Page 56 of Hot Summer

Appreciative oohs and scattered applause flared up around the sofa, and Sienna grinned at the screen before turning and smiling at Femi as he nudged her shoulder with his.

“Well done.” Femi was beaming, his whole heart bare on his sleeve, and even though Sienna was sitting next to Jayden, she only had eyes for Femi.

“Thanks.”

Jayden’s phone pinged.

“ ‘The second most popular girl in the villa this week is... Ada.’ ”

More applause.

It wasn’t a surprise, but Cas felt her shoulders physically relax. There’d been no reason to worry that Sienna and Ada were going home, not after they’d been so popular the week before, but she knew the public was fickle. That something as little as a stray look could send people into a frenzy against you.

It made her feel better, too, that even though she was probably about to be eliminated, the two of them would continue to have each other. That, whatever happened in here, they’d be able to get through it together.

With each name read, Cas felt her heart claw higher and higher into her throat. Tia was ranked third, which wasn’t a surprise since she and Reece had been solid since the moment they partnered up, but with only two safe spots left, Cas felt like she couldn’t breathe.

Brad’s phone.

Fuck.

“ ‘The fourth most popular girl this week is... Cas’?”

Before Cas could even process it, Ada’s arms were around her neck and she was exhaling hard into Cas’s ear.

“Thank god,” Ada whispered, her breath hot against Cas’s skin. “Thank god you’re staying.”

Cas half laughed and wrapped her arms around Ada’s middle. She’d intended it to be loose, a casual hug, but there was a desperate quality to it, like she was bobbing out in the middle of the sea, three seconds from drowning, and Ada was the only one with a life vest.

“I don’t know that god had anything to do with it.”

Ada laughed, the sound thick and a little wet. When Cas pulled away, Ada swiped the back of her hand across her cheeks, and Cas raised her eyebrows.

“Are you actually crying?”

“Yes.” Ada knocked her knee against Cas’s, frowning at the smile growing across Cas’s face. “Shut up, I was worried. I’m not ready for you to leave me.”

“I’d never leave you. Not by choice.”

The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, and Cas desperately wanted to claw them back. To pretend she hadn’t basically just cracked her chest open.

Delilah was saved next, a surprising move given she was one of the newer people in the villa, which only meant one thing.

Cas slid her gaze over to Lexi, sitting stock-still in the center of the sofa. There was no love lost between the two of them, but it was still emotional, seeing the reality of Lexi’s situation settle over her all at once. It was only confirmed by the message that Charlie read out—“ ‘That means that the girl leaving the villa this week is... Lexi.’ ”

It was almost brutal how quickly they moved on. Lexi had about half a second to process the fact that she was being sent home before her phone beeped and she had to read out the boys’ results. Thankfully, but not surprisingly, Femi was first, a spot he’d more than earned as the center of the villa. Reece, in all his heart-on-the-sleeve devotion to Tia, was next, followed by Leo.

Tension rose as Charlie placed fourth—officially marking him as single due to Lexi’s impending departure. After a heavy silence, Cas’s phone finally beeped.

“ ‘The fifth most popular boy, and the final boy remaining in the villa this week is... ’ ”

The silence seemed extra thick, a pressure that Cas could feel, physically, on her chest.

Beep.

Cas cleared her throat.

“ ‘Jayden.’ ”

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