Chapter Text
Lucy stood at the bow of the yacht, the wind tangling her hair as the turquoise waters of the Aegean Sea stretched endlessly before her. The sun blazed high in the sky, its warmth radiating across the open water. She closed her eyes for a moment, letting the salty breeze wash over her face. The sound of the waves crashing against the hull was soothing, yet the restlessness within her seemed to churn in time with the ocean.
Behind her, Jess’s voice cut through the moment, her tone sharper than glitter in your eye under stage lights.
“We’re dropping out of that interview.”
Lucy turned around in time to see Zoe ask, “Why?”
Jess stood in the doorway between the cabin and the deck, one foot still inside, the other just outside, nails tapping a steady rhythm as she typed. Her phone screen glowed inches from her freckled nose. Her brown hair, still damp from the dip earlier, was pulled back in a messy ponytail.
“The questions they sent? It’s all about Lucy’s high-profile breakup—asking whether she’s dating anyone now, if she's 'moving on.' It's all such bullshit.” Her words were clipped, each one like a crack of thunder.
Lucy’s stomach tightened. She kept her face turned to the horizon, focusing on the water rather than the conversation. It wasn’t like she didn’t get it. Jess was pissed at the attention the breakup was getting instead of the album, but the way Jess made it sound—like it was all just some inconvenience—didn’t sit right. They’d barely spoken about it at all apart from discussing the headlines.
“We have to do some publicity,” Lucy said flatly, though her voice was quieter than she’d meant it to be. “We have an album coming out, we can’t just hide away just because the questions aren’t perfect,” she turned around to look at Zoe for some support.
Zoe, sitting cross-legged on a plush deck chair with a cocktail in one hand and a dog-eared book in the other, glanced between the two of them uncertainly. The sun hit her blonde hair just right, making it look almost translucent as it cascaded over her shoulders. She squinted slightly against the glare, adjusting her oversized sunglasses. “Right, we can just talk about the music, and not give them anything else.”
Jess scoffed. “Come on, who gives a damn about music when there’s a juicy headline? ‘Lucy Darling’s Heartbreak’ is more important than anything we’ve worked on for the last year.”
Lucy could feel Jess’s eyes on her, waiting for some reaction. But she refused to give one. It wasn’t like it mattered anyway. Josh had dumped her two weeks ago and the buzz had not died down. God, she knew he sucked. It was a relief, really—they had nothing in common and Lucy had known it for some time. But she hadn’t told the girls this. There was a time she couldn’t have imagined not telling her best friends about something like this.
But she couldn’t. It was one thing to date an idiot for way longer than you should. It was another to get dumped by said idiot. Though, of course, no one knew he had dumped her.
“I think we should just forget the whole thing,” Jess continued, her voice dripping with frustration. “If they can’t talk to us about the music, then forget it. I’m sick of it.”
Lucy clenched her jaw, her grip tightening on the railing in front of her. She could hear the irritation in Jess’s voice, but it wasn’t about the interview anymore. It was about something else.
Jess was mad at her .
Lucy turned slowly, her gaze landing on Jess, who was standing a few feet away, still looking at her phone. “Oh, I’m sorry my private life is inconvenient to you. Next time, I’ll try to time my relationships around your schedule.”
Before Jess could reply, Zoe stepped in, her sandals scraping against the teak deck as she walked toward Lucy. She rested a hand lightly on her shoulder, the cool glass of her cocktail pressing against her skin. “Alright, listen. I know it’s all a lot right now.” Her voice was softer, as though she were trying to smooth over the growing tension. “But let’s just—just enjoy the yacht for now. The cocktails, the sun. We’re here for a reason, right? To relax?”
Jess shot a quick look at Zoe, then back at Lucy. Her gaze was still full of frustration, but now it was laced with something else, something more like hurt. “Fine,” she muttered. “But I swear, I’m not doing any more interviews like that.”
Lucy nodded absently, but she could feel her insides twisting. She didn’t want to go through it with Jess. She didn’t want to keep rehashing the same old problems. Her relationships were short and ended badly, the press was all over whoever was seen with her, and every time, Jess was annoyed as if Lucy did it on purpose. As if her depressing love life was some scheme concocted just to spite her friends. It wasn’t always like this—there was a time when Jess would have been the first to defend her, the first to remind her that people didn’t know the whole story. But now, it felt like every time something went wrong, Jess was the first to get angry at her.
Zoe sighed, breaking the silence. She shifted her weight in the chair, crossing her legs, her maxi dress flowing lazily around her ankles. “Look, we’ll go to the spa later. Get some quiet time. Maybe get some snacks and watch a romcom?”
Lucy didn’t answer. She could feel the tension in every muscle, every breath. She wanted to get away from here.
From Jess. From Zoe. From the damn album, the press, and everything else that had piled up in the past weeks, in the past years.
Lucy didn’t want a break, didn’t want to sit back and sip cocktails. She wanted the truth to be out in the open, wanted her friends to stop pretending like everything was fine. She wanted Jess to stop treating her like a fucking inconvenience.
The wind howled as if it too was angry, and Lucy felt her pulse quicken. She wanted to scream, to say something, but she kept quiet, knowing it wouldn’t change anything.
She kept her eyes on the horizon, feeling the rising unease in the air. The wind had shifted, and the sky, once so clear, was beginning to darken.
Clouds were gathering a few miles away—heavy, ominous, as if the storm that had been brewing between them was only just getting started. The yacht rocked beneath her, and for a second, she thought maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if the whole thing just tipped over, taking her away from this mess.