Chapter 24

It was almost easy to forget about everything going on in the background that week.

Bombshell Week was one of the most stressful times in the villa most summers—all the lovers were on edge, watching one another like hawks, trying to determine if their partner was thinking about leaving them and re-partnering with someone else. There were clandestine conversations in hidden corners, stolen kisses on the balcony, and while Cas was certain all that must have been happening this summer, she was in her own bubble.

Holding hands with Ada across the divide when they were in bed at night, watching the boys run around in the garden in the afternoon, it was easy to let herself imagine that there was nothing she needed to be thinking about. Nothing she needed to be worrying about.

There was always the possibility, she supposed, that Ada was thinking about re-partnering with someone else, but Cas didn't know when Ada would possibly have the time to be organizing anything of the sort. They were practically glued together that week, and when they weren't, they had long, detailed debriefs about every ridiculous thing that had happened while they'd been apart.

It was a little embarrassing how heart-on-her-sleeve Cas was. Kicking her feet as she sat on the kitchen island, watching Ada make eggs for breakfast, tossing Freddie an apple with a big ol' smile on her face like a cartoon character. Laughing loudly, absurdly, as Ada, Tia, and Sienna did a "blindfold makeup challenge" with Lucy, Rita, and Gemma on a particularly slow afternoon. Cas couldn't even remember the last time she'd been like this, so giddy and excited and optimistic. Like she thought everything was working out in her favor.

She couldn't wait to re-partner on Saturday.

They'd all been lounging on the grass Friday afternoon—Charlie and Rita were off somewhere, but everyone else was playing Musical Slaps, a game Freddie had invented. There were eight of them left sitting in a circle, legs crossed, palms out on their knees, waiting patiently for the next song to begin.

"Okay." Freddie was sitting on a deck chair, his back to them so he couldn't see and unfairly bias his singing, according to Leo. "Get ready... set... go!"

Freddie burst out into a very off-key cover of Beyoncé and, one by one, each contestant in the circle slapped palms with the person next to them. They picked up speed as they went round, the hits becoming quicker, sharper the longer Freddie sang, and the four eliminated contestants ran around, causing as much distraction as humanly possible in an attempt to throw people off. Any moment Freddie was going to stop and—

Freddie abruptly stopped singing, and at the last possible moment, Lucy moved her hand away so Gemma missed and caught her thigh instead.

"Oh fuck!" Gemma crossed her legs tighter and rolled backward out of the circle. "This game is hard."

Femi's phone beeped and he snatched it swiftly off the ground.

"I've got a text! ‘Lovers—tonight, to celebrate the end of Bombshell Week, we're going to skip the rankings and host a partnering ceremony instead. Anyone not chosen to be in a partnership at the end of the ceremony tonight will be going home.'?"

Freddie's phone beeped.

"?‘There is, however, going to be a twist.'?"

The pause at the end was ominous, nerve-wracking, and Cas thought Freddie had left it there of his own accord, but then Lucy's phone beeped.

"?‘After the partnerships have been decided, you will get the opportunity to save one of the bombshells that wasn't picked for a couple. Choose wisely. #SeeYouTonight #BombsAway.'?"

The Bombshell Week partnership ceremony was the most complicated of the entire summer. The men and women stood opposite one another, bombshells and original lovers together on each side, and, one by one, only original lovers got text messages signaling their turn to announce their intentions. The bombshells could only hope to be picked.

If both lovers decided to stick together, they stayed partnered up for the week. If, however, one of the lovers decided to re-partner with a bombshell, while their partner remained faithful, then the dumped lover had to leave the villa. An emotional double whammy if there ever was one.

Sienna's phone beeped first, and after a deep breath, she took one step forward.

"I'd like to partner up with this boy because, from the very first moment I met him, I knew there was something about him. As he and I grew closer and our friendship developed, I knew that I had feelings I couldn't deny.

