Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

You feel as if you are still in a daze.

This day had started with a glimmer of hope and brightness when you got the news you were finally leaving Casa Amor and coming back to the Villa. The past three days had been so unbelievably boring, just a seemingly endless stream of watching the other girls flirt and play games with the new boys, who were of course grafting all of you at the same time and acting as if they were doing no such thing. You’d almost burst into laughter when they’d come out saying they would never go on behind your backs when you and the girls had been discussing what could’ve happened at the main Villa during the challenge that won you the cocktail party.

Yeah, right, you’d internally rolled your eyes and exchanged a look with Hope, who had seemed to know what you were thinking and had given a smirk and an accompanying roll of the eyes right back.

Marisol, Priya and Chelsea hadn’t wasted any time getting close and personal with the new boys, and Lottie was having a lot of fun even if she still kept them somewhat at arm’s length, only cuddling up to Kassam in the nights but nothing more. But you and Hope had soon grown tired of everything in Casa Amor and frankly had just wanted to get back to the Villa by day 2. The two of you spent a lot of time together, most of it with you reassuring her that she’d work through the issues with Noah and they’d get back together at the next recoupling.

“Thanks, hun.” She’d said, wiping away at a tear in the corner of her eye before she’d leaned over her sun lounger to wrap her arms around you in a tight hug. “I’m so glad to have you here keeping me sane.”

“Of course, babe.” You had told her with a smile when she’d sat back. “You’ve got nothing to worry about, I’m telling you.” 

You had lapsed into silence as you’d looked out over the pool and your eyes had strayed to Chelsea and Elijah sitting side by side with their legs dangling into the water, the blonde girl laughing exuberantly at something and swatting playfully at his arm. A moment later she’d leaned in and they’d shared a kiss and you couldn’t help but think back on that video and watching Rahim leaning in the same manner closer to some other girl when the feed had faded to black, leaving your stomach churning and feeling as if an icy grip had wrapped tightly around your heart.

“Forget that video,” Hope had said, snapping your attention back to her and seeming to know what had been going through your head. “I don’t care what it looks like, we know Rahim is not a smooth operator but he’s not an idiot either. He’s going to see that that weather reporter is just trying to get him so that she can stay in the Villa. He’s not gonna couple up with her out of nowhere. What you guys have is real, hun.”

“Yeah,” you’d replied back, your smile not quite as assured as when you’d basically been saying the same thing to Hope about the words Noah had said in that same video. “Thanks, babe.”

You had fairly loathed the time you’d spent at Casa Amor and now you almost want to be back there. Things had been uncertain and frustrating, sure. But at least you had still been hopeful that in just a little time you’d get back to the Villa and things would get back to normal once you saw the boys and a new recoupling would be announced. Now it was like your whole world had been turned on its axis, everything was topsy-turvy and there was no ground under you to keep you up.

You had never expected that Ibrahim would walk back into the Villa with another girl. Of course, seeing that footage of him flirting with that new girl had been unsettling and that meant he might’ve had a little kiss with someone else, but in your heart you thought you knew him and what the two of you had and that he wouldn’t give that up for someone he’d just met. But now you were thinking you were the gamer girl who had been outplayed in the game of Love Island ─ which was all sorts of sad and ironic, as since meeting Ibrahim you had thrown out the window any plans of playing this game to win and you had just decided to be yourself and see where your relationship went.

It went right to the crapper, you think to yourself bitterly.

After the shock of seeing Ibrahim coming in with Shannon and all the things he’d said in the argument with Lottie you were not even phased when Lucas came back in holding hands with another girl. It had seemed only fair, after all you’d rejected him right after that disaster recoupling and you hadn’t made any promises to each other. If he found someone he liked better then you felt like you could only wish them well and be happy for them.

In the aftermath of the Stick or Switch Ceremony, you talked quickly with Lottie by the firepit then your legs had carried you back up to the house and you’d found Lucas on the rooftop. It had been easier to go and deal with that before anything else and the two of you actually had a few chuckles together joking easily about photography, art concepts and nightclubs. You had assured him that it was okay, after all you hadn’t exactly been together and if he wanted to crack on with this Blake girl then all the power to them. Still, Lucas had been apologetic for leaving you single now and unsure of what would happen next. You appreciated it and how he said he was confident you’d be alright and wouldn’t be leaving the Villa any time soon. Out of everything that had happened, this talk with Lucas was the most straightforward it could’ve been and you were glad it was done and you two were still on good terms.

Then you’d gone back down to the bar/kitchen and been brought into some argument with Lottie, Marisol and the new girls. You barely remember what you’d said or what exactly had happened, because honestly you had just wanted to get out of there as soon as you’d seen the new girls. You have no beef with Blake. She and Lucas actually seemed like a good match, as he was all about glamorous, self-assured girls. But as for Shannon… It was still too soon. You left the girls arguing about the smoothie maker or something else equally as inconsequential and wandered outside once more.

Without conscious thought your feet carry you out towards the bean bags where you find Bobby, Gary and Ibrahim chatting quietly. As soon as the boys see you, Bobby jumps up to his feet and pulls you into a hug. You’ve always loved his hugs (Arjun had nothing on the baker boy’s hugs, really), but you never felt as grateful for his caring nature as this bit of contact seems to ground you just a little when you’d still been feeling like you were floating adrift. 

You almost want to leave when you see Ibrahim, but Bobby seems to sense that so he pulls you into a beanbag by his side and he and Gary keep you engaged in conversation as you trade stories on what had happened during your time apart, yet Ibrahim’s presence and timid participations seem to weigh on the group as a dark cloud hanging overhead, its ominous presence a prelude of what inevitably would follow next.

“Listen…” Ibrahim starts hesitantly once the boys’ laughter quiets down after you tell them about Priya’s breakfast pie, his dark eyes trained on you and causing a cold sensation to run down your spine. “It’s been a while since we were able to get a word. Do you want to uh ─ talk, maybe? You know, by ourselves?” He raises his eyebrows a little, trying to signal something to you.

Before today, your response would’ve been an easy and quick, ‘Of course, babe,’ accompanied by a bright smile. Before today, there was never a time when you’d let an opportunity to spend some time alone with Ibrahim go by. But after everything that has happened, the last thing you want right now is to be alone with him.

“No.” You surprise yourself by how evenly, calm and cold your voice sounds as you turn and fix him with your stare. But then again you hadn’t become an ace gamer without knowing how to hold your own, as it wasn’t the healthiest of environments, especially for women. You are tough and if you can handle the worst misogynistic bastards online you’re confident you can do this now. Even if you hadn’t approached Love Island like the game that it was, you are not about to let him see just how broken you feel.

“Ouch.” Bobby says with an exaggerated grimace, typically using his humour as an attempt at diffusing the tension between you. “Pied off right in the face. Priya would be proud.”

You look at him out of the corner of your eye and you almost can’t help the smile turning up your lips and Bobby winks at you when he sees that.

“Thanks for that, Bobby.” Ibrahim glares slightly at him, but soon focuses his attention back on you, his dark eyes flashing with hurt at your rejection. “C’mon, babe. Don’t be like that.”

Before you can stop yourself and temper your emotions, the words are out of your mouth. “Oh it’s ‘babe’ now, is it?” You say, your eyes flashing dangerously as you can feel your blood boiling. Suddenly everything that had been simmering under the surface until now seems to reach your breaking point, translating all of your emotions into anger and turning your laser focus on Ibrahim. “Why don’t you go off after what’s-her-name again? Shannon? I think you’d rather be there to shield her or something, because Lottie is definitely not happy about any of this, either.” 

Technically that isn’t exactly true, as from what you had seen in the kitchen it seemed like Lottie was trying to play nice and let Shannon know it was all good. But you know how much she’d also been hurt by all that had happened and right now you are in a ‘take no prisoners’ mindset. The gloves are off. You are not about to pull any of your punches now.

“Err c’mon, Bobs.” Gary mutters as he shuffles uncomfortably and gets up from his bean bag. “I think we should leave these two to have a word after all.”

“You don’t need to, Gary. Really.” You say, turning to him with an arched eyebrow. “I’ve got nothing to say to Ibrahim right now.” You see out of the corner of your eye how Ibrahim flinches at the way his name sounds snapping out of your tongue. It’s been a while now that you only ever called him Rahim, babe or other terms of endearment and it sounds weird even to your own ears, but it’s as if your heart has turned as cold as stone.

“I get that you’re mad, babe. I do.” Bobby says, reaching out to place a placating hand on top of one of your own which you just now realise you have balled into white-knuckled fists. You force yourself to relax your hands and look at him just in time to catch him throwing a somewhat surly glance at Ibrahim, but then the Scotsman’s hazel eyes are trained back on you with a soft expression. “But we all still need to live together in the Villa and maybe it’s best if you two clear the air now, sooner rather than later.”

“Bobby is right, darling.” Gary says in his deep voice as he leans over and places a soothing hand on one of your shoulders, giving it a reassuring squeeze before he straightens up and gestures over his shoulder with a thumb, giving Bobby a nod. “We’ll give you two some space.”

Bobby gives your hand a light squeeze before letting go and getting up, throwing you a small encouraging smile over his shoulder as he follows Gary back to the Villa. For a while it’s just you and Ibrahim sitting in silence as you still refuse to look at him, your eyes looking out as you watch the boys walk away until they go out of sight.

“Okay, let me just…” Ibrahim says when you finally look back at him, but he stops himself short, running his hands over his face and letting out a deep sigh as he looks up at the starlit sky. “I should’ve known you would be mad.”

“Oh I’m not mad. This is so beyond mad. I’m raging.” You snap, your voice still incredibly level and controlled as if the two of you were having a normal, everyday conversation, but you know he can see the fire burning in your eyes when he flinches as he looks at you again. “I cannot believe you would do this to me, after all we’ve been through together. You made an absolute mug of me.” You continue with a disappointed shake of your head.

For the first time in your life, you understand what it was like for those girls who had cried and raged and made absolute fools of themselves in the Villa before. You wish you could fully unleash your more explosive and theatrical side, one you are more used to displaying as a gamer and influencer. Then maybe you could’ve been pacing up and down and even throwing some things on the ground to try and dispel your anger. But that’s not really your style and you don’t think that would be exactly productive at the moment so you just sit there, arms crossed over your chest as if by keeping your frame as still as possible you would be kept in one piece after this confrontation.

“What was I supposed to do?” He asks with a frown, his arms rising and falling in a despondent, empty gesture. “You and I weren’t coupled up anymore.”

You can only narrow your eyes after hearing this. What a pathetic excuse. “When Lucas picked me, the first thing I did was tell you we wouldn’t be apart for long. I told you that. Hell, the next morning I even came in to let you know the girls were going out and you went on and on about how much you’d miss me.”

“I did miss you.” He argues back, angling his body forward and reaching out to you, but you turn away and out of reach from him and he sighs heavily. “You have no idea how hard it was.”

“No idea?” You bark out a humourless laugh and shake your head. “D’you think it was a bloody picnic for me then? That it was all sunshine and roses and laughter at Casa Amor? Because let me tell you, it wasn’t.”

“Oh come on.” He sits back on the beanbag and crosses his arms, his brow furrowing as his expression turns surly. “I saw the footage.”

“You know damn well they edit those to get you thinking the absolute fucking worst possible.” You volley back immediately and have a moment of inner satisfaction as he avoids your eyes and looks down at the ground, as he knows you have a point. Yet even as you say that, it’s as if pieces of a picture puzzle fall into place and the next words leave your mouth before you have actual time to process the thought. “But then I guess it wouldn’t take too much to get you there, would it?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He says as he snaps his eyes back to you, an indignant frown marring his normally handsome features. 

The whiplash that causes on Ibrahim would’ve been comical if you weren’t so consumed with your own epiphany. “You never trusted me.” You reply quietly, a slight tone of wonder laced in your words as it’s all coming together in your head. “That’s what this is all about.”

You remember all the times he’d been jealous or insecure. The recouplings and how he never seemed to believe you’d willingly picked him or then thinking that you’d only picked him for his looks. The look in his eyes during the tweets challenge and how the other Islanders had thought you were only playing him to get to the final. How jealous and annoyed he’d been when Bobby had asked for your help during the Mr. Love Island contest. The near-dumping and how it had shook him despite your best attempts at reassuring him.

It’s as simple as that: He wasn’t playing any games or leading you on. He just never fully trusted you. The explanation is so simple that you almost feel an overwhelming and inappropriate urge to burst into laughter. You hold it in, knowing he won’t appreciate it right this moment and the two of you would never get to finish this conversation if that happens now.

“That’s not it. I just had to ─ I had to make sure I was safe.” He insists, once more shaking his head, opening and closing his lips as he hems and haws for another moment. “I couldn’t bear being up for another dumping and there was no good outcome here. I didn’t know what to expect. You were coupled up with Lucas who we all know is not the most loyal of blokes, and I thought for sure you’d expect him to couple up with someone else. And anyway, I was with Lottie.”

“Exactly.” You latch onto those words, as it’s another point of contention that you need to address. “It’s not only about me or about us. You know how much Lottie goes on about loyalty. She was counting on you to keep her safe.” You have no doubt Lottie would’ve chosen to stick to Ibrahim even if the two of you weren’t good friends, but the fact that she was keeping your boy safe had definitely been something going through her head when she’d made that choice and you know that.

Ibrahim twists his lips a little in annoyance. “Well, Lottie talks a big talk about loyalties and girl code, but you know that if she met someone who was a perfect match for her at Casa Amor she’d throw all of that away to couple up with him and keep safe.”

“Ha! It turns out you also don’t know her at all, then.” You retort with a sharp shake of your head as you narrow your eyes back at him. “She did find a guy who was a perfect match for her there. Her type on paper and he had eyes only for her the entire time we were there. And she chose to come back alone to keep you safe.”

Of course, to be fair most of the makeup artist’s motivation for choosing to stick at the recoupling was probably about how Lottie wanted to be with Gary, but she really had been worried about keeping Ibrahim safe from a possible dumping. And you are feeling savage at the moment so you don’t feel bad about the half truth.

“That’s…” Ibrahim’s apparent righteousness deflates before those words and he just shakes his head, running his hands over his face once more. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Oh you said plenty already.” You say acidly, finally having enough and getting up from the beanbag, wanting to put some distance between the two of you. “Because apparently now you have a shot at a real relationship.”

“That’s not ─ I wasn’t talking about us.” He says as he hastily also gets up to his feet and takes a step towards you. “I wasn’t thinking when I said that.”

“You just proved that so eloquently that I don’t even have words.” You shake your head and turn to head back to the Villa, but two steps out and you turn back around as you still have things you need to get off your chest. “Did you even stop to think of what it would be like for me when you walked back all smiling and holding hands with someone else?”

“Of course, I did!” He exclaims for a moment, taking a step towards you and glancing worriedly up at the Villa before lowering his voice and continuing. “You have to know, it was hell these past few days here without you.”

“Oh clearly.” Your voice drips with sarcasm as you cross your arms and raise a disbelieving eyebrow at him. “I could see how distressed you were in the footage we received. It must’ve crushed your spirits so completely, it’s a wonder that you even found the energy and time to graft on other girls, sneak a kiss on one of the loungers and switch to someone you’d just met. But then Blake said she’d also been grafting you when she got to the Villa and there was also that Emily girl that Bobby mentioned, so it’s a wonder you could only choose one, huh?”

“Okay, can I just ─ can you let me just try to explain?” He pleads with his hands pressed together as he takes yet another step closer and you make an impatient hand gesture. “I missed you so much and I hated not being able to talk to you and see how you were doing.” He pauses and sighs deeply for a moment. “And yeah, the new girls were quite full on, playing the game, grafting hard but still I didn’t─”

“Don’t you dare lie and say you didn’t do anything with them.” You interrupt his words with a sweeping gesture of your hand and he halts immediately with a deer-in-the-headlights look in his eyes. “It would be so easy to find out the truth from one of the other boys or from Shannon herself.”

“I was gonna say I didn’t encourage their advances. Not really.” He says, speaking slowly and carefully and you nearly roll your eyes in disbelief but let him continue. “But it was all parties and we were trying to have a good time as usual and… I dunno. Shannon just seemed to get me from the first day, but she was never too full-on, y’know? And she wasn’t massively grafting all the boys like some of the other girls. I just felt like she was so nice and chill and it was good to just talk and hang out and we were talking about chat-up lines one night…”

Of course you were, you think to yourself as you roll your eyes. Just like he’d done with you that night after Priya had coupled up with him on your second day at the Villa.

He trails off and by the way he blushes and avoids your eyes, you know he doesn’t want to admit that he did kiss Shannon that night from the video footage you saw. He just shakes his head and lets out a deep sigh before continuing. “Then we got that blasted video with all you girls having such a good time with those other lads. It was like none of you were thinking of us and I just thought…”

“You thought I had moved on and was going to recouple with someone else.” You finish the thought for him in a monotone, repeating basically the same words you had exchanged with Lucas earlier today.

“Yeah.” He doesn’t have the guts to look you in the eye when he admits this, crossing his arms and looking down at the ground, his shoes scruffing awkwardly at the fake grass.

And in that moment you recall Priya’s words that same afternoon, about how she’d gone for Noah because she’d felt no one trusted her so she might as well go after what she wanted. And it’s not the same, because you’ve done everything right. You picked Ibrahim at the first coupling up and he’s been your number one choice every step of the way, despite other people making it known their intentions towards you. You never crossed any lines and you’ve been loyal to him this whole time. And yet people still think you’d be able to change your mind and choose someone else, just like that. Or worse, that this whole thing had been your hand at playing the game to win the money.

“Even though I’ve only ever wanted to couple up with you while we were here.” You say softly and watch with satisfaction when his startled eyes snap back to yours and keep focused back on you as you continue. “Even when I had to keep reassuring you I wouldn’t graft on other boys when Lucas and Henrik or Jakub got into the house and that I wasn’t interested in anyone else. And even after we’ve slept together and you know how much of a big deal that was for us.” Your voice breaks a little as you finish speaking and you turn away, because you feel like you’re going to cry if you keep looking at him.

“I’m really sorry.” His voice also cracks at his words and you hear a gentle sniff as you look away and swipe your fingers under your eyes to keep the tears at bay. “I don’t know what else to say.”

“I feel like such an idiot.” You say, your voice so quiet that it’s barely over a whisper. “You know, I stayed loyal to you the entire time I was at Casa Amor, even though as you said I was coupled up with Lucas and I wouldn’t owe either of you anything.” A heartless chuckle escapes and you shake your head. “Hell, I’ve stayed loyal to you in the Villa when I could’ve coupled up or even snuck in a few kisses with virtually all of the other boys here.”

“W-What?” He stammers out a little in shock, and it looks like for as much as he has his insecurities he wasn’t expecting any of his fears to actually be true.

