It Could Only be You

Episode 95: Lay All Your Love on Me

Just like that, it is time.

Daphs and Lottie are ready after a day of nothing but pampering to keep their mind off things. Refreshed; raring; ravishing, they're ready to go.

Hand in hand, the pair waltz down to the firepit in the silence. Only the sounds of the cicadas making their little cicada noises can be heard, the smell of the smoke from the firepit drifting by, as the Islanders have taken their places, waiting in the quiet, not a word between them.

Daphs looks around and spots Bobby. He's watching her with a smile and a soft look of adoration. It makes her heart hammer and curls her lips into her own little smile, going lightheaded.

She stands next to Chelsea at the end of the line of girls, smiling brightly. Without hesitation, the two girls link hands.

A phone beeps, sounding ten times louder in the nervous silence.

Bobby pulls his out, a crease appearing on his forehead as he reads it silently. After a moment, Bobby reads it out, telling them, "Islanders, for tonight's recoupling, the public have been voting for their favourite girl to get a chance to make her choice first before any of the boys can pick. The lucky girl the public voted their favourite is..."

When he looks up, he looks directly at Daphs, almost like he expects nothing else but for it to be her. Before Daphs can question this or think about anything else, her phone buzzes.

"It's me," she says, feeling a grin spreading onto her face before she's even checked her phone. She finds she can't look at anyone. "It says, 'Daphs, congratulations, the public have voted you their favourite girl and have thus granted you the opportunity to choose first. Hashtag, pick wisely, hashtag, first choice."

A small smattering of applause breaks out as Daphs heart soars. This is it. She's gets to choose Bobby. It's going to be them, finally.

Lottie and Chelsea squeeze her arms in their excitement for her. She can barely spare them a smile she feels so high up on cloud nine. Nothing else feels like it matters in that moment.

All the boys get to their feet, a knowing look on all their faces. It's clear to everyone what's about to happen; from the smiles to the faked looks of indifference, everyone knows which way the wind is blowing.

Nerves start to take hold, but one look at Bobby and everything melts away. Daphs has no speech prepared, but the look in his eye and the smile on his face are enough.

"So, today has really given me a chance to think about how important it is to have the right person by your side," she begins, eyes solely on Bobby, unable to look at anything else as his aura and smile and his everything take a hold of the whole world and make it obsolete.

"After everything we've been through, it's only made me surer about the first decision I made in this place. He was the first boy who walked in here, and he was the only one I stepped forwards for. I only needed one look, on moment, one day, to know that he was the one that I wanted to be with, and he's more than proven what a good choice I made then, and I can't believe that after all this time, after every single recoupling we've been through in this place – this is the first time I get to say this: the boy that I want to couple up with, for now and for always, is Bobby."

As Daphs strides away from the girls into Bobby's opening arms, he comes out to meet her half-way, smiling from ear to ear. He sweeps her up into his embrace, taking her off her feet. If Daphs had been allowed to tell him earlier, she would have told him she loves him a million more times in that moment.

He kisses her as he lets her down, the other Islanders still applauding voraciously. When she looks him in the eye, she makes sure her eyes are full of the words she can't say yet. His smile widens.