Chapter 98

Later that evening, Celeste pulls back into Naomi’s driveway.

The house lights glow warm against the darkening sky, and through the tall windows she can already see movement inside.

Rowan opens the door before Celeste even knocks.

“You came back,” Rowan says with a small smile.

Celeste shrugs lightly. “Told you I would.”

Rowan steps aside to let her in. Naomi is in the living room, curled into the corner of the couch with her laptop open and a blanket across her legs. She looks up the moment Celeste walks in.

“There she is,” Naomi says, closing the laptop and setting it aside.

Celeste walks over and drops down onto the couch beside them, leaning back with a quiet exhale.

For a moment, none of them say anything. It’s comfortable—the kind of silence that only happens when everyone feels at ease.

Rowan breaks it first.

“So… can we talk about something for a minute?”

Naomi glances between the two of them. “That sounds serious.”

“Not serious-serious,” Rowan says quickly. “Just… something I’ve been thinking about.”

Celeste sits forward slightly. “Okay.”

Rowan looks at Naomi first. “You start.”

Naomi sighs softly, rubbing the back of her neck.

“Okay, well… I was thinking earlier,” she begins. “And I realized something.”

Rowan and Celeste both look at her.

“Rowan and I have been doing a lot of alone time together lately,” Naomi says honestly. “And I feel like maybe you’ve been left out a little.”

Celeste’s eyebrows lift in mild surprise.

“I don’t feel any type of way about it,” Celeste says calmly. “But I see where you’re coming from.”

Naomi tilts her head. “You sure?”

Celeste nods. “Yeah. I know you’re just trying to get to know Rowan more.”

Rowan watches them both carefully.

Celeste continues, voice relaxed. “But I do think we should start doing more things together. Not just sitting in the house.”

Naomi leans back slightly. “Like what?”

Celeste shrugs with a small smile.

“How about we take a weekend getaway? Just the three of us. Actually spend time together outside the house.”

Rowan’s face lights up immediately. “I like that idea.”

Naomi nods quickly. “Yes. I’m down.”

She sits up a little straighter.

“Where should we go though?”

Rowan thinks for a second, then grins.

“How about something tropical?”

Naomi raises an eyebrow. “Tropical how?”

Rowan spreads her hands. “Like… beach, clear water, no stress.”

Celeste leans back into the couch. “I’m listening.”

Rowan smirks.

“What if we do one of those water bungalows?”

Naomi’s eyes widen slightly. “Over the ocean?”

Rowan nods. “Exactly.”

Celeste lets out a low whistle. “Okay… now we’re talking.”

Naomi laughs softly. “I love this plan already.”

She grabs her phone instinctively.

“Alright,” she says, already pulling up travel sites. “Let’s see what’s available.”

Rowan leans closer to look at the screen while Celeste stretches her arm along the back of the couch behind them.

“Maldives?” Naomi suggests.

Celeste chuckles. “You always start big.”

Rowan laughs. “Why not?”

Naomi shrugs. “If we’re doing it, we’re doing it right.”

The three of them lean together over the phone, scrolling through photos of turquoise water and glass bungalows floating over the sea.

Rowan points at one. “That one.”

Celeste nods approvingly. “Yeah… that looks dangerous.”

Naomi smiles.

“Perfect,” she says.

The week flies by faster than any of them expect.

Filming. Meetings. Naomi juggling calls between shoots. Rowan and Celeste finishing the last few scenes the director insisted on squeezing in before the weekend.

Before they know it—Friday night turns into Saturday morning.

And suddenly the trip is real.

Naomi’s living room looks like a stylish travel disaster.

Suitcases sit open on the floor. A pair of sunglasses rests on the kitchen island next to a stack of travel documents. Rowan’s duffel bag is halfway zipped on the couch, clothes slightly spilling out where she clearly tried to pack quickly.

Naomi is in the kitchen double-checking something on her phone while leaning against the counter, dressed comfortably in loose travel clothes and white sneakers.

Rowan sits cross-legged on the couch, trying to shove one more thing into her bag.

And in the center of the room—

Celeste stands like a drill sergeant.

Hands on her hips.

Surveying the chaos.

She claps her hands once.

“Alright!”

Both Naomi and Rowan look up.

“Everyone have everything they need?” Celeste calls out loudly.

Rowan groans immediately, dropping back against the couch cushions.

“You sound like a camp counselor.”

Celeste ignores the comment completely.

“Passports?”

Naomi lifts hers in the air from the kitchen without even looking up from her phone.

“Check.”

Rowan digs through her bag, muttering while moving clothes around.

“Where did I—oh. Found it.”

She holds it up.

“Check.”

Celeste nods approvingly, pacing slowly across the room like she’s inspecting troops before deployment.

“IDs?”

Naomi raises hers again. “Check.”

Rowan salutes with hers dramatically. “Check.”

Celeste narrows her eyes at both of them.

“Bathing suits?”

Naomi finally looks up from the kitchen island and slowly turns her head toward Rowan.

Her lips curl into a mischievous smile.

“Definitely check.”

Rowan laughs and lifts both hands.

“Check check.”

Celeste raises one eyebrow.

“And by bathing suits,” she says slowly, “I mean actual bathing suits… not Naomi’s version of swimwear.”

Naomi gasps dramatically, pressing a hand to her chest.

“Excuse you.”

Rowan bursts out laughing.

Celeste points between them.

“I know you two. I’m just making sure we don’t get kicked out of an entire resort.”

Naomi walks into the living room and drops onto the couch beside Rowan, nudging her shoulder.

“Relax, mom,” she teases. “Everything is packed.”

Celeste gestures toward the luggage stacked neatly near the front door.

“Good. Because the driver will be here in ten minutes.”

Rowan leans back against the couch cushions and exhales slowly, staring up at the ceiling for a moment.

“God… I can’t believe we’re actually doing this.”

Naomi glances at her with a small smile.

“Water bungalow,” she reminds her.

Rowan grins instantly.

Celeste grabs her own suitcase and sets it beside the others.

“Three days,” she says calmly. “No film crew. No interviews. No scripts.”

Naomi stands and stretches her arms over her head, rolling her shoulders.

“And no responsibilities.”

Rowan smirks from the couch.

“Except not falling into the ocean.”

Naomi waves a dismissive hand.

“Speak for yourself.”

Celeste laughs quietly under her breath.

“Someone is definitely falling into the water before this trip is over.”

Naomi points at Rowan.

“My money’s on her.”

Rowan sits up immediately.

“Wow. Betrayal.”

Celeste grabs Rowan’s bag and tosses it gently toward the door.

“Up,” she says. “Vacation time.”

Just then headlights sweep across the driveway outside.

The three of them glance toward the window as a black SUV rolls up slowly.

Naomi peeks through the blinds.

“That’s our ride.”

Rowan jumps up from the couch and grabs her bag.

Celeste lifts the larger suitcases easily and heads for the door.

Naomi flips off the lights in the living room as they step out into the warm morning air.

The driver opens the back of the SUV for them while Celeste loads the bags.

Rowan climbs in first, sliding across the seat.

Naomi follows, settling beside her.

Celeste gets in last, closing the door behind them.

The car pulls out of the driveway and onto the quiet street as the sun continues to rise over the city.

For once—

None of them are thinking about filming schedules.

Or meetings.

Or anything waiting back home.

Because for the next few days, the only thing they have planned…

Is the ocean.

And each other.