This story takes place after the elimination ceremony, when Sadie was voted off.
The campers enjoyed their earned marshmallows while Sadie, whose elimination was orchestrated by Courtney, stepped onto the dock of shame, celebrating her reunion with Katie.
They slowly returned to their cabins in silence, exhausted from that draining multiple-phase challenge, but Courtney stayed, sitting beside the bonfire. Her thoughts were wandering, and she didn't know whether they were real things she was thinking about or if they were a result of the concussion Sadie gave her.
Truth is, she had noticed Duncan before, and she did think he was handsome, but she had set her mind to one thing and one thing only: winning the grand prize. So she put those feelings aside, and given how annoying he was to her, it made the whole thing a lot easier. She didn't need a sixteen year-old hormone filled, criminal, slob, annoying boy to get in her way that summer. She was determined to take no distractions, and so far, she had had none.
Their competitiveness allowed her to keep in mind that some people were just as determined as she was. What Duncan perceived as playful, she took quite seriously, and, as always, to her advantage.
But after what happened earlier, she didn't feel that way anymore. Waking up from that concussion to see Duncan trying to get a bunny for DJ? Doing something nice for his teammate? Out of the goodness of his own heart? Without being forced to, or with some strategic thing going on? She actually thought it could've been a dream (or a hallucination). It made her wonder. Did he have a heart, after all, and if so, would his annoying takes actually mean he might like her, as the girls once said? She felt something different and couldn't figure out what.
Those thoughts haunted Courtney's mind for a while. The bonfire was helpful as the night was getting colder, and the only sound she could hear was the wood burning. She wished she had a jacket with her.
She was having fun burning some sticks and pretending they were shooting stars, when a familiar voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Careful, Princess. We don't need you going to the infirmary twice in a day." she looked up and there was Duncan with that stupid smirk on his face. Her mind went straight to earlier that day, when he was trying to get the bunny for DJ.
"Why do you care? I thought you weren't nice." said Courtney, raising one eyebrow. On the inside, she was wondering how weird it was, that just when she was pretending to play with fake shooting stars, the person she was thinking about shows up.
"I'm not. I just don't want to lose another teammate." he said, blushing slightly. He scratched the back of his head, looking away.
Duncan liked Courtney, and despite what everyone said, he tried really hard to mask those feelings and make it seem like it was purely physical. It definitely wasn't. Courtney had him feeling things he had never felt before, and annoying her was the one way he knew how to approach her. It was rather juvenile, like the little boy pulling on the little girl's ponytail in kindergarten, but he couldn't help it. Plus, he had a lot of fun doing that.
Courtney rolled her eyes with a smile on her face. "I don't feel like going back just now."
"Well, I guess I have no choice but to stick around until you decide to go. What if that concussion makes you pass out and tomorrow morning we find a Courtney corpse half-eaten by a bear. Won't be a pretty sight."
"Can't argue with you on that one." she said, lying on her back. "The sky looks so beautiful tonight, I can see every single star."
"Sure" he said, in a bored voice. He lied down, his feet facing the opposite direction of hers, their heads side by side. They stayed like that in silence for a while. "You know, you're right. It is a pretty sight."
"Of course. I'm always right."
"No you're not."
"Um, yes I am."
"You never thought I was nice and today it was proven otherwise."
"Oh so we're back to admitting you're nice?" Courtney said, laughing.
"So we're back to admitting you're not always right?" Duncan said, laughing as well.
Courtney looked at him through the corner of her eye, and he was already looking at her. She quickly looked away, blushing.
Suddenly, that feeling came back. That time, she knew. Those were butterflies in her stomach, that feeling she had seen and read about, but never quite understood it. She instinctively put one hand over her stomach and closed her eyes.
They remained quiet for a few more moments, and neither of them were bothered by that. It was a comfortable silence, and it felt nice to have the other close.
Duncan was thinking to himself Since when am I a soft hearted guy that comes stargazing with a girl I haven't even kissed? Dumbass. But deep down, he knew that those were side effects of having feelings for someone and caring about them. And these are the kind of things people do to each other when they're in love (or leaning towards love, since they couldn't call it that just yet). Courtney was, by far, the most special person on the island for him.
During the first week or so, Duncan thought the only people he could have developed any interest in were Heather or Gwen. But as it turns out, Heather is just a stone cold bitch, and while Duncan was tough on the outside, he didn't enjoy being mean just because, and he quickly dismissed any possible interest in Gwen after his Princess showed up.
My Princess? Man, I am going soft. He looked over at her, smiling, as she stared at the sky. He noticed the seven freckles on her nose, forming a constellation so beautiful, the stars in the sky could never compare. He noticed her eyes, thinking they were the most enticing eyes he had ever seen. He could stare at them for hours. He noticed her cheeks and imagined how it would feel to hold her face while kissing her. He noticed her lips and thought to himself I guess those could do something better than annoying me all the time. They would feel so soft against mine. In that moment, he decided he would do anything in his power to get her to be his.
