𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊𝐘 𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 — 𝑨𝑳𝑭𝑰𝑬 𝑩𝑼𝑻𝑻𝑳𝑬
WARNINGS — drinking, swearing, reader has a spliff at the end, awkward flirting???
author's note - i wrote this on like 3 hours sleep and cant decide if i like it or hate it actually. sort of beta-read? intended (sort of) as an intro to a series but idk!?!?!
It was the usual YoungLA party—fit people at every turn, all laughing, boozing, dancing or filming. Only this time, it was on a boat. And, honestly, it wasn't your usual YoungLA event at all, having only been signed on a month ago.
In that time, you'd been sent one ginormous package of YoungLA For Her clothing, gained another 8k followers on Instagram and been added to three new groupchats. Other than that, not much had happened, especially not anything to warn you just how extravagant this would be.
What definitely didn't help was that your Uber had taken three wrong turns directly into more traffic and made you even later than the original five minutes that you'd sacrificed to find your hotel keycard.
As soon as you stepped off the harbour in Miami and onto the yacht, almost twenty minutes late, you felt hideously overdressed, convinced yourself that your mascara was too heavy and the white eyeliner had been one step too far into the whole 'white party' theme. Simultaneously, you wanted to throw yourself overboard and go find an empty toilet where you could curl up in a ball and phone your mum.
Pathetic, you thought, suddenly remindly yourself of the promise you'd made in the mirror; you would not do pathetic today.
The relief that struck you was near heavenly, when you finally caught a glimpse of a few other girls among the masses of strong, sweaty men. After drowning your nerves with a quick complimentary glass of champagne, you approached them, a small smile on your glossed lips.
You introduced yourself and learned their names — Natalia, who had just about the sharpest cheekbones and eyeliner you'd ever seen, then Kimi, who gave you a big hug and told you to stick with her, and finally Lucy, who was already three champagne glasses in, apparently just as nervous as you.
You each backed a shot of tequila and found your way to the front of the boat, waiting for it to set off.
You chattered happily with them, giggling at their sudden realisation that you were English, offering Lucy the spare hairclips in your purse after she'd noticed the pearlescent shimmer of the two in your hair. "Of course, girl. And don't worry about nits, I've not used these ones yet."
"Nits?" Natalia tilted her head, watching as you slid a clip into the girl's thick strawberry blonde hair.
"Yeah," you nodded. "Uh.. lice? I think you call them lice over here."
"Ohh, I see," she hummed, tilting her glass of rum and coke against her lips and taking back a few quick swallows. "Nits, though? You English have weird words for things."
"Yeah, we do," you laughed softly. Drawing back to examine Lucy's hair, you beamed, "Cute!", your hand already in your purse again rummaging for your compact mirror.
She looked into the small mirror and smiled brightly, eyes flicking to yours, "Thank you."
"Of course," you waved her off with a grin, tucking the mirror back into your purse. "I'm gonna be honest, I was so scared when I first got here, but I'm so glad I found you girls,"
Kimi finally pulled her gaze away from the rippling waves below, tucking her phone into her pocket, "Me, too. There's way too much testerone here."
"Right? And someone needs to teach them which colognes actually smell good, too," Natalia laughed.
"Oh my God, literally," you puffed out a laugh, grinning and quietly thanking one of the boat crew who came around to offer you another lot of drinks. You took a sip of your champagne and leaned back against the railing, glancing around, "But I don't know, like, anyone other than you girls, so.. is there anyone to avoid, or..?"
"No, not really," Lucy said. "The boys can be obnoxious, but they don't mean any harm."
Kimi nodded at that, "Yeah, but don't be surprised if any of them hit on you."
"Oh.." your lips pulled down in a slight frown at that. "Really?"
"Well duh, babe, you're literally stunning," Natalia laughed, poking your wrist.
"Ugh, but I have, like, the worst poker face ever, and I'm terrible at shutting guys down," your frown deepened slightly before you shook your head and finished off your champagne flute.
"Don't worry, we'll keep you safe," Lucy smiled warmly.
Kimi nodded in agreement, "Mhm, exactly. But.. don't you think any of them are fit?" She was gesturing now to the rest of the boat, teeming with pumped-up gymbros who probably snorted creatine for fun.
You glanced over your shoulder, casting your gaze over the sea of perms and fake tans, your face scrunched up slightly when you looked back at the girls. "I don't know, maybe. But I've not exactly had the best history with gym rats, and.. well, I am not doing another situationship."
"I'll drink to that," Natalia laughed, necking the rest of her champagne.
"Me too!" Lucy chirped with a grin.
Two rounds of shots later, you found yourself caught between Natalia and Lucy, arms linked as you sauntered through the cabin below deck, mouths gaping at the sight of the boat's gorgeous interior, Kimi just a few strides ahead, on the phone to her boyfriend.
