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𝐃𝐄𝐉𝐀𝐍 𝐁𝐄𝐍𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐈  ( day 22 —  day 27 )

     jude shrugs, not exactly sure from the little information he’s garnered that charlene is willing to give victoria a proper shot, but whatever, it’s not his business. he doesn’t know what went down between her and evie for it to end like that. if this were a week ago, he’d probably have asked, but it feels like something’s changed in their relationship and it’s not really his place to pry any more. the acknowledgement comes with a sad little twist of his stomach.  “ i am, yeah. she makes me proper happy. ”  most of the time.“ when i asked her at the boat party, she was dead shocked, like. kinda thought she might start crying. ”   he’s not exactly sure why he’s sharing this much with charlene, knowing what he needs to say afterwards, but maybe it’ll help for him to contextualise it somewhat, how jenny had gone from the highest high to feeling two feet tall in the space of an evening. sure, it doesn’t make her reaction totally justified, but maybe it’ll help to let charlene empathise with her position a little. and it’s not like anyone, apart from angel and charlene, has really even asked jude about the fact that him and jenny are now a package deal. whatever. it reeks of jealousy.

      when charlene immediately jumps to her own defence, jude can tell he’s in for a long night, a slow breath pulling through his nostrils. he doesn’t want to fight charlene. all he wants is to say, hey man, i respect your opinion, but maybe just try to be a little more cautious around her — you know how she gets.  “ look, i get it. i do. you don’t wanna feel like that fox face bitch from the hunger games, doin’ your hopscotch jumping around the landmines, always tryna’ anticipate if you’re a second from being blown up. i know that it’s not fair to like… ask everyone to walk on eggshells. but you and her were thick as thieves in casa, char. you know how sensitive she is. ”  maybe jenny is a shit stirrer, but even shit stirrers deserve someone fighting their corner. fuck sake, his thoughts sound like one of them messed up women who write letters to convicts. wait —  jude does write letters to convicts ; his uncle’s banged up in still strangeways. not that jenny occasionally causing a ruccus is anything like being a convict. she’s no less of a shit-stirrer than naomi or adela. why doesn’t naomi get this much flack ?  “ you’re probably right. i shouldn’t have told you to simmer down, i just… i knew it would only make it worse to have everyone chiming in with their opinions. when she’s like that, it’s best just to let me deal with it. jenny doesn’t back down in an argument. and i love that about her but… it makes it tough. maybe i don’t have to agree with everything she does, but i’m always gonna be on her team. ”  he almost says, you’d be the same if you were in a relationship, but for once jude has enough tact to hold his tongue.  is he going soft in the head ?  two weeks in this place has totally fucked with his perception. it fucking hurts to hear charlene say all this shit, because while she’d been jenny’s friend before she threw that curveball at the firepit, jude still sees her as a friend, and now she’s calling him a sad fucking sight and saying that he doesn’t love jenny the way he thinks he does, if love’s even crossed his mind. it feels whack, because she’s just not the person he thought she was. maybe that’s on him. maybe he should have known the day she tried to hold him under the water that a friendship between the two of them was never going to last.

        “ that’s… uh. wow. okay. ”  for a moment, jude doesn’t speak, not trusting say something he won’t regret. instead he paces, tries to put together his thoughts, a habit he’s adopted after finding himself so often with emotional barrel of a gun against his forehead.  “ that’s actually pissed me off. ”  he eventually settles on saying, slowing to a stop. because what right does she have to comment on his relationship. he’s not going to say to her weird-ass triangle shit storm that resulted in evie walking doesn’t exactly feel like love. he’ll keep that shit to himself. “ yeah, you’re not a fucking relationship expert. ”  given her track record of absolutely no-one sticking around. maybe fifth time’s the charm, or whatever she’s on now. maybe him and jenny had a rough start, but at least no one could deny that from the moment they met there’d been something.  “ if any of us were, we wouldn’t be in this place. and you’re definitely not an expert on mine… i wouldn’t even be saying anything if i didn’t care about her, char. ”doesn’t look like love to me. why the fuck’s she gotta go and say that for ?  “ look… i don’t wanna argue with you, alright. because i think that putting all this aside, you’re actually sound, and i do still want to be your friend. i get your points, but right now… we’re not going to see eye-to-eye on this, so maybe we should just leave this before we start causing fucking damage that doesn’t need to be caused, you know what i’m saying ? ”   what he’s saying is he wants to leave this with still some semblance of the friendship they have in tact. he still wants her to be the person who paints his nails, who he goes to for outfit advice when naomi’s being a dick. he doesn’t want his girlfriend’s overreaction to cost him another mate in here. but ultimately, if he’s made to choose between charlene and jenny, he’ll pick jenny. he’s always going to pick jenny. 

