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You had finished your skincare routine, put on your favorite bikini, done your makeup, and still, no Theo. 

Confused and feeling a knot of anxiety tightening in your stomach, you walked out to the terrace and peered down at the outdoor kitchen. The boys were scattered, the rest of the girls eating, but Theo wasn't even there. In fact, he was sitting by the pool, staring blankly at the water.

Confessional : You “I don’t get it. An hour ago, we were fine. Now he’s sitting across the villa looking miserable, and I haven't even spoken to him yet.

Sighing, you walked down the stairs and took a seat on one of the daybeds, pulling your knees up to your chest. The villa was ambient with the usual morning chatter, but you felt isolated in your own confusion.

"Hey."

You looked up, the shadow of a tall figure blocking the morning sun—Rafe. In his hand, he held a condensation-beaded plastic cup filled with a smoothie. 

"I didn’t see you eat anything," Rafe said, his voice quiet, almost cautious. He scratched the back of his neck, eyes searching your face. "I noticed... uh, I noticed you didn't get any breakfast brought up. I was going to make you a plate but I didn’t want to, like, overstep or anything…"

"Thank you, Rafe," you murmured, reaching out to take the cup with a small smile. Your fingers brushed against his, making your heart do that stupid little flip as you took a sip.

Things were still undeniably awkward between you two, the weight of your date yesterday still hanging in the air. You were definitely more open to him now, the walls you’d built around your heart beginning to melt, but the confusion of being caught between your connection with Rafe and your one with Theo was draining.

Rafe sat down on the edge of the daybed, leaving a respectful amount of space between you, though his eyes never left your face. "You look beautiful today, by the way.” He compliments boyishly, almost like he wasn't sure if he should even say it but decided to anyway. “...But you look worried."

"I don't know," you admitted, staring down at the pink smoothie, swirling it around mindlessly. "Theo's just... he's acting so weird. He said he was making me breakfast, and then he just ghosted. He won't even look at me. I haven’t tried to talk to him about…anything, yet. But…I just feel weird."

Rafe’s jaw tensed at the mention of Theo's name, but he caught himself, taking a slow, controlled breath. He didn't want to push you away.

"C’mere," Rafe murmured, shifting closer, and before you could even process it, his arms wrapped around your shoulders, pulling you into his chest. Startled, you let out a breath you didn't even realize you were holding, melting into him. His chest was just as solid as you remembered, skin smelling like the same expensive cologne. Rafe leaned down, pressing a tender kiss into the top of your head, holding you tight against him for a long while.

"Don't stress about it, alright?" he whispered against your hair, hands gently rubbing your back.

You pulled back slightly, looking up at him, a soft, grateful smile tugging at your lips as you squeezed his arm. “I’ll try.”

WHILE you were trying to figure out what might’ve caused Theo’s random shift in attitude, the rest of the villa was navigating their own drama. Over by the daybeds, Cleo and Justin were chatting, but something in their body language was off. Ever since the most recent challenge, where Cleo and Pope had shared a heated kiss, a strange wall had been built between her and Justin.

And Justin tried to play it cool, but the insecurity was eating him alive. 

He looked around the villa, his eyes landing on Rima, who was sunbathing by herself near the pool. Yes, Rima was his ex-girlfriend, the girl he shared history with, but despite everything, she was the one person in this villa he felt comfortable confiding in.

Walking over, Justin tapped Rima’s shoulder. "Hey, can I pull you?"

Rima sat up, adjusting her sunglasses, a look of surprise crossing her face. "Uh, yeah, sure…” She stands. “Everything alright?"

"Just need to talk for a second," Justin muttered, leading the way toward the hidden lounge, the door shut behind them. 

OUT on the grass, John B was pacing back and forth, stress pulling at his features. He and Sarah were on the rocks and he was desperately trying to convince himself that Sarah’s challenge kiss with JJ didn't mean anything, but the lingering guilt of his own actions at Casa was making him paranoid.

JJ and Pope were lounging on the beanbags nearby, watching the man lose his mind.

"Bro, chill, you’re gonna burn a hole into the lawn," JJ muttered, adjusting his cap.

John B stopped, turning to the guys. "I can't chill.” He hissed. “It's like she's intentionally dragging it out, giving me the silent treatment, throwing these little comments at me. I mean, I did what we’re supposed to be doing! I explored someone, but I still came back to her. She’s being petty for no reason…"

JJ let out a short laugh, shaking his head. "Especially considering you didn’t even tell her the worst of it."

John B's face drained of color, whipping his head around, spotting Sarah walking past just a few feet away. "Dude, shut the fuck up," John B hissed, eyes wide, heart racing.

But Sarah didn't look over, entirely oblivious to the conversation.

Once she was out of sight, John B let out a breath, turning back to JJ. "Are you trying to get me killed?"

"I'm just sayin’," JJ defended, raising his hands. "You're sittin’ here complaining about her being petty, but you didn’t even tell her everything. If she finds out from someone else—"

"She’s not gonna find out," John B interrupted, his voice tight. "Telling her everything right now is just going to ruin everything.” He groans. “I came back to her. That's what matters."

Pope sighed, looking at John B with a mix of pity and disapproval. "We get where you're coming from, but... maybe you just shouldn't have done it in the first place if you knew it was gonna eat you alive like this."

"Yeah, I fucking know that, Pope.” John B snapped, flaring his nostrils. “But there isn't shit I can do about it now, is there?"

Confessional : John B “Things happened with Delaney but... it was a mistake. I regretted it the second we left.”

AS the afternoon dragged on, your confusion regarding Theo only morphed into irritation. He hadn't spoken a single word to you all day. Every time you walked into a room, he conveniently found a reason to leave.

You tried to rationalize it. Your first thought, naturally, was that he was upset about your date with Rafe yesterday. It made sense—no guy wanted to watch the girl he was coupled up with get swept away on a date by the guy she was coupled up with before that she clearly still has feelings for. But you quickly brushed that thought away. Theo had been so understanding last night, telling you that he knew you were in an awkward position, that he didn't expect you to just forget your history with Rafe overnight, and that he was willing to give you space to figure it out.

So why the sudden shift?

Seeing him standing by the outdoor gym, wiping his brow with a towel, you decided you were done accepting his cold shoulder. You walked over, your shoulders square, chin up.

"Hey, Theo," you said, your voice gentle but firm. "Can I pull you for sec?"

Theo didn't even look at you, keeping his eyes locked on the ground, jaw clenched. "I'm not really in the mood to talk."

You blinked, taken aback by his tone. "...I just want to know why you're literally avoiding me. Is that too much to ask for?"

"No," he shrugging, voice careless as he looked up at you. “But I already said I’m good.” He throws at you, turning his back and walking away.

Your chest tightened, hurt and embarrassment flooding you. You stood frozen for a moment, biting your lip to keep from tearing up, before turning around to walk away.

What you didn't notice was Rafe standing by the kitchen island, eyes locked onto you during the entire interaction. His eyes narrowed into slits as he watched you walk away with your head down, your shoulders slightly slumped, and his blood boiled. He hated seeing you upset, but seeing you get dismissed like you were nothing? He couldn’t stand it.

Confessional : Rafe “I’m looking across the villa and I see her try to talk to Theo. And this guy just completely turns his back on her, walks the fuck away, and leaves her standing there looking like she’s about to cry. I don't give a fuck what's going on between them, you don't treat her like that. And you can call me a hypocrite because I've technically done the same thing,” He winces, dragging the words out. “But I owned up to it and haven’t done it since!” He throws his hands up. “Plus, she’s the only reason this guy is even fucking here and he’s treating her like shit.”

Taking a deep breath, Rafe focused on keeping his temper in check. He knew his reputation in the villa, his reputation overall. He knew that if he approached Theo aggressively, it would only backfire and make things harder for you.

Rafe walked across the grass, his hands casually slipped into the pockets of his swim shorts. As he approached Theo, he took a breath, stopping a few feet away.

"Hey, Theo?" Rafe said, his voice uncharacteristically steady, though the boy's name tasted like venom on his tongue. "Y'got a second?"

Theo looked up, his expression hardening when he saw Rafe standing over him. "What do you want?"

Rafe shook his head slightly, a thought flashing through his mind. I can't believe I’m doing this shit right now. But at the end of the day, Rafe’s primary goal was always going to be protecting your heart, regardless of where he stood in the picture.

"Look, man, I'm not here to start anything," Rafe said, keeping his voice low so the other Islanders wouldn't overhear. "I just noticed... I saw Y/N try to pull you just now, and you brushed her off. I don't know if something happened between you two, but... she's doesn't deserve to be left hanging like that. If she's trying to talk to you, I think you should just give her the respect—"

“It doesn’t have shit to do with you.” Theo cuts in, letting out a harsh scoff, standing up from the beanbag so he was eye-level with Rafe. The height difference was minimal, but the tension between them was anything but. “Don’t come over here trying to play the hero.”

Rafe’s jaw worked, a dangerous glint flickering in his eyes, but he kept his hands planted in his pockets. "...I'm not trying to start an issue, man."

But Theo was non-receptive. In fact, Rafe’s calm demeanor seemed to only fuel Theo’s anger as he stepped directly into Rafe’s space, his chest pressed nearly against his.

"You’re not fooling anyone," Theo hissed, his voice trembling with anger. "You've been hovering over her, trying to slide back into her bed, and now you're trying to lecture me on how to treat her?"

The villa went silent around them, eyes on the two men. Across the lawn, the guys stood up, their eyes wide as they prepared to sprint over if things started looking bad.

But surprisingly, Rafe remained quiet. The old Rafe would have cracked a smile and thrown a right hook without so much as a second thought. But right now, he was holding himself back with every ounce of strength he had. Inside his pockets, his hands were curled into white-knuckled fists, jaw clenched so hard the bone looked ready to snap, and his eyes were lowered, dark and dangerous, locked onto Theo’s face. 

For a long, agonizing five seconds, neither of them moved.

Then, Rafe let out a short huff of air. A slow smirk pulled at the corner of his lips, and, without uttering a single word, Rafe turned, pulled his hands from his pockets, and walked away, leaving a fuming Theo standing alone on the grass, glaring at his back.

RAFE searched the villa, spotting you sitting on the steps that led to the upper levels of the villa. He walked over, his expression softening the moment his eyes landed on you.

He sat down on the step beneath you, turning his body so he was looking up at you. "You okay?" he asked softly. "I saw what happened over there, when you tried to talk to him."

You let out a breath, burying your face in your hands for a brief second before looking back at him. Without really thinking, the words spilled out of your mouth. "I'm just... I'm confused. I'm not even sad or anything, I'm just... I don't understand why he's acting like that. He was the one telling me how much he understood me last night, and now he won't even give me the time of day."

Rafe sat there, listening as you poured your heart out. Every single word was like a twist of a knife in his chest, it pained him physically to hear you express emotional investment in someone else, to see you hurt over a guy who wasn't him. But he didn't interrupt. He allowed you to vent.

You suddenly caught yourself, guilt hitting you. "Oh my god, Rafe... I'm so sorry. I shouldn't be sitting here crying to you about Theo. That's fucked. That’s not fair to you."

Rafe reached up, his hand gently wrapping around your ankle, thumb rubbing soothing circles against your skin. "Don't apologize to me. I told you, I don't care what the reason is.” He started, voice soft. “If you're hurting, I want to be the one to help you through it."

You offered him a pitiful smile, leaning forward. "I appreciate that, Rafe."

ACROSS the villa, Pope and Cleo were sitting by the daybeds again, their heads huddled close together as they laughed at something on Pope's phone. They had been chatting significantly more than usual all afternoon, a fact that everyone in the villa had noticed. Whenever anyone asked them about it, though, they both brushed it off, claiming they were "just talking." But the look in their eyes told a completely different story.

Over by the kitchen, JJ was standing by himself, zoned out.

"...Yo, you good?" John B asked, walking up to grab a piece of fruit.

JJ jumped at the sound of the boy’s voice, letting out a heavy sigh, shaking his head. "Honestly...I’m kina thrown off by Haja. It’s like every thing she does is to make Miles mad. I’m not a fucking pawn in their little game, bro.” JJ’s face twists. “I brought her back because I thought we had an actual connection, but it feels like she’s just using me to fuel whatever weird fire she still has going on with her ex..."

ON the daybeds, your conversation with Rafe was interrupted when Rima walked up to the two of you, her hands trembling slightly, looking more nervous than you had ever seen her.

"Rafe... Y/N, I'm sorry to interrupt," Rima said, her voice shaking slightly. She looked down at Rafe, her eyes wide with a strange anxiety. "Can I please him really quick? It's... it's kind of important."

Rafe frowned, looking between you and Rima, eyes stopping on you for an answer. You looked between them, not feeling any particular way. It was clear they’d grown to be friends. You nodded. "Yeah, of course, go ahead.” 

Rafe shot you a small smile, getting up from his place beside you. “Y’alright?"

"Just... let's go to somewhere else," she muttered, her eyes darting nervously toward the kitchen where Justin was standing, talking to JJ and John B.

You watched them walk away, a sense of uneasiness settling into your bones. But not about them.

About everything.

To you, the villa felt like a pot of water, ready to boil over, and you couldn’t put your finger on why.

Until the sudden, loud ping of a text message echoed through the villa.

You grabbed your phone, everyone watching your eyes go wide as you the message aloud.

"Islanders, tonight will be a red-carpet affair. Please get dressed for... MOVIE NIGHT! #GrabThePopcorn #DoubleFeature"

EVEN as the girls began to get ready in the dressing room, the silence was deadly. You felt that you truly had nothing to worry about. If anything, you were anticipating Movie Night, hoping, damn near praying, that it would show everything that happened at Casa.

And finally tell you if Rafe was telling the truth.

Noticeably, though, Rima, Cleo, Sofia, and Haja were the only ones who looked visibly shaken, their movements stiff and shaky as they pulled out dresses and began doing their makeup.

You and Sarah, however, were trying to break the tension.

"Oh my god," you laughed nervously, blending out your concealer. "I am actually terrified, but at the same time, I cannot wait to see what the hell is going to happen tonight."

Sarah giggled, curling a strand of her blonde hair. "Literally. Hopefully, it’s nothing like the first one. That was a mess..."

Normally, Rima and Cleo would have interjected themselves into the joke or conversation, throwing commentary back and forth. But they both remained silent, staring blankly into their mirrors. Cleo was biting the inside of her cheek, while Rima’s hands were visibly shaking as she applied her mascara.

