The lights slink on; Daphs becomes all too aware that she's naked.
Eyes opening, Daphs eyes roam to the small space on the floor between the beds. Her top is lying crumpled on the floor. She snatches it quickly, burying herself under the duvet to slip it on.
Lucas rolls away from her, trying to go back to sleep. Daphs doesn't mind as she snakes below the duvet to the end of the bed. She pops her head out the bottom, finding both their shorts on the drawer at the end of the bed, and snatching them up hurriedly.
Daphs shimmies her shorts back on as unsuspiciously as she can. She takes Lucas' shorts and tucks them half under the pillow behind him so they don't get lost again.
"Morning already," Gary says, sitting with his legs poking out the bed. He scratches the top of his head as he looks sleepily around the room before yawning wide. "Bobby, how you feeling today?"
Bobby's head pops up from the next bed, his back to Daphs as he looks over at Gary. "New day, new opportunity, Gazza."
Gary points in his face. "Don't call me Gazza."
Bobby stretches, looking around. "Mmm," he says, a sleepy look on his face. "Coffee patrol?" He says to Gary. They slap their hands together and get up, heading straight out to the kitchen.
With them gone, Daphs gets up and wanders down the room to Marisol's bed. She's staring out at nothing, her eyes a little red. Daphs gets into the bed next to her, wrapping her arms around her. "You doing okay, Mar?"
Marisol lets herself be hugged. "I'm sad," she says. "I don't understand why Rocco wasn't saved, or why we were up there to begin with."
Daphs squeezes her a little tighter, trying to telepathically tell her to drop that line of thinking.
"Like, I get everyone had to vote for two couples otherwise it would have been Bobby and Kitty, right? They were the only ones who weren't in a romantic couple," Marisol keeps on, her head resting on Daphs chest as Daphs tries her best to keep her heart steady and not give anything away. "But it stings to think you guys think Rocco and I weren't good enough together."
Daphs stokes her hair and, not knowing what else to say, says, "We didn't vote for you, hun. I did genuinely think you and Rocco were good together ... last night ... I get why it was hard for you, after struggling to find a connection with any of the guys, but maybe this is for the best?"
Marisol scrunches her brows together.
"Easy for you to say, all you have to do is bat your eyelids around here and the boys come running." Without another word, Marisol flings herself out of bed and marches off to the dressing room.
"What was that about?" Lottie asks as Daphs sits there a little stunned.
Priya comes over, diving into the space Marisol's left behind. "Did you tell her about Rocco?"
Daphs eyes flash to Lottie, who raises her brows curiously. "No," Daphs says, "but I suggested that maybe him leaving was for the best, you know?"
"What happened with Rocco?" Lottie asks, sitting close by on the bed, head bent in.
Ibrahim hovers close by for a sec before he seems to have made his mind up about it and sits himself down on the bed next to them, listening in, too.
Daphs sighs, realising she can't not tell them now. "Don't tell anyone else, but last night..." Daphs tells them, being a little briefer than her retelling to Priya. "After he tried it on, I asked him, you know, 'what about Mar?', and I shit you not, he goes to me, 'what about her?'..."
Lottie and Ibrahim's jaw's drop. Priya tuts, adding, "She doesn't realise what a lucky escape she's had."
"Will you tell her?" Ibrahim asks, as he starts stretching out his arms anxiously.
Daphs hesitates. "I dunno ... I don't want to hurt her or to make a big deal out of it or anything, but if she looks like she's struggling to move on or that, then, yeah, I guess so ... but please, you guys, please don't say anything to anyone else."
Lottie has her eyes on the door Marisol stalked out of, a forlorn look on her face. "Men really make themselves so hard to trust, but I guess my instincts were right to vote for Rocco and Marisol."
Daphs raises a brow. "To be honest, I didn't see it coming, I didn't think they'd be up there."
The three others raise their brows in return. "So, who did you think should have been up there?" Lottie asks, her arms folded across her chest. There's an accusing undertone to her voice.
