Page 15 of Insta Bride
He’d had chance after chance to come up to me at the mixer, or earlier over the two days of filming the Matching Ceremony. But I’d been the only woman not to benefit from his charm.
These were facts I knew to be true.
Firstly, because even if he hadn’t noticed me, I’d noticed him. I knew that he’d plucked match sticks from holding sliders together, just to chew on the small slivers of wood. Why he needed to collect so many was a mystery, and I didn’t need to know the answer.
He may be my partner, but it hadn’t stopped him from remaining on flirting terms with any woman who dangled her bikini covered breasts in his direction.
A player.
No evidence to prove he was a liar, but I’d put money on the cheater tag.
Gorgeous, sexy, smart, and then everything I’d asked not to be paired with.
A self-proclaimed bad boy.
Sighing back a yawn, I rose to my feet, brushed away the sand and offered Seb a, “Have a good evening.”
If Seb responded, I didn’t know or care. It had been enough to feel not alone, for the first time since arriving on Lovers Island.
“What the hell did you tell Seb?” My fake boyfriend had followed me to the bathroom in the main building, closed the door behind him and turned on the taps. Did I really need to remind him that the microphones wouldn’t be fooled?
“How about you tell me what you think I said and why it matters?” Kye Branson couldn’t intimidate me with attitude, and I leaned lazily against the vanity.
“We’ve been paired up. The first ceremony starts in a couple of hours. Everyone’s talking strategy and our names keep coming up.”
“I’m not strategizing. I thought our roles were defined. I lie on the beach and work on my tan, you talk to anyone with boobs and agree to hook-up as soon as you get a chance.”
“Is that what you told him?” Kye stood inches away from my face, only I didn’t think this moment would be ending in a kiss. Good thing, my lips had been bruised for hours after our last one.
“What do you think?”
“I think you have no idea how this game is played. If we don’t have alliances, we are out. If we don’t put on a good show, we’ll be edited out.”
“And here I was, thinking we were here to fall in love.”
“Oh, grow up, Elena,” he snapped. “You enjoyed that kiss as much as I did. It gave you a profile in the house and they’ll use us as the show teaser for weeks.”
“Great. I joined a dating show to get a profile. Guess I’ll have to set up a profile to use it. Which dating app do you use?”
“You don’t have one?”
“Answer the question.”
“Why do you want to know what dating app I use if we’re already here, together?”
“So I can avoid it and you. Actually, avoid anyone like you. You are nothing like the man I want to meet.”
“And tell me, have you already found my replacement? Is it Seb? You really want to trade in this,” he said, motioning down his gorgeous body, “For the Italian dude?”
“I don’t know what you think I said or did.” I couldn’t hide my smirk. Kye had a way of riling me up, and it was about to become my mission in life to get under his skin. Bicker, banter, or bullshit. As long as I got a reaction. “I woke up last night, wandered down to the beach and he was already there.”
Kye turned off the water. Studying me. Fingers wrapped around my arms. He’d learned the lesson from last time not to grip me hard, but enough to get my attention. “Be honest. Did you plan to meet him?”
“No. I didn’t even plan to go down there but I couldn’t sleep. I don’t sleep in strange places and there are so many people in the villa and the night noises are different from home.”
“What did you say to him?”
“I asked if he minded company. He didn’t answer so I sat down next to him. I tried to process this whole experience.” Kye didn’t need to know the sound of waves was more calming than music. Or that watching moonlit waves crashing onto shore made the rest of my life seem manageable.