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“Like the side mirrors on a car,” I commented. He nodded, sending me a smile. I cocked my head as I studied his face. When he’d mentioned the car engine thing in the kitchen, his eyes danced with delight and again with the multi-channeling and water mirage. Oliver enjoyed knowing things, and not in anI-know-more-than-youway. In a genuine fascination kind of way. “You really are a fount of knowledge, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, kind of.” He rubbed a hand on the back of his neck, sending a few more droplets down his chest.
“It’s not a bad thing, Oliver.”
“Debatable. It’s why my last few relationships haven’t worked out. I’ve been told it can be annoying, but it’s not something I can just turn off.” He cast his eyes down at his hands as he wrung them together.
I took his hands in mine, feeling bad for picking at something that had been an issue for him in the past.
“I don’t find it annoying at all,” I insisted. He peeked up for a second and tentatively twined his fingers through mine. “It’s interesting, and I like to learn new things.”
A slow smile spread across his face. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” I echoed, dipping my head to catch his averted gaze. I wasn’t just feeding him lines so he would feel good about himself. I meant what I’d said. “So, is that why you’re here?”
“I have a TikTok where I explain theories and interesting things I learn…” He hesitated, looking sheepish. “Shirtless. The producers said they picked me because there’s an inordinate number of female followers, but I still teach people without wearing a shirt. Or maybebecauseI’m not wearing one. Come for the abs; stay for the knowledge.” He chuckled with mirth. That had to be his catch phrase.
“I was never the most attractive guy growing up, more comfortable with my nose in a book than my ass in a gym. But I read a study about listening to audiobooks while engaging in physical activity and wanted to test the theory that it helps you retain knowledge better. So I bought a few audiobooks, headphones, and a gym membership. Turns out, the theory was right.”
I laughed. It wasn’t often someone got ripped for the sake of education. “That’s fascinating. Well, it clearly worked out for you.” I gestured to his body.
“Yeah, but it got way more attention than I was ready for. I struggled with that at the start as a former bullied kid and nerd. But eventually, I figured using my powers for good was the right thing to do.”
“Like a superhero,” I marveled. He laughed and ducked his head. “But yeah, I’d definitely watch your channel. Between the body, the accent, and the education, count me in.”
He gave me a genuine smile, and it lit something in my chest. He had some reservations about his intellect from when he was younger, that much was abundantly clear. Those weren’t going away overnight, but I decided to make it my mission while on this brief vacation to help him see how awesome he really was. Idiosyncrasies and all.
My crush on him had nothing to do with it. Nothing at all.
CHAPTERNINE
Sophie
The returnto our island had been a much better boat ride than the initial one. At least this time, I got to watch the villa appear from behind the palm fronds. The gentle roll of the sea under the boat had added to the experience instead of making me feel like I was on a tilt-o-whirl after too much funnel cake at a country fair. Add in the setting sun and the beautiful hues of sunset bleeding into the sky, and it was one of the most picturesque things I’d ever seen.
When we docked, a crew member helped Jess off the boat—looking a little green yet again—who she introduced as Tobias. He informed us that dinner was ready in the kitchen, and we were “off the clock” for the night. No more calls, no more surprises, just some good old-fashioned chill time… with the stationary cameras still rolling, of course.
Today was shaping up to be the longest day of my life. I felt like I had done all the things, and every activity was strangely stretched out yet too short because of our finite time here. We walked into the kitchen and found a spread that was more fit for a football team than the ten of us.
Just like earlier today during our chat, I sat sandwiched between Oliver and Diego, barely believing it was still the same day. It felt like an eternity had passed between these few hours. As we ate, we chatted about our snorkeling outing. Everyone recapped what their favorite part of the day was.
Zander, Gia, Aaron, Kayla, and Daniel touched the seafloor as I did, but none had the same dramatic ending. Diego had begun to explain what happened when I attempted it, but I politely stomped on his foot, and he coughed to cover up his wince of pain. I didn’t want my error brought up during what had been such an easy-going, enjoyable meal, and have it tank the mood.
After I redirected the conversation, Oliver rested his hand on mine, giving it a little squeeze of support.
He and I had a lovely time on the boat today after my incident, and while I was excited to spend some more time with Diego tonight, I would miss Oliver beside me. He was kind, and hot, and random facts just sounded better coming out of his mouth than on the lids of Snapple drinks. But more than that, he was captivating in a way I hadn’t expected.
“Anyone else exhausted as fuck?” Viv asked as we rinsed the dishes.
“Oh my God, yes. I thought it was just me,” Kayla griped as she stacked our plates in the dishwasher.
“It’s the water and all the sun. It drains your energy faster, and we were out there for a while,” Zander added. “I’m beat too.”
We were all damn near sleeping on our feet and agreed to call it an early night; there was no telling what was in store for us tomorrow. It had been an eventful first day, and we still had 27 more to go.
We split up to shower in shifts and got ready for bed. I opted for a soft black cami and sleep shorts, braiding my hair back once it was clean. A spot at the sink opened up, so I grabbed my toothbrush and stood beside Zander, who looked worse for wear after our jam-packed day.
“So, Oliver and Diego?” he asked, barely hiding the grin as he watched my stupid blush climb up my cheeks.
