Life since his first time at the villa had been interesting. People from his past seemed to resurface and fade since. The true friends he had gave him shit for moping so much and for getting stuck on just one person, but it was mostly because they cared so much. Now, stepping through the house to get to the backyard for a second first time was surreal. He couldn’t believe that he was here all over again. “Guess who’s back!” Jamie was calling from the house toward whoever was on the other side for dramatic effect before he actually stepped out. That made for good tv as he learned from the first season. Stepping into the sun with a grin on his face, he looked around for some faces – new or old.
it felt eerily like the time they first met, at this same entrance, though different people. angel didn’t have hesitation in being one of the first to greet him again, hair clicked back slightly dripping from the pool he had raced straight for on arrival. “ and just as cute as i remembered, ” angel greeted, grabbing a towel from one of the loungers as they climbed up the steps towards him.
Are you excited about joining the Love Island cast for Season Two? Why or why not?
it was a familiar seat, it was all familiar. everything except having to think of what they said, before they revealed it. season one had been painfully honest, this time it was different.
“ i’m super excited to be here, to get another shot and also spent time with old friends. i think i got caught up in a lot of stuff last season, i’m hoping this really is a fresh start. ”
@thevillatv
Who on the island do you think is the most fit? What about them makes them attractive to you?
“ this question is never easy, everyone is always so objectively gorgeous. i guess i should say some new people to keep it interesting, you’re welcome. ummm....alaska? is that her name? very pretty girl. and i guess i’d say zaiden too, hot and also looks super cool. i’m looking forward to getting to know him. “
a slightly easier question, though not one they had to worry about jennifer hearing about hopefully.
Who do you think you probably won’t get on with? Why or why not?
" i think after last season, my aim is to try and be on good terms with everyone. for my energy’s sake. and just hope and pray i’m not about to see another line of exes walk through the door. i don’t think i have enough left for that to happen anyway! ”
What did you think of Season One? Did you agree with the winning couple that was announced? Why or why not?
“ i haven’t watched much of it back, i don’t really like to see myself on screen to be honest! i was definitely relieved to see babylon and minkyu. i think they thoroughly deserved it and the other options weren’t exactly appealing to me anyway. maybe if jamie and i had got to pair up i’d have a different answer. “
they were beginning to settle into the interview now. their level of deceit perhaps raising by one point as they threw in a reference to jamie. they were far from disappointed to end up with jennifer, without it they would probably have never been able to rekindle things. but no-one else on the show could know that. not when angel had decided to return to continue to bolster their career. there were the contracts too, binding them in another year on the network. two birds.
Would you sleep with someone while on the show? What is your reasoning?
“ i think i’ve got to get kissing first, then we’ll see. i really gave a pg performance season one, coming for a pg-13 season two america, wait and see. ”
FOR RETURNING ISLANDERS: Why did you decide to return for Season Two? Are there things this season you hope to accomplish that you didn’t last season?
“ i left without love. but i didn’t think it was because of this place. my head was all over, i was more concerned with resolving past relationships...i just wanted to give myself a real shot. and it pretty much became the only question everyone on social media was asking. ”
a little slip, unable to not mention their following. far from who they were on season one, it was inevitable that they’d have a real eye to the public now. after all, this whole season would be a balancing act (if they made it to the end again). the worst case was jeopardising the fan base they had already built by overreaching. they had to be careful.
