Ch. 1 & 2

Chapter One: Nic

The past few hours had left Nic's mind racing. As he'd exited the villa, he had been certain that the jeep pulling into the driveaway was taking him to the airport. Then he'd looked closer and saw that beautiful smile he'd recognize anywhere. When the door swung open to reveal Olandria sitting there beaming at him he could've fallen to his knees. Seeing her for the first time in days had felt a lot like finding a water source in the middle of a drought. Relief and the sense that everything would somehow be okay had immediately washed over him.

He had been surprised when the jeep pulled into a place that was clearly not the airport. Even more surprised when he realized the producers had set up a date for him and Olandria. From the moment he'd entered the villa and saw her standing there in that blue dress, he'd been mesmerized by her. She was one of the most beautiful women he'd ever seen in his life–and he'd seen women in 44 different countries. None of them held a candle to her. She was stunning and not getting the chance to get to know her more had been on the top of the list of regrets he'd created in his head as he packed his bags.

But, for some reason that he refused to question, he'd been given the gift of more time and he wasn't going to waste a second of it. The time alone was exactly what they'd both needed. Without any of the other islanders around, he didn't have to keep the desire he held for her hidden in the recesses of his mind. As fun as the secret admirer thing they had going on was, he wanted her to know how he'd felt since day one.

Although her reaction wasn't what he'd wanted, it was what he'd expected. Olandria was deeply invested in Taylor, so much so that she'd pretty much closed herself off to any other connections. It was no surprise that she'd been shocked to learn about the secret feelings Nic was harboring for her. But underneath the shock, Nic could see interest as well. It was written all over that gorgeous face of hers. He knew he hadn't been misinterpreting the cheeky smiles they'd been given each other across the villa for the past couple of weeks. Something had been simmering between the two of them and now they had the opportunity to do something about it.

Nic tapped his foot nervously as the jeep drove toward the hideaway. He and Olandria were given two days in the hideaway to explore their connection. After the two days were up, they had to make a choice: return to the villa as a couple or go home.

Nic glanced out of the corner of his eye at Olandria. She was staring straight ahead with a blank expression on her face. She was good at masking how she truly felt which meant it was impossible for Nic to get a read on how she was handling everything that had been thrown at them. He figured her agreeing to go to the hideaway with him was a good sign at least. She could've been heading back to Alabama but she was here with him. He reached across the seat and grabbed her hand. He wanted her to know that she wasn't alone, that he was equally untethered and confused. She looked down at their clasped hands and then up at him and smiled softly, giving his hand a grateful squeeze.

They didn't talk for the entirety of the ride which gave Nic time to process how he was feeling. He was on his way to the hideaway with Olandria and he'd never even gone on a date with Cierra. He couldn't deny that he missed her but as he felt Olandria's thumb rub his hand gently, he also couldn't deny that he really wanted Olandria to give him a chance. He knew how much Taylor meant to her and also how much Taylor meant to him but he was hoping that the hideaway would give them the opportunity to block everyone out and allow them to focus solely on each other, even if just for 48 hours.

Nic had been so deep in thought that he hadn't realized they were at the hideaway until Olandria released his hand and opened her door. He sprang into action, swinging his own door open and grabbing their bags from the driver. He followed Olandria into the hideaway, momentarily distracted by the way her ass swished as she walked. He muffled a groan and forced his eyes to focus on anything but her which is how he ended up running straight into her. She'd stopped in the entryway of the hideaway and was taking in the space. There was a large bed with cream velvet sheets and rose petals on top in the middle of the room. There were plants placed all over the room and a large mirror leaning against the wall. As they moved further into the room, there was a door that led to an outside area where a hot tub with two glasses of wine sat.

Olandria turned to him and raised her eyebrows. They'd become such good friends that Nic knew exactly what she was communicating to him: this was a lot. He walked over to her and grabbed her hands, bringing them up to his lips so he could kiss her knuckles. He heard her let out a small sigh and knew that although she looked calm on the outside, she was internally freaking out.

"Hey, look at me." Nic waited for her to glance up at him and when she didn't, he dropped one of her hands and tilted her chin upward. He was met with those big, beautiful eyes and being that close to her beauty almost took his breath away. "It's okay. You're okay. It's just me. We're going to change into our bathing suits and get into that hot tub, okay?"

Olandria nodded and Nic stepped back and turned toward their suitcases. He opened hers and rummaged around until he found one of his favorite bikinis of hers. It was the one from Megan Thee Stallion's line. He loved that bikini because it fit her body perfectly, like it was made with her in mind, and it reminded him of how fucking sexy she looked during that twerking challenge. He handed it along with her bag of toiletries to her. She smiled and gave him a look that said she appreciated him and then she disappeared into the bathroom.

Chapter Two: Olandria

Olandria was freaking out. She turned on the sink and threw some cold water on her face. What the fuck was going on? She had been certain she'd be halfway back to Alabama by now but here she was with...Nic. Nic, the best friend of the guy she liked. Nic, the guy her best friend in the villa liked. What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck. How had this even happened?

