Five summers earlier on Sanibel Island, Poppy lies awake on the last rainy night of the trip and mentally rewinds the week, trying to isolate one fleeting moment that now feels important. The storm outside mirrors her restless effort to understand what shifted between her and Alex.

As Poppy replays the vacation, she remembers the stormy beaches, a sleepy Twilight Zone marathon, and a seafood dinner where Alex finally explains how Sarah ended their relationship. Sarah told Alex that dating him was as exciting as the library where they met, then left for a yoga retreat, and Poppy’s joking offer to key Sarah’s car shows both her loyalty to Alex and the intensity of her feelings.

Poppy then remembers their night at BAR, where she comes out of the bathroom, sees Alex alone at the bar reading, and feels overwhelmed by love even before she can name it. After they run through the rain to the car and return to the bungalow, Alex asks to take a picture together, surprises Poppy with the flash early, and they laugh over how awful the photo is.

Right after that photo, Alex casually says that next year they should go somewhere cold, and Poppy agrees. In that ordinary pause as they look at each other, Poppy has the terrifying thought that she is in love with Alex. She immediately tries to dismiss the idea as dangerous and possibly untrue, but the chapter ends with her recognizing that the feeling has already marked her.