Love Island

Chapter 37 - Or Should I Go

Hours after the recoupling had ended and Flynn and Martin had left, the energy had yet to die down. New couples sat around the garden: Peach and Connor, Polly and David, Peyton and Mason, Blake and Abby, Lucas and Julie, and Charlie and Ella. Anthony, Gray, Giselle, and I remained single, watching from the sidelines as couples chatted and shot petty glances at each other.

"Madison! I'd love it if you came over here," Julie grinned. She was sat with Lucas, Blake, and Abby. While I wasn't keen on the idea, I wanted to check in with Lucas. I left my small circle and walked over to the group. "You are just so adorable," she grinned with subtle superiority.

"Thanks. You can call me Maddie," I invited. "How are you doing?" I looked directly at Lucas.

Lucas smiled at me warmly, his thin lips curling into a delicate smile. "I'm good. I really missed you guys. And the villa as a whole."

Blake nodded. "Yeah, Casa Amor was very cool but I'm glad to be back here. Especially since I'm with my fate now." He flashed a toothy smile at Abby and pulled her closer to him.

"If I can ask, how'd you guys choose to recouple?" I asked the boys.

"That's easy," Julie interjected. "Lucas was tired of women who play games. He likes how strong I am. We're also both from Colorado; it's a half-hour drive from Boulder to Denver. Right, babe?"

"Yeah," Lucas said.

"The choice was hard at first, I won't lie," Blake started. "I never wanted to hurt Peyton, but when you meet your soulmate, you just know."

"We're basically the same person," Abby leaned over Blake to talk to me. Subtle freckles splotched across her lifted nose. Her smile was youthful with soft pink lips.

Lucas watched me, carefully planning out the next topic in his head. "Why'd you stay single?"

"Loyalty," I replied briefly. "I'd be a hypocrite to go back on my word. Even after what I saw on the tapes."

"Well, we saw some pretty bad stuff, too." Blake's smile dropped. He almost looked disgusted.

Before I could press him on what the tapes were about, my name was called by Peach's little group consisting of her, Connor, Peyton, and Mason. I excused myself and walked over to the new group.

"What did Julie want?" Peyton asked, her tone full of spite.

"Not sure, but it was nice to talk to the boys," I said.

Peach placed a hand on my thigh to get my attention. "The way she called you Madison made me want to jump into the pool fully clothed," she joked.

"Have you gotten to know Ella yet?" Mason asked.

I shook my head and looked across the yard for her. She was sat with Charlie alone by the loungers. Charlie and I made eye contact and I quickly looked away. "No, and I don't know if that'll happen very soon. I'm not sure what the boys saw from Casa Amor, but I've got a feeling they've got as much dirt on us as we have on them."

"Impossible," Peyton scoffed. "Let's just ask. Lucas, can you come here?" she asked. Lucas stood up and was immediately pulled back down by Julie. "Weird. Gray?"

"Not Gray," Peach whispered.

"Anthony!" Peyton called out. 

Anthony jogged over quickly, sitting down by our group. "What's up, guys?"

"We want to know what you guys saw in Casa Amor," I said.

He sucked his teeth. "No can do, Maddie. Sorry, but the guys agreed not to talk about it. But I can tell you that it was rough."