“ so … ” rowan starts , pulling a strawberry lollipop from between his lips . he’s sat on the couch , feet tucked under him , enjoying the breeze that is coming through the villa . “ are you sad that this whole thing is coming to an end , or is it just me ? ” the male frowns , looking down at the floor before sticking the candy back in his mouth . “ i’m sure the recent coupling doesn’t help with how you’re feeling — it seems that most are unhappy with the results . ” / @villastarters
“ i think it might just be you buddy, ” they replied, twisting their own cherry lolly out of its wrapper as they collapsed down onto the sofa. they had already started packing up a few of their belongings, not planning on spending a second longer in the villa than it was necessary. “ it’ll be a bit weird not seeing some of y’all every day but i can’t wait to get out of this place. ” the four shirts angel had had to rotate for the first few weeks was a sign of how long they had been expecting to be here. nothing had prepared them for living so long in one spot. “ the recoupling might’ve made it easier. if i got who i wanted i might’ve wanted longer to pursue things here. ”
– “EXCUSE YOU, I DO HAVE A MORAL COMPASS FROM TIME TO TIME, YOU KNOW,” she teases with narrowed eyes, “despite what you may believe, i am not satan.” she sticks out her tongue at angel as she begins to bend the hangers from the closet into appropriate roasting sticks. “naked marshmallows…kinda hot,” ingrid jokes, reaching for one to put at the end of the hanger, “trade you,” she says, swapping one of angel’s marshmallows to pass them one of the hangers she’s created, perching at the end of a table to start her roast. “thank you, i am pretty fucking genius sometimes, i will say. it comes in flashes.”
“ i might not have agreed with that a few weeks ago, glad i got remember some of your non-satanic qualities, don’t ruin it now, ” they replied with a laugh and an accusatory point. “ lucky marshmellows are better a little burnt, if you’re doing your own, ” they couldn’t hold back from commenting as they passed her over a handful in exchange for the deconstructed hanger. their own they plucked from the bag, piercing it with the skewer. the flame was holding up, creating a permanent golden hour in the room as they focused on getting their snack just right.
“ wouldn’t you love it, if i left, ” he comments. the tension between them was apparent and it had been as overbearing inside the house as the rain was outside. “ i’m not leaving, ” he makes that much clear, noticing ever since their last conversation that angel had so dedicatedly made every effort to avoid being in the same room as benoit. they hadn’t even attempted to talk to him and it irked him more than he led on. “ and i’m not dying here either, so do you mind putting it out ? ” it honestly didn’t bother him all that much, and benoit has a feeling that they already know he’s just being difficult. though, the fact that this was the most attention angel had directed his way is a bit of an incentive for him to keep this going.
“ i know you’re not expecting to stay here and have demands, ” they replied, incredulous at the other’s gall. in a very similar way to how they felt the last time they spoke. they felt stupid in their surprise - continuing their losing streak of never really being able to read people. forcefully they drove the torch into the roughly constructed flower pot stand, having no intention of putting it out. no more than they intended to have a production conversation benoit, if they had to talk at all. the others they had been spending time with had scattered, angel was expecting to follow behind any moment. “ not anymore, you can have this room, i’ll go find where my friends went. ”
Jamie did not come to Love Island to sulk and yet it seemed that the coupling ceremonies were bringing on a lot of that. And not just for him but his peers seemed to be equally pouty and not nearly as happy or pleased as anyone wanted to be. He found himself on the hunt for the one person that wouldn’t make him feel bad about how everything went down in the last two weeks. And luckily for Jamie, they were alone. “Please say you’ll have a shot with me. Because I could sure use one right about now.” He attempted a smile though weak was too kind of a word for the executed expression. “And drinking alone is just a sad look.”
it was the first coupling ceremony since that very first week that angel had been a little exited. with luck they would get paired with someone they were really vibing with and without any complicated history getting in the way. and then it hadn’t worked out, because when had a coupling gone anyone’s way here. they had had to give the whole ordeal some distance, leant up against the kitchen island, head bent, hair curtaining their face. “ of course, any preference? ” they asked, pulled quickly from their moment. they didn’t know if they were going to get to spend any time with them this evening. “ anything but sambuca, and for the record i bet that’s still a look you can pull off, ” they commented, walking over to the collection of spirits on the counter.
his face lights up even as benoit quietly observes the show they’ve put on for everyone and the timing of angel’s animosity towards him could not have been more inconvenient. he hates being the spectator when he should be the one aiding and abiding. could he be blamed for the bitterness that overcomes him when angel still manages to enjoy their time on the island, while benoit has to tread carefully with all that guilt stacked on him ? “ that’s fun. now we just wait for a curtain to catch on fire and be left without a roof and deserted in the middle of a storm, ” he comments, avoiding angel’s eyes as he maintains a piercing stare fixed on the small flame.