"...Haja, are you excited?" Sarah asked, glancing your way with a confused look, trying to loop her into the conversation and clear some of the clear awkwardness.

Haja snapped her head around, her expression defensive. "Why are you asking me that?" she bit out snappily, pulling her dress up with a sharp jerk.

Sarah raised her eyebrows, exchanging a shocked look with you in the mirror. Sofia, per usual, remained quiet in the corner, her face unreadable.

You and Sarah both resigned yourselves to silence, sensing that this night probably wouldn’t be ending too well.

MEANWHILE, in the bedroom, the vibe was split.

Rafe was standing in front of the mirror, adjusting the collar of his shirt. He wasn't worried at all. In fact, he was actually pretty excited. He knew exactly what he had done at Casa and was desperately hoping that Movie Night would finally project the truth onto the big screen, showing you that you had absolutely no reason not to trust him. 

This night was his golden opportunity to finally get you back.

On the opposite side of the room, JJ and John B were in a similar nervous states. John B was pacing the floor, sweating through his shirt, running his hands through his hair so violently it looked like he was going to pull it out.

"Bro, I'm shaking. I am literally fucking shaking," John B panicked, his voice cracking. "I’m cooked, dude."

JJ wasn't doing much better, sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. “Maybe they won’t show it, man.” He throws out, but even he doesn’t believe it.

John B shoots him a sharp look, sighing. 

Pope walked over, clapping John B on the shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. "Just breathe. What's done is done. Just sit there, take it on the chin, and be honest when it plays. If it plays."

Justin was sitting on the bench, unbothered, tying his shoes. He didn't think he had anything to worry about. 

Theo was sitting nearby, looking slightly jittery, shifting his weight from foot to foot, but he wasn't displaying the level of panic that was currently consuming the other boys.

"Alright," Rafe said, turning around with a confident smirk, hands in his pockets as he tossed reading the room out the window. "Let's go to the movies."

TWO long couches faced a massive projector screen. You and the girls sat on the left couch while the boys took their seats on the right.

“Is it bad that I’m getting scared?” Sarah, who was on your right, whispered. Your eyebrows pinched at her words, turning to face her.

“Why?”

She just shrugged, shifting in her seat. “I don’t know…” She huffed. “ I think I just don’t want to see him kissing Delaney.”

You planted a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I get it. But at least he told you,” you comforted. “I’m shaking, hoping Rafe was telling the truth about everything…”

Sarah sends you a soft smile then. “I have faith in him.”

At her words, you return the smile when the projector screen decides to come to life, all heads turning as a graphic appeared, displaying a series of seven numbered digital doors

Just then, the sound of a phone went off, Justin fishing his from his pocket and reading the text aloud.

“Islanders, welcome to Movie Night. To get started, you will flip a coin. Boys versus Girls. The winning side will choose a numbered door to reveal what is behind it. You will do this for every door."

“That’s makes this even more nerve-wrecking,” You throw out as Justin takes it upon himself to stand, picking up the big plastic ‘coin’ labeled ‘Boys’ on one side, ‘Girls’ on the other, flipping it in the air, watching it hit the ground, landing firmly on Boys.

The boys huddled up briefly, before Pope looked to the girls side. "We feel like we should just start from the beginning.” He tells you all as the boys lean back. “One." Pope called out.

The door on the screen slowly creaked open, zooming in as a bold, neon title materialized across the screen—IN LOVING MEMORY OF CASA AMOR.

The title faded before a scene graced the screen—the day all of your exes entered the villa. The day Casa started.

The clip started with you and the girls', showing the moment the Casa Boys walked into the villa before it shows a confessional of Sarah—"When we were together, Thomas had this super short buzzcut... but with the longer hair? Yeah, he looks good."

John B scoffs, eyes narrowing as he glares over at Sarah. Sarah ignores him, keeping her eyes locked on the screen.

The clip continues, showing Kiara looking unamused, Cleo looking indifferent, and Rima smiling broadly, admitting she was genuinely happy to see Justin because they had remained great friends after their breakup.

Then, your face appeared on the screen, hands moving wildly as you spoke in a confessional—"I am pissed…I don’t want Mattheo here. Why would I?...He put me through absolute hell, cheated on me multiple times, and he made me feel like I was absolutely nothing. I spent a long, painful time building myself back up from the mental suffering and the emotional dents that he left on my soul...I hate that he’s here. I really do."

And on the boys' side, a smirk broke across Rafe’s face. He let out a low chuckle, thrilled to see how deeply you despised your ex, but more importantly, he absolutely loved when you got feisty—well, as long as that fire wasn't aimed at him.

The screen instantly transitioned to the boys' side over at Casa Amor, showing the exact moment Sofia and the other ex-girlfriends walked through the villa gates. The camera locked onto Rafe’s face, looking ready to punch a hole into anything. The screen then cut to his confessional from that day—"Sofia?" Rafe seethed to the camera. "Out of every. single. girl on the planet, you bring her here?...I’m pissed. I know exactly why she’s here, and it’s for all the wrong reasons—reasons I, quite frankly, don’t give a single fuck about." He threw his hands up in the air, reeling back in his seat. "And I know she is going to try her absolute hardest to throw a fucking wrench into everything…I didn’t even want to come here. I was happy where I was. But I already know this is gonna stir some shit up regardless..."

Cleo let out a sudden laugh from the middle of the couch, turning her head to look at you. “Y’all are literally the same person,” she said, shaking her head.

Sofia let out a loud scoff, crossing her arms tightly, mumbling under her breath. You looked over at Rafe, your chest swelling. He really hadn't wanted her there.

The clip continued, showing JJ acting relatively unbothered about Delaney’s arrival. Then, John B appeared on screen, playing it cool as he talked about Kaitlyn’s arrival: "There’s no real hard feelings between us…but I know for a fact she would never date me again…and I’m focused on Sarah anyway.”

In the audience, Sarah leaned over, whispering skeptically to Cleo, "But it doesn't mean he would never date her though," John B winced, watching the interaction.

The clip briefly showed Miles looking not-too-happy about Haja’s arrival, and Pope looking mildly weirded out by Winnie’s presence.

The screen then shifted to the day of the Casa Amor recoupling, showing the girls' side first.

It replayed Sarah choosing Thomas, her post-recoupling confessional flashing—"I just think we left the past in the past, and I’m okay with that."

Then came Cleo choosing Justin, showing Cleo smiling bigger than she had in weeks—"I’m excited. I think he’s sexy, obviously. And I think we made some great conversation yesterday, so I’m happy."

On the boy’s couch, Pope’s posture slouched, a deeply sad, dejected expression crossing his face. He hadn't realized Cleo actually liked Justin that much, truly, and shamefully, assuming she only brought him back as a safe option, not fully trusting him.

The clip switches to Kiara choosing Mattheo with a clearly dissatisfied expression, while Mattheo looked visibly disappointed right before Rima was shown smiling and genuinely happy with Brandon.

Then, your recoupling moment appeared, the screen showing Theo standing next to you, a smirk plastered across his face—"I’ve had my eye on her since we walked in, so I’m hoping I can leave a lasting impression, maybe get her to take me home with her.”

The camera cut to you ducking your head, smiling as Ariana called your name. You looked up, opening your mouth to speak—"It could be worse, but yeah, I’m excited to get to know Theodore. He’s been nothing but sweet to me."

In the audience, Rafe aggressively rolled his eyes, crossing his arms and groaning audibly at the sight of you smiling at Theo, damn near pouting as one of the guys nudged his shoulder.

The clip then transitioned to the boys' recoupling—John B seemed happy to be coupled up with Delaney, making an incredibly stupid joke to the camera about how she slightly resembled Sarah, a comment that was received with absolute silence and glares from the girls'. JJ was shown happy to be with Haja, stating he felt confident exploring a new connection since his chemistry with Kiara had faded. Pope was casual with Kaitlyn, Miles and Sofia seemed pleased, noting they found each other attractive, and Rafe was almost overly casual about his coupling with Winnie, indifferently stating she "seemed nice."

Next, it showed the Rodeo challenge, starting with the scene of Sarah roping in Brandon, planting a kiss on his lips, before giggling—"Sorry, Rima, he’s just too hot!"

John B let out a scoff in the audience, muttering under his breath. Sarah’s eyes darted towards her partner, dramatically rolling her eyes before muttering, “why the hell is he acting like he didn’t literally kiss someone?”

You all just shrugged, eyes glued to the screen as it now showed Kiara kissing Thomas, her confessional playing right after—"Kissing him was way better than I thought," 

At this, JJ threw a hand out, face twisting as he leaned over to John B, whispering. "The girls were ready to fuckin’ crucify me, but look at her."

The clip continued—showing Cleo kissing Justin, then you kissing Theo.

Rafe chewed the inside of his cheek, looking down at his shoes, unable to watch your lips on anyone else’s.

But the clip wasn't done. It showed Mattheo marching up to you during his turn, wrapping the rope around your wrists before winding them behind his own neck, forcing you into a kiss just before you effortlessly slipped right out of his poorly tied knot, holding your hands up, letting the loose rope fall to the ground. "You were never very good at that," your quipped sassily, pushing him off you and wiping your lips with the back of your hand.

That clip made Rafe feel a bit better, pride bubbling in his chest as he let out a loud whistle. You rolled your eyes at him, but a small smile tugged at your lips.

The video quickly switched to the boys' turns at the Casa Amor Rodeo—showing John B kissing Delaney with an extremely questionable amount of passion. 

Sarah’s face went stone-cold, eyes narrowing as the clip continued rolling, showing JJ kissing Haja, Miles kissing Sofia, and Pope kissing Kaitlyn. Then came Rafe’s turn—he was shown kissing Haja quickly, keeping brief. However, during the Casa girls' turns, the clip revealed that both Winnie and Sofia had thrown themselves at Rafe, kissing him while he stood there looking entirely uncomfortable, his arms hovering at his sides.

You narrowed your eyes, muttering, "Damn, everyone wanted a piece of him, huh?"

Sarah leaned over, laughing at your jealousy, reassuring you, "Babe, he looks like a cardboard cutout standing there. Take a breath." You rolled your eyes, sighing.

The clips behind the door ended with the scenes revealing that you and Brandon had won the villa date, while John B and Delaney had won the Casa date.

And as the screen faded to black, the tension hadn't broken yet. The coin was tossed again, landing on Girls.

You all huddled for a moment, before deciding on a random door.

"Let's do Door Three," Sarah called out, a brief second of pause before the door swung open and the screen zoomed into the abyss before the title came across the screen—THE BOY WHO CRIED 'JUST ONCE'.

The clip opened with a scene of Sarah during Casa, pouting as she whined to the girls—"Guyssss, Thomas?! He looks so good, you guys, I hate it! But John B is literally with his ex right now. I’m losing my mind. Ugh." Then it cut to Sarah talking in the confessional booth—"Yeah, Thomas is a great guy. Really, I was the problem in our past relationship…kind of regret it now, though. Ugh, he’s hot!"

In the audience, John B let out a loud sigh, turning to the guys, but before he could even open his mouth to complain once more, the screen cut to Sarah again—"...It just came out that John B was in communication with his ex right before he came on the show?...I don’t know if there’s, like, some unresolved shit there."

Right after, almost as if to answer her worries, the movie shows a clip of John B and Kaitlyn having a private conversation on the Casa daybeds. John B was leaning in close, asking weird, loaded questions. "Do you... ever miss what we had? Like, do you miss our relationship? Would you ever be willing to try again?" Kaitlyn let out a loud laugh, waving her hand. "God, no. That ship has sailed." John B was shown letting out an incredibly nervous, high-pitched laugh, scratching his neck as he tried to play it off. "Yeah, yeah, totally. Me neither."

John B’s heart dropped into his hands, stiffening in his seat.

Sarah whipped her head around to the girls on the couch, eyes flashing with angry confusion. "...Am I crazy, or was he trying to shoot his shot at his ex-girlfriend on day one?"

"He definitely was," Cleo agreed, her jaw dropped. 

You nodded. "One hundred percent."

Sarah then whipped around, folding herself to glare at John B across the lawn. “Are you serious?” She criticizes, but John B makes no attempt to defend himself, scratching his forehead as the clips kept going.

It cut to John B and Delaney on their date after the Rodeo challenge. They were clearly flirting, all touchy-feely, and John B was clearly leading her on, holding her hand across the table and whispering compliments.

The video then transitioned back to the main villa, showing Sarah firmly telling the girls—"I don’t feel drawn to any of these Casa guys. None of them are doing it for me."

"Really? Not even a little bit?" your voice echoed from the screen.

"No, my head is completely with John B. I’m just playing the waiting game.” She shrugs, the screen showing another very brief clip of her saying, “I have trust in John B."

And almost as if to mock her, the video instantly cut back to Casa Amor, showing John B with Delaney on the daybeds, calling her sweet nicknames while she sat giggling like a schoolgirl before it flipped to the moment you and the girls received the video, Sarah’s face crumbling as she watched, whispering, "That’s fucking crazy." But then it showed Sarah the next day, sitting on the beanbags, sheepishly admitting to the girls—"I’m still holding out a bit of hope. I mean, I don’t know what happened during their full conversation, and it looked like they only shared kisses during challenges... I don’t want to completely throw away what we have over something I’m not even sure is anything bad."

It was sad to see Sarah be so loyal to her partner while he was clearly pillow talking to another girl just across the island. But Sarah, as well as the rest of the girls, figured that there was nothing to truly be upset with John be about, considering, as far as you all knew, he'd been completely transparent with Sarah about what he done over at Casa.

So, it was safe to say that the next clip had all of your jaws on the fucking floor.

The screen displayed the bathroom at Casa and, through the frosted glass of the shower, steaming pillowing above, you could see the distinct silhouettes of John B and Delaney. Gasps ran over the group. They were showering together. Their bodies pressed flush against each other, the sound of splashing water mixing with low, muffled giggles.

Sarah’s breath hitched. A tear instantly spilled over her eyelashes, her face turning an angry, volatile shade of crimson.

Immediately, outraged voices erupted from the left couch as the girls crowded around Sarah, rubbing her back. 

“That’s crazy,” Cleo spat, glaring daggers across the lawn. “And he’s sitting over there scoffing and making faces when he showered with another girl?!” 

You leaned in close, your jaw dropping. “Sarah, did he tell you about that?” 

