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I had to keep myself on lock here. No crazy tangents. No random facts and information no one asked for. Being myself right out the gate hadn’t led to many meaningful relationships in the past.
After my shower, I dried off and pulled on the boxer briefs and basketball shorts I’d grabbed on my way to the bathroom. It was way too hot to sleep in more than this, and I hoped my bedmate wouldn’t mind.
Cracking open the door, I saw movement under the sheets where Kayla, the loud one, and Aaron, the other loud one, were sharing a bed. I paused to make sure everyone was okay with what was going on under there after all the alcohol we’d had.
Kayla moaned quietly and told Aaron, “A little to the left,” so I left them to it, assured that everyone was on board.
Zander was snoring in the bed next to mine. Apparently, he and Viv were having a loud breathing competition. I thought she was in the lead.
I passed by and realized I had a problem. The little privacy barrier around the bed had one entrance, and it was blocked by a sleeping Sophie.
Carefully placing my knee on the bed, I shifted and brought the other one up and over, straddling Sophie’s calves. I looked at her to make sure I hadn’t woken her and found her still fast asleep. A slight curl of amusement danced on her lips, making me wonder what she was dreaming about.
Shaking myself out of my daze—because being woken up by a virtual stranger staring down at you was not the first impression I wanted to make—I maneuvered myself until I was lying beside her. Her hair was fanned out around her and the sheet had been kicked aside in favor of the cool breeze coming through the window. I took off my glasses and set them on the windowsill for the morning.
Sophie turned toward me, resting her head on my arm, and I froze. Even with my poor eyesight, I’d be daft not to think she was beautiful. Like a Peter Paul Rubens painting with her soft features and halo of hair around her head.
I’d rather get a dead arm than disturb her, so I settled in, ready to wake up with a numb limb.
* * *
I cracked my eyes open,feeling rested and a little too warm. Sophie had wrapped herself around me, her arm flung over my bare stomach, while mine was around her, tugging her closer.
She was soft and warm, seeming so peaceful during sleep where she’d been nothing but a confident powerhouse yesterday. She shifted, her hair spilling over my shoulder with the subtle movement, and the scent of coconuts drifted to my nose. I took a subtle inhale and realized it was her shampoo. With her head tucked in that space between my shoulder and my face, I did what any other man would do. I inhaled again like an idiot.
“Did you just sniff me?” her sleepy voice asked.
I chuckled and rubbed my jaw with my free hand. “You smell like a piña colada,” I said, like that was a reasonable explanation.
“It’s the shampoo in shower three if you wanna smell like a cocktail too,” she answered drowsily. “What time is it?”
I put my glasses back on and looked at the clock on the opposite wall. “Six-thirty.”
“I slept in,” she murmured. “Anyone ever tell you that you’re super comfortable?”
No, but she didn’t need to know that. “This is sleeping in for you?”
She hummed and snuggled against me again. “That’s like eight-thirty at home. Ten more minutes.”
Sophie’s breathing evened out again, and I was left staring at the ceiling with only my thoughts for company. Last night felt like I’d finally been invited to the cool kids’ table. Granted, I’d matured since secondary school and wasn’t looking for validation like that anymore, but dammit, it was nice to have, anyway.
Everyone had been lovely, even going so far as to make sure no one got too sloppy on camera. Diego had taken care of Cheryl, Aaron and Kayla were wrapped up in their own little world, and Zander had eventually carried Daniel back up to the villa in his arms bridal style, the same way he’d carried Viv. He was clearly the caretaker of our little group.
Sophie stretched beside me, and her thigh brushed over my slumber lumber. She froze when it twitched, her cheeks lifting in a smile.
“Oops.” She didn’t sound sorry at all, and I admired the cheekiness.
“It happens.” I shrugged, jostling her head on my arm. “Good morning again. Sleep well?”
“The best.”
Blushing was contagious, apparently. My eyes met hers. “Want to go get some coffee?”
“God, yes.”
We quietly got out of bed, washed up, brushed our teeth, and found our way to the kitchen.
“So what’s your story, Oliver?” she asked as she started the Keurig machine, and I settled onto a stool at the counter.
