, deep and serene, gently undulated toward the shore, lapping against the solid embankment, nourishing and embracing the warm earth with her tenderness and deep feeling.

Brushing aside the shadow cast by her hair, Lübeck wanted to peer into the deepest recesses of her heart. She turned her face, and those clear, deep brownish-green eyes looking down seemed like life conceived in clear, icy spring waters.

Lübeck lifted her face, kissed her lips, held her waist and hips tight, letting his body melt into her spring ripples, breathing her breath, facing her gaze.

No! She was not Ruth, nor Brittany—she was Shizuka. Lübeck wanted to stop what should not be happening, yet he could do nothing. His body had already been submerged in the gently rippling spring waters, his senses numbed at the bottom of those deep, emerald waves.

Suddenly he opened his eyes. The night was still pitch dark, around early morning. Lübeck did not understand why he had such a dream, even feeling a bit annoyed with himself. He already had Ruth in his memory, and Brittany by his bedside—why should he sink so low?

Thinking of the work ahead in the new day, Lübeck dared not dwell too much on it. He needed to fall asleep quickly to have energy for daytime duties.

He slept again and woke around the usual time. Sitting up against the headboard, he found Brittany was not there.

Strange? He looked around the room but still didn’t see her. Now Lübeck grew a bit anxious. Pushing the door open, he went into the corridor, walked downstairs—no Brittany. He searched in the opposite direction—still no sign of her.

In his haste, Lübeck suddenly missed a step and jolted awake.

“Ah, I overslept,” he blurted instinctively.

“Yeah, you did oversleep,” said Brittany, kneeling across from him.

“Ah, I just fell in my dream,” Lübeck quickly explained, then tried to get out of bed but couldn’t move. It turned out Brittany was sitting on him. He looked left and right—he was leaning against the headboard, just like in the dream just now. Strange?

“I just helped you sit up. You overslept. I’ve already had breakfast and brought you a portion.” With that, Brittany raised a tray in front of him. The food was already cut into small pieces.

Lübeck reached for utensils, but Brittany had already speared a piece and popped it into his mouth. She was all smiles, clearly proud of her accomplishment today.

Lübeck couldn’t very well object. Better to obey than to decline; he ate each bite she fed him. But soon the little girl began to play tricks.

“Oh, watching you eat makes me want a little more, too.”

“Then go ahead and eat.”

But Brittany didn’t put the food into her own mouth. Instead, she held it between her lips and leaned over.

Lübeck had no choice but to accept it with his own mouth.

But after a moment, she grinned again, having thought of some new mischief. This time she didn’t extend the fork with the food. Smiling mischievously, she enticed Lübeck to stretch his head forward, then deliberately knocked the food off his lips—it fell onto her chest, then into the plate below.

“Oh, what a waste of jam, such a pity,” she said. Then she leaned in and licked the jam off Lübeck’s lips, and pointed at herself.

“See, there’s some here too.”

Lübeck smiled, pulled her over, and kissed her while gently sucking. He knew this was what she wanted.

After finishing that unusual breakfast, they changed into their uniforms and each headed to their posts. Before parting, Brittany grabbed Lübeck’s hand and said fiercely,

“I want you to remember me all day today.”

After kissing Brittany goodbye, Lübeck arrived at his post, listened to reports, and checked on each department. Everything was as usual.

When he settled down, Lübeck thought again of Shizuka inspecting the aircraft by herself last night. He wondered if she had finished, or if she needed any help.

Just as he was about to review the hangar surveillance footage from the night before, Brittany’s morning face appeared before his eyes. Lübeck shook his head with a private smile and dismissed the thought of checking the footage. If Shizuka truly needed help, he would handle it through official channels. Either way, it wouldn’t delay her work.

At lunchtime today, Brittany didn’t drag Lübeck all around the cafeteria as she had the previous evening, nor did they go to the officers’ mess. Instead, they ate at the soldiers’ mess according to the rotation schedule—though she still looked around for a while upon entering.

After filling their trays, they again found a quiet corner undisturbed. Lübeck glanced at Brittany and couldn’t help thinking of the morning scene.

She smiled back at him, clearly thinking of something too. Lübeck teased her,

“Going to feed me like this morning?”

Brittany pushed his shoulder, leaned close to his ear, and whispered,

“What? You want everyone to see everything?” Then she blushed, lowered her head, and ate her lunch in silence.

Lübeck fondly touched her cheek. This little girl had come to feel like family, accompanying him. He unconsciously drew closer to her, slid an arm around her waist, and stroked her thigh, eating with just one hand free.

After lunch, neither wanted to stroll near the hangar again. They went back to the biosphere on the lower deck. Bamboo groves near the entrance swayed gently in the circulating air, their light grace like the swaying figure of a woman.

Brittany had always loved this quiet place. A babbling breeze above, gurgling streams below, dense bamboo leaves filtering the light, leaving only scattered bits of gold and silver, rustling softly as they fell on her hair and shoulders.

Holding her hand as they walked along the bamboo path, it seemed time itself had stopped, lingering in this moment.

“If only we could live like this forever,” Brittany murmured softly, relaxing her step and resting her head on Lübeck’s shoulder.

“Yes,” he answered, pulling her closer. But in his heart he knew—where in the world was a fairy tale? Always so fragile. He could only hold onto the beauty of this moment, make it eternal in his heart.

With his arm around Brittany’s waist, their shared warmth, their footsteps in sync, they wound along the bamboo path. Lübeck looked ahead, peering through the dense bamboo to get his bearings—and unexpectedly caught a glimpse of a figure walking away.

He looked down at Brittany nestled against his chest. Fortunately, happiness had blinded her eyes; she only gazed silently at the path beneath her feet, staying close to the one beside her.