Chapter 19

Ada had barely finished reading his name before Brad was up and off the sofa.

No one moved, no one dared breathe, they just watched as Brad stormed out of the lounge, and a few seconds later, they heard the front door open. A million possibilities ran through Cas's mind—Was it the producers? Was it Brad? Mila? A bombshell?—but then the door slammed with such force the house itself seemed to shake.

Brad, then.

Cas's arm was around Ada's shoulders before she could even exhale. When she did, it was soft and trembling. Cas squeezed her tighter.

"It's okay," Cas whispered, leaning forward and pressing her forehead to Ada's temple. "He's definitely gone now."

Everything in that moment was Ada: the smell of her peach and citrus perfume, the soft touch of her hair against Cas's nose, the heat of her body now that she was this close. Ada took Cas's free hand, her grip firm, like she was worried Cas might move away, but Cas couldn't think of a single thing that would make her move away now. That would make her want any kind of space between the two of them.

Finally, though, someone else spoke.

"Is anyone..." Cas sat up at the sound of Delilah's voice. "Are we supposed to go after him or something?"

Leo's phone beeped before Delilah could even finish her question. "?‘Lovers.'?" He read so quickly, he started stumbling over the words. "?‘Everyone must report to the fire pit immediately. Lexi, say your goodbyes and walk to the front door. You have thirty seconds.'?" Leo was up off the couch as soon as he finished reading. "Fuck. Okay, guys, let's go!"

It was insult to injury, the fact that they were forced to move on so quickly. No one had long, just stepped forward in quick succession and gave Lexi a hug goodbye. Lexi caught Cas's eyes for a brief second as Cas moved away, a sardonic smile curving at the corners of her lips.

"Karma."

Probably. But there was no sense rubbing that in now.

"Have a safe trip home," Cas said. And she walked away to make space for Charlie.

Lexi's brave exterior finally cracked as Charlie made his way forward, her arms sliding around his waist with a practiced ease. Charlie, though, was stiff, his expression distant, and even though he moved his arms around her, patted her back, Cas knew what was coming.

"Have a safe flight," Charlie said. "Maybe I'll see you when I get back."

Lexi's mouth fell open. "Are you—" She blinked. "Are you not coming with me?"

It was rare—had only happened a handful of times that Cas could remember—but a lover could choose to leave the villa if their partner was eliminated. The only examples Cas knew of were true-love scenarios, and it was clear from one look at Charlie's face that Lexi was hoping for something she'd never get.

And then when he looked back at Delilah, who was standing, hands on her hips, surveying the scene? Well, that sealed the deal.

Lexi shoved Charlie's arms off her and she laughed harshly, wiping at the tears now spilling down her cheeks. "Wow, okay. Fuck you, then. Don't DM me when you're out."

And she stormed out of the living room.

Delilah's phone was beeping as they all made their way down to the fire pit. She stumbled as she pulled it out of her pocket, and Charlie caught her by the elbow. She smiled at him as he righted her, her fingers freezing on her screen, and Leo sighed.

"You two can flirt later. Read the text, Delilah."

"?‘Lovers—with so many partnerships on the rocks, we thought we'd move the re-partnering up a night. You have two minutes to decide, among yourselves, who is going to partner up. At the end of two minutes, an alarm will sound, and you'll lock in your final partnerships.'?"

Everyone started talking all at once, confusion reigning, but Cas knew exactly what needed to happen. She grabbed Femi by the biceps, stopping him at the edge of the fire pit. "You need to partner with Sienna."

"I— But what about you?"

"I don't care about me," Cas said fiercely. "You have to."

"I promised I'd stay with you until you found someone."

Cas was going to shove him into the pool.

"I promised you the same thing. You just beat me to it." He started twisting his fingers together, and Cas shook his arm. "I'm serious. This is your shot. Just go fucking ask her."

"Ask her," Femi repeated.

"Ask her," Cas confirmed. She gave his biceps a firm pat and then spun him around so he was facing Sienna. "Now," she added, giving him a little shove.

Sienna was standing with Ada on the other side of the fire pit, the amber glow from the flames flickering across her skin. Femi was still anxious as he approached, but his posture relaxed when Sienna smiled at him. Femi tipped his head toward her and Cas watched as Ada pressed a quick hand to the back of Sienna's arm before walking away.