“That’s right.” You tell him and feel some sort of savage satisfaction at seeing the pain in his dark eyes, either because he hadn’t expected his friends to do that or that he hadn’t known just how loyal you had been to him until now. “I never told you, because I knew how much it would upset you and that you would just get unnecessarily jealous. I’ve been grafted on plenty and I could’ve coupled up with any of those boys at any time and they would’ve been over the moon.” You stop yourself short of just admitting how you could’ve even snuck in a kiss with Noah if you’d wanted to during the whole Operation Nope thing. While technically that was true, you’d never actually wanted to graft on Noah and your friendship with Hope is not worth the hassle that would ensue if you tell Ibrahim that now. Shaking your head, you focus back on him. “But I only ever had eyes for you.”

“Babe…” His voice breaks and tears swim in his eyes as he stares back at you. But for you this is all too little too late.

“What a waste.” You huff out, shaking your head again.

“I’m sorry!” He exclaims once more and throws his hands up in a hopeless gesture before continuing in a calmer, softer tone. “If I could, I’d go back to the recoupling earlier today and stick with Lottie. You have to know that.”

“I don’t have to do anything, Ibrahim.” The smile that forms in your lips is all coldness and humourless. “Of the two of us, you’re the one who made your own bed. Now you just have to go ahead and lay in it. I’m done. We’re done.”

You turn on your heels and leave, ignoring any other words he might say after that. You said what you wanted to say and have nothing else you want to do with Ibrahim at the moment. 

You’re no longer in a daze, but it still feels somewhat surreal as you get back into the Villa and up towards the dressing rooms, automatically changing into your pajamas, ducking quickly into the bathroom to brush your teeth before stopping by the linen cabinet in the hallway and grabbing spare pillows and bed covers from the shelves. You don’t pay any attention if anyone tries to stop and talk to you, as you just walk past the others and head back out towards the daybeds.

You are not about to spend the night in that room with everyone else after all of this. Frankly, you feel like walking up to the production booth and asking them to get you off this damn place and this show right this second, but something in the back of your mind tells you that would be a move you’d regret in the morning. You're thinking about it as you're called to the Beach Hut to say your piece on everything that had happened that night and you want to be strong, but you actually break down when it's just you and the questions and the cameraman and the crew behind the recording booth.

When you leave you feel so tired and drained that you don't remember what were the questions, what you actually said, or what were even the words that came out of your mouth. It feels like you were just on a stream of consciousness, fairly pouring everything that had been going through your head and you hope you didn't make a fool of yourself for everyone on TV ─ but then again you consider that ship has well sailed given all that's happened now.

You trudge out to the day beds and throw yourself on the one you'd left the pillows and covers. You still feel too raw from your Beach Hut confession to go to sleep, so instead you curl up into a ball and clutch the pillow under your head, allowing yourself a moment to simply break down completely and let your emotions flow out with your tears.

A few minutes later your breathing evens out and your tears subside somewhat and you’re aware of the patter of flip-flopped feet crossing the yard then a weight settling on the bed next to you as a warm hand reaches out for your shoulder. You don’t need to look up to know that Bobby is there and you let him pull you up into a hug, his reassuring presence comforting as you inhale in his seemingly perpetual scent of freshly baked bread. You pull back after a moment and brush at the tear stains on your face as he hands you a tissue box and your water bottle ─ you have no idea where you’d left it earlier today, but he seems to have washed it out and refilled it before coming out to find you.

You take a few deep gulps then give him a somewhat wobbly, grateful smile. “So you drew the short stick, huh?” You joke lightly, the corners of your mouth just barely turning up as you take a tissue and delicately wipe under your eyes.

“More like fought tooth and nail and wrestled it out of Lottie’s hands.” He chuckles and grins back at you, seeing your attempt at humour as a good sign. “I figured you’d appreciate someone to keep things light at the moment and not throw more fuel into the firepit.” You chuckle lightly at that and you can see his reasoning, but you also know that deep down that was his way of letting Lottie and Gary share a bed for the night, as they were the only other single people in the house now. “And honestly that bedroom was turning way too crowded. Out here is way better and I also get to build a blanket fort.”

You can’t help but smile at his genuine excitement at the idea of building blanket forts out in the daybeds. “Y’know, I had joked with the girls while we were at Casa Amor that you were probably living in a massive blanket fort while we were away.”

“Aw mate, that would’ve been brilliant.” Bobby gives you a dazzling smile then playfully slaps at his own thigh in an affected disappointed manner. “Sadly no, I didn’t think of securing myself in a blanket fort.”

You chuckle at his antics and for a moment you’re really grateful that he is the one that came down to check on you. While you appreciate all your friends, most of them need to concentrate on their couples for now and Lottie would definitely want to hear a word by word of your conversation with Ibrahim and you just don’t have the energy for that at the moment. 

Your smile morphs into a smirk and you raise a teasing eyebrow as you concentrate back on the pastry chef sitting beside you. “So you were shacking up with one of the girls, then?”

“Ah well.” He waggles his eyebrows playfully then leans his back against the headboard while twiddling his thumbs, stretching his legs out on the bed and crossing them at the ankles. “A couple of them, actually.”

“Naughty, Bobs.” You let out a short burst of laughter and playfully slap his arm before settling down more comfortably over your pillow with your shoulder pressed against the headboard and your legs tucked under you as you half lean into him.

“Nah, ‘s not what you think.” He admits with a low chuckle as he throws an arm over your shoulders and gives you a friendly squeeze. “It was purely as mates and Siobhan pied me off after the first night to chase one of the other lads. But Emily was happy to share with me after and she was a right laugh.” He smiles and looks off into the distance for a few silent moments. “You would’ve liked her actually.”

“You really didn’t think of switching to any of the new girls?” You ask as you fiddle with the end of the bed covers lying over your hips.

He gives you a careless shrug. “Didn’t fancy any of them.”

“Really?” You say, turning your head to look up at him with a raised eyebrow. You find it strange that not one of those new girls coming in would be his type and sometimes you wonder what could possibly be his angle if he’s always putting himself in the friendzone.

“Why is that so hard to believe?” He also turns to look down at you with an amused smile, probably thinking about the comment you'd made earlier that night about how you thought he would have switched to one of the new girls. “What, you think I’m some massive player or something?”

“Not me, apparently the whole of Britain thinks you’re the greatest player in the house this year.” You roll your eyes good-naturedly at him, referencing the tweets challenge.

“You know it, babe.” He grins and gives you one of his cheeky winks.

You let out a small laugh. "So you're owning up to it?" You ask with a raised eyebrow.

"Who knows? Maybe it's true, maybe it's not." He waggles his eyebrows playfully. "Maybe you'll see me getting with all the girls behind everyone's backs or just being this massive shit stirrer once we get out and rewatch the show."

You laugh again but a moment later you sober up a little. “Seriously, Bobby. Are you a player?” He seems about to give you another cheeky answer when he notices you looking inquisitively at him and you let out a small sigh. “After today I need to figure out who I can trust.”

“Ugh I really don’t know what that was about.” He says with a grimace as he brings a hand up and tugs at one of his dreadlocks. “Can you honestly see me as a player? I mean, if I was one d’you figure I would be either grafting on everyone in sight or acting all infatuated and lovey-dovey with one of you girls by now. Everyone sees me as the friendship couple guy.” He finishes with a shrug as he flips his dreadlock away.

“You’re not wrong there.” You concede to his point as you thoughtfully tap a finger on the corner of your lips. “But then that tweet was still really weird.”

“I haven’t been playing any games, honest.” He makes an exaggerated motion by splaying his hand over his heart, but despite his theatrics you can see something in his eyes that tells you of his distress at anyone thinking he would be going behind people’s backs. “At least…” He trails off and frowns as he thinks for a moment. “Well, I try to be good mates with everyone and to keep tensions down in the house most of the time.”

“Hope would disagree with you on that one.” You point out with a raised eyebrow. “Just saying, the whole Operation Nope and everything.”

“Yeah, not my greatest moment.” He admits sheepishly as he rubs one hand on the back of his neck then continues in a quieter voice. “Just between you and me, I guess I was feeling a little insecure. I know; shocker, right?!" He turns to you with a cheeky grin and you roll your eyes good-naturedly. "But I do suffer from that every now and then." He admits in one of his rare moments of serious honesty and he lets out a sigh then continues in a whisper. "They have proper ‘power couple’ written all over it and I think I was a little worried about my chances if a dumping came up. And you can’t tell me it wasn’t weird that tweet about Noah being played, I just had this feeling they might’ve been faking it, I told you that at the time. Plus I could sense Priya fancied him and I wanted to give her a shot there.”

“Okay, I think I get it.” You nod in understanding of this explanation. “I can see that and overall everyone agrees you put the group’s happiness first.”

“Yeah. And you know how some people can survive out here for a long while even if they’re not in strong couples as long as they have the right mates.” Bobby says, apparently continuing on his previous train of thought before you’d interrupted him with your comment on Operation Nope. “Maybe the tweet meant something like that?”

“Maybe.” You mutter in agreement, tilting your head a little as you take this into consideration before you turn to smile up at him. “You really are a good mate. Thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me. You’ve been about the greatest friend to everyone in the house so far and it sucks that this happened to you now.” He pauses and opens his mouth as if he were about to say something else, but stops short. You think he may have been about to lay into Ibrahim for your benefit, but knowing Bobby he probably doesn’t want to drag his mate despite probably agreeing you’d been treated badly. Finally, he just sighs and says, “I dunno, I wish there was more I could do for you.”

Maybe there is, you think to yourself for a moment as you look him over with a critical eye. Bobby is really lovely and he has been about the greatest mate to the whole Villa. Your strategic, gamer brain kicks in and you realise right now you’re in a very favourable position in the game of Love Island. You’ve been pied off after being loyal to the same guy since the start and the public is probably on your side. If you can manage to avoid getting dumped before the next recoupling, there is a big chance you could turn this whole thing on its head and come out on top. You just need to make sure you pick the right boy and the right narrative. 

After all, unlucky in love, lucky in cards are just opposite sides of the same coin. You built your whole career on how good you are at playing games, even if you’ve always been handed shitty hands at love. So why not do now what you’ve always done best?

“Right.” Bobby stretches his arms up above his head as he seems to have taken your silence as tiredness and he makes a motion to get up out of the bed, sliding his left leg out so that his foot touches the ground. “Well, I’ll leave you to it and build my blanket fort down on the other daybed then.”

“You’re just leaving me all by myself?” You blink your eyes up at him and he hesitates and settles down again. “C’mon, get in here. It gets cold outside and I could always use the company.” You say with a warm smile as you shift closer to the other side of the bed so that he can settle more properly in instead of being perched near the edge like he is now.

He narrows his eyes for a second, but it’s gone as quickly as it comes then he just smiles back and slides his body forward so that his legs get under the covers and he’s lying with his head on top of his pillow. “Okay. I’m warning you though, I do tend to run a little hot.” He grins and waggles his eyebrows up provocatively.

“I know.” You reply with a teasing roll of the eyes as you hug your own pillow. “Priya was always on about how it was like sharing a bed with a furnace.”

He opens his mouth to retort, but then his phone chimes in with a notification and he grabs it quickly, furrowing his brow when he reads the message. “Uh-oh. Lottie’s just shared a text that production sent her.”

You turn towards him, angling your left arm under you to prop your head up as you also frown in concern. “What’s it say?”

His eyebrows raise in surprise as he reads it out. “The public is voting for their favourite couples and the ones with the least votes are at risk of being dumped tomorrow.”

You feel your heart start hammering in your chest. “What does that mean for us, singletons?”

“Apparently we’re safe from the dumping.” Bobby replies and you both breathe out audible sighs of relief. You move your left arm under your pillow and settle down again on your side and Bobby reaches for your free hand, stretching your arm so that your hand is lying on top of his stomach over the bed covers as he fiddles idly with your fingers and remains frowning in thought. “No doubt there’s a recoupling coming up after, if some couples really are being dumped. It’s probably girls’ choice too, since the lads picked last time. D’you know what you wanna do?” He asks, glancing over at you.

“I need to think about it.” You say slowly as you also furrow your brow delicately in thought before you look back at him. “But… what would you say if we coupled up?”

This is the tricky part. Love Island is a game and you know that if you want to play to win the most important aspect is playing the audience. Alliances in the Villa can keep you safe only for so long, as the public is the one voting for their favourite couples to go to the finale and ultimately win the prize. So if you want to construct a story worth selling you can’t exactly lay all of your cards down now and spell out your idea to Bobby. You’ll need to be careful about what you say and hope that he reads between the lines of what you’re telling him.

“Really?” He seems genuinely surprised, turning his head to face you and studying your expression carefully. “You want to couple up with me?”

“You’re about the only boy I trust in this Villa anymore.” You offer with an easy shrug before you amend your statement. “Well, you, Noah and Gary, but I know Lottie really wants to couple up with him again and don’t get me started on Hope and Noah.” You finish with an eye roll and he responds with one of his own.

“So you trust me even though we were just talking about how the public thinks I’m this massive player, huh?” He raises his eyebrows and smirks out of the corner of his mouth.

“I do.” You nod and give him a smile that after a moment also morphs into a smirk. “Or maybe I’m just playing a game of my own. You never know.”

His hazel eyes seem to sparkle with excitement at the unspoken challenge hanging in the air with your words. “Hmm, being played by the gamer girl?” He muses for a moment, before giving you a grin. “Alright, I’m game. Let’s do this.”

He holds his left hand up for a high five and you hit it with your right hand with an audible clap that reverberates in the still air around you and you share another grin before you both settle comfortably for a night of rest after such a hectic day.

The last thought in your head before you fall asleep is, baby, let the games begin.

Chapter Text

The next morning you start to regret your decision of sleeping out in the daybeds when you’re woken up basically at the crack of dawn by sunlight streaming in right over your face and all the birds singing around. After gulping down some water from your water bottle, you just turn in bed and throw one arm over your eyes, burying your head further into the pillow to try and get more sleep.

A few hours later you feel better rested and you also start to hear noises coming from the Villa suggesting that some people are probably waking up as well. You fish for your phone (which you’d thrown somewhere in the bed when you first got there) to look at the time. It no longer feels like it’s incredibly early but maybe a little earlier than you’d grown used to waking up while in the Villa and you turn around to find Bobby lying down on his back with his hands behind his head as he just seems to stare up at nothing in particular.

“Good morning,” he greets you with a small smile when he notices you looking at him.

“Good morning,” you reply and stifle a yawn behind your hand. “I can’t find my phone. Do you know what the time is?”

“Yeah, it’s like eight or something,” he replies and hands you his phone that was just beside him.

You glance at his phone but you take one look at your reflection on the black surface and sit up a little in alarm, all thoughts about how early it is out of your head. “Oh my days, I look like crap.” You moan a little dejectedly, using the camera in his phone as a mirror as you inspect your appearance, noticing the dark smudges of your eyeliner and mascara and how your eyes look puffy and red ─ courtesy of all the crying you’d done last night, no doubt. “I knew I should’ve properly taken off my makeup before going to bed.”

“I think you look great.” Bobby says in a casual tone from beside you as he remains lying down but you can feel him watching you closely.

You roll your eyes a little as you reach for the tissue box that’s been tossed down to the foot of the bed. “You’re just saying that to try and make me feel better.”

“No, I’m not. I always think you look great.” He retorts in a matter-of-fact tone of voice as he continues looking you over from where he’s lying down. “I mean, sure, your eyes and nose are a little red and your makeup is all smudged up and stuff.”

“Geez, do carry on, Bobs.” You reply sarcastically as with one hand you hold up the phone and with the other you use a tissue to wipe away some of the mess around your eyes; you’ll need make-up cleanser to get the whole thing off, but for now this can at least stop you looking like a damn panda. “Next tell me how my hair looks like a bird’s nest.”

“Actually…” He starts, and you look askance sharply at him and he just grins back. “Nah, I’m joking. But what I meant to say was that despite all of that you look good this morning. I mean, better than last night. I dunno, there’s like a new gleam in your eyes or something. Wow, that sounded proper cheesy, didn’t it?” He finishes his rambling off with something of a self-deprecating chuckle.

“It was sweet. Thanks.” You glance back at him and give him a small smile as you angle the phone to check your hair and make sure it doesn’t actually look like a bird’s nest. After combing through it with your fingers and patting it down gently, you let out a sigh and toss him back his phone. “And I guess you’re right, I do feel better than last night at least.”

“Ready to take on the world then?” He asks after he catches the phone with both hands.

“Something like that, yeah.” You concede, bobbing your head left and right in thought for a moment.

“Alright, that’s what I like to hear!” He says excitedly as he sits up and holds both of his hands up for high fives and you oblige with a laugh. He scooches until he’s propped up against the headboard, placing his pillow over his lap, then he becomes strangely serious. “But listen, I know you said last night you wanted to couple up together if there’s a new recoupling coming.”

“You changed your mind?” You turn to look at him with a frown, your stomach dropping a little at the thought.

“No, no, no. It’s not that.” He says quickly as he makes a dismissive hand gesture. “You know I’d be really happy to couple up with you, even if it’s just as mates. But I was thinking a lot about things before you woke up and I just need to put it out there…” He pauses and breathes out a deep sigh as he looks down at his lap before bringing his eyes up again. “If you want to get Rahim back, I know you can do it and I can help you.”

You feel your mouth hanging open as you just stare, looking back at him over your shoulder. “What? Bobby…” You trail off and turn around so that you’re properly facing him as you sit cross-legged on the bed, but you’re still not sure of how to reply to that.

“I mean it. I told him that when he chose to switch and I’m telling you now: he’s not thinking right.” He says and it’s possible you’ve never seen Bobby looking as serious as he is right now. “I know he really likes you and he was just getting all in his head that he needed to be safe and choosing Shannon seemed like the best option for him at the time. But if I know him like I think I do, he’s proper kicking himself now and regretting it so much.”

“He can regret all he wants.” You retort with a roll of your eyes then you look down and inspect your fingernails for a beat before you admit in a mumble. “He actually told me that last night, but I’m done.” You shake your head as if shaking the thought out of your mind and square your shoulders a little as you look back at him. “I can’t be with someone who does that and who I can’t trust, Bobs. I told you that.”

“Yeah, I get that, I do. And I’m not doubting that’s how you feel or that you deserve better, because you so do.” He replies as he continues looking at you with a soft expression in his hazel eyes. “But what if you’re only feeling like this because it’s just so fresh and you’re hurt and afterwards you change your mind and want him back?”

You pause and consider his words seriously for a few moments. It’s actually very sweet and a very Bobby thing to do, as he’s all about forgiveness, second chances and seeing the best in people. He’s always one of the first to try and smooth out the wrinkles if there’s any serious tension in the group and he’d like nothing more than for people to get along and enjoy your summer together. You should’ve known that even if he’s most likely on your side regarding this latest conflict he’d want to at least try and see if you and Ibrahim couldn’t work things out.

“I don’t think I will change my mind.” You say after a few moments in silence, shaking your head slowly. “I told the girls when we first got here, I’m not known for giving people second chances. I wish I could, but for all that I’m a nice girl and very understanding and usually trying to get others to work things out, I think my pride speaks louder when this happens to me.”

“What if he’s the exception to your rule?” He asks you with raised eyebrows.

You narrow your eyes and look at him critically for a moment. “Bobby, do you want me to get back together with Ibrahim?”

