Something Great

38. Oh. Well. Then. Fine.

Maddi squints her eyes open. She forgot for a moment that she and Lucas had slept out on the daybeds last night. The early morning sun is just peeking over the hills, and blinds her. Her phone buzzes next to her. She looks over at Lucas and sees him still sleeping soundly. She smiles softly, remembering what a fun night they had.

With a sigh, she picks up her phone and looks at the screen.

Maddi, please join Ibrahim in the beach hut for some questions.

Ugh. Why so early!? She reluctantly slips out of bed, careful not to wake Lucas up. She gets to her feet and feels oddly cold. She glances down at her body and realizes she's still completely naked from the night before. Shit! She quickly grabs her bralette and silk bottoms and puts them on. After wrapping herself in a blanket for good measure, she tip toes through the bedroom and up the stairs to the Beach Hut.

She opens the door to find Ibrahim sitting on the loveseat already, sleepy-eyed. "Good morning," she yawns.

Ibrahim yawns in response, "Good morning! How was the daybed?"

She blushes, "No complaints here."

She gracefully joins him on the loveseat, and they wait for further instructions. One of the producers is behind the camera, staring at a clipboard. He looks to be in his early 30s. He's tall, with short blonde hair, and tan skin. He looks up and smiles when he sees Maddi has joined them.

"Good morning, Maddi," he says cheerfully.

"Good morning, er.." she bites her lip... she doesn't know his name.

He chuckles, "Todd. My name's Todd."

She smiles bashfully. "Good morning, Todd. Nice to meet you!"

"You too!" He clears his throat. "You two ready for some questions?"

Ibrahim and Maddi both nod, and Todd begins to read out the first question. "Alright, so. Firstly, what do you think of the new arrival? Jas."

Ibrahim speaks first, "Jas is great! She seems really down to earth and fun. I think she'll fit in well."

Todd points to Maddi. "Jas is..." she begins. "Jas seems really nice. She's stunning, that's for sure."

"And what do you make of her trying to undermine your connection with Lucas?" He asks outright.

Maddi's eyes go wide. Ibrahim quickly turns to her and furrows his brows as he waits for her to talk. "Um," she begins anxiously. "You know, I'm not mad. I was at first, but Lucas calmed me down. She apologized, so we're all good! I'm happy she's in the Villa."

"Okay," Todd reads over his clipboard. "Next question. How are you two feeling in your couple?"

Ibrahim chuckles, "I'm happy to have had the opportunity to save Maddi from the first dumping. Bobby was kind of a dick, but I'm glad they've mended things. As far as romantic connection... I'm pretty sure everyone can see that Lucas is the only one for Maddi."

She smiles appreciatively at him. "Thanks, mate. Yeah, I'm so thankful for what Ibrahim did. Although, I can't help but feel like Hannah should be here instead of me at times... but what Lucas and I have is real, and I'm just so grateful to have the chance to get to know him."

"How are things with Lucas going?" Todd asks.

Maddi beams, "Lucas and I are amazing. We slept out on the daybeds last night. I just feel so safe and secure with him."

"Would you say you feel 'at home' with him?" Todd gives her a look. She knows he's referring to the first day when she mentioned that you know you love someone when they start to feel like home.