Chapter Text

As soon as Naomi has left, Chrissy and Nancy run into the villa. You have to hold Eddie back from running after them, and it seems like Steve is holding Robin back as well. For what purpose, you don't know. "Let me go," Eddie says angrily.

"No," you reply calmly. He turns to you to yell but stops when he sees your grave expression. "I know you care about her. But let me do it."

Eddie nods and you stand after squeezing his hand. Emma is walking over to you and you point to the villa. She nods and meets you in the trellis. "Can you see if Nancy is okay? I'm gonna find Chrissy." She nods again and disappears into the house. You eventually find her in the bathroom, crying in the empty tub.

"Oh, babe," you say empathetically. "I'm so sorry."

"I really liked him," she sobs.

"I know."

"I thought he liked me."

"We all did."

"I thought he was a good guy."

"So did we. Looks like we were wrong."

She looks up at you with red eyes. "What's wrong with me?"

You sigh, take off your shoes, and climb into the tub with her, pulling her close. She settles her head under your chin and you stroke her hair. "Nothing's wrong with you, babe. He's what's wrong. He's an asshole who couldn't see what a great girl he had and chose to throw it all away. He's a moron." She hiccups a giggle. "You're way better than him. He's not worth it."

"I'm still sad," she sniffles.

"You're right, those were the wrong words," you concede. "Everything you feel is valid. But the fact that your feelings don't matter to him is what makes him trash. Your true friends care when you're sad, or happy, or angry, or anything. Because they love you and you matter to them. And me and Emma and Nancy and Eddie and Steve and Carson all wanna be your true friends."

She nods. "You are my true friends."

"Good," you reply firmly, making her laugh a little. "You're our true friend."

"I can't believe I worried what Ryan would think while in Casa."

"That's because you're a great person who truly cares. That only reflects well on you."

"Really?"

"Really. And you can be sad for however long you want, but don't let him make you think you're a bad person. That's just simply untrue." She hugs you and you hug her back hard. "Now, do you wanna go back outside or do you wanna go to bed?"

She thinks for a second. "Outside."

"Okay, then let's get you out of this tub, touch up your makeup, and walk out with your head held high. Sound good?" She nods. You extract yourself from her and climb out, helping her stand as well. She fixes her hair and makeup in the mirror and then turns to you with a thumbs-up. You return it and hold her hand as you walk through the villa and back outside.

Emma and Nancy are nowhere to be seen, so they're probably still inside. You think about checking up on them after depositing Chrissy in the kitchen to make tea with Carson, but Eddie is waving you over to the daybed. You go to him.

"How is she?" He asks.

"She's been better," you reply as you settle onto the bed with him. "But she knows she's worth more than that scumbag."

"Did you know?" You cock your head. "That he would turn out to be a bad guy?"

You snort. "I'm not clairvoyant. But I had my suspicions from the beginning."

"Seems like he fooled everyone else."

"Ugh," you say in frustration. "I hate guys like him. Liars who won't accept the consequences of their actions. It makes me so angry."

"Me too." Eddie rubs your shoulder in sympathy.

To get your mind off of Ryan, you look around the backyard. Chrissy and Carson are having a lively conversation, and she's laughing, so that's a good sign. Ryan and Sam are holed up together on the sundeck, clearly knowing they're both persona non grata. Blake and Maggie are cuddling on one beach chair, which has to be uncomfortable, but they look like they're in bliss. And Steve and Robin are huddled close on the beanbags, talking quietly and intently. You feel a pang.

Eddie follows your line of sight. "How are you feeling?"

Sighing, you wave a hand. "I don't know. So much has happened. It's hard to even think about myself."

"But?" He leads.

"But...I'm sad. I guess this is Island of Friends for me."

"I don't know," he muses. "I think you should go after what you want. You might regret it if you don't try."

"Maybe," you respond distractedly. Steve has gotten up and is walking...towards you. You quickly look at Eddie in panic but he just smiles kindly. So when Steve gets to you, it's silent.

He says your name. "Can we chat?"

Your name falling from his lips is so lovely to hear. You nod and Eddie has to push you to stand up. You do so robotically, motioning awkwardly for Steve to lead the way. You look back at Eddie one last time but he just gives you a good luck thumbs-up. You roll your eyes and follow Steve.

His ass looks really good in those jeans and his arm muscles show nicely with his t-shirt. You're daydreaming about running your hands through that hair you'd desperately missed when he turns around abruptly. Then he grabs your arm, tugs you into the bathroom and then into the shower stall, and makes you crouch with him.

“What are you doing?” You ask in shock.

He shakes his head, motioning for you to take off your mic pack like he is and push it across the bathroom floor. You copy him slowly, and he closes the stall door once they’re both sufficiently far away.

He looks at you like he's a drunk and you're the last sip of gin. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks," you respond automatically, a bit crisply.

"I missed you," he admits.

You want to say you'd missed him too, so much, too much, it was unbearable how much you missed him. But all you reply is, "That's nice."

He looks pained as he whispers your name. "I still want to be with you."

"What?" You burst out. "You still want to be with me? After bringing back Robin from Casa Amor? That's not a good show of loyalty, Steve."

"I know, but I did that for a reason."

"What reason?"

"I can't tell you."

"Convenient," you scoff.

"Well, what about Eddie?"

"What about Eddie?"

"Seems like you had a good time in Casa Amor."

You rear back. "That's not fair. I had to recouple."

He makes a frustrated sound. "I know, I'm sorry. I'm just...I don't know. You have to believe me. All I thought about in Casa was you. I just wanted it to be over so I could see you again."

"It's not really matching up with the actions, Steve."

"I know," he says in a huff. He's angry but you can tell it's not with you. "Look," he takes your hand, "all I can do is promise that you're it for me. Not Robin, not Nancy, you. Please, I will prove that to you." Tears come to your eyes. You want to believe him, but you don't know what to think. None of it makes any sense.

You look away so you won't cry and Steve makes a pained noise. He continues, "I'm sorry I hurt you, and I know you don't understand. But I promise you," he gently cups your face so you'll look at him, "I'm still yours."

The tears do come then, so you stand suddenly and turn away. You command, voice thick, “Please leave.”

Steve says your name but you don't look back. Eventually he sighs and leaves the stall, then the bathroom.

Not wanting to go back outside, you undress and take a shower, crouching down again. You cry, because you're so confused and bewildered and unbelievably lonely and you can't see the bigger picture here even though you know there is one. What do Robin and Nancy have to do with each other? Why did Steve come back with Robin if he wants to be with you? Why is this way more complicated than just a normal season of this goddamn TV show?

When you're all cried out, you finish your shower and get ready for bed. You slip under the covers and pull them over your head. You hear the other islanders moving around, talking, doing their nighttime routines. It's a while until Eddie slides into bed too, but you're still awake.

"Hey," he whispers, joining you in the dark. "What happened with Steve?" You just shake your head. "Okay," he says soothingly. "No pressure. Come here." He motions for you to get in close to him so you do, laying your head on his chest. It's nice and sturdy, and his heartbeat is strong and steady, but it's not Steve's, so you only cuddle with Eddie for a few minutes and then scoot away.

You give him a kiss on the cheek before you go. "Thanks," you whisper.

"Anytime, angel." He turns over and falls asleep.

You peek out and see that the lights are off. You turn and see Steve on his bed next to you, asleep facing you. You study his pretty features, his soft hair, his strong nose, his kissable lips. You look at him until you drift off to sleep, and then you dream of your happy ending, with him.

In the morning, after sleeping in and drinking coffee and changing into a swimsuit, you're touching up in the bathroom mirror when the shower door opens and Robin pops her head out.

"Thank god," she says in relief when she sees you. "Can you help me? I can't reach the backs of my legs to do a really good shave."

You're confused by the request but reply, "Um, sure—" Before you can finish, she has pulled you in with her. She tugs you so you're both crouching behind the spray.

"Steve is telling the truth," she says urgently.

"What are you talking about?" You're alarmed.

"He's all in for you. He wants to be with you."

"But—" You're sputtering. "What about you?"

She grimaces. "I'm not here on completely truthful circumstances." You raise an eyebrow. "I'm gay and I'm here for Nancy."

This entire summer has been one shocking revelation after another, but this takes the cake. "More words please," you reply weakly.

"Nancy and I had been hooking up for a while recently. But when I said I wanted more, she ran away. Literally. She came here."

"Why?" You ask, baffled.

"I don't know. Maybe she wants to go back when it was easy. She loved Steve in high school; he was her first love. She changed him for the better. But I know she wants to be with me too."

"And Steve in Casa...?"

"Steve agreed to bring me into the villa so I can get her back. He gets it."

You stare at her for a minute. She gives you a earnestly nervous expression. "Do you like horror movies?"

She's caught by the abrupt subject change but nods. "I love them."

Understanding dawns. "You're the word slip-up," you say faintly.

"What?"

"She almost called you her girlfriend but stopped and corrected herself to 'friend'." Robin starts to get excited but you're not done. "Is this Nancy anything like your Nancy?"

She shakes her head furiously. "Not one bit."

"So she didn't hate reporting?"

"She loves reporting, she's always wanted to be a reporter. She even has a part-time anchor job offer waiting for her in Chicago."

"And she loves mysteries?"

"Absolutely. She spoils every mystery movie we've ever watched because she's figured it out within the first act. I always got so mad at her about that."

"And Steve is not the one that got away?"

"Nope. She told me she's the one who broke it off with him before college. Never saw her speak about him with anything other than friendship and warm memories."

"So Steve...does want to be with me?"

Robin goes soft. "Yes, he wants to be with you more than anything. You were all he talked about in Casa. It started to get on my nerves a bit, but you're just as lovely as he always said."

You blush. "This is crazy," you finally say.

"I know. This is like, the gayest shit I've ever been part of, and we're on a straight reality dating show."

You laugh. "Agreed." Then your brain starts up again. "So like, what's the plan?"

Robin's expression turns to one of discomfort. "I don't know, honestly. I want you to be with Steve but I need more time to talk with Nancy."

"Don't worry about me and Steve. We'll figure it out," you reassure. She smiles gratefully. "Problem is, I've got my own reconnaissance mission too." At her confused look, you explain about bringing Eddie back to get to know Chrissy.

"Oh, they would be so cute!" She gushes.

"I know, right!" You exclaim before remembering the gravity of it all. "So you need to stay coupled up with Steve while wooing Nancy back, and Eddie needs to stay with me until he woos Chrissy, so none of us get dumped before we can fix the couples."

