Love Island

Chapter 22 - Everything Must Change

"I've got a text," Katrina whimpered before the lights had even turned on. I was too tired to respond, and the silence that followed showed that I wasn't alone. A soft shuffling came from across the room. "I've got a text," she repeated slightly louder.

"What time is it?" Michael growled from beside her.

"What's it say?" Blake's silhouette sat up in bed.

"Islanders... get ready for an early morning. An electrician's coming to fix the A.C.," Katrina squinted in the only light in the room. "I've never gotten a text that wasn't a challenge before."

Blake happily hopped out of bed and tidied his blankets. "Good looking out. All of us are half-naked."

"Oh," I mumbled as I remembered my outfit from last night. Noah was still sleeping soundly by my side, though we'd separated by a few inches overnight as it got too warm. I gently woke him up by playing with his hair until he rolled his head to the side and gently parted his eyes. He smiled when he saw me.

"Well good morning," he smiled and let out a breathy chuckle. His joy was robbed when the lights flashed on, illuminating every corner of the room in white and burning our eyes. "Shit," Noah said. He squeezed his hazel eyes shut and turned his head away from the lights.

I lifted the sheets and started sliding out of bed. "I've gotta go get dressed so the electrician doesn't have to see my ass."

"Anyone who gets to see it should consider themselves lucky," Noah replied sleepily. I leaned down and kissed his cheek before jumping out of bed and quickly walking upstairs to the girls' dressing room. The other girls joined me with the same mentality.

Once we reached our vanities, we allowed time to stand still as our bodies moved slowly, applying any cleansers or creams to our skin and prepping for the day.

Polly almost fell asleep as she brushed through her hair. "I'm exhausted."

Peyton nodded and expressed her agreement through a yawn. "I guess I've got to get used to early wake-ups if I'm going to see Blake outside the villa." She ran her fingers through her blonde hair to separate the tangles.

My eyes felt heavy as I tried to focus on my reflection in the vanity mirror. I fumbled with more than one beauty product before giving up and tossing my items back in their drawer. "Peach, I want to go cuddle on a daybed with you."

"Bet, say less." Peach giggled a sleepy laugh. She held her chin in her hands. "Did Noah like your outfit?" She asked through a yawn. "I bet you broke some necks last night."

I looked down to confirm. "Yeah, Noah liked it."

"Sis, I like it. You look amazing." Peach leaned back in her chair and began throwing her hair up into a ponytail for the day. "Maddie, be my ponytail twin."

"Okay." I grabbed a hair tie from the vanity and tilted my head forward, looking down at my lap as I gathered the long, wavy strands into a thick ponytail and secured it high on my head. "This is the Love Island equivalent of asking your friends to dress up with you in middle school."

Peach snorted and pulled out a few baby hairs to hang loosely around her cheeks. "That's exactly what it is."

Katrina was all too chipper as she brushed through her straight hair, whistling as she spread heavy-duty sunscreen across her pale skin. "So, does anyone have any more thoughts about the new boys now that they've gotten a chance to think about it?" The background shuffling of bags and zippers quieted, but no one spoke up. "Alright then."

The silence continued as we prepared ourselves for the day. Giselle and Polly glanced at each other nervously, considering what the other was wearing and how they applied their makeup. Peach stared her reflection down in the mirror of her vanity. After a moment, she stood from her stool and dismissed herself, walking briskly out of the dressing room.