the  boxer  stood  with  his  sunglasses  on  ,  waiting  for  the  receptionist  to  return  .  his  room  had  been  missplaced  and  after  seeing  another  name  than  his  own  upon  the  gift  given  by  the  couple  ,  he'd  returned  to  the  reception  with  his  suitcase  and  personal  belongings  ,  a  little  annoyed  by  it  all  .  his  fingers  typed  away  on  his  phone  ,  occupying  himself  by  checking  his  instagram  messages  .  a  chaos  of  inquiries  from  known  and  unknown  .  a  sigh  escapes  as  boredom  cascades  upon  handsome  features  and  dark  brown  locks  frames  his  features  .  a  tray  of  welcome  drinks  stood  upon  the  counter  and  in  a  quick  movement  he  grabbed  a  glass  .  "  might  as  well  .  "  he  mused  more  or  less  to  himself  ,  beforing  downing  the  expensive  champagne  .

she knew he'd be here. this wedding was the talk of the century it feels like— it isn't exactly a surprise for him to attend, most likely on behalf of someone else. the normal thing to do is to pay no mind. a reminder of he's changed pesters her head, though, she chooses not to believe it. so, she makes her way, deep breath in to brace for what can happen. ❛ hey stranger, ❜ the tone in her voice is light. a small, yet soft smile graces her berry-colored lips as shares a glance with the familiar face. how long has it been... months? years? ❛ easy on the champagne tough guy, i can't be on duty today. i'm on vacation. ❜ she chuckles, mostly to herself. ❛ is that seat taken? ❜

“  did  you  say  hello  ?  ”  chocolate  hues  fixated  on  her  watercolor  book  ,  trying  to  capture  the  exact  hue  of  aegean  blue  .  finally  ,  she  looked  up  at  the  other  through  her  sunglasses  .   “  —  to  the  sea  ,  ”  pointing  at  the  crystalline  water  using  the  tip  of  her  brush  .  “  my  server  insisted  to  always  greet  the  sea  .  there's  an  etiquette  to  the  ocean  here  .  greeting  it  is  apparently  the  first  rule  .   she  remembers  those  who  dont  ...  ”  she  said  with  a  shrug  .  now  ,  luiza  wasn't  supersitious  but   there  was  something  about  old  customs  ,  especially  the  ones  that  had  survived  centuries  ,  that  she  found  difficult  to  dismiss  entirely  . 

he'd been lost in thought— working through the crossword puzzle book ins his hand. ❛ huh? ❜ noah snaps back to reality in one swift motion before raising his head to stare at the ocean before them. slightly perplexed, he still does what's expected, only because he's terrified that the sea will come after him in his sleep. ❛ do i just... say hi or something? ask how her day's been? what her plans for the afternoon are? ❜ the mere thought of it is already causing the tips of his ears to form a rosy flush. ❛ i've never greeted the.... uh, ocean before, and the last thing i want is to piss her off even more. ❜

locked   out   of   her   room   ,   key   inside   ,   forgotten   on   tousled   bed   sheets   after   spending   hours   trying   to   find   an   outfit   the   night   before   .   just   her   damn   luck   .   took   the   morning   to indulge   a   cold   plunge   ,   body   akin   to   the   nature   of   a   wet   cat   --   shivering   as   she   stands   with   a   towel   tucked   to   frame   ,   trying   to   find   someone   to   get   her   back   in   but   concierge   needs   proof   of   identity   and   her   purse   is   ,   well   ,   also   locked   away   somewhere next   to   her   key   card   . "no   ,   really   .   i   swear   with my whole fucking heart ,   it's   me   .   trust   ,   there   isn't   anyone   in   the   world   who   would   want   to   pretend   to   be   me   .   just   google   me   --   or   ,   actually   ,   don't   ."   there's   a   video   still   circling   ,   several   years   later   ,   of   her   indecency   that   since   has   not   fallen   discreet   .

she's lounging in the front lobby, nose deep into the romantasy book she'd been indulging in during the flight here. it only takes a moment, but in true rhiannon nature, her ears perk at the interaction nearby. there's a look of concern that etches her face as she feels the need to help immediately. ❛ oh my god, ❜ she gasps upon her approach (albeit, just a tad bit too exaggerated). ❛ are you like, the anastasia rowe? ❜ if there was a time she needed to showcase her acting skills from drama club her sophomore year of high school, it would be now. ❛ your outfits are everything, ❜ gushing, she turns to the worker with her phone out. ❛ after you give her a new key, do you mind taking a picture of us? ❜

"alright.  you're  going  to  be  my  savior  today,"  evelina  announces  to  the  first person  she sees,  a  bright  smile  on  the  brunette's  face.  she  loves  weddings  and  everything  that  comes  with  them.  to  say  she's  overwhelmed  would  be  an  understatement,  but  it's  in  the  best  possible  way.  there's  food,  there's  cocktails,  there's  different  kinds  of  activities.  she's  on  a  mission  to  try  everything,  or  at least attempt  to  try  everything.  "i  can't  decide  what  activity  to  do  first.  it  was  hard  enough  narrowing  down  to  two,  for  starters,  but  i  did  it.  is  it  exploring  the  gardens  or  preparing  cocktails?"  she  fists  both  her  hands,  placing  them  in  between  her  and  the  person  before  her,  playful  twinkle  to  her  eyes.  "pick  one  hand,  you'll  be  the  decider.  no  pressure!"

❛ my favorite thing to be ! ❜  rhiannon grins widely at her best friend, knowing that she's feeling like a kid in a candy store. weddings were always something the two talked about growing up— browsing through magazines and daydreaming as teenagers. now, she could only imagine what was going through the other's head. it was only a matter of time before the two of them checked off every single activity on that list. eyes trailing down to stare at the each fist that decided their fate, the female presses her lips together in thought, while knowing well enough that both would be done regardless.  ❛ my vote would definitely be on the cocktails first, ❜ she nods.  ❛ 'cause wouldn't it be nice to have a little drink in your hand while we peruse the gardens? think about it, evie. ❜

𖥻 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.  𝗒𝖺𝖼𝗁𝗍 𝗂𝗇 𝖿𝗋𝗈𝗇𝗍 𝗈𝖿 𝖾𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗍𝖾.

there's no hesitation— he reaches over for a chilled can before under-handing in to the other. even with the mindless chatter buzzing around them, he's been lost in his own thoughts, almost forgetting the person by him. nursing the beer in his own grip, his gaze falls on the sea before them. ❛ how long do you think we have until they force us to socialize? ❜  a low chuckle escapes his own lips.

♡ ZENDAYA w magazine

MANNY JACINTO Kitchen Convos with Erwan Heussaff (2025)