“that’s such an overstatement, jude. jenny and i had a threesome and then barely talked to each other. we weren’t like, besties.” thick as thieves? where the hell did he get that from? she always felt like she was closer to him rather than her. her brow furrows, upper lip curls up slightly in confusion, as she attempts to see the logic behind his statement. “so it’s not even that the villa should walk on eggshells around her. it’s that i should specifically? that’s mental. like, absolutely irrational.” and it pisses her off that he would ask that of her. “i couldn’t give two rat’s ass about how sensitive she is when she goes around and tries to make everyone feel bad about wanting miles to have a nice night. like we freaking owe it to her or something.” entitled. that’s what charlene thinks of her.  “so while you ‘deal with it’ what would you like the rest of us to do? sit back and hold our breath until she feels better? maybe we should all hold hands and sing her a little lullaby so that she can go to sleep?” the sarcasm drips in her tone, sharp and pointed like a knife. she could probably go on for a while but she eases when he mentions how tough it is for him. round eyes soften a little at that and she takes a deep breath but the edge in her voice is still very present. “i don’t mean to make things tough for you jude.” and she means that genuinely, but it’s hard to be calm and collected when charlene feels like she is being treated unfairly. like he’s holding her to a higher standard  than his own girlfriend. “i don’t think i’m the one that’s making it that way though. or at the very least, i’m not the one initiating it. i was literally matching her energy and yeah, what i said was bitchy but i genuinely don’t know why you’re acting like i’m the one that went on attack mode first. why do we all have to be the better person just so that she doesn’t blow another gasket?” does he realize how ridiculous that sounds? “like, you can try to enable her all you want but that doesn’t mean that i or anyone in this villa has to. that’s not our job. technically it’s not even yours and i get why you would make it yours ‘cus you like her and all but the bottom line is that she’s a grown-ass woman and if she can’t handle the heat then she needs to get the hell out of the kitchen.” it’s as simple as that.

