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That morning was one of the worst mornings Angie had during her stay in the Villa. Hazel had just broken up with Bruno after the pointless fight that made her sleep on the daybeds with Angie and a real long conversation between the couple on the Lovers' Nook, and there was nothing that could make her feel better. Not the breakfast from the rest of the islanders, not the sweet eyes Oliver was giving her, not even her newfound ability to make Youcef blush.
Even though there was nothing that seemed to make her feel better, Angie kept trying to make her smile. There were intentional puns that she tried to pass as non-intentional, some manicure time for the girls and even a sing-a-long with Valentina, and yet Hazel didn't crack a single smile.
The realisation hit Angie like a train at high speed, unexpectedly and wrecking, making her blood pump and her thoughts rush. She could see in now, even with the lights out, the way her body felt electric every time Hazel touched her, how the room would light up every time she has entered it, how her heart almost stopped every time Angie saw her with Bruno. It was so fucking obvious and yet she took almost a lifetime to realise it as if she was blind to what was right in front of her.
Not anymore though.
Angie was in love. And what a magnificent curse it was to be in love. Maybe it was the weirdest thing Angie had ever felt in her life but also it was the nicest one—sometimes, she was sure she was walking on air. Just being around Hazel made her feel warm and so happy that she could die right there and she would go happily. It was cheesy, unlike her, and so fucking nice, but also frightening. She was always afraid of it, how love could make you or break you and how people would fight and start wars over love. But right now, she felt as if she fell, maybe everything would be ok. Maybe Hazel would catch her.
"Hey, babes," Angie said as she sat down on the bean bag next to Hazel's. The other islanders were joking around, making fun of Dylan as he was nowhere to be found. "I was thinking we could maybe joke around?"
Hazel raised her head to look Angie right in the eyes. She was wearing big sunglasses but Angie could still see her eyes through them, a little puffed from last night, but still beautiful. Her pink bikini hug her body in all the right places and her hair was now in a high ponytail that made her neck look even prettier. Angie had a hunch that the outfit was a statement that said: I may be single but I'm still the hottest girl here. And fucking hell, she was right. Once, Angie had mistaken those butterflies for envy. Now, she knew it was her body begging her to kiss Hazel.
"What do you have in mind?" Hazel said. Her voice was cracking just a little but she quickly recomposed.
"Maybe we could pull out a prank?"
Hazel shot her a cheeky grin before standing and the two of them went back to the Villa. It took them a minute to come up with a good plan that could be done with what they had and when they finally went on with the execution part, it felt like Hazel was back in her body. They played pretend, going all on mission impossible mode—although Angie was not one to fool around like that, especially not on national television, how could she deny such a small request for such a pretty face?
Coming in and out of the Villa they brought all of Dylan's things to the lawn, not even caring if some of his socks were lost in the way (actually, Angie made sure that he had some pairings lost). The idea was simple and perhaps a little childish but it sure made Hazel smile and that was enough. With one melon and some clothes, they managed to make a fake Dylan. After what seemed to be just 15 minutes but turned out to be an hour, the two of them displayed the horrific doll to the rest of the Islanders.
"Looking terrible," Angie remarked.
"Much like his brother, then!" Hazel giggled. "Ugh, imagine thinking I would ever like Mr Straight White Man, for god's sake."
Angie chuckled, shaking her head. "You did like Mr Straight White Man but he was a comedian."
"Shut up," Hazel said, rolling her eyes but not looking mad at all.
"C'mere, let's go to the roof terrace."
The moon was starting to show up, just in time to see the sun shining through the last hours of the afternoon. From up there, they could still hear some of the voices coming from the lawn and laughter as the wind whispered them back. The light breeze announcing the end of the summer blew Angie's hair as she sat down on the bench against it. Soon enough their stay would end and Love Island would be just a bunch of memories. She needed to tell her. Otherwise…
Hazel plopped on the bench next to Angie, sitting so close that their legs would brush if one of them moved, even slightly. Hazel's hand worked its way to her hair, tucking the loose strands of it behind her ear, so unaware that she held Angie's heart on it and could demolish it whenever she felt like it. How could somebody's existence depend so much on another person? That was a question Angie was still looking for the answer to and yet, she would give her whole body for Hazel to keep.