"Being partnered up with him this last week has been a dream—I know we're going to be together the rest of our time in the villa and I can't wait to see what we do together when we're on the outside." Sienna's tone softened then, and it was clear that, despite the fact they were all standing around, to her, it was just her and Femi. "My feelings for you grow stronger each and every day. And I'm so excited to see what the future brings. I have a feeling that, with you, it's going to be incredibly bright."

Femi reached up and swiped at his cheeks, and Cas felt her own eyes start welling up. This was everything he deserved, everything they both deserved, and she wanted this for them so badly she could taste it.

This show had turned her into a such a melt, it was unbelievable.

"So, the person I would like to partner up with, of course, is... Femi."

Femi was supposed to confirm that he, too, would like to partner up with Sienna, but he didn't bother. The moment Sienna finished speaking, he ran, closing the distance in half a second before sweeping Sienna up in his arms. She laughed brightly, her arms wrapping around his neck as he lifted her into the air and pulled her in for a kiss. And they kept kissing until Femi's phone beeped from his back pocket.

"All right," Femi said, and Cas couldn't help but laugh at the look on his face, all frustrated and lovesick. "I want to partner with Sienna, too. Clearly."

And then Femi made a point of pulling Sienna back in for another kiss. Cas hooted and cheered with the rest of them, pumping her fist into the air, and Sienna laughed as she pulled away and buried her face in his neck.

One by one, phones beeped.

Tia and Reece chose to stay partnered up.

Leo went with bombshell Lucy.

Delilah's phone pinged next, and she took a deep breath, a smile growing across her face by degrees.

"I've only known this boy for a short time, but I've really loved the time we've spent together so far. Our start was a little... dramatic... to say the least, but I'm grateful every day that he decided to take a chance on me. That he saw the same potential in our connection that I did." With each word, Delilah's words grew more confident, her attention more and more firmly planted on Charlie. Charlie, though, was avoiding her gaze, looking everywhere but at Delilah, and Cas had a sinking feeling in her stomach. "So, the boy I'd like to partner up with is... Charlie."

After a long, lingering look, Charlie cleared his throat, his gaze dropping to the grass. "Um, I'd actually like to partner up with Rita."

Cas had seen it a million times on-screen, people deciding that they were going to choose someone else right in front of their partner's face, and it had always been sad. But seeing Delilah get rejected in real time was painful. Awful, actually.

Delilah's knees bent, like she was going to buckle, but Ada caught her round the elbow, turning her in for a hug instead.

"It's okay, babe," Ada said, brushing Delilah's hair back off her shoulder. "It's okay."

Delilah drew in a thick, wet gasp. "He doesn't—" She picked her head up off Ada's shoulder and pointed at Charlie, now standing in the middle with Rita beside him. "Fuck you, Charlie."

"I'm really sorry, I—"

Cas held her hand up at him. "She doesn't need to hear that right now."

"But I am sorry."

"Okay," Cas snapped. "Save it. Go sit down." She jerked her head forcefully toward the bench, and though Charlie glared at her for a long moment, he did as she said.

Delilah turned, wiping tears off her cheeks, toward Cas. "Thanks."

"?'Course."

Delilah drew in a deep, trembling breath before she stepped back from Ada, still wiping tears off her face. "I'm going to..." She pointed at the stairs in the vague direction of the villa. "I can't be here right now."

"Do you want me to walk you up?" Ada asked. Cas knew she would get in trouble for leaving in the middle of the ceremony, but Ada didn't seem to care. She took a few steps forward, hand outstretched, ready to go, but Delilah shook her head, her gaze sliding from Ada to Cas for the briefest moment.

"No, that's okay. Stay here and get your partner."

Delilah pulled her in for another quick hug before walking off up the stairs. The entire villa was silent for a few long minutes, enough that everyone was shifting uncomfortably, waiting for a signal from production about what was to be done next.

Cas's phone beeped.

And immediately, her heart was in her throat.

Okay.

She started, at first, staring at the ground. "I've decided to partner up with this person because I can't imagine my time in here without them."