angel wasn’t going to be leaving the villa in a relationship, or even close to one. but they had resolved many of the issues they came into the house, no longer feeling like they were stepping around landmines everytime they rolled out of bed. except with benoit, a new landmine, the most unexpected one. it was an easy fix, they simply hadn’t let themself end up in the same room with him unless they were in bed asleep. it wasn’t as if they had anything to say to him, they had aired that all pretty clearly the final time they spoke. the darkness had taken over the house but angel was still celebrating - with the friends they had made and the the times they had shared. he wasn’t welcome. “ i’ll keep a close eye on it, ” they replied, without emotion. “ feel free to leave if it’s bothering you. ”
– “GOD, YOU’RE FUCKING RIDICULOUS,” SHE SIGHS, watching with a little apprehension, “if the house catches on fire, i WISH the cameras were on to prove that it was all your fault. you’re lucky, the producers would probably be escorting you out right now.” but she’s fascinated all the same, easily attracted by shiny things and entertainment, and she really can’t chastise angel for long. she looks through the closet for a couple of clothes-hangers, “we could probably use these for roasting? i can make a pretty badass s’more given the right ingredients.” it’s easy to pretend everything is NORMAL in the dark.
maybe it was a reaction to finally having a touch of freedom in this place. ingrod hadn’t been the only reason they originally said no to entering the villa, the idea of being stuck in one place was as unbearable as as it had turned out to be. without even thinking of the cameras being on them all day. the only thing that would keep them here longer than the second the show ended would be to avoid seeing themself on television. “ since when we you so sanctimonious, ” they teased, grinning with a marshmellow stuck in each cheek. “ all the chocolate had already been snatched by the time i checked, so naked marshmellow is gonna have to be the vibe, ” they replied, “ but the hangers are genius, bend one out and let’s go. ”
What a difficult conversation to have. Henry has been having a lot of them lately, though — the connections within the villa are so heavily intertwined, he keeps uncovering new things every day. Not knowing Angel pretty much at all makes it harder for him to read them, and rather than delving too far into that thought process, he quickly moves on to the actual subject of the conversation. “Oh, apologies for assuming. I, uh, was wondering because I… I wanted to know if you have real feelings for her. For each other? Do you think there’s something there?”
angel wasn’t naturally a confrontational person, by any means, but there was something here that twinged a nerve. suddenly they felt defensive. “ can i ask why you want to know? i think that really should just be between krysta and i, ” they replied, arms crossed in front of their chest, brows deeply set. maybe it was that feeling of never knowing what obstacle was over the horizon. there could be a clear path and still nothing might happen between their pair and them, but there was never a chance to even get that confirmation.
Somehow, by some lovely reason, Angel had convinced Jennifer to stand here and help them out with… whatever they were doing. The girl wasn’t entirely sure how it all happened – it was all so fast – but now she stood there, tapping her foot lightly and an annoyed expression on her face. “Are you done yet?” she snips, tapping her foot faster. “Because my biceps are cramping.” They weren’t, but any excuse to get out of here quicker, right? “I didn’t agree to a gym session with you, Angel.”
“ i’m sorry this has been so torturous for you, ” angel commented, the purposeful obliviousness to her attitude they had kept up so far was breaking. perhaps this wasn’t the best peace offering, but they felt like they had extended an olive branch to many times to count to no avail. they kept her holding if for a few more seconds, because they had to bring over the flower pot they were about to plant it in, but they took it back the second they were able to. “ phew, you survived. ”
Tal wasn’t sure how he got here. Not the island, he knew he signed up. Got accepted and took a plane. He didn’t know how here. Holding a hand crafted mini macguyver tourch for someone he didn’t even know. It was just his luck that he arrived with the massive storm. A smile crossed his face as the fire actually worked. “Hey, it worked.” He exclaimed. “Sweet as.”
“ you doubted me? ” angel asked, quickly double checking it was all holding up before marvelling a little at their own creation. “ now just imagine this was the sun and you’ll get an idea of the villa you missed out on, ” they suggested, definitely feeling bad the new guy had managed to arrive just before the storm hit. the entire place was transformed, eerily quite inside, dark as night and a little claustrophobic.