"So, we still haven't seen Dylan 1.0..." Angie said as she watched the sun going down, bleeding orange all over.
"Oh, thank god." Hazel giggled as she twirled her hair in her index. "I bet he's hiding somewhere after we told him off."
"Maybe he ran away scared?" Angie raised an eyebrow jokingly.
Hazel giggled again, so sweet that made Angie's cheeks burn. "No such luck, babes." She said, her laughter lingering in her voice.
The orange sunlight painted Hazel's profile with its bright colours as she smiled at Angie, making her forget how to breathe. It was the shadow coming from her eyelashes, or maybe the way her nose tip twitched a little to the side, or even how she smiled warmly each time. She didn't know what exactly, but something made her feel giddy.
"You are right, I'm sure there'll be a resolution to it." Angie nodded, trying not to look too breathless by everything Hazel did. As if it was possible. "Speaking of resolutions, what are you planning to do now?"
A burst of humourless laughter escaped Hazel's mouth. "I don't fucking know. It's too much."
"I mean, you have options." Angie shrugged, trying not to sound jealous. "Oliver's totally smitten by you, Youcef's been making eyes at you..." Fucking Youcef. "You are a very popular gal! So I wondered how you felt now."
She shook her head again, staring at the sunset. "Honestly, I don't know."
Angie reached her shoulder, squeezing it carefully. "I bet you'll find your way, you always do," she said, so sure she really would.
The two of them took a minute to look at the sun going down. Angie knew she should say something but how she would tell Hazel about a feeling that was so new even for her… She took a deep breath, tucked her hair behind her ear and shifted around to face her. She would tell her, no matter what.
"When I was a kid I always wanted a star," Angie said, her heart beating faster than ever. "Not a doll or a car or even play-dough… Stars."
She rolled her eyes, trying to dismiss the deepness of that conversation but Hazel kept her big eyes locked on her, searching for Angie's avoiding ones. Deep inside, Angie knew Hazel could see right through her. It was scary and fascinating.
"I ended up getting a teddy bear in the shape of a star." Angie nodded, swallowing hard. "It may or may not have been operated on."
Great, a joke. She swallowed down a laugh. Get your horses, Angie.
"Hm," Hazel giggled, raising her eyebrows. Did she know she never raised just one? "Explain?"
"All you needed to know was that there was stuffing everywhere."
The breeze passed them by again, blowing their hairs with it and making Angie shiver, yet Hazel stayed there, a ghost of a smile showing on her lips as she interlocked her fingers with Angie's, squeezing her hand.
"That seems very on-brand for you, Anj," she said, her voice sweeter than candy.
"What? Wanting things I can't have?" Angie rolled her eyes and Hazel frowned a little. Oh no. She can't help but avoid her gaze again, trying to look at anything but her eyes. "You know… this has been an interesting journey and… uh it's… made me… ugh… what are words?!"
That was not what Angie was like at all. She was usually self-assured, confident and sure about her words, so why the hell did one single smile from Hazel make her feel like there were no possible words, sentences or letters that could spell out the immensity of her feelings. All she ever wanted was to tell her three little words but right now they didn't feel right and no childhood story would make them more worthy.
Those feelings were unique, brave and new—and maybe it was the first time Angie had ever felt them so strongly. Most times she thought she had been in love, but it ended up with the blazing feeling turning out to be a little tiny spark that couldn't even light up a scented candle. Angie has never been one to believe in things like soulmates but if it was real then perhaps Hazel was the closest thing she had ever tasted from it.
"Anj, is everything OK?" Angie heard Hazel saying, taking her out of her thoughts.
Shaking her head and sighing, Angie knew she had to spill the beans sooner or later. "Do you have any regrets about your time here, Hazel?" She asked, staring at the sky.
"Some..." Angie could see Hazel nodding from her periphery, her head resting on her hand soon after. "It's kind of natural, innit? To think about missed opportunities."
