She still had plenty of reason to worry — Noah could still have feelings for someone else, the new islander could still steal one of them from each other, the new islander could be someone that one of them fancies. It was probably best never to be comfortable on Love Island, especially not this early in.
After her conversation with Noah earlier, Rose was feeling as confident as she could possibly be about the new prospect of a new islander. In stark contrast to the worried expressions and shaking hands of the other women in the dressing room, Rose touched up her makeup in a relative state of calm. She thought about her sweet conversation with Noah, about the careful kiss he’d placed on her cheek, his comment about keeping things fair. She’d managed to keep her gushing to a minimum when she ‘debriefed’ with Lottie, mostly focusing on listening to complaints about Rocco — of which there were many. He was a huge flirt and seemed to like all of the girls just as much as the one he was partnered with, which was already making the larger-than-life Lottie feel small.
“You don’t deserve that, babes,” Rose said, smudging her brown eyeliner with a q-tip. She was going with a slightly more natural look for their first party, having already removed the caked makeup from the day and started anew. “You have to have some sort of respect for your partner, even if you’re not set on staying with them.”
Lottie, in stark contrast with Rose’s toned-down makeup look for the night, was sharpening the wing of her eyeliner and applying an even deeper shade of plum to her lips. “Right? Disrespectful, that’s exactly how it is.”
“What’s wrong, Lottie?” Marisol asked, peeking around the mirror that divided them to intrude upon a conversation she was not a part of. “Things going poorly for you too?”
“I’m just hoping it’s a new guy tonight.” Lottie pouted.
“What about you, Rose?” Marisol asked. “Feeling alright?”
Rose smiled, thankful at least that Marisol had dropped trying to call her nicknames. “I had a nice conversation with Noah earlier, we agreed to stick together for now as long as we have a choice. He’s a good guy.”
“Aww,” Lottie drawled. “Look at Noah being a gentleman.”
Marisol rolled her eyes. “At least one of us is doing well.”
Rose shrugged. She felt as though Marisol was oversimplifying things. She still had plenty of reason to worry — Noah could still have feelings for someone else, the new islander could still steal one of them from each other, the new islander could be someone that one of them fancies. It was probably best never to be comfortable on Love Island, especially not this early in.
“I’m going to get changed,” Rose said. Marisol’s negativity was infectious and negativity was the last thing she needed. “I’m pretty sure the guys are already out on the lawn waiting for us.”
Lottie agreed, “Good call.” And, before Rose had even gathered her clothes to go to the bathroom to change, Lottie had dropped her swim top and started changing in the middle of the dressing room.
Rose tried to hide her blush, looking away and back to her clothes cubby as quickly as possible once she realized what was happening. She grabbed the first dress she saw, a silky green mini dress with spaghetti straps, and all of the necessary undergarments, and ducked into the restroom. The bathrooms were as private as the Villa got, but even then there were a few cameras directed at just the right angles to catch important conversations by the communal sink and cheeky shots of islanders showering. It was a careful geometry looking at the mounted cameras trying to locate possible blind spots. After just one day in the villa, Rose was already tracing sight-lines every time she walked into a room.
She chose a corner by the toilet — undignified but certainly private — and began undressing. Perhaps, by the end of her time in the Villa, Rose would be less of a prude. Perhaps she’ll eventually become used to her body being seen and then blurred in post-production by some poor media intern. But she wasn’t going to press herself too much on the first day.
Rose dressed as quickly as possible, also aware that other girls getting ready may also barge in at any moment — there were no locks on any of the doors in the Villa — and mussed her hair once more in the mirror before returning to the dressing room. Thankfully, all of the girls were clothed once she returned.
“Ready, babes?” Lottie asked, flashing her stiletto nails as she held out a hand. She was dressed in a sleek black dress with mesh sleeves that showed off her tattooed arms. Her hair was pinned back to one side with a vintage-looking silver clip.
“You look nice.” Rose touched the clip on the back of Lottie’s head. “This is gorge.” She took Lottie’s offered hand and gave it a squeeze.
“It was my grandma’s,” Lottie said. “I’m wearing it for luck.” Rose found Lottie’s superstitions charming, especially in a place that felt so outside of reality as the Villa. It made her wish she’d brought something to be made a talisman herself, even if she’d never been the type to believe in that sort of thing before.
“Ready girls?” Hope called. She was standing with her arms crossed in the doorway, looking impatient even though she’d only just put her shoes on. “The boys are waiting.”
Lottie rolled her eyes. “And they can wait a bit longer.”
Marisol trotted out of the bedroom, her shoes in her hands. “I’m ready!” She hopped on one foot to fasten a strap on her heel and then switched, fastening the other just as quickly. “Let’s go.”
Hannah, who had been much quieter in the dressing room than she had been the rest of the day, stood from her dressing bench. She wore a grave face and a simple sundress, looking much the same as before, the same long braid in her hair and the same light makeup on her face. Rose’s chest panged. She hoped Hannah didn’t feel underdressed. “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” she said.
Hand in hand with Lottie, Rose took the steps down from the dressing room and then to the deck. Relief washed over her at the sight of Bobby and Noah idly chatting, it was heartening to see them getting along. It meant that whatever flirting she’d engaged in — purposeful or not — was not enough to create a rift in the Villa. Early days, she reminded herself, she had done nothing wrong.
“Hey girls!” Gary waved from the lawn. He had a completely different vibe in his evening clothes, looking much less like a typical lad in square glasses and nice jeans. “We waited for you!”
Lottie gave Rose a look and Rose understood her meaning at once: Gary cleans up well…
He wasn’t her cuppa but he could certainly be Lottie’s.
“We had to get our look right, you know!” Hope laughed. “Now the party can get started!”
The islanders whooped along with Hope, doing their best to shake the uneasy feeling left by the bombshell text.
“Thank you for waiting for us,” Rose said as she and Lottie separated, drifting towards their respective partners.
Instead of Noah, whom the thanks was primarily directed at, Bobby responded, “We didn’t mind one bit, lass.” He winked at her.
Rose smiled in kind, but took Noah’s hand and said, “Thank you both.” Being near the two boys at the same time felt like walking into an active war zone.
“Let me get you a drink?” Noah asked, ducking his head closer to hers as he spoke, effectively cutting Bobby out of their circle. “They’ve got all sorts.”
She squeezed Noah’s hand. “Lead the way.”
“So,” Noah said, voice quiet as he spoke only to her. “I heard talk of a girls-only full moon ritual tonight. Are you planning to take part?”
Rose laughed, recalling Lottie’s insistence that the full moon on the first night of filming was an omen and that they should take care to honor it by convening in the moonlight. She’d gone along with it in the moment because she wanted to befriend Lottie and earn her trust. She shrugged. “Might be a laugh,” she said. “Lottie is really something.”
Noah pouted. “I was hoping you’d prefer to get a head start on sleeping with me—“ He cut himself off with a startled expression. “I mean, er, on sharing a bed.” Shaking his head, he started over. “I was hoping you’d like to cuddle instead.”
For his sake, Rose demurely hid her giggle behind a hand. “I knew what you meant,” she reassured him. “But, sorry, I’m all about the girl code.”
“Was afraid you’d say that.”