Sarah shook her head frantically, fresh tears spilling over. “No! He didn't fucking tell me!”

The clip continued, showing the Temperatures Rising challenge, replaying Sarah doing the ‘suck’ task on Thomas, going crazy to get his heart rate up. But then it cut to John B's turn with Delaney where he was shown burying his face in Delaney's cleavage, aggressively sucking on the exposed skin, before sliding down to his knees and pressing his mouth tightly against the inside of her thighs, his hands gripping her hips tightly.

The video then showed with their most recent conversation that acted as the biggest blow to it all as, in the clip, John B and Sarah sat talking, him telling her,  "But it wasn’t anything serious—" John B's voice echoing as Sarah seethes. 

"I knew it."

"She was just... there, and—"

"Did you kiss her?" Sarah’s voice cut him off sharply from the screen. "Outside of a challenge. Did you?"

John B was shown hesitating for a fraction of a second, his eyes darting away guiltily before locking back onto hers. "...Yeah," he admitted on screen. "But only once. I swear, Sarah—"

You and the girls remained huddled around Sarah, who was breaking down, her shoulders shaking as she sat there sobbing. “He is such a liar,” Rima mumbled under her breath, her own face twisted in pure disgust. 

You sighed heavily, shaking your head. “I’m...actually so disappointed in him.” 

Meanwhile, on the other side of the lawn, a low murmur broke out among the guys. The boys were leaning in close, whispering, and JJ and Pope nudged John B hard, “You should have jus' fuckin’ told her, man.”

The screen flashes to John B talking to the guys in the bathroom, running a hand through his hair. "Is it bad that I regret telling Sarah the truth? I feel like now she’s just trying to punish me for doing what we came here to do, which was exploring options." 

Hearing his words, Sarah snapped. She whipped her head around, shouting across the lawn directly at John B, “You didn't even tell me the fucking truth, so what the hell are you talking about?!” Before she could jump up though, you and Cleo grabbed her arms, pulling her back and murmuring soft words to calm her down. 

On the boys' couch, the guys quickly muttered to John B, telling him not to say a word back, warning him that it was in his best interest to just be quiet and ’let this shit play out’.

The bathroom scene continued playing. "I don’t understand why it matters so much anyway, because at the end of the day, I still came back to her. I chose her."

“That’s shallow as hell, and that is so not the point,” Cleo whispered harshly, her jaw clenched as she watched the screen.

The final blow came when the screen showed footage from the third night of Casa, revealing that John B didn't sleep outside. He was shown tucked under the covers, Delaney wrapped in his arms. They were cuddling, sharing multiple kisses in the pitch-black of the room. The audio even picked up John B pillow-talking her, his voice a low whisper—"I’m not gonna lie, there's a really good chance I might bring you back."

And then the screen faded to black.

And Sarah didn’t waste a second before jumping up from the couch, breaking free of the multiple arms that were comforting her, ears of rage and heartbreak streaming down her face. She turned on John B, her voice a piercing shriek, cracking.

"You’re a pathetic fucking liar, John B!" she screamed. "You slept in the bed with her?! You showered with her?! You were kissing her under the covers and telling her you were gonna bring her back, and you sat in front of me yesterday and swore you only kissed her once?!"

John B stood up, his hands shaking as he reached out. "It didn't matter! I didn't bring her back! I chose you—"

"And that’s supposed to make it better?!" Sarah yelled before she turned her fury onto the rest of the boys' couch, glare landing on JJ, Pope, and Rafe. "And all of you! You all sat there and watched him do it! Nobody said a fucking word to me! You let me sit here looking like a complete idiot!"

Almost immediately, the guys she singled out got offended. JJ, Pope, and Rafe all leaned forward, defending themselves. 

“Whoa, wait a minute, it wasn't our place!” JJ yelled back. 

Pope threw his hands up, shouting, “You think we didn't want to tell you?! Like, how do you think we felt? We didn't know what to do!” 

Rafe threw his hands up as well, muttering something that didn’t travel far enough to hear. 

Of course, the girls weren't about to let them slide, immediately arguing back in Sarah’s defense. “If it was any one of you, we would have told you!” you yelled across the gap, Cleo and Rima shouting in agreement. 

The guys scoffed and shook their heads, disagreeing, with JJ muttering that he didn't think that was true at all. 

The two couches went back and forth for a minute, voices overlapping, before everyone realized there was absolutely no point in the entire villa arguing when the main issue was strictly between Sarah and John B. Everyone gradually piped down, settling back into a tense silence to let Sarah and John B continue to hash things out.

She turned back to John B, wiping her eyes fiercely. "He keeps saying none of it matters because he didn't bring her back... well, you fucking should have because me and you are done!"

“Sarah—”

“Fucking done.” She spat one last time before plopping down into her seat, huffing and wiping at her eyes. “Someone flip the fucking coin so we can get this shit over with…” Kaitlyn stood from her seat, flipping the plastic coin, watching as it landed on Boys, them picking Door Number Four.

The door opened and the title faded in—KISS AND (DON’T) TELL. The clip opened on Rima talking, the rest of you gathered around—"And honestly, if not for the fact that we’re currently in a couple, I think Pope would stay well-behaved just because he wants to prove himself to Cleo.”

Cleo sat up straighter then, assuming this was her turn under the spotlight.

The screen then cut to Pope over at Casa, sitting on the daybeds with John B, looking incredibly troubled. "Man, I don’t know if it’s crazy to say but…I miss Cleo. Like, none of these Casa girls are doing anything for me. I’m just constantly worrying about her making a connection back at the villa. I’m just wondering if she’s keeping our talk in the back of her mind like I am."

The video transitioned back to the villa, showing Cleo expressing how she felt to Justin—"Pope is still just kind of there in the back of my mind. I’m trying to get him out, I really am, but we had this big conversation right before he left for Casa where he told me his feelings were with me. But... I just don’t know if he’ll actually stand on it.”

Next, it swipes to their post-Casa conversation on the daybeds, where Cleo and Justin were discussing where they stood.

"But... what about Pope?" Justin asked.

"I’m not gonna deny that a piece of me has always been with Pope because of our initial connection during the first couple weeks. I do... still have feelings there. But... I’m just not sure if I want to go forward with exploring them anymore after everything that happened…I just want to focus on us.”

Then it shows the glam room after the Boss Bitch challenge. You were leaning against the vanity, looking at Cleo. "What about you and Pope? I didn’t expect you to kiss him, to be honest."

"I only kissed him to see if the spark was still there... and unfortunately, it is." She groaned loudly. "And now I feel like I’ve just made things ten times harder for myself with Justin..."

In the audience, Justin shifted uncomfortably in his seat, face hardening as he muttered, playing with his hands. "What the fuck, bro..."

Immediately after, the screen showed Pope talking to the guys in the bathroom later that afternoon—"I was so worried after the recoupling that bringing Kaitlyn back was the wrong choice and that I’d ruined all my chances with Cleo. But honestly? The kiss today during the challenge... it gave me hope, man. I still felt that same spark we had when we first met. Just the simple fact that she chose to kiss me gives me hope that I can fix what I broke with her.”

After, the screen shows Pope pulling Cleo for a chat, them walking into Say Less, the cameras tracking them sitting incredibly close on the couch. The conversation faded out, replaced by footage of Justin back in the yard, pacing around, looking around as he muttered, "How long does it take to talk?..."

It then clips to Cleo returning as Justin walked up to her. "Y'all were gone for a minute," Justin noted, his eyes narrowing as he looked at her face. "...Your lip gloss is smudged.” He blinks. “Did you guys kiss?"

On screen, Cleo looked him dead in the eye and shook her head, answering unnaturally quick. "No. We just talked."

Unfortunately, the next scene cut back to the footage inside Say Less—showing Pope leaning in, his hands cupping Cleo’s face, before the two of them end up in a full-blown, clearly deeply passionate make-out session. And to make matters worse, between heavy breaths, they could clearly be heard whispering against each other’s lips, "I missed you."

Everyone gasped in unison as Pope resigned to burying his face into a pillow while Cleo dropped her head into her hands, looking upset and deeply ashamed of herself.

Justin broke the silence, turning to her, hurt. "You lied to my face.” He criticizes, voice trembling. “I gave you the opportunity to just be honest with me, and you looked me in the eye and lied."

Cleo pulled her hands away, her eyes tearing up. "Justin, I'm so sorry. I was just... I was so scared of losing you, and I panicked—"

"Yeah, well, you clearly didn't want to keep me either," Justin shot back, his voice bitter as he whipped his head toward Pope. "And you? That shit is crazy, bro—"

Pope didn't back down. Actually, he sat up, showing absolutely zero remorse. "I'm not going to apologize to you for going after what I want.” He says casually, though he is clearly slightly embarrassed. “I had a connection with Cleo long before you were even thought of. I broke it, and I've been trying to fix it."

"Okay, and I understand that, but it's about respect, man!" Justin shouted across the gap.

"Look, no offense, but my connection with Cleo means a hell of a lot more to me than your feelings." Pope snapped, eyes low. 

But before the argument could spiral any further, Rafe intervened, standing up to flip the coin, watching it land on Girls. After a brief huddle, you all picked Door Number Five.

The transitions followed as usual, the title flashing in bold letters—EX-FACTOR.

The video started immediately after the previous series of clips, showing the exact moment Cleo returned from her chat with Pope and lied to Justin. It showed Justin nodding before excusing himself and walking away, face twisted. Realizing Cleo had lied, Justin’s expression turned vindictive as he walked straight over to Rima. "Hey, can I pull you? I just need somebody to talk to.” He asks, and Rima nods as he leads her to the Speakeasy. The clip showed them entering the lounge and, at first, the conversation was perfectly normal. Justin was venting about Cleo, and Rima was listening. 

But then, the body language shifted. Justin slid closer to Rima on the couch, voice dropping. "I just... I miss when things were easy, Rima," Justin murmured, looking down at her lips. "Like what we had... it was real..." And you all watch with wide eyes as Justin leans in, pressing his lips against hers. And your jaws drop when Rima doesn't pull away. In fact, she wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the exchange. It feels like the clip goes on for hours, watching them grope and grab at each other, tongues sliding against one another.

Cleo let out a loud, gasp, her jaw dropping as she whipped her head around to look at Rima, but Rima couldn't bring herself to look at Cleo, staring at her own lap.

The clip cuts to the end of their make-out, showing Rima cursing herself before sprinting out to find Rafe where he was sitting with you. That’s why she looked like that. The scene showed Rafe and Rima sitting on the pool chairs.

"Rafe, I fucked up so bad," Rima panicked on screen, burying her face in her hands. "And I'm sorry, I know you're getting things back on track with Y/N and I pulled you away from her but I literally cannot pull any of the girls, like they won't understand—”

“Rima, I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about—

“I made out with Justin, just now, in the Speakeasy.” She cuts in with a harsh whisper, chewing on her nails. “And I feel so terrible because of Cleo, but... I think I might still be in love with him."

And then it was over.

Cleo turned on Justin, face stone. "Are you fucking kidding me?! You sat there and lectured me for about respect and honesty, and you literally walked straight into the Speakeasy and made out with your ex-girlfriend?!"

Justin, trying to justify his actions, raised his voice against hers. "Cleo, I only kissed Rima because of what you did! I knew you were lying to me!"

“Excuse me—” Rima reels back, but her voice gets lost to the wind.

"You didn't even know for sure!" Cleo screamed back, her chest heaving. "If I hadn't kissed him, if I had been telling the truth, how the hell would you feel right now? You assumed I did something, and you immediately ran to your ex in spite!" She gestured wildly between them. "And for the record, we are not closed off! And I have been completely transparent with you about the fact that I still have feelings for Pope!"

"But in our last conversation, you told me you wanted to focus on us!" Justin countered aggressively, swinging a hand between himself and Cleo to emphasize his words.

"I did want to focus on us!" Cleo argued. "But it didn't mean I was throwing Pope completely out the window!" She suddenly stopped, her eyes landing on Rima, who was sitting on the edge of the couch. Cleo’s voice dropped into a deeply hurt whisper. "And you... Rima, why didn't you say anything to me? You've been one of my closest friends in here. You were the one pushing me to explore things with Justin, telling me what a great guy he was... and the first chance you get, you're having a full-blown make-out session with him behind my back?"

Rima looked up, her eyes filled with tears, her voice defensive despite her apology. "Cleo, I am sorry. I really am.” She offers. “...But I don't think you have that much of a right to be upset right now. You kissed Pope right before that happened—"

"I've been honest about my feelings for Pope, you guys have been acting like you're completely over each other and you're ‘just friends’." Cleo counters, her voice echoing.

Pope immediately jumped into the argument, pointing a hand out at Justin. “Cleo has been upfront about us the entire time.”

“Yeah, up until tonight! What the hell are you talkin’ about, man?” Justin argued back.

“Me and Cleo never tried to play the ‘just friends’ card!”

“Neither did we!” Rima shook her head, tears welling as she tried to apologize again, though she stood firm on her stance. “I am sorry, Cleo, but it’s the truth!” 

Justin then interrupted, his face flushed and voice cracking because he was hurt, projecting a massive amount of that anger onto Pope rather than Cleo. “You need to stay out of this, Pope! You’re the one who disrespected what we had going on!” 

Before the clash between the two guys could spin out of control, the other guys rushed in, telling them all to chill out and just move on to the next video.

The screen flashes, forcing everyone to look back up as the next title showed—THE KING, THE QUEEN, AND THE PAWN.

The clip opened on JJ and Pope's private conversation the afternoon before Casa Amor. JJ was rubbing the back of his neck, looking troubled. "...I’m starting to feel kinda weird about Kie."

"Really? I thought you guys were, like, finally happy to test things out."

"That’s the thing, before we actually got coupled up, it felt like me and Kie had an insane amount of tension, bro…But now that we’re actually in a couple... it’s like all of our chemistry just faded into thin air…The spark is completely gone, and it just feels forced now.”

Your own face twisted as several girls muttered to each other, "If he had enough time to tell Pope how he felt about Kiara, why didn't he have the decency to tell Kiara?"

JJ overheard, turning to defend himself. "I had literally just realized it in that clip. What the hell are you guys talking about?"

"That’s not an excuse, JJ," you piped up from the couch. "You had more than enough time to speak to her. You were just scared. I’m sure she would’ve much rather you had been honest and her be hurt by the entire situation than you not telling her and her getting, I don't know, dumped from the fucking island because of it."