 “honestly, it would be one thing if she threw her tantrums and then apologized afterwards, but she doesn’t. she’s indignant. would rather act like we are all pit against her instead of taking an ounce of accountability for what she says or how she acts.” jude and angel seem to be more than happy to oblige, always jumping to her defense even when she is the one to put herself in those situations. in jude’s defense she thinks that him taking the role of a protective boyfriend would be cute...  if the line between supportive and delusional  weren't so damned blurred. it’s no secret that charlene hasn’t had the most luck with finding love in this place. sometimes it felt like some of these couples were predestined for one another and that she was just doomed to be an outsider watching from the sidelines. it’s also no secret that it has made her feel like absolute shit on multiple occasions but even then one thing is crystal clear to her — she would much rather be single than have to trail behind someone, picking up after every mess they make and trying to salvage every bridge they burn.  “i don’t doubt that you care about her, that’s not what i’m saying. what i’m saying is that you blindly taking her side even when she’s in the wrong is one thing, but then telling people to zip it when they bite back is just downright hypocritical and probably not doing as much good as you think it is.” charlene can appreciate that jude is trying to keep some peace between them even when she knows that she said some harsh things but a part of her can't help but wonder if maybe jenny’s habit of starting an argument and not being able to follow through with it is rubbing off on him. then again, if she thinks back to their first interaction in the pool, maybe he has always been the type who can dish it but not take it. “fine. we can stop here. i hope you can see where i’m coming from. i don’t want any problems with you but i think that the two of you need a serious reality check ‘cus if your girl has a habit of going around and asking for a fight then you can’t be acting all surprised when someone actually gives it to her.” charlene isn’t the first person to tango with jenny and she highly doubts that she will be the last. does he go around and try to call out every person who jenny feels she has been wronged by? or is that something that is just specifically meant for her too?. “and if you think that makes me sound like a total cunt then... i don’t know what to tell you.” charlene doesn’t realize how still she has been until she turns her attention back to the mirror, gaze set on an ice cold reflection. the air between them has never felt so fucking heavy and charlene worries that this is how it’s always going to be from now on but if jude is asking her to set her dignity aside for the sake of their friendship then maybe they were never really friends to begin with. a thought that will undoubtedly make her sad later tonight, laying  restless by victoria’s side and  thinking back to all the times jude has made her laugh ( especially when he hadn’t intended to ) and how excited she got every time he picked her for a fun challenge or even when gave a little insight to how suddenly smitten he was with jenny.  “good night, then.” it definitely sounds more like a dismissal than an actual goodbye but it’s the most amicable reply she can manage right now. 

“oh, you liked my speech did you? i have more where that came from. i really like your kisses, char.” she gives charlene a big smile, trying to play the part of the perfect person to couple up with. she’s not sure how well she’s doing. she didn’t think much would come out of charlene and her kisses at first because of evie but now that evie was gone, she couldn’t help but want to explore what was there. there was an obvious physical connection, that much was clear. and for victoria, not much else mattered considering she wasn’t exactly here looking for love. but it’s not like she was going to let anyone know that. “it is about time,” she agrees. “i think the first thing anyone needs to know about me is that i’m a theater kid at heart so my hobbies really revolve around that. so you know, singing, dancing, acting…being a triple threat. what about you?” 

victoria doubling down on her compliment is like music to charlene’s ears, a content hum escaping her. “hm... i gotta admit that the feeling is pretty dang mutual.” no point in lying about it. the blonde was still a mystery to charlene - which was exciting in it’s own right - but one thing she has learned about victoria is that she has confidence and more importantly, the skill to back it up.  “a triple threat! that’s awesome. i love musicals. favorite show of all time -- go ! " as for hobbies, charlene had far too many too count. whether she was talented in all of them was a different story. “i love traveling and exploring cities, like, finding a hole-in the wall restaurant is my favorite thing. my friend and i have this obsession with booking random experiences through groupon. like, before i came to the villa we had just taken a sushi class. so if you’re ever looking for someone to make you a california roll...”  

– “YEAH, DAMN. I GUESS THIS THING REALLY CAN WORK, HUH?” he asks with a wry grin. while miles is an optimistic person, he’s never been that optimistic about the actual premise of the show, agreeing to go on because it seemed funny. “ wait, not gonna lie, that actually sounds really hot, ” miles says with utmost seriousness, turning to look at her with a raised brow – kind of like the kombucha lady meme – as she squeezes his arm, like, damn, actually i love that. miles had kind of expected charlene’s response to be as forlorn as it is when he brings up the topic, but it doesn’t make seeing her frown look any more incongruent with how he’s used to seeing her. usually one of the most energetic, lively presences in the villa – frankie’s absence probably isn’t the only thing making the villa a little quieter today. he knows how close evie and charlene got, and how quickly. “ so, you think … i don’t know, if she was still here, would you be trying to work things out? or did you want to call it with her and it was just, um, convenient ? ” miles asks, tone solely laced with curiosity – no animosity or judgment present. he’s just curious how charlene feels about evie’s elimination, whether she’s feeling the yearn of potentially untapped potential or if she’s secretly relieved by it. miles had thought, last night, that he was on the latter – after he and frankie fought, he’d been so fired up and it had seemed so clear that was the way they should end things. it had felt good. today he feels more confused by it, can’t help but wonder how things might’ve gone in an alternate universe. “ either way, i’m sure it sucks. leaving things on terms like that, ” especially because miles can tell that charlene at least regrets the way she handled it. “ that’s kind of how it went with frankie and i. we fought, and maybe we shouldn’t have, but…maybe it was a sign ? i dunno. ”

