Chapter 3

With all her "research" (i.e., watching Hot Summer every single summer for the last nine years like the incredibly well-adjusted person she was), Cas had thought she'd be prepared for the villa. Thought she'd known what to expect. Wouldn't be surprised by the grandeur of it all.

But no amount of seeing these things on television compared to the feeling of walking up to an enormous mansion knowing that this was where she was going to spend most of her summer.

The modern design of the exterior continued inside: Every wall was a crisp white, and there was a thin metal railing that wound up the stairs to the upper floor. There was a single pendant light hanging from the high ceiling, though it was high enough that it probably wasn't going to feature in any shots of the entry.

From the front door, Cas could see at least three neon signs, one of which read smooches in Hot Summer's signature pink and bubbly script font. There were decals of mouths all over the walls—mouths licking lips, licking ice cream, sucking on lollipops—and every piece of furniture Cas could see was in an electric shade of either pink, green, blue, or yellow.

It shouldn't have surprised her. This was the exact color scheme the producers went for every season. But seeing it in person ...

"Holy hell."

A shock of laughter rolled through Ada as she took in their surroundings, and it was only then that Cas realized she was still holding Ada's hand. Cas felt her cheeks heat slightly and she loosened her grip. She'd meant to do it subtly, but Ada must have felt it because she instantly dropped Cas's hand.

Cas cleared her throat. She was calm. Cool. Incredibly collected. "I feel like I blacked out and woke up in the middle of Amnesia or something."

Ada's brow furrowed and Cas hastened to clarify. "It's a club in Ibiza." She rolled her eyes. "Lots of neon."

"Oh." Ada nodded slowly as she took a step forward, leading them out of the entry and into the lounge room. When they made eye contact again, this time over Ada's shoulder, there was something almost withdrawn about Ada's expression, uncertain. Awkward. "Is that your usual scene, then?"

The lounge room was smaller than Cas had expected. There was a white L-shaped sofa covered in pillows in the corner and a television hanging on the wall opposite, though Cas couldn't imagine why they'd bothered installing it. One of Hot Summer's strictest rules was that the lovers be isolated from any and all contact with the outside world save for the very select times the producers allowed them access to public opinion. It was, apparently, a way to keep the contestants honest and prevent them from playing to the camera, but frankly, Cas thought they did it just to make everyone feel a little bit unhinged.

People tended to make more dramatic decisions that way.

Cas realized what Ada was implying and laughed, though it sounded a little more like a snort. "Absolutely not. My clients talk about it a lot, though, so I'm forced to hear about it via exposure."

"Oh?" Ada's eyes lit up. "What do you do, then?"

"I work for F—" But, thankfully, Cas caught herself.

On the surface, the question was innocent. What do you do?, aka where do you work? The NDA Cas had signed was fairly ironclad, even down to the fact that it barred her from mentioning her employer. They hadn't wanted to risk talking about her affiliation with Friday in case it set anyone snooping, and they'd taken great care to wipe any and all photos of Cas off their social media. But they'd known this question was coming, and Cas and Robert had spent an unnecessarily long meeting coming up with what she said next.

"I'm an event planner." She subtly shook her hair out and brightened her smile. "I do parties and club nights and things back home in London. It's fun, but it's nonstop. Especially in the summer."

That, at least, was an easy truth. She'd rather be most places than sweating it out in some pub while she watched single people drool all over one another. Yet another reason she'd agreed to this plan in the first place, the promise of a way out of all those sticky nights.

But Cas didn't need to invite any more questions; it was time to do what she did best. Pivot.

"What do you do?"

"I'm a small business owner," Ada said. "I do, like, stationery, stickers, things like that."

"Do you design your own stuff, then?"

Ada nodded. "I studied graphic design in uni, and I started it then as a little side project. I got really lucky pretty quickly and it grew enough that I ran with it after I graduated." Ada turned on her heel to follow Cas down the corridor, and immediately wobbled a little.

Cas's hand shot out to grasp her elbow.

"We need to get you out of these shoes," Cas said, laughing.

"It's only a matter of time before I crack my head on this tile," Ada agreed, tapping her heel against it.

They walked quietly for a few steps, a million questions on Cas's tongue. It wasn't normally this hard—or this awkward—having conversations with people, but she was suddenly viscerally aware of every single word coming out of her mouth. Whether it was the way Ada kept smiling at her or the gazes of people who, in less than twenty-four hours' time, would be picking apart every word she said, Cas couldn't be sure.

It was certainly easier to blame the faceless thousands for the reason her tongue was tied.

Cas peeked her head around the corner before hitching her thumb over her shoulder. "The bedroom is that way if you want to have a look."

"Are we supposed to?" Ada's bottom lip was between her teeth, and it was almost endearing how nervous she seemed.

Cas shrugged, but before she could speak, a deep voice boomed through the villa.

"Cas and Ada. Please proceed through the bedroom and into the back garden."

