Love Island

Chapter 56 - The Aftermath

"You don't think I'm a downgrade, right?" I asked, sitting beside Charlie on the loungers. Though the challenge had ended hours ago, none of us were immune to the weight of the perceptions that had been passed down to us. Charlie lifted his sunglasses to look me in the eye. As he did so, he had to squeeze his light-sensitive blue eyes shut, then slowly open them as they adjusted to the sun's overwhelming rays.

"Why the hell would I think that?" Charlie asked. He fixed his posture as he turned his body toward my direction. "You're everything I've wanted for weeks." 

I wished that was enough to refill my spirits, but I selfishly wanted more from him. I nodded my head submissively and laid it back down on the lounger, resuming my tanning position. "Okay."

"Do you think I downgraded, Maddie?" Charlie asked.

"I can't call myself an upgrade from Peach, but that's not really what I'm worried about. America thinks you can do better than me. So what if you do?" 

He looked a tad concerned. "What if I do?"

"What if we go out into the real world and you find someone better than me?"

Charlie shook his head. "Nope, not happening. I won't even entertain the idea. I've put too much into this couple. You're my person now, we're stuck together."

I sat back up, propping myself up on a single elbow as I turned to look him in the eye. "Even if I was a worm?"

"What... the fuck?"

"Would you still stick with me even if I was a worm? Like, two weeks after we get dumped we make plans to move in together, and I drink some magic potion and you wake up and there's a worm in your bed, right where I was sleeping. Would you still stick with me?" I asked.

Charlie pressed his lips together and patted my leg. "I'm going to pour myself a drink because that was a lot for me to process. I'd offer to make you one as well, but based on that question, I think you should stay sober for the rest of your life," he joked. He swung his legs off the side of the lounger and stood to his feet, disappearing somewhere behind me to go to the pool bar.

I sighed with discontent and looked around the garden. Gray left Peach to head toward the bar, leaving her alone beside the pool. I swooped in and landed beside her on the pavement. "Hey."

"Hi, Maddie." Peach smiled over at me. "Weird day."

"Yeah," I agreed quietly. "Those games were just... a bit much. Like we already had to play the Totem Poll game, which was just ranking ourselves against each other. Then the mean tweet thing... that wasn't even a game! They just needed a platform to insult us."

Peach agreed with a nod of her head. "Amazing that the producers picked tweets that they knew would affect us the most. They chose one about Peyton cheating when they know that's something she's most ashamed of in her whole life. And talking about Noah and you... God that was weeks ago! People need to get over it."

"I didn't agree with yours, either." I shook my head. "Gray and Connor shouldn't have fought over you, but you're also not a bread crumb. You're a five-course meal. You're Thanksgiving!"

Peach giggled. "Thank you, so are you. What were you and Charlie talking about?"

"The challenge... how he wouldn't love me if I was a worm."

"If you were a worm?" Peach scratched at her chin. "I don't know, couldn't you at least be like... a lizard or something. How is a supposed to romantically look into your eyes if you're a worm? Do worms have eyes?"

"No, they only have light receptors to help them know when to move out of the sun. So if Charlie were like... hovering above me and casting a shadow down, I'd know he was there."