"Once we know who's partnering, sit down on the bench together," Leo said. "So we know who we have left."

No sooner had Leo finished saying it than Delilah grabbed Charlie by the hand and dragged him over to the bench. It was remarkable, how easily Charlie was able to attach himself to someone new. Made Cas feel like she'd missed a few tricks over the last few weeks.

Tia and Reece sat next, a foregone conclusion, and Cas knew that Femi and Sienna would be the next to join them. Which left herself, Ada, Jayden, and Leo.

Out of the corner of her eye, Cas saw Sienna take Femi's hand, a megawatt smile filling her entire face, and everything for Femi seemed to reduce to that singular expression, to Sienna's hand in his. It was glorious to see, a dream, and Cas couldn't help her own smile as Sienna led Femi back to the bench and, together, they sat, their bodies so close that every inch of them seemed to be touching.

"I'm obsessed with them."

Cas turned to find Ada standing there, her eyes soft as she watched Femi and Sienna whispering.

"Me, too," Cas said. She met Ada's gaze. The firelight was sparkling in her eyes, and even though Cas had thought it a million times, she was convinced, now, that Ada had never looked more beautiful.

"Cas!"

She started and looked round to find Femi staring at her with raised eyebrows. He tipped his head toward Ada, raised his eyebrows again.

And she could. Could turn to Ada right now, ask if she wanted to partner up. She didn't know how the public would take it, but the friendship-couple route had gotten her this far, surely they wouldn't begrudge her another one?

Still, she hesitated because, god, what if giving in to her real feelings was the final nail in her coffin? What if people hated it and shot her right back into last place and they sent her packing? They loved Ada, but they could resent Cas for getting close to her, could suspect that Cas was trying to latch herself to Ada's popularity—something she was saved from with Femi by being with him at the start—could think a million different things.

But then she looked at Ada again, the sprinkle of freckles across her nose, the rosy blush of her lips, the heat in her eyes, and Cas didn't know if she cared what the public would think.

She didn't know what the producers would say, didn't know how they'd sort out the fact that they'd now have two single boys in the villa, but Cas also didn't care. They could figure it out—they had figured it out on past seasons. It wasn't for Cas to worry about what they were going to do, not with this opportunity right here, dangling in front of her face. If only she were brave enough to reach out and take it.

The Voice of God spoke, "Ten seconds remaining!" and Leo swore.

"Okay, uh, Ada!" Leo tapped her on the shoulder, and Ada spun. "Friendship couple?"

"Uh." Ada glanced over her shoulder at Cas, a question in her eyes that Cas couldn't quite read. Whatever she saw in Cas's face, though, seemed to answer it. "Sure."

Which left...

"Jayden!" Cas smiled at him when he looked up at her, though his expression was vacant. Distant. He'd always been quiet, even when he was pursuing Sienna, but there was something different about him now. Something closed off. "Want to partner up? I promise I don't hog the duvet."

She'd hoped he'd smile, but she didn't even get a twitch of the lips. "All right."

The alarm sounded, and one by one, they announced their new couples for the week. No sooner had they finished declaring themselves than Ada got one last text message.

"?‘Lovers—to help you relax from a stressful night, we've decided to open the retreat. Choose one couple now to spend some alone time together.'?"

As tempted as Cas was to choose Femi and Sienna, she knew that, really, there was one couple who deserved the time in the private bedroom more than anyone. The call for "Tia and Reece!" rang out unanimously, and Tia buried her face in Reece's shoulder. He was all smiles as he wrapped his arm around her.

"Thanks, guys," he said, pressing a quick kiss to Tia's head. "I guess we better go get our things."

Most everyone ran back up to the villa with Tia, but Cas held back, eyes on Jayden. He hadn't moved from his spot by the fire pit and was watching the slow waving of the flames in the breeze.

"Are you okay?" Jayden shrugged. Didn't say anything. Cas waited, watched him, but he was too far gone. "Okay, well, if you need anything..." She turned to go and Jayden cleared his throat.

"I'm going to go to the beach hut actually," Jayden said quietly. "It's not you, genuinely. Thanks for partnering up with me. I just... I need some space to think."

Jayden was gone for one hour, two, and he still wasn't back when it was time for everyone to start getting ready for bed. Cas had just tucked herself underneath the duvet when her phone went off and she stared at the message on her screen.

Jayden has decided to leave the villa.