The shuttle ride was loud—snatches of laughter, the slap of flip-flops on rubber flooring, the kind of excitement that rushes ahead of you like a tide. But Chloe felt it all in gradients.
Michelle sat beside her, legs tucked neatly beneath her, eyes half-lidded behind oversized sunglasses. Jacinta was up front, already holding court with the guys, her voice like warm sugar—dripping, intentional. Chloe scanned the group: Bernard grinned in duck-print swim trunks, Aaron angled himself toward Jacinta, and Zi Yang… chose the seat beside Jacinta too.
Zi Qing shifted beside the window, quiet. She'd packed aloe vera, extra towels, even snacks—always ready, always unseen.
Chloe leaned toward Michelle. "Still want to dive off something irresponsible and tall with me?"
Michelle smiled faintly. "If you promise not to chicken out."
💦Lagoon Wild
The park sprawled in color—turquoise pools, looping slides, snack shacks shaped like pineapples. The air smelled like salt and sunscreen and wild laughter.
At the locker station, Bernard nudged Chloe. "I brought courage and mismatched socks."
"Are the ducks a metaphor?"
"Existentially, yes. Mostly, they're just rubber birds."
They hit Tsunami Drop first—a vertical freefall slide that made your bones hum. At the bottom, drenched and breathless, Chloe found herself laughing like she hadn't in days.
Bernard flopped beside her on the pool deck. "You shrieked like a tragic soprano."
"I shrieked like someone whose soul briefly evacuated."
Their eyes met—no heat, just buoyancy.
🌬 Threads Beneath the Surface
Michelle didn't join the slides. She lounged beneath a shaded cabana, sipping something cold, feet propped with quiet grace. Zi Qian was nearby, always. He passed her a towel without being asked, listened when she spoke softly about the mint garden back at the house.
Jacinta floated past them in the lazy river, toes skimming the surface, voice trailing toward Zi Yang as she talked about "strategic emotional branding." Chloe noticed the way Zi Yang nodded, eyes no longer searching for her.
A stitch tugged beneath her ribs.
Nearby, Zi Qing sat stiffly on a flamingo float—smiling politely but clearly adrift. Chloe swam over, bumped her float gently.
"You're not lost. You're just... floating dramatically."
Zi Qing flushed. "I don't know who to talk to."
Chloe pulled their floats together. "Then talk to me."
They drifted for a while—quiet, gentle. The sun layered everything in light.
🍹 Poolside Pulse
Later, at the smoothie bar, Chloe watched Jacinta hold three guys' attention with a single laugh. Aaron nearly dropped his drink trying to impress her. Bernard waved from across the pool, duck float in tow.
Zi Yang stood behind Jacinta, strangely still.
Michelle appeared beside Chloe with two cold juices. "You're collecting strays today."
Chloe shrugged, smiling. "Strays deserve better days."
Michelle's fingers brushed Chloe's wrist—brief but grounding.
"She's magnetic," Chloe said, nodding toward Jacinta.
Michelle took a slow sip. "So are black holes."
💫 Golden Hour
As the sun dipped, the group migrated to the splash zone where jets of water erupted unpredictably. Chloe ran straight into one, yelping. Michelle chased her with a bucket. Bernard howled with laughter.
They collapsed, soaked and tangled, Chloe's head resting on Michelle's thigh.
"I missed your laugh," Michelle murmured, brushing wet strands from Chloe's face.
"I missed earning it," Chloe whispered.
Michelle leaned down, touched their foreheads together.
"Stay noisy," she said.
And Chloe understood: noise could mean presence. Movement. Life.
They stayed like that as the sky turned bruised and golden, skin damp, hearts open, Jacinta's laughter ringing somewhere distant—and suddenly, far less urgent.
🍽 Group Dinner – Beneath the Surface
The sun had finally surrendered to the sea, and the theme park restaurant glowed with string lights tangled like constellations. The air was thick with chlorine, the scent of grilled seafood, and something else—less tangible, more personal.
Everyone gathered around the long wooden table. Sand still clung to ankles. Michelle wore an oversized hoodie, sleeves tugged over her hands. Chloe settled beside her, shoulder brushing gently. Bernard sat across from them, smiling between bites of chili crab, oblivious to the tension stretching between gazes.
Zi Yang laughed a little louder than usual—his eyes drifting toward Jacinta, who swirled her drink with performative elegance. Aaron leaned in as she spoke, nodding like a student who wanted extra credit.
Zi Qian passed dishes to Michelle first, always. His loyalty wore quiet colors, and Chloe wondered if Michelle even saw the way he looked at her when she wasn't paying attention.
Zi Qing tried to joke about her sunburn, but her voice was small, and the laughter didn't carry. Chloe caught it like a loose balloon, responding warmly and pulling her gently into the rhythm of the table.
But the rhythm was broken.
Michelle barely touched her food. Jacinta stole glances toward Chloe between bites, her smile lacquered in curiosity. Bernard asked Chloe what her favorite water ride had been, but Michelle's fingers tensed under the table.
Small silences. Missing eye contact. Forks scraping porcelain.
When dessert arrived, a coconut pudding shared between three plates, Chloe leaned into Michelle just enough to feel resistance. She whispered:
"Want to step out?"
Michelle shook her head, almost imperceptibly. "I'm fine," she murmured. But her tone was taut—like music stretched to the edge of its melody.
Across the table, Jacinta raised her glass and said, "To new beginnings."
Everyone lifted their drinks, smiling.
But Chloe just watched Michelle from the corner of her eye—
And Michelle watched Jacinta.
And the pudding melted quietly in the center of the table.