Ada nearly jumped out of her shoes. "What the fuck was that?" Her hand was pressed to her chest, her eyes wide, and Cas couldn't help but smile.

"Voice of God," Cas said. They used this every summer as a way to redirect people when they weren't doing what the producers wanted. They cut it out of the actual episodes so the audience never heard it, but every lover talked about it in their post-show interviews.

And Cas had spent hours watching said interviews and reading every online forum she could find.

There wasn't going to be a lot of direct producer involvement this summer—in fact, there wasn't likely to be any as long as nothing catastrophic happened. Hot Summer was pretty unique in that all of the lovers were more or less sent into the villa and let loose for an entire summer with very little to do besides making out with one another. Sure, they'd get called in for the occasional interview, had scheduled (and highly structured and unaired) mealtimes, and a series of embarrassing challenges to break up the days, but for the most part, they were left to their own devices.

"I guess we're not moving fast enough," Cas continued.

It was a short walk down a narrow corridor from the lounge to the bedroom. There was a small step down into the bedroom and Cas was sure someone was going to wind up tripping up before the summer was out.

The bedroom was classic Hot Summer—five crisp white Ikea beds with various neon accent pillows and throws—and yet another neon sign that Cas just glanced at before Ada opened the sliding glass door that led out into the garden.

The heat was intense as they stepped outside, especially after the short time spent indoors. It wasn't the thick, sopping wet heat of London summer, but it still felt like Cas had opened an oven door directly into her face.

She scanned the garden as they walked along the short, trellised path that ran past the outdoor kitchen and down to the stairs into the garden. Cas's eye was immediately drawn to the tiered deck stretching across the garden and sparkling blue water in the infinity pool that, even from this angle, seemed to touch the horizon. There was a fire pit with a curved sofa in the far corner opposite the pool—the place, Cas knew, where they'd hold all their formal ceremonies—and a gym tucked away beside the hedges at the edge of the house. There were places to gather in every corner—daybeds and beanbags and stacks of pillows scattered throughout that invited you to grab them and make yourself at home.

It was a master class in bringing people together and making them feel like they could relax.

But just as she thought it, Cas also started noticing the cameras hidden across almost every inch of the exterior. They were tucked in corners in the kitchen, hanging from trees, nestled in the hedges that lined the back of the property and shielded the villa from prying eyes. Cas was sure there were a thousand more that she wasn't seeing, but the microphone she had around her waist suddenly felt that much heavier.

"I think we're supposed to go down there," Ada said, pointing to one of the high-top tables just off the pool deck. There were a few stools around the table and, on top, an ice bucket with a bottle of cheap champagne waiting for them.

Cas grinned, a thin attempt at hiding the nerves now swirling through her stomach. "What makes you think that?"

"Just a hunch," Ada said. She was smiling again, the right side of her mouth hitched up just a touch higher than the left.

They uncorked the champagne, and Cas poured two generous glasses into the white plastic flutes stacked in the center of the table. Her contract had been very clear that they were only going to get a few drinks a day—one this morning and then two, maximum, at the first-night party later—and Cas needed every ounce of alcohol she could get to soothe the anxiety twisting itself up in her chest.

It wasn't that she was nervous. Not in the way the others might be. She wasn't hinging her romantic future on this show, she wasn't a fool, but she could feel the tension in the air all the same, thick around her. She needed this show, needed to be liked, needed to get to the finale.

"So." Cas swallowed a sip of champagne, blinking through the rush of bubbles in her nose. "What's your dating situation been like?"

Ada laughed and immediately raised her glass to her lips. "Not great." She took a sip, and when she lowered her flute, her expression was soft, almost sad. "I just got out of a long-term thing a few months ago."

"Oh no." Cas moved her hand to rest briefly on top of Ada's. A show of solidarity without being too over the top. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, she wasn't ready to commit, and I don't know." Ada shrugged. "I'm ready for something serious, you know? That's why I'm here."

She.

"Are you bi, then?" Cas tried to ask it casually, like she had absolutely no interest in the response.

Ada nodded. "I kind of flick between using ‘bi' and ‘pan.' I'm not sure which fits best."

Oh my god.

"Me, too," Cas said. She was genuinely excited for the first time, and she could feel it coating her words. "I usually use bi, but I think that's more because I like the memes."

Ada snorted. "Fair enough. I'm so glad there's another queer person on this show. I was worried I'd be the only one."

"No, god, me, too."

Hot Summerhad long since touted itself as the show where anyone can date anyone, but in practice, it was still one of the straightest dating shows on television. They'd had a few (read: very few) queer couples over the years, but the show rarely broke the hetero mold.

