“No way.”

The sudden sound of your voice pulls Garrett from his borderline nap as he feels you sit up slightly from where you’re lounging against his side. 

He shifts against one of the many fluorescent colored pillows that litters Soul Ties—(Garrett thinks they’re tacky, you think that they are the only thing preserving your modesty to the American public, both of you agree that they are ridiculously easy to nap on)—letting out a questioning hum.

“Okay, don’t look now, but Dean is totally pulling Allie for a chat right now—,”

Garrett turns to look, because last he saw, Allie was having a very boring looking conversation with Sean by the pool and he can only imagine what the guy must be looking like as he watches the newest bombshell in the Villa pull his partner away for a chat, but you’ve already tangled your fingers into his curls, jerking his head back towards you.

“Ah—Hey!” Garrett lightly pinches the muscle of your calf from where it’s thrown over his lap.

“I told you not to look, just—I’ll tell you what’s happening, but don’t be obvious.” Your fingers smooth the slight sting against his scalp absentmindedly, but your eyes stay focused on whatever’s happening over his shoulder. “Okay, act like I’m chatting you up with the sexiest lines you’ve ever heard in your life.”

Garrett snorts lightly. “Yeah, because that’s believable.”

You let your jaw drop in mock offense. “Fine. I guess you don’t want to hear about how Dean’s physically helping pull Allie up from the bean bags right now.”

“No shit.” Garrett’s eyebrows raise slightly in surprise.

“Yes shit,” you confirm excitedly. “He’s, like, fully holding her hand, fingers interlocked and everything. Oh, Sean looks pissed—Stop trying to look!”

“Okay, okay,” Garrett laughs lightly, relaxing back into the cushions as he starts tracing absentminded circles on your ankle bone. “What’s happening now?”

You squint. “They’re still chatting on the lawn—I’m gonna try to read their lips.”

“...You’re gonna—?”

“Shh! Okay, so Dean’s being like, ‘Hey Allie, I was thinking we could explore our connection more’.”

Garrett shakes his head in amusement as you drop your voice an octave to mimic Dean.

You continue, “Allie doesn’t really look impressed.” You pause. “Okay, now Dean is giving her crazy bedroom eyes—He’s like, ‘I just think we could explore our connection with our mouths. Like, my mouth on your mouth. Being all hot and sexy with our mouth connection—’,”

“He is not saying that.”

“Oh yeah? And how would you know?” You look down indignantly.

“‘Being all hot and sexy with our mouth connection’,” he mocks. “I don’t think there is a single guy in the world that has ever said that.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were the lip reader here.”

Garrett laughs. “You’re not even letting me look.”

“Exactly. Now—,”

He watches your face as you follow the two other Islanders with your eyes, the excitement on your features morphing to disappointment as you pout.

“—Ugh, I can’t see them anymore.”

Garrett lets his hand travel up your leg to the dip of your hip—with zero protest from you—playing lightly with the strings of your bikini bottoms. “Well, if I had to guess from the whole ‘mouth connection’ thing, they’re probably just picking up from where they left off last night.”

You still, finally reverting your gaze back to him. “What happened last night?”

“I mean…” Garrett tries to suppress his grin when your eyes narrow. “All I know is that I saw them walking out of the photobooth together last night. And Dean’s not exactly subtle so…”

“And you’re just telling me this now?!” You lightly slap his bare chest.

Garrett’s hand spreads against your hip, his fingers digging possessively into the skin. “Well, I was going to tell you earlier, but then I remembered that you didn’t even finish, like, a third of your water bottle yesterday.”

“Oh, so you’re purposefully withholding gossip from me as punishment because I can be a little forgetful?”

Garrett meets your dramatic gaze with a flat look. “If it makes you drink water, yes.”

“Fine—,” You pick up your water bottle, exaggeratedly going to take a defiant sip. 

Your water bottle seems to agree with Garrett though—deciding to also punish you for the fact that you’ve had less than 5 sips of water today—because no sooner had you brought the nozzle to your mouth and squeezed the white plastic than a jet of water suddenly spurts in your face.

A surprised laugh forces itself out of Garrett’s throat, mixing with the sound of your giggles when you can’t help but join in. 

“That was the funniest fucking thing I’ve ever seen.”

“It was not that funny!”

“You’re laughing!” Garrett points out incredulously before you both dissolve into another fit of giggles.

“Shh, shh, shh,” you try to quiet yourself down, creasing over until your temple is bumping against his shoulder. “Sean is definitely looking at us like we’re freaks right now.”

“Let him.”

“No, because he’s gonna think we’re laughing at him or something,” you try to argue—even though, only moments prior, you had been laughing at him.

Garrett just shakes his head, his tone sickeningly sweet as he stops laughing and looks at you through half-lidded eyes. “C’mere.” 

And then with a gentleness not at all necessary for the situation, he cups your face with a large hand, tenderly wiping at the water droplets clinging to your skin. Your expression softens, laughter trickling off into quiet breaths as you still underneath him, letting him continue to trace over every inch of your face with his calloused thumbs.

A small, drowsy smile makes its way onto his face and suddenly all the energy you had just a moment earlier drains. The summer Fiji heat settles like warm honey, pulling you and Garrett back into the quietness of the afternoon. You let out a small sigh when Garrett finally leans down to press a lazy kiss against your lips, fingers tangling in the thick curls at the nap of his neck.

You feel him pull away slowly, your eyes still closed as he presses one, and then two, more lingering kisses to your lips before settling down next to you, his large hand tracing soothing patterns up and down your back.

Distantly, you can hear the sounds of two Islanders chatting as they use the gym equipment, the steady taps of a ping-pong ball bouncing back and forth, hushed whispers between a few of the girls that you’re sure you’ll hear more about when you all get ready for the evening. But that all fades away as you listen to the steady inhale and exhale of Garrett’s breaths. You let out a content hum from where you’re tucked under his chin. 

“Don’t think I’m just gonna forget the fact that you didn’t tell me about the Allie and Dean thing.”

You feel Garrett’s chest vibrate with laughter underneath you. “Oh, I know you won’t.”