The three of you plopped down onto a plush couch, giggling as you watched the latter pace back and forth, talking her boyfriend through finding his car keys.
"See?" you hummed quietly. "I don't miss that."
"What?" Lucy giggled.
"Having to mother a boy," you huffed. "Like, grow up already, open your eyes and find whatever the fuck you're looking for without bothering me about it."
Natalia threw her head back and cackled at that, and Lucy stifled a loud laugh of her own, covering her mouth with her palm.
"Sorry," you giggled. "That sounded harsh. Tequila makes me bitchy."
Natalia was practically howling beside you now as he wrapped an arm around your shoulders, declaring, "Well, I love bitchy-Reader!"
"I don't think it was bitchy," Lucy mused, then. "Just true. That's why girls will always be better."
You laughed softly at that, nodded. "Well, I can't really speak to that but I trust your judgement."
"You've never been with a girl?" Natalia asked, tilting her head at you.
"Uh... no," you shook your head softly, looking down at the glistening marble floor beneath your feet. "I mean- well, no. But... I think I might've fancied a girl once. I don't know, either that or I just wanted to look like her."
"Mm," she nodded. "Hard to tell sometimes."
You gave a little nod, ran your fingers over the line of the tattoo on your forearm slowly. Releasing your lower lip from your teeth, you lifted your head, uttered, "So, you're both..?"
"I don't need a label," Natalia hummed with a shrug.
"Fair enough," you smiled, then turned to Lucy.
She offered softly, "I just like girls."
You nodded again, thought for a moment and asked, "Do you have.. partners, then?"
"Mhm," Lucy smiled brightly. "We have a cat."
"Aww," you cooed. "Can I see?" As she pulled out her phone and turned it for you to see the lockscreen, a picture of a tabby cat curled up on a sunsoaked windowsill, your eyes softened even more, a grin tugging your lips upwards, "Seriously, never let me come over because I'd steal your cat in five minutes."
She laughed at that, shaking her head, "No chance. I'd hunt you down."
"You could try," you mused with a laugh, then turned back to Natalia. "You have anyone?"
"Not officially," Natalia smirked, giving another little shrug. "Official is boring."
Another three drinks in and you found yourself pulling away from the girls, who were dancing — if it could even be called that; it was mostly flailing arms and shaking hips — on the deck, laughing softly as you retreated, moving through the boat to find a quiet spot for a while.
Your head was light and you heart a few jumps too quick as your feet carried you down a set of stairs at the very end of the ship, eyes fixed on your feet as you held the railing in a deathgrip and prayed you wouldn't fall and fly into the sea.
Stumbling off the last step, you finally pulled your gaze up to see a brunette boy eyeing you curiously.
"Uh, shhhit... I'm sorry, I didn't see you," you said quickly, turning to make for the stairs again.
"Nah, you're alright, girl," his voice come out low, steady, and, to your joy, very English-sounding. "Y'should sit, you're wobbling all over the gaff."
Giggling, your gaze followed his gesture to the seat opposite him. Pressing your lips together, you nodded and made your way over. "I promise I'm not half as drunk as I look, it's this bloody heel.." you muttered, reaching down and grabbing your foot to demonstrate the precarious state of a nearly-broken heel.
"That safe?" he mused, tilting his head to follow the sway of your foot.
You shrugged, "Probably not," and set your foot back down with a dull thud. "Sorry for nicking your hiding spot."
Chuckling, he shook his head, adjusted the side of his open linen shirt that rippled in the wind, revealing even more of his toned flesh. "Nah, just getting some.. HP and that."
"Mm," you nodded, fighting to keep your eyes on his. Your gaze had already flickered over most of his figure, lingered briefly on the curls of his hair, how his tanned skin seemed even more so against the dazzling purity of his white shirt and the glint of his thin silver chain. Even the buttons were undone.
But you were good. You didn't glance down at his abs, or his rounded shoulders, or his disgustingly thick, veiny forearms.
Just as he didn't drag his gaze over your figure, the glimpses of soft flesh under your sheer white long-sleeve, briefly counting the small moles and freckles that tracked their way up your arm alongside your tattoos.
"Yeah..." he shifted in his seat, let his eyes linger on yours then pulled them away only for them to cruise right back of their own volition. Realising he should probably say something, he huffed out a breath. "Uh, I'm.. errr.. Alfie."
You watched him for a moment, smiling at how he shifted nervously. "Hi, Alfie."
"Hi.. Uh, so... you? I mean, yours?"
"My..? Oh- yeah, I'm Reader,"
He smiled at that, the tips of his fangs flashing and brushing against his lips. "Cute." Then he blinked and shook his head swiftly, "Sorry, uh- not-"
"Thanks," you cut off his adorably panicked blur of words with a warm smile. "But.. I didn't pick it myself,"
"Huh?"
