the ocean stirs the heart

THE GIRLFRIEND (2025) — Costumes Appreciation Olivia Cooke as Cherry Laine (Costume design by Joanna Johnston)

he pats his pockets frantically, but his search will yield empty. "shit, i– i swear i had my wallet, i– do you take apple pay? or– excuse me!" this is blessedly nowhere near the top ten most embarassing moments of his life. "could i borrow cash? i will pay you back. or buy you a couple rounds. you have serious leverage in this negotiation."

"don't look so alarmed. i don't charge interest,” a beat, "unless you make me chase you down for repayment."

enjoying  some  cold  gelato  on  the  afternoon  was  one  of  ivy's  favorite  habits.  she  would  go  for  a  little  sweet  treat  after  a  long  say  at  the  studio  and  would  just  do  some  people  watching,  her  way  to  find  inspiration  for  tattoos  and  art  in  general.  yet,  today,  it  wasn't  hitting  the  same.  “  is  it  just  me,  or  did  people  get  really  boring  ?  ”

her eyes wandered back toward the street, where a tourist paused in the middle of the walkway to frame yet another photo, "give it five minutes. someone will inevitably trip over the uneven stones trying to impress someone else." the observation arrived so matter of factly it was almost impossible to tell whether she was joking.

      from   the   corner   of   his   eye   ,   bernard   noticed   the   person   looking   ―   not   at   him   ,   but   the   brown   husky   sat   to   his   right   .   a   smile   appeared   ,   warm   and   inviting   in   his   characteristic   way   .   “   his   name's   beckham   ,   and   i   promise   behind   the   murderous   look   is   a   guy   who'd   love   some   scratches   behind   the   ears   .   ”   now   it   was   up   to   them   whether   they   would   take   advantage   of   the   indirect   permission   or   continue   to   just   look   .   “   are   you   a   dog   person   ?   ”

her fingers paused briefly as beckham leaned into the attention, “cats, on the other hand, treat affection like a negotiation. i appreciate that about them." a glance returned to bernard, composed as ever, "i take it beckham has perfected the art of convincing strangers he's terrifying before demanding attention five seconds later?"

“ so   i   have   an   idea, ”   tonio   began,   slowing   beside   them   as   the   street   market   carried   on   around   them.   “ you   know   how   those   book   club   people   have   that   little   table?   leave   a   book,   take   a   book,   kind of thing. ”   his   gaze   moved   over   the   crates   of   tomatoes,   lemons   and   greens,   the   thought   clearly   starting   to   amuse   him.   “ maybe   we   could   do   something   like   that   around   the   neighborhood.   could   be   nice,   no? ”

“if it happens, maison de luca can contribute a few books. not the beautiful ones people buy because they match their coffee table. the ones that have actually been read. i'd hate for the exchange to start off looking decorative.”

he  meandered  through  the  small  and  very  cluttered  bookstore,  shuffling  through  every  single  messy  shelf,  tucking  novel  after  novel  safely  under  his  arm  until  he  couldn't  carry  even  one  more.  his  gaze  shifted  to  the  person  standing  nearby.  “eight  books  isn't  too  many,  right  ?"  a  small quirk  of  his  lips.  “in  fact,  some  might  say  it's  not  enough  !”

another beat, quieter this time, "then again, perhaps optimism belongs in a bookstore more than anywhere else."

enjoying  some  cold  gelato  on  the  afternoon  was  one  of  ivy's  favorite  habits.  she  would  go  for  a  little  sweet  treat  after  a  long  say  at  the  studio  and  would  just  do  some  people  watching,  her  way  to  find  inspiration  for  tattoos  and  art  in  general.  yet,  today,  it  wasn't  hitting  the  same.  “  is  it  just  me,  or  did  people  get  really  boring  ?  ”

"i've been saying that," amara replied with a dramatic sigh, glancing around the piazza as if hoping someone would prove them both wrong. "where's the guy trying to propose with a mariachi band? the woman chasing a runaway hat? someone dramatically storming out of lunch?" she took another bite of her gelato before gesturing lazily toward the crowd. "everyone's just... i don't know, walking? peacefully. it's incredibly inconsiderate of them, honestly." a grin tugged at the corner of her mouth as she looked back at ivy, "come on. give it five minutes. capri always rewards patience. if nothing interesting happens, i'll make a scene myself just so we don't waste perfectly good gelato."

elodie  had  just  finished  her  last  class  for  the  day.  waving  some  clients  goodbye  as  she  bends  to  roll  her  yoga  mat.  she  feels  the  presence  of  someone,  but  it's  not  until  she  straightens  back  up  that  she  notices  the  other  standing.  “  hey.  ”  tone  is  soft  as  she  holds  the  mat  in  her  hand.  “  is  there  anything  i  can  help  you  with  ?  ”

“hopefully.” amara's smile widened, nodding toward the rolled mat in elodie's hand, “unless you've officially declared yourself off the clock.” “i'm working through lido's event calendar for next month, and your name is on my list before i finalize anything. i wanted to see if you'd be up for hosting a few event classes?” a small grin tugged at her lips, her eyes shiny and pleading, “i could've emailed, but this seemed like a much nicer way to ask.”

❛❛ the sunrise, for one. ❜❜ but of course she was going to miss that, that is part of his routine. the gentle tone rolling off his tongue with mara is another part. she'd been one of the people helping him get his footing in capri, and he's grateful she'd grown to be a constant too. ❛❛ thank you, ❜❜ he lets the cup warm his hand, knows the next round is on him. ❛❛ i told you, we should bribe the staff to make sure they keep our favorites. would've loved to see you fight, how'd that go ? ❜❜ knowing her, her definition of defense is just asking nicely. ❛❛ coincidentally enough, there was another fight. seagulls versus early picnic, guess who won. ❜❜ taking a sip of his coffee, his chin tilts to lead her attention slightly to her right, with remains of food scattered everywhere.

