Page 75 of Hot Summer

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.

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