Oliver
Six and a Half Weeks Until Finale
Neil Steel: Here’s what you missed last week: Oliver and Zoë’s romance was a tropical paradise, before Hurricane Declan swept in to shake things up. And he has something to say about Oliver…
Declan King: ‘He’s not the typical guy to come on here. A bit awkward and shy.’
Neil Steel: Can our shipwrecked lovers find their way back to each other, or will Oliver stay lost at sea?
Two days after the recoupling, Oliver lay wedged between Niall and Stella on a daybed, looking out across the garden at where Maeve sat by the pool with Holly and Jack. He had continuously entertained the idea of joining the three of them throughout the morning, but found he much preferred the position of relative safety that the fortress of Niall and Stella provided.
‘Oliver,’ Niall said, ‘what do you think?’
‘Hmm?’ Oliver asked.
‘I was asking,’ Stella said, gazing serenely at the cloudless sky, ‘if you’re going to talk to Maeve.’
Oliver sighed, tipping his head back and letting the sun overwhelm his vision. ‘I’ve talked to her,’ he said softly.
Niall cleared his throat, and Oliver could feel him exchanging a look with Stella. ‘You do know that you signed up for a datingshow, right? Dating usually involves talking to people for more than two minutes. Getting to know them, theirsoul.’
Oliver had committed himself to doing anything he could to win the prize money. Anything, apparently, except for talking to a girl. Or knowing her soul, whatever that meant.
He had prepared for the show, to some extent. In the month between being cast and flying to Mallorca, he had watched a highlight reel ofSummer of Lovecontent curated by his reality TV-obsessed mate Will every moment he wasn’t working. He had been so happy Oliver was finally responding to his texts that he’d even prepared presentations on the tactics of previous winners.
Unfortunately, Oliver hadn’t practised basic social skills, and he definitely hadn’t practised flirting. It didn’t help that he couldn’t turn off the part of his brain that constantly reminded him he was being watched by millions of people, including his mates, his family and Sophie. His feelings bottled up without release, making everything seem like the most important decision of his life, making him feel intense feelings about people he hardly knew.
He glanced over at Declan and Zoë. They had been in the weights area for hours now. A cameraman was trained on the two of them, and Declan had to keep pausing and resetting his reps at Brian’s direction. Oliver could only imagine how annoying that would be to someone like Declan, who probably had a specific routine to keep himself looking so fit.
He wasn’t sure what to make of Declan choosing Zoë at the recoupling. He hadn’t seen it coming, but he didn’t fool himself into thinking he could understand someone like Declan King, someone so different from anyone he had ever met. Oliver couldn’t tell if choosing Zoë had been because of genuine feelings or a continuation of his one-sided feud.
He watched as Declan took a break from the workout to grab a towel and wipe off his sweat, starting with his face and trailing down the expanse of his chest and abs, putting on a good show – for Zoë or the cameras, Oliver could only guess.
‘Oliver?’
Oliver started, tearing his eyes away from the squat rack and meeting Niall’s intense gaze. ‘Er, yeah. I’m sure Maeve’s soul is lovely, and I’ll speak with her… soon.’
‘I know you two will hit it off,’ Stella said, looking at him now. Oliver suddenly felt claustrophobic between the two of them. ‘You’re astrologically very compatible.’
Stella was only being nice, but Oliver had no delusions that the stars would align in his favour ever again.
‘This is the perfect opportunity,’ Niall said.
Oliver grimaced at him, grateful to have such well-meaning people to spend this strange period of time with. ‘Yeah, all right,’ he said, pushing himself up and heading towards the pool.
As he approached, Maeve looked up, smiling slightly. He took that as encouragement.
‘Could we have a chat?’ he asked, forcing his hands to stay at his sides rather than jump nervously to his hair.
She stood. ‘Sure.’
‘How are you liking the villa?’ he asked stiffly as they walked towards the closest pair of lounge chairs.
She looked sideways at him, her brown eyes sincere. ‘It’s beautiful here.’
‘Yeah?’ He sat, wondering how on earth she could be enjoying this experience.
She nodded, sitting across from him and pulling her knees towards her chest. ‘I know it’s mad, but this is the first time I’ve taken off work since uni. I’m starting at a new job soon.’
