Day 2 - Getting Close And The First Coupling Up
She woke up with a little yawn, asleep next to Shauna. The girls and guys had decided to buddy up together in beds as no one really felt entirely comfortable sleeping in the same beds without being coupled up. They just didn't know each other well enough. Chris, Mar and Lauren had gotten cozy. Nita had demanded a bed for herself of course. Four, Zeke and Uriah were top and tailing all together, the three having gotten close. At some point Will and Eric had started spooning, she figured they would be mortified when they woke up. And Peter and Al had buddied up, electing to top and tail as well. They'd all be coupled up by the end of the evening and share a bed with one another as pairs. Oh, and one boy would be gone. That was rather sad, well, she hoped either Peter or Al would get dumped and then she wouldn't be so sad.
She liked Zeke, Uriah and Eric and could see herself coupling up with any of them. She was so intrigued by Four but Nita wasn't letting anyone get within 10 feet of him. She had a small glimmer of hope that if she got to choose before Nita maybe she could couple up with Four and get to know him better. The girls had a chat amongst themselves last night and all declared who they intended to choose. Tris hadn't really known what to say and of all the girls, Nita and Lauren seemed a little threatened by that fact. She was really the most dangerous girl in the villa. She could graft on any of the guys and potentially steal someone else's choice.
She gently crept out of bed towards the dressing room and rinsed her face in the bathroom with warm water and her cleanser. Her hair was neatly tied in little pig tails to keep it out of her face. She had a lot of hair and it could be really irritating if it got in her face. She loved having long long hair though. It made her feel beautiful and feminine.
After brushing her teeth and getting dressed into her corset top and jeans, she settled down to put on her makeup. She used a variety of different products and tried to always go for ones that were cruelty free and ethically made. She was in the middle of blending out her foundation when Lauren emerged from the bedroom.
"Girl, I love that top! So so flattering. Where did you get it?" She looked down at the top she was wearing and back to Lauren with a grin.
"It's from a brand called Corset Story I think. They had a big 4 for 1 sale not that long ago so I got 4. I didn't feel like wearing my bikini today." She loved the way corsets made her feel, how they shaped her figure. She was short but she wasn't stick thin. She had curves and loved the way the tops shaped her body and kind of accentuated her assets, or lack thereof as some people liked to joke.
"Well it's super flattering babes. So, who do you think you're gonna couple up with later? I know you were feeling a bit shy around everyone talking about it last night but I was just wondering if you'd thought anymore about it…" Lauren trailed off, plonking down at the mirror next to her.
"Uhm, I don't really know. All the guys are really nice… well except Al." This made Lauren giggle a little and nod as she started putting on her makeup.
"I'm super into Zeke. I hope I get to pick him before someone else does. Imagine the quarterback of the Seahawks. I don't know a lot about football but he's smoking hot!" She hmm'd, nodding along. Football was clearly a big part of Zeke's life and she wasn't sure how well the pair would mesh if Lauren wasn't really interested in it.
"That's true, he's pretty hot." She agreed, highlighting her nose, cheeks, Cupid's bow and brow bones.
"Eyes off ey babes. That one's mine." Lauren winked and tried to play it off as jokey but Tris knew that she was serious. Stay away from Zeke at all costs is what the undertones of her words screamed.
"I mean we don't know the order yet." Lauren frowned, turning around to look at her, putting down her powder brush.
"Look babes. I'm gonna be frank with you here. We all know that you're not into Peter or Al and that sucks babes, I'm really sorry about it. But everyone else has already kind of paired off. So you'll just have to get over it and be a big girl and try and get it on with one of them." That was like a slap to the face. So much for girl code, chicks before dicks, whatever you want to call it. Lauren was in it to win it clearly and didn't care who she had to step on to win. Tris needed to be wary around her and not divulge too much sensitive information about who she was grafting on.
"Yeah. Sure." She exhaled deeply, reaching for her eyeliner. Lauren smiled and squeezed her shoulder perhaps a bit too tight.
"Glad we understand each other babes." Their conversation was abruptly ended by other girls making their way into the dressing room.
"Are you alright Tris?" Shauna plonked in next to her, busting out her vintage style makeup.
"Yeah yeah. I'm fine. I didn't keep you awake last night did I? I'm a wriggler according to my sister in law." She laughed, holding her face to apply her eyeliner, trying not to blink and mess it up.
"Haha nah! I sleep like the dead honey. Didn't notice at all. I'm loving the outfit. Modern vintage style chic. Makes your waist look incredible babe." Tris grinned, feeling a surge of confidence. She was ready to face the day and get grafting.
