By late morning, everyone had rolled out of bed and changed into their swimwear to start another hard day of basking in the sun. Thirteen islanders were peacefully sprawled out across the villa. All of the boys were in the shallow end of the pool, sitting belly button deep in the cool water. Peyton and Amelia walked over to join them. Katrina was teaching Polly how to make a smoothie in the kitchen, and every few minutes, we'd hear the blender whirring. And Peach, Giselle, and I had found a daybed just barely big enough for the three of us to lay out and bake beneath the South Pacific sun.
Earlier that morning, we'd been woken up by producers as more beds were added to the villa to accommodate more islanders, and our own beds were pushed closer together. Night tables had been replaced with colorful shelves to hold our phones and water bottles. After these changes, we were then directed to wake up and act surprised by the new addition of furniture, as if we hadn't watched the whole process from our pillows.
A text chimed within the poolside pile of mic packs and phones. Seconds later, everyone's phone had gone off. Giselle reached down and handed Peach and me our phones.
"Peach, please send in a naughty secret for today's challenge. Don't share it with anyone," Peach read aloud.
"I've got the same text," Giselle announced.
As did I. "A naughty secret?" I asked and began to think. Did I have any naughty secrets? "How naughty are we going?"
"I guess that's for us to decide. I'm not giving away anything too personal, but I'll play the game," Giselle announced and began typing her response.
I thought for a minute, typed my response, and hit send.
A few hours later, the subsequent text came after lunch, when the group was chilling in the shade, chatting about nothing in particular.
Eli's phone went off, and he picked it up instinctively. "Islanders, get ready for today's game. Who knows what you might find out? #SecretAgents #DirtyLaundry."
We walked down to the beach and over to the neighboring lot to see the platform had been painted a mysterious blue. In the center, a long table was set up with thirteen briefcases: six blue and seven pink. The boys were designated to one side of the table, and the girls stood opposite them.
Peyton volunteered to read out the instructions. "Islanders, today's game is called Briefly Embarrassed. The teams will alternate picking a briefcase from the opposite team and read out the secret inside. Whoever grabbed the briefcase must then kiss the person they think the secret is about." Peyton set down the piece of paper.
"We'll go first since we've got more briefcases to open," Blake suggested, and we all agreed.
Eli approached one of the pink cases and opened it up, pulling out a card. "Three isn't company for this Islander, who had a threesome with a married couple." Eli rubbed the black facial hair on his chin. "Damn." The boys didn't discuss it very long. Eli walked around the table and pulled Giselle into a tender, warm kiss.
"That's not-" Michael stopped himself, realizing that Eli just wanted to kiss Giselle. He stepped forward and turned the card over. "Amelia. Like the rest of us agreed."
"Sorry boys!" Eli said as he jogged back.
Peach stepped forward and opened a blue case. "This Islander had a very sweet sixteen, losing his virginity that same day." She turned around for consultation.
"Sixteen... Maybe Blake or Noah?" Katrina suggested. "They don't seem very innocent."
Peach nodded. She walked around the table, passed Noah, and planted a light kiss on Blake's lips. She returned to the briefcase and flipped the card over. "Lucas?!" She yelled through a giggle. The boys erupted in high-fives and bro things.
"I'll go next, I guess," Lucas said. His face was hot pink from blushing. "Um, this Islander once kicked someone out of bed because they couldn't keep up with her." He looked at the row of girls standing in front of him, then back to the boys.
Michael crossed his arms over his chest and smirked. "Katrina, she already told me about that. She gave me a warning," he joked.
Lucas crossed the yard and gave Katrina a peck on the lips. He had to prop himself up on his tippy toes. Unsurprisingly, he was correct, giving the boys the first point of the game.
Giselle approached the next case and unlatched the lid. "This Islander once forgot a girl's name... who he'd been dating for a month." She tossed the card down. "Alright, where's Blake?"
"No, it's Charlie!" Peach declared, pointing at her couple. "Pinky promise."
Giselle shrugged and approached Charlie, giving him a quick kiss. She returned to the card and flipped it over, at first looking excited, then disappointed. "You better explain yourself, Charles."
Charlie laughed playfully. "It's not as bad as it sounds! She went by a nickname that was completely different from her actual name. She never let anyone call her by her legal name and after a month, I'd forgotten it. I had to peak into her wallet to remember."
Noah stepped forward and tossed open a briefcase. "This Islander once made out with every member of a fraternity." To my left, Polly, well known to be in a sorority, was vibrating with excitement. Noah looked at her, crossed the table, then pulled me into a kiss. His left arm wrapped around my waist with his right hand holding the back of my head as he laid a passionate kiss on my lips, then pulled away. It felt like I'd been hit by a bolt of lightning. Noah returned to the case, basking in the cheers and applause. He flipped over the card. "Polly? I would've never have guessed," he smirked and walked back into line.
Amelia ran a hand through her hair as she approached another suitcase. "This Islander has 'done the deed' in over five countries."
"Oh, that's kinda hard," Polly looked around the group. "Blake?"
"Blake's too in love with California to travel," I commented.
"Charlie's in college, and he didn't do any international programs," Peach analyzed.
"Oh! Eli! Football!" Polly said.
Katrina shook her head. "College football stays in the U.S.."
I looked at the group, and my eyes landed on Noah. "It's got to be Noah, right? He's from the U.K., which is already made up of four countries. And Ireland's just right there."
Giselle turned around. "I don't think Northern Ireland's a country?"