"But if you couple with Steve and Eddie couples with Chrissy at the next recoupling, what will happen with me and Nancy?" She asks worriedly.

"We're gonna need more boys before they do another recoupling. I'm just worried how it'll go when they send them in."

After talking a bit more with Robin, you get uncomfortable from crouching so long and guilty about the amount of water you're wasting, so you step out and stretch. Your brain is so full of new information and plan ideas and weird connecting lines, you're not sure what to do next.

Scratch that, you know one thing you want to do right this second.

You rush out of the room, through the villa, and outside. You burst out of the trellis and run towards Steve, who is toweling dry his hair after swimming his laps. Thankfully, he sees you coming and drops the towel as you slam into him for an enormous hug, catching and holding you tight. You wrap your arms around him and bury your face in his neck, smiling uncontrollably at his familiar scent.

"I missed you too," you breathe out and Steve relaxes into you, smushing his own face into your neck. You two hold each other for another minute, before he lets you go reluctantly.

He's grinning like crazy. "Sorry I got you all wet," he says happily.

You wave a hand. "I was already wet. I had to help Robin shave her legs just right." You're staring at him intently and he understands.

"Ah," he replies, drawing it out. "I hope you were able to help her."

"I was. I'm really good at shaving."

He laughs, relief clearly flooding through him. "Good." You just give him a brilliant smile.

A few days pass uneventfully—to the public. Within your secret little group, things are happening.

Under the cover of night, you tell Eddie about the revelation from Robin and Steve. He's shocked as well, but seems to accept it easily. You also let him know you'd revealed the Chrissy plan to Robin, who has absolutely told Steve. He's more worried about that, but you reassure him that they also want to see him and Chrissy together.

He continues to comfort and spend time with Chrissy. You keep an eye on him, but he's as chivalrous as he'd sworn to you. He seems to be cheering her up, making her smile and laugh more than Ryan ever did.

Robin is trying to talk to Nancy, but she's not making it easy. It's hard enough to find time and space for them to talk without the mics picking them up, but Nancy also either refuses to talk or refuses to listen. You offer to subtly talk to Nancy to help, but Robin declines, afraid it'll make Nancy even more wary, like a wild animal of some sort.

You and Steve try to enjoy the time you do have together. You can't be physically affectionate, since you don't want to show the public Steve and Robin are not a strong couple and get them dumped, but you still talk, mostly with the group but sometimes alone—and most happily, the swim lessons start up again. It's a great chance for you two to admire each other under the pretense of teaching, though he does teach you how to swim as well. It's as good as it can be. The only thing missing is Steve's bedtime story.

You and Robin come up with a code to determine how each mission is going: you'll ask, "how was your shave today?" like an inside joke, she'll ask, "how were swim lessons today?", and you interpret the status based on the answers. Like if she said she had a terrible shave, she hasn't made any progress with Nancy. Or if you say that the lesson went great but you're still feeling unsure, Eddie seems to be moving well with Chrissy but the end is not yet in sight.

Then one day, you're having a rare moment alone with Steve, talking about your deepest fears, when your phone rings with a text. You give him a nervous look and pull it out. "I got a text!" There's chaos as everyone scrambles to surround you. "Erik has chosen you to make his appetizer for tonight's date," You read. Everyone "ooh's".

Then Emma's phone goes off. She reads, "Brandon has chosen you to make his appetizer for tonight's date." She squeals while Carson groans.

Chrissy's phone chimes. "Erik has chosen you to make his main course for tonight's date." You look at Eddie, sitting next to her, and his face is both disappointed and exasperated.

Maggie gets the next text. "Brandon has chosen you to make his main course for tonight's date."

Surprising everyone, Robin's phone dings. "Erik has chosen you to make his dessert for tonight's date," She reads in astonishment.

If you're thinking you're in the clear, you're wrong. The last text comes to you. "Brandon has chosen you to make his dessert for your date tonight." Steve makes a frustrated noise beside you.

But it's not over. Eddie gets a text next. "Tania has chosen you to make her appetizer for tonight's date." Everyone starts chattering at the prospect of not only two new boys, but another girl as well. You look at Chrissy and see hints of jealousy on her face.

Ryan's phone goes off. "Tania has chosen you to make her main course for tonight's date." No one bats an eye.

Then, worst of them all, Steve's phone beeps. "Tania has chosen you to make her dessert for tonight's date," he reads grimly. You look at him in worry and he gives you a sad smile.

"Come on!" Emma grabs you and tows you back into the villa to get ready. Maggie, Chrissy, and Robin all join you in the dressing room. It's a weird mix of energy: Chrissy and Maggie are both excited and chattering nonstop. Robin seems to be a bundle of nerves that will be tense for the rest of time. Emma is ambivalent about it, happy to be chosen but not particularly worried about her head being turned. And you're subdued—you don't want to be on two dates with bombshells, all you really want is to be with Steve again.

When you're reluctantly ready with everyone else, you head outside, where three tables have been set up for romantic dates. You, Emma, and Eddie head to the kitchen, where you work together to make a decent appetizer.

When you're about finished, you can hear steps coming down the trellis path, and everyone looks over to see the new islanders. They wave at you, those waiting for the next parts of the meals, and the islanders watching everything from the terrace, then sit at the tables.

You put the finishing touches on the appetizers, exchange wary looks with Eddie and Emma, and make your way to the table that has your name on it.

Erik is a nice if overexcitable boy from Alaska. You wouldn't have been able to guess that from his accent alone, but it becomes more obvious when he says things like "the lower 48" and talks about the perks of ice roads in the dead of winter. He talks about Alaska a lot actually, and keeps complaining about the warm temperature here, and you're not really sure why he would come on the show in the first place.

Thankfully, Chrissy interrupts his spiel and you leave the table gratefully. She sits down as you go join the waiting islanders, since you're the only one with two dates tonight.

You're happy to remember Steve and Robin are the dessert choices alongside you. You keep Steve in the middle, so it can look like he's keeping Robin close before they're both on dates, but sit close next to him. His hand behind you sneaks up, and he gently rubs his thumb across your lower back, staying subtle but still giving you goosebumps.

All too soon, the three of you have to construct your desserts. It's an easy choice of ice cream, and you dish it out together, staying quiet but shooting each other small smiles and reassuring looks. Then you receive a text telling you to start the last part of your date, so you go take over for Maggie at Brandon's table.

You want to say you learn more about him than he's from Minnesota, complete with the accent—why did the producers pick cold-weather folks for this hot-weather show?—but that would be a lie. You spend the entire date staring at Steve and Tania's date over his shoulder. Tania is going overboard—laughing like crazy, touching Steve's arm a lot, smiling with all of her teeth. You don't really think Steve is doing anything to encourage that behavior, but his back is to you so you can't help the jealousy that rises within you. By the end of the date, you wouldn't be surprised if your eyes have turned green.

You pick up the plates and take them back to the kitchen so you can get away from Tania hanging all over Steve. Robin joins you and you sidle over to her, covering your mic to whisper, "You and Steve are going to have to step up your game." She looks at you and nods dejectedly, and you start doing dishes.

The rest of the islanders come down and meet Erik, Brandon, and Tania, distracting them enough so Steve can slip away. He joins you in the kitchen, wordlessly drying the dishes you've washed, staying close to you and Robin, who is cleaning the counters and putting away the food. You watch everyone excitedly talk to the new people, observing.

Emma and Carson are with each other, holding hands, so the date did not turn her head, like you'd predicted. Eddie is near Chrissy and watching her nervously, since she's talking animatedly with Erik. Ryan has ditched Sam to talk with Tania more, and she's welcoming the attention. Blake and Maggie are back together, not touching but sticking close. Nancy is on the outskirts of the group, continuously glancing at you in the kitchen.You chance a look at Robin, who is seemingly busy but also glances back at Nancy.

After the excitement of the dates, you're exhausted, so after meeting Tania properly—she's overly perky and from Arizona—you take a shower and get ready for bed. You slide under the covers and just watch aimlessly as the rest of the islanders trickle in.

When it's lights out, you turn on your side and lock eyes with Steve, who smiles at you dreamily. It's impossible not to smile back, and you two just gaze at each other until you both drift off.

In the morning, you're prevented from sleeping in by Robin, who joins you in bed to talk. Under the covers, she tells you that she and Steve have both resolved to be more couple-y so Steve doesn't get stolen by Tania at the next recoupling. She reassures you that it doesn't mean anything to either of them but you just laugh, reminding her you know she's gay and that's a given. She goes red but laughs with you.

You and her join the rest of the girls to discuss the previous night. Emma confesses she and Carson had done some light, over-the-clothes touching and blushes when you all squeal about it. Maggie confirms she and Blake cuddled, and Robin adds herself and Steve to the cuddling list. Sam doesn't add much and you say your head was too jumbled from the dates to really get close to Eddie, which is technically true.

When you all go downstairs, Steve hands you and Robin cups of coffee. Robin makes a big deal about it for show and kisses him on the cheek. But he only preens when you give him a small thanks.

A little later, as you're all lounging—you, Eddie, Robin, and Steve on the daybeds with Nancy, surprising you even though she doesn't say much, and Brandon, an actually good conversationalist; Blake, Maggie, Emma, and Carson on the sundeck; Ryan and Tania talking on the beanbags; Chrissy and Erik by the trellis; and Sam tanning on a beach chair—a phone chimes.

Tania holds up her phone and yells, "I got a text!" About half of you groan while the other half cheer. She continues, "Islanders, are the boys ready to decide what they want to do with their lives? It's time for Career Day!"

You all run down to the challenge stage, which is set up to look like a very complex job fair. It's revealed the boys each have to go through the course and pick a career option. With eight girls, there are eight jobs: pilot, firefighter, astronaut, professional athlete, rockstar, college professor, doctor, and architect. Each boy must go through school (solve easy math problems on a blackboard), graduate (walk across a short platform as the girls throw caps at them), and complete the “application” for their chosen profession (which varies). They get to kiss a girl of their choice after "getting the job".

The producers really went all out for this one.

Steve volunteers to go first. He breezes through the math and excellently dodges the caps thrown at him. He obviously chooses college professor, which involves solving more complex math problems. It takes him a minute but he gets through them, and brings over a giant A sticker to the line of girls, winking at you before stopping at Robin and placing the sticker on her chest. He kisses her, dipping her dramatically to the cheers of everyone else.

Carson goes next and gets through the math easily enough, but does get hit a few times by caps. He goes with doctor—very city boy of him—and has to perform CPR on a dummy. He then goes to the girls and puts his stethoscope around Emma's neck, kissing her. She's blushing when he leans back.

