Life After The Villa

7. Our Little Update

Five months. It's been five months since I left the Love Island Villa and to say it's been a hectic journey is a bit of an understatement. My beautiful baby girl is now seven years old, and I can't believe how grown up she is. The media love her so much, and she loves all the attention she gets when we're out and about on the street. 

But talking about the media, it hasn't exactly been smooth sailing. I've read article upon article about how I'm the only girl from the villa that wears clothes that are bigger than a size six. Before I went into the villa I was pretty confident about my body, but the public have ripped that confidence to shreds. They've reduced me to nothing, making me feel miserable about myself. Luckily Asher was there by my side reminding me that I used to have an actual baby inside me, so of course I'm going to be a little bit larger than the other girls. And on top of that, in classic Asher style, she posted a video on her Instagram telling haters to fuck off and mind their own business. In her words, "every body is beautiful whether it's a size two or a size twenty-two; and if you can't accept that then just unfollow me right now."

I've got to hand it to Asher, she's really done amazing since leaving the villa. The public expected her to break up with Taylor in a matter of weeks, but here they are five months later and still going strong. And so are Kyle and Jodie. But other than that, no other love island couple has survived on the outside world. Except for James and I, of course.

James has been my rock since we left the villa. We've had our fair share of arguments these past few months, but what couple doesn't argue? I honestly can't praise that boy enough, he's held me in his arms on days when I just couldn't gather strength to get out of bed. He's been by my side every time I felt like the world was caving in on me, and made me remember that there's something beautiful to be celebrated every single day. That's why I've started listing one thing that makes me smile each day and writing it down in a little diary, that way I can look back at all the positive things that might get overlooked. 

So that's it. The update you've all been waiting for. I know I've been out of the spotlight for the past few weeks, and so has James. But we've just been taking some time to be with each other without any of the chaos that ensues with the tabloids. So no, we haven't broken up, and we don't plan to any time soon. Things are better than ever, and I'm excited for you guys to see the projects we've been working on that will be released very soon.

All my love, Violetta Xx.

I look up at James, who's standing over my shoulder, reading what I've just written. "So?" I ask him, waiting for a verdict. "What do you think? Should I post it?"

He carries on reading for a few seconds longer, then looks down at me with a small smile on his face. "Yeah, I think you should post it. It's about time we gave them a little update." He then places a small kiss on my forehead before walking away, getting back to the kitchen. He cooks dinner for us pretty much every night, unless we're meeting a friend at a restaurant, and it's about this time of night that he starts cooking so I'm assuming that's where he's going.

I turn my attention back to the computer, my heart beating fast in my chest as I hold the mouse and nervously click 'post'. There, it's done. Nothing I can do about it now, I just hope people respond well to it, and aren't angry that it took so long for us to be on social media again.

But oh well, if they don't like it then tough, it's our life and we're going to live it the way that we want to. The way that makes us happy. I stand up and leave our little office space, then make my way upstairs to Sofia's room, where she's sat on her bed, quietly reading one of her books. "Which one are you reading this time?" I ask her, leaning against the door frame.

"Cat In The Hat." She tells me, showing me the front cover.

"Oh, that's a good one." I smile, walking into her room and sitting on the edge of her bed. "That was one of my favourites when I was your age. I made your grandpa read it to me every single night for a whole month."

She places the book down and sits up, so that she can look me in the eye. "Did he read it to Luca too?" She asks, and I try my best to keep my composure. I don't want to discourage her from asking about my brother, he's part of this family and he deserves to be remembered. After all, if we're not thinking about him, then who is?

"Sometimes, but Luca preferred the Green Eggs And Ham story, we used to argue all the time about which one we'd get to listen to." I tell her, a warm smile on my face, recounting the memories of my little brother. "Papa would end up reading them both, just to get us to be quiet."

Sofia smiles at me, then shuffles towards me and gives me a hug, instantly filling me with warmth. God, I'm so lucky to have a daughter as amazing as she is. "I love you Mama." She whispers, still hugging me.

"I love you too, Neonata." I whisper back, then pull away slightly so that I can look her in the eyes. "Come here, give mummy a kiss." I say with a smile, and she does as I ask.

And afterwards, she asks me something she's never asked me before. "Can I give James a kiss?" And the words shock me, leaving me slightly speechless. "I kiss all of my family, but not him. He's my family too."

I can't help but smile at her words, "come on, let's go downstairs and see him." I lift her off her bed and carry her downstairs on my hip; she's getting way too heavy for this now but I refuse to fully admit that my little Neonata is really growing up. She'll always be my baby, no matter how old she gets and no matter how tall she gets.

When we get downstairs, James is sat on the sofa, and he smiles as soon as we enter the room. "There are my two favourite girls." 

I walk over to him and give him a small peck on the lips, then turn to Sofia. "Tell him what you told me a second ago." 

"I asked if I could kiss you too." She tells him, not explaining herself properly.

I laugh before asking her, "and why did you want to kiss him?"

"Because I kiss all of my family." She finally says, and the smile on James' face grows wider. "And you're my family too."

"Come here, Sofia." James says, reaching his arms out. I lower Sofia down to the sofa and pass her to James where he gives her a big hug and a small kiss. "I love you so much, little one."

"Love you too, papa." My eyes widen as she says this, and I look at James to see that he has a very similar expression to me. Sofia just called him papa, she's never done that before. She's never called anyone papa before. 

I don't question it, I don't want her to think that this is a big deal. So I just move on, changing the topic of conversation. "So, what are we having for dinner?" I ask.

James looks towards me, answering my question. "I've ordered a Chinese, I thought it would be a nice surprise." He tells me, and it certainly is a surprise, it's been so long since we've had a takeaway. 

And now, I'm so excited to have a normal night in. Just a family sat around the table eating a takeaway. And who said Love Island couples don't live a normal life?