"To be honest, I was sure it would have been Lucas and I," Daphs admits, stealing a glance to him at the other side of the room. "Don't get me wrong, I'm so grateful we weren't, but I'm still surprised..."
Lottie looks thoughtful for a moment. "Same, to be honest. Like, I get why you two weren't. Gary and I talked about it, but we agreed that in terms of compatibility, you guys were legit. If it weren't for Bobby..."
"You two would be as close as Hope and Noah," Ibrahim says.
"Speaking of those two," Priya says, "if Daphs and Lucas were the only couple without any votes, then who was voting for Noah and Hope?"
Lottie looks a little guilty. "I won't lie, Gary and I did. I didn't want to vote for Bobby because he's been such a good friend to me in here and I'd be lying if I didn't say I've seen problems between Hope and Noah. Not that they're a bad couple ... but they've both had their distractions in here."
Ibrahim nods in agreement. "Nobody's perfect, but at least they've got a chance now to prove the haters wrong."
"I'm not a hater," Lottie pouts. "I just didn't think they were the most compatible couple."
Daphs pulls a face guiltily. "I have to agree," she says, causing a ring of eyebrows to raise again. "I love them both to bits, but when it comes to the big things, they both want different things; he's a family man and she's a career woman. Nothing wrong with either of those things, but it's going to make things difficult in the long run, isn't it?"
"True," Lottie says. "You know Noah pretty well, but what about Lucas? Now you've had a bit more time to spend with him, do you think you know him well enough that you're happy to see things through?"
Daphs does not look over at where Lucas is supposedly snoozing. "We haven't talked about a lot of that stuff yet, feels a little much this early, you know? But he's a good guy and he's been probably a bit too patient with me so far, a bit too considerate."
"Do you think you're going to go back to Bobby?" Ibrahim asks, posing it a little loudly.
Lottie and Priya shoot a look to the other side of the room, too.
"No," Daphs says, "I want to give things a try with Lucas. He's been more than lovely about everything, and I've hardly been perfect, you know? He doesn't deserve that. I'm gonna have a chat with Bobby today and really, really end things once and for all. So, again, don't say anything until I get a chance."
The girls head upstairs to get ready. Just the four of them, it feels extremely empty. Daphs excuses herself to go shower first, feeling a tad awkward around Marisol.
Once Daphs is out of the shower, Marisol and Priya are already gone. Daphs barely gets a chance to get herself sorted before Lottie's standing over her shoulder in the mirror. "Can I borrow your moisturiser?" She asks, looking a little hard to read.
"Body, face, hands, or feet?" Daphs asks, hovering over her different elixir's of youth.
"Face, please, babes."
Daphs hands it over the orange bottle. Lottie unclasps and starts rubbing into her face.
"There we go," she says, her hair brushing so close to Daphs that Daphs can smell the sandalwood from it. "I shared with Hannah to begin with. I've been a bit wobbly lately, wondering..."
Daphs looks at her sadly. "Everything okay, Lottie?"
"Yes. No. Okay," she sighs. "I know you were very encouraging of Gary and me getting together, but ... I don't know, I can't shake this guilty feeling. It's like, I know it feels right between us, but because it feels so right, that's what makes it feel so wrong, you know?"
Noah flits through Daphs mind.
"Gary and Hannah knew each other for a total of three days, hun," Daphs reminds her. "Don't make yourself miserable over this. If things are going well with Gary, let them go well."
There's still a flicker of doubt in her expression. "Do you think people voted for us because of Hannah?"
Daphs eyes go wide. "Absolutely not. No chance. The competition was tough, Lottie. You and Gary along with Marisol and Rocco were two of the newest couples. Noah and Hope, and Priya and Ibrahim are only thought of as stronger because they've been together longer, but, well, as we discussed with the former, that necessarily isn't the best."
"No one voted for you and Lucas though."
Daphs shrugs. "Yeah, I don't know what that's about, but I'm not going to take it for granted. I do like Lucas a lot..."