Erik takes longer on the math but does miss all the caps coming at him. He chooses firefighter, which baffles you beyond belief for how much he was complaining about the heat, and has to dress in the uniform as quick as he can and spray water at a "fire" raging just off the challenge platform. He inspects each girl before adorning Chrissy with his helmet, kissing her sweetly and making her giggle. You see Eddie roll his eyes.

Eddie decides to go next and gets through the first part without breaking a sweat. He predictably goes for rockstar, and must "perform" for the rest of the islanders. He does it perfectly and everyone screams like he's a member of the Beatles and it's the 1960s. He walks over and gives his pick to Chrissy, kissing her as well. She's red after that one, Eddie looking proud. Everyone looks over at you but you smile and shrug, saying it's just a challenge.

Ryan goes next to almost utter silence from the girls. You even refuse to throw caps at him, which he takes with a cocky grin. He chooses professional athlete and has to complete a few warm-up exercises before throwing a football through a ring a short distance away. Annoyingly, he does it on the first try and struts over to the girls. He bypasses Sam and kisses Tania, making the rest of you gasp. Sam, however, does not seem phased. Maybe she's realized he's an asshole too.

Blake almost falls off the graduation stage after being hit by a cap in the face, for which Chrissy yells a frantic apology. He laughs it off and goes for architect, flipping over the math blackboard to "design" a new skyscraper. It ends up looking like a funky sphere, which is a new one you'll give him that. He goes to Maggie and hands her a comically large pen, then kisses her passionately.

Brandon is last of the boys. He's barraged by caps but hits them away to get across the stage unharmed. He goes for pilot and has to construct a paper airplane. He doesn't know how so everyone yells directions at him until he finally gets it. He comes to the girls and takes off his cap and places it on...you! Surprised, you're taken aback when he kisses you, keeping it chaste and short. He grins at you afterwards.

Since there's one more girl than boy, one boy has to go twice. Steve goes for it before anyone else can volunteer. He gets through as easily as before and has to choose astronaut as the only job left. He looks ridiculous as he pretends he's on the moon and plants the American flag, step-jumping absurdly high and shouting out the famous line, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind!" to everyone's laughter.

Then he's walking over and he's stopping in front of you and he's handing you a NASA patch and he's kissing you. This one is much more intense and you can hear the gasps from the girls around you, but you can't bear to stop it. It's so nice to feel his lips on yours again, and his hands are cupping your face like he's holding on for dear life. When he finally breaks away, you're both panting. He smiles in joy just for you and you return it, schooling your features into shock when he walks away smugly.

All the girls rush you afterwards and you play up your bewilderment as they talk over each other. You keep repeating you don't know why he would kiss you when he's with Robin, who suggests he wanted to see if there was still a spark. There obviously is, but you just say you don't know when the girls ask follow-up questions. It's all everyone can talk about as you walk back to the villa.

Thankfully it's then time to get ready, and all the girls convene in the dressing room. You keep getting caught up thinking about that kiss and have to jolt yourself back to reality. It was so good, better than you remember. You walk out with everybody else in a dream-like state of happiness.

Until a phone chirps.

Carson reads out nervously, "Islanders, please gather around the fire pit immediately." The mood goes subdued as you all trudge over there.

Once seated, Emma receives a text. "Islanders, there will now be a recoupling. As the newcomers, Erik, Brandon, and Tania will choose first. After that, the boys will decide. The girl not picked will be dumped from the island tonight."

Erik, Brandon, and Tania all stand in front of the fire pit. Erik goes first.

"I know I've only been here a day, I would like to couple up with this girl because I really like her vibe and I think we get along really well. She's beautiful and fun and super cute. I can't wait to get to know her more. So the girl I'd like to couple up with is...Chrissy."

She makes a noise of surprise, and you grab Eddie's hand and hold it tightly. Chrissy walks over to Erik and stands beside him. She gives him a little smile, but doesn't seem completely happy.

Tania goes next. "I'd like to couple up with this boy because he's gorgeous, funny, and I actually like his cocky attitude. He hasn't had the easiest time in the villa, but I think this is the couple for him. So the boy I'd like to couple up with is...Ryan."

You let out a huge exhale quietly as Ryan doesn't even look at Sam before walking to Tania and kissing her on the cheek. You catch Emma's gaze and she rolls her eyes, making you smirk.

Finally, it's Brandon. "I would like to couple up with this girl because she really surprised me with how good of a listener she is and I think she's got a really cool and chill demeanor. She's very nonchalant and I want to see what's under the surface. So the girl I'd like to couple up with is..."

When he finishes with your name, you just blink. Everyone claps as if unsure and Eddie knocks against you so you'll move. You walk to Brandon, who gives you a big smile. You half-return it but look at Steve as soon as you've turned around. His face is blank but Robin is clearly rubbing his back soothingly.

Then it's time to switch. The new couples sit down while the rest of the girls stand in front of the fire pit. As expected, Blake and Carson choose Maggie and Emma, respectively. Steve picks Robin again, trying to sound happy by it but you can read between the lines. By the time Eddie goes, the only two girls left are Nancy and Sam. Sam looks unbothered but Nancy seems nervous.

"I'd like to couple up with this girl because she seems really nice," Eddie says awkwardly. "We don't know each other very well but I'd like to change that. She deserves to find love in here and I think I can help make that happen. So the girl I'd like to couple up with is...Nancy."

She sighs in relief and almost races back to Eddie, giving him an unexpected hug that he returns stiltedly.

Then everyone is crowding around Sam, saying their apologies and goodbyes. The girls all go to the villa and help her pack. She's a little sad about it but doesn't seem heartbroken, and says she's excited to go home and see her friends again. You all wave at her as she leaves.

Exhausted by the night's events, everyone chooses to go to bed. You stand in the shower and mourn not being with Steve, but at least it gives Robin more time to talk with Nancy. You're mostly nervous about being chosen by Brandon—is he assuming you're a good listener because of that first date? why does he think you're so chill?—and having to share a bed.

But when you get to the bedroom, he's already asleep, snoring quietly. You slide in beside him and face the opposite direction, towards Steve. He reaches out a hand in the darkness and you take it. He squeezes it and makes a promise with his eyes: he's still yours.

You, Robin, Steve, and Nancy are chatting in the kitchen when a phone rings. You look at each other with anxiety.

Over the past few days, things with Nancy and Robin have progressed. Once or twice Robin said she had a bad shave, but most of the time, she gave you thumbs-up and raved about her amazing shaves whenever you ask. Chrissy and Eddie also got closer, though Erik did steal away enough of her time that they're not out of the woods yet. Your reviews of swimming lessons were appropriately hopeful and realistic.

In fact, that very morning, as you're dozing after the lights have come on, Robin freaked the hell out of you by jumping in bed and joining you under the covers. She winced at your swear of shock and said, "Sorry about that."

You breathed heavily and glared at her. "What?" You asked flatly.

An excited grin spread across her face. "Nancy talked to me last night!"

Now you were up and interested. "What happened?"

"Not much, and we didn't talk about anything to do with us, but we spoke for a few minutes about the recoupling! I think almost being dumped has opened her eyes a little," she theorized animatedly, "and she's open to listening more now."

You sighed in relief. "At least something good came from this recoupling."

She gave you a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry about you and Steve."

"It's okay." You shrugged. "We're as solid as we can be."

"Just look on the bright side: we're fooling the public and pulling one over on the producers," Robin pointed out and you laughed.

"Very anti-capitalist of us," you commended. She grinned widely.

The two of you got out of bed and went downstairs, taking your offered coffees from Steve, who also made some for Nancy. But you could still tell he got the most satisfaction from your smile of thanks, and it simultaneously excited and relaxed you.

You spent more time with Steve and, as necessary, Brandon. With the latter you try to stay friendlier and don't say much—why not lean into the idea that he thinks you're a great listener? you are, but you can't say you're very interested in what he says—so he doesn't get the wrong idea. It's a thin line to walk, as you don't want to push him away for fear of being dumped and you don't want to bring him too close for fear of leading him on when you don't want to. You're not sure how long Robin needs to win back Nancy's trust, so you're prepared to do this for as long as needed, but you hope he doesn't get too attached. You don't actually want to break his heart.

When Steve wasn't spending his time with you or the group as a whole, he was with Robin. They cuddled in front of everyone, looking physically affectionate without actually doing anything romantic like kissing. They call each other pet names and tease sweetly, and if you didn't know Robin was gay, you probably would've been jealous. Hell, you are a bit jealous, just of the fact that Robin can be as close to him as she wants and you can't.

It's all going suspiciously well, and you're very conscious of what the next challenge and recoupling might bring. Now you're finding out.

Maggie calls out, "I got a text!" and the islanders walk over to stand around her. She continues, "Islanders, we come up with our own challenge ideas and we have to say they're great. But sometimes our siblings over in the UK come up with something truly brilliant that we just have to steal. Can you guess what it is? It's time for Snog, Marry, Pie!"

You cheer with everyone else, because you do love Snog, Marry, Pie, but you're also a bit worried about how it might play out. There's a lot moving behind the scenes that could easily be brought onstage for everyone to see.

As you all move to the challenge area and see the line of whipped cream pies, your nerves only rise. There's a coin toss to see which group will go first and girls win.

Surprisingly, Nancy volunteers to start, and shocks everyone right off the bat: she decides to kiss Erik. You look at Robin, who doesn't seem very phased...maybe this is tactical. She can't stay with Eddie forever, not if he's gonna keep flirting with Chrissy, so it's possible she knows she needs more time and is securing it now. Either way, when she breaks away, blushing, Erik looks properly baffled but also like the kiss might've been...good?

Nancy moves on and kneels in front of Steve. "I would like to marry Steve because he's one of my oldest friends and I cherish our relationship deeply. And I apologize for ever hurting him." She's staring at him intently, possibly communicating that the apology extends to what’s happened on the show, and he smiles kindly.

"Of course I accept," he replies and shows off the fake ring with a flourish, making everyone laugh.

Nancy walks over, picks up a pie, and heads straight for Ryan, slamming it in his face with a satisfying smack. "We all know what that's for," she says lightly, as she licks whipped cream off her finger and Ryan wipes it from his eyes. Everyone cheers her on and she laughs as she comes back to the girls.

Maggie goes next and switches up the order a bit. She goes to Blake and proposes to him sweetly, which he accepts. She pies Ryan just like Nancy, a given.

