"Zoey, I'm so sorry."

"For what?"

Mike and Zoey both sat in the pool at the Playa Des Losers. Zoey had been flung there after her elimination that evening, and one of the first things she did was find Mike and stick to his side for the entire night. It had gotten late enough that most of the other contestants had gone to rest up in preparation for the next day's finale, but Mike and Zoey were both so busy getting to know each other and discussing what they did in their time apart that sleep was the last thing on their minds.

"For everything," Mike said. "I shouldn't have lied to you about my other personalities, especially not after things got out of hand with Anne Maria. I should have trusted you. I mean, I've run into trouble for admitting to my disorder before, that's why I was so scared…" Mike shook his head. "No, that's not your fault. I shouldn't have hurt you just because I was scared. That's not fair."

"Mike, it's fine," Zoey assured him as she placed her hand on his shoulder.

"No it's not," Mike insisted. "How can I make it up to you?"

"You don't have to make anything up to me," Zoey said. "Just don't lie to me anymore."

"There has to be more than that," Mike said. "Do you think flowers grow anywhere around here? You said you love flowers. I could go pick you some."

"Mike, please don't-" Zoey said, but Mike cut her off before she could finish her thought.

"You're right, I shouldn't do that, I'm sorry. That's cheap." His face fell at the realization that she didn't like this idea, but just as quickly, he perked up and grinned as a new idea crept into his mind. "I'll buy you some instead! When I get home, I'll send you a really nice bouquet."

"Mike-"

"What's your favorite flower? Daisies? Roses? You said your favorite color is red, right?" His voice steadily grew faster and more high-pitched as he became excited over this brilliant idea. "I'll send you every red flower I can find, hopefully that'll be enough-"

"MIKE!"

"Is pink close enough to red, do you like pink, you wear a pink flower so I guess you-"

Zoey's words weren't enough to make him stop talking, but he found it impossible to speak once she pressed her mouth against his. The kiss only lasted a moment, but even then, all he could do was stare dumbstruck at her smiling face as heat filled his cheeks.

"I told you, you don't owe me anything," Zoey said, an edge of laughter in her voice. "Just don't hide from me, and keep being the awesome guy I know you are. That's all I need. "

"I… I can do that," Mike replied, still blushing. "Can I give you one thing, though?"

"I just said you don't-"

Mike didn't wait for an answer before wrapping his arms around her and gently kissing her lips. Now it was Zoey's turn to freeze; she didn't even return the hug.

"You're cute when you blush," Mike said. He then closed his eyes and rested his cheek against the top of her head. For a moment he wondered if this was too far for a girl he technically only just started dating, but her arms tightened around his waist and informed him that she was perfectly comfortable with this.

They only embraced for a few minutes before deciding to get some sleep, but it was enough for Mike to decide that he wanted to hold her again as soon as possible.