“No. I want you to do what’s best for you.” He replies at once, shaking his head. “I’m just trying to make sure you think about all the possibilities here, y’know? Because this will have consequences. And if you want to couple up with me, I’d be really happy to do that.” He pauses and opens his mouth, but then no words come out so he closes his lips and sits in silence for a few moments before speaking again. “But I don’t want you having any regrets after if it turns out you do still have feelings for Rahim and want to be with him.”

“Yeah, I get that. I really appreciate all you’re saying and doing for me.” You shift and lean back on one of your hands as you look up and think about all he’s said and all that’s happened before you heave a sigh. “I can tell you that right now I’m not thinking of getting back with him. I’m really not.”

“Alright.” He nods as he seems to accept this and gives you a small smile. “I guess we’ll just need to see how the day goes and how we feel later on then. I mean, we still have to deal with this dumping tonight, so who knows how that’s gonna go, right?”

“Yeah, for sure.” You say, frowning for a moment as you wonder what would happen following the public vote then you give him a smile. “We can talk more about it later. Now let’s get out of here. I need a shower.” You stretch your arms up above your head and move to get off the bed.

“Is that an invitation?” Bobby gives you a cheeky grin as he also moves to get up.

“Oh my days, Bobby!” You laugh and smack him with your pillow. “You’re terrible.”

“I know.” He laughs and grabs your pillow, throwing it back at you, but you just swat it with your hand and you both straighten out the state of the daybed before getting started on another day.

After showering and getting changed, you go down to the kitchen where you find Bobby waiting for you with a plate of perfect French toasts. You eat together while chatting idly and just as Bobby gets up to clean up the kitchen Lottie slides into the seat next to you with a bowl of cereal.

“So what happened last night?” She asks eagerly as you start sipping on your second cup of tea. “I heard from Gary that you and Rahim had kind of a big talk then you stormed off to sleep out there.” She gestures with her head out towards the daybeds.

“I didn’t storm off.” You huff out indignantly as you start serving her a cup of tea.

She raises a perfectly arched eyebrow. “You marched out of the bathroom, grabbed some stuff out of the linen cabinet and ignored everyone trying to talk to you. That’s a storm-off, babe.”

“Ugh I didn’t mean to ignore anyone.” You say, bringing a hand up as you fiddle with your hair in a bit of embarrassment. “I was just so tired of everything.”

“It’s fine, hun.” She waves her hand away dismissively with a smile. “It was nice seeing someone else do a dramatic exit for once.”

It’s your turn to raise an eyebrow back at her. “You cannot be seriously comparing me to you, Lottie.”

“True, you were too silent. I probably would’ve been screaming and stomping my feet or throwing things or something.” She concedes with a smirk. The group had all been joking about her being the biggest drama queen that she’d quite taken to her title over your stay at the Villa and had recently started joking about it, too. “But you got that glaring daggers thing spot on. No one dared get in your way after they took a look at your face.”

You huff out a soft laugh at that. “Anyway yeah, we talked.” You answer her original question, getting back on the topic of you and Ibrahim. “I mean, we would have to at some point, and the boys were right, rather have it out of the way.”

“What did he say?” She asks again in that same eager tone. “Does he want to couple up again at the next recoupling?”

You frown immediately in response. “Even if he does, I don’t think I do.”

Her mouth actually hangs open for a couple of seconds before she recovers herself. “You’re joking, right? You and Rahim have been like the perfect couple. You get all his comics stuff that no one else does, he treats you like a princess and you were so hot together. And you even like working out with him. I’d say you’re even stronger than big Nope most of the time with all their fights and whatnot.” She finishes with a roll of her eyes.

“It turns out we’re not that perfect.” You sigh heavily before continuing. “He didn’t even set out to apologise for switching to someone else when we started talking. I did get an apology out of him eventually, but it was like pulling teeth, I swear, Lottie.”

“Ugh, I’ve always said he can be such a knobhead and he has an ego the size of Jupiter but that’s as fragile as spun glass.” She shakes her head in response. She stops eating for a few moments as she just looks at you. Lottie’s never really got what you’d seen in Ibrahim (“He does have a smoking hot bod though,” she’d concede with a smirk and a wink), but she’d always supported the two of you as a couple. “But you’re really done with him? You don’t think you can work it out?”

What is it with everyone thinking you want to give him a second chance when he had not even really asked for one? You think you inadvertently got a reputation as a very forgiving person, perhaps because everyone saw you as so nice and loyal. Well, loyalty was a two-way street, after all.

“Seriously. He pied me off after we’ve been together for two weeks just because I was away for like three days and some other girl came swooping in, all ready to crack on?” You expound on the situation with a roll of your eyes. “He tried to tell me that it was hell, he missed me so much and he thought I was going to couple up with someone else to stay safe, so basically he just did the same. Doesn’t exactly excuse the fact that he’d cracked on with Shannon even before the boys received the video footage from us at Casa Amor though.”

“Oh, hun. You so don’t deserve that.” She reaches out and gives you a quick, tight side hug before she goes back to her cereal. “You’re right, screw him.”

“In the end I just realized he never really trusted me, you know?” You say as you cradle your cup in your hands and bring it up to your lips. “I can’t be with someone if they don’t trust me and if I can’t trust them.”

“Ain’t that the truth.” Lottie agrees with a deep sigh. “It looks like you and me are always being screwed over by these fuckers, even in here.”

“Yikes,” Bobby murmurs with a smile just tugging at the corners of his mouth as he finishes wiping down the counter. “I’m done in the kitchen so I’d better make myself scarce. That way Lottie can really say what’s on her mind.”

Lottie sticks her tongue out at him and flips him her middle finger for good measure and Bobby throws you two a wink and a wave as he walks out of the kitchen out towards the pool and you give him a small smile as he walks by.

“I just got to the point where I don’t even care anymore.” You confess with a shake of your head and you lower your voice a little. “I almost went up to the production booth to tell them to get me off this fucking place.”

She gasps dramatically at hearing that. “Don’t you dare leave me here now. You’re stronger than some fucking idiot not realising how amazing you are.”

It’s really heartwarming to hear Lottie being so vehement on that point that you can’t help but chuckle a little. “Don’t worry, I won’t. At least not voluntarily anyway.”

“You’re not getting voted off.” She retorts while rolling her eyes. “We’re actually the only ones who are safe, when you think about it.”

“For this dumping.” You mumble as you lean your chin against your hand and prop your elbow up on the counter. “What about the next one?”

“You’ll need to crack on, babe.” She then drops her spoon with a clatter on the bowl as she’s finished with her cereal. “But honestly it will not be a challenge for you. Seriously, you may have never noticed it because you only had eyes for Rahim, but half the boys in this house would love to couple up with you.”

“Doesn’t mean I trust them.” You reply, grabbing her bowl and your cup and going around towards the sink to wash them. “I need to be with someone I can trust and that I know trusts me.”

“You know the obvious choice, right?” She raises an eyebrow at you from behind her cup of tea. “There’s a reason I wasn’t the one that came to keep you company out there last night.”

“I thought it was because you and Gary were already cracking on with each other.” You give her a sly smirk and a wink.

“Cheeky.” She smirks in reply. “Seriously, Bobs worships the ground you walk on.”

“No, he doesn’t.” You scoff in reply with an accompanying roll of your eyes. “Be serious, Lottie.”

“I’m being completely serious.” She insists after she finishes drinking her tea and you raise a dry eyebrow as you grab her cup to wash it, too. “Okay, so maybe that was an exaggeration, but you know he’s always had your back.”

You finish washing the dishes for a few seconds in silence before continuing. “Well, we did talk a lot last night then this morning and I said maybe we should couple up at the next recoupling.”

“Ahh I’m so excited for you, hun!” She jumps off her stool and comes around the counter, grinning and wrapping her arms around you and leaning her cheek against your back as you’re still washing your hands at the sink.

“It’s not official yet.” You laugh and good-humouredly elbow her away, causing her to squeal a little and bump your hip with hers in retaliation. “A lot of things could happen. And anyway at the moment it would be more of a friendship couple.”

“Either way, I’m happy for you.” She tells you with a nod as she hands you a dish towel to dry your hands. “I can actually see you and Bobby really working out. You two look good together and you always got on well with each other. You have the same type of silly sense of humour and you’re half into the same things already.”

“True. At the very least I know I’d have fun with him.” You dry your hands and put the dish towel away as you turn back to face her. “Anyway, enough about me. What’s going on today?”

“Right.” Lottie replies with a suddenly businesslike look in her eyes. “Let’s get the girls and gather at the rooftop terrace. It’s time we figure out what exactly happened here with these weather reporters while we were at Casa Amor.”

After Lottie’s War Council, you and the girls disband to follow on with your missions. As you head towards the gym, you’re glad Marisol took digging into Shannon out of your hands as you wouldn’t know how to handle that. For all her sensitivity and general great intuition, that had been a definite brain fart moment when Lottie had said you should be the one asking Shannon questions on what had happened while you’d been away at Casa Amor. You’d just glared at her while the others stared at Lottie and she realised what exactly she’d said, blushing a deep red in embarrassment and hiding her face behind her hair.

And you think it shouldn’t be that hard to figure out what had been going on with Jakub and why he was being so shady now, as Hope had mentioned. After all, you two got on, you’d been out on that date a while ago and if everything else failed, you could always talk about working out and fitness to get him going.

Or at least it should’ve been that simple if the man wasn’t so unbelievably conceited and started thinking you were coming on to him when you’d struck up a conversation as you were finishing your training session.

“I’m not cracking on with you, Jakub!” You exclaim with an indignant frown as you fairly stare back at him after he came out and just bluntly stated it.

“Sure you’re not, love.” He gives you an exaggerated wink and sticks his tongue out the corner of his mouth as he basically doesn’t believe you.

“Please.” You roll your eyes and cross your arms over your chest. “You’re coupled up with Hope and she’s like my best friend here.”

“But you’re single now and it’s not looking too good for you, innit?” He insists as he continues sitting down on the bench and doing his reps.

“I’m not the one at risk of being dumped today.” You toss your hair over your shoulder and raise an eyebrow back at him. “Anyway, I was just trying to find out what things were like while we were at Casa Amor. Both Ibrahim and Lucas coupled up with new girls and I’m trying to piece together what happened.”

“They brought a whole bunch of fit birds over, that’s what happened.” He laughs in reply. “It was parties and fun and a great time was had by all.”

“All the boys?” You raise an eyebrow at that.

“All the ones who know how to have a good time.” He replies with one of his salacious winks.

“Thanks, Jakub.” You sarcastically roll your eyes. “That clears things up. Really helpful.”

“Alright, alright.” He replies then leans over to put the dumbbell on the ground before straightening up again. “That I could see, only Ibrahim and Lucas really got on with the new girls, if you know what I mean. Sorry, but you really got the short end of the stick there, babe.”

“What about the other boys?” You ask, balancing your weight from one foot to another, trying not to seem too eager since technically he’d already told you about Lucas and Ibrahim and that should’ve satisfied your curiosity.

“What about them?” He frowns a little as he thinks about it then gets up from the bench and actually pauses his work out to give you his full attention. “Noah was still all mopey about Hope and me coupling up with her and he didn’t want to know about the new birds.”

“What about this girl who looked like Hope we heard about?” You narrow your eyes a little suspiciously. You don’t think Jakub would lie to protect Noah, as they were technically competing for Hope’s affections, but you need to dig deeper to figure out all the confusing things about that video message.

“Yeah, she was fit,” he replies with a grin then shrugs his massive shoulders. “Even so, I didn’t see him cracking on with her or any of the other birds, really. Even in the challenges, he was mostly keeping to himself instead of joining in the fun.”

“What about Gary and Bobby?” You ask, crossing your arms over your chest.

“They were always making jokes and laughing with them birds, but nothing happened that I could see.” He replies as he looks down at his watch and times his break. “Of course, I wouldn’t put it past any of those lads getting some action during bedtime when no one can see, if you know what I mean.”

“Everyone knows what you mean, Jakub.” You roll your eyes a little but follow it with a quick smile. “Still, thanks for letting me know. Anything else interesting happen while we were out?”

“Nah, love. It was just lots of fun games and parties, wasn’t it?” He gives you a wink then he frowns up a little in thought. “Actually, there was something. We all thought Bobby was gonna crack on and couple up with this girl Emily, because she seemed really into him and they were getting along and spending a lot of time together. But then at the recoupling he chose to stick with Marisol even though they were only a friendship couple; it was proper strange, actually.”

“Really?” You feel yourself frowning in surprise at that. “Well, maybe he was trying to make sure Marisol was safe if he wasn’t sure she’d recouple with someone else.”

“Nah, we got this video and it showed her shacking up with that Graham. It was obvious she was gonna recouple with him.” He turns to look at you and the frown disappears, being replaced by a smirk. “My bet is that he’s actually sweet on one of you girls and was missing you lot.” He finishes with a wink.

“Maybe he was missing Priya?” You muse out loud, raising an eyebrow in thought. “They were coupling up a lot before Noah chose her for that last recoupling.”

“Could be.” He replies with a careless shrug. “I’d miss her. She is fit as a fucking wet dream.”

“Classy, mate.” You just roll your eyes once more, not even phased by his words anymore. And it’s not like he’s wrong with his assessment, even if you would’ve used different words to express it. Then you raise an eyebrow at him before commenting, “I notice you didn’t share anything about what you’ve been up to.”

“A gentleman never tells.” He gives you another wink.

“Of course.” You smile at him even as you roll your eyes and wave goodbye as you head out of the gym area and let him get back to his training, as you don’t think you’ll get anything more out of him. “Thanks again anyway.”

After another busy day at the Villa, you and the girls manage to figure out more of what went on with the new girls then Hope and Noah get a reunion scene worthy of a chick flick ─ like that running through the airports and stopping the other person from getting into an airplane sort of thing. Of course, in this case the scenario was only the beanbags on the lawn by the sun deck and there wasn’t exactly any risk of anyone going out never to be seen again right that second, but the drama and excitement of it all had been quite on that level.

Privately, you think that it would’ve been way simpler if you had just grabbed both Noah and Hope and sat them down together for a heart to heart and have them lay all their cards on the table. But you’d been curious to find out what exactly all the boys had been up to as you also needed that info to figure out your strategy. And this was Love Island, so of course things had to take a turn for the dramatic, or else where would be the fun in that?

With the text coming in that everyone should get ready for the results of the public vote this evening, most of the group disband and head upstairs to the dressing rooms. With sixteen people around and wanting to avoid the rush of the whole household trying to take a shower, style hairs and do their makeup at the same time you wander off towards the kitchen to grab a bite to eat first, that way you can quickly get ready when most people should be done and heading down to grab dinner before they needed to face the music.

You realise you’re not the only one who had that brilliant idea when you find Bobby at the stove top getting his dinner ready.

“Hey, what’s up?” He asks with a smile as you walk over.

“Trying to find something to eat before I go upstairs to get ready for tonight,” you reply as you check out if there are any leftovers in the fridge.

“Want some of mine? It’s pasta primavera and I think I made too much just for me.” Bobby offers at once as he nods with his head towards the pan in front of him as he continues to stir the mixed ingredients.

“Of course. Thanks, babe.” You smile back as you take out a couple of plates from the cupboard. “I’m not gonna refuse something made by the professional cook in the Villa. It smells delicious.”

He grins brightly at the compliment and a couple of minutes later you’re both sitting down in front of each other at the big table with platefuls and chatting away as you eat dinner.

“So what you’ve been up to today?” He asks before taking a forkful of his food.

“We played detectives and solved a mystery about Noah and something he said in the video they sent us that was confusing the hell out of Hope.” You explain as you also dig in. “This is amazing, by the way.”

“Thanks,” he gives you a quick and appreciative grin before carrying on with your conversation. “Ah so that explains that whole thing with them today and all the girls coming and going. Lottie was grilling me earlier but I thought that was just Lottie being Lottie.” He comments with an easy shrug.

“She was the one who came up with the whole plan and she actually wanted me to talk to Shannon at first.” You mutter and lower your voice a little, just in case anyone is nearby as even though you’re the only ones sitting at the table by the kitchen at the moment there could always be someone lurking by. “Can you believe that?”

“Oof. And she accuses me of being insensitive sometimes.” He rolls his eyes in response. “What did you do?”

“I just gave her a death glare and she switched me out with Marisol.” You answer with an easy shrug and a small smile.

“Nice.” He lets out a short laugh at that. “Who were you in charge of investigating then, detective?” He waggles his eyebrows up teasingly.

“Jakub.” You reply with a smile tugging at the corners of your lips. “And joke all you want, I was actually very good at digging for info. He actually gave me some really useful intel and I don’t think he suspected a thing.”

“Of course he didn’t suspect a thing.” He rolls his eyes, though there’s still a smile on his lips. “He’s so up in his head that I’ll bet he was just delighted that you were giving him any attention and probably thought you were cracking on with him.”

“That’s dead on, actually.” You admit with a side tilt of your head.

“Ha! I knew it,” he grins back in reply. “Anyway, you should’ve just asked me. You know I would’ve told you everything.”

“Ah, but can I really trust you?” You playfully narrow your eyes at him and he does the same in return then you just shake your head and smile. “Joking, babes. We wanted to get as many points of view as possible. After all, maybe he’d seen something you hadn’t.”

“Alright, makes sense.” He gives you a quick nod. “And what did you find out?”

“Shannon told Marisol about the whole Jakub, Emily and Siobhan thing.” You say and gesture at him with your fork. “So that’s why you switched out on who was sharing your bed after the first night.”

“I would’ve told you, but it felt like I would be dragging Jakub out of nowhere.” He replies with a shrug.

You shake your head at him for a moment. “Sometimes I think you’re too good for Love Island, Bobby.”

“Why do you say that?” He asks with something of a frown furrowing his brow, but there’s also a curious smile on his mouth.

“I don’t know.” You pause and think about it for a moment before replying. “At the end of the day, this is a competition, you know. You’re too nice and you keep putting other people first.”

“The same could be said about you.” He’s the one who gestures at you with his fork now.

“Yeah, and look where that’s got me.” You retort with a raised eyebrow and he bobs his head left and right for a moment as he seems to weigh on what you said. “I’m not saying you needed to be like Jakub, because he was definitely playing games there. But you could’ve tried something with one of those girls. I bet they’d love to get on with you.” You both just eat in silence for a few moments before you add another comment. “I heard you actually spent a lot of time with Emily and that she fancied you.”

“Nah, we were just mates. She was really sad after Jakub pied her off for Siobhan and we kept each other company.” He explains with a quiet smile and gives another careless shrug. “I’m not gonna force something happen with a girl just to be coupled up. I don’t think I’d be able to fake it just to try and get to the end of the show and the 50k.”

His words cause a strange sensation in you, like a ton of bricks suddenly settling at the pit of your stomach and that almost causes you to squirm uncomfortably. “Not a fan of fake it till you make it?” You ask him then with a raised eyebrow, very interested to hear his answer. 

Because really, that’s what you’ve been thinking of doing since your conversation with Ibrahim the night before. Just getting someone to couple up and fake it till you make it ─ at least to the public at large and till the end of the show so that you could walk out of the Villa victorious and with 50k in your hands. And despite your earlier argument with Lottie that morning you had been considering Bobby for this. You two got on well and it would be easy to turn this into a friends-to-lovers narrative that the public might just eat up.