A breathy little sigh escapes her. "I want to give you two my full support, but I can't help but feel so sad for Bobby. At the end of the day, you have to do what's best for you, but I'm not entirely convinced you know what that is, hun."
"Well, Bobby and I have both made some mistakes with each other, we've both been hurt, and Lucas has been nothing but a gentleman."
"Didn't he tell everyone about what you two got up to your first night coupled up together?" Lottie raises her brow. "And he still snaked you from Bobby even though you told him not to, right?"
Daphs shrugs, not wanting to think about it. "Ancient history."
"If that's what you need to tell yourself..."
Daphs leaves her to it, not wanting to talk about her relationship with Lucas anymore that morning. She doesn't want to have to convince everyone she's making the right choice, and it's beginning to irk on her the looks she's getting from the others when they realise she isn't going for Bobby.
It's both their doing after all and Daphs isn't going to apologise for feeling wary after everything.
Daphs is chilling on the day beds eating an ice pole with Priya when Lucas comes over and joins them, slinking in behind Daphs. He smells like he's fresh from the shower as she leans back into him.
Halfway through the pole, her lips and tongue far redder than before thanks to the cherry pop, Hope and Noah appear, grinning, emerging from the Villa to the cheers of the others.
At once, the Villa splits up, the boys heading to the firepit as the girls gossip about on the beanbags. Daphs is in view of the boys from the side as she keeps sucking on the pole.
"So, how was it?" Priya asks, leaning into Hope with a wide grin. "What did you two get up to?"
"Did you shag?" Lottie smirks.
Hope giggles, hiding her face in her hands. She nods, her face still buried, and the other four girls erupt into screams, piling on top of Hope. Next moment, they hear the same uproar from the boys and see them piling onto Noah.
Settling down into their seats, Daphs asks, "So, how was it? Is he good?" She speaks through her teeth, barely letting her jaw unhinge.
Hope blushes. "It was amazing," she says, her voice floaty. "I mean, just being alone was so good, but it finally felt like, yeah, this is it, like we're a proper couple. Just us, you know?"
The girls all sigh in reverence, the moment sullied by Priya, tongue between her teeth, asking slyly, "How big is he?"
Hope screams, her hands shooting to her face again. "Big enough!"
The girls shriek, falling into one another.
"Noah, the dog!" Marisol grins. "Aw, I'm glad you enjoyed your night alone. It was well deserved."
Hope nods. "What did you all get up to? Anyone else have anything saucy to add?"
"Gary and me might've done some bits, but nothing major," Lottie grins. "Let's just say, he's not grinning this morning from the sunshine alone."
"Oooh," Daphs choruses along with the other girls. She doesn't mention Lottie's doubts this morning.
"Nothing really happened with Ibrahim," Priya says, her nose scrunching up. "I just turned over when we the lights turned out and he cuddled up to me." She shrugs, looking at Daphs. "Anything new to report for our resident loose woman?"
Daphs pokes her tongue into her cheek as the other girls grin knowingly.
"I noticed the sheets going bump in the night," Marisol says, clearly over her bad mood from earlier.
Daphs grins. "We might've, uh, sealed the deal last night."
And like that, Daphs is buried underneath the other girls. As she's freed, her eyes fall up on the boys, to see Lucas grinning as Gary and Ibrahim get off him.
The girls disperse again, Hope joining Daphs and Priya on the daybeds while Lottie goes to get breakfast with Ibrahim and Lucas in the kitchen; Bobby, Noah, and Gary head to the gym while Marisol lingers alongside them, chatting.
"So, what are we thinking, girls?" Hope asks. "Marisol and Bobby are both single now, and who knows when we'll get new Islanders in. Do you think they'll couple up as a friendship to save each other?"
"They are really close friends," Priya comments, "but if a boy came in here that Marisol thought she had a chance with, I don't think she'd hesitate to couple up with him. I think Bobby would save her if it was a new girl coming in, though."
Daphs thinks about it for a minute, realising she agrees with a heavy weight in her stomach. "It was a close call last night," she says, not wanting to think about Bobby leaving.