“ i guess so.” she replies with a shrug, mostly because between the two narcissists and a couple who’s only known each other for two weeks, even a romantic like charlene has to wonder how long they will last outside of the villa. despite the seriousness of miles’ tone, she can’t help but grin widely at his reaction, a glimmer of mirth in her eyes. “yeah? maybe you should write me a letter when this is all over then.” assuming the both of them are single at that point. if not, she hopes they don’t lose contact with one another. even if it’s just a yearly check-in. miles feels like the type of guy that would make every interaction feel like they're best friends, even if they haven’t spoken in months. at the very least, he’s really easy to rant to, and bless his freaking heart for that because clearly, she needed it. the word ‘convenient’ makes her features scrunch in distaste but she knows miles doesn’t mean any malice so she replies almost immediately. 

“i would have liked to work things out. i wanted to. like, when things got real heated i suggested that we take a step back and cool off before trying again and she basically jumped ship then. not like... literally. like frankie had but you get what i mean.” she still can’t believe the blonde did that. “even before the dumping it sounded like evie was  set on walking. so… i don’t know. i guess she liked me enough to get mad but not enough to work it out with me?” which doesn’t do much to ease the fear that evie only coupled up with charlene because she was the easiest option at the time, even if the poor girl had tried to ease it during the argument. “it does suck but i kind of get what you mean about it feeling like a sign though. it’s hard to explain because i don't blame her for not wanting to stick around. i just wish she had. which is probably a little selfish of me. like wanting to have your cake and eat it too.”  but she genuinely thinks that evie cut her love island experience too short.  “you and frankie fought?” that's not exactly surprising considering how high emotions were but now that he brought it up she feels a little better about asking for details.  “ was it ‘cus of eden?” 

day :   forty-two / evening

location :   swing

featuring :   @guttcd​

“ IT’S BEEN A CRAZY FEW DAYS IN HERE, HASN’T IT ? ”   callie muses, bringing the drink up to her lips for a quick sip.   “ first the yacht, then frankie and evie leaving, and then the recoupling last night… did you expect victoria to pick you ? ”   she asks. by now she knows that charlene and dante had been hoping to couple up, but it’s not like charlene’s ever considered closing her options while here yet. as she shouldn’t, anyway.   “ and miles and santiago—like, what ? ”   she laughs, shaking her head.   “ i do wish it was stella who’d come back as a bombshell instead of this new girl, but mali’s super hot, i’ll give her that. i still need to chat with her. ”   though callie’s doubtful it’ll happen, since she has a feeling she’s not even on the bombshell’s radar.   “ anyway, how are you doing ?   with everything that’s happened. ”

“girl, why does it feel like months have passed by instead of days?” so much happens in such little time. the mention of victoria brings her to smile, because she really is flattered to have been picked. even if she had thought it was going to be by someone else. “kind of? like, we’ve kissed and it has been fun and all but at this point i’ve literally been kissed by so many people without it meaning anything that its like, hard to tell when someone is actually interested, you know? i’m not mad though. i really want to see where things go with dante but i don’t think he and i are in a rush to set anything in stone. just gotta take things one day at a time, right?” here's hoping that works out this time. “miles and santiago was so random! like... have the two even talked? guess it doesn’t matter. doubt they did much of it while in the hideaway.” she raises her eyebrow suggestively, taking a sip of her own drink as she does. “right? why couldn't they bring stella in here?” charlene leans in towards her, tone taking a more gossipy tone. “do you think the producers brought them back as like, reparations for having fucked josh? personally, i would have just sued.” she teases, “we should pull them aside for drinks later. they seems nice.” as for callie’s question, charlene has plenty to say about how she’s been and about the drama that has happened but in the spirit of not making this reply a million paragraphs, she nods her chin towards calllie. “you first. can you believe frankie is gone? how are you feeling about that?” 

