Love Island

Chapter 53 - Meet the Babies

"These things are kind of scary," Charlie whispered beside me.

"Don't call our daughter scary," I joked.

"Look at her, she's a monster," he smiled and looked around the room. The rest of the couples sat on their beds, fawning over their new additions. "Anthony, how was the hideaway?"

"It was good, it was good," he said simply. Peyton was staring daggers into the side of his face, prompting him to watch the next words that came out of his mouth. "Peyton and I did some talking and made peace with our grievances."

Charlie nodded, breaking eye contact to look down at Marley. "So you had sex?"

Anthony laughed. "Yeah."

"Hey!" Peyton hit him on the arm. "We said we wouldn't say anything." She was visibly upset with his betrayal.

"Babe, I didn't tell them, they asked!" Anthony defended. He reached over and took Mia from her arms. "Now why don't you get ready for the day, grab some coffee, and I'll watch our child."

Peyton looked briefly annoyed, then stood up from the bed to get ready for the day.

"You can go with her, I got this," Charlie smiled over at me.

"Are you sure?" I asked. "This doesn't seem like a challenge you're very excited for."

"Oh, I'm not. And I know you're not either. I'm biting a bullet now for a reward later," Charlie joked with a smug smile.

"Reward? I just pushed an eight-pound child out of me, my shop is closed." I laughed and followed Peyton upstairs to the girls' dressing room. She began shuffling through her outfits, looking for a suitable bikini for the day. "Hey, Peyton."

Peyton turned at the sound of my voice and smiled. "Hey." She sized up a pink bikini to her chest.

"So you guys made up, huh?" I asked.

Peyton looked up, surprised by my statement as if I hadn't been in the room moments ago. "Kind of. We just started yelling, and it got pretty heated. Then, naturally, we had hate-sex."

"Hate-sex?" I asked. My expression was blank as I tried to process that oxymoron of a term.

"Yeah... like having sex when you're super angry. It's powerful, Maddie. It'll change your life." She tossed the bikini down on her vanity and began prepping her hair. "Then we stayed up most of the night talking, explaining our sides of the story. He apologized for not asking me first before coupling up with me. I apologized for being a little cold during some challenges. Both of us were in the wrong." She wrapped an elastic around her hair and fluffed out the ponytail. 

Unsure of where my involvement should end, I risked crossing the line. "I don't think you were really in the wrong, Peyton. You reacted how you did because he's proven himself to not be the character he's playing to all of us. I mean, lying about tutoring homeless kids? Come on. I just want to make sure you're thinking clearly, and not letting sexual attraction distract you from all the bad stuff he's done. Like just now, he completely disregarded that you wanted to keep your hate-sex a secret, just to please the guys."

"I know, I know." Peyton frowned down at her clothing options. "I'll watch him, I promise. But I might as well try, right? He's my last chance at love in the villa. Maybe he'll surprise me during this challenge. After all, we both want kids."

"Well, I'm rooting for your happiness. If you both like kids so much that you're willing to babysit, I think Charlie and I would both love any kind of way out of this challenge," I said.

"Neither of you want kids?" Peyton asked.

I thought about it for a second, letting the thought roll through my mind. "I can't say never. Maybe someday, when I'm older, but I have no interest in kids right now. And Charlie and I are both students, and neither of us is willing to put in that massive amount of work that comes with being in school and raising a baby."