Then she really surprises by going up to Carson and kissing him, making Emma drop her jaw in shock. It's not very long and stays closed-mouthed, but when she leans back, she says cheekily, "Wanted to see what would take Emma from Blake, but I just don't see the appeal." Carson laughs awkwardly as Maggie goes back to the girls.

In retaliation, Emma immediately after and kisses Blake first thing. Maggie rolls her eyes but is clearly getting upset the longer it goes on. Eventually Emma leans back and makes a face. "Could be better," she mocks and Maggie huffs.

Then Emma predictably proposes to Carson, who accepts and kisses her dramatically, obviously reassuring her that the kiss with Maggie meant nothing; and she pies Ryan as expected.

When she gets back to the girls, she and Maggie glare at each other before dissolving into giggles, unable to keep up the charade. Carson and Blake give each other a smiling eye roll.

Chrissy goes fourth and upends everyone's expectations by kissing Eddie passionately. He's startled but quickly regains his composure and kisses her back. Taking a peek at Erik, you see his eyes are squinted, not in anger but more like confusion maybe? Regardless, when Chrissy and Eddie break apart, they're both panting, bright red, and sporting huge grins.

She inspects the line of men but ultimately bypasses them to come up and kneel in front of you. You look at her in surprise as she says your name sweetly. "You've always been there for me and I don't know where I'd be without our friendship. And I'd rather marry you than any of those guys." You laugh and accept, hugging her tight when she stands.

She then grabs a pie and throws it in Ryan's face, in what has to be the most satisfying event since Casa Amor.

Tania volunteers to go next and goes for the pie first. Instead of moving towards the guys, she comes to the girls and pushes it into Chrissy's face, apparently fed up with everyone pie-ing Ryan. Chrissy cries out in surprise and the rest of you surround her and glare at Tania, but she just smirks.

She then stirs the pot even more by kissing Ryan intensely—disgustingly—and proposing to Steve, who is completely blindsided by it. He accepts hesitantly and takes his hand back from her immediately.

You want to go next to pie her for those moves, but Robin beats you to it. She runs over to the pies, picks one up, and intercepts Tania on her way back to the girls, hitting it in her face nicely. Tania stops in shock but Robin just smiles innocently and says, "That's for proposing to my partner," before moving towards the boys.

Predictably, she proposes to Steve, giving a mushy speech that Steve pretends to swoon over, and she laughs while he spins her in a circle. She also ignores the rest of the boys and comes back to the girls to kiss you on the cheek. "Thanks for helping me shave," she says with a wink, and you laugh as everybody looks confused as hell.

Now is your chance. To appease the public and reality show gods, you propose to Brandon, trying to stay as unromantic as possible. He accepts kindly.

Then, to appease yourself, you kiss Steve, really going for it. He reciprocates, dipping you so it can be seen as a joke rather than being as real as it is. To complete the show, you break away in laughter and playfully push him off, subtly brushing your fingers across his chest to display your real feelings. His smile is huge.

You then pick up a pie and walk towards the girls, fake throwing it in Nancy's face, and then really throwing it at Tania's. She's caught unaware so it smacks into her spot-on. "That's for pie-ing my wife," you add. Chrissy hugs you when you go back to stand by her.

Since you were the last girl to go, the lines switch and it's the boys' turn.

Ryan volunteers to go first and as expected, proposes to Tania with the most fuckboy speech ever heard, though she accepts like it's the sweetest. Then he changes things up by going up to Robin and kissing her way too intensely, forcing her to push him away. At his lewd smirk, she glares and you look at Nancy to see her glaring too.

To top it all off, he grabs a pie and smashes it into your face—you're guessing because you were the last person to pie Tania, while Robin was the first. He goes back to the boys with a satisfied look.

Steve moves immediately, grabbing a pie and pushing into Ryan's face. "That's for kissing my wife," he says but he looks at you, and you know he did it because Ryan had also pied you. You and Robin look at each other and smile. Ryan makes a loud, frustrated noise as he wipes the cream from his face, but Steve just shrugs.

He then goes up and kneels in front of Robin, matching her proposal speech in gooeyness, and she accepts with a face like she's going to cry.

To finish, he comes down the line and kisses you, keeping it short to make it another playful move, but it still makes your lips buzz and he's smiling widely as he goes back to the boys.

To defuse, you think, Carson goes next and proposes to Emma, who actually does start to cry. You all "aw" at her but she waves it away in embarrassment, making Carson smug with pride. He kisses you on the cheek—"thank you for making Emma feel welcome here"—and everyone "aw"'s again. Finally, he takes up a pie and adds it to the pile on Ryan's face, who becomes grumpy about it and makes everyone snicker.

The tension amps up again as Brandon volunteers and chooses to kiss Chrissy right off the bat. She's surprised and you can see Eddie grow rigid, Steve resting a hand on his shoulder soothingly. Chrissy gives a smile that looks more like a grimace when Brandon pulls away, and absolutely locks eyes with Eddie across the platform. He relaxes with the look she gives him.

Brandon walks down and proposes to you, staying sweet and light and making you laugh. You accept graciously and he smiles. The next thing he does endears him to you more than words ever could: he pies Ryan.

Eddie moves to go right after Brandon returns. He runs up to you and gives you a quick, sweet kiss, along with a stare that telepathically tells you it's for helping him with Chrissy (you think).

He then goes up to Chrissy and gets down on one knee. "Chrissy, I've liked you since Casa Amor," he says. "You're the drums to my guitar, the Madonna to my Steven Tyler, and I think you like me too. Will you marry me?"

She looks at him for a minute, long enough for him to start to get antsy, but finally nods and laughs. He lights up and puts the ring on her finger and hugs her tight. It all pretty much ensures their coupledom in the next recoupling.

He then grabs a pie and smashes it into Brandon's face. "That's for kissing my wife." He says it playfully, but you can see the satisfaction he got from the pie-ing. Thankfully, Brandon laughs and apologizes teasingly.

Erik goes next. He picks up a pie and unexpectedly throws it at Eddie, though he does it lightly. "That's for pie-ing my bombshell partner," he says with a chuckle, and then kneels in front of Brandon for another surprise. Brandon looks at him curiously and Erik just shrugs and says, "Thanks for being my bombshell partner." Brandon finally smiles and they hug—in a manly way, of course.

To round it off with yet another shock, he walks down the line of girls and stops in front of Nancy to kiss her. She seems pleasantly taken aback, and entertains it for a few seconds before lightly pushing him away, playing it off as embarrassment. He smiles and goes back to the boys.

Last but not least, Blake takes his turn. He goes up to Maggie and proposes with charm, to which she accepts with grace. He also kisses her but it's just part of the proposal, because he then goes up to Emma, kisses her on the cheek, and says, "Thanks for being my first partner and being so cool," with a kind grin. She goes a little pink—the horror of being called out for being nice!—but hugs him tightly.

Blake then picks up the last pie and pies...Ryan, just to come full circle. He doesn't grumble this time; he just licks at the whipped cream around his mouth.

Challenge finally over, you all race back to the villa to shower and get this gunk out of your hair. That night, freshly clean and all dressed up, you make the rounds to see how everyone feels after the wildest Snog, Marry, Pie you can remember.

For the most part, it's good news. Blake, Maggie, Emma, and Carson are all cool with each other and are too focused on talking about their own stunt to discuss anyone else's. Tania and Ryan are off on their own, licking their wounds—you don't even approach them, having heard them complain about all the islanders being "stuck-up", which is not a problem for you. Eddie and Chrissy are snuggling together and while it warms your heart, you check on Erik, only to find him talking with Nancy, who is making an effort in the conversation.

Most relieving is that Brandon isn't very hung up on your kisses with Steve, instead talking about other things and complimenting your proposal (you also compliment his). You do spend the night with him, pretending to be a good couple and trying not to stare at Steve and Robin, who are huddled together and looking as lovey-dovey as ever.

The only thing that gets you through it is the smiles and longing looks Steve throws your way.

Another couple of days pass without much drama—this must be somehow both the most boring and most exciting season of Island of Love ever, you think.

Robin and Nancy seem to be taking two steps forward and one step back, which you can understand. You keep up the charade with Brandon—the love charade at least, he is your friend by now—and the secret pining with Steve. He and Robin are just as romantic as ever, still overdoing platonic actions to distract from the lack of intimate ones.

Nancy and Erik, and Eddie and Chrissy, spend more time together—though the latter's time is much more physically affectionate. No kissing yet, as they're not an official couple, but almost everything but. Everyone else is also lovey-dovey in their couples, although Ryan and Tania are properly gross about it.

It's been a breezy day so far, including an actual breeze in the air. There was sleeping in, coffee, swim lessons, shaving reviews, group discussions, and lots and lots of laughter. You and the rest of the girls are in the dressing room, talking over each other as you get ready for the evening. There are at least three conversations going on at once, but it's easy for all of you to participate in each one without trouble.

After taking plenty of selfies and group shots, you meet the boys outside. Brandon compliments you nicely, but what really makes your heart skip a beat is Steve's expression upon seeing you and the way he brushes his fingers against your hand as he passes to greet Robin. You're all about to split off into whatever groups naturally form when a phone chimes.

Erik pulls out his. "I got a text!" He yells—unnecessarily, as everyone is still in one clump. "Islanders, please go to the fire pit immediately."

A hush falls over the group and you all slowly make your way over there, sitting in your couples. Then, Robin's phone beeps. She reads, "Islanders, the public has been voting for the couples they think are the most compatible. The three least voted couples risk being dumped from the island tonight."

Her voice goes a bit squeaky by the end. It's not surprising—there are seven couples after all and you're nearing the final—but still unpleasant to confront. You all stand up, as you know what to expect.

Another phone goes off and Nancy pulls hers out. "The couples who are safe, in no particular order, are..."

Your phone dings and scares the hell out of you. Breathing deeply, you pull it out and read, "Emma and Carson." They both let out sighs of relief and sit back down, kissing each other sweetly but still adopting nervous expressions.

Eddie's phone chimes. He reads, "Steve and Robin." Now you let out a (silent) sigh of relief, as one piece of the puzzle is safe. They sit down and each lock eyes with you, giving you hopeful faces.

Carson's phone rings and he says, "Erik and Chrissy." Second piece of the puzzle secured.

Emma's phone chimes and she reads, "And Eddie and Nancy." Final pieces of the puzzle are good!

You're about to feel completely relaxed until you realize...you're still standing. And that last text was implied to be the last safe couple. Your breathing stutters.

