YOU’VE LOST THAT LOVIN’ FEELIN’
Sienna
The ocean doesn’t soothe me.
That’s supposed to be the cliché, right? That the sound of the waves and the smell of salt in the air washes everything clean. That walking barefoot in the sand is grounding. That the horizon reminds you how small your problems really are.
Not today.
The tide churns like my insides, and every step I take feels like I’m dragging my broken heart behind me. I don’t even know how far I’ve walked.
Just me. Just the image of Brett with Jake burned into the back of my eyes. Jake’s hand tangled in Brett’s shirt. That kiss. So desperate. So real. The kind you don’t fake.
The kind of kiss that saysthis isn’t the first time, and it won’t be the last.
I press a hand to my stomach as I walk, trying to breathe through the tightness in my chest. I didn’t even know I was hoping for anything until that hope got ripped out by the root. Stupid. So stupid.
I meant nothing to him. Or maybe I was just a placeholder. A temporary fix for something that was never really mine to begin with.
Ahead, a burst of laughter cuts through the wind. I almost turn back, but it’s too late. They’ve already seen me.
Ariel waves. She looks like a beach goddess, barefoot and radiant. Standing next to her is her mother, Cheryl, and Jazz, her best friend from Alabama.
And then there’s Evangeline. Composed, as always. Though she’s looking a little green around the gills.
A small wedding arch is set up, the only sign of what’s to come. It's simple but elegant—light wood anchored in the sand, draped with soft ivory fabric that ripples with the breeze. A few fresh blooms are tucked into the corners—white roses, maybe, or something softer, more coastal. It stands alone against the backdrop of the sea.
“Hey!” Ariel jogs toward me. “Sienna, wait up!”
I try to smile. I really do. But I’m not sure it lands.
“I’ve been looking for you and Emily,” she says, brushing her hair out of her face. Then she scrutinizes me further. “Are you okay?”
I hesitate.
No.
I’m not.
But this is her moment. She doesn’t need my baggage dragging behind it like a cloud.
The people near the wedding arch are smiling and laughing. All except Evangeline. I like her, but I’m not sure she knows how to laugh.
Ariel is glowing in that way only people who are truly, deeply loved seem to glow. It’s painful to look at.
I’m sure I look like a sewer rat next to her. No one deeply loves me.
Back to being the fucking wallflower.
“Sienna?”
Right. She asked if I was okay.
Not even slightly.
“I’m fine,” I say, forcing a smile. “Just needed to walk it off.”
Ariel studies me. She doesn’t push, but the look in her eyes says she doesn’t buy it either.
