Love Island

Chapter 15 - What a Time to be Alone

The fifth day in the villa was the hottest we'd encountered. Because it was winter for the southern hemisphere, the temperature was usually somewhere in the high seventies to low eighties. But today, without a single cloud or breeze, the temperature had neared ninety. The humidity and sweat mixing together created a unanimous consensus: pool day. The inflatable rafts were at last pumped plump and drifted into the water. Peach and I paddled lazily on our inflatable heart, Lucas and Giselle drifted along on a giant piece of pizza, and Charlie and Eli were desperately trying to keep their balance on the smallest inflatable in the villa: a bright green alligator.

"Stop leaning forward!" Charlie laughed from the back, clinging desperately to Eli. The vinyl torso of the alligator was submerged beneath the boys' weight, and the reptile's head and tail rose vertically out of the water.

"I don't think this was made for us," Eli grinned.

Giselle lifted her sunglasses to her forehead. "Oh lord, that thing could probably only hold Polly."

Polly had been sitting on the edge of the pool and immediately jumped into the water. "Let me try!" She called as she waded closer to the two struggling boys. In one quick motion, Eli tipped forward, sending Charlie flying over his back. Charlie let out a sharp scream that was squelched beneath the water. Polly righted the inflatable alligator and kicked herself up until her stomach laid perpendicular on the reptile's back. With one strong kick, she sent herself headfirst into the water. The floaty bobbed erratically above her.

"Come here, Polly." Eli walked over to where Polly had breached. She held onto the handles as he grabbed her hips, lifted her out of the water, and onto the alligator.

"Yay!" Polly shouted and began bucking back and forth on the inflatable.

"That looks so fun!" Amelia said. She was sitting along the edge of the pool beside Noah. "My friend from Jersey has one that looks like a chocolate chip cookie."

"Oh, now I'm hungry," Lucas rubbed his white tummy.

Giselle looked over at him with a bright smile. "Laying on a giant pizza doesn't already make you hungry?"

Lucas shook his head. "No, I'm a chocolate man."

"You wish," Eli joked. Giselle threw her head back in laughter.

"When's lunch?" Lucas leaned back on the inflatable. In the kitchen, we could hear plates and glasses clinking together.

"Sounds like it's very soon," Katrina commented.

With a soft grunt, Amelia got to her feet and reached her hand out to Noah. "C'mon, let's go chat before we eat."

"Actually, I'd like to chat with Maddie if that's all right," Noah said, looking over at me.

"Totally fine! Only if she wants to. Maddie looks pretty comfortable." Amelia's hands pressed firmly into her hips.

Before I could respond, Peach grabbed my hip and shoulder and pushed me off of the floaty, sending me splashing into the pool. "She's on her way!"

"Thanks, Peach," I sarcastically said as I surfaced and slicked my hair back. I swam to the edge of the pool and lifted myself out.

Noah offered me a hand and pulled me to my feet. He led me away from the pool and over to the loungers with eleven pairs of eyes watching. I kept my distance since I was still dripping from my unexpected swim.

"I'm really glad I get to talk to you again," Noah smiled over at me.

With the past few days on my mind, I slid my heart further into my sleeve and tucked it away, protected meticulously with barbed wire. Noah wasn't mine to defend; he sat in perfect neutrality on the line of Amelia and I's interest. I felt myself begin to wonder if my fear of competition was the only thing keeping me from being Noah's. "How are you?"