I hope the prize is new contestants – real ones – because then I get to leave.
Ozzy cracks on, like he was born to do this.
‘Right,’ he says, instantly stepping up to take the lead – not that I can think of anyone who could do a better job. ‘We’ll need logs, rope – or vines, something buoyant. Bamboo maybe. I’m happy to dish out jobs.’
Of course he is.
The rest of us are happy to be told what to do. We shuffle toward the beach. The tide’s out, the sand is hot – it’s not the kind of day for doing a task. Lockie’s carrying an armful of bamboo in a way that is just… so sexy, like he’s advertising aftershave for a luxury brand. I could swear he’s angling his muscles towards the camera, so they don’t miss a second of his flexing.
Camilla takes a seat on the sand, legs crossed, palms up like she’s trying to relax.
‘I’m not getting splinters,’ she says flatly. ‘Or dirty. Or wet.’
‘Camilla, come on,’ Ozzy says, trying to razz her up. ‘It’s a group challenge. This is to win something for all of us. Be a team player.’
‘Okay, I will,’ she replies. ‘I’ll provide the moral support.’
Honey, meanwhile, is tying vines around two bits of driftwood.
‘Do you know what you’re doing?’ Tony asks her.
‘If you criss-cross the tension points, you’ll… erm… No, not really, I just made that up to sound smart,’ she says with a giggle.
I glance at her as she does a comically bad job. Tony takes it from her and has a go instead. There’s something about Honey that I can’t figure out. Something in her tone, in her ditziness…
She smiles at me, big and blank. I give her a wave. At least she’s trying, unlike Camilla.
Lockie wanders over to me, all smiles.
‘Need a hand?’ he asks. He squats so close I can see the golden flecks in his green eyes. ‘I’ve done my bit – it was easy.’
‘I’ve got it,’ I say.
He stays crouched beside me anyway, close enough that I can feel the heat from his skin. His arm brushes against mine, just for a second, I hold my breath.
‘I don’t know, I think you need me to help,’ he says, his tone flirtatious. ‘I think you need my hands.’
‘I’m perfectly capable of?—’
I pull the vine too hard, lose my balance and crash into him. He’s only crouching, so I knock him over with ease, and of course, I land right on top of him. Trying to steady myself, to use my limbs to my advantage, only makes me spread them wider and wrap myself around even more thoroughly. Our landing position is Lockie lying on his back, me straddling him.
If Simon is watching this, he’ll be buying himself a new sports car to add to his collection.
For a second, it feels like the world has stopped turning. Lockie is holding me steady, his hands on my waist holding me securely in place on top of him. I’m resting my hands on his chest, to keep myself upright, and I could swear I just heard a camera zooming in.
Then someone coughs.
I snap to my senses and scramble to my feet.
‘Easy, girl,’ he tells me – I must have hopped off a little too fast.
‘Are you okay, Cleo?’ Ozzy asks me, taking me by the hand, pulling me away from Lockie.
‘I’m fine,’ I tell him. ‘Just… clumsy.’
‘Don’t blame yourself, Lockie was distracting you,’ he reassures me.
‘I was offering to help,’ Lockie tells him. ‘It’s not that deep.’
