Giselle and I laid together on one of the daybeds, sun cream on, sunglasses down. The villa had quieted from the earlier antics. The pool was nearly empty except for Lucas and Polly, who sat in the shallow end of the pool chatting. There was a large group by the bar; every few minutes, a swell of laughter would arise. And somewhere behind us, up on the roof terrace, I could hear quiet giggling. Beside me, Giselle grabbed her water bottle off the grass. The ice inside clinked against the plastic.
"Hey," I said gently, breaking our long silence.
"Hi," Giselle responded. I heard her take a sip of her water.
I pushed my sunglasses up to the crown of my head and squinted in the midday sun. "So, girl-talk. What are your thoughts on the guys?" I asked.
"All of them?" Giselle asked. She put her water bottle back on the grass and sat up. I followed her lead and did the same, propping myself up on my elbow.
"Yeah. You seem like you can read people pretty well," I explained.
Giselle smiled down at me. "Well, I don't know about that. But I've definitely got some opinions."
"Please, continue," I encouraged.
Giselle looked around the villa. Her eyes drifted over to the pool. "Lucas is so adorable, isn't he? He's got an innocent vibe, but I think he's a bit too immature for my taste, you know?" I nodded in agreement. "Still, I think he deserves better than Polly. She's obviously not interested in getting to know him."
Polly smiled with feigned interest. I followed her gaze to see Lucas enthusiastically talking about something, throwing hand gestures, and beaming. "I hope they can be friends, though. You can just tell he's a good person."
Giselle nodded in agreement and continued her analysis. "Blake-" she started, then glanced at me.
"We've only been coupled up for a few hours, you can tell me," I said.
"I think he's playing the game," Giselle said. "He doesn't seem like the type to settle down. I can tell he's into you, but I also think he's into Amelia. And probably Polly."
"I can see that, definitely. I'd still like to get to know him better, so I don't want to pass any quick judgments, but I'll keep that in mind." I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand.
"Eli." Giselle smiled fondly. I perked up. "Definitely hot, but I've always had a thing for white boys, ya know? Drives my mama crazy," she giggled. Her smile was bright and warm.
"That's fair," I commented. "My tutu still wants me to find a Hawaiian boy so that I can pass down the culture. Which I don't mind, but I can still pass down a culture, no matter the background of who I marry."
Giselle paused. "I'm sorry, did you just say your tutu?"
I laughed. "It's Hawaiian. Tutu is my grandma."
"Ooh, gotcha. Yeah, my parents are Dominican but moved to Los Angeles before I was born. I think they expect me to fly to the Dominican Republic just to find a man!" Giselle smiled and looked around once more. "Charlie's a cutie, right? When his secret was about his MBA, it made him even more attractive to me."
"I like a guy with high intelligence, but I don't know about Charlie. I go to school at IU and any boy in the business college is bad news. They're the sirens of college; they lure you in with styled hair and pressed suits for their career fairs, then they take you to a frat party, throw up Natural Light on your skirt, and cheat on you with the sorority sister across the street," I paused and reflected. "That may or may not be from personal experience."
Giselle grabbed her water bottle from the grass. "You deserve better, anyway." She popped open the cap and hovered the bottle over my side. "May I interest you in a drizzle?" she asked.
I smiled and laid back down. "Bring it on!" Giselle tipped the water bottle, and the ice water splashed onto the hot skin of my tummy. "Tssss," I imitated a sizzling pan.
"You're too much!" Giselle laughed. "Who am I missing?"
I looked around and then heard his voice from the roof terrace. "Michael."
Giselle threw her head back. "My own partner!" She laughed and sat her water bottle back onto the grass. "He seems nice, but I'm not attached. He's intimidatingly fit, as if he hasn't had a cheeseburger in years. I wouldn't be surprised if he and Katrina coupled up later."
"Oh yeah," I said, thinking about it thoughtfully. "You're a little matchmaker!"
Giselle smiled and shrugged. "It's a gift-" The sharp ding of my phone cut her off. I reached beneath the daybed and pulled it out from the shade.
"I've got a text!" I yelled, sitting up and swinging my legs over the side of the cushion. My toes settled in the artificial grass. The group gathered in seconds, with Michael and Amelia being the last to arrive.
I began to read the text aloud: "Islanders- congratulations to the boys for winning today's challenge. As a reward, they'll each be able to choose any girl to take on a date this afternoon. Girls- dress to impress! #firstdates #tablemanners."
Blake perked up. "Well, I already know who I'm choosing." He winked at me.
I smiled and looked at the other boys' faces. Lucas and Charlie looked excited, and if Michael cared at all, it wasn't a lot. Eli's face had gone pale.
"Let's go get ready, girls!" Peach said and began leading the pack to the villa. I stood up to follow, and Blake gave my hand a reassuring squeeze.