When they first met, Olandria had been interested in Nic. She thought he was handsome and she liked his sense of humor. But he'd pursued Belle-A and then Cierra after that so she'd let it go and fully placed her energy into Taylor. Now, she and Nic were just friends. Well, sort of. She wasn't friends with Nic in the same way that she was friends with the other boys in the villa. There was this physical attraction that only came out to play during the challenges. That was it though. It was just two friends attracted to each other kissing when a challenge called for it.

The word 'friend' no longer felt right though. Not after the way Nic had been looking at her at dinner, not after all those feelings he'd confessed. She'd had no idea he had been secretly crushing on her this whole time. Probably because Nic was a good friend and would've never pursued her around Taylor. But as Olandria paced back and forth in the bathroom, memories of the past few weeks started to come to her. Memories of feeling someone staring at her and turning to see Nic who'd just give her a small smile, unbothered that he'd been caught. Memories of Nic constantly checking on her to make sure she was okay.

She splashed more cold water on her face. She wished Chelley was there so she could process this with someone. She needed her girl badly. "Okay what would Chelley say if she were her," Olandria muttered to herself as she slipped out of her outfit. Chelley would probably tell her to take the 48 hours they'd been given and see if there was something romantic there. She'd remind her that's why they were on Love Island, to explore connections and hopefully find the one.

An image of Taylor flashed in Olandria's mind. She'd been sure he was the one for her. She hadn't felt that certain about someone in five years. Being dumped had hurt, not because Zak didn't choose her–she wasn't interested in him anyways–but because it meant that Taylor no longer had the opportunity to do so. God, she just wanted to find love. She was tired of being the strong one, tired of having to be independent. She just wanted to be taken care of for once.

She picked up the bathing suit Nic had chosen for her to wear and stared at it. She hadn't spoken one word to Nic since they left the date and yet somehow he still knew what she needed. He'd grabbed her hand in the car ride to keep her from spiraling. Had kissed her knuckles and reassured her she was okay. Had realized she needed him to pull her out of her own head and took charge, suggesting the hot tub and handing her a bathing suit to change into. He was taking care of her and she hadn't even asked him to do it.

As she slid on her bathing suit she made a decision; she was going to try her hardest to not think about Taylor for the next 48 hours. For some reason, she'd been given a second chance on this show and she could give Nic 48 hours of her sole attention. If they ended up going back to the villa, she would think about Taylor then. She looked at herself in the mirror, pleased with the way the bathing suit hugged her body in all the right places. Nic had good taste.

Flashback: The Blind Folded Kiss

Nic

Nic felt Ariana tap his shoulder; it was his turn to kiss the one person he couldn't get off of his mind. He slid his blindfold off and there she was sitting directly across from him. Even a blindfold couldn't hide her beauty. He quietly approached Olandria and leaned in, letting his breath wash over her face so she'd know someone was there. Then, his lips were on hers. She didn't hesitate for a moment; she immediately began kissing him back. God, she was such a good kisser. He wasn't sure how long he was supposed to kiss her for but honestly he could've stayed right there all night. His hand reached up and cupped her face, holding her place for him. Matching him at every moment, her hand reached up to grab his throat. The feeling of her nails slightly digging into his throat as she held him against her drove him wild. His mind went completely blank. There was nothing and no one but him and her and this kiss. He'd forgotten they were supposed to be quiet until the sound of their kiss brought him back to the villa. He knew he probably needed to stop kissing her soon so that the challenge could continue but he couldn't bring himself to pull away. He continued kissing her for a few more moments before begrudgingly pulling back from her. Her lips were swollen from the ferocity of their kiss and she was softly panting. He turned to walk toward his seat and saw Ariana motioning for him to wipe his mouth. He wanted to leave her lip gloss on his lips so that there'd at least be some evidence of the best kiss of his life but he complied. He sat back down and slid his blindfold on.

Olandria

Olandria felt warm breath wash over her face right before she felt someone's lips crash against hers. She had no idea who it could be but they were kissing her like they'd been waiting their whole life for this moment. There was surety and confidence in this kiss; this man knew what he wanted and he was taking it. She was loving every second of it. She bit his bottom lip lightly and felt his hand cup her cheek and adjust her head slightly. The feel of his warm hand on her cheek made Olandria's heart flutter and she squeezed her thighs together. She wasn't ready for this kiss to end so she reached up and lightly but firmly grabbed his throat. She could feel his pulse against her fingers and was pleased to know he was just as affected as she was. She held him against her lips and deepened their kiss. A part of her knew they were making a lot of noise despite the directive from Ariana to be quiet but she couldn't bring herself to care. The only thing she could think about was how she couldn't remember the last time she'd been kissed like this. She wasn't just being kissed; she was being consumed. He was devouring her and she was happily letting him. She felt him pull away and she had to force herself not to let out a groan of disappointment. She felt him step back and then heard him turn and walk away. "Who the fuck was that?" she mumbled to herself as she tried to catch her breath. She started to go through a list of the boys in the villa before she gave up. The only hint she had of the boy's identity was stubble and that could've been a number of them. She sent up a silent prayer that whoever it was would reveal themselves to her because she wanted more.