✭・.・— SEV HOLDS ON TO THE CONTRAPTION, but leans her upper body away. all she wanted was another drink but now she’s at risk of catching fire — alcohol and flames don’t go well together, after all. “ i’m not sure i should be holding this. ” her eyes are barely squinting open, just in case something does go wrong. when they light the make-shift torch, sev quickly extends her arm out toward angel. “ okay, okay, you’ve had your claim to fame but please take it before my eyebrows get singed. i don’t want to be a literal hot mess for the last coupling. ”
“ don’t you want whoever you want to be paired with, to want to pick you even if you don’t have eyebrows? ” they asked, with mock seriousness. they still did what she asked, taking back claim of their torch - because it was still their torch after all even if they tried to share - and making sure it was secured upright. “ just trying to make this situation a little more cosy, anyone not enjoying the storm can come pretend they’re at a camp out, ” they suggested, collapsing down on the sofa and relaxing back.
– INGRID TAKES A FEW STEPS BACK, BUT THERE’S AN UNCONTROLLABLE SMILE spreading onto her lips as she watches angel put together this sort of contraption. laughter bubbles as the cloth bursts into flame, watching angel’s face over the flickering firelight. they’re not friends, not in the slightest, but it’s hard to yell at them while they’re brandishing a flaming stick. “you do know that there are FLASHLIGHTS downstairs, right?” she teases.
the torch worked, they had an amber glow of light filling the room, setting off curious shadows all around them. “ but could a flashlight do this? ” they asked, clambering over the back of the sofa to the bag of supplies they had grabbed together. it wasn’t only the vegetable oil they had stolen from the kitchen. from the bag came a pack of marshmellows. “ our very own campfire, ” they proclaimed, a proud grin on their face suggesting they still thought setting an open fire inside was still a brilliant not idiotic idea.
“i am holding it still.” regardless of jamie’s words, that couldn’t have been further from the truth. he kept fiddling the stick in his hand. it wasn’t like he minded the dark but the thought of literally playing with fire made him uneasy. he did not want to be the reason the villa went up in flames. he was grateful that angel was able to calm his body and his mind. they had a confidence about them. only they would do something this bold instead of just using a phone flashlight or something. once the torch was lit, he interlocked their fingers together for a moment, giving them a squeeze. “you’re a mad genius.” with the other hand, he passed the torch to angel.
“ you’re definitely shaking a bit...am i making you nervous? “ angel teased. the torch had started as a genius plan in its own right but it seemed even smarter as they stood here, holding jamie’s hand, under (very large) candlelight. “ emphasis on the mad, ” they laughed, taking a second to look into the flame of their creation, burning up an old ratty band shirt they brought with them to sleep in. not letting go of jamie’s hand, they led them both to a flower pot dragged in to the middle of the room, planting down the torch. “ but you can trust me, ” they added when it was stood up straight, the fire reflecting in their eyes as they smiled over at the other.
“i don’t…” he was about to say know about this when the other placed their hand onto his. it was too late for knowing or even thinking. he just bit his lip, 18 year old theo would love this, he had a thing about fire and to this day he had no idea why 18 year old theo loved fire so much. he was wiser know but it seemed just as stupid.
it took everything in him not to jump as the fire started and orange and yellow hues washed him out. “i mean…. this is epic but like…. a flashlight would not have been enough?”
“ you don’t know me well enough yet, i’m never going for just enough, ” angel replied with a glossy grin, admiring their work for a second before taking it off theo. like an explorer ‘discovering’ a new land, they planted it down in a nearby flowerpot. it wasn’t their smartest idea but they had found something magical in the storm and a flashlight just didn’t seem like it would measure up to that. “ worst case, we chuck it out in the rain. ”
“ okay just hold that still...” angel asked, reaching into their pocket to pull out their trusty lighter. they had handed over a precariously put together torch consisting of a broom handle with a t-shirt doused in vegetable oil wrapped around it. the blackout had given them the opportunity to have a mini-macguevyer moment and they had jumped on it. they placed their hand over their companion’s hand to keep it steady before lighting up the torch, finally providing a little light as it burst into flames between them.