"Hey Princess," he said.
"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that?" she answered, pretending to be annoyed, but secretly enjoying the nickname.
"As many times as you need until you realize I'm not going to do that" he smirked, and she rolled her eyes.
"So," she said "What were you going to say?"
What was he going to say? He suddenly couldn't elaborate a single word, let alone ask that girl out.
"What were you doing with the fire when I got here?"
She blushed, embarrassed to tell him. "I was pretending those were shooting stars. I guess the concussion made me delusional."
"Yeah right. You were probably wishing for me to show up. Guess it worked, huh?"
"No! Ugh! You're so annoying." she said, frowning.
"And yet you're still here with me."
She sat up. "I'm going back to the cabin. Good night, Duncan."
"No princess, wait.," he said, sitting up as well, grabbing her arm. "How about I let you in on another secret?"
"What secret?" she said, impatient.
"I actually like spending time with you, and I think you like spending time with me too, so why don't you take that pole out of your butt and sit here with me? I mean, sitting here in silence with you is more fun than hanging out with anyone else on this island anyway."
That declaration caught Courtney off guard. If she thought he could have feelings for her, now her doubts were barely there anymore. And it felt… nice? It warmed her up on the inside, to think he did like her.
She smiled and went back to her original position without saying a word.
They chatted about the events of the day, Courtney complained about Sadie and Duncan trashed Harold, they discussed who were the strongest competitors and how they imagined things would happen when the teams merged.
After a while, Courtney started to feel really cold and decided to head back.
"Come on, it's late, and I'm cold. Who knows what kind of nonsense Chris has prepared for us tomorrow." Duncan agreed, and they both stood up. As soon as they did, a real shooting star passed by.
"Make a wish!" Duncan said.
Courtney could've thought about anything. World peace, becoming a lawyer, winning the competition. But she didn't. She thought about Duncan.
And then she noticed his eyes, they were the most beautiful shade of blue she had ever seen, no clear sky could ever compare. She noticed his hands, and thought about when she held them during Phobia Factor, and how she wanted to do that again. She noticed his piercings, and wondered if he had one on his tongue. She noticed his lips, and imagined how soft they would feel against hers.
"There we go," she said. They headed back to the cabins, and the lights were already out. "Wow, it must be late, everybody is sleeping already".
"Yeah, I guess we were there for a while." he smiled. "Hey princess, what did you wish for when the shooting star appeared?"
She blushed and was instantly thankful it was night and he couldn't see her blushing.
"Nothing! Good night."
"Oh come on," he grabbed her by the hand "I did tell you two secrets, maybe you could let me in on this one."
"Okay" she said
"What? You'll actually tell me? Wasn't expecting that one."
"Shut up Duncan."
"Sorry, sorry. So, tell me"
"Um, I'm not going to tell you" she took a step forward.
"What do you mean?" He looked at her, not knowing what to expect, kind of scared she would kick him, implying she had wished for him to get hurt or whatever.
"I mean this" she took his face in her hands and captured his lips with hers, giving him a sweet kiss. It was not intense in any way, but it still made their hearts beat faster and their whole bodies shiver.
Duncan, utterly shocked, didn't kiss her back immediately, and she got worried that she did something she shouldn't have. She broke the kiss, wondering if she had imagined it all and if he actually didn't like her that way.
"I'm so–" when she started to apologize, he pulled her in by the waist and kissed her again. She wrapped her hands around his neck and smiled. That kiss was extraordinary. They fit together like two puzzle pieces. It wasn't sweet and soft anymore, it was urgent, like their bodies needed one another this whole time and they didn't realize.
They deepened the kiss, and for Courtney's happiness, Duncan did have a tongue ring, which she found rather enjoyable to play with – and he loved that too.
Courtney lowered her hands to his chest, and slowed down the kiss, finally breaking it off. Duncan moaned in frustration, not letting go of her.
"We gotta go to sleep." said Courtney.
"No we don't." said Duncan, trying to kiss her again.
"I guess someone liked the kiss." she said, mockingly.
"Don't get too cocky. I know you liked it too."
"I did, but it was funny to see you drool for me."
"Oh yeah?" he replied in the same tone.
He pulled her in one more time, one hand on her waist and the other on the back of her neck, kissing her hard. Courtney felt weak on the knees, and Duncan noticed her shaking under his touch and lightly bit her bottom lip. She let out a moan that Duncan thought was way too sexy. He broke the kiss without letting her go and whispered in her ear.
"Who's drooling now?"
"Oh shut up" she rolled her eyes. "This is our secret for now, right?"
"Of course. Good night, Princess."
"Good night, criminal." They kissed one more time and went their separate ways, feeling happy, warm, and with their hearts full of passion.
And thank God for shooting stars.