She found the boys downstairs making coffee and breakfast for everyone. The coffee smelled amazing, the breakfast - a bad attempt at scrambled eggs and toast, not so much.
"Not too much milk. Trust me, your eggs will be watery and you might burn the extra milk." She nudged Four out of the way and started stirring the eggs, adding salt, pepper and a little knob of butter.
"See. Just right." She held the spoon out to him and he tried some.
"You're right, they're perfect. We haven't really been introduced. I'm Four." She took the eggs off the heat and smiled softly at him.
"Like the number?" He chuckled, nodding his head and piling up the toast as the boys mucked around trying to set the table.
"Yeah exactly like the number, it's a nickname." She laughed softly, still intrigued but deciding not to push the issue too much.
"Interesting. You sure are mysterious. So where in DC do you live? I'm from DC too." He leant against the counter and offered her the bowl to put the eggs in so she could cook up a couple more batches to feed everyone. She loved to cook, her mother had taught her when she was a child, they used to cook all the time. Before the accident she would go over to her parents every Friday night after work and cook dinner with them. Susan would visit while Caleb was away. That all changed in the matter of seconds by some drunk idiot on the wrong side of the road.
"No way, small world ey? I live in Georgetown. You?" She shook off thoughts of the accident and came back to the present.
"I live in Forest Hills." His eyes lit up and he held the bowl out for her again. She figured that was enough eggs so she clicked the stove off and they put the bowl on the table. This was alongside some bacon that was in the oven and the toast Eric and Peter had whipped up.
"Oh Forest Hills is so lovely. I've actually been looking for a place up in the burbs. I'm a bit sick of city life." She smiled thoughtfully and took a seat across from him at the table.
"Well if you want me to show you around after this is over let me know. I know a couple of great places that have been up for a while if you're into a bit of a fixer upper." Nita came over and settled into him, getting real close. It was like she had a sixth sense for someone talking to the guy she was into.
"I might just take you up on that offer. I don't mind getting my hands dirty." He shot her a wink and heat rushed to her cheeks. That happened a lot. She was a blusher. Always had been, always would be.
"Oh what are you guys talking about honey buns?" She twirled some of her bleach blonde straw-like hair around her finger, fluttering her eyelashes.
"Both Tris and I live in DC. We were just talking about real estate." She clung onto him tightly and if Tris was honest he looked a little uncomfortable. He may be the only man immune to her charms. The boys seemed to be eating out of her palm.
"Ah, how funny. Small world, ey? So Four, I was thinking we should couple up later."
Saying you're Supermodel probably does you a lot of favors. She couldn't help but think of Edna Mode. Supermodels! Nothing super about them, spoiled little stick figures with poofy lips who think only about themselves. This made her snort while sipping her coffee and Nita looked at her disgusted while Four looked rather amused.
"What's funny?" Four cocked his eyebrow as Nita asked this, pushing her breakfast around her plate before grabbing an orange and peeling it.
"I was just thinking about Edna Mode." Four furrowed his brow for a second before letting out a deep booming laugh.
"What? Who's Edna Mode?" This just made the pair laugh harder.
"Oh, just a designer…" Tears were leaking from the corners of her eyes as she laughed so hard. Everyone else was joining in as they heard the conversation.
"Oh really? Is she looking for models? Maybe you could introduce me!" Zeke was the first to manage to compose himself enough to explain why they were all laughing at her.
"She's not going to get it. Edna Mode is a character in a Disney film called The Incredibles."
"Oh, I knew that." Sure you did Nita. Tris finally composed herself to finish up her food and coffee.
"I did. I was just messing with you all."
After breakfast the group split off into a couple of smaller groups. Lauren, Zeke, Four and Nita were sitting over on the sun loungers. Uriah, Christina, Marlene, Will and Al were up on the daybeds and Shauna, Eric and Peter were in the fire pit.
She decided to wander over and sit with Shauna and the boys. Shauna smiled up at her and she planted herself next to her.
"So Tris, know who you want to pick later?" Why was everyone so interested in what her choice was going to be? She wished everyone would just focus on their own choices and leave her to think about it.
"Uhm… I don't know. I think Zeke and Four are pretty cool but I can't really talk to them without Nita or Lauren trying to scalp me. Uriah is nice and Will seems sweet though I don't understand a lot of what he's saying." This made Eric chuckle loudly and Peter look somewhat thoughtful.
