Chapter 12

Cas had just opened the door when she heard someone scream from the back garden. Lexi, if she had to put money on it. Cas had to admit... Lexi's volume was helpful sometimes.

"Text!"

"Here we go." Femi put his hand on Cas's shoulder, gave it a gentle squeeze. "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

The girls lined up, a foot between each of them, and after taking her mark, Cas stared across at the boys sitting anxiously on the bench. Reece's leg was bouncing and his hands kept moving restlessly from his mic belt to his knee and back again. Even Brad was sizing them up, gaze flicking around like he couldn't decide where to look. Cas felt like she was vibrating out of her own skin, but Femi was calm, easy, and he winked when their eyes met.

And then Jayden's phone beeped.

"?‘Welcome, lovers. Tonight, you're going to have your first partnership ceremony. One at a time, the boys will choose who they would like to partner up with. The girl not chosen will be sent home from Hot Summer.'?"

Even though Cas knew she was safe, that Femi would choose her, the words still sent a chill down Cas's spine. Someone grabbed her hand, and Cas looked down to see Ada's fingers wrapped around her own.

When Cas looked at Ada, her eyes, big and warm and brown, were glowing in the golden light. Ada squeezed Cas's hand, and without thinking, Cas stepped closer. They weren't close enough that their bodies were touching, but it was enough that, even in the humid night air, Cas could feel the echo of Ada's body in the space between.

Jayden's phone beeped again. "?‘Jayden, it's time for your selection.'?"

Jayden pressed his palm into the bench as he stood, and before he tucked his hands behind his back, Cas noticed they were shaking. In her peripheral vision, Cas saw Ada turn toward Sienna slightly and give her arm a little nudge.

"He's so nervous. It's nice," Ada whispered.

It would have been a sweet moment if Sienna had responded in kind. Instead, there was an almost vacant look to Sienna's expression, like she was too far gone in her own thoughts to really hear anything happening around her.

"I've decided to partner up with this girl because," Jayden began, pausing briefly to clear his throat as his voice broke, "I've really enjoyed getting to know her this week. And I'm hoping to spend many more weeks getting to know her."

Cas should have been watching Jayden, but she couldn't take her eyes off Sienna. She seemed to have frozen to the spot.

"I think she's really funny and interesting and I can't wait to learn more about her. So, the girl I'd like to partner up with is..." Jayden waited the obligatory five seconds before he said, "Sienna."

As much as she looked like she was lost inside her own head, Sienna was remarkably good at rallying. She smiled as soon as Jayden said her name and made her way to him in short, sure strides. Their hug was quick, even on Jayden's end, like neither one of them wanted to get too close.

Sienna looked over to Femi as she sat, and she smiled as he mouthed something to her. It was a softer smile than the one she just had, easier at the edges.

Charlie was next, and his speech to Lexi was short and sweet and clearly everything that Lexi had been hoping to hear. With the obvious couples out of the way, it was a toss-up, in Cas's mind, who would go next. It could be either Femi or Reece last—Reece was probably going to change partners and Cas was the least popular girl in the villa at the minute, so either choice would be dramatic for the audience—so it would likely be Brad next. A safe middle choice, but you never could quite predict Brad, either. Especially with the way he'd acted since Tia had arrived.

Almost as though she'd summoned it into existence, Brad's phone beeped next.

Brad cleared his throat. "I'd like to partner up with this person because I think that we've had a really nice start to our time in the villa together. I think that she's smoking hot, I mean, obviously, she's right fit, and I'd love to continue to share a bed with her."

He laughed congenially, but Cas felt something twist in her stomach at his words.

This—this—was all he could think to say about Ada? That he thought she was sexy and he wanted to keep rubbing up against her under their duvet?

It's understandably a part of his attraction to her, sure, but it didn't need to be the reason that he told everyone he wanted to stay partnered up with her. It shouldn't be the only reason that he had when Ada was clearly so much more.

"I think that I'm going to have a great time if we stay partnered up together, so for that reason, the person that I'd like to partner up with is..."

Brad waited for the allotted five seconds even though, from his wording, it was immediately clear who he was going to be partnering with.

He smiled at Ada like he'd just put fifteen lightbulbs in his mouth. "Ada."

