Craft Beer & Roses

Chapter 20

"I can't say that I'm surprised." Meera said, wiping away a fallen tear. "He was always talking about you...I hope you'll care for him."

Aviva bobbed her head in agreement. "I will, and I'm sorry, Meera..."

"Not your fault." Meera breathed out. "Okay, that's enough from me. I should head in there and grab my things."

"Yes, yeah, I'll help you out." Aviva led Meera toward the villa, head filled with fire smoke, and confusion.

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Aviva pulled her legs up to her chest, making room for Alfie on the daybed. He settled in front of her, crossing his legs beneath his body. "This is a good night to sleep outside, innit?"

"Yeah, it's still pretty warm out." Aviva agreed, adjusting the thin strap of her pajama top. An awkward pause settled between them.

Alfie sighed. "Alright, let's have a chat. I don't want things to be weird between us."

"It's not weird, Alfie." Aviva reassured. "But I can't say I'm not surprised. I really thought you'd pick Meera."

Alfie shrugged, a conflicted look on his face. "I've known you longer. And call me a romantic or an optimist or whatever, but we've got a thing going, and I wasn't ready to let it go."

Aviva's lips stretched into a gentle smile. "We're friends first, though, right?"

Alfie raised his hands. "Of course, friends first; I respect that." He rubbed a hand over the top of his head until his eyes lit up with an idea. "How about a friendly night swim?"

"Yeah?" Aviva said, already excited at the prospect.

"Yeah...last one to the pool's wet lettuce!" He shouted, dashing off the daybeds to cannonball into the pool.

Aviva screeched, propelling her body after him, landing in the water with a grand splash. The two resurfaced, laughter filling the night. "You cheated!" She accused with a splash in his direction.

He dodged, narrowly missing the tiny wave. Alfie shook the water from his hair, droplets flinging in every direction like tiny blue diamonds in the light of the pool. He grinned from ear to ear as he watched her push her curls away from her eyes. "Finn's a legend."

"Finn? You're so random. What's he got to do with anything?" Aviva giggled, wading closer to the boy.

"Before the recoupling, he gave me some good advice. He's been my number one supporter in the villa."

Aviva tilted her head. "Oh? And what advice would that be?"

"He helped me realize picking you was the best choice. Not that I wasn't thinking about it before or anything," Alfie quickly said, "he just encouraged me to own my decision."

Aviva tried to hold her smile in place. "I see. What did he say exactly?"

Alfie bobbed in front of her, kicking his legs under the water to stay upright. "He said that you and me make a good match and that picking you tonight was a great idea."

Aviva hummed, easing her body to the edge of the pool. That was the last thing she'd expected. Finn never explicitly said he wanted to be with her. But from his eyes and the way he spoke to her, how could she misinterpret longing? Apparently, she was terrible at reading people.

She and Alfie swam together a bit longer, though the happy-go-lucky mood was effectively squashed in light of that information. After running a shower and changing into dry clothes, the couple huddled onto the daybed. Aviva forced any thoughts of Finn out of her head and pushed herself into Alfie's chest, to which he eagerly responded by wrapping her up in his arms, though sleep did not come easy that night.

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"So, now that you've let it all sink in, how are you feeling?" Saoirse asked, her tone softer and more compassionate than earlier in the interview.

"Better. Much better than I was. I'd rather have him as a friend than not have him at all, you know?" Aviva explained calmly. She twisted in the wicker chair, the plush cushions at her back preventing her from reclining further. "Is that stupid? Sometimes it feels stupid. Like I feel like I should be fighting for him. But when I think about it more, we really haven't known each other that long. It's hardly love, is it?"

It had been a few days since Alfie told her about Finn's advice. At first, she couldn't be around him; it was too awkward. All the time away allowed her to spend more time with Alfie, and weirdly enough, she found herself enjoying his company more and more, much to his delight. But of course, there were still games and group activities that forced her and Finn to interact with each other. And though it was hard, they both found their rhythm again, engaging in their usual banter as if he hadn't been sending her mixed signals all this time.

Saoirse pursed her lips, her skepticism apparent. "I suppose. So how are things with Alfie?"

"We're doing okay. He's nice and very attentive. Maybe a little too attentive. I think he's started to notice my...friendship with Finn more. He's been acting a bit weird lately."

"How do you mean?"

Aviva sat up fully. "When it's just the two of them together, they seem perfectly fine. But any time it's just me and Finn, he always finds a way to interject or pull me away for something else."

Saoirse looked straight at Aviva. "I see. Are you saying he's jealous of your relationship with Finn?"

Aviva shrugged indifferently. "Maybe? Probably? I don't get on with anyone as well as Finn, so he might be feeling insecure."

"And does he have a reason to feel insecure?"

Aviva squinted at the producer. "Pardon?"

"Should Alfie be jealous of your relationship with Finn?" Saoirse clarified.

Aviva chewed the inside of her cheek and began pulling her curls. "No. No, of course not." Even she hadn't fully convinced herself.

Saoirse couldn't help but frown. "Uh huh. And what's going on with Suresh?"

"Can't go two steps without seeing him lurking somewhere nearby. I thought he meant what he said before, but I can't shake the feeling that he's up to something. It's like, move on, man. Seriously, I'm so tired of it. I'm surprised my skin hasn't melted off from Arlo's incessant glaring."

Saoirse stifled a laugh. "And how have you been handling his...persistence?"

"I've mostly been ignoring him. Not much else I can do at this point. I just hope that he doesn't do anything too drastic. I've had quite enough drama to last me a lifetime, thank you very much."

Saoirse let out a deep sigh and shut off the camera. "You and these boys are taking years off of me, I swear."

Aviva smiled at that. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing, never mind." Saoirse waved away Aviva's questions. "We've still got plenty of summer left."

Aviva stood up, rubbing her hands over her rumbling stomach. Her confessional was scheduled rather early in the morning, and she'd yet to eat breakfast. A quick glance out the window told her that her fellow islanders were finally up and about, preparing for another day in the sun.

She turned to Saoirse with a crooked smile. "I wish you could just tell me what they say about me."

Saoirse observed the girl over the lenses of her rectangular frames. "Oh sure, and then they'll chuck me for breach of contract. I will say that not everything is as simple as it seems. And people are much more complex than you might think..." She made a mark on the paper in her lap, huffing under her breath, "and they've been lying to you..."

"What was that?" Aviva asked, not hearing her completely.

"Nothing! Go on with your day; we can talk later." Saoirse dismissed, nearly pushing the Aviva out the door.

Aviva furrowed her brows in confusion, staring at the now-closed door. She shook her head and started toward the villa before Finn called her over to the gym. She smiled to herself. Food could wait a little longer.