“What’s the point of coming here if you’re not gonna be 100% yourself?” Bobby’s answer is just so much him that you don’t know how you could’ve ever expected anything else.

“Hmm.” You murmur noncommittally as you look down at your plate for a few seconds before deciding to change the subject a little. “Jakub also said you, Gary and Noah didn’t get with any of the girls.”

“See? Told you I’m trustworthy.” He gives you a bright grin in response. “Ready for tonight?”

You get a feeling he’s also trying to change the subject, but for now you just go with it. “It’s weird. I know you, me, Lottie and Gary are safe, so I shouldn’t be nervous, but I really am. I guess I just don’t want to see anybody going home.” You pause for a second before amending that. “Well, almost anybody.”

Bobby raises an eyebrow at hearing that. “Would it bother you if Rahim gets sent home tonight?”

You pause for a long moment as you think about it before you answer him slowly. “I honestly don’t know. Ask me again later if that actually happens.”

He also considers your response for a moment before giving you a conceding nod. “Fair. What about Lucas?”

“That’s easier to answer.” You say with a small smile. “Y’know, I actually would miss him. He got here putting on this whole bad boy attitude, but he’s actually very sweet. We get on and can have a laugh together. I genuinely like him.”

“Yeah, me too.” He answers with a grin.

“You like everyone, Bobs.” You retort with a smile and an accompanying roll of your eyes.

“I know.” He shrugs carelessly still with that grin. “But there’s always something nice about anyone we meet, don’t you think? No one is perfect and we’ve all got our flaws. Like Lottie is all sharp comments and attitude and sometimes she causes drama, sure, but we know that’s actually because she loves her friends so much and she feels things very deeply. I think that if you give most people a chance you’ll find something in common or at least something you could empathize with and I dunno, get along.”

You feel yourself smiling warmly throughout his whole speech and when he finishes you can’t help but let out a small laugh. “You’re just like this bright bubble of positivity, like the male version of Chelsea.”

He also lets out a short burst of laughter at that. “Maybe I should start wearing more pink.”

“She calls it rosé. And the colour actually would suit you.” You reply with a wink as you look him over with a critical eye and bring your hands up as if framing him for a photoshoot. “Maybe not for a whole look, but one piece of clothing like a shirt in a muted tone or like some highlights or accented notes in the pattern, as I know you love your patterns.”

He’s grinning and shaking his head in delight at your observations. “Didn’t know you also doubled as a personal stylist. But then again I should’ve guessed, given all your clothes and sense of style.”

“Hey, I’m an influencer.” You retort in good humour as you smile and raise your eyebrows. “Just because I play games online doesn’t mean I can’t look good while I do it.”

“I’ll keep that in mind if I need any help when picking a new wardrobe.” He winks back at you.

“Speaking of which, we should go get ready for tonight.” You say when you realise you’ve both finished eating and are now just chatting away, which means soon the others would start coming down.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m going.” He replies as he gets up from his seat and takes your plates back to the sink. “Just gonna wash this up.”

“I can do it.” You offer as you follow him into the kitchen. “You already cooked me breakfast and shared your dinner with me today.”

“Nah, I’ll be quick about it and I know you girls take longer getting ready so you should go ahead.” He gestures with his head up towards the dressing rooms as he’s already got his hands full of dirty dishes and soapy water.

You lean against the counter and watch him for a moment as you narrow your eyes at him. “You just don’t like other people messing with your kitchen, do you?”

“It’s a bloody nightmare!” He gripes at once and you can’t help but laugh at this reaction. “Every time Gary tries to cook something I have no idea where he puts everything away. I mean, how hard is it to put things back where you found them?”

You laugh and tease him some more and he just grumbles away as he carries on with the dishes, but the gleam in his eyes lets you know it’s all good banter, even if you know there’s probably a grain of truth in his complaints. After all, he likes keeping the kitchen ridiculously tidy whenever he’s cooking, which happens most days as he does enjoy making food for the whole group if he can.

After another moment you leave him to it and go upstairs to join the others in getting ready for the evening and the results of the public voting.

Chapter Text

After the results of the public vote and the following dumping of four people from the Island, the whole group is left reeling. Shannon walks with Blake ahead back into the Villa and the two girls mostly keep to themselves as they pack her belongings and chat quietly. You follow Priya to the changing room and the other original girls (plus Chelsea) gather around you with tears in their eyes as they help out. Over the last two weeks, somehow all of your clothes, shoes and even make up got mixed up together as the girls were all so used to sharing and trading outfits and even though you’d just got back from Casa Amor somehow it’s all a mess again in the changing rooms.

With almost everything sorted out and put away in her suitcase, Priya asks you for a moment and you step outside to the rooftop terrace for a chat. At first, you two just hug each other tightly for a long while then she pulls away and wipes at the tears in her eyes as you sit down side by side.

“I just wanted to thank you for being one of the best friends I’ve ever had, not even just in here but like in life,” Priya tells you with one of her bright smiles. “Seriously, babe. You could’ve hated my guts after I chose Rahim at that recoupling, but you never let it interfere with our friendship and I don’t know a lot of girls who would do that. Actually, I don’t think I know any other girl who would do that, honestly.”

“Oh hun, you don’t need to bring that up.” You tell her as you smile back and squeeze her upper arms with warmth and affection. “You did what you had to do, you were upfront about it and I’ve always respected you for that. You know you’re one of my girls. I just can’t believe you’re not gonna be here anymore.”

“Yeah, I’m really sad to be going and that I couldn’t find what I was looking for,” she tells you with a wobbly smile and a sigh. “But I feel like I’ve made friends for life and I can’t wait for us to get together on the outside.”

“Oh for sure,” you tell her excitedly. “We’ll meet up, have crazy nights out on town or just chilling together at home. And who knows? That might even happen sooner than we think and we’ll get to go on the prowl for boys together.” You finish with a laugh and a wink.

“Oh no, babe,” she tells you, suddenly turning very serious. “That’s not gonna happen because you are going to win this.”

You’re a little taken aback at this coming from her now. “I wish I was as confident,” you tell her with a sigh. “My head is a mess. I’ll be honest, I have no idea how things are gonna go for me right now.” You stop abruptly and grimace as you realise what you’re doing. “I know I shouldn’t even be telling you this, because you’re leaving and I get to stay─”

“You’re staying and you’re slaying this, girl.” She interrupts you with a gleam in her dark eyes and a confident smile on her dark red lips. “You’ve always been my bet and I know you’re gonna turn this thing on its head. I’ll be watching from home, voting and cheering you on.”

“Oh Priya,” you pull her in for another tight hug, which she happily returns. “What am I gonna do now without you here?”

“You’re gonna carry on being your lovely self and show everybody what you’re made of,” she tells you when you pull away from each other. “And listen, fuck Rahim.”

“Priya!” You exclaim a little in surprise, as you were not expecting those words right now.

“I’m serious. He’s my friend and he’s a lovely lad, but the way he’s been with you about this whole Shannon situation was bang out of order,” she continues as she shakes her head. “I know I’m probably the last person that should be saying something like that, because of the way I was with all the lads at Casa Amor and the whole mess with Noah. But I never expected Rahim to do that to you after all you’d been through together.”

“Yeah, I know,” you say with a bit of a frown. 

You think that out of all the girls in the Villa, Priya was probably the one closest to the situation, as she’d initially fancied Ibrahim when she joined the group and had to deal with his rejection when he wanted to recouple with you. It wasn’t easy watching someone you fancy get on with someone else, but she’d done it because she valued both of your friendships and she would always say how you and Ibrahim were better suited anyway. After that initial weirdness on those early days she became one of your closest confidants and she’s supported the two of you as a couple all the way.

But now she is leaving and he is coupled up with someone else.

“And if you want my advice, just enjoy yourself now that you’re coupled up with Lucas. I’d get back on that horse and ride him until my legs fall off.” She finishes with one of her provocative winks.

You can’t help the burst of laughter that escapes at that. “Thanks for that mental picture.”

She laughs a little but continues in a more serious tone after a beat. “I’m joking, of course, but at the same time I’m also quite serious. Lucas is fit, you’d probably have a lot of fun together and who knows? You might even get a good relationship out of it.” She gives you another wink. “If nothing else, maybe just a good-old romp in the sack.”

You shake your head a little at that, but there’s still a smile on your lips. “I’m not against one-night-stands and the idea of getting with someone new to get over somebody else, but it’s kind of hard to do that sort of thing in the Villa as we all still need to live together and face each other in the morning.”

“True, but girlfriend to girlfriend? Take things as they go and see what happens,” she tells you with an easy shrug. “If your head is a mess, use this time to straighten things out. You could use this opportunity to see if you still have any feelings for Rahim or see if you’re truly ready to move on.”

“I don’t know about that.” You counter as you feel yourself frowning in thought. Truth be told, you had been thinking the same thing, only you were hesitant to voice it out loud. That’s the thing you’d always loved about Priya, how confident and fierce she’d always been to take these risks and come out with things that you weren’t always so ready to say. “But maybe you’re right.” You concede with a small smile after a moment.

“Whatever you decide to do, just relax and have fun. You could try it out and have something amazing together. If it doesn’t work, at least you’re putting yourself out there again. And who knows? They might bring in someone who’s your perfect match ─ or it might even be someone who’s been in the Villa all along.” She finishes with a smile and a wink.

You get a feeling she’s trying to tell you something with those words, but before you can question her further she just gets up, links her arm through yours and drags you back into the changing rooms and you join the other girls and the rest of the Islanders as suitcases are zipped close and taken down the stairs towards the entrance.

The whole group exchanges heartfelt hugs and everyone makes an effort to leave things on a positive note for the dumped Islanders. You hug them all one last time then they make their goodbyes and walk out of the Villa. There are many tears and hugs going around as the remaining Islanders all move back from the entrance and spread throughout the Villa in smaller groups. You share tight hugs with both Hope and Chelsea, thankful that they’re still there with you and you sit and chat together on the daybeds for a while.

It’s a strange night, as even as you’re mentally and emotionally tired you’re all still running high on the adrenaline from the dumping and the following euphoria of getting to stay in the Villa with your friends so no one even thinks of going to bed yet. It’s not long before the boys start handing out beers and other drinks and you all try to make the most of the night despite all the upheaval. There are moments when you laugh and have a good time and then out of nowhere you’re hit by this wave of sadness over what happened.

The night is really warm and at some point, most of the boys jump into the pool. You think of joining them, but you can’t be bothered to change into a bikini and you don’t want to get your clothes wet so you compromise by sitting at the edge of the pool, the skirt of your dress hitched up and your legs dangling into the water as you sip your beer and enjoy the moment.

It isn’t long before Bobby swims away from the other boys and comes over, playfully flicking some water in your direction as he approaches.

“Hey!” You complain a little, but there’s laughter in your voice.

“Hey,” he smiles back at you and he rests his arms on the edge of the pool next to you. “How you holding up?”

“I don’t know.” You look up at the starlit sky and all the strings of light that cross the Villa before you sigh and look back down at him. “Ugh that dumping and recoupling tonight just really threw me for a loop. I can’t believe Priya is gone!”

“Me neither.” He leans his chin against one hand as he places his elbow on the ground and sighs.

“You could’ve saved her.” You murmur quietly as you hunch your shoulders a little and continue quickly as he frowns up at you. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t have saved Hope or that you did the wrong thing, you know I’m really glad she’s still here. Just pointing out you could’ve chosen her and that it can’t have been easy to actually make that decision.”

“No, I get it.” He relaxes a little once he understands what you meant and he thinks for a moment before continuing. “That’s honestly one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do in my entire life. I’m really gutted about it all and that she’s gone now.”

You know exactly what he means. You were also the last girl choosing one of the boys to stay on, yet in a way the choice was easier for you. Bobby genuinely got on with all the girls that were up for the dumping and especially Priya, since they were such good friends and they’d coupled up a few times in the past. You think back on your conversation with Jakub and how he’d thought Bobby had been missing one of the girls while you were away.

“Did you fancy her?” You ask bluntly, before bringing your can of beer up to take a sip.

“Priya?” He raises both eyebrows as he tilts his head to look up at you.

“Yeah. I always thought you looked great together.” You reply with an easy shrug. “You had the banter, I know she thought you were fit and she’s ridiculously hot.”

“She is. I do think she’s beautiful, I mean I’m not blind.” He replies with a small eye roll and a smile. “And like I said, she’s really glamorous and funny and just such a great friend. But I didn’t really fancy her, no.” He finishes while shaking his head a little.

You remain watching him for a few seconds, not quite sure if you believe him or not. You remember how in the early days Bobby kept saying it would take a lot to get him to see any of the girls as anything more than a ridiculously gorgeous friend and you actually agreed with Marisol that he probably put that on as a defense mechanism. He’s still a little hard to read at times, since he uses his humour a lot to keep things inside, but he’s probably the boy you’re closest to now and you would like it if he felt comfortable enough to open up about such things, especially if it were something really bothering him. After all, you’ve always been great friends and he’s really been there for you since you came back from Casa Amor and had to deal with the whole situation with Ibrahim and Shannon.

“Besides, I meant what I said.” He continues then hauls himself up off the pool and shakes the water out of his hair as he sits just a few feet away to avoid getting any water on you. “I couldn’t let Hope walk out of the Villa tonight. Noah would’ve been gutted and he probably would’ve walked out after her if that happened then I’d be doubly gutted.”

“Were you maybe feeling guilty about the whole Operation Nope thing?” You pose the question as you hand him the towel that you’d brought down and that had been laying next to you.

“Honestly? A little, yeah.” He replies and dries his face then wraps the towel around his shoulders. “I know I’m not completely responsible for the way things happened at that recoupling that sent everything off the rails, as they were fighting loads before any of that anyway and Jakub was the one who got that ball rolling, really. But we probably added to the stress and what happened after.” He gets up to his feet then, wraps the towel around his waist and offers you his hands, pulling you up as well.

“I get it. I really think you did a nice thing.” You offer him a smile as you both head to the kitchen. “But what a mess! I’m in a new couple which was my old couple and yet we were never really a couple.” Bobby lets out a soft chuckle at that and you glance at him. “If anything, I was preparing mentally to maybe couple up with you and now I’m back with Lucas.”

“How are you feeling about choosing him?” Bobby asks, raising an eyebrow at you.

“Well, I really didn’t care about keeping Jakub in the house after I heard about the way he played the new girls and the whole mess with Hope. And while I love Chelsea and I could’ve kept Elijah around for her, I don’t really know him.” You tell him honestly as you throw out your empty beer can and grab your water bottle, refilling it up. “But I think it came down to what we talked about at dinner, how I would really miss Lucas if he went tonight. So I gave him a second chance. Do you think I shouldn’t have?” You prop your elbows against the counter and gulp down some water as you wait for his answer.

“No, I think you did good.” He gives you a reassuring smile as he also fills out his water bottle. “He didn’t get on with everyone at the start, but we’ve all grown to like him and he’s part of the group. He’s one of the lads, now. I know I’d miss him.” 

“Yeah, I’m glad he’s staying.” You smile and a moment later a laugh comes out. “Just before she left, Priya was telling me that I should just enjoy it and couple up with him for real.”

Bobby pauses for a moment as he leans back against the wall and frowns a little before he continues speaking slowly, almost deliberately. “Maybe you should try things out with him.”

“Really?” You ask, raising your eyebrows in surprise at that. “D’you reckon I should?”

“Look at it this way: the last time you coupled up with Lucas you didn’t really give that a chance because you wanted to stay loyal, yeah?” He elaborates on his train of thought and you nod in agreement. “Now you don’t owe Rahim anything anymore. You’re free to do whatever you want, and if you want to crack on with Lucas, why not?” He finishes with a shrug.

“But I don’t know if I do want to crack on with him or even how he would take it if I did.” You counter as you fiddle with your water bottle.

“You know he fancies you.” He rolls his eyes at you but a smile remains tugging at his lips.

“No, he doesn’t.” You scoff back in reply and also roll your eyes. “I could tell he actually had his eye on Hope and Priya when he chose me during that other recoupling.”

“You’re being ridiculous. Of course, he fancies you.” He shakes his head at you, still with that smile at the corners of his mouth. “All the boys here fancy you. I bet even Noah has a secret thing for you.”

You let out an involuntary snort of laughter. “You’re the one being ridiculous. Noah has only ever had eyes for Hope and you know it. He didn’t even really want to be with Priya when he coupled up with her.”

“You might be right about Priya, but I know what I’m talking about.” He insists, shaking his head a little and gesturing with his water bottle out at the pool where most of the boys are still splashing about. “I’ve heard from their own mouths at least once all them boys saying how they fancy you.”

“Probably when we all got to the Villa and didn’t really know each other.” You argue back with another roll of your eyes. “That doesn’t count.”

“If you say so, babe.” Bobby shakes his head but gives you a cheeky wink nonetheless.

You also shake your head and can’t help the smile tugging at your lips. “I never know when I should take you seriously.”

He lets out a laugh that sounds half surprised, half delighted. “The answer is always, of course.” He replies with that cheeky smile of his. “I’m the most honest person you’re gonna find in this whole Villa.”

“And you’re also the biggest joker.” You argue back with a raised eyebrow and a challenging smirk. “Makes it hard to know what’s banter and what’s actually genuine.”

“That’s part of my charm. Keeps me more interesting, eh?” He gives you another wink and you almost want to be annoyed at that, but you just shake your head as a small laugh escapes. “You can’t help but want to get closer and figure me out. It could be all banter, but then again it could be all true.”

“If you say so, babes.” You repeat his words back to him with a good humoured roll of your eyes.

He laughs again before sobering up a little. “At any rate, I’d give it some time with the whole Lucas thing. We should have at least a few days before another recoupling and you can get to know each other better.” He pauses as he seems to consider what to say next for a long while before he continues in a low, soft voice. “You never really opened up… romantically… to anyone else while you were with Rahim.”

You look up and meet his eyes, holding his gaze for a few seconds before replying in an equally low, soft voice. “No, you’re right. I didn’t.”

You hold each other’s gaze for a few silent moments and you can almost feel the tension building in the air between you two, but it suddenly bursts as the other boys have come out of the pool and walk past you on their way inside the Villa. 

“Hey.” Lucas breaks off the group of boys when he spots you and comes over, his hair wet and a towel wrapped around his shoulders. “Would you mind if we have a chat just before we head in?”

“Yeah, of course.” You tell him and push off the counter and you follow him out towards the swing set, waving goodbye to Bobby as he smiles and also heads inside with the others.

“So I have a question for you now.” Lucas says with a small smile when you sit down and face each other. “How do you feel about us sharing a bed again?”

“Well, we hardly shared a bed last time, did we?” You counter with a raised eyebrow, but there’s also a small smile on your lips. “One night then I was off.”

“You’re right.” He lets out a soft huff then gazes softly back at you. “I really am so thankful that you chose me tonight. Especially after the whole situation with me switching to Blake.” He grimaces a little before looking back at you with a grateful smile. “I hope you know that I won’t make the same mistake again.”