“I was going to ask how you felt about sharing a bed, but I suppose I’ve got my answer.” From the corner of her peripheral, she saw the rest of the group descending upon the bar, she had to shift gears quickly in case she didn’t have time for this conversation later.
Noah seemed to understand her meaning perfectly, grinning ever-so-slightly and nodding in confirmation. “I’d be up for it as long as you are,” he said. “No funny business, of course.”
She leaned in conspiratorially, easing her nerves with a joking tone. “Do you think any of the couples are going to be up to funny business right off?”
“Lottie and Rocco I could see,” he said with no hesitation. “I feel like Rocco would try it with anyone, though.”
“He hasn’t much flirted with me,” Rose corrected. “I think he knows I’m not the type to try it with.”
“Or that you’re a terrible flirt,” Noah teased. “Can’t be bothered.”
“Hey!” She lightly smacked his arm. “Your manner of flirting isn’t much better, so I don’t want to hear it.”
He shrugged coolly. “Takes one to know one.”
Rose huffed and rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t keep the smile from her face, she could tell that Noah’s teasing was affectionate.
“What are you two on about?” Gary asked as he shuffled back behind the bar. It was now too late for Noah to make Rose that drink, so she hoped Gary’s bartending skills were up to par.
“Just chatting,” Rose said, sharing a sly grin with her partner. “Where’s Hannah?”
Gary rolled his eyes, not a good sign. “She’s upset about something again. I swear that girl has cried on me twice and we’ve just met.”
“Poor thing…” Rose took a seat at the bar and watched Noah do the same. She turned so that her knees were facing his, doing her best to keep him in the loop while she talked to Gary. Normally, at a pub with her friends, she wouldn’t be concerned with making such clear delineations between platonic and romantic encounters, but things were different within the context of Love Island. She didn’t want to strike up a conversation with a guy that she wasn’t interested in and have her actual crush get the wrong idea. Noah, for his part, seemed to get the message. He laid a hand carefully on her knee, glancing up for permission and gracing her with a smile when she gave it.
“I feel for her,” Rose said. “This is all a touch overwhelming.”
“But you’re not crying all over your lad, are you?” Gary scooped ice into a shaker with an unsteady hand. It was clear that he’d expected to have a much more enjoyable first day, Hannah must really be getting to him. “Do you want a drink?”
“What can you make?” She wanted to humor him while also changing the subject. She hoped he would launch into trying to impress her with his bartending knowledge.
“Not much, I was just going to make some vodka crans,” he said. Then, “Do you think there’s anyone else I can pawn Hannah off onto?”
As she thought of what to say, Rose felt Noah begin tapping his thumb on her knee. She wondered if the gesture was simply absentminded movement or if he was anxious. It made her wish Gary would leave them alone so that she could find out. She said, “I don’t think that’s a nice way to think about your partner. I mean, it’s fine if you don’t like her but she is a person, no?”
Gary seemed to deflate. “You’re right,” he said. “Sorry.” As he began shaking the cocktail shaker, the other islanders gathered around.
“What are you making?” Lottie asked, shouting over the din of ice rattling against metal.
“Vodka cran.” Gary stopped shaking the drink. “Want one?”
Rose breathed a sigh of relief as the two began a conversation of their own, cutting her and Noah back out and into their own bubble. She leaned in close to his shoulder and waited for him to incline his ear. “You planning on doing any grafting?” She asked in a whisper, shooting a grin to let him know that she was half-teasing. At this intersection, though, she wouldn’t mind either way. There were people they both wanted to get to know better, but she also didn’t want to push Noah away if he happened to want to stay by her side.
He gave her a look. “You trying to get rid of me?”
“Not at all!” She frowned, trying to seem cool had backfired. “I just don’t want you to feel like you have to stay glued to me out of obligation.”
Noah gave her knee a light squeeze. “It might be good to chat with some other people, but only if you’re okay.”
“I can take care of myself,” she assured him, and she expected him to politely reassure her again. What she didn’t expect was for him to immediately excuse himself, leaving her alone with Gary and Lottie. She hadn’t been lying when she said his grafting other girls wouldn’t bother her, but she couldn’t help but feel discarded in the moment.
“Everything alright, love?” Gary slid a pink cocktail toward her. “Where’s laddy off to?”
She took the drink and stirred it dejectedly with the tiny plastic straw he’d garnished it with before taking a sip. “Grafting.” The drink tasted much stronger than she would have liked, which is what she got for letting a crane operator bartend.
“Rose?” A warm hand landed on her shoulder, and she turned to see Bobby smiling wide at her.
She smiled back though her mind reeled, feeling a little like he’d caught her momentarily playing the role of damsel in distress. “Hi,” was all she managed to say to her knight in beachy, floral armor.
“Noah leave you all alone?” Bobby asked. “I thought better of him.”
Rose sighed, seeing no point in hiding what was obvious. “I told him he could,” she explained. “I just didn’t think he’d be so eager.”
“Well lucky for you—” He slid into the barstool Noah had left open with ease, his knees almost knocking with hers as she hadn’t had a chance to turn away. If he minded the proximity, it didn’t show. “I’m here to keep you company all you like.”
Despite her mixed emotions, Rose chuckled at Bobby’s cheerful demeanor and stayed put, allowing their legs to remain touching. “To be clear, I told him he could go.” She allowed her face to fall into a full-on dejected pout. “I chased him off.”
Bobby rolled his eyes. “Forgive me, lass,” he said. “But I overheard. He’s not supposed to actually take you up on the offer like that.”
Not in the mood to chastise her partner, even if Bobby’s words were vindicating, Rose changed the subject. “How are you feeling with Marisol?”
He tapped his nose, then pointed with his thumb in a smooth motion, indicating Marisol’s approach to their left. He stood and offered a hand. “Fancy a chat on the daybeds?”
Rose nodded, taking his hand and sliding off the barstool before Marisol could interrupt them. She called to Gary, “Thanks for the drink!”
The dismissive way in which Noah had abandoned her may have left a bitter taste in her mouth, but it did its job to make her feel significantly less guilty in her desire to entertain Bobby’s advances. She allowed him to keep his hand wrapped around hers as they walked to the daybeds, ignoring a look from Noah and carefully dodging Marisol and Hannah along the way. When he finally let go, they were seated on the edge of one of the daybeds and far enough away from the other islanders that they wouldn’t be overheard. Of course, the cameraman that followed them was an exception, but he did his best to make himself scarce.
“I feel we haven’t gotten to chat at all.” Bobby’s hand fell gently to her bare thigh, grounding Rose in the conversation and making her forget the camera operator entirely. “I wanted to ask you something, though.”
Something about Bobby’s effortlessly casual way of speaking put Rose at ease. She’d never gotten along with men like Bobby before, usually finding quiet guys like Noah to be more her type, but Bobby gave her the impression that he was concerned only with her the entire time they were speaking. So far, all of her conversations in the villa had been distracted ones — the cameras and bright lights and new beginnings making it that much harder to connect — but speaking with Bobby was completely different, the conversation felt as intimate as speaking with an old friend.
“What’s that?” Rose asked, leaning closer to him as if she could further close off the rest of the world. She cracked a smile and joked, “And don’t ask where my head is at.”
“Damn.” Bobby sucked his teeth, feigning disappointment. “That’s exactly what I was going to ask, though!”
Rose shook her head, giggling. “I think I’ve already had enough of the villa speak.”