"I know," Hope says. "We were safe, but I was still bricking it."
A shadow is cast over them. Daphs looks up to see Marisol standing there looking at her expectantly. "Daphs, can we talk?"
A flash of fear shoots through her. "Sure," Daphs says, making herself sound as fine as possible.
"Shall we go to the snug? I won't be long."
Daphs shares a look with Priya as Marisol heads off already. Neither Priya nor Hope say anything. As Daphs heads down, she catches the boys at the gym watching, obviously anticipating what's to come.
The Rocco thing is all Daphs can think this chat is about, but Daphs hasn't told Bobby, Gary, or Noah. She had told Ibrahim and Ibrahim had gone straight out to Bobby and Gary while Priya, Daphs, and Lottie had gone upstairs to get dressed.
Marisol looks unperturbed as Daphs joins her in the snug. "So," she begins, cushion on her lap, and edging away an inch or two, "I wanted you to know, I've been weighing up my options in here since last night. Obviously, I'm gutted Rocco left, and I have to start again in here, but if it's what I've got to do, it's what I've got to do ... so, that brings me to you."
Daphs raises a brow, thinking Marisol is going to suggest something between the two of them...
"I thought Henrik and Lucas seemed really interesting when they first came in, and I didn't really have much of a chance to get to know Lucas too well because you had to get your way, I guess," Marisol goes on, her smile still plastered on despite Daphs look of mild astonishment. "With things the way they are, I've got to ask you if you're putting all your eggs in Lucas' basket."
Daphs nods. "Course I am."
It's Marisol's turn to look surprised. She raises her brows and tilts her head back. "Huh. It doesn't look like it too much from where I've been standing, but I digress. I don't want this to put a strain on us, or our friendship, that's why I'm having this chat with you now ... I think you should know that I'm interested in Lucas." She locks eyes with Daphs, her expression unapologetic. "He's the only boy in here who's a possibility for me right now."
Daphs sits there, still as a statue, staring back at Marisol as she whirls through the other possible options for Marisol. Ibrahim and Gary, she's already been there, Bobby is her best friend in the Villa, Noah is ... obviously out of consideration ... and then there's Lucas.
"Is he a possibility though?" Daphs asks trying not to sound too blunt. She might not have failed so hard if she wasn't titling her head doubtfully, her eyes slanting in disbelief. "Like, do you really think you've got a chance there? I'm not being rude or big-headed or anything, obviously you're very beautiful and at least three of the six guys in here so far have shown interest in you, but has Lucas ever shown interest?"
"It's hard to realise what you're missing sometimes."
"Hmm," Daphs says, pursing her lips as they curl upwards and narrowing her eyes. "You've got gall, I'll give you that, but as for a chance? I don't believe so, but you know what? You give it a go, Mar. Take him for a chat now –"
"Yeah, I was going to pull him for a chat after I spoke to you," Marisol says. "Look, I really don't want us to fall out over this, and I don't want to sabotage your chances either, but I thought I should be honest."
"Thanks," Daphs says, slowly giving her a sardonic nod of the head.
"So, that's all. You can go tell Priya and the other girls, I'll go pull Lucas for a chat."
"May the best woman win."
"I'm glad we can be mature about this, Daphs. I sometimes doubt whether any of you girls are on my side or not."
"Well, keep grafting on our guys and you'll be sure soon enough," Daphs says, patting her on the back as they exit the snug. Daphs lets Marisol lead on, wanting to watch her pull Lucas.
He and Lottie have joined the girls on the daybed, their heads all turning Daphs and Marisol way now that they've emerged. Ibrahim has joined the boys at the gym. They've all stopped their work out, their eyes lingering over.
"Hey, Lucas, I couldn't pull you for a chat?" Marisol asks as she gets a couple of steps up the stairs towards the swing. Daphs isn't sure if Marisol is feeling a little nervous getting too near all the other girls as Lucas is surrounded by them in the middle of the bed, looking like a King surrounded by his concubines.