You shake your head sharply. “Don’t.”

He raises his eyebrows in surprise and gives you an earnest look back. “I really won’t.”

“No, I mean don’t make those kinds of promises.” You clarify, shaking your head once more. “That’s not what I need or want right now.”

“Oh okay, I get it.” He replies and his shoulders sag a little before he continues. “I mean, I understand that you’d be feeling wary of me. I haven’t been very trustworthy.”

“No, no. It’s not about you.” You counter, smiling back encouragingly. “I actually do like you, Lucas. I don’t want you to feel like I don’t or that I can’t trust you, because in general I think I can.”

“Oh.” He blinks back at that and it takes him a moment before he also smiles back. “That’s nice. I wasn’t expecting you to be so cool about all of this so soon, actually.”

“I did mean it when I said that out of you boys up for dumping tonight you were the one I would miss the most, so I’m glad you got to stay.” You tell him as you shift in your seat to playfully bump his shoulder with yours.

“That’s good to know and I hope you know I’ve always liked you. You’re one of the nicest girls in here.” He bumps your shoulder back and you smile back appreciatively, but he continues with a soft frown before you can say anything. “But what did you mean about no promises?”

You place your hands beside your legs on the bench, shifting again to hold your weight in your arms and look at the ground as you think about it then let out a soft sigh. “It’s just that I’ve made promises and I’ve heard those promises before. And I just realised… We can’t make these kinds of promises.” You look up and meet his eyes as you continue. “Not here. And it’s not about me or about you. It’s Love Island and the way things happen here. I thought I was in a really solid couple and then things happen and new people come in and everything just sort of shifts. You know?” You finish with an almost helpless shrug.

“Right. I get you.” He nods back seriously as he takes in all you said. “But even if we are coupling up as friends, I want you to know I’ll have your back. I want you to feel like you can trust me.”

“But that’s what I’m saying, since it’s not that simple, is it?” You raise an eyebrow at him. “Because if tomorrow they bring in some girl who’s a perfect match for you, I don’t want you to feel like you need to be loyal to me despite how you feel and then I would just be caught in the middle of all this drama again.”

He arches an eyebrow right back. “They could just as easily bring in a guy who’s your perfect type on paper.”

“You know, I don’t think I really have a type.” You reply as you look up in thought, then you continue once you notice the amused smile pulling at his lips. “I know that sounds like a line or something, but I really don’t. I have dated people who are so different from each other.”

“How about your first boyfriend?” Lucas asks still with that amused smile.

An involuntary smile seems to take hold of your lips when you think back on that. “He was actually my best friend in high school.”

“Really?” He arches an interested eyebrow at that. “What was he like?”

You feel the smile pulling even more at your lips. “Tall, dark, handsome.” You need to hold yourself back not to roll your eyes a little.

“Alright.” He gives you a self-satisfied nod. “Liking the sound of that so far.”

“Cheeky.” You tell him with a soft laugh as you shake your head a little and he only grins more in response. “But really, he had a killer smile and I just loved how much he made me laugh. But there were also guys who were shorter, or blondes and redheads. Skinny guys. Or buff guys. And some really not good looking guys, to be honest.” You raise your eyebrows thoughtfully as you think back on your dating history.

“Oh, I’ll bet they’ll love to hear about that on TV.” Lucas replies with a low chuckle. “Can you imagine? ‘I saw my ex on Love Island and she told everyone I was butt ugly’.”

“Oh shut up, it’s not like I’m naming names here.” You also laugh a little and bump his shoulder again. “What I’m saying is that in the end it’s really more about personality.”

“Really?” He tilts his head in curiosity.

“Yes, really.” You reply with a firm nod. “I guess most of them were quite funny actually, now that I think about it. After all, it’s about having fun, isn’t it?” You ask with an easy shrug.

“You really do get on with everyone.” He replies with a softly contemplative look, then his eyes go wide as he thinks of what he said and turns to you with alarm written all over his face. “I mean that everyone likes you! Not that you get on with like─”

You let out a soft laugh as you shake your head and wave a hand dismissively. “It’s alright, I get it.”

“Man, I don’t know what is it about you.” He lets out a nervous chuckle as he runs a hand over his face and hair. “You’re the only one this keeps happening to, like some sort of brain to mouth disconnect or something. I swear I’m thinking the right words and then it comes out all wrong.”

“Does that mean I make you nervous?” You ask him with quite a cheeky smile.

“You actually do.” He tells you earnestly and reaffirms it at seeing the surprise in your face. “Seriously.”

“I wouldn’t have guessed.” You tell him softly as you look him over and think quickly through all your previous interactions and the way he was with the other girls. “You usually are very smooth.”

“You just throw me off somehow.” He admits as he meets your thoughtful gaze head on.

You remain sitting in silence for a few moments as you just look at each other and you’re suddenly struck with how easy it’s been to just sit and chat with Lucas like this. Then you think back on your conversation with Priya earlier that night and you decide at this point you really have nothing to lose, so you might as well give it a chance.

“Alright.” You say with something you can only describe as putting your game face on as you shift in your seat and tuck your legs under you. “How about this? We start over. Fresh start.”

“What do you mean?” He asks with a decidedly interested gleam in his eyes.

“Clean slate. Forget what’s happened. Blake, Casa Amor, that Disaster Recoupling, even me and Ibrahim.” You elaborate with a sweeping arm gesture as if literally clearing the air in front of you then you turn back to him. “We’re just two people who like each other and we can see where it goes from here. We still have some time to enjoy ourselves in the Villa, so we don’t make any promises and just try to have a good time.” You finish with an easy shrug.

“Right, I like the sound of that.” He tells you as he tilts his head and continues eyeing you with that gleam in his dark eyes. “Like stepping back from all the pressure and just getting to know each other, like meeting someone on a night out.”

“Exactly.” You tell him with a nod and a smile.

“Except that we’re sharing a bed tonight and that’s not something you do right after meeting someone.” He raises an eyebrow at you. “I mean, not necessarily anyway. Some people might, it’s just never really been my style to jump right into bed.”

“True, but it’s been a while that we’ve been sharing beds with other people in here, even if not with each other. It doesn’t need to be awkward or forced or anything.” You say with another easy shrug and a smile. “It’s just been really nice talking to you like this, you know?”

“You’re right. I’m enjoying this a lot more than I thought I would.” He tells you with a bright smile then rolls his eyes to himself and lets out a soft huff as he shakes his head. “See, there I go again. I mean, I thought it would be this really awkward and uncomfortable conversation, but it’s been lovely.”

“You’re sweet.” You smile and hide a giggle behind your hand.

He also chuckles easily. “If we’re starting over, does that mean you would be open for something a little more than friendship?”

“Maybe.” You tell him a coy smile and raise a teasing eyebrow. “If you play your cards right.”

“I might take you up on that.” He replies as he playfully narrows his eyes at you. “I’m actually a very good poker player.”

“I should’ve known.” You shake your head and roll your eyes a little in good humour. “My expertise is strategy online games, but I do well for myself with cards. We should play sometime.”

“What are we going to bet on?” He asks as he casually shifts closer and throws an arm behind your back on the swing set.

You hum for a couple of seconds as you think of an answer. “I was thinking we could use crisps as poker chips.”

He puts on a mock disappointed look and shakes his head a little. “Ah, here I was hoping you’d suggest strip poker instead.”

“Cheeky.” You let out a small laugh at that then raise an eyebrow. “We’ll see. Maybe I’ll get your shirt.”

He turns to you with what you call one of his smouldering looks. “I’m not wearing one right now, but I can give you my shorts if you really want them.”

“Oh my days, Lucas!” You exclaim a bit in surprise, but you can’t stop yourself from smiling and giggling at that.

“Didn’t like that one?” He challenges with a raised eyebrow as his eyes keep boring into yours and a smirk plays at the corners of his mouth.

“So now that I gave you the green light, this is how it’s gonna be?” You retort playfully. “You serving me lines left and right?”

“Oh? Didn’t realise you gave me the green light.” He moves his hand close to your face to tuck a strand of your hair behind your ear, all while maintaining steady eye contact with you. “Well, in that case…”

“Oh, will you just kiss me already?” The words escape in a sort of breathless rush as you lean closer and finally his lips seal over yours and Lucas further takes your breath away with his kiss.

You’re left swooning a little as the kissing turns into a bit of full-on snogging and you’re surprised with how much you’re enjoying it and how you’re okay to be out here with someone else so soon after Ibrahim, but like you said before you decide to just not overthink it and enjoy things in the moment. At least for tonight, you feel calm and happy to have this moment with Lucas while looking forward to a cuddle in bed together. Whatever the day brings out tomorrow you can deal with it as it comes.

Chapter Text

It’s the next morning and, as usual, you wake up even before the lights come on in the shared bedroom ─ you have no idea why this keeps happening, as you’ve never been one for waking up early but it’s the way it has been for most of your stay in the Villa. You look around for a few moments, adjusting your eyesight to the darkness and taking things in. You can feel Lucas in bed to your right, his body heat close by but the two of you are not actually touching. It feels nice to share a bed with him this time around, but at same time you’re glad for the bit of space now and that you got up to nothing more than a little cuddling in the room you share with the whole gang ─ while snogging at the swing set last night had been nice, you don’t want to get ahead of yourself and get too involved just yet.

As you turn to your left, you look out at the rest of the room and through the very dim light filtering in through cracks in the blackout curtains or under the doors you can just make out Bobby’s face in the bed next to yours. You smile a little to yourself as you look him over but then a slight frown forms between your eyebrows as you notice he’s at the very edge of the mattress, pretty close to falling off actually, and what looks like what’s practically a pillow wall separating him from the other side of the bed, where you can just make Hope’s braids splayed out over her pillow. You roll your eyes a little to yourself and smile once again, thinking they’re being rather ridiculous with the gigantic physical barrier. It’s not like they would’ve been up to anything; you’d never seen two people in the Villa who treated each other more like brother and sister than Bobby and Hope ─ even down to how they like to tease and annoy one another.

It feels weird that Priya isn’t in that bed next to yours or that Lottie is the one sharing with Noah on the next bed over. For most of your stay at the Villa, you’d been sharing the bed with Rahim and seeing Priya and Bobby right next to you, followed by Hope and Noah. You lift your head a little and can just make Ibrahim asleep next to Shannon in the next bed down the line after Noah and Lottie. And all the way down the long bedroom, you can just barely distinguish Chelsea’s blond hair next to Gary’s broad shoulders and finally Marisol and Graham ─ or at least you assume that’s the two of them as all you can see is the sailor’s massive tattooed back as he appears to be big spoon to her little (tiny, really) spoon.

You spend a few moments just taking in the new state of things. It all feels a little weird and unfamiliar, but at the same time as you look over and watch Ibrahim lying in bed with Shannon you don’t feel as sad as you thought you’d feel. It seems sort of mental when you think about it because it hasn’t been that long ago that the two of you were together, but the last day back in the Villa really helped cement the new reality that he’s moved on with someone else and how you’re also doing the same now. And you feel surprisingly okay about it ─ like that was just one chapter of your Love Island journey and now you’re ready to start the next.

As you lay back down on your pillow, you shift a little and your movements most likely disrupt your new bed companion as you see Lucas turn over and face you as he blinks awake. Slowly, a smile takes form on his lips once his dark eyes adjust to the low light and focus on your face.

“Good morning,” he whispers and you also give him a small smile as you mouth ‘good morning’ back. His eyes look attentively at you as he settles on his side then reaches out a hand to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear. “So how do you feel about everything today, after having slept on it?”

“I feel good.” You whisper in reply and you pause for a moment, thinking how the previous night probably wasn’t the easiest experience for him, either. After all, he was up for a dumping and the girl he had been coupled up with had suddenly left and he was forced to adapt to this new situation just as much. “How about you? I imagine the whole night can’t have been easy.”

“Yeah, yesterday was a whirlwind.” He smiles a little in appreciation at your words as the two of you carry on your conversation in hushed tones. “But I’m glad you saved me. I really am happy to still be here.”

“I know.” You nod back in understanding. You remember how it had not been pleasant thinking you may have been up for a dumping when you were left single after Casa Amor and even though that was literally only a couple of days before that situation now seems like a lifetime ago. “Honestly I’m mostly happy about being back in my bed.” You grin as you snuggle into your pillow and also turn on your side to give him your full attention.

“To be fair, it is a good bed.” He grins back then raises an eyebrow. “You’ve always had the nice bed, right? The one in the corner.”

“Yeah, the one with most privacy.” You smile back and think of how you’d been blessed by the Love Island powers that be with that position since the first day, as even during the odd occasion you were in a different couple you still retained ownership of the bed and your partners were the ones forced to move around. “It feels nice to be tucked away here away from the others.” At least, you’d always felt it was very advantageous as opposed to being in the middle of the room with beds and other couples on either side.

“But it’s also strange that it gives you a sort of view of everyone else in the room.” Lucas comments as he lifts his head a little and peeks out over your shoulder at the length of the room before his eyes settle back on yours. “I know we agreed yesterday to leave everything else in the past, but isn’t it weird considering Rahim is just a couple of beds down with another girl now?”

“Y’know, at first it was a massive shock.” You nod back at him, knowing where he’s coming from; it’s only natural that you two would still need some time to adjust to the new situation, even if you did agree just last night on trying to see where this relationship could go. “But now I feel like I’ve got over it.” You finish with a shrug and a smile.

“Really? Moved on to better things then?” He asks, also with a smile pulling at his lips as he also lifts an eyebrow at you.

You feel the corners of your mouth pulling a little more at your smile and you almost want to roll your eyes at the smug tone of his voice and his implication. “Something like that.”

His smile shines with just a hint of that smugness for a moment, but then his eyes soften a little and his voice is not as teasing when he continues. “I meant to say, I think you handled the whole situation like a boss.” He tells you sincerely and he shakes his head a little as he thinks it over. “I don’t know if I would be able to stay on if I’d been with someone and then just had to watch them be with someone else.”

“It is hard, I’m not gonna lie.” You tell him with a small sigh, both from a twinge of sadness and a bit of frustration. At this point there’s nothing to gain by downplaying how difficult the whole situation was, but at same time you also don’t want to keep reliving it and stuck on that narrative anymore. “I was really sad when it happened. But I knew what I was signing up for when I decided to come here and I need to accept the cards I’m dealt.” You give him another one of your careless shrugs.

Lucas raises his eyebrows in surprise and thinks for a beat before replying. “That’s a very healthy and mature way to approach things.”

“Thanks.” You say automatically, but really you’ve always thought that was the most logical approach to this whole thing. Sometimes it felt like the other Islanders forgot this was a game all too often ─ even if people came in here with expectations of love and happiness and one weren’t necessarily playing this to win the money, it was part of the dynamics that there would be complications and challenges thrown in and if people weren’t up for potentially seeing exes getting together with others then they were definitely not in the right place. “And I do have some experience with this sort of situation.” You add almost as an afterthought as you remember your dating history.

“What? Living in a massive villa with cameras all around capturing your every move and watching your ex date someone else?” Lucas raises an eyebrow and asks you with a teasing gleam in his eyes.

“Not the villa with the camera part, but watching an ex move on.” You clarify lightly as you hold back a chuckle. “I’ve done it a couple of times.”

“Really?” Both his eyebrows shoot up in reaction.

You give back a firm nod, wondering why people always think this is so weird. “During uni.”

“I didn’t know you went to uni.” He comments, surprise still evident in his voice.

“Oh yeah.” You reply easily with a smile. “I wasn’t always an influencer, after all.” 

“How did you even get into that, by the way?” He asks with a smile and a somewhat confused frown, apparently not seeing how a university kid could suddenly become an influencer ─ which sort of made sense when it comes to Lucas; for all of his self-proclaimed rebellious nature, he’d still gone into a very traditional career path.

“I’ve always been into gaming, but halfway through my degree I really got into posting my content online as a sort of stress relief slash tentative personal project.” You swiftly narrate the start of your journey as an online gamer and influencer, as you’re used to telling the story by now. “After uni, I decided to pursue it full time for a year and if that didn’t pan out I could always fall back on my degree and get a regular job but then my channels really took off and here I am.”

“What did you study then?” He asks with an interested gleam in his eyes, almost as if he’s seeing you under a new light.

“Marketing and PR.” You answer with a smile.

“I really had no idea.” He pauses and just looks at you for a few seconds before continuing. “But then I imagine being an influencer is somewhat similar to working with marketing.”

“Oh, it’s 100% marketing.” You agree readily. “A lot of hard work and research goes into putting out content and creating a whole brand from scratch, only it’s a personal brand, not a corporate one.”

“You know, I’d never thought of it like that before.” He comments, once more eyeing you with that interested gleam in his eyes. “But to be honest, I never really got the whole influencer hype.” He continues in a confessional tone. “It seems bizarre to me that people would gain fame simply for being famous, like this weird feedback system that keeps itself alive somehow.”

This time, you actually give him a half-disbelieving, half-good-natured roll of the eyes. “How can you say that then sign up for a televised dating game show?”

He responds with a smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth. “I didn’t actually sign up, I was scouted.”

“Ooh, didn’t know that bit, hot stuff.” You tease him a little before you raise an eyebrow. “But then wouldn’t that mean you have some sort of social media presence, too?”

“I do have Instagram, but I wasn’t scouted due to it, unlike some people.” He replies with a raised eyebrow of his own.

“It’s actually Twitch and Youtube channels, thank you very much.” You narrow your eyes a little, unexpectedly feeling a bit on edge.

He lets out a light, breathy laughter and runs a soothing hand over your arm. “You’re so easy to wind up.”

“Sorry, I’m just very protective of my work.” You grimace a little then give him a smile back.

“Don’t worry, I get that. “ Lucas gives you a nod and a smile. “That’s actually how I was scouted, too. One of the network producers was doing PT at my clinic and said I would be perfect for it and persuaded me to join. And I did come here looking for love.” He adds with emphasis.

“I think that’s what we all came here for.” You retort easily with a head tilt.

“Hmm, I have my doubts.” He replies, his lips twisting a little as he thinks on it for a moment. “I think some people are here for the fame or even just for the fun experience.” He tells you in a conspiratorial whisper and you find yourself wondering which category he would put you in, but before you can ask him about it he continues. “Anyway, reality TV is actually a form of entertainment. Most influencers are just people begging for likes for being pretty ─ no offence.” He makes a quick conciliatory hand gesture.

“It’s the same thing, creating content for others, only social media is the new vehicle.” You say at once, the words coming out so easily because it’s not the first time you’ve had this discussion before. “Just like magazines, radio and TV once took up their space in our societies and cultural fabric, so do people with profiles or channels on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube now.”

“Yeah, but it’s like there used to be a criteria of sorts to create shows and put things out there for others.” He argues back with a furrow in his brow. “Now any bumbling idiot with a phone can do it and we’re forced to live with things like tide pod challenges. It’s like humanity is collectively losing IQ points as these things spread out.”

“Yeah, there are downsides, as is the case with pretty much everything.” You concede with raised eyebrows and a hand gesture. “But the fact that anyone with a phone can do it actually makes it more democratic, at least in my point of view. You don’t need to be someone with money or connections to get a spot on TV if you want to start creating content and putting it out for others.”