“Same here, actually,” Bobby said. Then, “I was actually going to ask you if it was alright that I kissed you during the challenge.” His voice was matter-of-fact, conveying uncharacteristically earnest thought behind the question.
“Oh…” Rose flushed, remembering the warmth of his rough hand on her chin, tilting her face up towards the sun so that he could kiss her cheek. The gesture had been so caring and intimate in the way he’d sensed her apprehension and asked permission. She almost couldn’t believe he was asking for reassurance when he’d been so careful in the first place. “Of course it was alright.” Her voice came out stilted, overwhelmed by the memory and by his thumb tracing intrepid circles above her knee.
Bobby took his hand away and leaned back on the daybed. A flicker of something resembling self-consciousness passed across his face, so quickly that Rose thought she might have imagined it. “You’re a shy one,” he said. His voice was soft like he was trying to match her level of energy. “I don’t want to — I don’t know —” He frowned, struggling to find the words. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable if…” He trailed off.
It was a strange feeling, the ache Rose felt seeing Bobby shrink into himself. His confidence seemed to come so easily that seeing it slip — even momentarily — was jarring. She reached for his hand without a second thought, the desire to reassure him overpowering any apprehension or guilt she may feel about reaching for a man who is not her partner.
“Do you really fancy me the most?” She asked, laying her hand gently atop his. “That’s who you were supposed to kiss.”
Bobby grinned, confidence back in a burst. “I do.”
“Then I see no problem, you just followed what was written on the card.”
“Is that okay?” Bobby asked. “That I fancy you? You and Noah seem to be getting on for the most part.”
“It’s day one, yeah? I don’t think it would be wise to put all of my eggs in one basket already.” That was how she felt, but it sounded much simpler said out loud. Inwardly, her head was already beginning to be done in by trying to quantify her feelings for the two men.
Bobby turned his palm up to face hers and closed his fingers around her hand, using their linked hands to pull himself closer. In a deepened voice that made butterflies swarm in Rose’s abdomen, he asked, “Are you saying you’d like to put some eggs in my basket?”
“If you’ll have them,” Rose laughed, answering without hesitation.
“Oh, I’ll have ‘em, lassie.” His accent went gruff, emphasizing just how keen he was. It struck Rose that this felt like a far cry from the conversations she’d had with Noah so far. While Noah was committed to playing it cool and only just letting her know how he felt, Bobby seemed to lay his intentions bare. “And for the record,” he added. “I’m prepared to earn a proper kiss from you.”
“Earn?” Rose’s voice caught in her throat, only allowing the one word to pass.
“Aye. Earn.” He raised her hand to his lips and ghosted a searing kiss to her wrist. The way Bobby cycled between easy jokes and confident flirting was dizzying, but the natural magnetism he possessed allowed him to pull it off quite well.
At a loss for words, Rose smiled and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. In opposition to the burning stare she’d felt from Noah, Bobby’s gaze betrayed obvious infatuation. She could not be sure whether it would last, but she felt comfortable, for the moment, to bask in it.
-
hiii it’s been a second, so sorry!! thank you all to everyone who has commented, reblogged, or messaged me about this fic, i’m glad you’re excited for it!! also i was gonna put a real kiss in this one but no. slow burns only. <3
A spinoff of Ashes and Lilies in which Corporal McKenzie hopes for a chance at love.
Written for this month’s Character Spotlight, submission from banirareiko
Pairing:Bobby/MC
Word count:4900+
Note: Post WWII AU. There may be some inaccuracies for the sake of plot and dialogues. Contains major spoilers for Ashes and Lilies (but can be read as a standalone).
Shameless Self Promo:Clickhere to read Ashes and Lilies (recommended before diving into this oneshot).
Seeing Kaminski fall in love during the war and going through all the stages of emotions that came with it made Bobby realize that he, too, would like to experience love himself.
C-rations had always been notoriously known for tasting like absolute crap, and to Corporal Robert, or Bobby as he preferred to be called, McKenzie, that kind of crap would make for perfect culinary experiments when he wasn’t on the battlefield. In fact, testing out weird and borderline inedible concoctions from military rations had been the one thing that had helped him stay sane and positive during his deployment to Japan towards the end of the Second World War. The operation in Okinawa was simply too harrowing, too bloody and deadly, with too many casualties from both sides, and in honesty, he would’ve lost it long ago had he not picked up this odd hobby of his and had someone to share the results with.
It was during this operation that he befriended Private Kaminski, one of his underlings that he considered his own little brother, and the only one person in the unit he was leading who was willing to eat whatever bullshit it was that he had put together from the ration packs they got. Truth to be told, Bobby had been a bit suspicious when Kaminski suddenly became obsessed with finding out about the Okinawa Lily Corps nurses when they returned to Japan under General MacArthur to assist with restoration. Still, he didn’t want to ask about it, and simply offered to pull his back alley connections to help his junior out.
He didn’t need to ask anyway. Kaminski ended up confiding in him on their way back to the United States that the younger man had fallen in love with one of the nurses who had perished, and he had finally accepted that she was truly gone after having that information confirmed to him twice. Or so he had thought.
When Kaminski came back from his little trip to Japan with the nurse who turned out to have survived, and their daughter, and the nurse’s entire family in tow, Bobby was so happy for his junior. If there was one thing Bobby could say about Kaminski, it was that this little brat truly had a heart of gold and deserved all the happiness in the world after an entire year of painful heartbreak thinking that he had lost the love of his life forever to the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki last year.
But at the same time, seeing Kaminski with a wife and a child shortly after the war got Bobby realizing that he, too, would like to experience love and meet someone who would be his other half in life.
—
“Yes! Free money!”
Erin Kimura gave her older brother a look as he screamed on top of his lungs while their father pulled out a check from an envelope addressed to the family from the United States government, but soon found a huge grin stretching across her face as her eyes fell upon the numbers written on the slip of paper.
“Now I don’t blame you anymore, Willem,” she elbowed her brother playfully as he slinged an arm across her shoulders, “That is indeed a lot of money.”
To make up for the horrible treatment the Kimura family had been subjected to in the Japanese internment camps during the war, the government had sent them a whopping twenty thousand dollars now that they had been allowed to return to their small but cozy apartment in Manhattan. That was more than enough for Erin’s family to last for an entire year, if not longer.
“Do you want to get a cake or something?” Will winked at her as their father went to tell their mother about the money, “Seeing that now we have some extra money and we finally can get something nice for ourselves after a whole year of eating shit at camp.”
That, and because Will knew that his baby sister had a massive sweet tooth.
“That sounds good honestly,” Erin smiled at her older brother, “Angel food cake?”
“Angel food cake,” Will nodded and threw himself onto the couch and kicked off his slippers, “Can you go pick it up? My back hurts after carrying all those document boxes for dad.”
In all honesty, Erin had always had a love-hate relationship with her older brother. She loved him to bits because he was, well, her brother. A good one actually. But at the same time, he was extremely annoying because his head was always somewhere else. He meant well, but he could be inconsiderate sometimes because of how much of an airhead he was and that frustrated Erin to no end.
For example, right now, she just wanted to pull his ear hard for making her go get the cake by herself.
