Click. Click.

Her footsteps resonated loudly as she causally entered the bedroom and her bright eyes scanned the room. There was a full moon tonight and it illuminated the Spanish villa with great splendor, hence the islanders all had decided to keep the curtains open. This allowed her to see the islanders perfectly. Half of them where asleep, some tangled up together, and others sprawled by themselves on a bed. The other half were keeping themselves occupied; some whispering to one another, kissing, or entertaining themselves with something menial. It was then she noticed Noah, he was sitting up while Hope was cuddled up against his right leg. He was holding a book in his hands, The Prophet by Khalil Gibran, MC had read it once and it was deeply reflective and philosophical. A book that suits him and his hidden depths, she thought as she sighed. Their eyes met for a split second but he hastily turned to look at a page in the book. She shook her head and kept on scanning the room. That’s when she spotted him, right next to Nope’s bed, waving at her excitedly.

Immediately she ran to their bed as she waved back with a radiant smile in her pretty face. Lucas tapped the empty spot on the bed next to him and MC giggled as quietly as she could while laying down.

“Hello beautiful,” he whispered to her in a sleepy and husky voice.

Her soft hands instinctively reached out for him, pulling him gently but closely to her, stopping until their foreheads and noses touched each other.

“Hey handsome,” her voice a seductive whisper which was like honey to Lucas’ ears.

The electricity they felt as they looked into each others eyes made her feel goosebumps all the way down to her spine.

“Fancy meeting you here,” he laughed softly as one of his arms found itself around her waist. The fingertips of his free hand traced small circles down her arm in a calm manner, which made her shiver.

The moonlight illuminated his features perfectly, it made him look like a perfectly sculpted Greek statue. Her hungry eyes could not get enough of him, she felt entranced by him. A small glint in his dark eyes and the mischievous smile on his face revealed that he had an idea of what MC was thinking. Lucas snapped her out of it by holding her hand in his, and although his hand was rougher and larger compared to hers, they felt like a perfect fit; like puzzle pieces that finally join together to form an amazing image.

Lucas looked at her with drowsy eyes, with a look that was impossible to resist. She bit her lower lip as she took a mental picture of him for a moment. Without anymore hesitation, she placed a small kiss on his luscious lip. In return, he gave her another small kiss on her roseate lips, next he gave small kisses to her jawline and her neck. Finally he returned to her lips, and he gave her a kiss so passionate and intense that it almost made her melt. He had stood correct when he mentioned it, absolutely nobody kissed her the way he did, a kiss so deep and fulfilling which felt so good, so right.

When they finally pulled away, she placed a kiss on his forehead while his arms snaked around her, his hands finding rest on her lower back. Carefully he pulled her closer to him and she tangled herself around him. Delicately, she traced the outline of his face with her index finger, meanwhile he blinked drowsily.

“Goodnight love, sweet dreams,” MC placed a kiss at the tip of his nose.

“Dreams don’t even compare to reality, now that I have you in my ar...” a yawn interrupted him mid-sentence.

“You are my dream,” she beamed at Lucas as he finally surrendered to sleep.

MC’s slender fingers ran adoringly through his soft jet black locks. Carefully, as to not wake him up, she brushed some of it away from his graceful face. Having his hair down without any gel in it gave him a more boyish image, nonetheless he looked equally as lovely as when it was styled.

There was no rest for her hands, she felt like she was a teenager again, not being able to keep her hands to herself; not that she wanted to. However, it was impossible to get enough of this man, he was slowly becoming addicting to her. Without a second thought she traced his lips, which she had kissed countless time. Whilst admiring her lover, she felt like she was being watched which made her snap out of her love trance.

No doubt, the owner of those prying honey coloured eyes could only be one person. Cautiously, as to not be caught, her eyes looked from Lucas up to Noah who was still sitting up on his bed. To her surprise, he was looking directly at her with his brows almost knitted together, it almost made her gasp, which she fought as to not wake Lucas up. Had he looked at them the entire time? Had he heard them speaking?

There where so many questions racing through her mind, was he mad? Was he jealous? How dare he? MC had been there waiting for him, for so long now...but every time he chose Hope. Over and over again, no matter the circumstances, she was always his number one. It made her feel like the second female lead of a bad television drama, which technically it almost was. Doing the impossible, always being there for him, but never getting anything in return but his so called “friendship”. Those kisses, talks, and hugs had meant nothing for him. Every time she had a glimpse of hope that he would stick with her, he went and let her down. No amount of faith was enough to make the miracle of him loving her come true. So why was he doing all this now? Too little, too late.