“Oh you cannot be that naïve.” He gives you a low chuckle and a disbelieving raised eyebrow. “Money and connections are literally what make the whole influencer thing work.”

“Of course, I know that.” You roll your eyes a little. “Sure, having money and connections does help you grow faster and make an earning out of it. But anyone can do it as a hobby and there’s a lot of raw talent out there that in the old days would never get the space to share any of it.”

“Says the girl who probably has thousands of followers and actually makes her living that way through deals with sponsors.” He playfully pokes at your stomach with his finger.

“Alright, alright.” You concede and let out a small sigh before you decide to just drop this whole discussion and smile back at him. “I think we’ll just have to agree to disagree on this one.”

“Right.” He replies and eyes you attentively for a moment before getting the hint and switching back to a lighter topic. “Anyway, you were saying that during uni you had to watch your exes dating others?”

“Yeah.” You almost breathe out a sigh of relief when he shifts the conversation back around, as even if you could tell it was meant to be light banter on his part the way that argument had been carrying on was actually starting to get on your nerves. “We had a really large and tightly knit group, almost sort of like we are here in the Villa.” You tell him, looking up at the ceiling for a moment as you think back on those days. “We’d study together at each other’s dorms and apartments, take classes, go to parties and even go on holidays together. One of them was a casual thing, we’d only started dating and he actually fell for my best friend.”

“Oh that’s savage.” He whispers in reply with a grimace. “Did you manage to keep the friendship?”

“Yeah, we’re all actually still great friends.” You explain easily and reiterate it when he seems disbelieving of that. “Seriously. They recently moved in together and I’m so happy for them. I think they’re gonna go the distance and I honestly can’t think of a better match than the two of them.”

“I see.” He murmurs in reply and thinks back quietly for a moment before continuing. “I can’t say I’ve ever been through something like that. My friends would say I’m pretty big on loyalty, but it’s another thing altogether putting other people’s feelings first like that for the sake of friendship.”

“It was just one of those situations that happened.” You counter with a shrug. “No one set out to hurt anyone else. And you can't force feelings. He felt something stronger for her and I needed to be a grown up about it and accept it. Thankfully it was early days, so even though it hurt a little and I was upset for a while, we all handled the situation with the utmost care for each other.”

“That’s very mature.” He notes with a small smile.

“Yeah.” You smile back and think back on your other experience going through something similar. “The other one was my proper ex-boyfriend. We dated for nearly two years and after we broke up I’d still see him at parties, pubs and mutual social gatherings.” You pause and think for a moment of how that had been considerably more complicated, at least for the first few months immediately after the break-up. “He’s got a new girlfriend now who also went to uni with us, only she’s a couple of years younger so we didn’t interact as much, but I still had to see it.”

He murmurs thoughtfully for a moment as he takes it all in. “So Love Island’s got nothing on that, huh?”

You let out a soft huff of laughter. “I do think my dating history has greatly prepared me for anything this place has to throw at me.”

“You might not want to say that out loud.” Lucas raises a somewhat teasing eyebrow at that. “You never know what they might come up with in here.”

“Honestly, at this point I’m like, ‘bring it on’.” You counter with a shrug and a determined gleam in your eyes. “Not even phased anymore.”

Before either of you can continue your hushed conversation, the lights turn on in the shared bedroom and the whole group starts to wake up for another day and things already start looking up when Bobby declares he’s making pancakes for everyone.

Chapter Text

After pancakes for breakfast with the whole group and working out at the gym with some of the boys, you find yourself sitting with Chelsea by the steps leading into the infinity pool, the two of you lazily dipping your feet in to cool off but not yet willing to fully submerge in the water.

“So you don’t want to be with Gary anymore?” You ask conversationally as your peer at her, leaning back on your hands as you recall her earlier comment at the changing rooms about how the person she wanted to be coupled up with wasn’t available at the last recoupling. “You were so upset when you thought he’d got on with the new girls while we were away. And by the way, he really didn’t do anything with them.”

“Oh I know that.” She replies, waving a hand around dismissively. “And I think Gary is absolutely lovely. He’s so much sweeter and down to earth when you get to know him. But I don’t think he’s for me.” She concludes, shaking her head a little. “I had come to terms that we were probably over when I picked Elijah and don’t get me wrong, I’m so thankful that he picked me and kept me in the Villa. He’s fun and charming, but he’s too chill sometimes. I need someone who vibes with me on another energy level, you know?”

“Love, I think that will be something hard to find.” You reply with a light  laugh. “I can’t think of anyone with as much energy as you. Except maybe for Bobby. Hey, how about you and Bobby?” You ask with a raised eyebrow in an excited tone as the idea just pops in your head, even though you feel a weird stirring in the pit of your stomach as you say those words out loud.

“Oh he’s absolutely gorgeous!” Chelsea practically squeals in reply and immediately starts to ramble off. “I mean, those eyes? And his face is just sooo pretty and he’s got this whole slim physique thing going on that’s just hot without being like in-your-face-hot, d’you know what I mean?”

“Oh I know exactly what you mean.” You intone, giving her an emphatic nod back. Bobby may not be tall or built like some of the other boys, but there was something undeniably attractive about him and you’d always noticed it, even in the early days. “He’s actually got those nice Vs on his hip bones. And those freckles!”

“Right?” She nods back with a smile, seemingly delighted that you share that opinion. “And we do get along. I can joke around with him for hours. But I don’t see any sparks flying.” She finishes with a casual shrug.

“Really?” You ask with raised eyebrows.

“Yeah, unfortunately.” She gives you a near sigh. “I mean, I wouldn’t say no if he ever tried it on, y’know? I’m not one to shut someone down without at least giving it a go once. But he definitely doesn’t fancy me.”

“How can you be so sure?” You ask as your brow furrows a little.

“I’m really good at these things, hun.” Chelsea tilts her head a little, looking up at the bright sun for a moment before focusing back on you. “It’s like a gift or something. I’m always like at least 95% right whenever I get an inkling, either about me or other people. By the way, how are you and Lucas?” She asks, jokingly elbowing your ribs.

“We’re giving it a go, as you’d say.” You tell her with an impish smile.

“Yay, girl!” She enthusiastically claps her hands a couple of times and gives you a bright smile. “You so deserve to have some fun after the whole thing with Rahim. What a dickhead, hun.” She comments while shaking her head. “I never thought he’d be pieing you off like that. Not that I’m dissing Shannon, because I actually like the girl. She’s got guts and I admire gutsy people. But you’re like an 11 out of 10 and it’s his loss now.”

“Aww thanks, babe.” You reply and reach out to pull her to a quick hug.

“And if you wanted to stir things up, you couldn’t have a better pick.” She laughs a little when you pull apart from the hug. “Lucas is such a drama queen, bless him. And he is so hot! That chest and his smouldering dark eyes? Oof! He could melt concrete if he just stood there looking all intense like. Hope you don’t mind me saying that, hun.” She adds conversationally at the end, not seemingly too worried about upsetting you with her words.

“Go ahead, I mean I have eyes and it would be ridiculous to deny it.” You wave your hand dismissively with a laugh. “Plus I’m not the jealous type.”

“Oh I know, you’re so chill.” She enthuses emphatically and then laughs a little. “It was kind of hilarious to see you being so oblivious to all the attention you were getting and Rahim going out of his mind with jealousy and worry that one of the other boys would swoop in and get you out of his arms.”

“Really?” You tilt your head a little and raise an eyebrow at that.

“Oh yeah!” She exclaims and continues excitedly. “I think the only one who was all blunt like and actually said the words was Gary and you shut him down, poor thing.” She shakes her head a little. “No wonder no one else had the guts to do the same after. It almost broke my heart when he went into the beach hut after you said you only liked him as a friend. I could see he was so disappointed even if he tried to put on a brave face and be his it’s-all-bants self.”

“Oh.” You actually pause for a few moments as you hadn’t expected that and you don’t know what to do with that information off the bat. “I had no idea.”

“Oh for sure!” Chelsea nods in reply, seemingly understanding just how unexpected this was for you. “Between you and me, I think he only ever really got it on with Lottie because he realised he didn’t have a chance with you. And she knows that and she was so worried you’d pick him out from under her at the recoupling after Rocco was dumped from the Villa.”

“Huh.” You mutter and think about it for a moment before continuing. “I mean, I remember she was all tense like and we had a talk before and after that recoupling and she asked me if I had any feelings for Gary.”

“I know. If you’d asked me, I always thought you and Gary would’ve made a good couple. You’re both so chill yet so fun.” Chelsea tells you with a bright smile, not at all phased by discussing your hypothetical coupling with her current partner. “But it might’ve been a bit boring for Love Island, because there wouldn’t be any drama there, y’know? But it would definitely be a good match for the real world. Actually, I could see you getting on with pretty much all the boys, even Noah!”

“Not you, too!” You groan a little at that and continue when she looks confused at your words. “Bobby said something similar just yesterday. Actually, he said he thought Noah had a secret thing for me, which is ridiculous.” You finish with an eye roll.

“Oh it really isn’t, hun.” Chelsea tells you in all seriousness, to your surprise. “When you all first got to the Villa, he said you were the only other girl he had his eye on besides Hope.”

“He did?” You can only blink your eyes at that.

“You see, so oblivious! It’s hilarious.” She actually cackles a little then.

“Great. Thanks, Chels.” You tell her with another roll of your eyes.

“Oh don’t mind me, hun.” She reaches out, wrapping an arm around you in an appeasing gesture. “But yeah, he said he thought you were absolutely breathtaking ─ not an exaggeration bee-tee-dubs, those were his exact words. I remember because I squealed at my telly when I heard that. He also likes gaming and it was such a turn on that you’re a gamer, but then all the boys were like that, really. You would not believe their beach hut reactions when they learned a hottie like you were an influencer because you were an online gamer, and not a model!” She finishes with a laugh.

“Yeah, I get that a lot.” You huff out a little with a smile at that. “It’s good to show the world that we can break some stereotypes. Girls can like games too, and be really good at it.”

“Absolutely, hun! That’s what Noah was so impressed with and how he realised that just by coming to the show and meeting all these people it was already forcing him to reevaluate all sorts of preconceived notions he’d had, or something.” She finishes with a rather dismissive hand gesture, as if his exact words weren’t really all that important to your conversation.

“I can see that, but it’s still a leap to go from there to say he had his eye on me.” You argue back a little.

“But he did!” She insists enthusiastically. “He said it with all the words, babe. He liked how you’re so nice to everyone and so much fun to be around yet so chill about all the drama. But he never thought you’d go for him, then he and Hope got so serious so quick that it kind of faded into the background.”

“This is so interesting.” You murmur and pause for a moment as you think of all she said. “How come we never talked about any of this before?”

“I dunno, hun. We’re always chatting about so many different things, it is a wonder this never came up.” She comments with a sigh then looks up a little in thought. “But honestly after that whole blow-up about Lottie and Gary’s kiss I didn’t think it would be a good idea to drop any other bombs, d’you know what I mean?”

“Yeah, I get it.” You let out a light snort at that, as really that had been the biggest bombshell-dropping-news that had hit the Villa. “But just between the two of us, who did you think I’d get on with when you started watching the show?” You ask her with a raised eyebrow, wondering about what was the public perception in those early days.

“Oh there were so many possibilities!” Chelsea replies excitedly, eager to dish out on her opinions. “Rocco was definitely one, and he really wanted to get on with you, but you never gave him the time of day.”

“I’ve been with guys like him in my time.” You comment while shaking your head a little. “Thank you, next.”

“Oh absolutely. I get that completely.” She replies with another of her enthused nods. “He seemed like it would be fun to have something casual, but not if you’re interested in anything too serious.” She pauses and furrows her brow a little in thought. “To be honest, I thought you’d have your fun with Rahim for a little while and move on, but you seemed quite taken with him after the first couple of days.”

“Yeah, he was really lovely.” You murmur in agreement, thinking back on those early days and how Ibrahim’s initial shyness and awkwardness had been such a charming point, something that made you think he was the very opposite of a player. “I started to think he was someone I could trust and that wouldn’t be a fuckboy like others I’ve dated before.”

“You’re a gem, babe.” Chelsea tells you with a sweet smile as she reaches over and gives your hand a tender squeeze. “But I do think he regrets pieing you off for Shannon. You could definitely turn his head back if you wanted to.” She comments and raises an eyebrow at you, the corners of her lips turning up in a smirk. “Aren’t you tempted? Like just a little bit? Maybe to show her off?”

You actually laugh at her suggestion. “D’you think I should?” You ask with a smirk of your own.

“I think it would be so deserved and everyone would love the drama.” She tells you and her blue eyes sparkle mischievously. “And you could be like, take him back then pie him off later.”

You laugh again, though this time it’s more of a dismissive gesture. “I don’t think I’m that vindictive.” You counter while shaking your head a little.

“Nah, you’re right, I don’t see you going that far.” She concedes with a dismissive hand wave, her lips twisting a little as she thinks it over. “I wouldn’t either, I just wouldn’t bother actually. So many other gorgeous boys around to have fun with, y’know?” She comments with a shrug before continuing in a conspiratorial tone. “Now Marisol, I could see her doing something like that.”

“Really?” You raise your eyebrows in surprise at that opinion. “She seems to be so genuine about wanting to find love here.”

“Oh she is, but if it came down to her pride.” Chelsea insists as she leans a little closer to continue her train of thought in a whisper. “For instance, imagine it had been the opposite. If Marisol had coupled up with Rocco and they’d had that Spark she so kept looking for, then Lottie had stolen him. Marisol would so do everything in her power to turn his head back and then she might’ve pied him off after just to let him know who’s boss.”

“You know, I actually think I agree with you there.” You mutter back after you consider it for a moment. “She can be intense.”

“Right?” She nods in return and leans back away, continuing in a normal tone of voice with a grin. “Told you I’m an excellent judge of character.”

“Then who do you think I should go for now?” You ask her with a raised eyebrow, curious to see what is her current perception and opinion of you.

“Hmmm.” She leans back on one hand and with the other she taps a thoughtful finger to the corner of her lips as she looks you over. “Who do you want to go for?” She finally asks with a challenging raised eyebrow of her own.

“I honestly don’t know.” You tell her softly with a sigh. “Things are fun and easy with Lucas at the moment, but I’m not sure if he’s all set on me and I feel like I’m in this weird limbo where everything is still up in the air and nothing’s really settled. It could go either way.” You finish with a shrug.

Chelsea eyes you thoughtfully for a couple of moments before she leans in closer once more and tells you with a grin. “I think you know what you want to do, but you’re afraid to go there.”

“What d’you mean? Why would I be afraid?” You ask, genuine wonder seeping through to your voice.

“Of getting hurt again.” She gives you another of her pointed nods and observes you closely. “Because it would be real and you don’t want real right now.” She explains with an easy shrug and a head tilt.

You automatically open your mouth to retort, but after a moment no words come out and you find that she actually hit the nail on the head with that one. It’s kind of amazing that Chelsea, of all people, is the one that is giving you so many insights with this conversation, not just on gossip or public perception, but her own read of your situation. It seems unlikely, because she’d always presented herself as someone so airy, bubbly and flighty, but underneath that exterior she was proving to be a very good judge of character and a real good friend who seemed to care for you.

“Have heart, love.” She tells you with a knowing smile, reaching out to wrap one arm around your shoulders as she gives you a side hug. “You already came on Love Island, which was the biggest risk of all. Now you just need to take that leap.” She finishes with a shrug then peers closely at you before lowering her voice. “You know he has the biggest crush on you.”

You find yourself furrowing your brow, wondering what she means by that. “Who?” 

“Who else?” She gives a good-natured roll of her eyes and continues whispering. “Bobby!”

“What?!” You actually exclaim in reply, then check yourself and continue in a whisper. “No, he doesn’t! And why'd you think I want to be with him?” You ask, your voice holding just a tad of defensiveness that you wish you’d managed to keep out.

“Intuition.” She gives you a nod and impish smile. “And you can’t be that blind. He’s wanted to get on with you from the moment you stepped out of that Villa and that hasn’t changed one bit.” She makes a wide gesture with one arm at the Villa building standing behind you two. “Why do you think he’s always got your back and how he never gets on with any of the other girls?”

“He’s only being a good mate.” You tell her with a roll of your eyes. “And he said he just never fancied the girls.”

“Duh! Because he fancies you!” She insists in her conspiratorial, hushed tones. “Think about it. He could’ve been with Priya if he’d wanted to, but he never went there. She actually tried to get on with him after that second recoupling they got together, but he shut her down.”

“What?” Once more, you find yourself blinking your eyes in reaction to another bomb she just drops on you. “Really? Are you sure about that?”

“Oh yes, 100%. It was on telly, after all.” Chelsea tells you with a matter-of-fact shrug. “And you wouldn’t have seen it because it was after the lights went out and you were at the Hideaway with Rahim anyway.”

“I had no idea.” You comment with surprise in your voice, not for the first time wondering what was happening around the Villa that someone not directly involved with it would be none the wiser. “Neither of them ever said anything about it.”

“Well, Priya wouldn’t, now would she?” Chelsea counters with a raised eyebrow. “It’s not something you want to tell others, how you shot your shot and got shut down, especially for someone like Priya who is used to having all the boys running after her. And I think Bobby was just really nice about the whole thing, he wouldn’t want to embarrass her and make a big deal out of it. But I reckon he did that because he’s liked you from the start and he’s only ever had eyes for you.”

“But then… It doesn’t make any sense!” You protest, frowning in thought. “He’s the one who said I should give it a try with Lucas now.”

“Because he’s a selfless idiot and he doesn’t think he stands a chance with these other guys, so he just wants you to be happy. Which is so romantic.” She rambles off her theory happily with a sigh. “He’s got something of a showsman and a flair for the dramatic underneath that goofy exterior.”

“That’s true.” You can at least agree on that part with a small laugh. “I remember how extra and dramatic he was when Marisol was all worried he would be jealous that she was cracking on with Gary after she and Bobby had coupled up on the first day.”

“Yeah, that was actually hilarious!” Chelsea cackles a little at the memory of that moment. “She was all serious and intense and he honestly didn’t give a damn about it, he’s always just wanted to have fun in here and keep the good vibes going. Oh, can you imagine if you two got together now? It would be such a great friends-to-lovers story!” She presses her hands together, almost as if begging you to consider this possibility just for fun.

You find yourself shaking your head a little, partially to cover up your surprise that Chelsea would have the same reading on the situation as you had earlier when you were considering coupling up with Bobby and the narrative you could establish. “You should write romance novels, love.”

“Who says I don’t?” She tells you with a wink. “I could be writing one right now, nudging things along in this live drama we call our lives on Love Island.”

You can only laugh lightly in reply to that, but for the first time you’re thinking that Chelsea may not be as careless or an air-headed blonde as some people may consider just by judging her on first impressions. If anything, it’s clear she pays a lot more attention to what’s happening around her and this whole conversation has given you a lot of information to consider your next moves carefully.

