Page 46 of Lights, Camera, Love

All I got back was an ass shake.

“Is everyone up?” Jess asked Oliver. When he nodded, she rose from her chair. “Let’s go over the weekend stuff, then. I need to crash soon.”

We followed her inside, finding everyone milling around the kitchen. Oliver pulled a chair out for me beside Diego and grabbed a seat on the other side of the table.

Diego greeted me with a kiss on my cheek. “Where’d you go this morning?”

“Coffee, sketching, and sunrise,” I answered quietly as the clatter of utensils on plates sounded around us.

He studied my face, and I could feel his gaze boring into my cheek as I turned toward the oatmeal in front of me. Oats, vanilla soymilk from what I could smell, blueberries, and sliced almonds. I could tell Diego had made it, since he had the same thing in front of him.

“You good?” he asked, his eyes never leaving my face.

“Yeah. Just needed some alone time.” To think about what the hell we’re doing went unsaid.

“Okay. You know I’m here for more, right? Not just the bed sharing and the adventures. You can talk to me if you need to,” he said, sounding as serious as I felt. When I turned my head toward him, he caught my jaw with one of his rough palms, cradling it as if it were precious. “I like you, Sophie.”

I was so fucked.

Waking up between them, having Oliver wander out and find me, only to give me a seat next to Diego, who I hadn’t yet seen… For a moment, I let myself believe this was possible. Dating both of them. Falling for both of them.

“Okay, guys!” Jess called from the head of the table, where she sat with a fresh cup of coffee. I turned toward her, letting my little fantasy slip through my fingers as reality came crashing in. Jess said this couldn’t work. She was right.

“There are no challenges while Aaron and Kayla are away, obviously. But you can use the time to bond. We have activities planned today and tomorrow, including surf lessons and hiking, and I brought a bunch of board games for you guys. Otherwise, do as you please around the villa. Cameras will remain on, of course.”

“What kind of board games?” Zander inquired.

“Monopoly, Life, Risk, Settlers of Catan,” Jess said, ticking off her fingers. “You know, the usuals.”

“Thank you, Jess,” we chorused.

“I’ll leave you guys to it. Here’s the schedule.” She pulled a paper from her back pocket with times and activities listed on it. “I’m due some sleep. See you guys later!”

After her goodbye, Jess let her eyes linger on me for just a second with a nod, and left through the open patio doors.

Daniel took the page and read off the itinerary for the weekend.

Diego rested his arm along the back of my chair, and I was glad for the absence of touch. I had a lot to figure out, and feeling his or Oliver’s hands on me would make it harder to think with a clear head.

“There’s windsurfing lessons today after breakfast and waterskiing lessons after lunch,” Daniel answered. “And tomorrow, there’s a hike around the island early in the morning.”

After the whole minor asphyxiation thing with snorkeling, getting back out in the water didn’t sound appealing, but a sunrise hike was right up my alley.

I picked at my oatmeal, taking small bites and telling my intrusive and defeatist thoughts to give it a rest.

“So, which sounds better to you? Windsurfing or waterskiing? Or both?” Diego asked, leaning forward and only speaking to me.

“Honestly, neither,” I answered. “I think I’m going to just hang out today. I’ll go on the hike tomorrow.”

“How do you think Kayla and Aaron are doing?” Gia asked. She laced her hand with Daniel’s, and he lifted it to press a kiss to the back. I wished they’d won the weekend away. What were the viewers thinking, sending the arguing duo to the island? That they’d fuck and make up? Eh, okay. That was still a distinct possibility, but I didn’t want that for Aaron. He deserved some happiness, and I sincerely doubted Kayla was looking at him as anything other than a winning ticket for the grand prize.

“Good, I hope,” Zander said. “Though it’s bullshit that they were picked. I get that they have issues, but the last thing they need is time together without cameras. I’m worried for Aaron.”

“Well, if he hadn’t done something so stupid, maybe we wouldn’t need to be worried,” Cheryl countered.

“That’s bullshit, and you know it,” Oliver growled. I hadn’t ever heard him alter his tone aside from when we were in bed and his voice went all husky and deep. “Kayla made a mountain out of a molehill. She wouldn’t listen to reason.”

“Guys,” Viv interrupted, her soft voice barely cutting through the arguments breaking out around the table. “We’ve been over this a million times in the last few days. We all know where we stand. Some of us think Aaron did nothing wrong; some think his choice was dumb. But it’s not our business, so let’s just move the fuck on, please. We’ve had to listen to it for days now. I don’t want to hear about it anymore.”

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