The girls all look a little surprised, an audacious look passing between them. Daphs focuses on Lucas, not worried, but curious. "Yeah, sure," Lucas says casually, looking lightly startled himself.
Marisol waits for him as the girls shuffle to let him off. He grabs his water bottle before padding down the steps, straight passed her with a lazy smile. He heads up to Daphs, taking her hand. "You joining us?"
"Oh no, I'd hate to intrude," Daphs says, going around him, and not returning his grip.
He pulls her back towards him as Marisol passes by them, looking determinedly ahead. "What's up?" He asks, smiling as he leans over her, closing the space between them.
Daphs can't help herself, but she grins back up at him. "Oh, you'll see. Be nice." She leans her forehead against his chest, giving him a peck on the pecs before she turns to go join the other girls, all of whom are staring with awkwardly apprehensive looks on their faces.
Before she sits down, she lets out a sardonic laugh of disbelief. Lucas and Marisol are hidden from view within the snug.
"What was that about?" Hope asks, leaning in intensely.
"Was it the Rocco thing?" Lottie asks.
"We thought it was the Rocco thing before she pulled Lucas," Priya adds. "Oh, and I also told Hope."
"We might also have told Lucas when he came over," Hope says, pulling her mouth apologetically. "He's not angry with you, though."
Daphs sighs, waving them off with her hands. "So, basically," she begins, the grin spreading over her face again as she lets out another little chuckle, "Marisol's told me – not asking, very specifically telling me – that she's going to be trying it on with Lucas now."
The gasps are subdued, their shock emphasised with their facial expressions.
"Maybe Rocco and Marisol were more compatible than I thought," Lottie says, recovering first as she drops her hands from her face, revealing a sour expression, "Pair of snakes."
"Like, honestly, I told her to go for it, but I don't think he's interested," Daphs says, her voice going low as she finishes, trying not to sound too harsh. "I don't think he's looked at her twice since being in here."
The others nod. "I mean, you've got to do what you've got to do, but I do think she's barking up the wrong tree there," Hope says.
"This isn't me being big-headed or anything, but I honestly can't say that I see it. If it were maybe one of you guys, because obviously, Priya, Hope; he took you guys out on the dates the first day here, and, Hope; he kissed you in that challenge when he couldn't kiss me, you know?"
"I don't think you've got anything to worry about, Daphs," Priya says. "And, to be honest, I doubt her heart is really in it. I think she's thinking more about saving herself at the minute. Whenever we talked about Lucas and Henrik, it was never Lucas she was interested in; she called him a pretty-boy, a play-boy, and all sorts behind his back. I think this has come from desperation. Harsh as that sounds."
"Hmm," Daphs says, thinking it over. "Well, I'm not fucking telling her about Rocco now, that's for sure."
Lucas emerges from the snug, shooting Daphs a bemused smile as he makes his way straight over to the daybeds. Marisol comes out not a second later, making a beeline for the boys at the gym. Bobby disengages at once, meeting her at the beanbags. The other boys join him shortly, deciding that gossiping is obviously the superior pastime.
"Are you coming to tell me it's over now?" Daphs says, quiet enough that the others at the beanbags won't hear. It makes Lucas laugh as he hops onto the end of the bed.
"Yeah," he says, cocking a grin her way, "that conversation is exactly what I've been waiting for the moment I stepped in here." They share a look of amusement before Lucas turns to the other girls and asks, "You guys wouldn't mind giving us a minute alone?"
"Um, yeah, we would," Lottie says bluntly.
"Whatever you have to say to Daphs, she's just going to tell us about it the second you go anyway," Priya adds, resting her head against Daphs.
Lucas grins. "Fair enough," he says, turning so he can lie himself down on his back between Daphs and Hope. With so many of them on the daybed, he's level with their tummy's, his legs bent up with knees pointing to the sky. "I wanted you to know," he says, reaching his hand up for hers, "you've obviously got nothing to worry about."
To the chorus of the other girls 'aww', Daphs takes his hand.