Chapter 37 – Scarlett's POV: A Beach Day
It was our second day in seaside Florida, and today's plan was simple and relaxing : beach time.
I stood in front of the mirror in myhotel room, wearing my classic black bikini.
Jason leaned against the doorframe and raised an eyebrow. "Black. Again what a surprise?"
I turned slightly, hands on hips. "Yes, again."
He chuckled. "You ever wear colors? You know, other than that red dress—which you still call burgundy it was obviously red."
I rolled my eyes. "I'm loyal to the dark side, and it was burgundy not red !."
At that moment, Julia barged in, holding a bright pink bikini. She grinned and held it toward me. "You do now. Try this."
I stared at the pastel barbie coded nightmare she was offering. "Absolutely not."
Jason smirked. "It's an order."
Before I could protest, they both teamed up to push me into the bathroom. Five minutes later, I emerged in the colorful bikini, grumbling. Meanwhile, Miss Sunshine herself had changed into a yellow one-piece swimsuit with a daisy printed over the chest. She looked like summer personified. Total opposite of me.
We made our way to Seaside Beach. The sun was out, the waves sparkled, and for a moment, I let myself relax. We laughed, splashed in the water, threw seaweed at each other—like three kids on a real vacation.
Later, we sprawled out on the sand to sunbathe.
Julia sighed, her arms behind her head. "God, thank you, Jason. I needed this after everything."
He smiled. "You're welcome, Julia."
I nodded. "Yeah… I kinda love it here."
Jason turned to me, brushing a hand against my cheek. "Seeing you smile like this makes me feel lucky."
He kissed me softly.
"Ugh," Julia groaned, tossing a handful of sand our way. "Keep it PG. There's a single lady suffering here."
Jason grinned. "Sorry, Miss Single."
julia : "It's Miss Chandelier now. Because clearly, I'm just here to hold the light while you two shine."
I burst out laughing.
But then… something strange happened.
A loud whoosh broke through the air.
We looked up just in time to see a parachute spiraling down, off-course—heading straight for us.
"Run!" Jason shouted. He grabbed my arm and pulled me back just in time.
But Julia was still sitting in her spot, frozen.
The parachute slammed down—and tangled right on top of her.
I screamed, "Julia!"
Jason rushed toward her. Lying in the sand was Julia, wide-eyed and stunned, with a tall, blond guy tangled with the parachute ropes right on top of her.
"Are you okay?!" the guy asked.
Julia's voice was sharp. "I will be… if you get off of me!"
He scrambled up, brushing sand off his shirt. "Sorry! I'm Eliot. That landing wasn't planned."
Julia sat up slowly. "No kidding. You nearly killed me."
He looked around, scratching his head. "To be fair… you guys are sitting in the parachute landing zone."
We turned to check, and sure enough—a sign just behind us read: 'CAUTION – Parachute Drop Zone.' That explained why no one else was lounging on this side of the beach.
Julia muttered, "Figures…"
Eliot smiled. "Look, let me make it up to you. I'm throwing a beach party tonight. You should come."
Julia started, "No, I—"
"Yes! She'd love to," I cut in, beaming. "Here, I'll give you her number."
Julia waved her hands frantically. "What the hell are you doing?!"
Ignoring her, I handed him the digits. Eliot gave us a wink and jogged off with a grin.
I turned to her and smirked. "Well, what did you say yesterday ? Maybe your soulmate would drop from the sky."
Jason laughed. "Literally."
Julia groaned and buried her face in her hands.
Me? I just smiled.
Even I needed this break—a little sunlight in my dark, tangled story.
But soon, very soon… I'd be back on track.
Because some people still needed to be taken down.