JJ tensed, shutting his mouth, unable to argue with you.

You scoffed, sitting back as the screen cut to a clip of Kiara talking to the camera in a confessional—"Honestly speaking, I felt like my best conversation was definitely with Thomas…I really do think I have a little bit of a crush on him. But... I don’t know if it’s actually worth risking my connection with JJ. Like, JJ and I have a vibe, I think anyway, but Thomas just feels... more into me…JJ is all charm and flirty, which is exciting, but it’s also terrifying because you never know if he’s going to burn you. Thomas looks at me like he actually wants to know my soul or something..."

JJ instantly interrupted , throwing his hands up, snapping before pointing at the screen. "See?! Why are all of you jumping on me when it's clear as day Kiara was already making another connection anyway?"

Before any of you girls could answer, the next clip rolled, showing Kiara on screen saying—"I want to have faith in JJ, I really do. But his track record is terrifying.” The screen then jump-cuts to Casa, showing JJ sweet-talking Haja on the daybeds before pulling her into a deep kiss.

All at once, the girls turned to JJ pointing at the screen. "That's why."

The clip continued, showing Kiara on screen again—"I just... I don’t know. JJ and I have a connection. But I’m just so terrified that the moment my back is turned, he’s going to revert right back to his old ways.” And, like a slap in the face, the video showed the Casa Amor bedroom in night-vision. JJ and Haja were in bed, the audio picking up unmistakable soft moans, heavy breathing, and the violent movement of the duvet covers. JJ’s voice could clearly be heard whispering raspy compliments as the sheet shifted, subtitles at the bottom of the screen only making matters worse— “you feel so good”, “don’t wake anyone up”, “fuck, i’m close”—making it abundantly clear to the entire villa what had happened.

The girls' jaws dropped in shock, a collective gasp echoing through the lawn.

"...Oh my god," you muttered, eyes wide. The boys looked down, they had been in the room, they knew, so they weren't surprised, but seeing the raw footage on the giant screen made it much more real.

The clip quickly switched to showing Kiara's reaction to receiving the video from Casa, her eyes tearing up as she watched JJ make out with Haja, followed by a brief clip of Kiara sharing a sad, comforting kiss with Thomas.

The screen showed JJ talking to the guys recently—"And I don’t know if Haja is actually here for me, man. I think she’s super sexy and confident, and I love that about her. But I’m starting to think she’s just using me as some kind of piece in her game to make Miles mad..."

Haja immediately got offended by the comment, snapping her head toward JJ. “How the fuck can you even say that when a clip of us literally fucking was just shown?!” she yelled, her eyes flashing.

The screen then cut to Haja sitting with you all out on the beanbags as she spoke directly to you—"And when I say that man is manipulative? I mean, you experienced it first hand from what I saw. When Miles said that stuff to you? About Rafe? He used to do shit like that all the time to me. It’s the same move he pulled to get me away from the boyfriend I had before him.”

What followed was a heart-stopping montage that completely exposed Haja and Miles, revealing that from the literal first day of Casa Amor, they had been secretly sneaking around behind everyone's backs. It showed them pulling each other into hidden corners of the Casa villa, making out until they ran themselves breathless. Their confessionals played back-to-back, with both of them admitting how desperately they missed each other.

It cut to a clip showing Haja looking furious during the Raunchy Races challenge, when Sofia and Miles completed a task together, revealing that her bitterness was what ignited their toxic cycle all over again. Even though they were actively pretending to be rivals in front of the other Islanders, the footage exposed the reality. It showed them kissing passionately in dark corners, it showed them secretly showering together and exiting the bathroom and just nearly getting caught by everyone, and it showed multiple clips of Miles passing Haja in the kitchen, casually giving her butt a firm squeeze when nobody was looking before the screen faded out.

And almost everyone was furious. Not only were the girls still furious at JJ for doing Kiara dirty, but it was now abundantly clear that he had done it for absolutely no reason, seeing as Haja had seemingly used him as a golden ticket into the villa just to continue whatever weird thrill-ship she had with Miles.

"Are you serious, JJ?" Sarah yelled. "Look where your dick got you! You couldn't wait to get your dick wet, and you got played!"

John B jumped in to defend JJ, throwing his hands out. “It’s not his fault he made another connection! He didn't do anything wrong!” 

Sarah immediately whipped her head around, her eyes practically shooting fire as she pointed at him. “John B, you shut up!” she screamed, still furious with him. “Of course you would sit over there and defend him!”

But in the midst of the fire, some of you turned your fury onto Haja. Despite your own grudges against JJ at the moment, you still cared about him and you knew he wouldn't have brought Haja back if he didn't actually like her. So, to know that she was playing in his face the entire time? It kind of enraged you a little bit. "Haja, what the hell?" you hissed. "I mean, you make it seem like you hate Miles’ guts but you're letting him grab your ass in the kitchen and y'all are showering together? What happened to all that stuff you said about him being manipulative?”

Haja scoffed, snarling. "I don't have to explain shit to any of you,” She defends herself. “This is Love Island. I’m allowed to explore whoever I want!"

"Oh please, you knew you were wrong!" Sarah yelled. "Otherwise, why the hell were you sneaking around?"

"We weren't sneaking around on anyone!" Haja screamed back, her voice pitchy. "Me and JJ aren't closed off! And Miles and Sofia don't even actually like each other, so it doesn't even matter!"

You snapped, pointing a finger at Haja. "If that was how you actually felt, Haja, then you should have had the fucking decency to be upfront about it! JJ had actual feelings for you! If you wanted to keep messing with your ex, you should have stayed outside the villa!"

Haja scoffed, her eyes flashing. "Why do you even care so much?! Weren't all of you just screaming at him five minutes ago for getting your friend dumped?"

"Yeah, we were!" Rima yelled right back, matching her volume entirely. "But the only reason Kiara got dumped was because JJ brought you back here thinking he had a real connection, and you’re using him! We’re not justifying anything JJ did, but you and Miles are far from being in the right either!"

Haja went wild, gesturing wildly. "Okay, then if you're gonna get on my case, you need to get on Miles', too!"

"We already knew Miles was a piece of shit, we're not concerned about him!" You threw out from the couch.

Miles leaned forward on the couch, tossing his hands up lazily as a smirk spread across his face. “Whoa, back up. I don’t know why you’re opening your mouth to call me a piece of shit when the only reason me and you have an issue is because I told you the truth but your guard dog didn’t like it,” he said smoothly, throwing immediate shade your way. 

Rafe went rigid, his eyes flaring as he surged forward in his seat. “Don’t talk to her like that,”

"Exactly! Mind your own goddamn business and shut up, Y/N!" Haja hissed directly at you.

Instantly, JJ stood up for you, yelling at Haja, and Rafe’s face twisted in anger as he continued defending you to Miles. "Don't fuckin’ tell her to shut up!" 

The lawn devolved into a zoo of screaming, chest-puffing, and volatile insults. 

“She can speak whenever she wants!” JJ barked across the lawn at Haja, his veins popping from his neck. 

Cleo and Sarah were screaming over them, pointing fingers, while Miles and Rafe were still going at it. The shouting match escalated into complete bedlam, with both couches on their feet, yelling over one another until the volume was deafening. 

The hostility hung in the air, a mess of overlapping threats and defensive cries that only began to settle when a blinding flash from the screen pulled everyone's attention backward.

The screen flashed, forcing the next door open, the title showing up in massive letters—MISDIAGNOSED MAIN CHARACTER SYNDROME.

The clip opened on Sofia’s very first confessional from the day she entered Casa Amor, smirking arrogantly— "I really, really miss what Rafe and I had… and I know for a fact that deep down, he still cares about me. I know he thinks he’s building this new connection with... uh, I completely forgot her name.But I know him. He just needs a little... reminder of what we used to be.”

You let out a dramatic roll of your eyes, turning to Cleo and Rima. "She’s so childish, my god. Was that supposed to be a diss?" You taunt, voice rising loud enough to be heard as Sofia remains silent, rolling her eyes.

"That bitch knew your name," Cleo scoffed loudly. "She’s obsessed with you, there’s no way she didn't."

The clip goes on, revealing a conversation between Miles and Sofia on the last day of Casa—"Why don't I just bring you back to the villa? It'll completely torture Haja, considering she thinks she's doing something by running around with JJ, and honestly, me and Rafe aren't friends by any means, so any chance to fuck with him is a chance I'll take. I say fuck it. Let's stir some shit up."

From his seat, Rafe whipped his head toward Miles, his blue eyes filled with irritation. "You’re actually a bitch," Rafe spat, his voice dropping into a harsh growl. Miles just smirked, looking away.

The clip continued, showing a montage of Miles and Sofia sitting around the villa over the past two days, actively making fun of you—whispering and pointing while you were minding your business, plotting ways to intentionally piss off you, Rafe, and Haja, saying mean, spiteful things before laughing hysterically together like the pair of villains they clearly are.

The girls moved closer to you on the couch, Cleo and Sarah reaching over to rub your shoulders and squeeze your arm comfortingly. “You alright?" She asked softly, trying to catch your gaze, but you had this thousnad-yard-stare going on. "...Don’t even think about it, they’re just bored and miserable,” Sarah murmured softly, her eyes full of concern. 

Cleo glared at the screen, adding, “They’re so weird for that.” 

You just weakly shrugged their hands off, looking away as you muttered, “I’m fine, seriously.” But they could all clearly see the truth—your foot was hammering against the grass, your jaw tight, irritated and angry to the point of tears.

The rest of the Islanders looked visibly disgusted. The girls were glaring at Sofia, and JJ muttered, "That’s fucked. Y/N was going through so much at the time, and they’re just fuckin’ laughin’ at her..." 

Rafe’s hands were shaking with rage, jaw clenched so tight it looked ready to break as he watched them mock you. He had so much he wanted to say, so many people he wanted to punch, but he was simmering so deeply in his own rage that he got caught up in his own violent thoughts, jaw ticking as his leg bounced relentlessly.

The video then replayed the scene on the daybeds, Sofia and Miles talking casually when, Rafe walked past them from one direction and Haja walked past from the other, quickly glancing at them both before jumping on each other, Miles wrapping his arm tightly around her waist as Sofia leaned in, planting a sloppy kiss on his lips, their immediate whispering right after they pulled apart…

"Did he see?" Sofia whispered eagerly.

"Yeah, he saw," Miles laughed maliciously, lying through his teeth just to feed his own ego and hers. "Haja looked pissed too."

The screen then transitioned to the dressing room from last night, showing the confrontation between you and Sofia, her venomous tone echoing.

“...I know we don’t talk much, but I just want to get something out there before you start making a fool of yourself. I think that going after Rafe is a complete waste of your time. I don’t know what kind of little romantic fairytale he’s trying to sell you, or what lies he’s whispering in your ear... but that’s all it is. Lies…The only reason you and Rafe even have a ‘relationship’ right now is because of this show. But outside of this? Trust me, you wouldn’t last a single second with the real Rafe. You don’t know him like I do…”

The screen showed you completely unmoved by her words. You let a slow, unamused smile pull at the corners of your lips as you stood up from your vanity chair, glaring over at her. “Are you done?”

“...Wh—”

“I hear what you’re saying about being ’first’, but from where I’m standing? Being first clearly doesn’t mean anything. If it did, you wouldn’t be here. You can call me temporary all you want, you can keep glaring at me every chance you get, you can keep trying to embarrass me, but at least I’m not desperate, going through all of this trouble for a man who won’t even look at me twice. You’re the only one fighting his feelings for me, thinking it’ll change his feelings for you, I’m assuming. It won’t.”

Rafe instantly sat up straight, his eyes wide as he looked over at you. "Y/N, when did she say that to you?"

Before you could answer, Sofia jumped in snappily, "Why do you even care, Rafe?"

“I’m not talkin’ to you.” Rafe dismissed, a snarl on his lips as he dismissed the girl.

You also bypassed Sofia, looking directly at Rafe. "Last night, right after we got back from our date." Rafe’s eyes flared with pure anger as he glared at Sofia, shaking his head. He’d wait until this was over to really speak his mind.

The clip continued, showing Sofia pulling Kaitlyn and Haja for a private chat earlier today, pouring her heart out about how she didn't understand why Rafe was so different with you, crying about how she spent her entire relationship cleaning up his messes— “I just don't get it, like I was there for everything, and he put me through hell. I was the one who stood by him whenever he crashed his fucking car and took him home. I was the one who bailed him out of jail every fucking time. I was the one who drove him home when he was drunk off his ass and probably fucking high, but apparently none of that fucking matters to him, all because of this random bitch.”

But apparently the girls weren't fond of the first time Sofia pulling them and attempting to have a conversation being when she needs someone to vent to, and Kaitlyn is the first to put her foot down — “I'm sorry, I just find it very odd that you don't make any attempt to speak to us…but all of a sudden when you need a shoulder to cry on, you pull us aside like we're friends. To be honest, I don't give a shit about anything you just said. I've been here for two days and those girls have made me feel more welcome than you have in the week that I've known you. I think Y/N is a good person and you're just bitter that your ex has…what? Evolved as a person? I'm sorry, but that's crazy to me…”

Then came the final morning clip. 

It showed Sofia pulling Theo for as he entered the kitchen, pulling out pans and tools—"I just thought you should know, I overheard Y/N in the dressing room last night after her date with Rafe. She was telling the girls that, at the end of the day, she was using you as a safe option, and she would choose Rafe over you in a heartbeat without a second thought. And she basically said that, like, during her date with Rafe, she realized how much she regrets bringing you back here and she said that she should have never chosen you. I don't know what you know about the whole situation that's going on, but I'm just coming to you as a person. I don't think anyone deserves to be used."

Then, that was the end of it.

And you had officially reached your absolute breaking point. A scarily calm air settled over you as you, turned your gaze onto Sofia.

“...I have tried my best to just ignore you and your bullshit. At first, I kept telling myself that I had absolutely no reason to have an issue with you, that it was Rafe’s fault and not yours. But it's clear that your entire existence revolves around me, so here, I'm giving you the attention you want so bad, because it seems, at this point, that you might want my attention more than you want Rafe’s.” You throw out, clasping your hands together, tone biting. “So, please, tell me what the fuck your purpose was in telling Theo that load of bullshit?"