“Willem where–
And as usual, her brother was already dead asleep on the couch before even telling her where he would like to get the cake from. So much had already changed since the end of the war, and it pained Erin to have to accept that the bakery her family usually would frequent had closed. The Kimuras never got a chance to try a different place before being hauled off to the internment camp, and had never had the opportunity to go around much since they were released only two months ago anyway.
Erin supposed she had no other choice but to walk around the city to look for a new bakery. She really wanted that cake.
Ugh. Fine.
—
Since being honorably discharged from the military after his service in the war, Bobby had been slowly but surely reintegrating himself back into society. The war had been traumatizing, but he was trying his best to take it one day at a time moving on with his life, and he was more than grateful that he was able to do so doing what he loved.
In the past couple of months, he had opened a small bakery tucked away on 42nd Street, between 6th and 7th Avenue, near Bryant Park, and lovingly named it “The Cake Man.” Business had gone surprisingly better than he had thought; even though he wasn’t exactly making bank, he did have a steady stream of customers who loved his baking, and to him, that was more than enough.
Kaminski and his wife sometimes came by, too, and seeing his junior feeding cake to his lady made Bobby’s heart warm and ache at the same time.
He was still waiting for love to come to him, but so far, he had never really felt that spark with anyone just yet.
Sighing as he finished up dusting powdered sugar on top of a freshly baked angel food cake, Bobby forced himself to smile,
Well, just stay positive and–
He was cut off by the chiming sound of the bell on the bakery’s door, and immediately thought maybe, just maybe, today would be the day for him after all as his eyes fell upon who it was that had just entered his store.
It was a girl with shoulder length dark hair and wide dark eyes in a baby blue and white polka dot dress, looking a little lost as her eyes scanned the rows of cakes in the glass case against the wall.
Hot damn.
—
Erin literally had no idea how she ended up in the Bryant Park area during her search for her angel food cake despite having gone past a couple of different stores in the past hour. In all honesty, there was just something not quite right with those stores. Not that there was anything wrong with them, it was that to Erin, something was just missing.
Something that she somehow felt like she probably could find in this tiny bakery on 42nd called “The Cake Man,” even when she was a tad bit disappointed that there was no angel food cake to be seen in the glass display case in the bakery despite the heavenly smell of freshly baked sweets and pastries, or so she thought.
“Welcome,” a cheerful male voice said and snapped her out of it, “I’m the cake man who owns The Cake Man. How can this cake man help ya?”
Erin almost snorted at the term “cake man” being repeated three times in two sentences, but held herself back as she looked away from the glass case to address the source of the voice, and immediately felt a little giddy inside as her eyes met a pair of warm honey eyes.
Cute.
The man who had just introduced himself as the owner of the bakery was tall and very attractive with a lean but toned body, light brown skin and fluffy textured hair, and Erin would be damned if this man wasn’t the most eye-catching man she had ever seen in her entire life.
“Like what you see?”
The man grinned, snapping Erin out of it as he waved a hand over himself and then continued, “Though I’m not sure if it’s me or the cakes you’re thinking of right now anymore.”
Erin felt heat rush onto her cheeks as the man winked,
Oh, definitely not the cakes. Not anymore.
But she supposed she should still ask if he had some angel food cake in the back somehow and get going. She couldn’t afford to stay much longer in this bakery and get distracted by this good-looking man, as much as she found him a total babe on the eye. She didn’t feel ready to entertain the thought. Her family literally just got released from prison not long ago, and she wanted some time for herself to get back to normal life–
Why am I getting all rational right now? Just get the cake and go home.
But when Erin finally got her shit together, the man had already disappeared into the door leading to the back of the store. He wasn’t gone for long, though. Before she could call out for him, he emerged from the kitchen, carrying a box of–
“Angel food cake–
“Freshly made,” the man grinned happily, “Did I guess right?”
How the hell–
As much as Erin was resisting herself, a smile broke across her face as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear,
“How did you know that?”
The man simply laughed, and Erin decided that the sound of his laughter was the happiest sound she had ever heard beside her own brother screaming “sweet freedom” the moment her family was released from prison. His laughter was light and cheerful, but at the same time, there was something Erin couldn’t quite put a finger on. Something warm and hearty. Something she knew deep down she wanted more of, yet her mind refused to let herself accept it.
“You didn’t seem into any of the cakes in the case, and the only thing I usually make that I haven’t put out today yet is angel food cake,” the man shrugged, “So I thought I might as well try my luck.”
That’s actually kinda adorable.
“Oh. And here I thought you had the power of mind-reading,” Erin raised an eyebrow at the baker teasingly, “You just got lucky today, then.”
The man simply shook his head with a chuckle, “Damn right I did. It’s not like everyday a pretty girl like you comes into my bakery.”
He just called me pretty– Wait… He just called me PRETTY?
Erin honestly didn’t know what to do next besides standing there dumbfoundedly with her jaw dropped and her eyes wide opened in shock as the man smiled and began wrapping the cake box.
What the hell? Get yourself together. You came here to get your cake, not to flirt with the baker.
Erin was so screwed. Will would have a field day when he heard about this.
—
“There you go.”
Bobby handed the girl her cake box with a huge smile plastered on his face, but in reality, he was shitting himself inside. Especially when the girl was in her trance for a second there, probably shocked that his big mouth had just slipped that he thought she was pretty.
Real smooth, Bobby. Real smooth.
Having the box presented in front of her seemed to snap the girl out of it, though, as she bashfully smiled and accepted the cake from him, a lovely shade of pink bloomed across the pale skin of her face.
“How much do I owe you,” the girl asked, “for the angel food cake?”
Don’t do it, Bobby. Don’t do it. Just don–
“It’s on the house, sweetheart,” Bobby grinned, “consider it an attempt to win you over.”
Damn it, Bobby. You just did it.
As much as Bobby was cursing himself inside his head, deep down, he just knew that he had to take this chance. There was just something so intriguing about this girl, yet also quite familiar, that he just wanted to find out more about. She was pretty, but he doubted that she was just a pretty face. If he wanted a chance at experiencing all the magic Kaminski had told him about, then he had to take that leap of faith now, before losing the opportunity to do so forever.
The girl simply blinked at him, but then shook her head. Just as he had thought.
“You don’t have to do that. Let me pay for it.”
Might as well take the plunge then.
“No,” Bobby smiled, “I insist.”
To his disappointment, though, the girl shook her head again, “Please don’t. Let me pay.”
Bobby supposed he shouldn’t overstep the boundaries, then.
“…Alright,” he sighed, “That will be a dollar. Thanks.”
His heart broke a little when the girl handed him the bill, if he was being honest. He kind of hated himself now, actually. Maybe he shouldn’t have flirted with her that openly. Maybe he should’ve saved the jokes for another occasion. Maybe he shouldn’t have placed a bet with his heart just like that.
Still, he steeled himself and forced a smile back onto his face as he pocketed the bill.
“Thank you,” the girl smiled before turning to leave, “I appreciate it.”
Oh well, I shot my shot.
Bobby sighed inwardly as he watched her go out the door, but then, he almost had a heart attack when she turned back to look at him with a bright smile on her face. And to Bobby, that smile of hers was the sun itself– brilliant and warm. That was more than enough to lift his mood, if he was being honest.
“I never got your name,” she called out, “Can’t keep referring to you as Cake Man when I gush about your cake to my brother.”
Bobby supposed he should take what he could get. At least for now.
