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“You wanna swim?”
“Crawl into a hole?”
“Make balloon animals?”
“Read smut?”
“You wanna dance it out?” Zander tried again.
I finally lifted my head. “You guys are the worst. Andmake balloon animals, Sophie? Really? Where are we gonna get balloons all the way out here?”
“Condoms?” Sophie offered, referencing the rubbers stashed all over the house. “Might be slippery, though, if they’re pre-lubed. They could be eels? Less twisting and contorting required.”
I cracked my first smile in days. “Thanks, Sophie girl. I needed that.”
“What are you gonna do, man?” Zander asked.
“I just ended it. I can’t go around in circles like this.” I rubbed my chin in thought. “It wasn’t just that I picked you, Sophie. Sure, it might have started that way, but her words that followed hurt.”
Sophie rested a comforting hand on my shoulder.
“It’s just…” I started, then shook my head and stared off toward the beach, afraid to say the words out loud. “Argh, I’m so embarrassed.”
“Why?” Zander said, nudging my knee with his under the table and encouraging me to continue. “You found someone you liked, and you went for it. That’s what the show is all about. Who cares if it didn’t work out? No one is judging you for what you did and all the drama that followed. You tried to explain, and she didn’t hear it. That’s not on you.” Zander braced his palms on the table as I turned toward him. “Are you ashamed of your actions?”
“Pfft, no.”
“Then own it, man! It sucks, but if you can sleep at night knowing that you did the right thing, you’ll be just fine.” Zander clapped a hand on my shoulder from across the table. Dude had some reach.
“Oh God,” I said, turning my head toward the house and looking up at our bedroom window. “Where am I going to sleep tonight?”
“Cheryl’s got room in her bed, right?” Zander asked. He turned to Sophie with an eyebrow raised. “You know, now that Oliver has permanently moved in with Sophie and Diego.”
“Shut up,” she chastised, smacking his hand.
“Nah, Cheryl hates me just as much as Kayla. Those two are president and vice president of theI hate Aaronclub. I’ll figure something out,” I said.
“Gia’s bed? Maybe Daniel will move?” Sophie offered.
To be honest, Daniel and Gia had been in their own world since we got here and it was easy to forget about them. Sad, but true. They were on their way to coupledom, and we were all flailing around out here like a T-Rex trying to scratch its own ass.
“Nah, they’re bonding and shit. I can’t do that to them. The rules say I have to sleep in the room, but they don’t say I have to sleep in a bed. I’ll crash on the floor to save everyone the headache.”
Sophie sighed. “I feel bad. If I’d done a better job at breaking up with Ryan, he wouldn’t have come here, and you and Kayla would still be in your happy bubble.”
I patted her shoulder, returning the comfort she had given me minutes before. “That’s the thing about bubbles, though, Sophie. They pop, no matter what.”
Gia and Daniel approached from wherever they’d snuck off to and faltered in their steps as they got closer.
“Is it safe in there?” Gia asked in a whisper, pointing toward the house with her free hand. The other was intertwined with Daniel’s, the two making a charming picture with the lazy blue clouds and swaying palms in the backdrop.
I winced. “Yeah. Sorry for making everyone uncomfortable.”
“Stop apologizing,” Sophie responded. “We knew what we were getting into when we signed up for this. Close proximity with a bunch of strangers means there will inevitably be some less than comfortable moments.”
“Close proximity, one bed trope, love triangle… Sophie, you, Oliver, and Diego are living out a romance novel,” Gia teased.
Sophie flicked her hair over her shoulder with a laugh. “Maybe a bit. But no one has brought up the whole love triangle thing. And the bed sharing just seems to be understood at this point. I don’t think I could kick either out at this point, not that I want to. But I’m a little afraid of what happens when it comes time to choose, ya know?”
