Love Island

Chapter 48 - The Final Couples

Sara and Charlie's musical talents were the winning performances of the challenge. Just before dinner, the two received identical texts that excused them from the villa's communal meal and instead invited them for a feast at sea. Sara invited Mason to join her while Charlie chose me, and the four of us walked down to the beach and over to the dock where two small yachts awaited our arrival. Charlie assisted me in stepping into ours, and the engine shuttered to life as we took our seats at a table on the back of the ship.

"This is so cool." I watched as the shore and trees seemed to decrease in size. It was only a short trip; the boat anchored a hundred yards from shore. To our right, the sun lowered toward the thin line of horizon that separated sea and sky. To our left, the glow from the villa lights and those from neighboring mansions were captivating. Our first course was served, a glass of wine and bread and butter.

"I thought your talent was the coolest of them all, by far," Charlie complimented. He offered me the bread basket before taking his own slice. "I always thought of hula as the stereotypical dashboard ornament."

I laughed and began buttering the bread on my plate. "Yeah, that's what it turned into. Coconut bras and grass skirts, ukeleles. If I'd done that version, I might've won. But my Tutu would be furious when I came home," I laughed.

"Tutu, that's grandmother, right?" Charlie asked. He took a bite of his bread.

I smiled at him fondly. "Yeah. We moved to Indiana when I was eight, but before that, I spent a lot of time with her. She taught me hula kahiko, how to say common Hawaiian phrases, and how to make poi."

Charlie nodded. "I find it really cool, the whole 'passing down the culture' thing. I'm very white but I could pass down socks and sandals. Or wearing my sunglasses on top of my head and then asking 'where are my glasses?'"

"Perfect!" I laughed.

"Out of curiosity, how do you go from growing up in Hawaii to moving to Indiana?" Charlie asked.

"Fair question. My dad grew up in Fort Wayne. When he met my mom on a trip to Hawaii, he decided to move there on a whim because it was love at first sight. But then he got a job offer in Indianapolis he couldn't refuse, so we had to move," I explained.

He nodded understandably and took a sip from his wine glass. "I'm sure that was really hard for your Tutu to see her daughter and granddaughter move so far away."

"It was, yeah. That's why we make going down there for the holidays a priority, and we usually stay for around a month," I said.

"Wow. A month." He took another drink from his glass. "I've never been to Hawaii."

"Play your cards right and you might," I smiled with a soft laugh and copied him, taking a generous sip from my wine glass. A plate of mozzarella sticks was sat on the table with a side of marinara sauce. "Now this is what I'm talking about!" I grinned and grabbed a breaded appetizer.

Charlie grinned as the cheese stretched, leaving a string of mozzarella hanging from my mouth. "So, have you figured out what you wanna do with your life yet?"

"No," I replied bluntly. "You?"

"No." He grabbed a mozzarella stick and brought it to his lips. "I asked you first so I could steal your idea."

"Ha-ha," I said sarcastically and gave it a serious moment of thought. "I always thought working in a zoo would be cool, but now I'm leaning more toward working with sea life, like in an aquarium or sanctuary. Tropical fish, dolphins, turtles, they all remind me of home."

"That makes perfect sense," Charlie nodded his confirmation. "That sounds like something you'd be great at."

I smiled bashfully beneath his gaze. "Thanks. Maybe you could do marketing for wherever I take care of animals."