“Call me Bobby,” he grinned, “though Cake Man works just fine.”
The girl giggled, and Bobby decided that it was the most angelic sound he had ever heard in a very long time.
“Let’s save Cake Man for when we’ve been acquainted for longer–
What does she mean by longer? Wait– Is she…
Bobby felt his heartbeat quicken again.
“Nice to meet you, and I’ll definitely come back,” the girl smiled at him one last time before leaving for real, “I’m Erin. See you soon.”
Bobby could only manage to wave at her with the smile still frozen on his face as she turned and walked out the door, the cake box safely cradled in her arms.
Erin… Her name is as pretty as she is.
—
Erin had been cursing herself the entire train ride home. She knew that she had hurt Bobby a little bit by refusing to accept his gesture to give her the cake for free; he wasn’t actually that hard to read, in all honesty. He definitely was a jokester, a flirty one if anything, and despite her brain telling her that this was the last thing she needed right now, her heart fluttered at the recollection of his cheerful voice and warm smile. And for that, she mentally kicked herself for having been a tad bit mean to him, even when she knew she didn’t do anything wrong.
Oh well, I have no idea what to do now.
She knew she liked Bobby right away. He was a fun person to be around, and she felt like maybe, just maybe, hanging out with him could teach her how to enjoy life again after being held in prison for a whole year.
The rational side of her was slowly losing, if she was being honest, and she wasn’t actually as scared of that as she had expected herself to be.
Should I confide in Will?
As much as Erin hated to admit it, her airhead brother probably would have some surprisingly insightful advice for her.
Because only between the Kimura siblings, Will had actually been secretly spying on Japanese spies for the American army during the war from the internment camp, and therefore, had met all kinds of people around him and had a lot of experiences interacting with different people.
Nobody besides Erin and Will himself knew this. Not even their parents.
—
“So what you’re saying is that you could’ve gotten this amazing angel food cake for free and you turned down the offer because you were being a prude?”
Erin honestly just wanted to chuck her napkin at her brother, who had just deadpanned the statement as he shoved a forkful of cake into his mouth and raised an eyebrow disapprovingly at her.
“Missed opportunity,” Will shook his head, “This cake is so good.”
“I know,” Erin glared at her brother, “Shut up.”
As much as she was annoyed at Will, what he said made sense. She could’ve just taken the cake for free. It wasn’t like Bobby’s offer came with any strings attached anyway. She just let her initial shock at Bobby calling her pretty cloud her judgment, and honestly, now she felt a little silly for that.
The cake was indeed amazing, though. It was so light and fluffy and not overly sweet, and the arrangement of berries and dollops of cream just made the entire thing so balanced and refreshing. This cake was probably even better than the ones she and Will used to get at the old store they used to frequent if she was completely honest.
“So, what made you turn down free food?” Will asked before shoving another forkful of cake into his mouth, “Besides you being an idiot and panicking at someone calling you pretty?”
“I don’t know, honestly,” Erin sighed, “I guess I’m an idiot. Bobby was really nice and I’m kinda into his jokes. And his looks, to be honest.”
“Dear sister,” Will chuckled, “you are indeed an idiot. Loosen up, we’re not in prison anymore and I’m here to help us get back on our feet too. Let yourself enjoy a bit of fun. Who knows. He could end up being my brother-in-la–
“I’m gonna stop you right there,” Erin held up her fork in between herself and her brother, “I literally just met the guy today.”
“So?”
“Too soon.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Will shrugged and cut himself another slice of the fluffy cake, “I’d say follow your heart and give it a go. I’ll even come with you to get another one of this treasure of a cake later this week if it helps.”
Erin gave her brother a half smile.
She supposed her brother had indeed been a good brother despite being a prick most of the time.
—
Will kept his promise. He did, indeed, accompany Erin to pay Bobby’s bakery another visit a few days later to get another of that heavenly angel food cake.
“The Cake Man, really?” Will snorted the moment he saw the colorful sign hung on top of the door to the bakery, “You weren’t kidding.”
“Shut up,” Erin punched her brother lightly on the shoulder, “I never said I was.”
As hard as Erin was trying to keep herself still, her heart had begun slamming hard against her ribcage the moment her nose caught the wafting scent of freshly baked cake all the way from the corner of 6th and 42nd as she and Will were heading to The Cake Man. Sure, she was excited to get another one of Bobby’s amazing angel food cakes, but she would be lying if she said that the cake was the only reason why she felt absolutely giddy and bouncy right now.
The thought of seeing Bobby again sent butterflies straight into her stomach.
“It’s gonna be fine,” Will smiled reassuringly, “If he does anything indecent I’ll beat him up for you.”
“Will you, though,” Erin snorted, “Somehow I doubt it.”
Her brother only shrugged as he opened the door to the bakery, “Let’s hope I won’t have to prove it to you, then.”
—
For the past four days, Bobby had held out hope that Erin would make good on her words. Every single time he heard the bell chime, he got excited for a second there, but instantly became disappointed that it wasn’t Erin who came by.
Well, except the one time that Kaminski and his now-pregnant-again wife dropped by. Bobby was always happy to see a friend at any time.
“Well, have a little faith. At least you know she’s alive,” Kaminski had told him (and immediately got his ear pinched by his wife). And in all honesty, the younger man was right. The war was over. There was no need to be anxious about not being able to see someone ever again for good.
Bobby supposed he should be patient.
And patience did pay off today when he saw Erin in a yellow sundress walking into his bakery, accompanied by a man who he hoped was the brother she had mentioned to him.
“Hey, you came back!”
To his pleasure, Erin’s face lit up immediately the moment her eyes fell upon him. But before she could say anything, the man with her stepped forward and offered his hand to Bobby, an amused smile twisted on his face,
“You must be Bobby. I’m Erin’s brother. The name’s Willem Kimura,” the man grinned, “Pleasure to finally meet the mastermind behind the best angel food cake I’ve ever had in my life.”
“Thanks!” Bobby laughed in response, but then something just struck him.
Willem Kimura… Wait–
“Are you by any chance,” Bobby suddenly dropped his voice low enough for only Willem to hear, ignoring the way the other man raised his eyebrow quizzically and Erin frowning in confusion, “WhisperKimura?”
When Bobby was still in the military, he just couldn’t help it but hook himself up with several contacts in order to give himself a leg up when he was deployed to Okinawa. If he was being completely truthful, doing so was the only reason why he managed to emerge unscathed from the war and get his hands on classified information on both sides, and also how he managed to get Kaminski the information his junior needed in the search for his beloved nurse back then.
One of his points of contact was an American-born Japanese who moonlighted as an American spy by pretending to be a Japanese spy in the United States, who was named Willem Kimura but went by the code name Whisper.
Willem’s face didn’t give anything away, but the way his grip tightened around Bobby’s hand told Bobby all he needed to know.
“I see,” Willem nodded and mumbled through gritted teeth, “Your name is Bobby… You must be the Corporal Robert McKenzie that I was in contact with, then. Not that hard to figure out to be honest.”
And to Bobby’s surprise, Willem instantly laughed right after.
Erin just stared at them with confusion written all over her face, and Bobby immediately felt guilty. However, before he could say another word, Willem cut in,
“Erin, sister, I know this guy. Never met him in person before, though, but never expected him to be a baker now.”