    “ is it really that surprising ? ”  jude asks, a puzzled little line scratching down between his eyebrows.  “ she picked you for a date, didn’t she ?  i mean, i’m not that french geezer from first dates, but that’s usually a pretty good indication that they like ya. ”   jude only remembers because jenny had also been asked on a date, and had kissed victoria on said date, which had sent him west a bit, even if it was just banter. still feels like shit to see your bird copping off with someone else, even if it was kinda sexy. jude grits his teeth, examines them in the mirror, goes in for another round of fluoride and spits, before potting his toothbrush.  “ yeah, i get you. feels kinda like everyone’s all topsy turvy after that recoupling. ”  even adela and dylan looked like they were fighting when he’d passed them, not that he was listening. only a little.  “  villa’s all over the place like some jackson pollock shit. ” an art reference. jenny would be proud. speaking of…  “ yeah, we did. i asked her the night of the boat party. it just felt… i dunno, it’s not been that long but two weeks in here feels like two months on the outside, y’know ?  when you know, you know, and i just felt like it was the right time. ”  having finished brushing his teeth, he’s hanging around by the sinks, turning to lean against them as he fixes his gaze on charlene.  “ kinda what i wanted to talk to you about, actually… ”  since he’s got her here, he might as well say something.  “ that thing at the fire pit… calling her a shit stirrer and that. like, i dunno if you two have beef now or whatever but… it felt a bit uncalled for if i’m honest, mate. ”  jude pauses, chewing on the inside of his cheek.  “ i dunno. i know it was a tough night for you, but it shocked me. i thought youse two were good, y’know. ”  he certainly didn’t think she had a problem with jenny.  “ i guess i’ve just never seen that side of you. all billy big bollocks out of nowhere. ”  from where jude stood, charlene’s always been a picture of sunshine and light, someone to turn to when jenny’s driving him up the wall ( affectionately ) not someone tossing around catty insults for the sake of it.   “ obviously you and me have always been mates, and i don’t want any animosity between us, but if you’re gonna start saying shit about my girlfriend in front of everyone, i’m gonna get involved. that’s just the way it is. ”

his reference about first dates goes right over her head but she can still pick up what he’s putting down. “yeah, i suppose you're right. i’m like, definitely willing to see where things go.” with victoria she means. charlene is busy carefully wrapping her hair away from her face, sights set on her own reflection for the most part, only occasionally glancing at him through the mirror. “when you know you know.” charlene offers with a smile, albeit a hesitant one. “as long as you’re happy that’s all that really matters.” is he? 'cus from where charlene is standing, it looks like jennifer has the man on blonde bomb duty, manicured grip firm on his balls... bollocks? so she isn’t all that surprised that he brings up the firepit nor does she blame him for it but that doesn’t mean she isn’t going to say her piece.   “uh… jude?” charlene knows she shouldn’t, but it's hard to suppress the scoff that erupts from her. “she is a shit stirrer. like, seriously. who in this villa has she not gotten in a spat with?” it’s a genuine question, one that is meant to encourage reflection because she doesn't think the problem is that she said something untrue.

