Between Journeys

BETWEEN JOURNEYS

She never meant to fall for a married man.

It's 1989 in Amsterdam. Vivika—twenty-four, freshly graduated from hotel school in the Swiss Alps—meets a British naval captain at a ship reception she almost didn't attend. One kiss changes everything.

James becomes her North Star. Steady, soulful, the man who talks her through Jordanian sandstorms and makes sacred objects wearable with boot laces and brandy. Love as a foundation.

Then she meets Salim.

General. Empire-builder. Husband to someone else. The man who calls himself Ali Baba and opens caves she didn't know existed. Midnight calls from separate bedrooms. Frankincense and impossible wanting. Oud and sin. Love as wildfire.

His wife gets family dinners. Vivika gets hotel rooms and silence.

For twenty years, she has built a career in luxury hospitality—Amsterdam to London, Dubai to Abu Dhabi, Oman and back again. Other people's comfort. Other people's journeys. Her own life? That's harder to navigate.

Through it all, James remains her anchor. Through it all, Salim remains her fire. And through it all, the P***y Posse—Annie, Hélène, Priss—hold the line. Friends who know when to speak and when to stay silent. Who show up. Who stay.

But kettles always scream. Lids always lift. And when the pressure becomes unbearable—when Salim's calls fall silent and James can no longer be what she needs—Vivika faces the question she's been avoiding:

What if the love you need isn't the one that consumes you or completes you, but the one you build with yourself?