Below Deck || C. Leclerc

xii

The past

It was early. Liliana didn't even bother to give people friendly looks. It was too early for that. She crossed the road and entered the marina of Monte Carlo. A group of people were waiting at the entrance. Of course, I'm the last person to arrive. The grumpy look on her face made room for a friendly smile.

"Bonjour, Liliana," Pascale, the mother of Charles, smiled. She gave the young woman two kisses on her cheek.

The five other people turned around, facing Liliana as well. Charles had invited her on joining his family on a boat day. The two brothers of Charles; Lorenzo and Arthur, brought their girlfriends. And then there was of course Pascale. They were with seven people now. Everyone greeted Liliana and they made their way towards their vessel.

"For how long have you been standing there?" Liliana quietly asked Charles, they were walking behind the group.

He looked at his phone. "Five minutes or something," he said.

"Okay. Well, I wanted to start the day with a cappuccino, but I ran out of milk. So I went to the Coffee Corner, new barista and fucked up my order," she muttered.

"Awh, poor you," he teasingly smiled. "We also have coffee onboard."

"Brilliant," she said. "Not gonna lie, I'm just so... Confused? I don't know if that is the right word. But anyway, it's insane that the city turned back into a normal city within a day. And one week ago you raced here. Now it's just a city again. With racing details."

He adored her enthusiasm, and that was probably what he needed now. It was like it softened his pain a bit. "Yeah, it's insane. Long live the guys from logistics."

"Amazing work. Anyway, thanks for inviting me."

"No problem, Lili."

"How are you doing?"

"Uh, yeah. Sylvie and I broke up."

Liliana stopped walking. "What?" It made Charles turn around. "Why? When?" Her tote bag fell off her shoulder, making it drop to the ground. It probably looked more dramatic than it should have. "Fuck," she mumbled and grabbed her bag from the ground.

"Last week," Charles answered one of her questions. "Before she left for Italy again."

She pressed her lips into a thin line and looked down. "I'm sorry."

"We will talk on the yacht. We have to leave," he breathed. "But not in too much depth, because today is for fun."

Liliana walked to Charles again and they continued making their way to the vessel. "Are you okay?" Her voice was soft, caring.

He shrugged. "I saw it coming and I was prepared for it, but it's... It still hurts."

"Yeah..."

Charles and Liliana were the last ones to get on the vessel. Liliana stepped on the yacht and looked around. This was the first time she saw his yacht. And boi, it is expensive. It was a small yacht compared to the yachts she used to work on, but it was a yacht. Charles noticed the admiration on her face when she looked around. It made him smile, she was passionate about this.

Everyone went to the lounge, except Lorenzo and Liliana. She dropped her stuff and had a look around the vessel, taking in all the lines and checking what everything looked like. Her eyes travelled over the marina, a few vessels were already leaving, but it didn't look too busy.

Lorenzo noticed the careful observation. "Liliana," he said. The woman looked up and shared a questionable look while walking towards him. He gave her some documents, and he remembered Charles saying that she was a yachtie. "Short briefing?" A smile curved on her face. "We will be leaving in fifteen, so let's prep. You work at the Yacht Club, right?"