Chrissy pulls out her phone—you didn't even hear it go off—and says worriedly, "The final three couples are at risk of being dumped from the island tonight. Please stand in front of the fire pit."

You and Brandon, Ryan and Tania, and Blake and Maggie all do as directed. It's much worse from this angle, as you're now faced with everyone's anxious looks and tense body language, which is not helping your own. Brandon grabs your hand and you clutch it gratefully. Steve gets the next text: "The remaining islanders will now determine which one couple will stay in the villa."

Jaws drop and another text immediately follows that one. Steve finishes, "That was not a typo. Two couples are going home tonight."

"They didn't need to say that, we got it," Emma mutters, annoyed. You'd smile if you weren't so terrified.

Everyone but the three standing couples huddle together and speak in hushed voices. This is actually the worst part, you think. When watching the show, you're privy to the whole discussion, but as a couple on the chopping block, you have no idea what's going on over there. You can only hope your friends are vouching for you and Brandon to stay, but it's definitely a tough choice with Blake and Maggie also on the line.

It feels like an eternity—or maybe a few seconds—before the islanders settle back into their seats. Chrissy stands to give the final verdict.

"This was a really hard decision," she starts, her voice wobbling just the tiniest bit, "and it was torture to have to make it. We love all of you and don't want to send any of you home. But we can only save one couple, and so the discussion was heart-wrenching and powerful. We have decided to save..."

When she finishes with yours and Brandon's names, your knees almost give out. Brandon swings you around to hug you tightly, which you return in a daze.

Then you're turning to Blake and Maggie and your eyes are filling with tears at the sight of their own. They're smiling—it's not all bad, they reassure, they're going home together, and they're so thankful to the show and all of you for bringing them together and rooting for them—but soon everyone is crying too, hugs going on for a long time.

All of you walk the couples to the villa and help them pack, stopping every few items to relive a memory attached to one or another. When you finally lead them to the outer doors, you all take last hugs and watch them leave.

You sigh, exhausted, but you also know the night is still young and it's time for the public to hear the real thoughts about the dumping. Leaning against Chrissy, you escort each other back out to the daybeds. Thankfully, Carson and Emma nor Brandon and Erik join you—the former because they just lost their best couple friendship and want to be alone, and the latter for discussing something, which you're thinking is Erik and Nancy's blossoming relationship.

You lay back and smile at Steve and Robin as they join. Robin sits in the middle so you can cuddle someone without it looking suspicious, but Steve secretly keeps his hand under both your bodies and strokes your shoulder tenderly. Nancy also sits on your bed, close to Robin but not too close. Though, you can see Robin's foot brushing against Nancy's lower back and Nancy relaxing. Chrissy and Eddie snuggle together on the other bed.

"Alright," you start tiredly, "tell me everything."

"Well, it was tough to make the decision between you and Brandon, and Blake and Maggie." Robin says first. "Carson and Emma were really rooting for Blake and Maggie." Translation: It was hard to convince them to dump their friends.

"They did mention they don't see compatibility between you and Brandon," Steve adds, "but that it was a very small belief." Translation: They know you and Brandon are not a lasting couple and didn't want to save you.

You argue, "They're wrong about that." Translation: I will have to work harder to be more couple-y. Robin rests her head on your shoulder at the implication.

"We know," Eddie insists. Translation: Yeah, you will.

"What about Ryan and Tania?" You ask.

Everyone's mouth twists. "That was hard too," Chrissy says, "but an easier decision than the other one." Translation: Obviously they were going to go home the whole time.

"I hope they're doing okay," Nancy adds with an almost-there sincerity. Translation: Thank god they're gone, we hated them. You try not to laugh.

"Thank you guys for saving us," you reply, fully sincere. Translation: Thank you for saving my ass so we can keep up our missions.

"It wasn't just us." Chrissy looks at you intently. Translation: You're gonna have to thank Carson, Emma, and Erik a whole lot to make it worth it for them. You nod seriously, indicating you understand.

Then you're yawning, and it is classified as contagious for a reason.

You try to sink father back into Robin, but she pushes until you're off her and sitting upright. You whine as she climbs out, but she just squeezes your cheeks and smiles. Steve doesn't follow her right away and you're so tempted to just lay back and rest against him, but you resist it. You'll be able to do that soon.

He does help you up however, pulling you into a standing position and leading you back to the villa with everyone else. You give him a grateful, longing look that he returns, and then you go shower. You thankfully get to bed while Brandon is still awake, and motion for him to join you under the covers.

"Ooh," he says once covered completely, "I feel honored to be getting a meeting with you under the covers. I always wondered what you did under here."

You laugh quietly. "It's the only privacy you can get here. Some things you don't want the whole public knowing."

"Fair," he replies with a smile. "What's up?"

"I think we should make the rounds tomorrow and really thank everyone for saving us," you explain, "especially with Carson and Emma. Blake and Maggie were their best friends."

"That's a good idea. We can definitely do that tomorrow."

You give him a relieved look. "Great. I just think we owe them a lot."

"I agree." He nods and you smile kindly. He returns it then adds, "Is that it? 'Cause it's really hot under here."

"Yeah," you respond with a giggle. "Only drawback."

You both pop out from under the covers to the dark room and roll to face opposite directions. Steve is looking back at you, small smile on his face. You smile back, and fall asleep quickly, to thoughts of him.

True to your word, you and Brandon give your thanks graciously and frequently. You make coffee for Carson and Emma while Brandon prepares them some fruit for breakfast (not oranges of course), and then sit and eat with them to really thank them and let them talk about the dumping. They were sad to lose Blake and Maggie, and were unsure about you and Brandon, but they seem pleasantly surprised by the gesture, during which you're a bit more physically affectionate with Brandon to really seal it.

You two also thank everyone else, verbally and by doing little tasks here and there. Brandon brings Steve a towel after his morning laps and you offer to help Robin shave again (she declines). Brandon spots Erik in the gym during his workout and you have a real discussion with Nancy to get to know her better one-on-one. You give Eddie advice on how to keep going with Chrissy while Brandon gives her a (innocent!) neck massage for a knot she's had in her shoulder for a week now. When Robin sees that, she grumbles jokingly that she wishes that was her thank-you gift, making you laugh.

You and Brandon even, in the evening, make dinner for everyone else. Well, Brandon makes it. You help as much as you can without ruining anything, after you'd burned the pasta and cut the vegetables so horribly that Brandon confiscated the knife from you with a laugh. To make up for your lousy cooking skills, you become the most gracious hostess, handing out drinks, appetizers, and talking with everyone. It works well enough.

The next day, you all keep it low-key. You make sure to spend most of your time with Brandon, and cuddle with him close enough to satisfy the public and other islanders of your compatibility. People rotate in and out to talk with you two, and it kind of feels like you're holding court for your loyal subjects.

Robin says she had her best shave yet with a truly brilliant smile that could blind someone. Eddie and Chrissy confirm they're basically a couple now that Erik has been talking more with Nancy. Steve comes around and mostly talks sports with Brandon, while you try not to stare at him dreamily, picturing his hands wrapped around you and his lips on yours. Even Nancy stops by, not talking about anything in particular, but you can see her happiness has increased since Robin's "shaves" have gotten better.

After all the girls get dressed up and the night falls, but before anyone can cheers the newly opened champagne, someone receives a text.

"I got a text!" Robin says. "Islanders, please gather around the fire pit."

The mood isn't as low as last time since this can't be another dumping. Sure enough, when you're all sitting in your couples, Carson gets the next text and reads, "Islanders, it's time for a recoupling. As the girls will be choosing, will the boys please line up in front of the fire pit."

Brandon gives you a smile that you return as he joins the rest of the guys in a line. Emma's phone goes off and she stands with a lovestruck expression. It's a soft sight on her usually stony face.

She starts, "I would like to couple up with this boy because he's somehow turned me into the gooiest, mushiest girl here, and I'm not even that mad about it." Everyone laughs quietly and Carson grins cheekily. "I'm so happy we met in Casa Amor and that he liked me as much as I liked him. That we still like each other so much. I can't wait to see where this goes in the future—I think it'll be a happy ending. So the boy I'd like to couple up with is...Carson."

Everyone claps as Carson jogs to Emma and gives her a sweet kiss before they sit down. Chrissy's phone dings and she stands. When you take a peek at Eddie, he's looking at her with adoration.

"I'd like to couple up with this boy," she says, "because he really has been my rock after everything that happened with he-who-shall-not-be-named. He's almost brought me back to life and I can't believe I just about passed up that chance. I am so grateful," she says your name and looks at you in thanks, "that you brought him back from Casa Amor. I don't know where I'd be otherwise—he really is the guitar to my drums. So the boy I'd like to couple up with is...Eddie."

You cheer the loudest as he walks over to her and gives her a huge hug. She laughs when he kisses her cheek and they sit, wrapped around each other. Then Robin's phone chimes and she stands up.

"I'd like to couple up with this boy, because it's alarming how well we go together. He makes me laugh, swoon, and coffee, and what more can you ask for?" Steve rolls his eyes with a smile. "I'm so glad he took a chance on me in Casa and I can't thank him enough. I really think we're soulmates on some level. So the boy I'd like to couple up with is...Steve."

You feel sad for a brief moment—that should be you—but it fades quickly when both Steve and Robin look at you with love. You smile back at them and notice how Steve fully relaxes into Robin at it. Nancy's phone rings and she stands.

"I'd like to couple up with this boy, because even though we haven't known each other long, I think we get along really well and I'm excited to see where it can go. He seems to really understand me and isn't that the most important thing in a relationship? So the boy I'd like to couple up with is...Erik."

He smiles and kisses her on the cheek when he reaches her. They sit, and he puts an arm around her shoulders, but they don't hold hands. Maybe by the "really understand me" Nancy actually meant it—that he knows? You ponder until your own phone goes off next to you. Confirming it's your turn to choose, you stand.

"I'd like to couple up with this boy, because we have fun together and he makes me smile. I'm glad he took a chance on me and I'd like to say it's worked out so far." Brandon smiles kindly. "We laugh at the same things, think on the same wavelength, and like the same people—each other." Everyone chuckles at your teasing. "I wanna thank him for everything we've been through together. So the boy I'd like to couple up with is...Brandon."

He walks over and you give him a genuine, tight hug that he returns, and you two sit down.

Since that's everyone, you all break from the serious feeling and start talking and laughing again. Eddie immediately leads Chrissy to a daybed and no one follows. You and Brandon join Steve and Robin in the kitchen for some food.

