With Noah by my side and his jacket draped over my shoulders, we walked down the covered path toward the villa entrance. The rain continued but had softened to a drizzle that now dripped off the palm leaf roof. We reached the side door that led into the living room, and I stepped inside with Noah closely behind. The living room was empty, but there was a cluttering of voices that I couldn't pinpoint the location of.
"Guys?" I called into the villa.
"Kitchen!" Peach's voice answered.
I turned to Noah. "Ready?" I asked.
"Absolutely."
We walked down the hall and into the kitchen. Everyone looked up as we entered.
"Oh my god!" Polly yelled, clasping her hands over her mouth.
"That's not Michael! That's not Michael!" Peach gasped and started playfully punching my arm. Blake straightened his posture at the sight of the new, taller islander.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Noah," Noah introduced himself. The guys immediately got up to give him the bro-initiation while the girls hung back and analyzed him. I stepped over to let the guys surround him and joined the girls.
Peach leaned over to me. "You're wearing his jacket. Went well?" She gave me a flirty wink.
I looked down after having forgotten that I was wearing it. "Oops. Yeah, it did."
"Is that an accent I detect?" Amelia purred, her red hair parting the sea of testosterone until her path to Noah had been cleared.
"It is, yeah. I'm from England," Noah responded.
Katrina looked around. "Wait, if Maddie went on a date with this guy, where's Michael?" The silence that followed deafeningly answered her question.
"Do you know who he's on a date with?" I asked Noah.
"I've met her, but I don't know I should say," he said. "I think you'll meet her soon enough."
Like clockwork, the villa door opened once again, and Michael's laugh and a pair of heels entered. Michael strolled into the kitchen with a tall blonde in a white sleeveless romper with bell-bottom style pants. Her skin was glowy and tan, her eyes a light blue that sparkled with joy.
"Hey, guys!" She introduced herself with an impossibly white smile.
"This is Peyton!" Michael said.
Peyton looked around and locked eyes with Katrina. "You must be Katrina! Michael told me so much about you," Peyton walked over and hugged her. "I love your hair."
"Oh, thank you!" Katrina smiled and looked at Michael gratefully.
"Shall we get to know these new people?" Giselle smiled and stepped forward.
"Totally!" Polly agreed. "Living room!" Before getting a response, Polly skipped past Noah and Peyton and out of sight. The others followed.
"Maddie," Amelia said. I looked back and saw her leaning against the kitchen counter. I watched Noah shuffle out of the room and then walked back to convene with Amelia.
"What's up?"
"How'd your date go?" She asked. I could tell where this was going.
"Really well, actually." I tapped my fingers on the counter, waiting for it.
"That's great. I'm really happy for you," Amelia smiled slightly. Before I could respond, she continued. "I'm super supportive, but why you? I was the only single person in the whole villa, and I wasn't chosen to go on a date with the new guy? I'm sure you can empathize with me: that sucks!"
"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."
"You have my blessing," I said. "He's not a bad guy, we just weren't compatible."
Peyton nodded. "Well, thanks."
"Anytime! I think Lucas has a thing for you, too," I noted.
Peyton let out a small laugh. "I don't know if anyone can turn his head. From what I've seen, he's been set on Polly since the first day. Even if I gave him a chance, I don't know if he could keep her off his mind."
"That's kind of sweet," I smiled to myself.
Peach walked out of the bathroom, her hair dry but her skin shiny from the shower steam. "Oh my god, Amelia takes such hot showers!" Peach held out her arms. "I stepped in after her and got cooked medium rare."
"Aww, poor Peachy." I got up from my vanity to hand her a bottle of aloe vera. "Try this."
Peach took the bottle from me and stared at it blankly. "Do you just take this everywhere?"
"Well, yeah. In case someone gets a bad burn, which is bound to happen the longer we're here. I'd say within the week, one of the boys will forget their sunscreen and fry up." I turned and walked back to my vanity. "My family uses it for everything. After all the times I get stung by jellyfish in Hawaii, I'd apply some aloe vera. It's worked all twelve times."
"How do you get stung by jellyfish so many times? I know your grandparents are from Hawaii, but that just seems like a lot," Peyton said.
"Well, with all the boats in the area, the motors will sometimes slice up a group of them. So they're impossible to see in the water because they're just little shreds of clear tentacles with no obvious shape. But their stingers still work even when they're dead. That's why lots of people get stung without even having seen the jellyfish," I explained.
Peach looked over to offer me a smile. "Biology!"
Peyton nodded. "Okay, very cool. I'm an RN in Dallas, so I don't get to help with marine injuries very often. But once a guy came in with the tip of his middle finger missing. He'd seen a snapping turtle laying in the grass and decided to pet it."
"Ouch," I grimaced.
Peyton began combing through her hair. The wide-toothed comb gently untangled small blonde knots as she swiped it down the length of the strands. Once satisfactory, she set the tool down on the vanity and began twisting her hair up into a bun. "So, what's the sleeping situation like?"
My anxiety had been ignited. I'd forgotten that tonight, I still had to share a bed with Blake. "Um, I assume you and Noah will have to share a bed tonight. I'm not sure. Amelia has the only half-empty bed."
Peyton stopped rummaging through her vanity. "Is everything okay? You sound... off."
"It's not a big deal. I'm just not looking forward to spending the night with Blake." I continued my nighttime routine with shakey hands fumbling jars of product.
"Maddie," Peach watched me. "You can sleep in my bed."
"I don't know how Charlie would feel about being our third wheel," I joked.
