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Kayla’s eyes flashed at the mention of Aaron, but she recovered so quickly, I could almost convince myself I’d imagined it. But I knew better because it was the same thing that happened when I’d mentioned Aaron.
This was a game, and Kayla had clearly called dibs on Aaron despite her earlier words about feeling the others out. She’d licked him—literally—so he was hers in her mind. If Kayla saw a way to the finish line with Aaron, she would take it.
We chatted a bit more, the minute tension slipping away as we laughed and sipped our drinks until the big red phone rang from inside the house.
* * *
Diego
Grabbing seats by the pool, the five of us talked about nothing for ten minutes before getting down to business.
“All right, gentlemen, let’s hear it,” Zander said. “Who are we feeling?”
Well, that was one way to start us off.
“Kayla for me,” Aaron said without a moment’s hesitation.No shit, Sherlock.
“Really?” I asked in a mocking tone. “I had no clue you felt that way.”
He splashed some of the water at me, and I tipped my head in thanks. It was hot as hell out here, and the water felt fantastic.
“What about you, big Z?” Aaron asked.
Zander rubbed his jaw like he was considering all of his options. Hell, maybe he was. A professional athlete without a massive ego was a win in many people’s books. “Kayla seems like the type to go after what she wants. I like that ambition. But then there’s Viv. She’s fine as hell and we had a good chat today. She’s witty and isn’t afraid to say what’s on her mind.” He was ticking off his fingers as he ran through the list of housemates, and after a sip of his beer, he continued, “Gia is a little quiet for me, but it’s the good quiet. The kind where you can tell she’s listening to you and processing everything you’re talking about.”
Daniel was nodding along with Zander’s assessment of Gia. It was interesting how we differed so much in our initial impressions, but let’s face it, we were all lucky bastards to even be on the island with such amazing women.
“Sophie was really cool too,” Zander said. “She seems smart and like someone I can chill with, but she isn’t into football or any sports other than going to baseball games for the experience more than the game, so not sure about that. Cheryl was nice and bubbly, and she was easy to talk to.”
“Dude,” Aaron groaned. “You’re just listing everyone’s good qualities.”
“Am I not supposed to do that? They’re all great.”
“Yeah, they are,” I said, trying to get a feel for where the football player was leaning. “But maybe this is a good time to talk about who you’re thinking of pursuing.”
Zander had a swig of his beer and shrugged. “Too soon to tell. What about you, Oliver? Who are you into?”
Sophie’s bedmate had been pretty quiet since we sat down, and I was curious about where his head was at as well.
He looked up from the beer bottle label he’d been picking at, pushed his glasses up his nose, and said, “Sophie.”
One word and things suddenly shifted. There was no justification, no mention of the other girls. Oliver just turned to Daniel and asked him for his opinions.
Daniel was into Gia, but thought Cheryl and Viv were cool too. Based on his soft forming of Gia’s name, it was easy to see she was his top pick. “Diego?” Daniel asked. “What about you? We all saw what happened at the party last night.” He raised his brows and elbowed me from his spot nearby.
“Yeah, Sophie is awesome. I want to get to know her more, and I love that she runs her own business. It takes a strong person to handle all of that, and I respect the hell out of it.” Not wanting to pull an “Oliver” and only pick one—I was ignoring the fact that Aaron had done the same—I followed the route of the others by mentioning Cheryl and her enthusiasm. It sounded like I was comparing, even to my own ears. But who was I kidding? Sophie was the one who had caught my eye from the first moment she appeared that first day. Her confidence, her excitement, even that blush that stole over her cheeks drew me in and wouldn’t let me go.
All talk of potential matches was abandoned when a shrill ringing cut through our chatter. We hopped up and made our way to the cabana, meeting the rest of our housemates there as they emerged from the villa.
We’d been told not to answer it unless we were all present, so, finally gathered and seated on the low couches, Zander answered.
“Hello?” he asked, like it would be anyone other than our host calling.
“Hey, guys!” Troy said over speakerphone.
We all cheered our greetings. I sounded far more enthusiastic than I thought possible after getting Oliver’s confirmation he was into Sophie. AndonlySophie.
“Congratulations on your first day of getting to know one another. I hope those hangovers weren’t too bad this morning,” Troy teased.