Cas quickly ticked through her mental roster. There were Tess and Sarah in Season 2, who coupled up for approximately four days before Tess broke it off to get back together with some toxic meathead. Alex and Max in Season 4; Cas remembered that they coupled up during Bombshell Week and lasted until about a week before the series end. Season 5 had Poppy and Niamh, but they were partnered up so briefly that, as far as Cas was concerned, it barely even counted. The show had let them get together for a day and a half before putting them through a public vote that ultimately sent Poppy home. It was tragic.

Every year, Cas watched, desperate for a Hot Gay Summer, and every year, she was disappointed.

"My mates are going to lose it when they find out about this," Ada mused, a soft smile curving at the corners of her lips. She then tipped her head back toward the sky and shouted, "Hear that, Shan? This isn't the straightest show on telly this summer!"

Cas couldn't help the laugh that escaped and held up her glass. "Cheers to that."

They clinked glasses, the dull thud of the plastic a sad substitute for the bright tinkling of glass.

"Anyway," Ada said, "what about you? How was your romantic life before this?"

It was an innocent question, and one she'd get a million times before the summer was out, but Cas needed to hedge her bets. If she had any hope of being liked, she knew she couldn't give the full answer. And even though Ada seemed lovely and sure to like pretty much anyone, Cas weirdly cared about what she would think. A lot.

So, a glossed-over version of reality it was.

"I haven't dated anyone seriously in a while," Cas said. An understatement by massive proportions, if her hookup count could be believed. "I haven't found the right person worth settling down for, you know?" Another lie. But then again, the person she had settled down for had up and left her, so that wasn't exactly Cas's fault.

"Ah." Ada twirled her champagne in her hands. "You're more of a ‘let's go on a few dates and see what happens' type of girl, then?"

More like a one-night-stand sort of girl.

"Usually, yeah. I'm hoping I find someone here. It's a bit lonely, only going on first dates all the time."

It was a lie, her hope of finding someone, but it rang suspiciously true, that comment about her loneliness. It was uncomfortable to think about, too much to unpack right now, and Cas felt herself start to get nervous as Ada opened her mouth to reply. Luckily, before Ada could say anything, they heard a loud shout from the villa.

"Hi, girls!" There was a woman standing at the very end of the walkway near the outdoor kitchen, and she threw her arms up into the air when Cas and Ada spun round to look at her. She'd already been grinning, but her smile only grew as she sprinted across the deck toward them. "I'm Sienna. Look at you two, you're gorgeous!"

"Please," Ada said, giving Sienna a squeeze. "You're stunning!"

Sienna's dark brown skin was perfectly highlighted, shimmers of gold on her shoulders, across her collarbone, and on the high points of her cheeks. She was wearing an electric blue bikini that complemented the neon orange eyeliner she had swiped across her lids, and her hair was slicked back into a perfect high-top ponytail that swung as she walked.

"These men better be worth it, I'm telling you," Cas said, handing Sienna a glass of champagne. "We're tens, so if these men are threes..."

Sienna laughed and knocked her elbow playfully against Cas's. "That's exactly what dating in London is like, so at least I'll be used to it." Cas was thrilled to have another Londoner about, someone to talk to if she found herself missing home.

Maddison came through next, pausing for a moment at the top of the stairs, hands on her hips, like she was waiting for the camera to finish catching all her angles. She seemed nice enough, if a bit aloof, but Cas supposed she could be forgiven for that given the oddness of their situation.

Lexi was last through, and despite the volume of the group's conversation, they could hear her cheer before she even stepped out into the garden. From the moment she opened the door, Lexi was screaming, her Essex accent thick as anything.

"Oh my god, the pillows! The lights! Oh my god, it's fucking gorge!"

Cas choked, and Ada started patting her on the back in concern. "Are you okay?"

"I think so." Cas sounded like she'd swallowed a handful of gravel. "Or maybe I'm dying. Unclear."

"Pretty sure our contracts prohibit dying," Sienna said quietly, and that just made Cas choke all over again.

Lexi practically danced down the stairs, talking at lightning speed about everything she saw, and grabbed them all in enthusiastic hugs when she made her way to the table. Her dirty blond hair was perfectly curled, and she was wearing a white thong bikini that showed off her slightly orange self-tan. "I can't believe we're here, girls, we're going to have the best summer of our lives! You're all so lovely, truly, I can't wait to get to know you all, like, ah! Girl gang, right? Morning chats, coffee, all that!"

Cas felt like she was going to have a cognitive-overload-induced aneurysm.

"Amazing," Maddison agreed, and she handed Lexi the final glass of champagne. "Save some of that energy for the boys, though, eh, Lex?"

Lexi laughed loudly, the sound echoing through the garden. "I might kill those boys if I bring this energy."

"I'll cheers to that," Sienna said, raising her glass. "Who needs boys?"

"To killing boys and having the hottest summer of our lives," Cas said, raising her glass and meeting Sienna's in the middle.

Soon, with Lexi whooping loud enough that Cas was pretty sure her right eardrum had burst, everyone's flutes were in the center, and together, they clinked their glasses.

"To the hottest summer of our lives!"