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You can hardly breathe on the ride home from Casa Amor in the van, which smelled like a strange concoction of all the girls’ respective perfumes. It feels as if your lungs are tied up, poring in and out of the rope wrapped around it. The rope only tightens with every passing field as you think back to your final moments at the villa.
“If you left the villa, I’d probably walk right out of here with you,” Bobby had said. His words pranced through your mind a few times, but your thoughts are abruptly interrupted by Priya’s worried mention of the video.
“Of course, I can’t imagine how worried MC has to be,” Priya was saying. She tossed you a sympathetically heartbroken look. “I mean, for one thing, Henrik was kissing that…” Her face contorted slightly and she stammered out halves of insults before finally deciding to finish strongly with an inside joke: “…weather reporter! Not to mention, Bobby wasn’t even in the video.”
Hope tossed you the same heartbroken look and your stomach threatened to pour brunch onto the van carpeting. “Exactly, so who knows what he’s been up to,” Hope said, shaking her head.
“Please, like anything could ever come between Bobby and MC!” Chelsea said above the noise, giving you a supportive smile. “Those two have only had eyes for each other from the very beginning!”
Priya looked thoughtful for a moment. She nodded. “That is true,” she said. She took your hand. “You may have nothing to worry about, hun! I tried to turn his head, remember? You guys had only just met back then and he still made it clear that he planned to stay loyal to you.”
You fidget slightly, grateful for the support but still relentlessly anxious. “Thanks, Pri. It’s a bit different this time, though. Who knows what footage they’ve been twisting before turning it over to the guys?” you say, your voice dropping to a low whisper as you eye the driver, whose sunglasses make it impossible to read his expression.
Priya’s eyes glittered as she broke into a laugh. “You think they would have shown the boys that clip of you and me snogging Felix’s bum?”
“You guys did what?” Lottie’s eyebrows shot up.
“That’s… kinda gross, hun,” Hope said, looking at you specifically.
Your cheeks burn. “Well…” You heave a sigh and try to change the subject. “I’m just saying, we don’t know any more about what they’ve been up to than what we see on that video and if the other guys are a peek into what Bobby’s been up to - “
“You’re coupled up with Henrik, though,” Lottie pointed out. “So as long as he stays loyal to you, you can always reconnect with Bobby later.”
Marisol had remained eerily quiet until then. “Unless the single folks get dumped from the island,” she said softly, avoiding your gaze.
You try not to get cross with her. After all, she had every right to find love with Graham as anyone did with the original set on the island. You only wished Henrik hadn’t picked you on the night of the recoupling, but you reconsider whether or not that was a bad thing.
“Yeah,” you say, trying to stay chirpy. “That’s true. And he picked me, after all. In that case, he must really care about me. He wouldn’t leave me in the dust for some weather reporter.”
Hope beamed at you. “That’s the spirit! And hey, if he does, there’s no way you’re getting dumped, hun. You’re the gluten that holds us all together!”
“The glue, hun,” Lottie corrected her, paying no attention to the confusion on Hope’s face that followed. She turned back to you. “You and Bobby have been together the longest, after all. You’ve had no conflicts…” She studies you momentarily to see if you object.”So you’ll definitely find each other eventually.”
“We already did find each other.” You groan and stare at the ground. “If Henrik hadn’t gone and messed that up…” You find a twinge of bitterness in the pit of your stomach. “Never mind it now. Thanks for your help, girls, but I’ll work something out.”
Chelsea gives you an unsure look, but silence settles on the group around you.
The evening couldn’t come soon enough. You had spent the better half of the afternoon by the pool with Chelsea, trying to avoid the snooping that Lottie and Priya were up to as a way to avoid finding out anything that might hurt even more than you were ready for.
It killed you to do certain things that you had associated with Bobby, by yourself. Even sitting by the pool felt like a cheap copy-paste memory at this point. The gorgeous, vibrant aqua of the pool felt muted.
“I can tell you’re nervous,” Chelsea said quietly, watching you think. You turn your head on the ground to face hers and set your hands on top of your stomach. “But I watched the show. Do you want to know what I think?”
You breathe out through your nose and raise your eyebrows at her. “I don’t know, Chels. Do I?” you say, trying to keep the mood lighter.
“I think Bobby’s over the moon for you,” she said. “He hasn’t got eyes for anyone but you, and…” She takes a shaky breath. “I think it’s the same for you. Only you know for sure. But I don’t think you have to worry about losing Bobby.”
You smile at her and enjoy the rest of the tranquil sunlight, your mind swimming with Chelsea’s words as your legs dangled in the water.
The Switch or Stick ceremony went as well as you expected. Chelsea switched to Elijah, of course. After her speech, you wondered whether or not she would have made the same decision if you hadn’t encouraged her to go with her gut. You’re proud that she did, though, when Elijah’s face lights up like a child on Christmas.
