If, later in the day, Olivia and I decide to tell Lainey that she’s come to Capri, the ball will be in her court. If she wants to meet her sister, she can. If she chooses not to, that is also fine.

Our pact, along with this trip, is about the sanctity of our friendship, but it’s also about following our guts. Tyson followed his gut by breaking up with Nicole and quitting his job, and Lainey always does exactly what she pleases in whatever moment she’s in. It’s my turn now. I need to be true to myself.

I ease my way out of bed, doing my best not to disturb the sheets and blankets wrapped around Lainey. The longer she stays asleep, the more time I have to figure out what to tell her I’m doing today. I could always use Archie as my alibi, but I don’t want to overtly lie. A lie of omission feels bad enough. I have a couple of hours to figure it out.

I take a shower, then apply loads of sunscreen and a little bit of makeup. After debating what to wear, I go with a canary yellow cotton midi dress and white canvas sneakers. Just as I’m leaving the room, Lainey says my name.

I turn and smile. “Good morning!”

“Where are you off to?” she asks, her head still on the pillow.

“I was just going to get some coffee. Do you want anything?”

“That’s okay,” she says as she sits up and gives me a once-over. “Why are you dressed so cute? Are you seeing Archie today?”

“This isn’t that cute,” I say, dodging her question.

She nods, then says, “You look good.”

I thank her.

“Where’s Tyson?”

“I’m not sure. He was already gone when I woke up. Maybe he’s working out.”

“Working out?” she says. “You don’t think he’s hungover?”

“You know Tyson doesn’t really get hungover,” I say. “He always stops himself before he goes too far.”

Lainey nods, and I slip out the door before she can ask me any more questions.

—

I milk the clock for as long as I can in the hotel restaurant, drinking coffee and eating a chocolate croissant. When I finally return to the room, I find Tyson and Lainey on the balcony. They are both on their laptops, looking engrossed. I brush my teeth, then grab a small crossbody bag, gathering my credit card, my phone, and a room key.

“All right, y’all!” I call out to them on my way to the door. “I’m headed out for a bit.”

“Wait. Where are you going?” Lainey asks me.

“For a walk,” I say, my heart racing as I make nervous eye contact.

Lainey nods, then says, “I’d come with you, but I’m going to start working on my script.”

“And I’m helping her,” Tyson says.

“We can meet up with you a little later,” Lainey says. “Assuming you aren’t with Archie.”

“Sounds good!” I say, turning back around.

“Have fun!” Lainey says. “Don’t do anything we wouldn’t do!”

—

I spot Olivia the second she steps off the ferry. She is wearing chambray shorts, a white tank top, and tennis shoes, with a sweatshirt tied around her waist. Her dark hair is in a short ponytail, and her only luggage is a backpack slung over one shoulder. Her gait is strong and confident, and as she nears the top of the pier, I can tell how muscular her arms and shoulders are. She definitely looks like a professional athlete, and for a second, it almost makes me want to go lift some weights.

I watch her for a few more seconds, feeling worried again. Hopefully, this visit won’t result in an argument with Lainey.

As Olivia steps off the pier, she looks right at me but doesn’t react. Apparently, she hasn’t been stalking my Instagram the way I’ve been studying hers.

“Hi, Olivia,” I say.

“Oh, hey!” she says, smiling, switching her backpack from one shoulder to the other. It would appear by the size of her bag that she might not be planning to stay overnight—which means we’d only have a few hours before the last ferry departs for Naples. I tell myself to make the most of our time together.

“How was your trip?” I ask.

“It wasn’t too bad. Easy flight.”

“You flew?”

“Yeah. It’s, like, an eight-hour drive to Naples. I actually took a train to Genova, then flew to Naples,” she says.

“Oh my gosh! I had no idea you were going to that much trouble….”

“It’s no trouble,” she says. “It was actually very efficient.”

I smile. “Well, I’m glad you’re here. Are you hungry? Should we have lunch?”

“I’m always hungry!”

We stand there, grinning at each other for a few seconds, before we start walking down the narrow road, single file. A couple of minutes later, as we reach a stretch of shops and cafés, we cross the street to check them out. We pass by the first few options but eventually find a restaurant that feels nice. Ducking inside, I ask a lady clearing tables if they’re still serving lunch. She nods as Olivia asks her a follow-up question in Italian. The lady responds, gesturing toward the seating area.

“Do you want to eat inside or outside?” Olivia translates.

I glance around the dining area, then point to a small table in the corner right next to an open window—a compromise. “Maybe that one?”

“That works,” she says, striding over to it. She drops her backpack on the floor before taking a seat.

“Your Italian is really good,” I say, sitting across from her. “Have you picked that up in the last few weeks?”

She smiles and says no, telling me that she’s been working on it for a few months.

I tell her I’m terrible at foreign languages—that I took eight years of French and never achieved any sort of fluency.

“The trick is—don’t be embarrassed. Try whenever you can. There is no shame in trying,” she says.

I nod, thinking her advice applies to many things in life. As we review the menu, I also glance at the wine list, debating whether to have a glass. It feels a bit early in the day, especially given how much I had to drink last night.

I look back up at Olivia. “Are you going to have a glass of wine?”