"Nita doesn't seem so bad. It's a shame she's so into that tool. I reckon me and her could get on well if she'd give me a chance." Ugh. She rolled her eyes without thinking and luckily, Peter didn't realize. Shauna nudged her and the pair tried not to laugh.
"Four's a good man. You need to lay off him." Eric warned, a stern look forming on his usually amused or content face.
"I like him, he looks scary, he's quite sweet actually." Tris admitted quietly, almost hoping the rest of them wouldn't hear her.
"Ooo someone's got a little crushhhh." Shauna lightly teased, taking a sip from her bottle of water.
"No no, he just seems nice." She found herself glancing over at him and with almost perfect timing he looked over to lock eyes with her. The pair shared a private little smile and then checked back into their respective conversations.
Everyone had gotten a text saying the coupling up would be in an hour so the girls headed up to change, the girls who were in bikinis, or touch up. She had decided to touch up her makeup and to style her hair a bit better as during the sunny day it had gotten a bit matted and gross.
"I'm so ready. I can't wait to get coupled up." Christina had been bouncing off the walls for about 30 minutes. She was clearly very excited. Tris wasn't feeling so confident. She was nervous about the order and who she would pick. She hoped she could pick first, or even just before Nita and couple up with Four so she would finally get the chance to get to know him better without Nita watching her every move like a hawk. Life was rarely ever that simple or convenient though. She supposed that even if she did choose Four, Nita would still try and graft on him non stop. She couldn't win really.
Their phones beeped again, it was time. The girls made their way to the fire pit where the guys were standing all in a row and took seats on the soft, cushioned benches. All their phones bleeped with a text that read,
"Girls, tonight you will choose to couple up with one of the boys and the boy left single will be leaving the villa. The order will be Shauna, Lauren, Nita, Christina, Marlene and Tris." Her heart sank as Shauna read the text out. Last was not going to be fun. She would have to choose between the two remaining boys and dump one of them.
Shauna stood up from her seat and, even though she was clearly nervous, she smiled at everyone. It was pretty obvious who she was going to pick. She and Eric were getting on like a house on fire.
"So, I want to couple up with this boy because I think we have a really good chemistry and he's super fit and I really want to get to know him better. I want to couple up with Eric." He came over and kissed her cheek softly, taking a seat with her as everyone clapped and cheered for them. Going first must be pretty nerve wracking. Though Tris could argue that the position she was in was far more perilous as she had to make a gut wrenching choice. Her leg bounced as the nerves set in. She would have to sit and wait to see who was left for her to pick from.
Lauren stood up then, brushing her skirt down and looking over the boys, who all seemed pretty cool regardless of the fact that one of them was going to be dumped. It was almost cruel to have flown them all the way out only to be dumped on day two. That added to the drama of it all though she supposed. Tris was pretty sure Lauren was going to choose Zeke but she wasn't entirely sure. Lauren seemed a bit like Zeke was her type on paper but maybe she wasn't totally in it. Something about Lauren just didn't scream, yes I'm so into you, be mine babe. It could perhaps be that she was someone who took a while to show her affections more openly. Lauren was a bit of a closed book.
"So I want to couple up with this guy because he's funny, gorgeous and he makes me laugh and I want to really get to know him on a deeper level. So the guy I want to couple up with is… Zeke." He shot her a goofy grin, came over and gave her a big bear hug and kiss on the forehead. She clapped and smiled for them but she was becoming more and more nervous as more of the boys got chosen. She had the nasty feeling that it was going to come down to two boys that she had no interest in but she would still have to make the choice.
Nita got up next and everyone knew who she was going to choose. His face was indifferent but he kept looking at Tris with a glimmer in his eyes that was almost hopeful. Well at least she thought that's what it was. She thought perhaps she was projecting. She stifled a giggle when she thought that he probably cleaned house at poker with the stoic face he was able to maintain.
"So I want to couple up with this boy because let's be honest, we'll be the hottest couple here, we have a great chemistry and I really think we can win this thing. So for that reason, I'd like to couple up with Four." Her heart was in her throat and she couldn't bring herself to cheer or clap. She'd been quite hopeful that she would get the chance to couple up with Four and get to know the mystery man a little better. Ah well. She resigned herself to whomever was left and hoped that she might be able to salvage her time here.
Next up was Christina. Tris liked Christina a lot but she was very blunt and direct and to the point. She seemingly said the first thing that popped into her head with no filter. Tris found it a little intimidating, like she was sometimes walking on eggshells around the girl. She was sure they would become closer and maybe Christina was just a little nervous and suffering from diarrhea of the mouth.