"The-"
"Oh," he tipped his head back, Adam's apple bobbing as he laughed up into the sea mist. "Fuckin' 'ell, girl."
"Yeah, that were bad," you admitted with a soft giggle, trying desperately to ignore the heat that rose up your neck when he dropped his gaze to you once more. Now it was you shifting in your seat.
The silence wasn't uncomfortable. Well, not really. It wasn't a silence that begged to be filled, though you thought that might have been due to the whirring of the engine, the crash of the waves.
Apparently Alfie disagreed; he cleared his throat, using a few fingers to gesture vaguely at your eyeliner as he murmured, "I like the... uh, the white.. liner?.. shit..."
"Thanks."
"Fits.. the theme."
"Yeah, that's.. kind of what I was going for..." you smiled, looking up from your lap, teeth sinking into your plush bottom lip. Then it came to you and you accused through a gasp, "Wait, aren't you the 'yo family' guy?"
"Oh, fuck me.." he pouted at that and you had to fight back a laugh, thinking he looked almost like a grumpy pug when he scrunched his nose up.
"I knew I recognised you," you beamed.
"Yeah, that's.. me."
You gave him another once-over and noticed the small camera tucked into his palm, eyes bulging at the sight. "Oh, shit, were you- did I interrupt-"
"No, no," he said quickly, cleared his throat and tucked it away into his pocket. "No, I was already done."
"Okay... Is it for YouTube?"
"Uh.. yeah."
"Sorry, I got nosy when I'm tipsy,"
"S'alright," he hummed, eyes pausing on your lips on their next go over your features. He shifted, looking down at his fingers, picking at the loose skin next to his thumb. "How come you're back here anyway?"
"Oh. Uhm.. just.. got a bit loud."
"Fair," he nodded.
You chewed on the side of your cheek then drew back from the table, standing slowly. "I'll.. see you later, maybe," you uttered, taking a step only for your near-knackered heel to give with a loud snap.
It wasn't pretty, you were certain, how you bent and crumbled and collapsed like a house of cards, grasping the nearest thing to keep you from being flung into the ocean.
"Fuck," you breathed, hand slipping before you got a better hold on his firm, large arm. "Shit... sorry."
He was already standing, a palm settling on your forearm and steadying you, a glint of worry in his eyes, a little wider now as he peered down at you. "You alright, girl?"
"I thought I was gonna die," you sighed, glancing out at the water, a sparkling crystal abyss, then back up at him. "Fuck..."
"C'mon, you can't be walking about in them," he said, guiding you to sit back down and bending down, tapping your ankle. You looked down at him, reluctantly pulled your foot up until it was settled on his knee, free hand holding your skirt in place.
"You.. know how to fix heels?" you uttered.
Scoffing lightly, he shook his head, "Fuck no."
His eyes stayed down, fixed on where his hands tugged on the strap of the offending heel, pulling it off your foot, before sliding your leg off his knee. His large hand wrapped around your other foot and guided it to take the previous one's place. He undid that, too, more carefully this time, undoing the small buckle and drawing the strap loose.
The heels he held gave him something to do, at least, when he lifted his eyes and they met yours. "Stay here," he said. "I'll go see if anyone has any spares."
"You don't ha-" you started, as he pulled his hand away from where it was loosely wrapped around your ankle. The flesh felt warmer there for a few moments.
"You wanna walk around barefoot, girl?"
Shaking your head softly, you mumbled, "Not really."
"Thought not. I'll be back. Promise."
Then he stood and made his way back up the stairs to the cabin. Leaving you alone, on the back end of a yacht, with no shoes, and furiously red cheeks.
"Bollocks.." you whispered to yourself, pulling out your phone to distract yourself. But the only thing that you could think to do — naturally being calling your older sister — was nigh impossible; back in England it would be stupid o'clock and she slept like a hibernating bear.
So you stuck to twirling the device in your hands, gnawing at your bottom lip as you waited.
Just as the thought crossed your mind that he might not come back, you heard someone coming down the stairs, and a soft chuckle.
Turning your head, you found him holding out a pair of white plimsoles, the type you'd wear in primary school for PE. Not only that but they seemed about five sizes too big for your feet. "Oh God.." you whispered.
"Yeah. Sorry, it's all I could find."
You pressed your lips together, glared at them for a moment before looking up at him, your eyes softening instantly. "Thank you," you uttered.
A moment passed as Alfie looked at you, a slight smirk tugging on his lips, eyes softened, creasing at the corners as you pushed your palm over your mouth, murmured against the skin, "I'm actually gonna fucking die in these."
"Nah-" Alfie sputtered out a laugh. "Look, it's sound, girl. Who's gonna look at your feet anyway?"
"Yeah... right, right... yep.."
"Okay?"
"Mhm..."
"You sure?"