“ look -- if you want to humor her during her... moods then that’s fine but it’s fucked up for you to expect the rest of us to. i get that she was upset about not getting the hideaway and i think she’s valid for that but like, i’m sure adela and dylan weren’t too happy about it either and you didn’t see them trying to call everyone out.” and since they’re on the topic, she adds, “i get that you have to stick up for her ‘cus she’s your girl but i really don’t like that you act like the only person allowed to express any emotion here is jenny. so she can be angry and cause a scene all she wants but the moment i react it’s suddenly ‘uncalled for’ and ‘harsh’ and i should ‘simmer down’? why is that, jude?” she’s fully facing him now, arms crossed over her chest expectantly, making sure to give him ample time to reply because from where she’s standing the implication is not a pretty one. charlene doesn’t want problems with jude but she doesn’t expect them to see eye to eye on this and maybe that gives her all the more reason to not want to hold back. even if it means jude will hate her forever. “i saw the way you jumped up to try to calm her down and how you avoided saying who you voted for and honestly dude? it’s a sad fucking sight. it’s like she has you walking on eggshells and like, i’m no relationship expert or anything but that doesn’t look like love to me.” or the beginning of it anyways.  “i don’t have a problem with jenny but i think she has one with me and with half of the fucking villa so like... maybe it’s time to do some math and look for the common denominator?”  translation: hold your girl accountable.

– “YEAH, YOU’RE PROBABLY RIGHT,” a smile works its way across his features, playful as he chides, “ aw – i care about you lot, too. ” he can’t help but make a face at the mention of marcus. it’d be a lie to say he hasn’t thought about it, and the thought about what would happen if he did still lingers. but there was a certain harshness to their parting words that makes miles feel like that wouldn’t be the right call, that he should let it lie a bit. “ yeah, i wouldn’t wanna steal marcus’s thunder anyway. the weather’s shit in ireland compared to this anyway, ” he jokes. miles follows suit, even though he has heard of sunscreen, thank you, allowing charlene to steer him in the direction of the bathroom. “ keep us ? you CAN leave, charlene. not that i want that, but … it’s not fuckin’ prison, ” miles laughs out loud. “ probably another week or two, though. dunno. you can’t be rushin’ to say goodbye to dante, though, does he even get cell service on the ol’ vineyard ? ” he leans in slightly, eyebrow arching, “ what the hell happened with evie, anyway ? i felt like i missed a chapter. or a whole fuckin’ book. ”

“i know! all i’m saying is that it feels like were approaching the end, right? like, we have two official couples now. it’s crazy.” she wonders how many they will have the end. his quip about the vineyard's cell service makes her laugh. “holy crap! i haven’t even thought about that. do you think he and i are gonna have to sext via hand written letters?” she jokes, chuckling at the thought. “like, he’s gonna ask me what i’m wearing and i’m gonna have to describe my whole wardrobe for the week.” charlene has not made it a secret that she is a big fan of his arms, so forgive her if she’s getting a little handsy by giving his bicep a cheeky squeeze.  now that miles mentions it though, it might be a good idea to bring that topic up to dante at some point. what would they do if the show was over? they’re in the bathroom by the time miles brings up evie and it’s clear that it’s still a sore subject by the way her smile falters. “evie…” she sighs, “ okay, so  i told you we were keeping things open, right? well, during the cruise dante and i had slipped away to explore the rest of the ship and we ended up kissing.” charlene is multitasking as she speaks, waving her hands around, pulling out a little stool and having him sit there. “ -- and like, the one thing evie and i had agreed on was that we would give each other a heads up if it got to kissing territory, right? so that’s what i did! i told her that i wanted to get to know dante as like, more than a friend and she…” with a sigh, charlene leans back against the counter of the sink, crossing her arms over her chest. “...she didn’t take it all that well so we got in a huge freaking argument about it and like, i don’t know. i was a proper dick about it, i think.” it’s not easy to admit that, especially when a part of her still can’t understand why they had to end things that way. “i was just so frustrated ‘cus i was asking her to give me time and she was like, fuck that.” 

“What, are you going to keep me curious like that?” He grins. He relaxes back in his seat, listening to Charlene. “I get that, you were put in a real awful situation.” Evie walking was obvious that things had fallen apart before that dumping was announced, but still, asking Charlene to choose wasn’t fun. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, but at the end of the day, you’re here for yourself, you know?” He shrugs lightly. “I’m alright. Yeah, it was fun. Being back on the water was a treat, though they wouldn’t let me jump in and swim,” he says with a playful scoff. They being the producers obviously. “It sucked for me and Del to see Frankie go, but yeah.”