Sofia tried to play innocent, shrugging her shoulders. "I felt like he deserved to know the truth, considering you're coupled up with him and lying—"

You put a hand up. “I’m gonna stop you right there.” You pointed a finger at your chest. “I'm coupled up with Theo. Exactly. Not you." you hissed, your composure snapping. "You went out of your way to tell him something, and you made it seem ten times worse than what it actually was! Half of that shit you told him, I never even fucking said!" You leaned closer, your eyes burning. "And then to make matters worse, you're doing all of this over a guy who doesn't even like you anymore—"

“That's what he told you!” Sofia snapped. "He still loves me! I know him a million times better than you do! You think after three weeks of knowing this man that you know who he really is?! You think he's actually going to pick a girl like you over me?!"

“A girl like me?” Your neck reeled back. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

Sofia let out a sharp, nasty laugh, crossing her arms over her chest as she glared directly at you. “Please, let’s be real here. A girl who literally used to flaunt half-naked for money isn't exactly the type a guy like Rafe brings home long-term. Let’s not forget where you came from...” 

At her words, your vision tunneled with rage. “Bitch—” you hissed, throwing your weight forward as you tried to fly off the couch to tear into her, but Sarah, Cleo, and Rima threw their arms around your waist and shoulders, tugging you back down into your seat before you could make a mistake.

Rafe groaned from his spot on the couch, his voice was terrifying, echoing. "I already did!" Rafe screamed at Sofia, his face flushed. "I already did pick her over you! I keep picking her over you every single fucking day, and it doesn't seem to get through your head!" He seethes, two fingers jamming into his temple

Rafe went off on her, reading her for filth. "I wish you had never come here. I wish we had never met, and I really wish we had never fucking dated! I have spent the last year of my life trying to build myself up, and I just want to leave that version of myself and our relationship in the past, but you refuse to let it go!"

He threw his hands down. "I was a terrible person when we were together, Sofia! We had fifty times more bad days than we ever had good ones! So why the fuck do you crave being with me so bad?! I don't want that relationship anymore, and I don't want you!"

Sofia was sobbing violently now, shaking her head in denial. "You don't mean that—"

"I do," Rafe huffed, his voice cold. "You can't stand the fact that I was the one who ended it, Sofia. That’s all this is—"

"What does she have that I don't?!" Sofia shrieked, pointing a shaking finger directly at you as tears streamed down her face. 

Rafe sighed. “You don’t want me to answer that—”

"Why are you so willing to be a good person for her, Rafe?! Why not for me?!"

Rafe stopped, looking back at you for a fraction of a second, his expression softening before he turned back to Sofia. "...I just know that she’s different. She makes me want to be better."

"You're so obsessed with this whole ‘trying to be a better person’, Rafe, but you never will be!" Sofia spat venomously through her tears. "I know who you really are! She doesn't! That's love, not whatever fake shit you have with her!"

In the midst of their argument, completely done arguing with Sofia’s delusion, you turned your anger directly onto Theo, who was still sitting silently on the couch.

"And you," you hissed, walking up to him. "Is this why you've been acting like an asshole to me all day? Because of something a girl who literally hates my guts said to you this morning?"

Theo shrugged casually, his expression cold and indifferent. "I mean, clearly it was true, so it doesn't really matter, does it?"

"It’s not true.” You deadpan. “That is not what I said!"

"So you didn't say you would choose Rafe at the end of the day?" Theo cut you off sharply, standing up.

"I did!" you argued fiercely. "But all of that extra stuff she added, I never said it! All they asked me was ‘Theo or Rafe’, and I just said ‘Rafe’. And I fully planned on pulling you today to be open and honest with you about exactly where my head was at, just like I have been the entire time, but when I asked you to talk, you literally looked me in the eye and said no—"

"I don't care about the extra stuff, Y/N!" Theo shouted back, his voice rising in aggression as he stepped up. "I care about the fact that you sat there and said you'd choose him over me!"

“You knew there was a chance of that happening!”

Rafe, noticing how close Theo was to you and the lack of intervention, turned away from Sofia mid argument and shoved his way between you and Theo, his face twisted. "Why are you in her face?"

"Tell your boyfriend to fuck off," Theo snapped aggressively, ducking around Rafe’s head to glare at you.

“Oh, fuck you,” you mused, throwing a hand out. “Maybe you need to argue with a man.”

“Step back,” Rafe growled, his chest pressing against Theo's as the two of them locked eyes. 

Theo sneered, stepping up even closer. “You think you scare me? How blind are you to not see that she played both of us, and you're over here acting like a lapdog!” 

You threw your hands up between them. “Theo, you knew from day one where my head was, so don't act dumb now!” 

In the background, Sofia was sobbing, shaking her fists and screaming, “Fuck you, Rafe! Screw you!” but nobody was paying her a single ounce of attention. 

Before the tension between Rafe and Theo could erupt, all of the boys rushed forward, shoving themselves between the two guys, while the rest of the Islanders crowded around to break it all up. 

JJ clapped Rafe on the shoulder, pulling him back. “Chill out, man, c’mon. We still have other clips to get to. We’ll have more than enough time to talk through all this shit after it's done.” 

Muttering curses under their breaths, everyone reluctantly backed away, sitting back down to watch the final door open.

The final title illuminated the screen—LOVE SQUARED.

The clip opened on the morning the guys were whisked away to Casa Amor, showing you fast asleep in the bed. Rafe was shown quietly leaning over you, gently pressing a lingering, tender kiss to your cheek before whispering softly into your ear—"I’ll miss you, angel. Sleep well."

In your seat, your heart completely melted, the residual anger dying out. You hadn't known he did that. Your eyes locked with Rafe’s across the lawn as he shot you a soft, boyish grin, ducking his head as his cheeks grew red.

The screen cut to a conversation between you and Theo on day one of Casa.

“How’s the relationship with...” Theo asked.

“Rafe,” you nodded on screen.

“Yes, Rafe,”.

“Good,” you smiled widely. “Better. I think we were getting back to normal, to something solid, before...”

“Solid can crack. And I like a challenge, piccola.”

In the audience, Rafe proudly smirked at your loyalty, but he threw a dangerous side-eye directly at Theo for his comment.

Then, it cuts to Casa, showing Winnie coming onto Rafe strong by the daybeds, asking about his connection with you. Rafe was sitting back as he spoke —"I miss Y/N already. I don’t mind talking to you, on some like cool shit, but I really don't want you talking about her or our connection."

Your cheeks flushed warm, flattered and proud of him for keeping his composure and defending your connection so calmly. Sarah leaned over, nudging your shoulder. "At least your man was over there holding it down and defending you, babe."

The screen moves to you in the bedroom before bed, flipping over onto your back as you clutched Rafe’s pillow tightly to your chest, whining to the girls—“My shaylaaaa... I can still smell his cologne on the sheets. Seriously though... do you think he’s sleeping alone tonight? Like... what do you think is happening at Casa?”

“Girl, please. They couldn’t tear you two apart if they tried. You and Rafe are completely inseparable. He’s probably losing his mind right now wishing he was here with you.”

“Seriously, Rafe looks at you like you’re the only woman left on earth. Have some faith, babe.”

Rafe’s face lit up with a genuinely adorable smile, his heart swelling at the sight of you missing him so much.

Next, it showed Rafe at Casa Amor before bed, a pillow tucked under his arm as he prepared to walk out to the daybeds. He was talking to the guys, looking miserable—"I can’t wait for this shit to be over. I keep getting phantom whiffs of her perfume…and I miss the smell of her body wash when we cuddle." JJ was shown clapping him on the back. "You don’t got shit to worry about, bro. If anyone is sailing smooth, it’s you two."

The video then shows a montage of Rafe’s absolute despair at Casa—the guys catching him staring blankly out at the water for hours, catching him tracing his fingers over the last hickey you had given him before he left, stressing out over what might be happening back at the villa.

Then, the video switched to Theo, showing him talking to Brandon and Thomas in the Casa kitchen—"Yeah, I had interest in Sarah and Y/N at first. But since Sarah shot me down, I’m just focusing all my energy on Y/N." The wording made it seem that he had settled for you. And you didn’t like that at all.

The girls on the couch exchanged fast, suspicious looks, whispering loudly. "That’s crazy," Sarah muttered. 

You nodded, your jaw tensed. "Yeah."

The next clip to be replayed was you telling Theo,“I want to be completely honest with you. I am not entirely open. Rafe and I aren’t closed off, but... he means a lot to me.”

Then came the aftermath of the Rodeo challenge where Theo was shown talking to the Casa guys, admitting he wasn't worried about you and Brandon going on a date, before making a shady, offhand comment—"Honestly, she’s still completely hung up on Rafe, so I’m used to it. A date is nothing compared to hearing her talk about a guy that isn’t even in this villa all day. Worst case scenario, there are other options."

The girls gasped as you bounced your foot, tongue prodding the inside of your cheek as you scoffed, shooting a sharp look Theo’s way.

Just then, the screen showed your date with Brandon—”I won’t lie and say I’m feeling one hundred percent relaxed right now... But I want to try with Rafe. He’s the only one I want, and I’m just praying he’s holding it down over there.” Brandon then asked about Theo, and you shrugged lazily. “I mean, I can’t deny that he’s a pretty good-looking guy, but he seems kind of closed off and quiet. I’ve already spent weeks breaking down the walls of one closed-off guy, so even if I was open, I’m pretty damn sure I don’t want to do that all over again. I don’t plan to.”

The video showed a fast montage of you repeatedly telling the girls you were completely loyal to Rafe, that you were willing to withstand the mosquitoes on the daybeds just to respect him, and that you were praying he was doing the same.

Then came Sofia’s Casa clip, scoffing to the girls as she patted her makeup into her skin—"I don’t care about Y/N. She's just Rafe's little temporary plaything." 

“Bitch.” You snarl, clenching your fists, furious.

The screen then cuts to Theo asking you for a kiss, and you turning him down gently—“Theo... you are an incredible guy, truly you are, but... I just can’t. My head is still so wrapped up in Rafe, and I need to respect that connection. I’m sorry.”

Then it finally played your breakdown after receiving the video from Casa, and here you were silently hoping you wouldn’t have to relive that—the movie showing you crying and storming around the villa, tears streaming down your face as you shouted violently at Mattheo when he tried to slide in and comfort you, and then—“AND FUCK RAFE, TOO!” It replayed Rafe hearing your scream all the way across the island at Casa, bolting upright, face paling then flushing red. “Was that her?”

Unfortunately, awkwardly, the clip showed Theo comforting you in the Say Less lounge right after, followed by your tearful confessional—“I’m just so tired of being the girl that guys get away with hurting... Like they tell me all this bullshit, smile in my face, just to show me their true colors when I’ve already... fallen in...”

Even worse, it showed that, after that specific incident, was the first time you shared a bed with Theo.

In the audience, Theo let out a bitter, low mumble in Justin’s direction. "See? She didn’t want anything to do with me until she got that video, and then she was all over me. But I’m supposed to believe she didn’t bring me back in spite…”

"Can you like stop?" you shot at him, voice loud enough. "I didn’t bring you back out of spite, I did like you, and at the time, I was convinced that the person I was with was disrespecting me. So yeah, I got more open after the video confirmed it." You scoffed, shaking your head and leaning back.

“He’s just pissed, don’t pay attention to him.” Kaitlyn comforted from where she was sat as the screen projected the thing you’d been dreading yet also anticipating— the full context of the kiss between Rafe and Sofia.

It started showing the part of the conversation you’d already seen, Rafe aggressively chewing Sofia out for continuously using challenges as opportunities to kiss him, despite his repeated rejection, before it continued, causing you to sit up straighter, unaware of Rafe’s hopeful gaze glued to the side of your face.

“You know you miss me,” Sofia whispered on screen.

Rafe let out an exhausted sigh. “I do miss you, Sofia…I miss who I thought you were.” He seethed. “But I know for a fact now that that person isn't real, and she never was. I don’t miss you. And I don’t want you—”

“You’re only saying that ‘cause you’re mad,” Sofia cut him off, throwing his words to the wind. “I still love you, Rafe—”

“I don’t love you.” Rafe gritted out. “I don’t know if I ever even did. You need to let what we had go, Sofia. I can’t make myself any more clear—” She cut off his refusal by launching herself at him for a kiss, Rafe instantly shoving her back and away from him with the deepest scowl you’d ever seen, before glaring at her for three long seconds and walking straight away to find the guys, gnawing the inside of his cheek.

Watching the full clip play out, realization hit you, overtaking you with guilt. He hadn't done a single thing. He had rejected her. 

“Oh my god... I'm the worst person ever,” you mumbled to yourself, voice trembling as your eyes locked with Rafe's across the lawn. Rafe could tell by the look on your face that you were about to break down. He softly caught your gaze, gently mouthing across the gap, “It’s okay, don’t cry. I’m not mad.” 

The girls crowded around you, trying to rub your back and offer comfort, but it wasn't working at all. Hot tears spilled down your cheeks as you started crying anyway, completely hiding your face in your hands. 

Seeing you like that, Rafe walked right over to the girls' couch, pulling you tightly into his chest as the girls made space for him, hiding your face against his shirt from everyone else as the two of you sat closely together on the far end of the couch. While he held you, your girls—Rima, Cleo, and Sarah—turned their fury onto Sofia, who was sitting on the opposite end of the couch. “Do you not feel embarrassed watching that back?’ Sarah barked across the line of people. 

Sofia didn’t seem to care at all, tossing her head back and standing on exactly what she had said. “Why would I?” She scoffed. 

Cleo pointed at where Rafe was holding you. “Even as he’s literally sitting right here comforting someone who isn’t you?” She throws out judgmentally. “You look delusional.” 

The clip then showed Rima asking you the next day—“Does what you saw make you a bit more open to exploring Theo?” and you responding, “Hell yeah, it makes me more open.”

Theo, on the boy’s couch, continued mumbling under his breath, slouched in his seat now. 

The clip then transitioned to the Temperatures Rising challenge, with you during your turn with Theo, snapping his underwear waistband with your teeth. Then it showed Rafe’s turn at Casa, the man getting so visibly upset and distracted watching the girl’s meter skyrocket that he checked out of the game, causing the boys to lose the round.

It showed you and Theo kissing on the daybeds, for the first time outside a challenge, then kissing in bed that night. And though Rafe’s jaw tensed at the sight, his hold on you never faltered. Then it cut to you crying on the beanbags with Sarah, expressing your confusion about Rafe and fear of dragging Theo along if you were just gonna run back to him.