Chapter Text

After having lunch with the group, as you’re clearing away the dishes and chatting idly with Hope you hear someone softly calling your name and you turn around to find Shannon standing just behind you, an unreadable expression on her face (something compounded by the fact that she has her sunglasses on). Her posture seems quite nonchalant, but you can actually see this is the result of direct efforts that she’s putting on to portray she’s at ease when really that might not be the case, as you notice her lightly tapping one of her fingers in the hand that is oh-so-casually placed on her hip.

“Hey.” She says by way of greeting and continues breezily with a something of a smile. “D’you mind if we go for a chat, just the two of us?”

You stop and stare at her for a beat, before you give her a nod and an easy smile. “Sure. Let’s go.” You catch Hope giving you a raised eyebrow and you shrug one of your shoulders in response as you leave her and the others to the dishes and follow Shannon out to the sun loungers by the pool. You can feel the eyes of the other Islanders tracking your progress and you just know the Villa will soon be buzzing as speculations are bound to rise on what this chat is all about.

(If you were a betting woman, you’re pretty sure there’s only one topic that this conversation can be about.)

The two of you sit down in separate loungers and face each other. You try to keep a blank expression and somewhat open disposition, even if every fibre of your being is screaming at you to be on guard.

“So I know there’s been some tension between us since I got here and I think I’d like to clear the air a bit.” She starts as she casually leans her weight back on her hands and lowers her shades a little so that her eyes are just visible over the top of her sunglasses.

You cross your legs and also lean back on your hands, partially mirroring her posture. “Alright. I’m listening.” You reply in a light tone, keeping an open disposition, but making it clear she’s leading the conversation as she was the one who initiated it anyway.

She gives you a sharp nod and launches on to what she has to say. “Obviously, I’m not gonna apologise for getting on with Rahim─”

You can’t help but interrupt her by letting out a soft huff. “Great start, babe.” You murmur and sarcastically roll your eyes for good measure.

“Hey, at the end of the day, he’s the one who made that choice.” She points out with a raised eyebrow, but overall continues speaking in the same easy tones as before. “I just got here like everyone else, wanting to have a good time, maybe meet someone and stay in the Villa. You went through the same thing when Priya took him off you then you got him back and she was still like one of your best mates here. I don’t see why it has to be any different with us.”

You blink forcibly as she equates the two situations just like that and it takes you a moment before you can come up with an apt response. “Okay, here’s what was different.” You tell her as you change your posture, leaning forward now to have your arms free to gesture with your hands. “That happened when we were all starting out and barely knew each other. It’s completely different after being here all this time now and having had a whole relationship with someone.” She hears you out and you can see her eyebrows flickering up at your words and she opens up her mouth to retort, but you barrel through as you still have things to say. “Plus Priya made an effort to get to know me and all the other girls. She also made it abundantly clear that it was a hard choice for her and that if she could’ve, she wouldn’t have done it that way, but it was the way of the game and how she came into the Villa.”

“But that’s the same with me.” Shannon protests a little as she furrows her brow. “I didn’t choose to get here while you girls were away at Casa Amor. And I can’t help it if Rahim and I got a connection right away.” She adds the second point with a tilt of the head and you’re not quite sure, but it almost feels like the corners of her mouth are turning up in the barest of smirks.

“You could’ve stepped up and said you’re sorry or at least acknowledged the situation somehow.” You retort immediately as you cross your arms defensively over your chest. “When Lucas came out with Blake, those were the first words out of her mouth.” You see her raising an eyebrow at that and somehow you just know what she’s thinking and what she’ll argue back, so you raise a hand before she can interrupt you so that you can make your point. “I may not have known her well and if she was playing games or what, but at least Blake had the guts to come up to me and admit this was awkward and that it put me in a bad position.”

“I get that, but that’s the way of this game, babe.” She replies with a slight roll of the eyes. “We all know how things happen in here. If you can’t handle it, then don’t play the game.” She pauses and lets out a soft huff of her own before continuing. “Seriously, everyone keeps banging on about ‘girl code’ and how that’s not how you do this or how you do that. It’s ridiculous.”

“You know, I actually agree with you on that one.” You interject and you can see that she’s surprised that this is what you say just then, so you elaborate on it. “I feel like when people keep throwing out Girl Code, that’s just another way of saying, ‘don’t crack on with my man’. But that’s not the way things work here.” This is one of the things that had annoyed you during those early days in the Villa when the girls had been going through the recoupling dramas and Lottie in particular kept throwing out ‘Girl Code’ left, right and centre, so you can appreciate where Shannon is coming from.

“Right.” Shannon agrees readily with a nod, and something changes in her posture as she actually lifts the sunglasses off and places it on her head, but she continues with a frown still present between her eyebrows. “And not just in here. In the real world, you go out, meet a bloke and things can go off from there, and it’s not your job to make sure anyone else he might be seeing is okay with that.”

“Except that this isn’t the real world, babe.” You point out with a raised eyebrow. “You’re right, on the outside this would never be on you, it would be on him 100%. But in almost any other normal place, we wouldn’t have to see each other on a daily basis and live in close quarters.” You sit up straighter and shake your hair out behind your shoulders as you keep on talking. “I actually don’t give a damn about Girl Code and loyalties or whatnot and I can respect that you’re here to find someone and to play the game, but this is about being a decent person and having to live together while we’re all here.”

“Alright, I get that.” Shannon seems to grant that point to you as she gives you a nod, but her lips twist in a somewhat unpleasant frown as she continues. “But let me just point out that you could’ve said something before now if you were that bothered.”

Once more, all you can do for a moment in reaction to her words is to blink your eyes. “Me?” You say in what you’re sure is an unmistakably surprised, downright defensive and somewhat outraged tone of voice. Not for one moment you thought it should’ve been your responsibility to smooth out any wrinkles in this particular situation (even though you are somewhat surprised that production hadn’t yet sent you a text forcing you and Shannon out for drinks and a very awkward chat, as they’d done in past seasons).

“Yeah.” She replies, something in her voice making it seem like what she’s saying should’ve been obvious. “It’s not easy, y’know, being the new girl coming in, taking risks and then ‘stealing’ a fella off someone else. Especially someone like you.” She adds the last part under her breath, and you’re not sure if that was something you were supposed to hear or not.

“Someone like me?” You repeat, knowing your voice is somewhat louder yet you can’t help but feel your temper rising just a little. “What’s that supposed to mean?” You ask defiantly, already poised and ready for this whole thing to turn into a fight.

“C’mon, you’re gonna make me say it?” Shannon retorts with a roll of the eyes, but this time you can definitely see a smile forming on her lips before she continues. “You’re like the Love Island Sweetheart.” That was so not what you were expecting her to say that you can’t help but deflate instantly, all the fight leaving your body as she continues with her explanation. “Everybody loves you. The boys all fancy you and the girls are all your friends and have your back, even the ones who at first came in and thought they were in competition with you.” She adds with another roll of her eyes before adding another comment under her breath. “And don’t get me started on how the public adores you.”

“Oh.” The word leaves softly past your lips almost unconsciously as you need a moment to take in everything she’s said. You shake your head a little as you think it through, for the first time taking all of these nuances into consideration. “I had no idea.”

“Yeah, I was actually surprised that Rahim and I weren’t up for dumping after the public vote.” Shannon comments in a dry tone before raising an eyebrow. “I was sure we’d be the least voted for after that whole thing.”

You take a moment still to think it all through before responding. You’d already thought the public was probably on your side given this conflict with Ibrahim, but you were so into the feelings the situation had brought to you specifically that it never even crossed your mind how difficult and complicated it could be for someone on the other side. It really is interesting that they weren’t voted out during that dumping. It’s somehow making you think if the public thought they had a genuine connection and if their couple is actually more real than you’d thought before. In a strange way, it’s another factor to support how you’re feeling so at ease at no longer being in a couple with Ibrahim.

“Yeah. I guess you’re right.” You comment in the same soft tones as before. “I never thought of it all from your point of view.”

“Oh gosh, you’re doing that thing, aren’t ya?” She replies with what looks like a good-natured roll of her eyes and a smirk pulling at the corners of her mouth.

“What thing?” You ask with narrowed eyes, as even if you feel the conversation has become less tense you’re not quite sure of her intentions just yet.

“Y’know, that whole thing where you’re just about the nicest person anyone’s ever met and you’re trying to get everyone to talk through things and work it all out.” She explains, her eyebrows going up. “You’re being the peacemaker even in this now, huh?” The smirk slowly morphs into a more genuine smile.

You think it over for a beat before replying. “Maybe I am. Is that such a bad thing?” You ask with a shrug. It even feels fitting, as in the past you were the one forced to intervene and make the other Islanders talk things out when there was any ongoing conflict or tensions in the Villa, so why not do it for yourself? “We’re actually being adults and talking about everything instead of avoiding it and being passive-aggressive. Like I said before, we do have to live together in the Villa for the foreseeable future. We don’t have to be best mates, but we can clear the air and be civil around each other, right?”

“Okay, okay, you’re right. I am sorry.” She replies still with that smile as she raises her hands in an appeasing gesture. “And I get it, why you didn’t feel like you could come up to me before. So how about we just shake on it and start over?”

You look back at her, your face completely blank but inside your head the gears are turning furiously. You find yourself conflicted with two different feelings. You can appreciate that Shannon’s got guts (as Chelsea had so aptly put before), as she took this matter into her own hands to get you two into a better, less awkward place. She could’ve let the situation go by as it was until you were either forced to address this or, worse, it somehow escalated and became more complicated. This chat not only served to clear the air, but you can see the two of you are actually quite similar in some aspects and how, if you’d met under different circumstances, you might have liked each other and even have become good friends.

On the other hand, you know she’s only doing this now and agreeing so easily to what you said because she’s scared you might take Rahim back from her. After all, she could’ve come up to you when you first met, but she was biding her time, probably because she thought you were at risk of being dumped from the Villa when you were left single. Since now you’re coupled up again and at no risk of leaving any time soon, she knows she needs to be on your good side or you could be a threat.

And now you have two options: you could take the high road, wave it all off and start again, as she said. Or you could have a little fun ─ just a little bit.

“Sure.” You reply with a shrug as you extend your hand. “I mean, I know you’re only doing this because you see me as a threat, but why not?” You add with a smirk and a wink after you two shake hands.

“Interesting.” She murmurs back, one eyebrow going up and a smirk also pulling at her lips after a moment. “Never saw this side of you before, Ms. Play-It-Nice. A bit cocky, aren’t ya?”

“It’s not cocky if I can back it up.” You counter in a light tone as you uncross your legs and stand up and she does the same. “Just remember that he coupled up with you after we’d been together for like two weeks. He could do the exact same thing to you now.” She narrows her eyes a little at that, but you just shake your head and continue with a smile. “But don’t worry, I don’t plan on disrupting your couple. I’m done with Ibrahim.”

With that said, you turn around and let her be, as you feel like this is a good place to step out. You’ve both said what you had to say and maybe you’re not about to be best mates, but you can live more easily together while you’re both there at the Villa. If anything, you can appreciate that Shannon is probably one of the Islanders most focused on playing the game and it’s sparking your competitive nature and spurring you on a little.

You don’t know where exactly to go as you leave, but you immediately spot Hope and Bobby chatting quietly by the bean bags between the pool and the gym so you head their way.

“Babe, you alright?” Hope asks when you plop down on a bag beside her.

“I’m fine, hun.” You tell her with a smile. “Thanks for checking in on me.”

“Of course I’m checking in on you.” She rolls her eyes good-naturedly at you then shifts a little to get up. “Hold on, I actually need to fill up my water bottle real quick, but I wanted to make sure you’re okay first.”

“It’s fine.” You give her a dismissive wave of your hand, smiling at the thought that she’d probably dragged Bobby over there as soon as you’d left the kitchen in order to keep an eye out while you’d been talking to Shannon. “Go ahead, Hope.”

“I’ll be right back and I want to hear everything.” She says with emphasis as she starts walking backwards towards the kitchen as she holds her water bottle in both hands before she turns on her heels and walks off.

“What happened out there?” Bobby asks with something of a frown on his forehead as he remains lying down on the other bean bag beside you. “For a moment there we were expecting some kind of showdown or something.”

“That was Shannon’s attempt at getting on my good side.” You tell him with a soft huff and a smirk.

“Ooh I knew she’d be worried about you now.” His lips also pull up in a soft smirk and he seems reassured at the easy tones you’re using and your relaxed posture. “Did you make it nice or tell her off?”

“Something like that.” You murmur in reply and don’t elaborate despite the raised eyebrow that indicates you piqued his curiosity with that non-answer, but you don’t feel like rehashing that whole conversation at the moment. “Truth be told, I’m more interested in some of the things Chelsea was telling me this morning.”

“Oh yeah?” Now both of his eyebrows shoot up in curiosity. “What’s the goss? Or what did you call it, spill the tea?”

“It was so much tea, I can’t even keep track of everything we talked about.” You shake your head a little as you think back on that conversation before you focus back on him. “But I think the main thing that shocked me is that apparently Priya tried it on with you and you said ─ ‘no’ ?” You emphasise it with a confused frown as you watch carefully for his reaction.

Bobby’s easy smile is instantly wiped off his face. “Oh. That.” He murmurs in an embarrassed tone, one of his hands going up to rub distractedly at the back of his neck.

“Yes.That.” You repeat, reaching over to poke his leg with your foot. “You never said anything.”

“There was nothing to tell.” He replies with an exaggeratedly casual shrug as he avoids your eyes. “She made a move, I said I wasn’t feeling the same. End of. We remained friends.”

“You weren’t even a little bit interested? Or curious?” You press him for more info before you roll your eyes a little. “Hell, even I would’ve snuck a cheeky kiss with Priya if she ever brought it up.”

He finally drags his eyes back to yours at that and lets out a soft huff that is almost a laugh and it seems like some of the tension dissipates in the air between you two. “I dunno.” He says then rolls his eyes a little to himself. “I just thought she wasn’t really into me and was just settling because we were stuck in this couple, y’know? I always felt like she wanted to be with Noah or Rahim, actually.”

“Yeah, she was always very openly admiring Ibrahim.” You agree to that assessment, your eyebrows going up as you think back on all the thirsty comments she’d made in the past. “Even so, you could’ve had some fun together.” You comment with a shrug. “Sometimes friendships turn into the best romances.”

“You really think so?” Bobby asks in a would-be-casual tone, but you can feel his eyes watching you attentively.

“For sure.” You give him an emphatic nod in reply. “Two of my exes started out as like my best friends.”

“But then isn’t it horrible when the relationship ends and you lose your best friend?” He asks with a soft frown.

“There’s something in that, it’s true.” You reply with a conceding nod to that point before continuing with a shrug. “But every time a relationship ends feels a little like losing your best friend, y’know?”

“I can’t say I’ve ever felt like that.” Bobby comments with a half smile. “Sure, breakups can be horrible but I think it’s a different feeling than, say, if you fall out with your best mate. To me at least that’s like a million times worse.”

“I guess it depends.” You murmur softly as you think it over before giving him a sharp look and a follow-up. “What were your past relationships like?”

“I had two serious, long-term girlfriends, but they’ve always been definitely more girlfriends than best mates. Y’know, there was this very clear line separating things you do with your girl and things you do with the lads.” He explains and you nod in understanding. “But I’ve always liked the idea of dating someone who’s like your best mate. I guess that’s why if I take someone out these days I’d rather go to those bars that have games and fun stuff to do instead of a traditional dinner date.”

“I get that and I’m like that, too.” You say with a smile. “Some people find it weird, but I always felt it was so natural to let something build out of a friendship, especially because I’ve always had a lot of guy friends and I’ve also dated girls in the past.” You comment with a nonchalant shrug and he’s the one nodding in agreement this time. “And yeah, breakups suck and it can be hard to keep the friendship after, even though it’s doable; I’ve done that before.”

“Oh yeah, I guess if you keep seeing the person after the break-up in like social settings eventually you need to get back on speaking terms and the awkwardness goes away.” He bobs his head left and right for a moment as he considers it. “And at least I always tried to end things on good terms, but it wasn’t always my choice.” He adds in a quiet tone with a crooked smile.

“You’ve been burned before, haven’t you?” You ask gently, tilting your head a little to watch him closely. “I remember you saying something about it in our early days here.”

“Yeah.” Bobby breathes out the word softly and his lips fall into a straight line after a moment. It feels a little weird that he doesn’t elaborate on that, even if just in an exaggerated, forcefully playful manner, like cracking some joke that probably gets a little too close to the truth. But you can appreciate he’s actually being quite genuine and vulnerable at this moment.

“I get that.” You say softly with a half smile, half grimace before you let out a small sigh and continue. “But honestly even though I’ve been through my fair share of shitty situations, I don’t think I would’ve traded having those relationships to avoid the heartaches. I think I got to grow quite a lot thanks to them and that’s why I’m the person I am today.” You finish with a simple shrug.

“I see.” He murmurs and narrows his eyes a little as he looks back at you before a small smile forms on his lips. “Yeah, I think you’re right.”

“Of course I’m right.” You tell him with a grin and a wink. “I’m not just a pretty face, after all.”

“No, you’re like the whole package.” He says with a breathy sort of laugh underneath his words and seems to catch himself at the look you give him. Shifting a little in his seat, Bobby clears his throat and casts his eyes away from your face before suddenly changing the subject. “Hum so yeah, how are things going with Lucas?”

You pause for a beat, storing that moment and his reaction away to scrutinise it more closely at a later time. “It’s been nice.” You say in easy, airy tones. “I mean, it’s weird but nice. We’ve been having some nice chats and enjoying our time together and it is so lovely to just be myself, you know? Not worrying about the drama for a while. And I do like him, I do.”

“But?” Bobby prompts after you trail off, raising his eyes to find yours once more.

You bite your lip before replying. “I’m still not sure.” You offer a noncommittal shrug. “If someone more suited for him walked right through those doors, I told him he shouldn’t feel the obligation to be loyal to me anyway. This is still a game after all.”

“Oh there you go, on again about the game.” He comments with a roll of his eyes and an easygoing smile.

“Look at you being all blasé about it now.” You note with a raised eyebrow. “Weren’t you the one all worried about people forming alliances and voting people off on like our second day here?”

“Yeah and since then I’ve tried messing with other people’s relationships and learned it’s way better to just be ourselves and enjoy our time here.” He replies with a self-deprecating roll of his eyes before finishing with a casual shrug.

“I can’t help it.” You groan a little, unable to keep a bit of whine out of your voice as you slump down on your bean bag. “I have a really good brain for games and the last time I shut it down I got mugged off, didn’t I?”

“I think that if you have the real deal, then you don’t need to worry about the game.” Bobby retorts with a raised eyebrow and a smile. “Getting to the end and winning it becomes a consequence, or even just a very nice bonus.”

“But can we actually afford to do that here?” You interject, feeling a frown forming between your eyebrows. “You know we don’t just couple up and live happily ever after. They’re going to throw more people in here to stir shit up. The next person walking in here could be exactly your type on paper and she might fancy the pants off you. What would you do?”

“Me?” He asks, both of his eyebrows shooting up a little in surprise.

“Yeah, you.” You reply automatically, then catch yourself and backpedal a little. “I mean, if you were Lucas. Y’know as a lad, as one of the boys.” You add with a would-be-casual shrug.