When Robin whoops in joy and you all follow her line of sight to Eddie and Chrissy and see them kissing sweetly, everyone joins in, you probably the loudest. The couple part from each other and Eddie waves at everyone to shut up as Chrissy covers her red face with her hands. He brings her close and they cuddle.

The four of you in the kitchen walk over to them as soon as possible and congratulate them, embarrassing them further and laughing at their flustered faces.

You all sit together and get close and talk. Eventually Erik and Nancy and Emma and Carson wander over and join in. You're not sure how you all fit on the daybeds but you make it happen. As you survey everyone on top of each other, both physically and verbally, you think this may be your favorite part of the whole experience. Well, maybe second best, you think, as you catch Steve's eye and he gives you a smile that melts your entire being.

In the morning a few days later, you're not woken up by sunlight shining onto your face, someone jumping into your bed, a phone chiming with a text. You're woken up by...a baby crying.

You jolt upright at the loud sound. Brandon is groggily waking up next to you, as are most of the islanders, with the exception of Steve, who has already jumped out of bed. He has the biggest smile on his face as he looks at you—it makes your heart sing. You're interrupted from further daydreaming as the crying continues.

"It's baby day!" Steve shouts excitedly and runs towards the noise.

"Wha?" Robin mumbles from her pillow, eyes still closed.

"It's baby day," Emma repeats, but her voice is filled with dread. She follows it up with a groan and a flopping back onto the bed. Beside her, Carson is grinning and standing and rushing after Steve. You go with him, padding into the villa's living room to find five cribs holding five fake, but very loud, babies. Well, four—Steve has picked up his and Robin's baby and is rocking it in his arms, cooing at it softly. Noticeably, his baby is not crying anymore.

Shaking your head so you don't keep staring at Steve being the cutest dad ever, you locate yours and Brandon's crib and peer in. Brandon soon pops his head next to yours.

"Aw," he says, "it's a girl."

"How can you tell?" You ask, as he picks up the baby.

He shrugs while holding your "daughter" on his hip. "I can't. I just want a girl."

You chuckle and caress the baby's cheek. Her cries soften then disappear, as Brandon continues to bounce her. "What's her name?"

"That's up to you," he replies. "I did pick the gender."

You hum, studying the doll for a few seconds. “Violet," you say abruptly, the name just popping into your head.

"Violet," Brandon echos. "Yeah, you look like a Violet." He's talking to the baby.

"Vi for short," you add and he nods.

"Hold her?" You take her gently. "I'm finding her an outfit."

"I get final approval!" You call as he races to the big bin of baby clothes in the corner. Carson and Robin are already there and digging through. You look back at baby Violet and picture her as a real child. At the fantasy, you hold her tighter and glance at Steve, who has his doll tucked against his chest sweetly as Robin shows him the outfit options she'd picked out. He senses your eyes and looks back at you, giving you a bright smile at seeing you with your doll as well.

After returning it, you peek into the crib again and find a pacifier and bottle. You pick them up. Brandon comes back, holding up two cute dresses. You survey them and choose one, giving Violet back to Brandon so he can dress her.

"Here," you say, holding out the baby's extra items to him. He takes them and puts them in his pajama bottom pocket. "I'm gonna get ready quickly. I'll be right back." Brandon nods, and you can't help but drop a kiss on Violet's head before rushing out. You keep your word and get dressed in record time, only stopping to brush your teeth and hair. You meet him back by the crib and take now-dressed Violet so Brandon can get ready too. You let him know you'll be outside.

You make your way to the kitchen, finding Steve there making coffee. "For you," he says while passing you a mug. Taking a sip, you sigh in happiness—it's perfect. You tell him as much and he beams. He continues, "And who's this?"

You adjust Violet so she's facing Steve and stroke her head. "This is Violet."

"Oh, I love that name!" He exclaims. "It's on my shortlist for daughters."

You blush at his excitement. The universe just keeps showing you signs that Steve's the one, doesn't it? "Where's your kid?" You ask to change the subject.

"With his mother," he replies and you both smirk. "On the daybeds." He points, and you follow his finger to see Robin playing with their doll in the shade. "His name is Dustin."

"Interesting," you muse.

"Named after a close friend," Steve explains. At your smile he goes pink. "Miss that guy."

"I'm sure he's watching and is honored you named your son after him."

"He better!" Steve calls out toward any nearby camera, and you laugh.

"You still gonna get to swim?"

He nods. "Robin's letting me swim if I'll let her nap later."

"Great parenting skills right off the bat," you praise, and he preens.

"Hey," Brandon says as he walks into the kitchen. Steve hands him a mug and Brandon thanks him in surprise.

"We talked about drinking our coffee black," Steve says. "So it's easy to make."

Brandon's about to reply when Emma comes stomping into the kitchen. She pulls open the fridge door angrily and you all look at her. "What?" She barks and everyone averts their gaze. Carson comes striding in soon after, baby strapped to his chest in a carrier. He looks frustrated—Carson, not the baby.

"Emma," he says, voice tense, "we have to talk about it."

"What's there to talk about?" She fumes and slams the fridge door closed. "I said I don't want to take care of it. That's pretty straightforward."

"Scott is not an 'it'," Carson retorts, "and this whole challenge is about parenting together."

"'He'," Emma mocks, "is not even real!"

Carson gasps and covers his baby's ears as if protecting him from her statement. "He is very real, to me at least."

"Give me a break." She rolls her eyes.

"If that's what you want!" He yells and then stalks away, taking his baby to the beanbags and sitting with Eddie and Chrissy, who are cooing over their own doll together. Emma scoffs in response and goes to the sundeck, not even finishing making her coffee. You, Brandon, and Steve all look at each other with grimaces.

"I'm gonna join Robin," you say hesitantly. "Feel free to work out if you want." It's directed at Brandon, who nods slowly. You leave the kitchen and settle onto a daybed, as Steve and Brandon finish their coffee and go their separate ways.

Looking at Robin and baby Dustin, you have to laugh at the sight of the doll covered in white lotion, sunscreen presumably. Since it can't soak in, it just sits on the doll's "skin" oddly.

Robin looks at you and realizes what you're laughing about. "Sun protection is important!" She protests.

You laugh again but nod as well. "It's a good idea. Pass me the bottle." Triumphant, she gives you the sunscreen and you cover baby Violet in the lotion as well. When you're done, you look at Robin and both of you bust out laughing. 

"Okay," she wheezes, "it's pretty funny."

"I told you!" You shout between giggles.

"At least we're being good mothers," Robin pants, "even if they look ridiculous."

"Aw, they don't look ridiculous," Chrissy says sweetly, having walked over to you and Robin. She sits at your feet and motions for the bottle, which you hand to her. She squirts some out and lathers it on her doll. Once it's covered, her mouth twists like she's holding in a laugh. "Okay, maybe a little bit." You and Robin laugh again and Chrissy joins in. The three of you settle back and Chrissy introduces you to her and Eddie's daughter, Katie.

"I never knew if I wanted kids," you say, "but I guess I do now." You hold Violet to your chest and squeeze her tight.

"Oh, I've always wanted kids!" Chrissy replies.

"You would," Robin teases, and Chrissy rolls her eyes good-naturedly. She continues, "I still don't think I want any. Dustin here is cute but the cons outweigh the pros for me."

Chrissy frowns. "But you look so cute with him!"

Robin grins and pretends to model with her doll, making you and Chrissy laugh. "We may be adorable, but there's a lot more that goes into not fucking up your kid."

"Every kid gets fucked up, one way or another," you input. "You can't help it. Just as long as you try your best, love them no matter what, and always encourage them to be open with you, it'll be okay in the end."

Chrissy and Robin golf clap. "Very wise," Robin says snobbily. You shove her in retaliation. "Hey, watch the baby!"

At that moment, your baby starts crying. "Oh," you coo, "is little Vi hungry? Should we go see where daddy put your bottle?" She screams louder in response and you snort. "I'll be back," you tell Chrissy and Robin, who nod in sympathy.

You slide off the bed and walk over to Brandon in the gym, shouting that Violet's hungry. When Brandon understands your words, his face turns to one of horror.

"I left it upstairs," he says like he's going to be struck by lightning for admitting it.

"Okay," you shrug, "go get it."

He races off and into the villa. You bounce Vi, shushing her even though it doesn't do much. Brandon reappears and practically sprints to get the bottle to you. You take it and adjust the doll so you can start "feeding" her. As soon as the bottle's in place, she quiets down. You look up at Brandon with a smile, but he's frowning.

"I'm so sorry," he groans.

"Hey," you soothe, stroking his upper arm. "It's okay. She got it in the end." He makes a face. "Not the end of the world," you insist. "Look, she's perfectly fine now." You both look down at her, "eating" happily. Eventually, the noises taper off and you intuit she's done. Looking up at Brandon, you ask, "Wanna burp her?"

He looks a little afraid but nods anyway. You smile encouragingly and hand her to him, placing her in the correct position. He starts to pat her back and after a few minutes, she lets out a burp.

"You got it!" You exclaim happily.

He grins back at you as he moves the doll so he's holding her on his hip. "I got it from here," he says confidently. "You go take a break."

"Alright," you reply, impressed, and walk back to the daybed, where Steve has joined Robin and Chrissy has disappeared. You take up your previous spot on the vacant bed and watch as the couple make the exchange. Steve is cooing at baby Dustin so lovingly that it makes your heart (and thighs) clench. He only has eyes for the doll, not even noticing when Robin lets out a sigh once her hands are empty. She stands and pads away, murmuring something about finally getting coffee, and you lay down on your side to keep watching Steve.

The sight of Steve caring so much for a doll just makes you want to see how he'd be with a real baby. You try not to let your face go too lovestruck, but it's a losing battle.

"Where's Vi?" Steve breaks into your reverie.

"With her father," you respond dreamily.

Steve looks at you finally and sees the expression on your face. You blush at being found out, but his smile just grows. "Robin told me you want kids?" He sounds hopeful.

"I do," you confirm. "Obviously, so do you."

He somehow brightens further. "Always. Want a whole pack of them running around."

You laugh. "How many is in a pack?"

"Six, give or take," he answers, and chuckles when your jaw drops. "But I'd be fine with one. Just need a baby in my life sometime."

"I think you can get more than one." You watch his face intently and almost swoon when his smile about splits his face.

"Yeah?" He asks excitedly.

You hum affirmatively, and Steve holds Dustin tighter in response, still gazing at you. "Did Robin tell you she doesn't really want them?"

