“You’re not boring.”
Lucy grinned, feeling way too giddy.
From there, the conversation drifted into more superficial territory: favorite food, travel dreams, type of morning coffee. There was nothing said about Skye’s life, or about her history.
After what felt like ten minutes but was closer to an hour, Marla finally called it. “Alright ladies. You both did amazing. We’ve got what we need, and I’m sure the two of you have gotten to know each other a little better.”
A production assistant was already striding toward them. Her brown eyes were locked on Lucy’s.
Great. She was probably going to be ushered back to the villa. Away from Skye.
But then Skye leaned forward and brushed her hand over Lucy’s knee.“Meet me later,” she said under her breath, her voice so low Lucy barely heard it over the sound of the waves. “Same place on the beach as last time. Midnight.”
Lucy’s heart skipped a beat. She opened her mouth to answer, but the assistant’s hand landed on her shoulder. Soon enough, she was being steered away.
~~
The villa was loud before Lucy even stepped inside. It wasn’t the usual conversational noise or Priya’s soundtrack that often played from the speakers. It was sharp, loud, two familiar voices bouncing hard off the glass walls.
Lucy slowed when she stepped through the doorway. There, in the middle of the lounge, was Amy. She stood near the coffee table, arms crossed, her chin tilted up in a hostile kind of way. Alexis was on the opposite side, her one hip cocked, a glass of wine dangling between two fingers.
“I’m just saying,” Alexis said, drawing out each word like she was tasting it. “It’s obvious she’s not Skye’s type. We’ve all seen it. The only reason she got this sunset date was because Skyehadto choose her. It’s only fair that everyone gets a date. I bet she’ll go out next.”
Amy’s jaw tightened. “You mean you thinkyou’reher type?”
Alexis’s mouth curved. “I mean, it’s a show about finding the right match, isn’t it? And I’m way more of a match for Skye than Lucy. So are you. So is Charlotte.”
“I thought you just said Charlotte’s boring too.”
“Hey!” Charlotte chipped in, rising from the sofa with a frown sitting heavy on her forehead. “I’m not boring.”
Alexis ignored her and took a lazy sip of her wine. “It’s about chemistry, isn’t it?” she said. “Skye and I have chemistry.”
“Who says?”
Alexis smiled in a way that made Lucy’s skin prickle. “Skye says,” she said smugly. “Or at least she did when she kissed me on our solo date yesterday.”
The words landed like a jagged piece of glass in Lucy’s stomach. For a second, she thought she’d misheard. Maybe Alexis was just baiting Amy the way she always baited everyone else. But the way Alexis tilted her head to the side, her eyes half-lidded like she was replaying the moment, it was obvious she wasn’t lying.
“Seriously?” Amy said.
“Yes,” Alexis replied, still grinning smugly.
Priya, who was curled up on the armchair with a throw pillow hugged to her chest, let out a long sigh. “I can’t believe she kissed you and not me. I mean, I brought her that homemade chai. It was an amazing chai.”
Cleo, who was filing her nails at the kitchen counter, didn’t even look up. “Maybe she doesn’t like chai.”
“It doesn’t matter if she likes chai or not. She kissed me. Clearly, we have a connection.” Alexis set her wineglass on the coffee table. Her gaze flicked toward the doorway where Lucy was still standing. Her eyes widened, just slightly, but then thesurprise melted into a sly smirk. “So, Lucy. Did you manage to get a kiss from Skye on your date?”
Lucy’s mind screamed to tell her the truth, that she’d already had Skye’s lips on hers, and that she’d had Skye’s face between her bare legs. But she swallowed the truth down for Skye’s sake. For her own sake, too. What they had done—twice—was their secret. She didn’t have to watchThe Sapphic Matchto know that sneaking off to have sex with the bachelorette was probably frowned upon not only by the production team but also by the other contestants.
“No,” she said instead, forcing a soft smile on her face.
Amy stepped forward, shaking her head. “Maybe winning isn’t only about who gets the kiss first, Alexis. Maybe it’s about who’s genuine.”
“Oh, please,” Alexis said, pulling a face. “It’s a reality show, not a Girl Scout jamboree. We’re all here to win.”
Lucy felt a sudden rush of heat flush her cheeks. It was true. They were all there to compete and to win. But still, she hadn’t even considered Skye kissing any of the other contestants despite knowing it was the entire premise of the show. Somehow, she’d let herself believe she’d been the only one to get that kind of closeness with Skye.
