In the present-day storyline, Poppy sits through a Friday pitch meeting at Rest + Relaxation and realizes how badly her creative spark has faded. Where she once arrived with pages of specific, excited travel ideas, she now has only vague country names and no real plan. When Swapna Bakshi-Highsmith asks for her summer feature pitch, Poppy can only offer weak suggestions, and Swapna's reaction makes it clear that Poppy is no longer performing like the inspired travel writer she used to be.

As the meeting continues, coworkers throw out destinations like Amsterdam, Cozumel, Las Vegas, and Santorini, but Poppy contributes almost nothing. Swapna still looks to Poppy as the person who should deliver the magazine's big, original travel story, which increases the pressure on her. Poppy buys herself time by promising to keep brainstorming over the weekend, but internally she knows the problem is deeper than one missed pitch: travel itself no longer excites her the way it once did.

Later, over rosé with her best friend Rachel Krohn, Poppy tries to explain why choosing a destination suddenly feels impossible. Rachel first treats the problem practically, arguing that a travel journalist with a company budget should have no trouble finding inspiration, but Poppy pushes past that and voices a more serious fear. She admits that she worked hard for exactly this life and got it, yet she is not happy. The glamorous parts of her job still look impressive from the outside, but the anticipation, possibility, and joy she once felt before trips have vanished.

Rachel helps Poppy identify the emotional cause of the problem. Rachel argues that Poppy used to be driven by hunger and purpose, and now that she has achieved her long-term career goals, she feels empty rather than fulfilled. Rachel advises Poppy to look for happiness by retracing her steps to the last time she truly felt it. Poppy instantly knows the answer: two years earlier in Croatia, when she was with Alex Nilsen. That realization matters because Poppy also admits that she and Alex have not spoken since, linking her present unhappiness to a broken relationship she has not yet confronted.