Brad wrapped his arms around Ada's waist when she reached him and pressed her against him, their chests smashing together with the force. She huffed out a puff of air, and Brad just laughed and whispered something into her ear.

Ada flashed him a cursory smile as she pulled away, but rolled her eyes at Cas as she sat down.

It was three of them left now. Two choices, one of them on their way out the door.

In five minutes, they'd know. Cas would know.

Just as Cas expected, Reece's turn was next, and in a twist that surprised no one, he decided to re-partner with Tia, leaving Maddison vulnerable. His speech was heartfelt, warm, and when they sat down on the bench, they were snuggled close, practically tangled together.

And then, finally, it was the moment Cas was waiting for.

Femi's phone beeped. He stood.

Cas's hands were trembling and she smoothed them down her thighs. She knew Femi was taking a risk, tying himself to her for another week, but if she could turn it around, it would be a risk that paid off. If Femi and Sienna couldn't work it out, this partnership could take them both to the finals. It would change both their lives.

Cas flicked her gaze to Ada, sitting there on the bench, right next to the empty space where Cas would hopefully be in ninety seconds' time. Ada had her legs crossed, toe pointed toward the fire, as many inches as was socially acceptable between her body and Brad's. As they made eye contact, Ada nodded once and drew in a deep, exaggerated breath. It took Cas a second, her lungs kept starting and stopping, but she matched Ada's breath. The left corner of Ada's mouth lifted ever so slightly and she snuck Cas a wink.

It was captured on about a dozen cameras, but in that moment, it felt like it was just the two of them.

Femi cleared his throat and Cas found his gaze again. The moment their eyes locked, his smile widened.

"I've decided to partner up with this person because every single time I talk to her, she makes me laugh. She's my best friend in this villa, and I know that the public has a different opinion about her, but, I have to say, they're wildly misinformed."

Oh Christ.

"I don't know what they think they've seen of her, but I can tell you that I've only ever seen a friend. Someone who cares about the people in this villa, who wants us to have a good time and loves making us laugh. Yeah, she's covered in tattoos and loves to scowl, but trust me, that's more appearances than anything. She's really soft on the inside. This person also always shares the duvet and has only thrown a pillow at my head once even though there's been plenty of moments where I've deserved it in the morning."

Cas laughed, shaking her head.

"I'm always going to partner up with her, no matter how low the public ranks her. The person I'd like to partner up with is... Cas."

And it should have felt good—I'm always going to partner up with her, no matter how low the public ranks her. That was it, her saving grace, her promise that she'd be in this villa as long as Femi was, and unless people turned against him in a drastic fashion after this speech, he was going to be here for a long time. Instead, Cas felt a sinking guilt in her stomach threatening to suck her straight into the earth.

Cas's legs shook as she made her way across the grass. Femi smiled at her, expression steady, and wrapped his arms around her the moment she reached him. There wasn't a hint of hesitation about him, he just pulled her in and gave her a deep squeeze that Cas felt all the way down to her toes.

"Thanks." She said it quietly, but she was sure her microphone had picked it up. Those things were supersonic.

"Of course," Femi whispered. He pulled back, held her at arm's length, pressing his fingers into her elbows like he wanted to keep her there. "You're not going anywhere without me."

As she sat, Ada reached over and gave Cas's leg a meaningful squeeze, and without thinking, Cas moved her hand so it rested on top of Ada's. It wasn't much, just the press of Ada's palm against her skin, but it sent pins and needles zinging straight to Cas's stomach.

Finally, Maddison's phone dinged.

"?‘Maddison,'?" Maddison read, her voice appropriately somber. "?‘As you haven't been chosen, your hot summer has, unfortunately, come to an end. It's time to say your goodbyes.'?"

Maddison was shifting her weight back and forth on her heels, but as soon as she finished reading, she lifted her gaze. Even from this distance, Cas could see the tears shining in Maddison's eyes.

"It's been an amazing journey," Maddison said, "if a short one. Reece..." She trailed off, shook her head, started again. "I don't have any ill feelings. I really do wish you and Tia the best of luck."

Reece touched his hand gently to his chest, and then, as one, everyone rose from the bench to envelope Maddison in a hug.