“yeah, don’t sound so surprised sheesh. ion’ look like a therapist? like I know what the fuck i’m talkin’ about 99.9% of the time?” DRO teased as a sly smirk appeared on his features before he chuckled lightly. “nah i’m kidding, I get that a lot actually. not really sure what kinda’ job I look like I have but therapist is obviously not a part of my everyday aesthetics.” Deciding against chiming in on her comments about what could possibly be waiting on her, he sat there quietly up until she bumped into him in a playful manner causing him to return the action. “you know a lot about sociopaths and i’m starting to think you watch too much television with all these facts and comparisons. glad you don’t think I talk too much though cause it’s honestly out of my control majority of the time. I have a habit of needing to explain things thoroughly and it bothers me if I can’t do that. might be a lil’ greedy but i’m always handing out compliments so you won’t be putting out that energy in vain.” He replied gazing down at their hands watching as she trailed her fingertips over his hand. “stroke what?” DRO questioned raising a brow just before he bursted into laughter again. “nah, i’m playing. we gotta get you to philly one of these days. I know a spot that has the best hoagies you’ve ever had. maybe if we stay in touch after the show I can take you out there and show you the city, yea’?” He asked not necessarily looking for an answer right away. He listened as she explained how she felt about long distance relationships and nodded his head. “got you, that’s where i’m at with it too honestly. just wanna travel the world and see things.. hopefully with someone but I’ll do it alone if I have to. let’s not burn the place down though, I ain’t tryna’ get kicked off yet. c’mon.” DRO replied standing to his feet as he followed behind the instructor once they finally came over to greet them and get things started. “time to get your hands dirty, mama. you ready?”

DRO looked over at Ashanti once she sat nearby him at the pool. He could tell she had a lot on her mind by her body language and overall demeanor upon arriving to the area they agreed to meet. While he knew he was wrong for how he went about things, he wanted to see what she had to say first in order to properly read the room. Once she was done speaking, DRO nodded his head and cleared his throat before replying. “look, maybe I went about addressing it the wrong way and I apologize for that honestly. it’s just when it happened you said something along the lines of ‘is it really like that?’ which had me thinking you felt the same way they did about me choosing you. you good though, i’m not trippin’ off it no more I already told you that.”

“ion’ gotta know you like that to peep certain shit about you, i’m a fuckin’ therapist for fucks sake.” DRO replied with laughter as he shook his head at the female’s comments. “i’m not tryna give personal chef vibes cause then when i’m feeling lazy you gon’ expect me to push through and ion’ need that type of pressure on me.” The male teased although he wasn’t against being her personal chef especially since he loved cooking and being able to surprise her with some of her favorite meals was a goal of his. Once the two of them arrived at the restaurant, he opened the door and climbed out before grabbing her hand to assist her in getting out as well. DRO held her hand as he led the way to the entrance and pulled the door open allowing her to walk inside before him as they waited for the instructor. “just calling it how I see it though, your positivity shines through all the bullshit you’ve endured. i’m glad you’re not letting it keep you from moving forward cause you’re right about what you said, shit be happening for a reason and sometimes it’s hard to accept that until you see what’s been waiting for you on the other side of the madness.” DRO stated taking a seat with her in the waiting area. “takes time to be open when you’ve been hurt or disappointed so I definitely get that, you’ll figure it out baby girl. but nah, me? c’mon now, too transparent to be hiding a sociopath .. slick feel like you would’ve been peeped if I was cause I talk too much. appreciate you though, I guess I can deal with you calling me swell for now although I feel I deserve a better compliment than that.” DRO smirked before turning his attention to her last question. “north philly, born and raised. I think long distance only works when both parties are willing to make sacrifices and put their best foot forward to make shit work. it’s a lot more than just talking on the phone or texting everyday especially if you’re the type that gets bored easily. I personally wouldn’t mind making an effort towards it if I were in that position but i’m not gon’ front and say I wouldn’t want my person close by. i’m a fan of affection, going on dates and laying up so long distance isn’t really my preference but i’m not against it either. what about you?”

“was it really dark-sided or are you just dramatic? either way it goes you ain’t getting rid of me that easy so hang up the thought. I cook often actually, it’s one of my favorite things to do. I like trying out new recipes and mastering them or finding new ways to enhance my favorite meals. we gon’ have to fix this lazy persona you keeping up, i’m tryna go toe to toe in the kitchen and imma’ need you to be on board when the time presents itself.” DRO replied to the woman as laughter slipped from his duo a few times while speaking before the conversation took a more serious route once she began answering his question about her experience on the show thus far. DRO made sure to pay close attention to the female’s words as she expressed how she felt about everything and knowing that she still had hope honestly made him feel a little more confident in possibly pursuing her. “definitely feel where you coming from. I know sometimes we tend to shut down after things don’t go our way especially if we’ve tried it a few times and put our all into things but I think it’s dope as hell that you try to push those thoughts aside and have faith that maybe you’ll find what you’re looking for anyway.” DRO expressed nodding his head, his bottom lip poking out some for a second as he thought about her question before responding. “I came with an open mind knowing anything could happen and that I could possibly walk away with nothing but I knew the experience would be dope and I’d learn something from every encounter whether romantic or platonic. I think being able to be 100% myself here will give me the opportunity to actually dig into how I feel cause often times I’ll just push those feelings to the back of my mind and act as if they don’t exist and that’s not healthy. Ultimately I wanna find a woman that listens to me, genuinely cares for me and builds me up while I do the same for her. I don’t know if she’s on this island or not but I hope so.” 

“noted, you get a pass then. and to answer your question I definitely do get some naggin’ ass vibes from you but not in a bad way so don’t get offended cause I think it’s cute honestly. depending on how this night goes we’ll see if I consider returning you or nah.” DRO replied kissing his teeth before opening the door to the car that would be taking them to their destination not too far away from the villa. “mall with a loaded card, huh? what yall females be sayin’? it’s giving something..” he trailed off tapping his chin lightly before he climbed inside of the vehicle after her and closed the door. “bougie ass, it ain’t labor if you having fun. thank me later when you want some sushi and then you remember you can make that shit yourself. so tell me something mama, coming onto this show what did you expect to get out of the experience? like, were you hoping to find your soulmate in the midst of all of the challenges and chaos that is recoupling?”