“Wait a minute,” Erin frowned, her eyes flitted between Bobby and her brother, “How on earth–
“He’s a veteran. I sent him codes and all that when he was deployed in Japan,” Willem laughed again, before turning to Bobby, “She knows about all that. Only her, though. But it doesn’t matter. The war’s over.”
Oh.
Wait–
Before either Erin or Bobby could react, Willem patted Bobby on the shoulder as if they had been drinking buddies for ages and grinned at his sister,
“I’m gonna take a smoke. Behave, you two.”
With that, he headed out, leaving both Bobby and Erin staring at each other awkwardly.
That’s some serious whiplash that just happened.
—
“So…”
“This is… interesting.”
Erin had never expected that her own brother turned out to have known Bobby all along. But to be fair, in the war, the only contact Will and Bobby had of each other was through sending codes, so it would make sense that they never really knew what the other person looked like until just now.
What a coincidence it was.
“I did not sign up for this when I tried to give you the cake,” Bobby grinned bashfully, and Erin found the way his cheeks turned red was just so adorable, “I guess it’s a bit weird to know that I flirted with the sister of my informant, if anything.”
Erin smiled, “I guess so.”
Bobby shrugged, “Oh well, that was funny at least.”
“It was.”
Despite her last attempt at reasoning with herself, Erin found the way her heart warmed at Bobby’s awkwardness pleasant. She supposed she did owe him an apology after all. Even when she technically didn’t mean to, she did come off a little rigid the other day, and the slight sadness in his eyes that she saw when she refused his offer was something she didn’t really want to see again.
Especially now that she knew he was a veteran who had seen the horrors of war. He deserved happiness, and if she could give it to him, even as a friend for now, she would gladly do so.
As Bobby gave her a tentative smile while arranging cakes on the display case, she broke the silence,
“Hey Bobby. I’m sorry I was a bit rude to you the other day. You only wanted to be nice and I just wasn’t used to being called pretty, you know.”
That stopped him in his track, and he instantly turned to face her, a good-natured smile on his face as he waved her off,
“It’s all good. Don’t worry about it sweetie.”
His smile was still warm as he continued, “You are objectively pretty, though. And look, no harm done. You did come back and I’m happy to see you today.”
Oh damn it.
Butterflies, butterflies, butterflies. That was all Erin could feel blooming in her stomach and spreading all over her body from the inside.
Maybe Will’s right. This could be the start of something good actually.
“I’m happy to be back here, too. That cake was amazing!”
Giving Bobby the brightest smile she could give, Erin reassured Bobby as she locked eyes with him, and immediately allowed herself to get lost in the sea of warm caramel and honey behind the long lashes on his eyes.
Bobby’s face broke into a grin. Erin’s heart fluttered again.
“Glad you liked it.”
And then, his face dropped into a more serious look. As if he was nervous. But Erin was certain that he had nothing to worry about again this time.
“Erin…” Bobby forced another smile onto his face, “Would you like another angel food cake?”
Of course, you goofball.
With an encouraging smile, she nodded, but clearly, that wasn’t what Bobby was anxious about, because right after that, his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard and found the words to ask her another question.
“And, erm… Is it alright if I put it on the house this time?”
Called it.
The Erin of last week would’ve turned him down again. But the Erin of today was different. She supposed she could give him a chance and try. Who knew, this could maybe lead to a solid friendship.
Or, she hoped despite her prudish brain, this could blossom into something more than friendship. Something beautiful. Something she had never experienced before.
Something she would cherish forever.
“Sure.”
The way Bobby’s face lit up happily at her response was definitely worth it. And Erin wanted to make his day even better.
An idea crossed her mind. An unconventional one, too, but to hell with gender roles. She was Willem Kimura’s sister after all.
Oh what the hell? Let’s do it.
“Nothing is free, though,” she winked at him, “Let’s make this even. How does going to the movies together next weekend sound? I want to get to know you more, and Will certainly approves of this idea.”
Bobby froze for a second in shock, but then, the biggest smile Erin had ever seen from him stretched across his face as his eyes twinkled excitedly,
“Glad to hear your brother approves, darling. I want to get to know you more, too. It’s a date, then?”
Erin chuckled at his adorable reaction, not realizing that her eyes themselves had already begun to reflect the twinkle in Bobby’s,
“It’s a date, Cake Man.”
—
Kaminski’s gonna want to hear all about this. I hope I can find what he found in Kana with Erin. Ah, screw that. I know I can find it with Erin. She literally laughed at the joke I made at the movies earlier about how a pornstar skipped a filming day because he couldn’t come.
“Do you think you can really trust him? He might just be taking advantage of your situation to stay in the game. He practically oozes calculating fuckboi.”
There’s nothing like a summer romance. Or that’s what our Islanders thought when they signed up for Season 2 of Love Island. Mirrored Hearts follows an original cast consisting of: Este, Milly, Sky, Venus, and Zane, along with many other characters (new and old) in their search for love… or money. Will they survive the Villa or will they go home empty-handed?
All eyes were suddenly on her. Nervously, she looked up at Noah first—as she felt him tense up by her side—before turning to face Levi. They both looked stressed, as expected, and she heard someone scoff like they couldn’t believe it. There was no need to look however, she knew who it was. She cautiously glanced over towards Milly, and all that met her was utter annoyance and anger.
There’s nothing like a summer romance. Or that’s what our Islanders thought when they signed up for Season 2 of Love Island. Mirrored Hearts follows an original cast consisting of: Este, Milly, Sky, Venus, and Zane, along with many other characters (new and old) in their search for love… or money. Will they survive the Villa or will they go home empty-handed?
We’ve heard Sky and Bobby’s take on our very first summer scandal, #roccogate, but there are always two sides to each story and we can wait to find out what their partners have to say. We’ve here with us the Villa go-with-the-flow, nothing-dims-my-aura Casanova, Rocco.
Have you ever gone through something similar to #roccogate outside the villa? Did it go different in any way?
No, I’ve never experienced anything similar on the outside… although… oh yeah, there was that one time in Dubrovnik when I was supposed to be a wingman for a friend but the girl he liked ended up going home with me instead. Of course my friend was pissed — he’d been trying to go on a date with her for a while — but it’s not my fault if she couldn’t resist my charms [winks].
Do you think #roccogate would still have happened while coupled up with someone else?
It’s hard to tell to be honest because what happened with Venus wasn’t planned. But when your partner is asked to go on a date by two new guys your confidence get shaken a little, the changes of her head to be turn are much higher. I took my chat with Venus—during the welcome party—as a sign from the universe to explore my option, that maybe things with Sky weren’t meant to be.
You don’t seem like the type of person to regret things, but has #roccogate changed that?
Yes and no. I don’t regret the kiss—there’s nothing wrong in kissing a beautiful woman if there’s a spark there and you both want it. But I regret hurting Sky, her reaction made me realize that she did care about us as a couple, I thought she didn’t. I should have been more upfront with her about wanting to get to know other people.
If you get to stay in the Villa, will you want to change anything about how you play the game?
Uhm… not really. I’ve been me this whole time and I did what my heart and soul told me to do. And I’ll continue to listen to my inner self despite people judging me for being an unconventional man and playing the game.
“Do you think you can really trust him? He might just be taking advantage of your situation to stay in the game. He practically oozes calculating fuckboi.”