It was just clip after clip, the next one showing Rafe back at Casa. He was sleeping outside on the daybeds, entirely alone, holding his phone, scrolling through pictures of you and him from the first two weeks, and he groaned, clicking the phone off, and throwing the blanket over his head, the sound of him crying silently under the covers traveling lightly through the speakers.

Your heart broke into a million pieces as you looked up at Rafe, your eyes flooding with tears.

The next clip was much more recent, showing Theo pressing you after your date with Rafe—“I’m worried that if he’s telling the truth, you’ll choose him over me.”

Then it was Rafe crying to the guys in the bathroom—“Seeing her kiss Theo up close? Fuck that, I could’ve hurled. I still haven't eaten... I don't give a fuck about Sofia, man. I miss Y/N so fucking much, shit's driving me completely out of my mind.” JJ was shown then telling him, "For our own sanity, we gotta get you two back together."

It showed your hushed argument and near-kiss in the kitchen, Sofia interrupting, and Rafe immediately chewing Sofia out right after, telling her he hadn't thought about her in months and to stop trying to ruin his life. “Well, now that she’s finally gone,” Sofia started on screen, shifting her weight from side to side with a smug, arrogant grin plastered on her lips. “We can actually finish what we started.” Rafe’s expression completely shifted into something dark as he turned on her. He stepped directly into her personal space, his tone blunt and harsh, delivering what seemed to be his final warning. “Sofia, I need you to hear me when I say this. I haven't thought about you in months, and I need you to get it through your thick fucking skull that you mean nothing to me now. Stay the fuck away from me. From us.” He didn't even wait for a response before walking away, leaving her standing there, shocked.

It showed you and Rima talking, you mumbling, “Theo is exactly the kind of guy a girl should want…”, and Rima telling you”But he’s not the guy you want.”

Then came the beach date from yesterday, showing Rafe kneeling in front of you, crying into your lap, and you telling him,“...What I have with Theo... it is nowhere near touching what you and I had. He’s great, and he’s sweet, but... he’s not you. And I feel like such a bitch for putting him in the middle of all this.”

Finally, the clips concluded with the dressing room conversation from last night.

“If it turns out Rafe is telling the truth—who are you choosing?” Rima asked on screen. “Rafe or Theo? Don’t think, just answer—”

“Rafe.” you answered instantly. “...I would choose Rafe.”

And then the screen went black.

You were the first to speak, of course, turning in Rafe’s arm to glare at Theo, voice still a bit shaky from crying as you threw a hand out towards the now blank screen. "I just want to point out that, as you can see, I didn't say any of that extra shit this bitch told you.”

“Excuse me—” Sofia tried to cut in, but you kept talking.

“All I said was that at the end of the day, I would choose Rafe."

"And you didn't have the fucking decency to tell me that." Theo criticized, his face red. 

“How could I? She got to you first—”

"We share a bed, so don’t try that.” Theo stopped you. “You didn't think to mention to me that you'd already chosen him?!"

"I didn't think that was the best fucking time to bring it up!” Your own voice raised. “And what about you?! What did you mean by saying "she’s still completely hung up on Rafe, so I’m used to it. A date is nothing compared to hearing her talk about a guy that isn’t even in this villa all day. Worst case scenario, there are other options"?” You mocked, tilting your head. “You basically admitted I was just an option after Sarah shut you down! Like you settled for me!"

"You want to talk about settling?!" Theo roared, leaning forward where he was sitting, eyes wide. "You've been stringing me along for days, telling all your friends that you'd choose Rafe over me, when I came to you and told you how terrified I was of you doing exactly that!"

"I understand that, and I’m sorry!" you argued, your voice cracking as tears of frustration spilled over. "I tried my best to comfort you in that moment, but you were far from oblivious, Theo! You knew that I was stuck between you and him! You're trying to play the victim right now, as if we haven't had multiple conversations where I have been entirely transparent with you about the fact that I was confused!" You gestured back toward Rafe. "During our date, I told Rafe the exact same thing!"

"Yeah, but you knew who you liked more, Y/N! That’s the fucking issue!" Theo screamed over, standing up now. Rafe didn’t like that.

Rafe gently let his arms unwind from around you, standing up, his frame blocking Theo from you. "What are you standing up for?"

"Rafe—" you sighed, tugging on his arm but he barely moved, him and Theo glaring each other down. 

“What’re you, her fucking bodyguard?” Theo hissed. “What the fuck’re you gonna do?”

And Rafe just smirked, huffing as he laughed under his breath while the girls jumped off the couch, crowding around in front of you as well, screaming at Theo. 

"She was honest the whole time!" Sarah yelled at Theo through her own tears, still upset. "And it’s so unfair for you to act like you had absolutely no idea she had stronger feelings for Rafe!"

You stood then, too many people in your way. "And she’s right because you literally fucking said that!” You reprimand, hands moving wildly. "Or are you gonna act like you don't remember saying that, too?!”

“So what?!”

Your face twisted at his words, neck reeling back. “What the hell do you mean ‘so what’—”

“You still fucking lied!”

The original boys—JJ, Pope, and John B—then shot up as well, backing Rafe up as he opened his mouth to speak before they beat him to it, trying to also calm everyone down. "Okay, look, we’ve watched these two for weeks, man," JJ pointed at Theo. "We knew that, for her to switch up, something crazy bad had to have happened. So, don't sit here and paint her as a villain—"

Suddenly, Sofia inserted herself into the circle, scoffing loudly as she also stood up from her place. "Oh, please!” She threw her arms up. “Why are you all treating her like some kind of princess or little baby?! She’s a grown woman! She needs to be able to make her own decisions, speak for herself, and settle for one guy instead of crying about everything!"

You whipped your head around, your eyes flashing with uncontainable anger now. "Oh my god, shut the fuck up!” You took a step in her direction. “You shouldn’t even be talking, bitch!"

That comment struck a nerve as she and you started going at it violently, screaming insults back and forth, getting closer by the second, each insult seeming to come with two steps forward, while the girls and the guys were getting in each other's faces around you, trying to keep Rafe and Theo apart as they also seemed to start gaining on each other.

Movie Night had spiraled out of control, much worse than the first. People were pushing against each other, voices cracking, chests puffing, and for the first time in this experience with you all, the production crew suddenly rushed out from the villa walls, stepping between everyone, specifically grabbing Rafe and Theo by the shoulders, pulling you and Sofia apart, and forcing everyone into separate corners of the yard.

YOU stormed away, angry tears streaming violently down your face. You hated drama, you hated feeling like shit, and you absolutely loathed how Theo had just tried to paint you as some kind of malicious, deceptive villain in front of the entire villa when you had spent the last week losing sleep, trying to be as honest and transparent as possible.

You swiftly walked away from the garden, heading toward the terrace as Sarah, Cleo, and Rima immediately followed you, crowding around you.

"Babe, it's okay," Sarah soothed, wiping her own eyes. "Screw him. Screw all of them.” 

Rima rubbed a hand up and down your back as the four of you walked up the stairs. “He’s just pissed because he thought you were gonna pick him at the end, and now it's not going his way."

"Exactly," Cleo added. "He was just filling your head up with lies, pretending to be this understanding guy so you would feel safe with him and choose him, and the minute you weren’t going to, his real colors started to show." She scoffs as you all sit down on the terrace furniture.

But you don’t think they understood that you weren't sad-crying. You were furious. "He really tried to blame me... and then that bitch Sofia... I can't..." Your words got tangled together as you tried to express yourself but there was just too much flooding your mind at once.

The girls let you breathe, giving you a minute to yourself while Sarah eventually broke down after holding it in the entire time—tears streaming down her cheeks as she ranted about how hurt she was to not only see that John B had lied, but to actually witness the things he’d done.

Suddenly, footsteps rang out as a figure came up the steps, Rafe walking up, looked focused as his blue eyes locked onto your puffy ones as you dried the wetness under them. He walked straight past the girls, reaching down and gently grabbing your wrist, pulling you up as he eyed Sarah’s sobbing frame.

"...Sarah, I’m sorry." Rafe said as he tucked you under his arm. The girl sniffed, turning her angry, tearful gaze to Rafe.

“Why did none of you tell me?” She hissed, hiccuping halfway through the sentence. 

Rafe shakes his head then, a hand rubbing circles into your lower back as you tried to stop your own tears. “I didn’t know.” He throws one hand up, eyes wide. “I swear I didn’t.” 

“And Pope and JJ? I'm supposed to believe neither of them knew, either?”

“...I can’t speak for them.” Rafe says, swallowing as he lowers his hand. “But for what it’s worth, I think he really does regret it.”

Sarah scoffed then, the tears only coming faster. “Didn’t seem that way.” 

All Rafe can do is nod, resigning to not trying to defend the boy’s actions. “I’m gonna steal her for a minute,” He says cautiously as Rima and Cleo comfort Sarah, avoiding each other’s eyes awkwardly. “Feel better.” He throws out carefully, not very used to comforting anyone.

Rafe, with a tight-lipped smile, pulled you away from them, leading you down the steps and toward Say Less. Halfway there, he reached up with his thumbs, tenderly wiping the tears away from your cheeks. "Don't cry. Not over that shit," he whispered. "None of them matter. Let it go."

When you reached the secluded lounge, Rafe sat down with you, wrapping his long arms around you, pulling you tight against his chest. He leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to the top of your head, just holding you.

You looked up at him, your angry tears morphing into ones of profound sadness. You stared into his beautiful blue eyes, a massive wave of guilt washing over you. He hadn't lied once.

"Rafe..." your voice cracked, a sob escaping your throat. "I am so, so sorry. I feel like such a piece of shit."

Rafe frowned, leaning closer. "Why are you apologizing to me?"

"Because you were telling the truth," you pouted, covering your face. "About everything. And I just feel like if the roles had been reversed... if a video had come out of me, you probably would have had so much more faith in me than I had in you.” Your voice shook. “I didn't even give you a chance to explain. I shut you out for days, slept in bed with someone else, and it took you going through literally half the villa and crying on your knees just to get me to listen to you. I never wanted that..."

Rafe’s expression softened as he reached out, gently pulling your hands away from your face and intertwining his fingers with yours. "Hey, look at me. Look at me," You looked up, sniffing.

"I'm not gonna lie and say seeing those clips didn’t hurt me... ‘cause yeah, it hurt. It hurt like hell," Rafe admitted softly, his voice cracking. "But at the end of the day, I meant what I told you—if Theo was the one who was genuinely gonna make you happy, then that was all I ever wanted.” He admits. “Of course, I want to be with you. I want to be the guy who makes you smile every day. But your happiness is the most important thing to me, and I’m willing to make that happen no matter what…even if it means me not being in the picture."

You shook your head, more tears falling. "But it should’ve never come to that,” your face twists in sadness. “You didn't do anything wrong."

Rafe smiled warmly then, leaning in and letting his forehead fall gently against yours. "I would do it all over again, angel.” He whispered to you, absolutely certain. “From that first day, you’ve been patient with me. You've been so understanding, and you've been there for me through all my shit. I’m not gonna hold this one thing against you when you’ve never done that to me. I’ve been on the other side of feeling guilty in this relationship, so trust me... we're even." He laughs, voice low.

Hearing his reassurance, a small, soft, sad smile graced your lips as he wiped one last stray tear. You looked at him through your lashes, forehead still pressed to his, a genuine laugh escaping your lips through your tears.

Rafe smirked, reaching out to gently pinch your cheek. "There she is.” He teased. “...You're so pretty, you know that? Even when you're crying."

"Shut up," you giggled, swatting his hand away playfully as you leaned back.

But Rafe leaned in closer, pulling you back toward him as his eyes dropped to your lips. His fingers trailed up your neck, thumb caressing your jawline, before he leaned down and pressed his lips firmly against yours. 

The kiss was deep, warm, and filled with over a week's worth of built-up longing. You melted into it, hands wrapping around his shoulders as you kissed him back. The moment his mouth parted over yours, your tongues mingled, desperate to remember the taste of each other, a low groan vibrating deep in Rafe’s chest as he grabbed your waist, hauling you onto his lap.

Your fingers flew to his hair, nails scraping against his scalp as you held him close, your heavy breathing filling the space between you. Rafe’s hands were everywhere, gripping your hips and tracing up your spine, pulling you flush against him until you could feel the pounding of his heart. You broke apart for a second, both of you gasping for air, eyes locked, before he let out something between a moan and a groan, the words ‘I missed you’ coming out in one single breath before he slammed his lips back onto yours, deepening the exchange with an urgency that left you breathless, grabbing at each other until you couldn’t even breathe.

When he pulled away, he kept his arms wrapped around your waist, both of you sitting cozier than ever.

You looked up at his face, a soft pout on your lips. "I don't like seeing you cry, Rafe."

Rafe let out a loud laugh, shaking his head. "I think you do, honestly.” He squinted playfully. “I think you get off on it. Freak."

You laughed at his words, hitting his chest playfully. "I do think you look pretty when you cry, but it doesn't mean I like to see it. And I especially don't ever want to be the reason you're crying..."

Rafe smirked, his voice dropping as he leaned in to whisper against your ear. "It's okay, angel. Hopefully, you can make up for it to me soon."

Suddenly, the sound of heels clicking down the path made you both turn, faces hardening immediately.

Sofia walked in, stopping at the archway with her arms crossed tightly. She didn't look at Rafe. Instead, she locked her eyes on you. "...Can I talk to you?” She asks, looking uncomfortable. “Alone."

Rafe’s face instantly twisted. "Fuck no.” He answered for you, placing a protective hand on your thigh. “What the hell do you two have to talk about?"

You reached over, gently grabbing Rafe’s hand. "Rafe, it's fine."

Rafe whipped his head around, looking at you like you’d grown an extra head, trying to pull you back down. "No. You don't—"

"I'll be fine, Rafe. Trust me," you smiled reassuringly. You stood up, letting his hand fall from yours ans walking toward the door, but before you left, you turned back, leaned down, and wrapped your arms around Rafe’s neck, planting a passionate, lingering kiss on his lips. Sofia’s jaw tensed with rage, huffing through her nose as she muttered something under her breath as you pulled away slowly. “I’ll be right back.”

