𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐑 ━ beckham jr.

9. Surprise Appearance

LUNA

The sun brushed against my closed eyelids to which I yawned.

It was Jocelyn opening the curtains, a beautiful morning following a beautiful night. As far as I remember, last night I was the topic of discussion. I didn't know whether I looked like an infatuated teenager or a drunk because I couldn't stop producing silly giggled while spilling the experience out to Kristin and Joyce upstairs.

For the rest of the housemates, I kept it short and sweet, just as they did. I didn't want to share much of my experience and happiness, because lord did I know how evil eye worked in these environments. 

Once I entered the house, most of them stared me down with despise and it felt very uncomfortable to be the center of attention in such a scenario, so I opted for playing it off.

"Wakey, wakey sunshine" Joyce sang, as I sat up in bed. "It's a beautiful sunny morning and we will not waste it in bed, let's head outside to the pool area."

Her words were spilling all-too fast for my half-asleep brain. 

However, not even her loud energy made me angry this morning because it was, indeed, a beautiful morning and I was feeling everyone around me equally precious. Weirding her out by my constant smile, I rushed to the ensuite bathroom to change into a bikini top and crochet shorts, letting my hair down as per usual.

I walked downstairs and greeted every person I encountered, earning some mid-to-mad responses. Not sure whether the attitude was real or in my head, however it couldn't bother me to that extent — I simply brushed it off. Once in the kitchen, I made myself a bowl of Cheerios and carried it outside, spotting my roommates sitting alongside other ladies.

"Look at her smile." Raquelle said, earning the attention from the group.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say she got lucky." Joyce scoffed, followed by a unison laugh. I pushed her playfully, tagging along the teasing.

They kept me entertained for the rest of the morning, but my mind still managed to find its way back to yesterday's events. It was inevitable! I tried participating on the conversation topic, but a single memory from last night would pop up in my head and a smile would creep its way onto my lips. I must've looked silly as heck, but I didn't care.

Lunch time soon approached and I knew the penultimate date pick was bound to happen soon, which felt bittersweet. I would be seeing Odell once more, but he'd be leaving the house with someone other than me. And I'd be left inside this mansion, once again.

☾

That was it, there he went out the tall-doors once more, on yet another date. While he was here for the date pick, our gaze met and it made me curious to know what could he possible be thinking of, whether he'd enjoyed last night as much as I did. He wasn't mingling with the group, while in the house, so it was hard to tell.

The rest of the day went by dead slow. Step one was successful and I managed to brush the repetitive images out of my head this time whilst joking around with some of the girls. I was now in the kitchen preparing a snack, because what could a girl do in a huge mansion all day? Eat.

In the final preparations of my smoothie-bowl, I heard what sounded like the door unlock. Most females rushed to the entrance, and I assumed the date was over, so I ignored the commotion. A few minutes passed as I held the finished bowl in my head, heading into the common area to see what story I was going to hear this time.

Stepping out the doorframe, I took baby steps while carefully guarding the bowl, so not to spill it.

"How are these legs feeling, sore much?" My eyes couldn't move up any faster, giving me the feeling of lightheadedness. It was... him.

"I can live." I teased.

He faced down at me and I brushed past, focused on my save-the-bowl mission, making my way towards the living room along the group. At this point everyone turned to me simultaneously but I realized short after I wasn't the subject, yet Odell who followed suit.

I sat down in the empty armchair to the further right, placing my recently-finished snack in my knees, followed by a tall frame that made its way onto the arm of this smaller sofa. I bit my tongue trying not to laugh. This guy.

Everyone had their eyes on him, flashing their Colgate smiles at him and sitting up straight while your girl sat inches from him, holding this rather large bowl of food, portraying the true meaning of a coach potato.  

"What is everyone thinking about the house so far?" he made small conversation. 

Mostly yeses mixed with 'very pretty' and a 'wish I could move in permanently' filled the air. I met the author's gaze, non-other than Trish, prompting her petite frame and flashing her pearly whites. She always knew how to make a difference, didn't she?

In the midst of it all, some females were more talkative and got comfortable into the conversation, probably attempting at showing off and loving the attention they got, even if just for two seconds. "And what would you say was your best date so far?" A petite curvy girl interjected. 

A communal ooooh filled the air, and I could feel the content of my smoothie-bowl crumping in my throat, as I tried my best not to smile and look like a weirdo doing it, since the question wasn't even directed at me. When I looked up to expectantly listen to his answer, his eyes locked on mine. Highly intimidating, I couldn't hold his gazer longer than two seconds, forcing myself to look away.

"Can't give an answer to that. I'm still in the beginning of getting to know everyone, so it wouldn't be fair..." he concluded confidently, making eye contact with most as to try and make them believe theirs was the favorite.

The rest of the conversation flew and I still wondered why he had decided to step foot in the house? I doubted it was for the redhead he had gone on a date with, because their body language called it out, sitting on opposite sides of the room. Instead, he sat by my side. But that was probably just a coincidence, since all seats were taken around the main lounge area. Most out of nervousness, I tried ignoring the fact that his arm was practically constantly brushing my shoulder.

A good half-an hour after, Odell excused himself and said his goodbyes, earning some hugs from some of the females. I observed him from the back of the group as he flashed a quick smile at us all.  

As he left, we all went back to our usual daily routine of splitting into groups and stop pretending that we everyone liked each other. As the first elimination was nearing, the atmosphere felt heavier. I don't know whether it was all in my head, but people started acting different — dare I say cold. It's as if from the moment a person walked through these doors after going on a date, the game begun.

I could especially feel that energy around Trish. The one who I had met in the first days of the experience and went over her way to act nice, that all started fading away and the conversation diminished, as did the kindness. Just earlier this afternoon during Odell's talk, I could feel a strange vibe coming from her, as her eyes nearly burned through my forehead.

Let's get things started!