. one night/all night

[Deleted]

DRINK 1

Cleo orders a round of strawberry mojitos, quelling any fears she had of it being too early in the day as the bartender nodded to her request like it was nothing. Surely drinking mojitos at 10am on a Wednesday was par for the course on vacation? Somehow, the caveat of the mojitos being strawberry made it feel more chaste, like it was more akin to a smoothie than a cocktail. She takes the tray with the expertise of someone who has long worked in the service industry, moving quickly and lithely through crowds to place it down on the table surrounded by her swimwear-clad friends. "To Cabo!" she shouts, holding her glass up to be cheers'd by the expectant crowd.

[lily mccarthy]

DRINK ONE The sun's a welcome heat against exposed skin, Lily's fingers twirling the straw of her chilled drink back and forth before a smile tips onto her lips. Trying to push past the numbness and fresh sting of a very public rejection, coupled with the uphill battle of proving her worth in friendship, Lily cheers along with the crowd and takes a big swig then another, open to an incoming buzz as she pushes her large sunglasses higher up the bridge of her nose. “To a much needed getaway, fresh starts and even fresher tequila,” she adds to those around her, squeezing Cleo's arm in gratitude that she'd wrangled everyone together and stayed true to her word, even through the rockiness of where they stood. Understanding any further sentiments might be too soon she merely taps her cup against Cleo's again in another cheers, the chilly slush sending a rush down her spine as she draws in another sip.

[theo lovett]

DRINK ONE Stood with his phone angled away from prying eyes, Theo swipes up on his own Instagram story, a shirtless (of course) selfie in the hotel room mirror. Hundreds of viewers with a strong percentage of hearts and fire emojis, but his clear blue eyes scan the list determinedly for one name, chewing his cheek as he progresses further and the chance of it appearing becomes less and less likely. No luck. Sighing, Cleo returns with a tray of drinks and he forces a smile, taking one and joining in the toast. There's an atmosphere between the girls that he can't quite pinpoint, but he's used to being out of the loop with them these days. "I'm so glad we're all here." It's genuine, and he grins down at Lily in particular, "especially you, little miss superstar. Thanks for making time for the little people."

[elyse condon]

DRINK ONE ELLIE A shot glass is placed in Elyse's hand as she's sat off to the side, talking with a random stranger beside them. It removes her from the conversation and gives her the time again to focus on her dear friends. Cabo was a fun surprise, an overdue moment for the Korea town gang. The look is eager on Cleo's face as she nods her head towards the dangerous liquid that sat patiently in her right hand. Ellie gives her a wink and lifts her glass into the air, making a point to clink her glasses with Theo and Lily, as Cleo was already a given. Things were off..definitely from their usual closeness and throwing Theo in, made Ellie's skin crawl. The pair were gently, rekindling their friendship, one would say. Ellie's lips greet the glass and the alcohol soon warms her throat. She closes her eyes, feeling the sunshine and smelling the air that wasn't Los Angeles. She smiles before she speaks, "Starting out the trip strong! And with our favorite, tequila!" Her lips curve around the straw of the strawberry beverage in her other hand. "We needed this!! All of us." Ellie is brave enough to look at Theo now.

[theo lovett]

DRINK TWO Another mojito seems to miraculously manifest in front of him, and Theo asks no questions as he takes a long sip. Cleo has bounded off to make friends with randoms and he would usually be doing just the same, though there’s unresolved tension and he wants to nip it in the bud. “Ellie, can we have a quick chat?” He grins, hearing himself. “I sound like I’m on Love Island… can I pull you for a quick chat by the fire pit?” He slips into a comically bad Essex accent, tilting his head to gesture that they should step away from the group. Not that anyone seems to be paying much attention.

[lily mccarthy]

DRINK TWO “Oh, well, y'know,” Lily demurs when Theo shifts his recognition to her, sitting up further in her lounge chair. “Sometimes I need to be brought back down to Earth.” It's as vague of a callout about her lack of involvement in their friend group lately as she's willing to give in the moment, eyes trailing Cleo as she promptly runs down to the beach bar. So much for easy reconciliation. Sighing under her breath, Lily clicks her phone open then closed, uninterested in the notifications that plague it as a chilled tequila shot is passed her way. She barely blinks as she takes it, chasing it with the half melted mojito still held in her other palm before settling back to watch her friends carry on, content to not be a center of attention for a little while.

[elyse condon]

DRINK TWO ELLIE The sun felt extra warm in Cabo and Ellie closed her eyes, feeling it especially on her face. She opened her eyes to see Cleo bouncing off to the lounge chairs, greeting the people who’d chosen the spots next to the chairs they’d saved. Elyse knew her friend well enough to know she really didn’t want to speak about the tension between the three girls. Speaking of awkward, Ellie felt surprised to hear Theo request to speak to her, alone. She was mid-sip of her drink when he asked the question, so she gave herself an extra long slurp and nodded her head. “Oh alright,” she chuckled at his horrible attempt of an accent. They were off by themselves now, which probably was the smart choice if they were to hash this out. “Are you okay?” She’s quick to ask, knowing that was in fact a loaded question.