Upstairs, the girls' dressing room experienced a tornado as it had never seen before. Peach and I were throwing lipsticks back and forth, yelling makeup tips to Katrina over the blowdryer as Polly tried to dry her hair, as it was still wet from the pool. Giselle ripped open her wardrobe and began pulling clothes off their hangers and letting them drop to the floor. And standing with one foot propped up on the vanity stool, Amelia carefully fixed where her fake tan had been rubbed off.
A phone dinged, and the room faded to silence. Polly's hair tool powered off, Peach and Katrina snapped out of their conversation, and Giselle stood frozen.
"Whose phone?" Giselle asked, her hands still gripping a dress.
Amelia removed her self-tanning mitt carefully. "Mine," she announced. She lifted her phone in slow motion, the brightness of the phone illuminating her cheeks. "Amelia, you have been selected to go on a date with... Charlie." She looked over to Peach, who looked gutted. "I'm so sorry, girl!"
"It's fine, it's not your fault!" Peach offered a polite smile.
Another text. "It's mine," I announced. "Maddie, you have been selected to go on a date with... Blake!" I smiled and looked up from my phone.
"Congrats!" Polly said. She began raking a comb through her hair when her phone chimed. "Good timing. Polly, you have been selected to go on a date with... Lucas," she forced her smile to widen.
Giselle walked over and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, hon. It's just one date."
Polly groaned. "I know. I was just hoping this would be a good opportunity to get to know someone else!"
"Someone else can still pick you," Amelia said. "Either way, at least one of us isn't going to have a date." We all looked around. None of us had thought of that. "Five boys, six girls. Unless they're letting one of the guys pick two girls."
Giselle's phone chimed from its place on her vanity. She calmly walked over and scrunched her face. "Giselle, you have been selected to go on a date with... Eli." She looked up in confusion. "That's unexpected." Her phone dinged again. "Giselle, you have also been selected to go on a date with... Lucas."
Peach looked up in surprise. "Damn." Giselle looked over at her. "Congrats, girl!"
Giselle smiled lightly. "Thanks."
With one boy remaining, Peach and Katrina exchanged looks.
Katrina's phone dinged. "Katrina, you have been selected to go on a date with... Michael." She looked up from her phone. "Who's coupled up with Michael?"
"Me," Giselle said. "You have fun, Kat. I mean it," she smiled kindly.
Peach let out a quiet sigh that would've gone unnoticed if the room hadn't fallen silent. "I'm really happy for you guys, I am. I'm just feeling... vulnerable."
I got up from my vanity, walked around the stools, and crouched down next to Peach. I wrapped my arms around her, and she rested her head on my shoulder. "It's only day one. And they're gonna be punching themselves later on when they realize what a full package you are."
Peach smiled at me weakly. "Thanks, Maddie." Her phone dinged, and she grabbed it from the vanity. I took a step back as she opened the text. "Peach, you were not picked for a date. Please choose which guy you would like to invite on a date." She looked up from her phone with the brightest smile. "Oh, how the turntables!"
"Good for you, Peach! Now you're in the best position." Amelia sat in front of her mirror and ran a comb through her wavy red hair. "I'm assuming you're going to pick Charlie."
"Yeah," Peach admitted. She typed his name and pressed 'Send.'
We finished getting ready, helping each other zip into casual sundresses. Peach clutched the zipper of my white dress with small pineapple print. When the fabric was secure, she straightened my necklace.
Giselle looked at all of us approvingly. "Alright, girls. Let's do this!" We marched down the steps in our heels and wedges, down to the garden where six tables- each with a bottle of champagne- were pitched on the grass.
I found Blake at the far end. I approached his table, and he grinned as he saw me. He stood up, pulled my chair out for me, and scooted it in as I took my seat.
"You look gorgeous," he said as he poured my glass of champagne.
"Thank you! You clean up very nice," I complimented. His long hair had been slicked back into a neat hairstyle. "So, tell me about yourself. Did you go to school?"
Blake nodded as he topped off his own glass. "Yeah, actually. I studied marine biology."
"No way!" I grinned. "I'm a biology student!"
"That's awesome!"
"What are you doing now?" I asked.
"I'm a nature guide in California. A little far from my intended career, but turns out, I get seasick," he smiled. "My first job out of college was working on this little boat in Florida, catching, tagging, and releasing manta rays for a migration study. I lasted about a month and then decided to find something inland. I went camping with a friend in Northern Cali and just fell in love with the forest."
I took a sip from my glass. "That's awesome that you found an alternative, though! And one that seems to fit you so well."
Blake smiled proudly. "Well, thanks. I know I already asked, but I'd still like to hear what Eli wanted to talk about earlier."
I must have looked suspicious when I responded slowly, but I was caught off guard. It was a topic that I'd considered settled. "It's not my info to share, but I can tell you that there's nothing to worry about."
"So he didn't, like, come up and confess his love for you?"