He shrugs and nods at the same time. "So did Nancy."

"Interesting. How did Erik take it?"

"Surprisingly well. Didn't even bat an eye."

More evidence he knows what's going on behind the scenes, or can sense it anyway. "What do you think about Emma and Carson?"

He looks out into the backyard, and you follow his gaze to the sundeck, where Emma is still sitting, rigid and tense. You search out Carson, who is with Brandon by the trellis. They're talking normally while their dolls lay on their chests, each secured with an arm around them. It's a cute visual.

Steve turns back to you. "I don't know." He sighs. "Bad sign."

You nod in agreement. "Worries me."

"Me too."

"You too what?" Eddie interrupts, plopping next to Steve, baby-free. He plays with Dustin, making faces even though the baby can't laugh at him. You do instead.

"Emma and Carson," Steve explains. "Worries us."

"Oh, yeah," Eddie replies gravely. "I heard about the kitchen fight."

You wince. "Not a pretty sight."

"Hope they can work it out," Steve says.

"I don't know," you protest. "That's a big thing to disagree about. Deal breaker for a lot of people."

"Well, it's good that Chrissy and I both want kids," Eddie says brightly, to lighten the mood. You raise an eyebrow and Steve gives him a look. "Sorry! But the topic was depressing me."

You can understand that, so you three start talking about other, happier things. Brandon wanders over and sits with you, starting a conversation about what you think your babies would be like in real life: Violet would be quiet, thoughtful, and kind; Dustin would be loud, passionate, and funny, "just like his namesake," Steve adds. Eddie runs off and drags Chrissy over with Katie so they can join in, saying she would be punk, rebellious, but a softie at heart.

You watch in jealousy as they gaze at each other with heart eyes, wanting to be able to do that too. You sense and look over to lock eyes with Steve, who has a soft, adoring expression. Soon, it seems to say, and it makes you glow with happiness.

You wander away in search of something to eat, and encounter Robin and Nancy talking animatedly in the kitchen. They barely notice your arrival, they're so wrapped up in each other, and you smile into the fridge for them.

As you munch on some grapes, you survey the scene. Carson has joined Erik on the trellis seating, adopting the same pose. It looks like they're dozing, but the babies are still tucked into them closely. Emma has moved to a beach chair and is suntanning, though she doesn't look very relaxed. Steve and Brandon have moved to the beanbags to sit in the sun, hats tucked low on the babies' heads. Eddie and Chrissy have taken over a full daybed, laying next to each other with their doll in the middle, talking and laughing gently.

You're marveling at the view of it all when a phone beeps. "I got a text!" Nancy yells. "Islanders, it's time to learn who has passed the baby challenge!" Everyone cheers.

She continues, "The couples who have passed are...Steve and Robin." They both pump their hands in the air, turning to each other to do an air high-five, which makes you snort. "Eddie and Chrissy." They lift their hands from the daybed in triumph. "And..." She finishes with yours and Brandon's names, and you both whoop.

"The couples who have not passed are...Erik and Nancy." She goes sheepish. "I wasn't very attentive, I'll agree with that. But Erik was a model father!" She yells and he shouts back a thanks. "And...Emma and Carson." It's quiet as you all look at Carson, who doesn't look happy but doesn't say anything. Emma doesn't even look up.

"It's time to say goodbye to your babies," she finishes. "Please place them back in their cribs."

Everyone starts moving towards the villa. You approach Brandon and Violet with a pout. "Bye, baby Vi," you say softly, stroking her head lightly. "You were a great daughter."

Brandon gives you a sympathetic look. "The best."

"Can I put her back?" You ask, and Brandon hands her to you. You walk into the villa and lay her gently in her crib, giving her another silent goodbye as you take one last look. When you lift your head, you meet Steve's gaze as he leans over Dustin's crib. You smile at each other softly. Without breaking eye contact, you move towards each other and eventually hug tightly.

"God, I wanna kiss you," he whispers in your ear, and your breath catches.

"Me too," you reply, just as quiet. "So much."

"Just a little longer," he promises. You nod and he leans back to look at you again. You're trying not to cry, hating this invisible barrier between you, but Steve just keeps projecting strength in his stare. You breathe deeply to regain composure and eventually step away. He seems reluctant to let you go. You give him one last grateful smile as you follow the girls upstairs. You try to memorize his returning beam before he disappears from view.

The next day is much quieter, but you feel a sense of emptiness. "Is it weird if I miss the babies?" You wonder aloud in the morning, sitting at the kitchen counter and savoring your coffee.

Emma scoffs and says, "yes," while Steve replies, "no," at the same time. Emma rolls her eyes at Steve's answer and walks away. Instead of going somewhere in the backyard, she enters the villa and eventually emerges on the terrace. You exchange a look with Robin, who's standing next to Steve across from you.

"Think that's a good on-the-terrace mood?" Robin asks hopefully, face falling when you shake your head no.

"I'll go," you reassure her and stand from your stool. You grab Emma's half-finished coffee and bring it to her on the terrace. She doesn't take it when you hold it out to her, so you set it on the table in front of you and sit next to her. You let the quiet linger a bit longer, finishing your own coffee, before setting the empty cup next to Emma's and asking gently, "You okay?"

"Fuck off," she snarls. You don't take it to heart and just nod, lapsing into silence again. A little while longer, as you're daydreaming about Steve, she says quietly, "No."

You look at her. She looks miserable. "Wanna talk about it?"

She shrugs. She doesn't say anything for a minute, but eventually continues. "I don't want kids."

"That's okay," you reply. She looks up at you, seemingly surprised. "Not everyone has to have kids."

"But..." She trails off, chewing the inside of her cheek. "It's what a woman should want."

"No one can decide what a woman wants except that woman."

"But that's what Carson said," she argues, on the edge of tears.

You give her a sympathetic expression. "Well, that was an asshole thing to say." She snorts like she wasn't expecting it. You keep going. "He doesn't get to tell you what you want. No one does but you."

"Yeah," she says with confidence, surprising you both. She embraces it. "You're right. I'm in control of myself."

"Exactly," you encourage.

"And I don't want kids!"

"Damn right!" You give her a high-five and then the two of you dissolve into giggles.

"I can't believe I let a man tell me what to do," she says with disgust.

"I thought you were lost to us forever." She pushes you at your teasing and you laugh.

She gives you an appreciative face. "Thank you." It's so sincere it kind of makes you wanna cry.

"That's what friends are for." You go bright so you don't actually tear up. "Ready to go back?"

She nods firmly and you stand together, walking through the villa quickly. She emerges outside with her head held high and doesn't even look at Carson, who's giving her a dirty look. However, you look at him and shoot him your middle finger, making his mouth gape in shock. You snicker at it as you rejoin your friends in the kitchen, Emma making some toast and talking with Steve and Robin.

You stick close to her during the day and into the night, just to be supportive, but it doesn't seem like she needs it. She stays strong and you wouldn't have believed she'd been so low before if you hadn't seen it with your own two eyes. She even picks out a daring outfit that makes her look smoking hot and refuses to speak to Carson when he tries to talk to her. You've never been prouder.

You two are relaxing on the beanbags with Nancy and Erik, talking about nothing and everything, when a phone chimes. "I got a text!" Eddie yells from the trellis bench, where he's laying with Chrissy. "Islanders, please gather around the fire pit immediately."

You and Emma give each other an exasperated look as you get up and join the procession to the fire pit. You sit in your couples, Emma with an inch of space between her and Carson. Another phone goes off and Brandon pulls his out. "Islanders, it's time for the final dumping. The public have been voting for their favorite couples and the one with the least votes will be going home tonight."

You hold Brandon's hand tighter, remembering the last dumping. You expect it to be a drawn-out, torturous affair, but when Robin's phone dings, she reads, "The couple with the least amount of votes is..."

Your phone startles you by ringing. You lift it up and say grimly, "Emma and Carson."

Everyone looks at them. Carson looks upset but Emma just shrugs. She stands and you walk over to her, all the girls following and circling around her. "I figured," she explains. "Yesterday could not have been in our favor."

"Hopefully the public are just not voting for you two because of what Carson said," you offer hopefully. Emma looks at you with a smile.

"Maybe," she says lightly. "But I'm mostly sad that I'm gonna miss you guys so much." You all "aw" and go in for a group hug. She giggles at the center and holds everyone close. "Help me pack?" She asks when you break apart. All the girls nod.

You take her back to the villa and pack her suitcase slowly, reminiscing about your adventures in the villa in the past weeks. You laugh, you cry, and you hug an alarming amount of times, but it still doesn't feel like enough. When she and Carson wave and step out of the door, you lean against Chrissy with tears in your eyes. "She was our day one-er," you say wetly.

Chrissy sniffles. "Gonna miss her."

"Me too." You look at each other, but it just makes you both cry again. Eddie comes over and you lay Chrissy against him gently. She digs her head into his chest as he holds her tightly, smiling at you in sympathy. You smile back.

Walking with them to the backyard, you want nothing more than to go to Steve and be held by him, to hear his heart beating under your cheek and feel his lips on the crown of your head. Instead, you go to Brandon and hook your elbow with his, resting against him just a little. He places his hand on yours, patting it lightly in comfort.

"Come on," Robin says softly. "Let's get a drink."

You and Brandon nod and follow her to the island, where the glasses and champagne bottle are waiting. Erik opens it expertly and pours, Nancy handing out the flutes to everyone. Brandon lifts his into the air.

"Island of Love final four!" He shouts.

You all echo him and cheers. As you sip, you glance around at everyone, chatting lowly. You land on Steve, who's staring back at you. You two smile at each other, and you wonder what will happen next.

one year later

CELEB Magazine
Issue 2780

HAPPY ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY TO THE MOST BATSH*T INSANE FINALE IN ISLAND OF LOVE HISTORY

There are days everyone asks if you remember where you were when they occurred: September 11, 2001; the day Michael Jackson died; when Destiel became canon. And the latest event to be added to that list is the season five finale of Island of Love, where the craziest series of things happened to create the most memorable episode in all of reality television. It's officially been a year, so let's recap, shall we?

Season five was a weird ride from start to finish. There was drama for sure, but we can't say we completely understood it. And there were a lot of secret conversations the contestants had that couldn't be recorded—making the creators revamp their procedures so that couldn't happen anymore. Because of that, we probably should've seen it all coming, and on some level, we did. But it was also way more than we expected.

We went into the finale with four couples: Steve and Robin, Eddie and Chrissy, Erik and Nancy, and Y/N and Brandon. We liked them, we thought they liked each other. We were wrong. Kind of.