Christina got up from her seat and looked over the remaining boys. Uriah, Will, Peter and Al.
"So, I want to couple up with this boy because I think he's really sweet and strong and well he's crazy hot. So for that reason I'm going to couple up with Uriah." Will looked a little disheartened, he clearly had a little crush on Christina. She clapped and the pair kissed each other's cheeks before taking a seat. Uriah threw his arm around her shoulder and he held her tight. He was definitely a cuddler.
"My turn." Marlene bounced up, looking at Will, Peter and Al stood there. Will looked nervous, Al looked still bored (ugh) and Peter looked completely stoic.
"So I want to couple up with this boy because he's really smart and he's kind of goofy and even though his jokes are awful he's thoughtful and gorgeous. So because of that the boy I want to couple up with is Will." She thought she couldn't possibly feel any smaller. Her choices were snobbish, constantly bored Al or arrogant thinking he knows best, Peter.
"I guess it's my turn." She stood, hands shaking, wiping her clammy palms down on the front of her jeans. She looked between both boys and though she really didn't fancy either of them, she had to make a choice.
"So I want to couple up with this boy because we've had a few good chats," lie, "and I think we've definitely got a bit of chemistry. So for that reason, the boy I want to couple up with is…. Peter." Everyone tried to be happy but all the girls knew she didn't want to be with him.
"Ah yeah! Suck it Al. Cheers babe." He kissed her cheek and gave her a tight squeeze. Ugh. Al's phone beeped with a text and he looked angry. Not really directed at her, more so at everyone.
"You're all just jealous because I'm better than you. Whatever. Peace out, hope you enjoy your time here." He went back inside to grab his case and everyone moved out front to wave him off. Peter stayed pretty close to her but she tried to brush off his advances without causing a scene.
"Bye Al, we'll miss you!" He rolled his eyes and climbed into the suv, slamming the door. As the car pulled away, everyone made their way inside.
"Can we talk?" She looked up at Peter and nodded, following him away from the group and towards the daybeds. A little bit of privacy away from everyone but not out of the watchful eyes of the camera.
"So, first of all I wanted to thank you for choosing me over that absolute melt. I know I'm probably not your first choice." She looked at her lap and brushed some of her hair behind her ears, out of her face.
"There's really no need to thank me. Uhm, I'm not going to lie, not really, we're pretty different people." He reached out to take one of her hands in his. She looked up at him and he smirked. He never smiled, he only smirked. It always had an air of arrogance. He was no better than Al really but he was a bit more charismatic than the former.
"I mean that's not always a bad thing, Sug. You're absolutely gorgeous, successful, sweet." She tried not to shrink away as he got close and their breath mingled. He kissed her and she was so shocked she didn't know what to do. She was frozen in place and she moved away at the first opportunity.
"You need to relax, Sug. Go with the flow. Anyway, I think we should crack on with other people too though. You know, keep our options open." She was almost shocked to silence and an angry blush coated her face. She got up and tried to find the words for what she wanted to say.
"How dare you! You can't just kiss me and make moves on me and then turn around and say, let's crack on with other people." She was angry and was feeling a bit gross. Just the audacity, to not even stop in the moment to consider how it might make her feel to put moves on her and basically cast her aside.
"Look I've only known you one day and not being funny Sug but there are plenty of hotter girls in this villa! I just won't put all my eggs in your basket. I'll keep you in mind though." That felt like a slap in the face and tears welled up in her eyes.
"I'm not sharing a bed with you. You can sleep on the couch." She stormed back into the house and upstairs where everyone was getting ready for bed.
"Tris honey what's wrong? What did he say to you?" She furiously wiped her eyes and sat down on the empty bed.
"I really don't want to talk about it." Shauna sat down and gave her a tight squeeze, rubbing her back.
"He's a jerk babes, don't pay him any mind. Do you want me to sleep in with you tonight?" She shook her head, taking a tissue from Marlene and wiping her eyes and face.
"No, it's okay, thanks. You should sleep in with Eric tonight." Eric sat across from them and just gave her a reassuring smile. He seemed like a nice enough guy, Shauna was lucky.
"If you're sure honey. Just nudge me if you want me okay?" She loved Shauna, she was definitely going to become her best friend here.
"Yeah Tris, wake any of us if you need anything." She smiled gratefully over at Four and tried to ignore the scathing look from Nita. If looks could kill.
"Thanks guys. Let's go to bed."
Well what a day! The first recoupling and wow, Peter is a bit of a jerk. Who knew? Oh wait. We all did.