Love Island

Chapter 62 - Finale Part 2

Peach nodded and smiled proudly at her couple. "That was a really nice thought, Gray. So, are you guys excited to go home?" The consensus was mixed.

"I'm going to miss seeing Polly in person every day, but the penguins back at the zoo need me. I'm their favorite keeper!" Lucas bragged. "But Polly and I are gonna FaceTime every day, right Polly?"

"Definitely," Polly smiled at him. "There's barely a time difference from New York to Denver. And flights are always an option."

"Gray and I are going to do something similar. Lots of FaceTimes, lots of calls...and it's less than a two-hour flight between us." Peach turned her attention to Charlie and me, shaking her head. "I'm so jealous of you guys. What's the first thing you're gonna do together when you get back?"

I looked to Charlie, letting him decide. "Well, I'll probably take Maddie to The Tap at some point. It's one of my favorite bars because their live music lineup is easily the best in Bloomington."

"Oh, I've never been there!" I smiled.

Lucas' phone chimed in his pocket, and the group tensed up as he read the message. "Islanders, are you ready to wear your heart on your sleeve? It's time to read your written vows to each other. #TilFinaleDoUsPart #IVowThatItsAlmostOver."

We made our way downstairs, well aware of the surplus of camera crew circling the garden as we made our way to the glowing neon pink heart on the other side of the pool. Next to the heart were two pairs of chairs for the other couples to sit while one exchanged vows. Lucas and Polly volunteered to go first and stood in front of the heart. The neon was bright and washed the outline of their silhouettes in a rosy hue.

Lucas decided to go first. He was noticeably nervous, and perhaps, a little sweaty. "It's a necessity to like the person you're with, and it's a luxury to be in love with them. Before Love Island, you could say I was pretty shy. And I still am, but not like I was before. I knew that if I had a chance at finding love, I'd need to get a little braver and take some risks that I would never have taken. When I first saw you on the very first day, I knew you were special. And it was the biggest risk of my life pulling you out of a couple you were obviously excited for to force you to be with me... but honestly, I'd do it a thousand times over again to be where we are right now. And my biggest vow will be showing you every day that you made the right choice by sticking with me."

Polly wiped away a few tears and cleared her throat. "There are a lot of things I love about you, Lucas. I love your kindness around everyone you're with, even when they don't treat you the way you should be treated. And for a while, I was one of those people, and I will regret it for the rest of my life. But you've taught me how to be a better person; how to see the beauty in the things that are right in front of my eyes." She sniffled and wiped away several more tears. "And I love your perseverance because, without it, who knows where we'd be? I don't! And my vow to you is that I will never stop persevering you, either. Because you deserve someone who will chase your affections like you did mine." Lucas pulled her in for a romantic kiss beneath the heart, and the two of them took their seats.

Gray and Peach stood in front of each other, and Peach insisted Gray go first. "Well, alright then. I'd drop to one knee, but I'm afraid you'd get some negative flashbacks, so I'll stay standing. I know I'm not the easiest person to read, and as much as I try to be, I'm not an open book. But I know words of affirmation are your love language, Peach, so I vow to do my best to remind you every single day how much I care about you. You're one of the best things in my life, and I promise to protect you for the rest of our lives. You're my forever. I can feel it in my gut, and I don't get those intuitions normally. But you're different. Like your name has always been engraved into my heart, and now I've finally found you."