"No," you scoffed quietly. "I'd rather.. jump off this bloody yachet and swim all the way home."
"Think you'd drown," he deadpanned.
You took them from him with a grimace, briefly sniffing them and smiling faintly as you heard him laugh at that. "What?" you laughed softly, looking up at him, slipping them onto your feet. "I had to check they didn't reek..."
"You're a weird one, girl," he laughed, shaking his head.
You looked down at the shoes then, the canvas material of them slightly itchy where it actually managed to make contact with your flesh. "I look like a clown," you pouted at them, glancing back up at him to find him chuckling.
"How about a drink?" he tilted his head slightly. "Think that'd help?"
"Mm... worth a try," you shrugged.
The two of you walked back to the deck and immediately to the bar, Alfie having to stifle a laugh with every quick peek he took at the sorry state of your footwear.
"The one time I can't pull an Irish goodbye and I'm stuck in... these," you murmured, dragging your feet slightly.
"Swear, girl, no one's gonna notice."
"How will they not notice?"
"Well... there's better parts of you to look at," he shrugged, instantly cringing at his own words, leaning against the bar and looking at everyone and everything but you.
Not sure what to say to that, you decided on nothing, and leaned over the bar to order a vodka RedBull. Of course, they were out of RedBull.
"Fuck... you haven't got Monster or anything else?" you asked, earning a shake of the bartender's head. "Uh.. I'll have a Jack and coke then, please."
Once your drink was in hand, you looked back up at Alfie, who was now fiddling with one of the buttons on his shirt. He looked down at you for a moment before turning his gaze away. "Didn't see you yesterday."
You were reaching for your drink when he spoke. After a quick sip, you nodded, "Yeah, I had some problems with my flight and I didn't get here till, like, ten last night, so I was too tired to even bother."
"Fair," he nodded. "It was a good one."
"Cool.."
"How are you not bare jetlagged?"
"I don't know," you shrugged, plucking a straw from the glass full of them, using it to suck up a few mouthfuls of your drink. "I'm starting to think it's a myth."
Laughing at that, he spared you another glance, eyes finding yours and clinging like a stubborn strip of velcro. Before, you hadn't been entirely certain whether they were blue or green — the back of the boat was shaded enough for either to be indistinguishable from the other — but up here it was obvious they were green. Very light, almost grey in some places, an almost-stony jade colour you'd never quite seen before.
For some reason, you liked that they were green.
"Are... they all this fancy?"
"What, the parties? Nah, not really. I, uh.. went to one in LA — that were fancy, but not really this level of fancy."
"Yeah. This boat is insane-"
You were cut off by what sounded like the squawking of geese, suddenly surrounded by the girls who flung themselves out of dancing, clearly the level of drunk you only wished you were right now.
Natalia was the first to notice. She looked straight down at your feet and pointed, "WHAT ARE THOSE?!"
"Fuck..." you whispered, cheeks flushing when the heads of half the party turned and at least four hundred eyes fell to your shoes. "Kill me now."
"What happened?" Kimi laughed, wrapping a comforting arm around you as her chin dropped onto your shoulder.
"Fucking- broke a heel, and-" you looked up to your side, where Alfie had just been, and frowned slightly to see that the strange, famous English boy had gone. "Someone grabbed them for me."
"Ooh! Who?" Lucy grinned, scanning the area quickly, peering over the bar as she giggled. "Him? Or.. him?"
"No, just.. some guy," you huffed softly. You looked down at your heel and let out a quiet whine. "Someone throw me overboard, I beg."
The rest of the party was mortifying at best. Well, it wasn't all that bad actually once you'd guzzled the rest of your drink and found a seat on the left side of the boat.
You weren't a dancer by any means, but you were drunk enough to want to, and sober enough to know that if you risked it in these shoes, you'd end up on your face in three seconds flat. So you just sat, scrolled a bit, talked with the girls, and finally watched the firework show with mild interest before the yacht was evacuated in favour of afterparties.
You booked an Uber straight back to your hotel after getting the girls' numbers, and in only ten minutes you were leaning over the balcony, smoking away your yearning to never, ever be seen in public until your head was light.
By 2 AM, you had been sucked into countless rabbit holes on TikTok and ordered an impromptu Taco Bell, and honestly, for all the bad you heard about them, a pre-roll from the nearest dispensary was maybe the highlight of your day. Only maybe.
The other maybe being meeting the cute boy who couldn't keep his eyes or hands in one place for too long and had sort of hit on you.
You finished the night with a quick carousel post on Instagram, the first being a picture you and the girls had gotten with the sunset over the rippling waves in the background, the second being the yacht in all its insane glory, and finally, a picture of your broken heel besides those hideous plimsoles, captioned 'not the smoothest sailing night but thank you so so so much @youngla 💋💋💋'
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part two