"Okay, if we're not counting that, then France is right across the channel. I really think it's Noah," I said.
"Well, good," Amelia smiled and leaned into the group of girls. "I wanted to kiss him anyway." With a quick flip of her hair, she sauntered over to the boys, walking up and down the line a few times to tease them before stopping in front of Noah. Her arms slid around his neck, and she gave him a kiss that left his lips red. He began the process of wiping off the pigment as she returned to the case and confirmed her success.
Eli stepped forward again. "This Islander has slept with more girls than guys." Eli looked up, scanning the girls.
"Peyton?" Lucas suggested.
Eli shook his head. His eyes landed on me. "I think it's Maddie."
"I don't know..." Blake said. "She liked being coupled with me too much." I rolled my eyes.
Eli walked over and gave me a friendly peck on the lips. It was warm but had no spark. He returned to the suitcase and read out the name. "Peach!"
Peach immediately took a bow. "It is me," she confirmed.
"So, what, are you bi?" Katrina asked.
"I don't like to label it," Peach shrugged it off.
Peyton skipped forward. "My turn!" She approached one of the blue briefcases left on the table and flipped open the lid. "This Islander was once in love with three girls at once."
Giselle wrinkled her nose and looked over at Blake. "In love?" She asked cynically.
"You don't know that it's me!" Blake said.
Peyton put down the card and happily walked over to Blake to give him a good, long kiss. She returned to the suitcase after a beat and flipped it over. "Blake!"
Charlie laughed and stepped forward. "Alright, let's choose this one." He opened the case and read the card. "This Islander once had sex on the beach, and not the drink!"
Blake's eyes never left Peyton. "I think it's Peyton," he said. He was entranced.
Noah shook his head. "Maddie, right?"
Charlie nodded. "Maddie's grandparents live in Hawaii and she visits often. It's gotta be her." I was surprised he'd remembered that. He walked around the table and approached me. He seemed nervous as he put a hand gently around the nape of my neck and kissed me. It was short, sweet, and left my cheeks pink.
"Woah, you're good at that," I laughed as Charlie returned to the briefcase.
"Isn't he?" Peach grinned.
"It's Maddie!" Charlie announced, holding the card with my name up in the air.
Polly went next, looking a little too excited to play the game. "Okay, the secret is: this islander had more than his fair share of one night stands." Without waiting for a consultation, she ran up and kissed Eli, throwing her arms around his neck. He stumbled backward slightly as he put his hands on her waist and pulled her off of him. She went back to the briefcase and whipped the card around. "I was right!"
"Damn. How'd you know?" Amelia asked.
Polly shrugged. "I went with my tummy."
Michael stepped forward and grabbed one of the last remaining cases. "This islander loves listening to music while doing the deed." Behind him, the line of boys shrugged, unsure of who it could be. Michael stepped forward and leaned in to kiss Peyton. She accepted with a quick kiss and then stepped back. Katrina looked grateful. Michael returned to the briefcase. "Giselle!"
Giselle giggled. "C'mon guys, I'm a producer. I thought that'd be easy enough."
With only one of the boys' briefcases remaining, I opened it to reveal the last blue card. "This islander is no stranger to sending nude pictures." I looked up at the boys. "Well, this is easy. Michael's the only one that hasn't been picked." I walked over and gave him a quick peck, then returned to check my answer. "Michael!"
Finally, Blake opened the last briefcase. "This islander was once on the cover of Sports Illustrated." He immediately looked at Peyton and laughed. "Too easy." He walked over and gave Peyton the perfect final kiss. Ultimately, he was right. But it wasn't enough to score a win for the boys.
Peyton got a text. "Congratulations to the girls, who won 5 to 3." She looked around at the others. "No prize?"
"Guess not," Peach said, peeking over her shoulder to read the text.
After a moment without a follow-up text, we left the platform and walked back down the beach toward the villa. As we stepped back into the garden, Amelia grabbed my arm.
"Can we talk?" She asked. I nodded and followed her to a small sofa across the grass and far from anyone else. "We should talk about Noah."
"I thought you were interested in Blake?" I asked.
"I was, but c'mon. Noah's hot. And British! He's my absolute dream guy," Amelia smiled and looked fondly across the garden where Noah and Charlie were sat chatting. "I don't want you to think I have an agenda against you, okay? I like you, Maddie. I think you're really cool. It's just a shame that we have such similar taste."
"I can understand that." I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.
Amelia noticed this and put a reassuring hand on my knee. "I just want to talk to him, ya know? When we kissed during the challenge, I really felt something."
"Okay. To be honest, I don't really like the energy between us. It feels like we're constantly competing, and it's tiring," I explained.
"It's Love Island, babe. It is a competition." Amelia removed her hand from my leg.
"I guess I'm just not competitive."
She examined me for a second. "You have to be." She looked down at her knees. "I don't want you to think of me as a villain."
"I know where you're coming from. It just sucks," I shrugged.
Amelia nodded in agreement. "Yeah. So you're not going to gatekeep him, right?"
"What?"
"Gatekeep him? You're not gonna hog him? I mean think of where I'm coming from; you've been coupled up this whole time. This is the fourth day and I'm the only one that's stayed single. And Noah's single, too. You still have Blake," Amelia bartered.
"I guess," I started to feel small in her presence.
"Good, then we agree." Amelia stood to her feet and offered me a fistbump. I accepted it lazily. "Good talk, Maddie." She turned and walked away.
I sat alone, watching the Islanders from the safety of my secluded sofa, unaware of the chaos I'd just created for myself.