I nearly spit out my champagne as a giggle erupted from my lips. "Definitely not!"
Blake's face saw an immediate sense of relief. "Well, that's good. I thought I was gonna have to talk with him." He peered down the rows of tables where Eli was sitting across from Giselle. "I think I could take him."
I looked between the two. "Okay... but don't test your theory," I teased. Someone's phone dinged, and the couples began to switch out. Peach took her place in front of Charlie, and Giselle moved over to Lucas' table.
"You don't think I can take him?" Blake asked, leaning forward against the table.
I parted my lips as I tried to figure out whether he was joking. "He's a college football player. And he's easily the tallest guy in the villa."
"It's not all about bulk!" Blake protested. "Sure he's big, but I think I'm quicker."
"What are you gonna do, race him?" I asked.
Blake shrugged. "I could for sure beat him in that."
I followed his gaze to Eli, then promptly decided to change the subject. "Um, so I guess it should be asked. Is there anyone else you have your eye on?"
Blake locked eyes with me. "Is this a trap?"
"Definitely not! I just think it's best to be as honest as possible and communicate. Especially in this weird scenario," I explained.
"Okay," he paused and scanned the line of girls sitting across from their dates. "Amelia's pretty. But you're more my type. What about you?"
I shook my head. "You're really the only guy I'm interested in. No pressure, I mean. I know it's not ideal to put all my eggs in one basket, especially on the first day, but I'm not really interested in the others."
Blake nodded understandingly. "Good to know."
The dates ended with a short text to Lucas' phone. The girls subtly gathered on the roof terrace, settling down on couches that overlooked the garden, the pool, and where the boys were sprawled out on the loungers below. The sun began to dip closer to the water, giving the clouds a slight purple hue as the stars began to slowly freckle into the sky.
"Who wants to go first?" Peach asked. She sat with her legs crossed adjacent to me.
"I'll go!" Giselle offered. "Ladies... I had quite the time," she revealed, earning a giggle from the group. "Eli is very, very cute. And way sweeter than I ever would have expected! Oh my gosh, he kept asking about me, and my life back home." I perked up and listened intently. "But I've just gotta say it, Lucas is freaking adorable."
"Hey!" Polly interjected.
Giselle looked at her, obviously puzzled. "Girl, what do you mean? You've been trying to drop him from the moment you guys coupled up."
Polly raised her nose into the air. "Maybe my date with him changed my mind."
"Did it?"
"Only time will tell."
Giselle watched her amused, then turned her attention back to us. "Anyway, he's very innocent, which I think is so sweet. He's definitely not as immature as I was expecting. And I think if I got some time with him, and maybe showed him how to gel his hair just a little, we could get along real well."
"Isn't he a bit short for you?" Polly asked with feigned concern.
"I asked him his height upfront. He's two and a half inches taller than me. I'll have to watch what heels I wear, but that's doable for me," Giselle responded. "Who's next? Polly?" Polly shook her head in response and hugged a couch pillow. "Ames?"
Amelia smiled. "Yeah, I'll go. Charlie's a real sweetheart. Kinda quiet at first, but I got him to talk about earning his MBA. I love guys in business!" Giselle glanced at me with a smirk. "He's got nice style, too."
"I noticed that!" Peach sat up. "I usually hate polos; I think they're tacky. But that white fabric, with the loose sleeves and the bottom tucked into his shirt-" she paused, pinched her pointer finger and thumb together, and kissed the two digits. "Chef's kiss."
"Maddie, how was yours?" Amelia asked.
I shifted on my couch cushion and straightened my posture. "It was really good, actually! He studied marine biology, and I'm studying biology, so we have that in common. He's very kind, and definitely a gentleman." I paused and tried to sort my thoughts.
Peach surveyed me. "Spit it out, Mads."
I looked up at her. "What?"
She smiled at me. "You've got reservations."
I tapped my fingers against my leg. "He has a bit of an ultra-masculine thing going on. He spent way too long on our date sizing up Eli."
"Sizing up Eli?" Katrina interjected. "Why?"
"He wanted to know if I thought he could 'take him.' It wasn't unbearable, though. Besides, I don't see myself with anyone else in the villa."
"Madison!" Peach scolded. "Don't settle!"
"I'm not settling! You can't expect anyone to be perfect," I said.
Giselle tossed the idea around in her mind. "That's fair, I guess. Katrina, how's Michael?"
Katrina seemed to shy away. "He's nice."
Giselle smiled at her. "Kat, I'm not interested in him."
"Well, in that case, he's like, my perfect match. We're both, athletic, love working out, love sports, and we both want huskies! We just had so much in common. I hope he's as excited as I am," Katrina couldn't hide her grin.
"If he's got a brain in his head, he is," I stated.
Wrapping up our conversation, we grabbed our water bottles and headed inside to get ready for our first night in the villa.