It Could Only be You

Episode 26: RtS Part Two

As Daphs gets to the dressing room, she hears the girls chattering, realising that they've been up there the whole time. It's not until she pops into the room that she realises they're out on the terrace. Daphs goes right out, masking her sad confusion in an instance.

"Hey, there you all are!"

"Hey!" the five other girls chorus back. "Welcome to the party!" Hope says, handing her a cocktail.

Daphs accepts it, grabbing one of the blankets and wrapping it around herself at the same time. She sits down between Priya and Kitty. "So, what's been happening, guys? What've I missed today?" She asks.

"What? You've missed nothing, Daphs!" Hope says, a little louder than usual. Daphs spots two empty jugs, realising that she's later to the party than she realised.

"Rocco and I had a really good date," Marisol shares, beaming at Daphs. "We had a picnic."

"That sounds lovely," Daphs admits.

"It was. It was fun, but also gave us plenty of time to talk, you know?"

"Did you and Lucas have time to chat out on the open waters, Daphs?" Lottie asks.

Daphs shares a small smile with the group. "Yeah, we got in more talking than I thought we would. We were on a jet ski all day, but we took some time out of all the riding to have some one on ones."

"I'll bet you did."

"Did you have nice chats?" Kitty asks.

Daphs nods. "Of course, for the most part," she says, absently. "He got a bit honest about Bobby to begin with, but I think he picked up that it wasn't really rubbing off on me very well, so he changed the subject and didn't mention Bobby again."

"Oh?" Priya asks, "What was he saying?"

Daphs deliberates a moment but knows she doesn't have much chance to escape the questions now she's brought it up. "I mean, he and Bobby are sort of rivals, aren't they? So, just typical stuff you'd expect. He thinks Bobby is being territorial with me, and he doesn't feel like he can speak to me in here without someone listening in with the intention to tell Bobby everything that's been said. That sort of stuff. Like eyes are always on him if he so much as comes within an inch of me."

"That's fair enough, I suppose," Priya says. "And Bobby probably has been a little more territorial than he might normally be with Lucas hovering about. I get it from both their points of view."

"Can I just say, that as newcomer," Kitty begins, taking her time to get her words out, "it is incredibly hard coming in here and not feeling like you're being a little ostracised over which Islander's you talk to."

Her comment hits Daphs harder than she thought it might.

"No one should be made to feel like they can't even have a conversation in here," Marisol says, looking a little put out. "Maybe I've been a little guilty of that with you and Lucas, Daphs, but it was coming from a place of care for Bobby."

"If I'm being totally honest," Lottie begins, "I have noticed a difference in Bobby lately. He isn't fully being himself, and there's a few things I've heard, some things I've seen, that make me think he might be losing his head a little."

"Oh, for sure," Hope says, slapping her thigh. She turns to Daphs and says, "Bobby was playing it cool in that jokey way he does today, but you could one hundred percent tell it was all an act. He was losing his head big time."

"I think he's scared to be hurt, so he wants to put up this vaguely unbothered and not-at-all jealous front so that when the time does –" Marisol starts, her eyes flicking to Daphs, "– or if the time does come, I should say, he can pretend that it's not hurting him as much as it really is."