Erik Stevens crashes an annual Spring Break pilgrimage among a large group of friends where he meets Renata Gilliam, a big beautiful social media influencer with an inner confidence that she's too shy to express outwardly among her close friends.
R...
"Early late at night I wander off into a land You can go, but you mustn't tell a soul There's a world inside Where dreamers meet each other Once you go it's hard to come back Let me paint your canvas as you dance
Dance in the trees Paint mysteries The magnificent droid plays there Your magic mind Makes love to mine I think I'm in love, angel
Take me back to Wondaland I gotta get back to Wondaland..."
Janelle Monae – "Wondaland"
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Renata sat alone in the basement.
Erik's bed was cool and she could smell his scent on her skin.
After cleaning herself up in the bathroom, she slipped on her shorts and pulled on her bikini tank top. She grabbed some clean sheets and changed the damp ones on the hideaway. Throwing the soiled coverings into the washing machine in the corner, she walked out of the basement in search of Erik.
He wasn't on any of the three floors of the house, nor was he out on any of the decks. She exited the back of the house and couldn't find him outside either. Something made her look out at the water past the dock. The moon was waning and she crept along the dock worried that maybe he could've fallen in the water. He had weed and liquor in his system and she wanted to make sure he hadn't hit his head or anything and could be floating. Why her mind leaped to that scenario was beyond her, but it did make her anxious to find him. She was already feeling embarrassed about what Celeste said to her. That Renata had made Erik feel some things he probably didn't want any part of.
Gazing out at the water, she wished she had brought the little pocket flashlight that she kept in her purse. She could hear the sound of the pontoon boat gently rocking against the dock where it was tied down. Maybe he went running. Or maybe he took the keys to one of the minivans and went for a drive. But he had left the basement barefoot. Maybe he was sitting in front of the house.
