She nodded and headed off towards the villa. As he watched her go, anxiety crept in – the date hadn’t gone terribly, but it certainly wasn’t the roaring success he and Paige had been hoping for. And then there was the problem of Declan, and how Oliver could pursue Zoë with him constantly around.
As soon as Oliver’s thoughts turned to Declan, he seemed to materialise in the corner of his vision, sitting with a group of contestants under the pergola.
Oliver took a step in Niall and Stella’s direction then turned, resigned, towards the pergola at Paige’s warning look.
‘All right?’ he greeted, and Maeve made room for him next to her on the swing.
Jack grinned, eyebrows raised as he looked between Maeve and Oliver. ‘So… no new missus, then?’
Oliver didn’t want to talk about it in front of Declan, who was giving him another inscrutable look. ‘She’s in the house, doing her daily affirmations.’
‘I thought we weren’t allowed to masturbate,’ Holly quipped, and Imogen laughed too loudly, throwing a wide smile to Jack.
Maeve snorted, but turned it into a conceivable coughing noise. ‘Be more obvious, why don’t you?’ she muttered, too quietly for anyone but Oliver to hear.
Jack looked like he was going to ask what she had said, but Holly cut in first: ‘We’ve been trying to have such a dull conversation that the producers will have trouble listening to it later,’ she said.
‘Why?’ Oliver asked, puzzled.
‘We’re bored out of our minds,’ Declan said, finally meeting his eye. As always, his gaze was unnerving. ‘It’s payback time.’
Oliver couldn’t figure Declan out; the man sitting across from him didn’t seem at all like the one that had blown up at him in the bedroom. He looked like he couldn’t care less about Oliver’s date with Zoë.
‘I didn’t realise the producers found anything you said interesting enough to record,’ Oliver quipped. Declan’s mouth twitched, and Oliver’s stomach dropped, unsure if the joke had landed.
He was distracted from worrying about it by Paige walking over, whispering into her headset. Holly nodded towards an approaching cameraman. ‘Gee, thanks, Oliver,’ she said, without much bite. Oliver mouthed an apology.
‘So, how did the date go?’ Declan asked after a moment’s pause, his voice holding none of the warmth from moments ago.
Oliver swallowed. ‘I went on a boat for the first time,’ he said, because he couldn’t think of anything else to say.
‘Right.’ Something about the look in Declan’s eyes reminded Oliver of how Paige had looked at him during their interview, expectant.
‘I’m sure you lot go on boats all the time,’ Oliver continued, feeling like he’d messed something up.
‘Well, you’ve certainly nailed the boring thing,’ Declan said drily. Jack and Owen laughed in appreciation.
‘Man, you two aretoogood,’ Jack said.
Oliver barely registered the dig. There was something he wasn’t getting. Declan flicked a glance towards Paige; it was a split second of broken eye contact, but suddenly Oliver felt foolish. Because of his near-constant rehashing of their interaction on the plane, he hadn’t considered the possibility that Declan was playing up the love triangle for the cameras.
‘It was quite romantic, actually,’ Oliver said, looking into Declan’s eyes. ‘Got to see the sunset over the waves and sip champagne together.’
Declan gave him an almost imperceptible nod of approval.
‘I’m not sure a romantic setting would be enough to tempt Zoë,’ he shot back, his face the picture of disdain. ‘Unfortunately, I think she’s also got to like the company.’
‘I didn’t hear any complaints,’ Oliver said, trying to insert some heat into his voice. Paige was practically beaming at them now; he had never seen her so pleased.
‘Well, let the best man win,’ Declan said, leaning back on the swing with his arms behind his head in a pose that perfectly displayed his biceps.
‘I wouldn’t be so confident,’ Oliver said, almost giddy now. Once he was in on it, Declan’s performance was quite entertaining, and Oliver breathed a little easier knowing the drama would help him stay on the show. The only thing giving him pause was having no idea where the act ended and Declan’s real feelings began.
‘Oh, I am,’ Declan said. ‘Because at the end of the day, she’s still sharing my bed, mate.’
Oliver stood in front of the firepit, running a hand through his hair distractedly until he noticed Paige glaring at him.Sorry, he mouthed, trying in vain to smooth his curls back into a presentable state. The boys were lined up in the flickering firelight for another recoupling ceremony. It was the night after Oliver’s date with Zoë, and her choice would be the main focus.
Oliver glanced around at the guys, looking at Declan first. He wore a navy shirt, bringing out the blue of his eyes, the firelight catching on the crooked bridge of his nose. Noticing his gaze, Declan winked and Oliver looked away quickly.