There’s nothing like a summer romance. Or that’s what our Islanders thought when they signed up for Season 2 of Love Island. Mirrored Hearts follows an original cast consisting of: Este, Milly, Sky, Venus, and Zane, along with many other characters (new and old) in their search for love… or money. Will they survive the Villa or will they go home empty-handed?
We’ve had our first dumping since the brutal exit of the polarizing Clarice Figg. Today, we have a special guest whose time in the villa was unfortunately cut short by his other islanders. Offline, he’s been affectionately given the title of the villa’s “Golden Retriever”: it’s Henrik Åkerblom! Let’s see if he’s just as chipper now as he was when he first entered.
Unfortunately, your stay in the Villa was a short one. What are you going to miss the most? Would you say something changed for you?
[chuckles] Yeah, everyone keeps reminding me. I’m going to miss the people the most. Waking up to your friends and spending the entire day with them? You don’t really get that uninterrupted bonding time anywhere else in the world. And I don’t think anything’s changed for me, really. I’m still going to live without regrets and take things as they come. I’m nothing if not optimistic about the future [grins brightly].
Who will you meet up with after the show?
Lucas, without a doubt. We bonded immediately and we’ve already got trips planned out. Plus, I really got used to sharing a bed with him [smirks]! And I’m glad to have gotten voted off with Rocco because I knew from the start that we would get on really well. We’ve been spending a lot of time together since the dumping. A couple of crazy nights so far… that’ll have to be kept private for now [winks]. Venus and Bobby would be another one. They’re such an infectious bunch, and I can’t wait to catch up. Maybe without Rocco present though. Este, of course. I… don’t know how she’ll be leaving that villa, whether it’s with someone or not, but she’s not someone I imagine losing touch outside of all this. I just hope she feels the same.
Any idea who put you up for elimination? Or why you might have been voted for?
Here I thought the questions would be light! I mean, I’m not one to be fussed with the votes. Someone had to go home, and I refuse to blame the girls for making choices they didn’t ask to make. Maybe I’ll watch it back and see Este be the one voting me off? [wiggles eyebrows] You all would love that, wouldn’t you? Honestly, I think I might like her even more if she did [laughs].
Which of the current couples do you think are strong enough to make it to the finale?
Is there anyone solid at this point besides Levi and Milly? [pauses] No, I swear that wasn’t a slight at Este and Gary! But, if there’s a couple I’d like to see in the end… I mean, of course I’m rooting for my brother, Lucas. He’s had someone very special on his mind lately, and I’m hoping she starts to view him the same way.
What’s your favorite moment from your experience in the villa?
I—yeah, there’s a moment that sticks out in particular. [smirks to himself knowingly] I know what everyone is thinking, but I was going to say Mr. Love Island! Getting ready was a lot more fun than I thought it would be! You think RuPaul will have me as a guest in the next season? I’ll only go if Este does. She’s my drag mom, after all!
All eyes were suddenly on her. Nervously, she looked up at Noah first—as she felt him tense up by her side—before turning to face Levi. They both looked stressed, as expected, and she heard someone scoff like they couldn’t believe it. There was no need to look however, she knew who it was. She cautiously glanced over towards Milly, and all that met her was utter annoyance and anger.
There’s nothing like a summer romance. Or that’s what our Islanders thought when they signed up for Season 2 of Love Island. Mirrored Hearts follows an original cast consisting of: Este, Milly, Sky, Venus, and Zane, along with many other characters (new and old) in their search for love… or money. Will they survive the Villa or will they go home empty-handed?
She wears strength and darkness equally well, the girl has always been half goddess, half hell.
- Nikita Gill
Thank you so much to my dear and talented @nerdferatum for this amazing piece and for your infinite patience, you’re a star. You captured my vision of a more whimsical Sky perfectly and the nod to the Mirrored Hearts colour palette is such a special touch since it’s the first fic where my beloved OC has been featured (but hopefully not the last).
We asked Venus about the intense turns of events this season of Love Island has offered in the last couple of days. Let’s see if she is still the sweet and naive girl we met on day one or if she has some hidden depth that we still need to discovered.
You and Bobby seem to be stuck in a friendship couple. Do you think there could be more there, or are you ready to move on to someone else to try to find love?
I wouldn’t say ‘stuck’. It’s a decision we both made. I can only speak for myself, but I wouldn’t couple up with anyone just to try my luck. That’s why I know kissing Rocco was a mistake. And Bobby forgave me! At this point, something very big would need to happen for us to reconsider our friendship couple, since no one here caught our attention for us to have that talk. I’m very comfortable with him and I hope he feels the same way.
Considering that other people kissed too during the challenge, do you think the reaction to #roccogate was a little exaggerated?
I don’t think the reaction to #roccogate was exaggerated. Our kiss was very different from the others, we went behind our partners’ backs and got… A bit carried away. Feelings are feelings after all, if Sky reacted the way she did was because we hurt her.
What do you think of the other girls so far? Who do you think of as the strongest competition?
Obviously, you can’t connect with everyone in the same way, but I’ve made some good friends so far. I think we are all trying to figure out how to play the game while still being true to ourselves, but thruthfully I don’t even think I am in the competition [laughs]. Milly and Levi seem very smitten with each other, a bit excessive for me, but some couples are like that, right?
A cheeky viewer is asking for a friend, is Rocco really that good of a kisser?
[Laughs and blushes] Oh, those cheeky viewers! Well, I can’t lie, so I will tell you a secret: Rocco has good things going for him!
We’ve heard Sky and Bobby’s take on our very first summer scandal, #roccogate, but there are always two sides to each story and we can wait to find out what their partners have to say. We’ve here with us the Villa go-with-the-flow, nothing-dims-my-aura Casanova, Rocco.
Have you ever gone through something similar to #roccogate outside the villa? Did it go different in any way?
No, I’ve never experienced anything similar on the outside… although… oh yeah, there was that one time in Dubrovnik when I was supposed to be a wingman for a friend but the girl he liked ended up going home with me instead. Of course my friend was pissed — he’d been trying to go on a date with her for a while — but it’s not my fault if she couldn’t resist my charms [winks].
Do you think #roccogate would still have happened while coupled up with someone else?
It’s hard to tell to be honest because what happened with Venus wasn’t planned. But when your partner is asked to go on a date by two new guys your confidence get shaken a little, the changes of her head to be turn are much higher. I took my chat with Venus—during the welcome party—as a sign from the universe to explore my option, that maybe things with Sky weren’t meant to be.
You don’t seem like the type of person to regret things, but has #roccogate changed that?
Yes and no. I don’t regret the kiss—there’s nothing wrong in kissing a beautiful woman if there’s a spark there and you both want it. But I regret hurting Sky, her reaction made me realize that she did care about us as a couple, I thought she didn’t. I should have been more upfront with her about wanting to get to know other people.
If you get to stay in the Villa, will you want to change anything about how you play the game?
Uhm… not really. I’ve been me this whole time and I did what my heart and soul told me to do. And I’ll continue to listen to my inner self despite people judging me for being an unconventional man and playing the game.
In between chapters, we love sharing these little tidbits on what the Islanders are thinking. How do they find the experience of being on Love Island so far? And what do they actually think about the other Islanders? We have plenty of questions we want to ask them ourselves, but we’re always open to hear from everyone here too!