Their eyes were like magnets that could not tear away from each other, but rather than giving him a wink or a smile like she had done in the past, she was like a mirror, mimicking his expression. Her dark eyebrows furrowed together as if challenging him, which was something he did not expect. Noah’s golden eyes widened in surprise, his expression changed from surprise to sorrow within a second.

He could be like such a child sometimes, wishing only for what he sees lost and not when it was in front of his eyes. When he had her within reach he never truly dared to take her hand and start a new journey, on the contrary, there was always a sense of hesitation which maintained him cemented in one spot.

Disappointment after disappointment; choosing Blake because he could not trust her, going back to Hope time and time again, leading her on only to let her fall like a shooting star. Of course there were beautiful moments, him choosing her in one recoupling, sharing about their families, talking about their pets, hobbies, and especially that one time they talked about life outside the villa. Be as it may, those moments where so few that she could count them with one hand. There were more moments that made her feel as if her heart was shattering into minuscule pieces that cut through her very soul. The way he was so protective of Hope, him saying he would give it a chance with Blake, and the stunning smile of his which was only for Hope.

Yet even if he might have been playing her, MC knew he was not fully responsible for everything. It was her choice to believe him, to want to give it a try with him, for not stopping when she noticed that she had dived way too deep and fooling herself by saying she could carry the burden of this want to be “relationship” on her lone shoulders. Not even bench pressing Gary could compare to the weight of it, which made her crumble down to her knees. All the feelings of sadness, disappointment, loneliness, and guilt became like thin threads in her mind, which slowly but surely became tangled inside of her with each passing day. Even if she tried, there was no way to untangle them, that was until Lucas came to detangle each one slowly and trading them for threads of love, patience, kindness, and respect which are now weaving their own love story.

This was a war no one was going to win, so MC decided to wave a white flag, hence she gave him a sad, almost apologetic smile. A veil of sadness finished shrouding those features of his which once illuminated her days. This was enough, she looked away and wrapped her arms tightly around Lucas’ strong waist and buried her head on his muscular chest while he slept peacefully.

Her parents had always taught her that every woman was a goddess in her own right, whose most special devotee would offer love. She had not felt like that for three years now, much less here at the villa. That was until Lucas appeared, with a fire within him that enveloped her in warmth and lightened her heart like Diwali (festival of lights in India). Before she was painted in shades of black, but he had come and coloured her in all the shades of his bright colours. She had been like a lost traveler and now she had found her refuge in Lucas. Now Lucas had ignited that same fire within her, burning all bad thoughts in her mind. Such good fortune had fallen upon her, that she was not about to let it go for anyone, much less for someone who never truly appreciated her. Lucas was always careful with her heart, he understood, he had seen what she had gone through, so he guarded it like it was a precious jewel. In the small amount if time he had been in the villa, he had opened up to her about his life, his dreams, his job, and his family, as had she. She felt loved and desired, she felt like her feelings were reciprocated. They had even sneakily gone to the hideaway more than a few times, finding that connection they had both been seeking from each other. The love she had for Noah had only been an illusion of her heart. There were only echoes of that love, that were fading off into the distance thanks to Lucas.

Now she couldn’t stop looking into Lucas’ path, her gaze was attached to him, igniting millions of butterflies that took flight in her stomach. As for him, his chest swelled with love while he looked into her eyes, it felt like they had the power to put a spell on him. Lucas had memorized her beautiful face like a holy verse he could recite from the heart. To be in Love Island and to be able to couple up with her after he had thought he would never be given the chance with her, was great luck. The one he had thought about, he was able to see her everyday. What he had been desiring for, he finally got to have many conversations with her. The miracle he had been waiting for, he was free to kiss her soft lips. The lamps of love seemed to be lighting one by one the obscure paths of his heart. Recently she had not only been in his thoughts, his talks, his gazes, and his breath, but it seemed like she threatened to make an abode of his heart.

The sudden proximity of her warmth interrupted his slumber, which he welcomed pleasantly when he saw her sparkling hazel eyes looking up at him. At first he thought it was a dream, but when his mind cleared a bit he remembered it was all real. A dreamy smile blossomed on his face when he noticed a tiny pout had formed on her lips, a signal that she felt sorry for waking him up. A loud rustle could be heard in the bed next to them, he knew who it was but he paid no mind. He hugged her and snuggled as his eyes started to close.

MC felt so protected and secure in his arms, thump thump, his heart was beating loudly like Indian drums, and it felt satisfying knowing she was the cause. It didn’t matter what happened in their immediate future; getting voted off the island or winning Love Island, it was not going to change the fact that she wanted to be with Lucas here and in the outside world. She caressed his cheek while she whispered a lullaby to him in a bird-like voice.

“The one with the captivating eyes,

The one with captivating eyes caused a tremble in my glass heart

He caused the whole tavern to spill

He took away my peace and sleep.”