Hope stuck with Jakub because she didn’t feel right about coupling up with anyone new when her heart called out to Noah only. Marisol switched to Graham, who couldn’t be happier. You try not to look at Arjun the entire time, fearing he may try to change your mind, though you can feel his eyes on you.
Lottie stuck with Ibrahim, explaining to you and the girls that she just wasn’t that into Kassam. She mentioned offhand that she had her eyes on someone else, and you wonder if she means Gary. Priya declares that she plans to stick with Noah, but maintains eye contact with Hope.
Finally, it’s down to you and you approach Arjun with a sympathetic look.
“This decision came easily for me,” you begin, and he almost looks happy. “I promised the girls at the very beginning that I would stay loyal to my partner here at the villa, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. Arjun, I am so sorry. I truly wanted to see if there was something worth risking, but it’s not there. You are all terrific mates, but I have to practice what I preach.” You take in a deep breath and find the way to say it. “I’m going with my heart, and I’m going to stick.”
Chelsea starts up an applause and the other girls follow her lead. You walk over to Chelsea and she gives you a hug.
Arjun clears his throat. You feel dread stirring in your stomach as you turn to see what he’s about to do. “I have to say something,” he says. Your mind whispers, No you don’t. But you let him speak. His speech falls on deaf ears as you stare at the door, waiting for the ceremony to be over with so you could see what Bobby chose to do. If he sticks, he risks getting booted now that Marisol switched. If he switches, you may have really lost him. Which is worse? You can’t be sure yet.
The boys take their turn to reveal to you whether or not they stuck or switched. You hardly pay attention to any of them, losing interest every time a new face popped through the door until it’s Henrik.
And some weather reporter named Blake.
No, she wasn’t really a weather reporter. In fact, she was oddly familiar. It isn’t until Chelsea pipes up before you realize why.
“Funny how Henrik found somebody exactly like MC while we were out,” she quips, her eyes narrowed. “I’d say you outdid yourself, but frankly, you just went a bit to the left.”
You bite your lip to conceal your laughter and offer Blake a handshake.
“Congrats,” you say, giving her your friendliest smile. Then you shift your gaze to Henrik and it turns icy. “He deserves to be coupled up with somebody who’s actually interested.” You look at Blake and take her hands in yours. “You are interested,” you say, but it’s more of a question.
Blake raises both eyebrows, still trying to wrap her mind around what Chelsea had said. “Er, yes, I am actually,” she replies, yanking her hands away from you and wrapping them around Henrik. “Some of us have taste.”
Hope clears her throat. “What is this, the Blake and Henrik show? Where are the other guys?” she says. For once, you’re grateful for her subtly mouthy remarks.
You allow Blake and Henrik to cross the circle to stand across from you and wait for the final guy to walk through the door. Your heart is pumping too loud for you to even hear the supportive comment Priya gives you.
The world is almost completely mute around you as your mind starts to paint itself the many colors of emotions.
“I hope you girls are ready to get your hands-on!” A familiar voice cuts through the buzz in your brain, and your lungs cloud with relief stronger than whiskey. He strides into the room and his eyes surf over the faces he’s greeted with until his eyes meet you. Immediately, he smiles. The moment he realizes you’re standing alone is glorious, because it’s the same moment you understand that he’s walked in alone as well. “Because the man with the fastest fingers in the villa is back… And he’s single - “
You hear yourself give a cry of glee, then your own voice calls out, “Not for long!”
You break out in a run and wrap your arms around his neck and he catches you, almost toppling over from the impact but managing to keep his balance.
“MC! You didn’t forget me,” he says, smiling into your hair. You’ve buried your face in his neck, so you hardly try to answer.
You tuck your chin on top of his shoulder and whisper, “I could never.”
The two of you break the hug apart and look at each other. You cup his face in your hands before he starts to kiss every freckle on your face.
“Oh, I missed doing this…” he said between pecks.
“I missed you,” you say back and he stops kissing you to press your foreheads together.
“Did you now?” he says, eyes twinkling. “I totally mistranslated that hug, then.”
Normally, you’d make a comment about being cheeky, but you’re so glad that his jokes are yours to judge that you give a joyous laugh, forgetting momentarily about what happens next.
The two of you take a look around the room, and your close friends are giving you thumbs up, while the new folks look like they aren’t sure what to do.
“We’re both single,” you say quietly, your fear creeping up your arms in waves of goosebumps. “Do you think we’re getting dumped?”
He thinks for a moment. “Dunno,” he admits. “But for what it’s worth, there’s nobody I’d rather get dumped with. I meant what I said before you left.”
You feign confusion. “Oh?”
“You know. If you go, I go,” he said.
“If I stay and you have to go, what then?” you tease. Bobby points his nose at the villa.
“I’ll find a way. Hide in a broom closet or something, yeah?”
You smile into the kiss that follows.