Love Island

Chapter 28 - Green with Envy

The dates ended with a single text to Charlie's phone. All eyes snapped to our table as he lifted it and read the words aloud. "Islanders, the dates are now over. America will now vote for their favorite date, and the two selected Islanders will get a surprise reward tonight. #MayTheBestDateWin." After the announcement, chairs scooted back on the turf as tables were abandoned.

"Thanks, I guess," Charlie smiled as we stood from our seats in unison. "That was actually pretty fun. Not that I'm surprised; I enjoy spending time with you. I'm just glad it wasn't terribly awkward."

"Yeah, after we cleared the air, it was totally fine," I said reassuringly. "I'm glad my date was with such a good friend." I nudged his arm lightly. He smiled down at the playful gesture, but his happiness slowly faded until it disappeared.

"I'll see you around." Charlie placed a careful hand on my shoulder as he maneuvered around me and walked over to join the group of guys.

Walking in the opposite direction, a wave of perfume cascaded over me as the girls approached. Their hips swayed in a last-ditch attempt to gain male attention. I felt like a lamp post standing awkwardly near them. Giselle's suggestion to find a place to talk was met with universal praise and agreement. Five bean bags were snatched from the garden and organized in a circle far enough from the boys to keep our thoughts private. The boys retained their favorite spot in the outdoor lounge.

"What a wild day. Who wants to go first?" Giselle asked.

"I'll go," Peach joked. "I had a wonderful date with my imaginary friend."

"Aw, Peach, don't sweat it! Think of it as a compliment. America likes you with Gray so much that they don't see you with anyone else," I suggested.

Peach considered this and nodded with pleasure. "Alright, you've sold me, Maddie."

"I can go," Peyton offered. "Um, Gray's nice. He definitely has that sophistication about him, but I'm still sticking with Blake." A few of the girls pried for more details of the date. "We talked about our hometowns. There's not much in common between Texas and Pennsylvania. He does have that Zac Efron vibe that I like: the dark hair and blue eyes. But... I know it's sappy, but ever since I met Blake, I've been going crazy for brown eyes. They're so underrated. They're dark and sexy! How about you, Maddie? I saw you and Charlie having a lot of fun."

"It was a lot of fun! He's awesome, but it ended kind of weird. I thought we were having a super great time, but he seemed super eager to leave once his phone rang," I said. "But maybe I'm just thinking too much into it, and he was just uncomfortable with being on a date with his ex-couple's best friend."

"That's totally possible!" Polly said. "Was it uncomfy the whole time?"

"No, not at all. We mentioned it in the first five minutes, but after that, it was just a normal conversation. I found out he goes to IU. He's at the business school. He plays piano and guitar, and one time he got tipped $100 by a woman at his bar. I learned way more stuff about him than I ever would've known, so I thought it was a success." I turned to look as the boys burst into loud laughter that scared the tropical birds from the palms.

Peach intervened, leaning forward in her bean bag. "So you think he didn't have a nice time, after all? Because he left so fast." She watched me, subconsciously playing with a piece of hair.

"Kind of, yeah. I guess I shouldn't worry about it too much," I said. The others nodded in agreement as the next girl was pressed for information.

"Yeah, not my type," Giselle said in regards to Blake. "I'll admit, I thought he was pretty hot when I first saw him. Actually, I still do. But he's just too... self-assured for me. I like a man who's unapologetic, but Blake seems like the type of guy who doesn't even really realize when he needs to apologize," she critiqued. Many of us nodded. Peyton leaned forward with a slight frown. "Not that he's a bad guy, but it's obvious that he has 'pretty privilege.' But good looks only go so far for me."