Peach giggled and rolled her eyes playfully. "I'll ask if he'll swap places with you. He can sleep in bed with Blake."
"If he's okay with it, that would be awesome. But ask him first, I don't want to put him in that kind of position." I took a deep breath that exited my lungs as a shaky exhale.
"Charlie's cool; he'll get it," Peach said.
Peyton smirked slightly. "Or, we could help each other out. You crash with Noah, I'll stay with Blake. A little swap."
"I don't know. I've only known him for a few hours." I blushed, suddenly feeling shy.
Peyton smiled. "Alright, fine. You make a good point. I guess I haven't even said a word to Blake yet. Maybe I should do that before bed?"
"Be my guest," I invited her. Peach looked between us, confused. "Peyton's interested in Blake and I support it," I caught her up to speed.
"Oh! Good for you, Peyton. I'm glad you've found someone you're interested in already," Peach smiled.
"Thanks!" Peyton said and looked over at the bathroom door. "Michael's also caught my eye. We had a good date, but I think he's super into Katrina."
"Yeah, they'd be hard to break up," I admitted.
Peyton shrugged and stood to her feet. "I'm gonna refill my water bottle."
"I'll come with," I volunteered, grabbing my bottle off of the vanity and following Peyton out the door. We entered the kitchen to see the boys flocked around the new guy. Noah's eyes lit up when he saw us enter.
"Hey, guys!" He greeted. He moved to get up, but he bumped Blake and remained seated.
"Hiya!" Peyton greeted. She turned her back to them and started refilling her water bottle, her back arched slightly to accentuate her bum. Clever girl.
Peach entered a split second behind us. She appeared briefly in the doorframe. "Hey, Charlie, can you come over here?" He agreed immediately and left the group. They disappeared behind the living room wall.
"How's your guys' day?" I asked, slightly leaning against the fridge as Peyton continued filling her water bottle.
Lucas glanced at the doorframe. "Pretty good. Just trying to get an idea of where Polly's head is at."
Eli nodded in agreement. "Same with Giselle. I want to know if she's just trying to take it slow, or if she's distancing herself because she's not into me." He paused and then gave me pleading eyes. "Maddie?"
"Yeah, Maddie!" Lucas said. "Could you help us out?"
Peyton moved aside, and I took her place at the water dispenser. "I mean. Okay? But why me?" I asked.
"You've got the best relationship with either of them. Besides Amelia, but I don't trust her," Lucas blurted.
I thought for a moment, watching the water level rise in the pink translucent bottle. "I don't know, guys. It's one thing to hype you up, it's another to report back their thoughts and feelings. If they do tell me something, I'll suggest that they tell you instead. Sound good?"
"Yeah, that's fair," Eli said.
Noah grinned at me from across the counter. "Magical Maddie, back in action." Blake looked between the two of us uncomfortably.
Charlie re-entered the kitchen. "Bedtime, boys. Blake, let's have a chat."
I felt my cheeks blush. I had Charlie speaking for me. Maybe I wasn't as good of a person as Noah thought.
"Wait," I interrupted. I pulled my water bottle from the fridge and capped it. "I got it." Charlie nodded, and the room cleared apart from Blake and me. "So, I don't know. I feel guilty because it's not the mature thing to do. But to be honest, the thought of sharing a bed with you kind of hurts my heart right now."
"I understand," Blake said. I could tell he meant it.
"I was wondering if you'd be okay sharing the bed with Charlie tonight? And I'll crash with Peach?" I began picking at the skin on my fingers nervously.
"Yeah, no problem. Charlie's cool. Don't worry about it, Maddie. Let's go." Blake's relaxed words brought ease to my anxiety and helped me calm down. We walked into the bedroom and found the couples settling down for the night.
Michael and Katrina were already snuggling in the first bed on the left. Next to them, Giselle was lying on Eli's chest. A slight smile was stuck on his face. Along the opposite wall, Lucas and Polly already had their eye masks pulled down, facing away from each other. The pillow wall was gone. Charlie was lying in my spot in my bed, waving at Peach, who giggled in response. And in the last bed, Peyton climbed in with Amelia.
"Where's Noah?" I asked the room.
"Living room," Katrina announced to my left. "Amelia was really trying to convince him to crawl between her sheets, but he was adamant that Peyton should have the bed."
I clutched my heart. "That is the sweetest thing," I walked over to Peach's bed and climbed into Charlie's spot. I looked over at her and smiled.
"Go," she whispered.
I looked around the room and whispered back, "Where?"
Peach nudged my side. "To the living room."
Finally getting the hint, I swung my legs over the side of the bed, walked out of the room, and made my way to the living room. Noah had propped a pillow at one end of the couch and was in the process of unfolding a blanket when I walked in.
"Hey," I said. His head turned immediately at my voice, and he set the blanket down.
"Good evening, Maddie," he smiled. "Did you forget something?" He looked down at the coffee table.
"No, I just wanted to say goodnight," I smiled. I crossed the room and pulled him into a hug. My arms crossed around his neck, and he hugged my waist. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight," he chuckled. He pulled away slowly, leaving his hands on my hips. He glanced down at my lips, and I pulled away.
"I'm still coupled up with Blake," I said. His eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "I know we're done and all. It just feels weird."
Noah nodded. "That's okay. Whenever you're comfortable," he said reassuringly.
I smiled and gave him one last goodnight, then returned to the bedroom and climbed into bed with Peach. We fist-bumped and rolled over as the lights went out.