Confessional : Rafe “Oh my fucking God. Can she just go away?” His eyes narrowed, dragging both his hands down his face, groaning loudly. “Seriously, fuck the viewers at this point. Just let me decide who goes home next, I promise on my life, I will make it worth your while.”

YOU and Sofia walked out toward the open expanse of the yard. As you walked by, the rest of the Islanders were scattered around—John B and Sarah waving wildly at each other up in Soul Ties, Cleo and Rima talking on the daybeds—and absolutely everybody stopped talking, staring at the two of you in hushed shock, wondering what the hell was going on, or about to happen.

You decided to sit down on the beanbags, in the open. You felt more comfortable having the conversation where people could see you, considering the last time you and Sofia had a private conversation in the dressing room, she had said some pretty unhinged things to you.

She sat opposite you, letting out a sharp breath, adjusting her dress before speaking, her tone clipped.

"Look, I'm sorry about earlier," Sofia said, a fleeting, empty apology before she switched to her real agenda. "But... you need to realize that what you saw on that screen wasn't what really went down at Casa."

You sat back, an unbothered smile pulling at your lips.

"Rafe isn’t who you think he is. He was all over me over there," Sofia lied smoothly. You’d be impressed if you weren’t so annoyed. "He was telling me how much he missed me, how he wanted to get back together—he’s lying to you."

Days ago, this might have destroyed you, sent you into a spiral. But now? You knew exactly who Sofia was—a deeply manipulative, desperate liar. And, this time, you didn't entertain her. You didn't get angry, and you didn't get loud. You just sat there, nodding along calmly, humming indifferently, and refusing to give her anything to work with.

Sofia frowned, her irritation growing at your lack of reaction. You two sat in tense silence as she grew angry at your composure, tongue prodding the inside of her cheek before she seemed to snap, scoffing and throwing herself back against the beanbag. "Why don't you give a shit?” She hissed, on the border of a tantrum. “I am literally telling you that Rafe is a liar!"

"Because I know exactly who you are at this point, Sofia," you said, voice deadpan. "And I know that you’re lying through your teeth. You’ve made it pretty clear that you’ll do whatever it takes to break me and Rafe apart, hoping that by some miracle, he’ll run back to you."

Sofia’s face twisted as she let out a harsh, cynical laugh, staring at you. "You think you have him figured out?” She shook her head, looking like she was on the edge of trying harder to upset you before her face just fell, her shoulders slumping. “I knew it.” She pouts, though her eyes remained angry as you turned confused. “I knew there was something different about you. I knew it from that night."

You frowned, your brow furrowing in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Sofia leaned back, her nostrils flared as she seemed to regress into her own silent rage, seeming like she was cursing herself more than actually talking to you. "For all the bad things me and Rafe did to each other in our relationship... neither of us ever cheated. But... there was one night…he came close. He always denied it, but…I knew." Sofia’s eyes locked onto yours, a bitter smirk on her face. "...You don't remember me, do you?” She asked, tilting her head. “You don't remember him either."

Your heart stopped, lip curling. "What?"

"I saw how Rafe explained our breakup to you, before Casa, I watched it.” She shrugged. “But he didn’t tell you how things were.” She hissed, leaning forward. “Rafe was drinking, heavy, back then, he was high out of his mind constantly. We were arguing, back-to-back every day. But there was one argument that just…never faded for me. When I caught him at a strip club in Vegas after he told me he was there on business."

Sofia leaned even further in, her voice dropping into a harsh whisper. "I had a gut feeling, so I followed him there. And instead of finding him doing business, he was with all his friends—high, throwing ones at strippers, flirting with bartenders. I walked in, ready to confront him, but before I reached him... I spotted him at the bar. He was talking to a girl.” She swallowed, sucking in a deep breath. “And even from all the way across the club, through the crowd, under the lights… I could see the look he was giving her. He was drunk, probably high too, his hands wrapped around her thighs, and he was looking up at her like she was the most beautiful, captivating thing he had ever seen in his entire life." She laughed bitterly to herself.

“I tried to so hard to forget that night, to forget her. I almost did…until I saw you.” Sofia stared directly into your eyes, voice trembling. "Because it was you."

“...What the hell are you talking about?”

Sofia pursed her lips at your words, eyes low. “You’re telling me you really don’t remember?”

Your eyes were narrowed, lips slightly parted as you wracked your brain, thinking harder than you had since you got here. Then, the sound of Sofia's voice faded away as a memory came slamming into your brain…

You were back in that suffocating Las Vegas club, the air clouded with the scent of expensive perfume, musky cologne, liquor, and smoke. The vibe was sensual—low neon purple and pink lights bathed the room in an ethereal glow. Women were dancing slowly on the illuminated stages, and the rumbling chatter of men and the bass of the music vibrated through the floor.

You were working your shift, only a bottle girl by then, wearing a tight, revealing black outfit, carrying a tray of drinks across the crowded room. You bounced around from table to table, typically seeing the same nameless, wealthy men passing through a couple times a week. Faces usually blurred together. But that night, you walked up to the bar, and your eyes landed on a guy sitting alone. He looked a lot younger than the usual crowd. 

You don’t know why you approached him. You just felt like you should, your feet carrying you to him.

Rafe was younger then, his hair longer and messier, blue eyes glassy and wild. He was sitting at the bar, high and drunk, distant from his friends who were admiring the strippers and throwing money away nearby.

You walked up to him, a flirtatious smile on your lips. It was your job to flirt, it was how you made your living. "Hi," you said, your voice smooth over the loud music as you shifted your weight. "You look lonely. Can I get you another drink?"

Rafe slowly turned his head, prepared to coldly dismiss you when his glassy eyes locked onto your face. His words died in his throat as he stared at you, starstruck, as if the rest of the club had completely vanished around him. He let out a low, raspy chuckle, his words slightly slurred.

"Yeah," Rafe murmured, his eyes tracking the movement of your lips as they curved upwards, satisfied. "Get me whatever you're having."

You giggled, leaning against the bar. "I'm on the clock, handsome.” You pouted cutely. “I can't drink. But you can definitely throw another one back for me."

Rafe licked his lips slowly, his gaze charged as he looked up at you. "You're trying to drain my wallet, I see. In more ways than one."

You arched an eyebrow, leaning closer. "And what’s that supposed to mean?"

Rafe slurred a low laugh, his voice a raspy whisper. "I mean... another drink and I’ll probably be stumbling to the back with you."

You let out a soft, sultry laugh, looking down at him as one of your hands reached out, tracing the lines of his arm. "Hm. You’re too handsome to be a drunk one-nighter. I’d much prefer you sober."

At that, Rafe hummed, reaching out. His large, warm hands wrapped around the sides of your thighs, fingers trailing slowly up the fabric of your outfit, what little of it there was. His touch burned, goosebumps raising on your skin immediately, a blinding bolt of electricity shooting straight through your skin, making your breath hitch. He didn't move his hands, keeping his grip tight on your thighs as he stared up at your face, looking at you like you were a literal goddess.

Your thoughts in that moment rushed back to you—you remembered thinking how gentle this guy was despite clearly being out of his mind, how pretty his blue eyes looked under the neon lights, and how he was making your entire shift.

"You're beautiful," Rafe whispered, his voice serious as his hands ran up and down your frame. "Way too fucking beautiful to be working in a place like this."

You laughed it off softly, though your heart was hammering against your ribs so hard it hurt. "I think me being beautiful is exactly why I'm here."

"No," Rafe muttered, shaking his head slightly before his eyes locked onto yours. "Y’know what I mean..."

You hummed then, teasing. “I’m not sure I do,” you taunted, eyes narrowing as his hands squeezed you briefly in warning. “Enlighten me.”

He continued flirting with you, his eyes never once leaving yours as the two of you threw comments back and forth, inching closer until you were standing in between his open thighs. But suddenly, mid-laugh, you looked up past his shoulder, spotting a dark-haired girl standing across the crowded club near the entrance, glaring directly at the two of you, her face twisted in pure rage.

Your smile died then, your head lowering. You knew how this went. Gently tapping Rafe’s shoulder and nodding toward the girl, "Uh, I... think someone is here for you."

Rafe slowly turned his head through the crowd, eyebrows pinched before spotting Sofia standing there, face tightening. "Shit," he muttered, pouting as you stepped out of his reach.

You didn't take offense. Working in clubs, you had seen your fair share of angry girlfriends and wives storming in to drag their men out by their ears. You offered him one final, soft smile, turning around and walking away into the shadows.

After that night, you hadn't thought about it too much. You saw thousands of men, and faces easily faded. But the exact way that he had made you feel—that intense pull—had stuck in the back of your mind for months. You remembered looking around the club for his face for weeks afterward, hoping he'd become a regular, shamefully hoping his girlfriend, you’d assumed, had rightfully called it quits and maybe that’d make him come back. But he never returned. Just as you realistically figured he wouldn’t when you recalled seeing his North Carolina ID on the bar counter…

Snapping you back to the present, you blinked rapidly, staring across at Sofia, your jaw slightly parted as the realization settled in. 

It was him. It had always been him.

"...If that's the case, Sofia," you said, your voice dropping into a serious tone. "Why do you want him back so bad?"

Sofia’s face shifted from sad to serious, eyes hardening with an ugly ambition. "Because I love Rafe.” She quips. “He is the only guy who has ever taken care of me in my life. I dealt with the ugliest side of him, thinking it meant I could have the life I wanted in the end, the life I knew Rafe could provide...Just for him to break up with me and give the best version of himself to you."

You shook your head, looking at her with genuine pity. "Sofia... that isn't love—"

"I beg to differ," Sofia snapped, glaring at you. "I see the way he looks at you, sure.” She shrugs, bitter. “But I’m not going to allow you to just take him. I want him to look at me like that, and I won’t stop until he does.” She admits, like anything she’s saying makes any logical sense. “I’ll do whatever I have to."

Without waiting for a response, Sofia got up, turned, and walked away, leaving you sitting there, head spinning.

YOUR heart raced as you walked back toward Say Less, finding Rafe still sitting anxiously. The moment he saw you, his eyes lit up as he opened his arms for you.

"What happened?” Rafe asked instantly. “What did she say to you?"

You looked deep into his eyes as you walked to him slowly, sitting down, face still blank. "Rafe... did you remember me?"

Rafe froze, hands on your arms as confusion flashed across his face for a moment, fully prepared to ask what you meant. Then a hint of knowingness, a quiet anticipation flashed through his eyes—as if he had been waiting for this exact question since the day you met. He didn't try to play dumb, and he didn't ask what you meant. He took a deep breath, looking down at his shoes.

"...Not at first I didn't, no," Rafe admitted quietly.

You weren't upset at all, though it was clear he though you were. Truthfully, you were just confused. 

"Why didn't you say anything?"

Rafe looked back up, his blue eyes vulnerable, surprised that you weren’t yelling at him. "At first, I wasn’t even sure.” He tells you, pulling you closer. “That night… I was high out of my mind, seeing literal stars, and everything was a blur.” He sighs. “...But the more time we spent together in here, the more I got to know you, I realized I would never mistake you for anyone else. Because I never really forgot you to begin with."

He shifted closer, his hands gently resting on your waist. "After we met that night, it was like you left a permanent mark on me. I had never felt that type of…pull toward someone in my life. I felt like I was going crazy. I would sometimes see your face in my dreams. It’d be blurry, but...I could still make it out. Other times, when I…got high, all I would remember was that night at the club with you. Your voice, your eyes, the way you smiled..."

Tears stung the corners of your eyes as you pouted at him. "Why didn't you tell me then? When you finally did realize it?"

"I didn't want to ruin it," Rafe whispered softly, his thumb caressing your hip. "I thought…saying something might scare you off, or make you think I was creepy. Plus, it just felt like it would’ve brought up bad memories for both of us about who we were at the time. Even when you were explaining your past to me, even though I had already figured it out by then, I just didn't want to break the moment.” He shrugs softly. “I figured it would come back to you naturally one day. I was kind of hoping it would.” He smiles, small, to himself. “Because I was praying to God that I had left the impression on you that you left on me." He looked at you. "Did I?"

You gave him a lopsided smile, leaning forward, wrapping your arms tightly around his neck as you nodded, Rafe smiling in response. "I didn't have dreams about you or anything,” you teased. “...but you were the best experience I had working in those clubs. For months, I would replay our conversation, the feeling I got when your fingers brushed against my skin... it never left my mind. I was moving from city to city, so many faces passed through, so your face didn't stick, but that night did. I used to look around that club for you every shift, waiting for you to come back."

Rafe let out a laugh, pulling you flush against his body and into his lap with a playful groan. You both realized that this wasn't just a reality show connection or something born out of proximity.

You let out a soft sigh, resting your chin on his chest as you looked up at him. “I’m not gonna lie... I feel kind of bad for Sofia now,” you murmured. 

Rafe’s eyebrows pinched, looking down at you. “For what?” 

“I don’t know, I would’ve hated to be her in that situation. It makes me feel kind of guilty,” you admitted, tracing a pattern on his chest. “She didn’t even see what you did that night as cheating.” 

Rafe squinted down at you, a half-smirk on his lips. “Do you see it as cheating?” 

You let out a disbelieving scoff, rolling your eyes. “Hell yeah. Are you out of your mind? You were holding another girl's thighs...at a bar...in a strip club.” Rafe chuckled softly, squeezing you tight. 

“They were your thighs,” He tries to flirt, but you fix him with a disapproving look. “I’m not that person anymore, angel. You got nothing to worry about with me.” 

You softened, leaning your head back down into his chest. “I know. I trust you.” You paused, a small smirk playing on your lips as you teased, "But just as a warning, if you ever cheat on me, I will castrate you and destroy quite literally everything you own.“

Rafe nodded at your words, serious but also slightly amused. "Noted."

"That's all you gotta say?" You taunted, quirking one singular brow.

Rafe just shrugged lazily. "It'll never happen, so neither of us have anything to worry about."

You rolled your eyes at him playfully, leaning further into him. "Good answer," you sighed. "But I definitely see why she hates my guts so much now.” 

Rafe rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “It’s been so long since that night happened, and it wasn’t your fault. She can’t be mad at you and want me back at the same time—it doesn't make any sense.” He sighed, kissing the top of your head before sighing heavily. “I don’t want to talk about Sofia anymore.”

As you cuddled on the couch, Rafe tracing his fingers on the surface of your skin, his voice dropping into a tender tone. "I am never going to do anything to hurt you, angel.” He says softly. "All I want is you."