Angie hummed before Hazel kept going. "Like when you think about a really good comeback but the argument it's over already." She smiled, turning to face Angie and finally catching her eye. "You just end up making yourself angry, really."
"Yeah, I know how that feels…"
"Are you telling me you've got regrets?"
Angie's body stiffened at that very moment, her heart pounding like crazy inside of her chest, begging her to let it go, to sit the words, to rip the bandage. She chewed on her lip, trying to figure out what to say next. A long lost song playing on her mind, screaming at her and saying it was better to feel pain than nothing at all.
"Maybe…" She said at least, her voice cracking as she forced it to get out.
"What's wrong, Anj?" Hazel coked her head. "Have you eaten one of Bruno's expired oats?"
A dry, humourless laugh escapes her as she shook her head slightly. "No… but I do have one regret." She said.
Slowly, she turns back to face the sky, which now was completely taken by the darkness of the night, only the moon and stars giving it some colour. Some of the stars spelt out so many beautiful constellations and even so, nothing compared to how breathtaking Hazel was. What a concept, being able to challenge the horizon and win even so.
"It's been a long journey. But every step of the way you've had my back. Encourage me to break out of my shell and… focus on me." Angie explained, the words getting out a little bit easier now as she turned again to face her. "I can't tell you how much you mean to me, Hazel."
Angie could watch as Hazel's pupils got bigger and her eyes twinkled under the moonlight. The two of them were so close, their noses almost touching, the words of Angie still lingering on the wind. It was one of those moments when your heart would skip a bit, your stomach would turn and your mouth would go dry, the anticipation taking over every single bit of her body. She didn't know what would happen after the moment she would tell her the next and last sentence but—...
Hazel raised her hand, caressing Angie's face slowly causing her heart to almost stop. She should say it but the words were stuck in her throat. Yet, as she always did, Hazel seemed to know exactly what Angie was thinking and before she could even notice, their lips were brushing against each other so carefully, so tenderly.
At first, Angie didn't know what to do but as soon as her body and mind find each other in the mix of feelings, her lips started moving slowly, welcoming Hazel's. She can feel Hazel's hand against her cheek, the warmth of her skin and the breeze of the night all sending electric waves through her body. Almost automatically, Angie's arms circled Hazel's neck and brought her closer, trying desperately to cease the annoying space between them so they could be one for once and for all.
How long had she waited, how much time had she wasted looking for that elsewhere? Angie didn't know and honestly, she couldn't care less when she was welcoming Hazel's tongue inside her mouth and exploring hers with her own, tasting her sweetness from up close. It was too much, she could feel her body trembling with happiness, so much happiness. She had never felt it like that, not so sudden, not so much, not so… explosive, in form of a giggle she couldn't hold back.
And with that, Hazel pulled back, resting her forehead against Angie's, a little bit breathless and with her cheeks flushed. She looked even better like that and Angie felt a little jealous that Bruno had been seeing that version of her out of this time.
"Did I solve your big regret?" Hazel whispered.
"You catch on quickly…" She giggled, and Hazel did too. "This is… really new for me and… ugh, words are usually what I'm good at… but…" She smiled shyly, causing Hazel to scrunch her nose just a bit. "I want to see this through, Hazel, with you."
Hazel smiled before planting a peck on Angie's lips, leaving them almost numb with so much happiness. "I like you. I like you a lot." Angie whispered again, against her lips. "Hell, I think I'm falling in love with you."
Angie closed her eyes, letting her words sink in for a while before she could feel Hazel's hand on the side of her face, playing with her hair, caressing her cheeks, tucking the loose strands.
"I know this is a lot for you right now, especially with the Dylan thing going on… You don't have to… If you… Look. Whatever happens tomorrow or beyond, just know that I'm here for you."
Hazel nodded. "I like you too, Angie," she whispered. "We will do this together."
It was a promise. It was so much more than Angie could ever ask. It was a dream. It was… everything. And as the two of them went back to the Villa, back home, she could feel it in the air.
It was love.