Below Deck || C. Leclerc

iii

There was no denying that Liliana woke up the next morning with a knot in her stomach. It hadn't been easy to find sleep when she went to bed last night, but she pretended like she was in a deep slumber with Marion came into the cabin and asked if she was still awake. Liliana was usually one of the first ones to wake up. She liked the serenity of the marina as the sun rose, no one else up yet, besides her and maybe the chef and the captain.

Liliana pulled a sweater over her head and pushed her feet into a pair of slippers to get to the crew mess and prepare some coffee. She rubbed her tired eyes, already feeling her accelerated heart rate, reminding her that she would see Charles Leclerc in a few hours, his driver friends she knew so well, and that she would be stuck with him on this yacht. While the yacht is one of the largest in the marina of Monte Carlo, Liliana knew how awfully small the vessel could be when you've got nowhere else to go. She tapped on the button of the coffee machine that made her a nice cappuccino on this sunny morning, and she reached into the cabinet for a banana, which she took outside.

Liliana let out a deep breath she didn't know she was holding, and she sat down on the sun deck, where she listened to the silence as the sun rose over Monaco. If she was really honest, she was fine with seeing Pierre and Carlos again, but on the other hand, she was very afraid for what Charles would have told them. How she slept with him and then their friendship was over. What did he tell his friends? That she used him for sex, his name, and then she left? Liliana shivered at the thought, but she knew she shouldn't speculate about it too much. This week is another week of work, there is no time to catch up with old friends and chat with them as if she hadn't disappeared out of their lives completely. Liliana also assumed that they had no idea that she was working here, that she was in charge of most of the things that they had planned. Actually, there is no way that she's ready for this. But there is no time either to sit here forever. She needed to get up and get her things together, focus on doing a good job to get a good tip for the crew. Liliana picked up her banana peel and her empty mug to return to the crew mess and the kitchen.

"Bonjour, Lili," Julien greeted her, a towel swung over his shoulders as he started preparing the lunch for the guests already.

"Hi," she replied, putting her mug in the dishwasher.

"New day, new charter," the chef chirped.

"For sure," Liliana gave him a small smile. "Communicate your menu with me later?" she asked, looking at him from over her shoulder.

"Of course," Julien answered, making her nod.

Liliana went into her cabin, and she was glad that Marion was already up and having breakfast in the crew mess, because that meant that she had the bathroom for herself. She made her bed and sprawled out her white uniform, which they were obliged to wear when welcoming the guests onto the yacht. After getting some clean underwear, she hopped into the shower to wash her hair and get ready for the new guests to arrive. Time passed too slowly, especially when Liliana became eager for the first moment of seeing Charles again, just to get it over with. She dressed in some leisure wear to prevent her white clothes from getting dirty for a little while, and she went out to spend some time with her crewmates. The three stewardesses of the yacht worked together to prepare the welcome drinks, to clean the last bits of the boat.

Sophie went downstairs to continue the laundry, ensuring everything was aside in case the guests wanted anything washed, dried or steamed. Liliana felt the nerves building up, and she pulled back from being with the others. She didn't want them to see her like this, pale, nervous, with sweaty hands. Liliana took a deep breath and splashed some water on her face in the bathroom. She closed the buttons of her white shirt, she adjusted her hair and slipped into her shoes.