Love Island

Chapter 12 - New Islanders

"I'm sorry, Ames. You know it wasn't my fault; I thought I was going on a date with Michael. Noah's the one who made the decision," I explained.

Amelia looked down at her hands briefly. "Oh. I didn't know that." She rubbed her fingertips on the opposite hand's chipped nail polish. "My bad."

"It's fine. Let's go join the others," I reached out and led her into the living room, where the two new islanders were sat in the middle of the sofa with the others draped around them.

Peyton was just finishing answering a question. "I don't know if I have a type exactly. I'd just like a guy that's taller than I am."

"With or without the heels?" Lucas pressed.

Peyton giggled with an infectious laugh. "Oh gosh, I hardly ever wear heels! I'm an RN, so my feet are usually killing me by the end of my shift. I don't want to spend my days off punishing my feet even more!"

"Noah, where do you work?" Giselle asked.

"Alexander McQueen, the clothes shop. I got a job as a cashier straight out of secondary school to raise money for university, but never ended up going. Now I help people shop."

Polly threw her head back. "Are you serious? That's my dream job and I didn't even know it! Screw a digital marketing degree, I wanna do that!"

Amelia walked over to Polly and threw an arm around her shoulder. "But then you couldn't rush Apple Pie Oklahoma!"

"Alpha Chi Omega," Polly rolled her eyes.

"You guys have been so, so kind. But I think it's time to get ready for bed," Peyton stood to her feet. "Right, girls?" She turned to me and winked.

I agreed and waved the girls over. "Come on, girls. Let's show Peyton the dressing room." I let the girls go ahead of me as I slipped Noah's jacket off of my shoulders and handed it to him neatly. He grinned at me and gave me a quick wink. I winked back, then followed the trail of fruity perfume up the stairs and into the dressing room. Peyton's empty suitcase had been unpacked for her into a wardrobe that had been left open. "The vanity next to me is free for you to take," I said, gesturing to the only vanity without a beauty product of some kind pressed up against the mirror.

"Thanks!" Peyton grinned.

With plenty of time before any of us were actually sleepy, we took our time showering and changing into pajamas. After washing my face at the sink, I bundled my hair up into a towel and walked out into the dressing room.

"Cute P.J.'s!" Peyton said from her vanity.

"Thanks! I've been saving them," I admitted.

"I assume your date with Noah went well, then?" Peyton smiled as she started dabbing a white creme beneath her eyes.

"It did, actually. He's such a gentleman. And he's kind. It's perfect timing." I took a seat next to her and pumped a dollop of moisturizer into my palm.

"I did want to ask about that before I said anything: how are you and Blake?"

"Completely over," I said nonchalantly, then reassessed my tone. "Don't get me wrong, it's still new, and sucks to think about. But it's for the best. Different priorities, you know?"

Peyton blinked at her reflection in the mirror. "Oh." She had paused, then resumed fingerprinting cremes onto various parts of her face and neck. "I guess I didn't see that part."

"It happened just before the storm. Noah said you guys missed it."

"Ah," Peyton said as she capped the jar of product. "Would you be okay if I talked to Blake? I know you guys are still coupled up and all, but I think he's really cute."