Slowly, she raised her gaze, scanning the couples on the bench, letting herself soak in her friends' smiles, urging her on.

"I have a hard time opening up, as I'm sure you've all realized"—a few laughs bubbled up, and Cas smiled to herself—"but this person makes me feel like it's the easiest thing in the world."

Finally, finally, Cas let her eyes find Ada's. Her brown eyes were swimming with emotion, and the happiness in them made Cas feel like she couldn't catch her breath. God, her hands were shaking. She tried to steady them by smoothing them over her dress.

"Getting to know you has been the highlight of my time here. It was unexpected, for sure, but, in you, I feel like I've found someone I can be myself with. You make me want to be brave, make it okay for me to be vulnerable. We walked in together, and now, I'm really hoping that, in a few weeks' time, we'll be able to walk out together."

Cas took a deep breath and let a smile fill her face. This was the easy part.

"The person I'd like to partner up with is... Ada."

The shouts reverberated around the villa, though Femi, Sienna, and Freddie were the loudest by far.

Ada laughed and dipped her head, her bright red hair falling to hide her expression. She brought her hand up to her eyes, like she thought she would disappear if she covered as many centimeters of her face as possible. Cas was sure her own face was going to crack, but that was nothing compared to when Ada looked at her. When their eyes met, it felt like it was the only thing tethering her to the earth.

"I'd like to partner up with you, too, Cas."

Nothing, not for the rest of Cas's life, would compare to that moment.

It was a short walk over to the bench together, but it seemed like slow motion. The twinkling of the lights, Ada's smile, everyone screaming and applauding, Cas felt like she'd stepped out of her life and into a movie.

Leo's phone beeped as soon as Cas and Ada sat down on his right. He tapped Ada on the shoulder and grinned at her before grabbing his phone from his back pocket and reading the message.

"?‘Lovers. Congratulations on another successful partnering ceremony. Now, it's time for you to choose one more lover to stay with you this summer.'?"

Reece's phone.

"?‘With your partner, you must agree on one bombshell to remain in the villa. In two minutes, you will cast your vote in front of the rest of the villa. Everyone not chosen will be asked to leave the villa tonight.'?"

They all glanced at one another for a few seconds, measuring one another up, before turning to their partners. Cas tipped her head toward Ada, lowering her voice to a near whisper.

"I feel like we should keep Freddie."

"No, yeah, me, too," Ada said, nodding. "He's so sweet."

"And I feel like he's integrated into the villa really well?"

"Definitely. He and Femi are already besties."

"Okay"—Cas rested her hand on Ada's thigh—"so we're decided."

It still felt novel that she could do this, that she could just touch Ada like this.

Ada put her hand on top of Cas's. "Decided."

This, though, turned out to be the easiest part of the night. With three votes, Freddie was invited to stay in the villa, but just as he made his way over to the bench, his phone beeped.

"?‘Freddie—congratulations on being selected to remain in the villa. Now you have a difficult decision to make.'?"

He looked up at them, his face pale, and laughed awkwardly. "Oh fuck."

He didn't move, just waited opposite the fire pit, holding the phone in his hands like it was a detonator. After a few seconds, his phone beeped again.

"?‘Freddie, you must choose one couple to leave the villa tonight. Any of the couples sitting in front of you are eligible to be eliminated. You have one minute to make your decision. Good luck.' Good luck—are you fucking serious?" Freddie scraped his hand through his hair.

"Okay." Freddie exhaled hard, his eyes skipping over each of the couples on the bench in turn. "This is a really tough decision. I have enjoyed getting to know each and every one of you and I wish you all the most success in your partnerships. But..." He let that linger there for a second, his gaze drifting off as he collected his thoughts.

"There are definitely some couples here who are stronger than others. And if I'm thinking about who has to stay, it has to be the people that I see have a strong connection and a lot of potential on the outside. So, that being said..." He drew in a deep breath.

"Charlie and Rita, I'd have to choose you."