It was wild from the very beginning. After introductions and some videos from the season as a whole, host Naomi Tressel is about to announce the fourth place winners, when Nancy interrupts her. "Stop!" She says. "I need to say something!"

After given a microphone, she proceeds to apologize and profess her love to fellow islander Robin. Everyone's jaws drop, there's crickets from the audience. But none of the islanders look surprised, let alone absolutely shocked like we were. Once Nancy is finished, Robin runs towards her and they kiss passionately, while the other contestants just smile and cheer them on. Even their partners, Erik and Steve, seem happy for them.

So Robin and Nancy—who, we've learned, were friends with benefits before Nancy came on the show to get back with her ex, Steve, and Robin followed to get her back—are hugging and no one's sure what to do next. Naomi is begging for direction, but even the producers don't know what to say. Eventually, someone takes charge and tells Naomi to keep going as planned. We hear that she looked at them like they were crazy, but adopts a composed expression when the camera turns on her.

"Well, wasn't that a surprise!" She exclaims, clearly floundering. "Happy for the two of them. Going back to our program..." She then announces that Erik and Nancy had been fourth place, and the (ex?) couple hug. They join Naomi on the couch and nonchalantly answer all her questions about the season, revealing that Nancy had told Erik early on in their coupledom that she and Robin had something going and she was still exploring that. He'd been super cool about it and agreed to be her partner as she and Robin spoke further. Naomi stares at them as Nancy gives a tiny speech thanking Erik for helping her. He just responds that he's glad they finally got together, teasing that they took until the last minute.

They finish their interview and Naomi comes back after a commercial break to announce the third place couple. She's seemingly back to normal and reveals that Y/N and Brandon have won. The two of them join her on the couch, where they give everyone whiplash and explain that they weren't really a couple at all, but just good friends. How did they fool all of us so well? Watching their clips in the show, it's obvious. Well, hindsight is 20/20.

Then it's down to Steve and Robin and Eddie and Chrissy. Robin is back standing with Steve, while Nancy is standing with Brandon and Y/N, who are all hugging. Naomi tries to get her groove back and reveals that first place goes to...Steve and Robin! They cheer as confetti rains down, second place winners Eddie and Chrissy hugging them excitedly. Naomi then shoos them away so Steve and Robin can go through one last challenge: will they split the prize money?

Spoiler alert: they do, but not without one last twist. Steve gets the winning envelope and confirms that he's sharing the $50,000 with his partner Robin. But he doesn't stop there. No, he goes on to state that he won't be keeping his half of the money but giving it away, to...Y/N! We're flabbergasted. Y/N, of Y/N and Brandon, third place winners?

The very same. Steve explains that he's giving her the money not just because she deserves it, so she can focus on auditioning for an orchestra, but also because HE LOVES HER. IN THE ROMANTIC SENSE. As fans will remember, the two were coupled up in the first weeks, until Nancy stole him away and then he brought Robin back from Casa Amor. They were obviously good friends, and kissed a couple of times later in the season—claiming they were seeing if the "spark was still there"—but we never doubted Steve's fidelity to Robin, especially not after she called him her soulmate in a recoupling speech. Later, after the finale, Robin explained Steve is her soulmate—just platonically.

Y/N runs from behind the scenes and she and Steve embrace passionately, kissing for a really long time. Brandon doesn't look fazed at all. In fact, the rest of the islanders are all screaming for them and running onstage to pile into a group hug. When the camera goes back to Naomi, she can't help but look helpless.

"Well," she says, “that's all for tonight, I guess. Unless there's another surprise?" She looks at the contestants, who all shake their heads, smiling from ear to ear. "Thank god," she sighs. "Thanks for joining us on what's turned out to be one hell of a season finale." The program ends and the rest of the world just sits their with our mouths hanging open. Then, we obviously go on the internet.

It blows up, it trends, it goes viral. It's the biggest thing since One Direction broke up. It's the only thing anyone can talk about for days. And who can blame them? Almost none of the couples came out intact—the only exception being Eddie and Chrissy—and we were plot twisted three times in one hour. And in the year since, it's become a meme, a running gag, and even a cliché. But no one can ever outdo the original.

"We tried to see what our islanders have been up to since the finale, but couldn't get in touch with anyone. If y'all are reading this, can you give us a call? We wanna see how it's working out," you finish reading.

"Been working out pretty well, I'd say," Eddie says as he and Steve set down the couch they'd been carrying. Steve collapses onto it and you join him, his arms opening wide for you to cuddle close. You show him the magazine article, the pictures accompanying it from the live finale.

"Should we call them?" Robin teases, and Nancy pinches her side. "Ow!" She protests but Nancy just rolls her eyes fondly and tugs her closer, as they lean against the kitchen counter.

Chrissy pretends to think about it but ultimately waves a hand and says, "Nah." Eddie snorts as he sits in a chair near her, motioning for her to sit on his lap. She does so, relaxing back as his arms wrap around her waist.

You remember when you used to feel jealous about that public display of affection...but now you're where you belong, snuggled up with Steve, his head resting on top of yours.

You're all in your and Steve's new Chicago suburb apartment. It's a cute little place that's halfway between your places of work. It was an easy decision to move in together really—you'd been a real couple since the finale. You had immediately gone off on a vacation, just the two of you, to make up for all the time you hadn't gotten to spend together during the show. You hadn't told anyone but your friends and sworn them to secrecy, so no pesky reporters tracked you down.

The choice of location had been by chance. You and Steve had actually picked up a map and both pointed with your eyes closed—your finger landed on Maine while his on Idaho, so you of course went to Maine. You'd gotten your parents to reserve a tiny Airbnb right on the coast, and so you and Steve holed up together. There were nights out, nights in, a whale-watching tour and even a boat to Nova Scotia, just for the hell of it. You two had gotten to know each other quite well, and best of all, Steve had finished his bedtime story about Eleven and the Upside Down (but sh, no spoilers).

It had been hard to go home separately after that month of bliss, but you both dove into working to get back to each other. You'd quit your job and went full-force into auditioning, going all over the United States before accepting a first violin placement with the Chicago Symphony. Steve had applied to all of the school distracts he wanted to work at in Illinois, eventually interviewing for and getting a great position in Maine Township, just outside Chicago.

It also helped that your friends and fellow islanders also live in Chicago. Chrissy had joined Eddie there and gone one step further to join his band. He swears that she elevated them, since now they play at mid-level clubs around the city and have a record deal pending. Chrissy blushes whenever he says it but doesn't refute it. Nancy accepted that anchor job offer when she'd come back, Robin in tow. They weren't living together just yet, but it's a close thing. Robin spends all her time at Nancy's apartment anyway. She claims it's better than hers and Nancy doesn't disagree.

Steve points out a great picture of the two of you kissing. You nod. “Maybe we should reach out,” you say, “just so they can send us the original photo. It would look so good framed.” Steve laughs with everyone else, his chest vibrating against your back, making you go all gooey inside. “I’m serious!” You protest.

Steve kisses your temple. “I know, beautiful; it’s a good idea. I’d love to be able to see that moment everyday. Best of my life.”

You blush as all your friends “aw” at the sentiment. “Mine too,” you reply softly, embarrassed by how exhilarating it is to hear those words. Steve just squeezes you to him, burrowing his face into your neck and placing barely-there kisses to the skin.

“I think it was the best moments of all our lives,” Nancy muses, but Eddie holds up a finger.

“Not me. It’s a toss-up between proposing to this beauty during Snog, Marry, Pie, or our first kiss as a couple.” He tightens his arms around Chrissy, who smiles.

She adds, “I think mine was when I got to pie Ryan.” Eddie tickles her for that and she laughs, swatting his hands away. “I’m kidding,” she finally says and Eddie settles. “It was the first time we kissed, period. In Casa Amor.” Everyone “aw”’s again as they kiss.

“Well mine was the finale,” Robin declares, holding Nancy closer. “Obviously. Who would say Nancy Wheeler confessing their love for you on live television wasn’t their best moment?”

You almost expect Nancy to pinch her again for that, but she just leans over and kisses her girlfriend softly, not even adding anything.

Your phone chimes and you say, “I got a text!” as you pull it out, just for the hell of it. You giggle as everyone groans. “It’s Emma! She’s set to come up next weekend. We got confirmation from Brandon and Erik too? And Blake and Maggie?”

After being dumped from the show, Emma and Carson had gone their separate ways—a definite good thing. She’d moved down to Miami and became a semi-professional boxer, doing great in that circuit. Similarly, Brandon and Erik had also gone south, to Texas, and went into business together. You’re not exactly sure what they do but they’re good at it—their company is super successful. Blake and Maggie had moved in together, in her hometown of San Francisco. You’d been surprised at the choice—it was expensive as fuck—but both of them had signed brand deals after the show and were the faces of major ad campaigns, so you think they’re good.

“Erik is in,” Nancy confirms.

“So is Brandon,” Steve follows up.

“As are Blake and Maggie!” Chrissy finishes excitedly. “It’s gonna be a proper Island of Love reunion!”

“Thank god there won’t be any cameras this time,” you sigh. “Maybe Blake, Maggie, and Emma can get their shit together.”

“What do you mean?” Robin asks, intrigued.

“Okay, swearing y’all to secrecy.” Everyone nods seriously. “She told me recently she had a crush on both Blake and Maggie during the show.” A couple people gasp and you nod enthusiastically. “And now that she’s not with Carson, she can see if they’d be open to it!”

“There are other elements of that situation that we don’t know exist,” Eddie points out.

You look at Chrissy. “Well,” she draws out, twisting her mouth. “Maggie told me she’s bi too. And that both of them are into the idea of being poly.”

Everyone “ooh”’s and you display your hands like you’re resting your case. “It’s perfect.”

“Does that mean we have another secret mission on our hands?” Steve says slyly, raising an eyebrow.

You all look at each other in hopeful curiosity. Everyone seems on board with the idea and so you clap your hands. “Operation Throuple is officially underway!”

The other two couples start talking over each other to bicker about the name, while you settle back against Steve and enjoy the moment.

“Okay,” Steve says quietly, just for you. “This might be tied for best moment of my life.”

You smile. “Tied with the finale?”

“Tied with every other moment I get to spend with you.” He nuzzles his nose against your cheek and you giggle. “You’re the love of my life, you know that?“

Your heart jumps, but you just nod. “I know. You know you’re mine too?”

“I know,” he whispers and kisses behind your ear.

Guess it was Island of Love for you after all.