“You have me,” you returned, muttering sweetly.

But, consciously deciding to work on communication right then and there, Rafe transitioned to a heavy topic. "...I don’t really like how Theo spoke to you tonight."

You sighed, lips flapping as you let air escape them. "I didn't either," you admitted.

Rafe shifted to be able to look at you. "Where do you stand with that, though? Do you... do you still want to explore things with him?" He asked cautiously, trying to be fair and not sway your decision.

"No," you said, not an ounce of hesitation. "Although it probably makes me look like a bad person, I guess it’s only right to admit that…I only brought him back because of that video. I did genuinely like him, the connection wasn’t fake, but deep down… I didn't want to look stupid if you walked through the doors with Sofia.” You say, guilt-ridden. “But tonight, I saw a completely different, ugly side of him. And the girls even said that it doesn't add up that he was this super understanding, patient guy up until tonight. The second I head in your direction, all his patience goes out the window and he turns into an asshole." You scoff. "But none of that matters anyway,” you shrug, resettling into him.

“Why do you say that?”

“Because it was never gonna be him.” You sighed, peering up at Rafe as he strokes the skin of your cheek. “I’ll talk to him tonight, cut things off."

"Don’t get me wrong when I say this, angel, but…” Rafe hesitates. “Are you sure that's fair? You've given me a hell of a lot of chances in here."

You rolled your eyes, a warmth hitting your cheeks. "Yeah, well... that's you."

Rafe leaned in closer, teasing. "Well, what's the difference between me and him, huh?"

You smirked, teasing him right back. "You'll find out eventually, Cameron. I'm not quite ready to say those words. Especially not after a shitty night like this.” You scoff, though lighthearted, as you slid out of Rafe’s hold to stand, smoothing out your dress as he helps you. “I’m gonna go find Theo, let him know it's over, and then after that…” You egged on, hands on Rafe’s thigh as you leaned down, your nose tapping his as you both smiled softly. “I am back to being all yours."

Rafe laughed, craning his neck up to kiss your forehead.

TAKING a deep breath, you spotted Theo sitting by the fire pit. You walked over, shoulders square, heels clicking against the deck.

"Theo," you called. Theo looked up, his expression significantly calmer than it had been during the screaming match. “We should talk.”

He nodded slowly, shifting to the side even though there was enough room for you to sit. "Yeah..."

You sat opposite him, wasting no time in taking control of the conversation, hands clasped in your lap. "I want to start by saying that I don’t appreciate the way you came at me tonight, or the way you've been treating me all day." Theo went to speak, but you held up a hand. "Let me finish, please.” You stop him. “I understand you're hurt, but everything I said earlier still stands. I have been completely transparent with you since day one. I have never lied to you, I have never gone behind your back, and I tried my absolute best to give you a fair shot in here.” You explained.

“I know I probably haven't done the best job of that because of my feelings for Rafe, but I don’t like the way you painted things. More than once, you acknowledged that you knew my feelings for Rafe were stronger, and you repeatedly told me that even if I chose him, you would be okay. But the second you felt the walls closing in, I’m sorry but, you turned into a complete asshole." 

Theo let out a heavy breath, looking down at his hands as he wrung them. "I do want to apologize," Theo started quietly, looking into your eyes. "I am sorry for speaking to you that way earlier. I let my emotions take over. And I also want you to know I wasn't using you just to get into the villa. I do genuinely like you. But... I guess I have to admit that my patience and understanding wasn't entirely genuine."

He rubbed the back of his neck, sighing. "Truthfully, I have been frustrated with you not knowing what you wanted. I should have come forward and been honest about it, instead of pretending to be this perfect, understanding guy, and then completely blowing up on you when things didn't go my way. I take full accountability for that.” He emphasizes with his hands. “I think... I think I was just completely stuck on the idea that I could be the guy to change your mind. And when I realized tonight that I couldn't... I got upset, I won't lie. And I’m not naive. I know that after tonight, you probably aren't willing to explore us anymore. I don't blame you."

You let out a soft breath, appreciating his honesty. "Thank you, Theo. And, you're right, I am ending things between us tonight. But I want to clarify that it doesn't have everything to do with how you spoke to me earlier. I won't sit here and say I'm dumping you just because you got aggressive, because when Rafe did the exact same thing, I gave him another chance. So that would be hypocritical of me." You looked at him gently. "I'm ending it because, clearly, what happened between me and Rafe was a huge misunderstanding. And, to end things honestly with you, Theo... had that misunderstanding not happened, you probably wouldn't even be here right now."

Theo let out a faint, sad smirk, nodding. "Yeah. I figured."

"But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t great getting to know you, Theo," you concluded respectfully. "But my connection with Rafe is easily the strongest thing I have ever felt in my entire life, and if I were to continue trying with you, I would never be able to give you 100% of myself. Rafe is what I want.” You told him. “I hope we can still be at least cordial while we're both here, but I understand if that’s not something you want, and I wish you nothing but the best."

Theo nodded, a look of acceptance settling over him. "I saw it coming, honestly, and I chose to pursue you anyway. I put myself in this situation.” He takes the blame. “I apologize, again, for not fully being myself. That perfect, patient guy... that's just not who I am in the real world. It was who I was trying to be for you, but clearly, it didn't work. I'll keep working on myself. But yeah,” He shrugs. “I want to be cool, I want to be cordial, and I have nothing against you, Y/N. You are beautiful, amazing, and Rafe is a lucky guy.” He offers genuinely. “Hopefully, I can clear the air with him later too."

You offered him a warm smile, and the two of you stood up, hugging it out before parting ways.

THE girls were gathered in the glam room, getting ready for bed, the tension thicker than ever.

Sarah was pacing in her silk pajamas, her eyes red and puffy as she continued her rant about John B, still distraught. "I’m just really hurt," Sarah cried, throwing her hands in the air. "The part that’s killing me is the fact that he reached a stage with her in less than a week that me and him haven't even fucking reached yet!” Fresh tears flowed from her eyes as she braided her hair up in the full body mirror, sniffing. “And when I confronted him about it, he was literally just talking in circles!"

She wiped a stray tear away snappily. "I told him that he was moving as if he had the potential to fall in love with her, and he didn't even deny it!” Her hands drop from her hair as she cries into her palms, still standing. You pout then, rounding the table to hug her as she sobbed. “He lied straight to my face. Why the fuck did he sit me down and pull me for a chat just to lie to my face about all of it?! He keeps saying over and over that, in the end, he chose me, but it doesn't fucking matter! He embarrassed me!" She sobbed, so hard her shoulders shook.

"We're so sorry, Sar," you murmured, rubbing a hand up and down her back. She continued to cry into your shoulder as the other girls offered their words of comfort. You stood with her for a long minute until she calmed down, gently removing herself from your hold and shooting you a sad smile. “Are you sleeping in the room tonight?”

She immediately shook her head. “No, hell no. I don’t want to be near him.” She wiped her eyes.

“Fuck that,” you scoffed. “He’s giving you the bed.”

Sarah laughed at that, always grateful for you. “It’s fine—”

“No, it’s not.” You shot her a pointed look as you applied moisturizer to your lips. “He doesn’t get to lie to your face and shower with another girl then sleep peacefully while you sleep outside. Plus, you know you’re scared of the owl.” At that, all of the girls let out light laughs, the mood elevating slightly.

“What? I just go up to him and tell him to get out of the bed?” Sarah asked, voice still strained. “I don’t even want to look at him…”

“I’ll do it,” You shrugged. “Just give me a minute and I got you.”

Sarah nodded gratefully, running to kiss your cheek before she left the room. But as you continued to get ready, it became apparent that there was also a wall of tension between Rima and Cleo. They were refusing to acknowledge each other's existence in the room while the other girls chatted mindlessly. 

So, when Cleo walked into the adjoining bathroom, you decided to follow her. You pushed the door open, sliding it closed behind you, finding Cleo in front of the marble sink, squeezing toothpaste onto her toothbrush.

"Hey," you said softly. "You okay? Did you and Rima talk?"

Cleo let out a frustrated breath, meeting your eyes in the mirror. "We tried to have a conversation, but we just see the situation in two different ways.” She shrugged, sticking the toothbrush in her mouth, talking and brushing. “Rima doesn't think she's in the wrong at all. She keeps saying that me and Pope kissed first, and that had we not kissed, Justin would have never kissed her. She doesn’t think I have a right to be upset with her because I kissed Pope."

Cleo covered her mouth to spit in the sink, wiping her face, voice dropping into a hurt whisper. "But I still think I deserve the right to be upset!” She pouts. “I'm not even really mad that she and Justin kissed. I'm upset because it feels like they’re maybe not over each other as much as they claimed to be. And I hate the fact that I had to find out through Movie Night, when Rima had all day to tell me the truth. But when I said that, she said I had all day to tell Justin about Pope, and that when Justin asked me, I lied to his face."

You looked at Cleo. In terms of taking sides, you knew it best to remain neutral and give her the more objective truth.

"Cleo... I'm not taking sides here," you said gently, leaning against the sink. "But, I understand you've been open with Justin about still having feelings for Pope... but when it came down to it, you did lie to Justin's face when he asked you if you kissed him.” You told her honestly. “So, I don't think it's necessarily fair for you to be mad at Rima for the kiss, especially when Justin was the one who came onto her."

Cleo rolled her eyes, groaning, knowing you were right.

"However," you continued firmly, "I also don't think it's fair for Rima to think she shouldn't have told you. We’re supposed to be girls, and she should have had your back and been upfront the second it happened. But, from the look on her face when she pulled Rafe, she did look really upset.” You threw out in her defense. “And I know I’m the last person to be saying this but, you need to make up your mind between Pope and Justin, babe. And after that, you and Rima need to have a real conversation about both of your feelings. If Rima still has feelings for Justin, she needs to say it, but if she doesn’t, then that’s enough to put this behind you."

You reached for Cleo’s arm, squeezing it. "This villa moves crazy fast. People get dumped constantly, and we never know who could be next. It is not worth falling out over a guy. All four of you need to just sit down together and hash it out."

Cleo looked at you, a sigh escaping her lips as she nodded. "You're right.” She nodded. “I think I needed to hear that."

“Anytime,” you smiled, hugging her lightly. "I’ll see you in the morning." 

Cleo nodded and you smiled, kissing her cheek before walking out of the bathroom.

YOU walked out onto the lower deck, the night air brushing your skin as you began setting up the blankets and pillows on the outdoor daybeds. It was a bittersweet feeling, but for the first time in a long, grueling week, you and Rafe were finally back to sharing a bed. Even if it was the daybed again. 

As you smoothed out the sheets, Rafe finally walked out to join you, wearing nothing but his grey sweatpants. He glanced up toward the upper deck, a faint smirk playing on his lips. “I heard you kicked John B out of the room,” he murmured. 

Looking up, you both could see John B miserably setting up his own blanket and pillow over in Soul Ties. You let out a proud scoff, shaking out a pillow. “Yep. He doesn’t get to sleep comfortably after what he did.” 

Rafe let out a low chuckle, stepping close to help you set up the covers. “Remind me to never get on your bad side.” 

You turned your head, a teasing smirk pulling at your lips. “I’m sure you know that all too well by now.” 

Looking down at you standing there in your short sleep shorts and oversized tee of his, his blue eyes lit up, thinking you looked absolutely adorable. You both slid under the covers together, and you turned to him with a teasing smirk. 

Rafe let out a chuckle as he peered down at your face, wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you against him. "Sleeping on these things feels one-hundred times better with you. I’m not even joking."

"Yeah," you whispered, turning your body around so you were facing him. "I definitely agree."

Rafe stared down at your face. Before you could even open your mouth to ask why he was staring, Rafe leaned down and captured your lips in a hungry kiss. His lips were warm and soft, his tongue smoothly sliding into your mouth as you groaned softly against his lips, lifting your legs, wrapping them tightly around his waist under the blanket.

He groaned at the movement, gently biting your lower lip as his hand slithered down your back, sliding underneath your sleep shorts, squeezing your ass hard before his fingers pressed firmly against the skin between your legs, a breathy moan leaving your lips. 

“Rafe…” you whine softly as he began rubbing you through your underwear, the fabric growing damp, sticking to you in a way that only made his touch feel that much better as he caught your lips again to silence your light moans while you arched into his touch.

In the heat of it all, you had half a mind to reach down, your hand sliding into his sweatpants, fingers palming his length over his briefs, rubbing him firmly with an occasional squeeze. Rafe let out a ragged gasp into your mouth, dick jumping as he began bucking his hips up into your hand, losing control under your touch.

His hand then slid out of your underwear just to slid in from the front, his lips moving down to your neck, sucking on your skin as his fingers found your clit, rubbing circles into you. You were stroking him faster, squeezing him through his pants, and Rafe let out a rough, breathless groan against your neck.

"Fuck..." Rafe gasped, his breathing shallow, hips twitching. "If you... if you keep doing that, I’m gonna—"

And like a slap to the face, when Rafe let out a low whine and let lust take over, a large finger dipping into you that made you gasp loudly, you suddenly realized exactly where you were. You let out a breathless giggle, slowly pulling your hand out of his pants as he removed his fingers from your underwear.

"We should probably calm down," you whispered, burying your face in his chest. "Production, John B, and the owl are gonna kill us."

Rafe let out a raspy laugh, amused as he looked down at you, his eyes still slightly clouded over as he took the same fingers that had just been inside you and casually popped them into his own mouth, licking them clean.

"Rafe, stop!" you whined, hitting his chest playfully as you covered your face.

Rafe chuckled, pulling your hands from your face and kissing your lips hard one last time before reaching into his sweatpants to readjust himself with a low, longing sigh. He pulled you against his chest, tucking your head underneath his chin as you both stared up at the star-filled night sky.

The silence of the night settled over you, peaceful. You played with the strings of his sweatpants, looking up at him. "...What do you think people think about us? Like out there? The people watching…"

Rafe let out a soft laugh, his chest rising and falling beneath you. "They probably think we’re a fuckin’ mess."

You laughed along softly, but a tiny pang of sadness crossed your features. You sighed, looking down. "Yeah... that's probably my fault. They probably fucking hate me for how I treated you this week."

Rafe stopped laughing then. He reached down, cupping your chin firmly and forcing you to look directly into his eyes.

"I don't think a single person in this entire world could ever look at you and hate you.”

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this is like 50% proofread so im sorry if it's like LITTERED with errors