Love Island

Chapter 45 - Heart Rate Challenge

The next morning, everyone seemed to wake up in a bad mood. The villa was less talkative than usual, with the guys mumbling and the girls silently getting ready for the day. All of us had gathered in the kitchen for breakfast, piling various versions of cooked eggs and toast on our plates. Peach's fork dropped out of her hand and clattered obnoxiously against the tile. She groaned in frustration as she leaned down to pick it up.

"Come on," Charlie whispered to me, leading me out of the villa to eat our breakfast in the garden. We took our seats in the shade of the loungers and placed our plates on the coffee table. "Not to sound like Blake, but the vibes are way off today."

"What's going on? Is it because of the dumping last night?" I asked and spooned scrambled eggs into my mouth. "I'm gonna miss them too, but there's something up, right?"

"Maybe someone got a text that everyone knows about but us," Charlie suggested and looked up as Peyton stepped out into the daylight, both hands holding her plate. "Peyton, come join us!"

Peyton smiled gratefully as she walked over and placed her plate down on the coffee table. "Thanks, guys. I could really use some friends today." She adjusted her mic pack before she sat down.

"What's going on?" I asked.

Peyton poked at her grapes with no intention of eating them. "I can't believe I'm saying this. I miss Blake."

I recovered from my speechlessness less than smoothly. "It makes sense, though. You guys were coupled for a long time."

She nodded without looking up. "I guess I never got over him, huh?" Mason's laugh echoed from inside the villa, and she perked up. "But I have Mason now."

"How's that going?" Charlie asked.

"It's going well. Sometimes I feel myself accidentally comparing him to Blake. The way he dresses or talks. But he's so different from him! They live completely different lives," Peyton said. Her eyes were a window to her regret. She let out a heavy exhale and ran a hand through her silky blonde hair. "Man... looks like we both got hurt by him," Peyton joked and elbowed me in the side.

I let out a small laugh. "Wish I could've warned you better."

"You did, though. All y'all warned me pretty early on, multiple times. I just thought it would be different with me..." she trailed off and continued to gaze down at her plate.

"Don't beat yourself up because you couldn't tame a guy who loves being feral," I said.

"What a metaphor," Charlie shook his head.

"I'm trying!" I defended myself. "Don't put yourself down about it, Peyton. All of us were rooting for you guys. We thought Blake had really changed."

Peyton gave me a small, grateful smile and patted me on the knee. "Thanks, Mads. Thank you, Charlie. I don't wanna be rude, but I also don't wanna be a buzzkill, so I'm gonna eat my sadness somewhere else."

"You can stay here, Peyton. Sadness is my favorite appetizer!" Charlie said.

"That's alright, I don't share food," Peyton smiled between the two of us and walked across the villa to eat her breakfast.

"Poor Peyton," I sighed and placed my empty plate on the coffee table. "Not to be mean, but sometimes I just wanna smack Blake around, just a little bit." I mimed slapping a phantom face several times before Charlie reached out and placed a hand on my arm.

"I love your enthusiasm; it's just a little scary," he joked and released me.

I dropped my arms to my sides and patted the tops of my thighs. "Alright, alright. Have you gotten to talk to Lucas at all?"