"i know," amara smiled over the rim of her cup. "i caught it from my apartment this morning. i just wasn't lucky enough to have your commentary to go with it." she nudged the pastry bag toward him before taking another sip of her coffee. at his comment, her eyebrows lifted in mock offense, "excuse you. i can be incredibly intimidating." she held the expression for exactly two seconds before a grin broke through. "okay... i asked nicely. but i had a backup plan." her gaze followed the tilt of his chin, landing on the trail of crumbs scattered across the promenade. one particularly smug seagull waddled away with what looked like the biggest prize of the bunch, earning an immediate laugh from her. "they're getting way too confident," she said. "i give it a week before one flies into the café and orders for itself." she looked back at him with an amused smile, "honestly? i respect the hustle. those tourists never stood a chance."

"so you're telling me i've spent the last five minutes comparing myself to people who are too busy looking at the view to notice me?" amara laughed. "honestly, that's kind of freeing." she glanced around at the crowds weaving through the street, “although now i'm curious, do you actually never people watch? because that's one of my favorite hobbies."

alana’s  face  softens  into  a  grin  the  moment  she  spots  the  iced  coffee  waiting  for  her,  dropping  onto  the  towel  beside  amara  with  a  dramatic  sigh  as  the  waves  roll  lazily  onto  the  shore  behind  them.  “  see  ?  ”  she  says,  reaching  for  the  cup  without  a  second  thought.  “  this  is  why  i  keep  you  around—  you  remember  my  coffee  order  better  than  i  do,  ”  she  bumps  her  shoulder  lightly  against  hers  before  pulling  her  sunglasses  onto  the  top  of  her  head,  already  scanning  the  coastline  with  the  familiar  excitement  that  always  seems  to  arrive  on  sundays.  “  so,  ”  she  asks,  taking  her  first  sip,  “  which  corner  of  capri  are  we  accidentally  falling  in  love  with  this  week  ?  ”

"i knew there had to be a reason." amara laughed, nudging alana's shoulder back. "here i was thinking it was my sparkling personality." "i have a route." the grin on her face gave away that she'd absolutely been thinking about it all week. "there's a café i want you to try, a little shop i stumbled into on thursday, and i promised myself i'd make someone come watch the view from the gardens with me before summer's over." she looked over at alana. "congratulations. you're my volunteer."

"You're a godsend," she sighs, grin spreading on her face. Meeting Amara had been one of the biggest blessings Shae received since popping up on the island mere days ago. "That all sounds like a dream... But I think we should start with a treat, right? Best gelato."

"now you're speaking my language," amara laughed, already turning them down a different street without a second thought. "you always start with the treat. everything else is just easier after gelato." she glanced over with an easy grin. "there's a place a few streets over that tourists somehow keep missing, which honestly works in our favor. if you're feeling adventurous, get the pistachio. if you want the full capri experience, get the lemon." she pointed ahead as they walked. "and if you somehow hate it, which i seriously doubt, i'll buy you a second one. i'm very committed to protecting my reputation as your island tour guide." another smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, "by the end of the summer you're going to have favorite spots of your own, and then i'll know i've done my job."

trying   and   clearly   failing   to   close   the   door   behind   him   quietly   .   when   she   calls   out   to   him,   his   head   dips,   amusement   hidden   poorly   behind   an   attempt   to   sound   hurt   .   “   all   these   months   and   you're   more   worried   about   your   leftovers   than   the   starving   man   in   your   place,   “   a   click   of   his   tongue   as   if   disappointed,   ”   some   host,   "   he   added,   the   amusement   in   his   tone   creeping   in   .   he   doesn't   emerge   right   away, busying himself in the kitchen he knows all too well   .   when   he   does   show   himself   he   leans  up   against   the   door   frame   to   the   room   she's   in,   usual   boyish   grin,   the   very   leftovers   she'd   just   accused   him   of   trying   to   steal in one hand and a bottle he'd picked up in monaco ( if he remembers correctly ) during his time away in the other   .                        

"unbelievable." amara looked up just in time to catch sight of him leaning against the doorway, leftovers already in hand, and laughed. "i accuse you of stealing my food and you still somehow manage to prove me right." she crossed the room, eyeing the container for a second before the bottle in his other hand caught her attention instead. "wait..." she reached for it without asking, turning it over to read the label. "okay, this almost makes up for the theft." her grin widened as she looked back at him, "monaco? should i be worried you're gonna come back all sophisticated on me?" without waiting for an answer, she grabbed two glasses from the cabinet like it was second nature, "come on. you owe me stories. i need to know if you actually behaved while you were gone... and then i'll decide whether you deserve those leftovers."

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA — 2006, dir. David Frankel

      from   the   corner   of   his   eye   ,   bernard   noticed   the   person   looking   ―   not   at   him   ,   but   the   brown   husky   sat   to   his   right   .   a   smile   appeared   ,   warm   and   inviting   in   his   characteristic   way   .   “   his   name's   beckham   ,   and   i   promise   behind   the   murderous   look   is   a   guy   who'd   love   some   scratches   behind   the   ears   .   ”   now   it   was   up   to   them   whether   they   would   take   advantage   of   the   indirect   permission   or   continue   to   just   look   .   “   are   you   a   dog   person   ?   ”

she looked back up at bernard with an easy smile. "i've always had a soft spot for huskies, though. they're basically drama queens in fur coats, and i mean that as the highest compliment."