DING.
Ella peers down at her phone. She reads the text out loud. ‘Ella. Libby has chosen your man to couple up with. You are now dumped from the island. Please collect your belongings and leave.’
Cue shocked looks, loud gasps and hands flying to mouths.
‘YOU COW!’ Ella bellows at me.
‘AND CUT!’ I see Cam racing towards me with a blanket. ‘TAKE FIVE WHILE SHE DRIES OFF!’ Cam barks, ignoring Porscha. ‘Can we get a runner, please?’
He sweeps the blanket over me, muttering. ‘Jesus Christ! You okay, Libby?’ He leans right in. ‘Do you need some… pineapple?’ he says out the side of his mouth.
I nod quickly. ‘Yes, yes please.’
Chapter 16
‘Fuck me. What have they got you wearing?’ Cam says, frowning, as he slides in behind the recycling bin. Luckily, I already knew about the secret door leading out from the only walk-in cupboard without cameras. It’s where they will pull islanders for chats. I was able to sneak through undetected, due to the sheer uproar caused by Ella getting kicked off the show after only twenty minutes. I slid along the wall to the blind spot, my heart thudding in my chest. We are hiding behind the bin, and Cam has disabled my microphone for me. ‘We only have a few minutes.’
He has been positively heroic. The way he swooped in and covered me in a blanket, issuing instructions and tut-tutting at the runners. We are crushed together. Me shivering like a drowned rat. Him looking all concerned for my mental health and well-being. I notice dark patches under his eyes. They’ve got that haunted look back again. The warm blue-green eyes with specks of gold, have turned to a cold grey blue. His stubble has grown a bit thicker across the jawbone so that the slight dent ofthe chin is no longer visible, and his hair is sticking out at odd angles. I’m not the only one who didn’t get enough sleep last night.
‘You okay?’ he asks softly. Our bodies create a warm flow of energy as we huddle together. Like a magnet, I feel drawn to sag against him and feel his safe, strong arms wrap around me. But I can’t. I grab the blanket tightly and stand a little taller.
‘I didn’t know that was going to happen,’ I say. ‘That poor girl. I feel terrible.’
‘It’s Porscha. She obviously chose not to share that with any of us. I’ll bring it up at the next team meeting but honestly…’ He sighs and I feel his breath on my cheek. ‘If any of this gets too much just let me know. I’ll get you out of here.’
He gives me such a concerned look that I instantly melt.
‘It’s okay. Really. I can handle it.’
He half smiles. ‘I’ve put a suitcase of clothes in the dressing room for you. It was the best I could do at such short notice. I drew a pineapple on it, so you know which one it is. I think Porscha may have tampered with your other case. I imagine the outfits she’s put in will be kinda like what you’re almost wearing now.’
‘Thank you.’ I am bursting with gratitude. ‘Just one more thing.’ I say pointing to the backs of my thighs.
Instinctively, he crouches down, and I feel his warm fingers undo each of the buckles. If it weren’t for the fear of Porscha catching us, it would be very erotic. He has an incredibly gentle touch. I literally can’t breathe as he undoes the buckles around the tops of my thighs and slides the straps softly down my legs as though he were peeling down my stockings. He straightens up and we share a fond look before he puts a finger to his lips and switches the microphone back on.
He mouths, ‘Good luck’ to me and disappears through the kitchen door.
I wait a few seconds and go through the cupboard door into the outdoor kitchen. All the islanders are waving Ella off. She is in floods of tears and howling like a neutered cat at the injustice. She is spitting feathers and vowing to sue LoveIT TV into the, excuse my French, ‘shitting ground’. When I hear her telling Destiny she can fudge right off, I seize the opportunity to scamper straight through to the ‘Hello Gorgeous’ dressing room and adjoining bathroom.
Again, I am so thankful that I had the virtual tour yesterday from Cam, so I have a vague idea of where I’m going. We also went over and over the blueprints so that I would know the lay of the land before coming in and the bios of all the contestants, so that I would know who I am up against.
After I’ve showered off all the mud, I wrap myself in a towel and go through to get ready. It’s so hard knowing there’s cameras everywhere. I spot the case lying under the dressing table in the centre of the room. I drag it open and exhale with relief as I pull out actual clothes made of cloth. My hand lands on a stunning dress. I’m sliding it over my head when I hear the clatter of the girls approaching. They are surprised to see me in here and gather round.
‘That was so savage.’
‘Yeah, like so savage.’
‘One hundred per cent savage.’
‘Girl, you savage.’
I stand up and pull down my dress. ‘You’re all just saying the same thing.’
‘Because, girl, that was totally one hundred per cent savage what you did back there.’
Seriously?
It’s time to make a stand and start how I mean to go on. ‘I didn’t know that was going to happen, did I?’