“as if i could keep my big mouth shut enough to offer any sort of suspense.” she retorts with a grin of her own. “oh my god. right? the producers were like, so fucked up for that.” it’s comforting to hear someone validate that. especially when dylan doesn’t owe her anything so it means a lot to her that he is taking the time to even reassure her.  “thank you, dylan. you’re totally right. i just wish it hadn’t been so... dramatic? but i guess that’s just naïve of me.” this is a reality tv show after all. “dude -- i’ve been begging production to give us a beach day for days. maybe we should riot or something.” she teases, before offering a nod at the fact that frankie left. “yeah that was such a shock. i was never really close with her but the villa totally feels a lot more quiet. were you guys super close with her?” 

– “I DON’T KNOW. DO YOU KNOW? it’s kind of brightly colored – it could be poisonous, ” naomi says, a slow step back as the lizard just sort of sits there innocently. if it could blink, it probably would be. honestly, it’s pretty incredible that despite all of the run-ins with wildlife they’ve had, the novelty still hasn’t worn off for naomi. she’s still shrieking at spiders in the bathroom like it’s their first day in the villa, as if becoming cool with them will give them some kind of victory for encroaching on their space often enough – and she refuses to relent. a gentle snort as charlene mentions josh, “ or yours. there is NOTHING going on behind those eyes, ” naomi retorts, still from her safe distance. she’s too distracted by the creature and charlene’s proximity to it to note charlene’s cheek at this point, or at least to say anything about it yet. “ are you gonna touch it ? – don’t touch it. ” naomi slingshots a hairband in the direction of the creature instead.

“honestly? i think this is my first time actually seeing a lizard. like, outside of a zoo so i have no idea. i only got experience handling rats the size of chihuahuas. concrete jungle, you know?” where dreams are made of and all that jazz. naomi’s quip about dante makes her snort, “right, because hockey players are totally known for their wit. they get more braincells with every concussion, right? that’s how that works?”  is that what josh does? she doesn't remember. “besides how can you tell? you’re standing so far away. don't be a chick— ”  the hairband naomi shoots makes the creature scurry, in which charlene finishes her sentence with a shriek of her own, scrambling to climb on top of a vanity as the lizard runs under it. she doesn’t have the ability to be careful so she doesn’t even notice the perfume bottle that crashes on the floor as she tries to get away. “oh my god! where did it go? where did it go?” 

– RIGHT NOW, CHARLENE FEELS LIKE THE ONLY PERSON IN THE VILLA who might really be able to relate to him. after all, the person she’s been coupled up with until this point just went home, and it seems like she’d also sort of started exploring a connection with someone else. in a way, they feel like parallel lines ( together, but never intersecting, which feels like an accurate way to describe their history, too. ) so, he relaxes a little at her words. “ no, you’re right. it was a lot. i just … dunno, think the last thing anyone should be feeling is bad for me, ” he offers. “ man, with all this sun exposure i’m gonna be a prune by thirty-five anyway, ” he jokes, “ but if you say i look cute … ” there’s a wide, toothy and exaggerated grin, “ spa day it is. let’s do this shit. ” 

"i think people just care about you, is all.” she offers. that’s most of her reasoning for checking up on him anyways. charlene wasn’t exactly frankie’s biggest fan so she isn’t all that gutted that she left nor is she fake enough to pretend otherwise but she does feel for him. in many ways, his situation mirrors her own. “gotta make sure you don’t go out and pull a marcus on us. it’s doesn’t hit the same the second time around, you know.” she teases, fist playfully bumping his arm.  “not if i have anything to say about it! ever hear of sunscreen?”  it’s hard not to find his smile contagious, especially with his boy-next-door charm. she hooks an arm around his, locking herself to his side so that she can pull him to the bathroom with her. “how many more days do you think they’ll keep us in here? kind of feels like we’re approaching the end, right?” 