Below, you can see who’s coming up next with their confessions so you can send us and ask with a question for them if you feel like it. Additionally, you can see who’s already answered some questions and check out the answers in the links provided.
Almost immediately, she sprang up, lifting her sunglasses to show the concern on her face. “What’s wrong?”
“Have you ever done drag?”
Her face lit up brighter than he’d ever seen it.
There’s nothing like a summer romance. Or that’s what our Islanders thought when they signed up for Season 2 of Love Island. Mirrored Hearts follows an original cast consisting of: Este, Milly, Sky, Venus, and Zane, along with many other characters (new and old) in their search for love… or money. Will they survive the Villa or will they go home empty-handed?
What a day! Letting your guard down in the Villa seems to be the quickest way to get your feelings hurt or end up with a bruised ego. Bobby seems to have learned his lesson… or not? Let’s find out with these questions from the audience.
How has your impression of the other guys changed since day one?
I came here hoping to get along with the boys, but since we are being honest here, I have to admit they intimidated me quite a bit. Have you seen the kind of men who go on this show? I thought I would blend into the background, but everyone has turned out to be quite nice. Not all of us are friends, but we can live together… For the most part. We’ll have to see what happens next.
Since, for the most part, you and Venus have been in a friendship couple, has there been a moment where you thought about recoupling with someone else?
Oh, that’s an easy one! No, I haven’t thought about it. I’m comfortable with her and she had never said she wanted to recouple with someone else. Obviously, things aren’t the same now, and we need to talk about it, but I don’t see myself with any of the other islanders. I don’t think the other girls want me either [laughs], so I’m not pushing myself onto someone who isn’t interested… The future is a little uncertain for me, isn’t it?
How do you really feel about what happened between Venus and Rocco? Did you see it coming?
No, I didn’t. Maybe I shouldn’t trust blindly in here, but since Venus and I weren’t in a real couple, I thought she’d talked with me first. And Rocco? She could do so much better. It’s obviously an awkward position to be for me. I do feel betrayed precisely because our relationship didn’t have any romantic commitment. It was a place to be honest and that’s what hurts the most. But how mad can I really be? Venus didn’t owe me the same loyalty that Rocco owed to Sky. I thought we would be better at this, that’s all.
To the viewers, it’s quite obvious your chemistry and attraction for Venus, have you ever thought of telling her that you want something more than just a friendship? If so, why haven’t you?
Chemistry and attraction? Can’t two beautiful people just be friends? [laughs] I don’t want more than a friendship because she doesn’t want more than a friendship. If there’s anything on my side, it doesn’t matter. I won’t make myself a problem in here.
For a moment, she thought she had been wasting her time when she could have been kissing him instead. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest, demanding more and more. His hands on her back were leaving burning marks. She stood on her toes, wanting to be closer to him and that’s when she came back to reality.
“What the fuck is happening?”
There’s nothing like a summer romance. Or that’s what our Islanders thought when they signed up for Season 2 of Love Island. Mirrored Hearts follows an original cast consisting of: Este, Milly, Sky, Venus, and Zane, along with many other characters (new and old) in their search for love… or money. Will they survive the Villa or will they go home empty-handed?
He took a deep breath and, with a smile back on his face, knocked a happy tune on the door. The room grew silent and he opened the door. All his new friends were looking at him like deer in headlights.
“You seemed to be having fun,” he broke the silence.
“We still are, do you want to join us?” Este asked.
“Actually, I have a surprise for all of you.”
There’s nothing like a summer romance. Or that’s what our Islanders thought when they signed up for Season 2 of Love Island. Mirrored Hearts follows an original cast consisting of: Este, Milly, Sky, Venus, and Zane, along with many other characters (new and old) in their search for love… or money. Will they survive the Villa or will they go home empty-handed?
Each of our original characters correspond to one “feminine archetype”, and this quiz tells you yours based on which of our girls you’re most similar to. The results include all the girls already included in the fic, but also some that have yet to make their entrance… We won’t tell you the name of your OC at the end of the quiz, but send us an ask with your guess and we’ll tell you if you’re right or wrong.
Music is a big part of fic writing, and has provided us with endless inspiration when creating our characters. There are some songs that resonate more than others however, so here is one song for each of our OCs that we found really fit them. Let us know which songs MH makes you think of!
“It’s no easy situation, guys. I’ve been trying to figure out if I should give it another try with Clarice or pick someone else,” Noah confessed, “but I really don’t know what to do.”
“By someone else, do you mean Zane?” Levi promptly asked.
“Why the sudden interest?” Gary couldn’t miss the opportunity to tease the water polo player.
“It isn’t interest,” Levi rolled his eyes. “It was a polite way to ask if we should be concerned.”
There’s nothing like a summer romance. Or that’s what our Islanders thought when they signed up for Season 2 of Love Island. Mirrored Hearts follows an original cast consisting of: Este, Milly, Sky, Venus, and Zane, along with many other characters (new and old) in their search for love… or money. Will they survive the Villa or will they go home empty-handed?
Hello, and welcome to the first instalment of Mirrored Hearts: Beach Hut Confessions! Today, we’ve got our very own Noah with us, to answer a few questions about his first days in the Villa… If you have any more questions yourselves for our usually so quiet librarian, feel free to send them our way and we’ll make sure they get to him.
What did you expect coming in to Love Island? Did you have some sort of plan or idea of what your stay would be?
“Hm, let me think for a moment. I wouldn’t say I had a plan or set expectations, but maybe an idea? Or a hope more like it. It feels naïve now, but I actually hoped I’d find love, and it’s early days still so who knows.”
What was your first thought when Clarice said your name?
“Good question, and I’m not sure what my first thought was… I think maybe I worried about Zane for a moment. I don’t know her that well yet, but she seems nice and kind, and I’d like her to stay. But I also know I wasn’t her first choice, and that we’d probably be nothing more than friends even though I’d be willing to give it a go maybe. So in that sense, I guess I also thought that I’d have to give Clarice a chance too. She’s new, which can’t be easy, and I’m looking forwards to getting to know her.”
Did you expect to be the first boy stolen by a bombshell so early in the game?
“No at all! I’m not sure how one could ever expect something like that to be honest. I mean, the other lads are all amazing and Clarice seems great – if a bit intimidating. I knew there was always a risk of course, but I went onto Love Island with no expectations really and that’s true for being stolen by a bombshell too.”
Since all this journey was your siblings idea, what do you reckon they think about your first days in the villa?
“I can see my brother rolling his eyes at me not being more proactive, but my sister would be more understanding. I think, maybe. Actually, probably not. I think they’re also arguing over which girl they think I ‘fit’ best with, as they have, uhm, very different ideas when it comes to that sort of thing… Actually, I think I could’ve done with their advice, as it’s only been a couple of days and I’m already a bit lost.”
After all he had said to her, he wouldn’t switch partners, would he? She hadn’t doubted him when Clarice entered the Villa, but should she worry now? What were they even talking about? What did they have to say to each other? Had they spoken since day one?
There’s nothing like a summer romance. Or that’s what our Islanders thought when they signed up for Season 2 of Love Island. Mirrored Hearts follows an original cast consisting of: Este, Milly, Sky, Venus, and Zane, along with many other characters (new and old) in their search for love… or money. Will they survive the Villa or will they go home empty-handed?
