Love Island

5. Operation cobra

Day 3
Couples:
Asher and Taylor
Hannah and Mason
Jodie and Kyle
Violetta and James
Zoe and Alex
Dougie

As I'm sat with Jodie and Hannah, Jodie is going on about how amazing Kyle is, and that it's so difficult to share a bed with him and not climb on top of him. "Must be nice." Hannah remarks sarcastically.

"Is Mason not your cup of tea?" I ask, thinking that now is the perfect time to launch operation cobra.

"Not really, he's a really nice guy and I'm trying so hard to make it work." She explains, a bit defeated. "But I'm just not feeling it."

"Well there's no point trying to force something that's not meant to be." Jodie says, and I'm so glad she did because this conversation is heading right where I want it to go.

"Jodie's right." I add, instantly jumping on board. "If he's not the man for you then you just have to accept that. Is there anyone else you have your eye on?"

"I don't know, I've been focusing so much on Mason that I haven't paid much attention to the other guys." She admits, "I wish I had a broader outlook at the beginning."

"The beginning?" Jodie questions dramatically, "girl it's only day three, you're acting like we've been here for months."

I laugh at how over the top Jodie is, she actually seems really funny. "As dramatic as Jodie is," I start, still laughing, "She has a point. Start talking to the other guys, it's not like they have to be completely loyal to their partners this early in the game."

"I don't think I can do that." Hannah replies shyly, and Dougie was right, Hannah does seem incredibly shy, I hope she comes out of her shell a bit in the next few days.

"So why don't you give it a go with Dougie?" I ask, planting the seed in her head. "Then you won't be stepping on anyone's toes."

Her eyes light up a little when I say this, and she starts to smile. "Dougie?" She questions to herself. "He is kinda cute, and I spoke to him yesterday and we really got on."

"There you go." Jodie instantly yells, as over dramatic as ever. "What you waiting for? Go and speak to him already!"

"I don't think I can." Hannah shakes her head, her cheeks going a little red.

I look round and spot James and Dougie chatting with each other on one of the day beds. "Dougie's with James at the moment, why don't I go over there with you so it's not awkward?"

Before she has a chance to think about it, Jodie gives her a push, practically forcing her to chat to Dougie. We walk over there together, sipping on our drinks until Dougie looks up at us. "Hey girls."

"Hiya." I smile, then take a seat next to James, forcing Hannah to sit next to Dougie. "Hope you don't mind us interrupting."

"Course not." James smiles, putting his arm around my waist. "Always happy to see you."

We talk for a few minutes as a group, then I think it's time for Dougie and Hannah to chat on their own, so I turn to James. "I'm gonna go refill my drink. Wanna come with?"

James glances at Dougie and Hannah then smiles as he looks back at me. "Yeah, sure." We both get up and walk away. As soon as we're out of earshot, James starts talking again. "So Dougie told me about operation cobra. How'd you manage to get her over there so quick?"

"Like I said to Dougie last night," I start, placing my bottle down on the counter in the kitchen. "I'm magic."

"I'm starting to see that." And with a warm smile he moves a strand of hair out of my face, looks down at my lips, then back to my eyes before leaning in to kiss me. His lips are soft and I get lost in the moment, and for a second I forget that we're in a kitchen next to a pile of dirty plates. When he pulls away he looks me in the eyes and smiles again. "I've been wanting to do that for a while."

"A while?" I ask jokingly, "we've only been here three days." He chuckles a little, then I grab my bottle and fill it up with some black-current squash. As I'm screwing the lid back on, I see Hannah walk back to where Jodie is now talking with Kyle, and Hannah has a big smile on her face. "You get on with Kyle, right?" I ask and James nods his head a little. "Can you go over there and see what Hannah says? I'm gonna go speak to Dougie."

And with that we go our separate ways, and as I lay down next to Dougie on the day bed, he rolls over to face me. "You're amazing."

"So? It went well?" I ask tentatively.

"I think she might like me but I'm not sure." He informs me, and I love how excited he is right now.

"Well James is just over there now trying to figure that out." I tell him, "actually, speaking of James. How come you told him about operation cobra?"

"Well he seemed a bit jealous that we were talking last night so I thought it would be for the best if I told him that I liked Hannah and you were helping me." Fair enough, that does seem to make sense. "He really likes you."

I bite my lip in thought, thinking that I can really trust Dougie and that it might be a good idea to get a guy's perspective on things. "Right, I'm gonna tell you something but you've got to promise me you won't tell anyone."

"I promise." He instantly replies, holding out his pinky. I interlock my pinky finger with his, sealing the pinky promise just like I used to do back in middle school.

"So." I start, taking a deep breath. "I haven't told anyone this cause I'm scared how they're going to react. But I actually have a daughter back at home." As I say this, Dougie's jaw drops, clearly he was not expecting those words to come out of my mouth.

"Is that how you have five generations in your family?" He asks, and I nod in response, surprised that he actually remembered that from yesterday's challenge. "So how old is she?"

"She's six." I explain, "I had her when I was eighteen, so it was a long time ago."

"Do you still speak to the father, or what?" He asks, and as much as I feel like I've really bonded with Dougie and that I can trust him. I'm not sure that I'm ready to tell him what really happened that night.

Instead, I tell him the bare minimum, so that I'm not lying to him. "To be honest with you, I don't even know the guys name." He raises his eyebrow as if he didn't expect that from me. "But what I wanted to get your advice on," I start, trying to steer the subject away from Sofia's father. "Is whether I should tell James. I know I should and I will at some point but I don't know if now is the right time."

"If you like this boy and think you've got something then you should tell him." Dougie says, and I'm actually surprised that a guy is giving me such thoughtful advice. "If that scares him off then at least you know that he's not the one."

"You're right." I admit, more to myself that to him. "I'm going to go chat with him now." And with that, I stand up and confidently make my way over to James, about to tell him my biggest secret.