[theo lovett]

DRINK TWO They separate from the group and immediately Theo is touched by her question. He knows he’s wronged her, that he’s left things negatively, but here she is, asking if he’s okay. A surge of affection takes hold and before he can stop himself he slings an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in to himself and kissing the top of her head, the smell of coconut sunscreen mingling with her familiar perfume. “I love you, Ellie Belly. Can you forgive me for being a total asshole? You should know it had nothing to do with you, so I’m sorry I dragged you into it.”

[elyse condon]

DRINK TWO ELLIE It's the softening of his features that settles Ellie, followed by the immediate pull of his arms around her. She leans into Theo's embrace and smiles more as he kisses the top of her head. "Thank you." She's always been so quick to forgive him, even if this time was the worst of all. "No more being an asshole, okay?" Her manicured finger, presses firmly into his warm, shirtless chest. She tightens her arms around him, giggling, when she suddenly feels a coldness liquid drip down the fingers that were holding her strawberry mojito. "Ugh, sorry!" She sees the liquid that's spilled from the drink down her arm and slightly on Theo's. She brushes it off, slightly loving being able to touch him so openly again. "I think that means I have to get another, right?" Ellie feels curious eyes on their interactions and she lifts up her now half empty cup to Lily and Cleo.

[theo lovett]

DRINK TWO Far from drunk but also not entirely sober, the intimacy of the moment gets the best of him. It’s been so long since he had been so physically close with Elyse, and the fact that she was indulging his physical affection now makes as encouraging to the point of bad influence. His eyes spanned her body, her perfect hourglass curves poured into a bikini, objectively the best body he’d ever seen in his life. Her drink spills but he ignores that, relishing the feeling of her manicured finger into his defined chest. “You can have whatever you want.”

[cora wolfe]

DRINK ONE If there's anything Cora's ready for, it's the head rush of partying that lay before them as her toes finally touch the sand. One quick nap on the plane and an even quicker mimosa later, all she could feel was the genuine appeal of the company before her, taking a running leap before she jumped on Freddie's back, Tate and Olivia trailing in their wake. "Giddyup, Beaumont," she chimes, blonde hair whipping in the cooling wind before she could start making out the strangers mingling across the beach. And less than strangers, the familiar features of hookups' past manifesting in her peripheral. Her slender hand extends, mimicking a lasso as they draw closer to Theo and who she'd guess were his friends, slim eyebrow raising at his proximity with a bombshell brunette. "Oh come on Theo, the party can't be over already - next round's on me!"

[elyse condon]

DRINK TWO ELLIE This was dangerous, she thought to herself. Their close proximity, the lingering touches, Ellie felt that little bit of chemistry that always surged between the two of them. His eyes scan over her body that's she's incredibly proud of and she doesn't miss the lower octave of his voice when he murmurs that she could have whatever she wants. "Oh, is that so?" She cocks an eyebrow as the words slip out so effortlessly, their flirting banter was back and strong once more. It's then that a gorgeous blonde, that Cleo had informed Ellie of from their previous time in Mexico was Cora. Alongside  was the the rest of her posse, making their arrival on the beach. Ellie smiles and feels herself take a few steps back from Theo. "I'm going to go see Cleo, she'll want to partake!" She squeezes his arm as she begins to walk away and towards the umbrellas where her last Cleo spotting was.

[theo lovett]

DRINK ONE The promise of the fun to come is making for a charged atmosphere, and Ellie's receptiveness to his flirtations sends his pulse rate rocketing. Not even Cleo, who has glanced over and seen their closeness and shot him a death stare for it, can dampen his mood. However the spell is soon broken, a familiar voice ringing out behind him and causing Elyse to step back. Theo grins as he turns to the blonde, slipping an arm around her tiny waist and giving her a squeeze. "Hello trouble," he says, openly checking her out before turning to her friends with a wave. "Hey, good to see you again. Nice to meet you, I'm Theo, let me round up the troops for some intros."

[lily mccarthy]

DRINK TWO Lily does her best to try to relax, a sometimes unfathomable concept in her rampant mind. Trying to quell any paranoia that she'd be spotted, or someone was after her for a comment, or if Zac was even texting her...out of sight, out of mind, she had to remind herself. Instead she trails her darkened gaze to the closing proximity of Theo and Elyse, eyebrows shooting up in question until they unravel to welcome the incoming friend group. Oh, she thinks softly, recognizing Aisha's brother when they finally cleared the distance. Only ever polite, Lily unfolds from her chair and wades down to the larger group, pushing her sunglasses up on her head and easing a smile their direction. “Lily,” she offers in greeting, eyes finding Tate's quietly. “Good to see you, Tate.”

[freddie beaumont]

DRINK ONE FREDDIE Freddie welcomes Cora’s petite body on his back as they join the rest of the group. There were many promises from the gorgeous blonde and his best friend that this group would have a lot of fun. He shoves his phone into his pocket, awaiting the text from Jane on when she landed in Cabo. Cora hops off his back to approach a guy with much familiarity, that he assumes must be Theo. Freddie shamelessly checks out the brunette girl that was just speaking with the supposed Theo. “Well, she was hot as fuck.” He nudges Tate as he finishes watching her walk away. “Hey man, I’m Freddie. Nice to meet you,” he extends his hand as another brunette approaches and speaks to Tate.