Page 85 of Hot Summer

“Oh god.”

“What do you think it is?”

“Knowing them? It could be anything.”

They thought they were ready—had spent the better part of ten minutes batting ideas back and forth as they got dressed and gathered their things—but nothing prepared them for what they were greeted with when they stepped outside.

There was a trail of fake rose petals all along the pavement that led from the retreat to the kitchen, and as they rounded the corner, Cas saw that they’d set up quite the display. There was a huge array of breakfast options on the island and a handmade sign proclaiming Cas and Ada 4 Life hanging from the ceiling. It was absurd, and Cas had no idea where they got the supplies from, but it was the best thing she had ever seen.

Freddie hooted as soon as he saw them. “There are our lovebirds!”

Cas rolled her eyes and held her middle finger up at him, unable to hold back her grin.

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The high lasted all the way through to the next afternoon when the fifth week’s rankings were announced. Ada was at Cas’s side the moment Freddie finished reading the announcement text, winding her fingers through Cas’s.

“How are you feeling?”

“Okay,” Cas said. And she was. She’d long come to terms with the fact that she was in the bottom of the rankings and was, in all likelihood, going to remain that way for the rest of her time in the villa.

She didn’t need to be well-liked anymore. Ada liked her. Sienna and Femi and Tia and Freddie liked her. That was enough.

The television was already on when everyone entered the lounge, and without speaking, they took their seats on the sofa. It was nice, for once, sitting on this couch without the constant worrying about where she was going to rank, to be here without feeling overwhelmed by the result.

She was curious, sure, but it was less stressful. And thank god, because she’d had more than her fair share of cortisol this summer.

As always, they started with the women first.

Leo’s phone beeped. “ ‘In first place this week, we have Sienna.’ ”

Then Femi’s phone beeped.

“ ‘And the second most popular girl this week... Ada.’ ”

Reece was up next, and though Cas heard the text he read out, it took a second for the words to click.

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

Cas saw Ada turn to look at her out of the corner of her eye, felt the extra pressure she used to squeeze Cas’s hand.

She was in the top three. Top three. After weeks spent languishing in the bottom.

Ada leaned over and kissed Cas’s cheek, whispered “Well done” in her ear, but all Cas could think about was the fact that she’d more or less rocketed up through the rankings in the last two weeks.

Two weeks ago, this would have been her dream. It was exactly what she was hoping for, enough of an improvement to make getting to the finals feel all the more achievable. Now, though, she couldn’t help but wonder if this success was tied up in her relationship with Ada, if it was only because of her relationship with Ada.

After weeks of not clicking with the public, there was no other clear reason for the shift. It wasn’t as if she had a sudden personality change. Given that same-sex couples were few and far between, she appreciated the show of support the ranking clearly indicated, but the idea that she was only doing better because she happened to be in this partnership, and that that might be what saved her? It made Cas feel sticky and uncomfortable.

For the first time since she’d arrived, Tia dropped into the bottom half of the rankings, and Lucy, surprising no one, was last, but she took it on the chin.

“Oh well,” Lucy said, sliding into Leo’s side. “Hard to compete with you ladies.”

There was a short round of applause before the girls started getting notifications for the boys’ rankings. Femi was consistent in the first spot, but the real surprise was Freddie, who came in at number two. It was an enormous jump for such a short time in the villa, but it was clear by how well he got on with everyone that the viewers could see he was a standout. Reece had dropped to third, likely because of a small argument he and Tia had earlier in the week but then squashed, which left Leo for last.

Cas felt like she was in a bit of a haze as they all filtered out to the back garden. She grabbed one of her two permitted glasses of prosecco off the kitchen island and, without waiting for anyone else, took a large sip on her way down to the pool deck.

The outdoor lights had switched on while they’d been inside, and the reflection of them shining in the pool was one of Cas’s favorite views here. There was something almost magical about it, the navy blue sky, the sparks of light throughout the back garden, the whisper of the breeze through the trees.

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