Bobby just looks back at you for what feels like a long time, his eyes narrowed a little before he also gives a careless shrug and replies in easy tones. “I think that if Cardi herself walked in through those doors I wouldn’t change anything about my situation.”

“Really?” You raise an eyebrow, cross your arms and ask in unmistakable disbelief and a bit of sarcasm. “You’d pass on an opportunity to crack on with Cardi B , your hip-hop goddess, to stay coupled up with Hope?”

He grins and his hazel eyes sparkle up mischievously before he replies. “I meant being here talking to you.”

“Oh.” The single-word sound falls a little breathlessly past your lips as for a moment you don’t know how else to react. You can feel your cheeks heating up a little and you feel strangely unsettled, yet not in an entirely bad way. This is all throwing you for a loop, as Bobby’s always been cheeky and a little flirty, but now you’re hyper aware of it and it feels like there’s actual intent behind his words and actions.

He keeps on grinning and after a moment he carries on talking as if nothing out of the ordinary is happening. “As for being coupled up with Hope, yeah I would change a few things.” He rolls his eyes a little, but you can tell it’s in good humour. “For starters, she and Noah need to get back together A-SAP, I’m not even joking on that one.”

“Oh yeah.” You nod and let out a breathy chuckle, grateful that you finally regain your ability to speak and form actual sentences. “It’s so weird that they’re not a couple anymore. I actually keep forgetting about it.”

“Right? I forget about it and I’m in a couple with her!” He also lets out a low chuckle and his eyes get a little soft as he just gazes back at you. “As for who I’d couple up with then…” He trails off, but before either of you can say anything else you hear Gary shouting across the lawn from the sun deck that he’s got a text and you look towards the others surrounding him as they excitedly start talking about a challenge. Bobby offers you a hand as he gets up from his bean bag and winks at you as you both head off to join them. “I guess I just need to wait and see.”

Chapter Text

After news of the challenge came out in the afternoon the day had snowballed from one thing to another, as they tend to do at the Villa. The fun couple’s challenge set up by production was followed by the naughtier version that the Islanders had come up with on your own and after you’d all got ready for another evening together tensions had boiled over and Bobby had decided to literally hold court to mediate the many issues that had been ongoing and smooth things out.

When you pause to consider that plus your chat earlier with Shannon it almost feels like the theme of the day was about airing things out. You’re thinking of that as the others filter out back into the Villa for the night, yet you and Hope stay behind by the firepit to catch up.

“I can’t believe we haven’t managed to get some time alone so far.” She comments as you remain sitting down, huddling together for warmth as the night is growing chilly. “C’mon, spill. What was that chat with Shannon all about?”

“Take a wild guess,” you tell her with a smirk and she responds with a good-natured roll of her eyes then you launch into a recount of your afternoon talk with Shannon.

She appropriately hmms and ahhs as you give her as detailed an account of the chat as you can ─ Hope’s always liked having all the details and she doesn’t interrupt you until you’re done. “I did feel like things were a bit less tense tonight between you two,” Hope comments as she takes in all you said. “Especially just now when we were talking about that purring noise. Even though it was still awkward as fuck when we all realised it was Rahim and how we’d actually heard it before when he was sharing a bed with you.”

“Yeah, nothing I can do about that awkwardness,” you murmur as you look up in thought. “I think we’ll still have moments like this as we move forward. But the good thing is that we are moving forward.”

“Definitely,” Hope gives you a nod back in agreement before she peers a little closely at you. “You really are fine with this, aren’t you? That he’s with Shannon now?”

“Honestly, it’s fine.” You tell her with a calm little smile and continue once she raises an eyebrow at that. “She’s not that bad. I actually think we might’ve been friends if we met under different circumstances.”

“I get it.” Hope replies after a moment of consideration, letting out a small sigh. “We can’t hold too many grudges living together like this.” You know she speaks from experience, as she also had to let go of things in the past during the fallout from Operation Nope and Priya grafting on Noah. You’d actually been the one mediating that whole shitstorm and getting both girls back on speaking grounds and on a truce.

“Exactly.” You agree with a nod, as you think over past discussions that had taken over the Villa by storm or even just the arguments that had come to light during the night. “Even petty shit like spilled milk and hair in the drain should be dragged out in the open otherwise we’ll need to hold weekly sessions of Judge Bobby’s court to make everyone get along.”

“Although that doesn’t sound like such a bad idea.” Hope lets out a small laugh. “Tonight was really so much fun, wasn’t it?”

“Bless Bobby for always knowing how to break the tension and make things fun.” You agree while shaking your head a little when you remember the ridiculousness of it all. “He’s like coming up with these things to do that are just as fun as the challenges.”

“You’re right, today’s challenge was a right laugh, too. How are you feeling about it?” She tilts her head and narrows her eyes. “You and Lucas won and you only just got together.”

“What? It doesn’t mean anything.” You deflect it by making a casual shrug. “I just have a very good memory and I pay attention to a lot of things. I could’ve aced that challenge being coupled up with any of the boys.” You comment with a raised eyebrow and a challenging gleam in your eyes.

“Oh my days, you are so competitive.” Hope rolls her eyes in response while also huffing out a soft laugh. “I don’t think I have ever met someone as competitive as me before.” 

“It’s true.” You answer with a grin. “But that’s part of why we get along so well.” You nudge her ribs with your elbow. From the very start you thought you and Hope had the right idea about what Love Island was all about. You could be there for your girls and have fun with everything without losing sight that this was a competition at the end of the day, but above all that people’s feelings were real and very much at stake, depending on the decisions you make along the way.

“Strange as it is.” She nudges you right back in good humour. “And you also seem to be getting along nicely with Lucas. Think you’ll want to recouple with him?” She adds, refusing to be distracted despite your best attempts.

“I don’t know yet.” You reply with a small sigh and you start weaving a braid through a small section of your hair in a distracted manner. “I mean, we’re having fun and he’s very nice, very fit.” You see her readily agreeing to that assessment with an appreciative nod and you smirk to yourself, remembering how she’d admitted to having a crush on Lucas when he first got to the Villa. “But I don’t think I’ve settled all my eggs in his basket yet, you know?”

“Definitely.” She gives you another sharp nod. “Him pieing you off for Blake before was a massive warning sign.”

“It’s not about that. I don’t blame him for that and we’re past it now. We started fresh.” You explain after a quick shake of your head, as you don’t want people to get the wrong impression about Lucas. “I just think that maybe we’re not such a perfect match. He’s too intense for me sometimes.” You let out a small huff and quickly undo the braid. “I prefer to be chilled and laid back, y’know?”

“Oh yeah.” Hope replies, looking up in thought as she takes this in and quickly considers your point. “You don’t like the thrill.”

“No, I so don’t.” You say, your lips twisting a little in a frown. “Like this morning I was being all sweet and affectionate, you know how I’m a touchy-feely person, right?” She gives you another sharp nod, as your nature is quite evident in the fact that you’re leaning into each other with your arms linked together. “So we were sitting together after breakfast and I wanted to tease him a little and I went for his head and he flipped out about his hair.” You finish with an eye roll.

She pointedly blinks her eyes before this. “Are you joking?” She deadpans.

“No! Like such a diva, I swear to God.” You can’t help but compound your words with another eye roll. “He was all, ‘it takes me forever to get my hair looking like this, don’t go ruining it first thing in the morning’ and I’m like, chill out, babe. I’m just trying to be nice and sweet and he picked a fight over nothing.”

“And it’s just hair!” Hope adds with a frown marked between her eyebrows and an annoyed twist in her lips. “It’s not even that complicated hair like a braid or dreads or something, he just puts on some gel and styles it.”

“Right?” You ask with an exasperated hand gesture before you continue in a lower volume. “I noticed how sometimes it seems like he picks not exactly fights but these arguments just for argument’s sake? Or he likes teasing me because I can see he just wants to wind me up but it gets to the point where I get proper pissed off.”

“You? Pissed off?” Hope asks with a teasing raised eyebrow and a small curious smile. “I’d like to see that.”

You huff out in reply, as you know where she’s coming from. The whole Villa seems to have deemed you the one with the coolest, most collected head out of the group and it’s probably why they’re always pushing you to play mediator, but the truth is that you’re capable of having quite a temper, if push comes to shove. “Believe me, you don’t.” You tell her, a rather dark undertone in your voice.

She hums appreciatively for a moment as both her eyebrows shoot up in response before she reverts back to your previous topic. “Maybe he gets bored if things are too easy and smooth.” She suggests with a shrug.

“Yeah.” You agree as you think over her suggestion and how it makes a lot of sense. “He likes the excitement of a fight here and there and that just stresses me out.” You remember how Chelsea had called him a drama queen this morning and how that also aligns perfectly here.

“So it might be a personality issue.” Hope comments with another careless shrug.

“More like a compatibility thing.” You argue back a little, bobbing your head left and right for a moment. “It’s not his personality, as he’s been very lovely. But I don’t know if in the real world it would work. This sort of thing would just stress me out until the point where I wouldn’t want to bother anymore.” You heave out a sigh before adding another point to your whole confession. “Truth be told, if he keeps it up even in here I won’t be bothered.”

Hope lets out a small huff that is almost a laugh. “Kinda ruthless, but I have to say, I really like this new you.” She tells you with a smirk.

“What d’you mean, ‘new’ you?” You ask with curious eyes.

She pauses and looks up in thought for a moment as she thinks it over before replying. “It’s like you’re this whole new person the last few days.” She shakes her head a little, as if feeling she’s doing a poor job of explaining herself. “I don’t know how to explain it, because you’ve always been out there and so much fun to be around, but now it’s like you don’t care to be even more you, if that makes sense?” She stops and bites her lip before seemingly reluctantly continuing. “I hate to say this, but it feels like you were holding yourself back when you were with Rahim or something.”

You find yourself raising your eyebrows as you take this in and at first you feel like protesting, because you’ve always felt like yourself for your whole stay at the Villa, since the very first day. But as you ponder her words and think back on how you were back with Rahim and how you’ve been the last few days you find yourself agreeing with her. “Y’know, in a way I think I was?” You tell her with some wonder in your voice after a few silent beats. “Not consciously, of course. I think that because he was always a little insecure about us I just tried to make things easier for him and I didn’t let out as much as I usually do.”

“Yes, that’s it.” Hope gives you a nod and a small smile. “I think you were afraid to push him away or hurt his feelings, so when we were all bantering or whatnot it felt like you were trying to keep to yourself when actually you would’ve loved to be there in the thick of things. Now you’re always just joking around with the boys and having a laugh and it feels so much lighter.”

“Yeah, I think you’re right.” You agree in a sort of airy tone, still taking in everything that she’s told you then you continue in a firmer voice with a defiant little shrug. “And why not? We’re here to have the bloody summer of our lives. I just want to be done with all the drama and get on having fun.”

Hope grins at that. “Fun times with weird challenges and some bed-hopping along the way.”

“Oh yeah?” You raise a teasing eyebrow and elbow her gently in the ribs. “Whose bed are you hopping into next?”

“Very funny.” She rolls her eyes pointedly, but there’s a smile on her lips. “We’ve all done some massive bed-hopping lately. It makes it hard to keep track, especially when we’re doing couples challenges like today.” She lets out a soft huff. “There was no way in hell I would’ve won that one.”

“Even with the bed-hopping, it doesn’t change the fact that I knew most of the boys’ answers.” You boast a little with a teasing smile. After all, most of the time spent at the Villa was just sitting around and chatting and you’ve always had a great memory. “I could’ve fed you like 75% of Bobby’s answers if you’d asked me nicely.”

Hope scoffs loudly at that. “As if you would’ve helped me and lost your chance at winning the challenge.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” You reply easily with a light chuckle, as her assessment is dead on.

“But I’m not surprised. You and Bobby do get on.” She comments, then raises a sharp eyebrow. “What’s going on with you two?”

“Why?” You retort immediately, still in the same teasing tone with a raised eyebrow of your own. “Getting a little jealous and territorial of him, too now?”

“Oh fuck off.” She rolls her eyes and pushes you away a little, but it only causes you to chuckle and pull her arm back to your side. She relents after a moment with an annoyed huff, but her eyes are soft when she looks back at you. “I was just wondering if there’s anything there. You two have seemed closer lately.”

“I dunno.” You answer with a sigh, leaving out the joking for a bit for some honesty. “I think he was just being a good friend, being literally a shoulder for me to cry on when we got back from Casa Amor.”

“You know he’s had this massive crush on you from day dot, right?” She asks, tilting her head a little to take a good look at your face. “You can’t be that clueless.”

“Yeah, it’s been brought to my attention.” You roll your eyes a little, then you’re the one tilting your head as you focus back on her. “Y’know, I find it interesting that people supposedly noticed or knew about it all along yet no one brought it up to me before.”

“People?” One of her eyebrows jumps up at that. “Which people?”

“You just now, for one.” You point out, frowning a little at her.

“Well, it was different.” She replies and avoids your eyes for a moment, seeming embarrassed. “You were with Rahim and you both seemed quite happy in your relationship. Plus Rahim is Noah’s best mate and you’re my bestie. I loved the idea of going out on double dates with you two once we got back home.” She finishes with an apologetic shrug.

You hum in response for a moment as you take in what she said. “Now you can go on double dates with Rahim and Shannon.”

She lets out a small, rather disbelieving snort. “We’ll see about that.” She comments dryly before turning back to the previous topic with curiosity in her voice. “But who else has been telling you about Bobby?”

“Chelsea also mentioned it this morning.” You reply easily.

“Really?” There she goes, raising that curious eyebrow once more. “That’s interesting. Very interesting.”

“What are you thinking?” You ask her pointedly, as you know that means she has something on her mind.

“You know I love Chels, right?” She starts with an almost apologetic smile. “But I don’t think that was an entirely selfless observation on her part.”

“You mean because she fancies Lucas.” You nod along at her words.

“So you do think so, too?” She points it out, her smile turning into a smirk now.

“Of course. I mean, I’m not blind and she’s practically told me about it.” You counter with an easy shrug. “Chelsea is actually very refreshing in that she’ll tell you to your face what she’s thinking or feeling, so it never catches you off guard.”

“That’s true.” Hope bobs her head left and right for a moment as she considers it before turning back to you with a sharp look on her face. “And that doesn’t bother you, that she might want to get on with him?”

“I don’t own Lucas.” You reply with a small roll of your eyes. “If she fancies him and he fancies her too and they want to make a go of it, I won’t stand in their way.”

“Gosh, I could not be so chill as you, not in a million years.” She ponders while shaking her head and eyeing you in an admiring sort of way. “Do you ever get jealous, like at all?”

“I’m not saying I never do. After all, I am human.” You reply with a sigh. “But I try not to waste my time or energy with things outside of my control. Besides, what’s the point of being in a relationship with someone if you can’t trust them?”

Hope lets out a small snort then mutters in a considerably darker tone. “It’s not the boys I worry about, it’s other girls snaking their way in.”

“That’s on the boys, too.” You point it out with a nod and a raised eyebrow. “If they’re tempted and screw up or get their heads turned, then it’s their fault, not the girl’s.”

“You’re right.” She reluctantly agrees after a moment, sighing a little. “Is that why you couldn’t forgive Rahim?”

“Partially.” You give her a half shrug. “Well, for one thing he never actually asked me to forgive him.”

“But say he asks you for a second chance now. Like he really grovels for it, puts in the work and does some serious grafting.” She presses with a raised eyebrow. “Would you do it?”

“I don’t know, Hope.” You shake your head and let out a small laugh. “What’s the point of this what-if scenario? It’s not like he’s gonna do it.”

“Hey, you never know.” She replies with a half shrug of her own, tilting her head a little. “I could put in a word with him for you, if you’d like.”

You shake your head again, but now it’s more of a dismissive gesture. “I appreciate it, but I could put in my own word, if that’s what I wanted.”

“You never did have any trouble with doing the grafting yourself. Like when Priya came in and coupled up with Rahim and you were left single.” She comments with a smile and you think back on those early days that seem so far ago now. “And hey, now that I think about it you can’t blame me for not mentioning Bobby had a crush on you because I distinctly remember telling you something about that back then.”

“Oh yeah, I actually forgot about that.” You reply, your eyebrows raising a little in surprise, as you hadn’t remembered that until Hope mentioned it just now. “And I did get those vibes from him early on, we had a few chats back then but I was so happy and settled with Ibrahim. And I thought Bobby would’ve moved on since then.”

“If you ask me, you’re still his favourite girl. He gets along with all the girls, because he’s so nice, but it’s different with you.” Hope says in a rather gentle tone. “We can all see it.”

“You think so?” You ask, hoping the nerves aren’t as evident in your voice to her as it is to you.

“We talk about it all the time.”She reaffirms with an emphatic nod, then rolls her eyes a little. “Honestly, Rahim was always a little worried about that.”

“Really?” You raise an eyebrow at that. “He never said anything to me.”

“That’s because it was early days and he was trying to be chill about it.” Hope explains with a shrug. “Then afterwards he freaked out about the new boys that kept coming in and he didn’t want to add Bobby to that list as he so loves the lad. I think Rahim could see that even if Bobby did fancy you, he wouldn’t actually do anything behind his mate’s back, y’know?”

“Yeah, I know.” You smile faintly in return.

“Do you think you fancy him, too?” Hope prods with a smile and a small nudge of her elbow. “Maybe a little?”

“I don’t know. Maybe?” You bite your lip then blow out a rather exaggerated breath. “To be honest, I was a little disappointed that I had to couple up with Lucas and he needed to couple up with you after the public vote. We’d been talking about coupling up.”

“I think that’s a massive sign, hun.” Hope tells you with an encouraging nod. “Maybe you should try it out.”

“Yeah, but it’s a risk, y’know?” You reply with a sigh. “Things are going alright with Lucas and I could see myself really falling for him down the line. Would I want to risk that for something I’m not sure would work out?”

“You’ll never know if you don’t take the risk.” She points out with a raised eyebrow. “And you were already having second thoughts about you and Lucas working out in the long run.”

“Hmm.” You murmur, not quite in agreement but seeing her point.

“I can only tell you about my own experience, really. Like I tried it with Jakub, yeah?” She relays with a rather self-deprecating eye roll. “And I was all set on having as much fun as I could when we went to Casa Amor.” The two of you share a small, conspiratorial smirk before she lets out a small sigh and continues. “But all of that just made me see how much I still cared for Noah and it settled for me. Even if we have our stupid fights, I want to work on it because he means too much to me.”

“Yeah, but you were making the most of a situation that happened to you, not something you made with your own actions.” You point out with a raised eyebrow. “If I choose to recouple with Bobby over Lucas, it will be because I chose it. And could I do that to Bobby if I don’t mean it?” You pause for a moment and look up, as all the confusing thoughts keep swirling around in your brain. “He’s like my best mate here. Plus Lucas doesn’t seem like the really forgiving type if I pie him off for another boy.”

“I get it, hun. But you’re obviously already struggling with it.” Hope tells you gently, as she lays one hand on the arm that is still linked with hers and gives it a reassuring squeeze. “Sometimes you need to take a risk if you want the reward.”