starter for charlene. ( @guttcd​ )

where: dressing room

when: day 41

– SHE’S JUST FINISHING UP IN THE DRESSING ROOM, grabbing a different set of earrings from the closet when she shrieks. hand’s clapped over her mouth, but not before she’s yelled bloody murder, jumping back a foot from the closet, and the small green lizard inside – which now sits inches from her on the floor. it’s hard to tell where it’s looking with those little beady eyes on either side of its head, but naomi would swear it’s got it out for her. “ oh my god, ” she puts her hand over her heart, “ i swear, that thing just tried to attack me. ” 

charlene was just about to finish actually, all her focus closed in on carefully outlining her cupids bow with her lipstick when naomi’s scream rings through the otherwise silent room. immediately she whips her attention to the other, affectively running the red pigment through her cheek. the state in which she sees naomi, eyes wide and hand over her  mouth makes it looks like she just witnessed a murder so charlene shoots from her seat and begins to make her way over to her. “holy shit are you —”  the she spots the tiny little reptile. a beat passes as charlene stands between naomi and the lizard, hands at either side of her like the standing women emoji🧍‍♀️ “girl.” she can’t help but laugh, bending down a little to get a better look at it.  “aw he’s just a little guy! what’s he going to do to you?” this would be the time that eden comes in and spots it as some sort of poisonous species. “he kind of looks like your man.” one eye on her and the other on another girl lol badum tssss

– EVEN IF MILES WASN’T COUPLED UP WITH FRANKIE, he thinks he’d feel her absence anyway – as he’s sure everyone does. she was such a big personality in the villa, and as it stands, one of the people who had been around the longest. it’s hard not to feel like something’s missing along with her voice, which was loud as shit. feels like people have been a bit strange to him as a result, like they’re worried he’s gonna pull a marcus or something. “ aw, stop, ” he laughs, holding up the package she hands him, “ what’s all this ? pity facemask ? ” he examines the package, tactfully ignoring her other question, “ only if you’ll do ‘em with me. i’m not gonna look like a goon by myself. ” 

“pity!” she repeats the word as if aghast that he would even think that. or more like, that he would call her out on it lol. “okay fine. yeah, it’s just... last night was a kind of a lot.” for the both of them, she thinks. “this is like, the prime time to do skin care if we wanna avoid premature wrinkles.” 'cus surely that’s something miles cares soooo much about. him skipping over her question does not go unnoticed but charlene doesn’t pry. figures if he wants to talk about it he will. instead she offers a smile, “just trying to look out. of course i’ll do them with you! i for one think you look real cute when we tie your hair up a la cynthia doll.”  

when & where: day forty-one / afternoon / lounge

“Sooo, are you and Dante a thing now?” He bumps his shoulder with Charlene’s when he sits next to her, grinning at her. He’s not sure when all of that happened, especially when it’s quite easy to know what’s going on around you when you’re living with the same people twenty-four-seven, but it seemed to be something that was building up in the background—much like the way him and Naomi happened. It must’ve sucked for Evie and even for Charlene to be put in such a position, but being here, you had to put yourself and your decisions first, and deciding who you click with better is definitely one of those circumstances. || @guttcd​

“hm? what’s it to ya?” she mumbles, lazily bumping him back. completely rhetorical -- mostly an attempt to keep the giddiness in her smile at bay. it makes her feel guilty to allow herself to focus on the better part of her night when it was at the expense of one of the girls that got sent home. she’s been on edge all morning because of it but she finds herself relaxing a little under dylan’s disarming grin. “i think we are. or we’re like, hoping to be. ” it’s almost as if saying it out loud would somehow jinx it. “i feel bad that for how it went down though. with evie.” she’ll spare him the details if he doesn’t want them but evie’s speech last night made it clear to everyone that she felt betrayed by both charlene and dante.  “how are you? did you and adela have fun last night?”