Love Island Summer 11 - Jermajesty Jackson
Summary: The recoupling after Casa
a/n: sorry this took so long to get out. life was lifeing
You can feel the anticipation building throughout the villa.
You were still sitting on Jermajesty when Celina finished reading the text, his hands resting firmly against your waist.
For a second, neither of you said anything.
Then Sakari’s voice rang out from across the villa, walking towards the seats in front of Say Less. “Can somebody get them off each other? This is a family show.”
You immediately turned your head. “You’re just mad because nobody wants to sit in your lap.”
“Actually, I have multiple volunteers.”
Mira raised her hand from across the pool. “I absolutely am not one of them.”
“See?” Sakari says sarcastically, gesturing around. “The options are endless.”
You laughed, finally climbing off of Jermajesty’s lap. His hands lingered on your hips for just a second longer before he gave one squeeze and let you go.
You turned back to him, raising an eyebrow. “What?”
He doesn’t hesitate in his response. “I’m always looking at you.”
The words come out so easily that you almost forget everything that happened between the two of you.
The smile that was edging itself on your face fades, just slightly.
The rest of the afternoon is spent with everyone trying to figure out who the boys are going to choose.
You already know Jermajesty’s choice.
At least, you think you do.
You’ve spent the entire day trying to figure out where you stand with him. The two of you had talked. You had yelled. You had cried. You had kissed. You had said things that you had been holding inside for days.
And still, you didn’t know what tonight would bring.
You didn’t know if he would choose you because he wanted to. Or because you were the safe choice. Or because he felt guilty.
You didn’t want any of those.
You wanted him to choose you because he still wanted you.
That was the part that scared you the most.
“You’re thinking too hard.” Mira’s voice pulls you out of your thoughts.
The two of you were now sitting on the swinging couch by the sand, soaking in the last bits of the day before having to go get ready.
You blink, looking over at her. “What?”
She points towards your head. “The smoke coming out of your ears.”
You let out a laugh, shaking your head. “I’m fine.”
She rolls her eyes. “Yeah, and Sakari is a serious adult.”
Walking past the two of you at the perfect moment, Sakari shouts, “I heard that!”
Sakari turns back, sticking out his tongue before walking away, proving Mira’s point in the process.
You laugh again, but the nerves are still there.
You just don’t know if you’ll get it.
The girls get ready together that night, the makeup room filled with nervous chatter.
You stare at the clothes hanging in the closet in front of you.
At least, that’s what you tell yourself.
You finally settle on a dress that makes you feel beautiful. Something elegant, but still enough to make him regret every single decision he’s made since Casa Amor.
You finish getting ready, standing in front of the mirror and adjusting your jewelry.
Your fingers brush over your barren neck.
The ring isn’t there anymore, but you still felt the presence of it sitting heavy between your collarbones.
You turn to see Mira standing behind you.
She gives you a look through the mirror. “You’re nervous.”
You hide your slightly shaking hands away from her. “Am not.”
“Okay, maybe a little.” You hide your face in your hands.
“A little?” She turns you around by your shoulders. “You look like you’re about to go into battle.”
Mira laughs, pulling you into a hug.
“You know he’s going to choose you.”
She pulls back, looking at you deadpanned.
You know he’s going to choose you.
You just need to know why.
This recoupling is held a bit different.
The girls make their way downstairs first.
You take your time coming down, wanting a moment to collect yourself before walking to the fire pit.
The night air is warm against your skin.
The villa is lit up beautifully, the fire pit glowing in the center of everything.
The girls stand together, waiting.
The boys are brought out one by one, standing across from you.
You find Jermajesty immediately.
He’s already looking at you. His eyes travel over your outfit before meeting yours again.
He gives you a small smile. You try not to smile back.
Sakari, standing beside him, notices. “Disgusting.”
Jermajesty turns his head. “What?”
Sakari gestures towards you with his head. “You two are doing that thing again.”
“The thing where you look at each other like you’re in a music video.”
You laugh, overhearing their terrible efforts at whispering.
Jermajesty shakes his head, but his eyes move back to you. They’re never off of you for long.
Ariana makes her entrance, greeting everyone before explaining the rules of the night.
Your heart begins to beat harder.
He speaks about how the girl he’s choosing makes him laugh and how he feels comfortable around her.
He chooses Maddie Rae, she runs to him. They hug tightly, and everyone cheers.
You smile at them. They’re cute.
The next few choices go by.
Trey chooses Celina. Sakari chooses Mira.
The two of them are both smiling so hard that you can barely look at them without laughing.
The recoupling continues.
Your nerves are getting worse. You know it’s almost time.
Jermajesty’s hands are clasped in front of him.
He keeps looking at you .But every time your eyes meet, he looks away.
He’s nervous. That makes you nervous.
Ariana turns towards him.
“Jermajesty, it’s now your turn to choose.”
The entire villa goes quiet.
Your hands immediately begin to shake. Mira reaches over, taking one of them. You squeeze her hand.
Jermajesty steps forward.
His eyes go directly to you.
“I would like to couple up with this girl because…”
He pauses. Your heart jumps.
He looks down for a moment before looking back at you, as if trying to collect his thoughts.
“Because I don’t think I’ve ever met somebody who makes me feel as much as she does.”
“When I first met her, I knew there was something about her. I couldn’t stop looking at her. Literally. I was staring so much that she had to call me out on it.”
You laugh quietly, despite yourself.
A few people around the fire pit chuckle. He smiles briefly before continuing.
“But then I got to know her, and it wasn’t just that she was beautiful. She was funny. She was kind. She was weird in all the ways I like.”
You press your lips together, trying not to smile too hard.
“And she became my best friend here.”
That makes your eyes sting.
Jermajesty takes another breath.
“I messed up. I made a decision that I regret every single day since I made it. I let somebody else get in my head, and I hurt the person I promised I wouldn’t hurt.”
His eyes are locked on yours now.
“I can’t take that back. I know that. But I can spend the rest of this experience proving that I’m sorry.”
Your eyes begin to water.
He takes a small step forward.
“And I know she probably doesn’t trust me completely yet. I don’t expect her to. I know I have to earn that back.”
“But I do know that I want to be the person she chooses every single time.”
His hand reaches into his pocket.
You recognize the chain immediately.
Jermajesty pulls the ring out.
The one you had given back to him.
His fingers curl around it.
“And I really can’t wait to give this back to her.”
You cover your mouth with your hand.
The entire villa is silent.
“Because it belongs with her.”
You’re already crying. Not sobbing. Just tears sliding down your cheeks as you try to keep yourself together.
“And also because I miss watching her play with it every five seconds.”
A laugh escapes you through your tears.
Ariana looks between the two of you, smiling.
“So, Jermajesty, who would you like to couple up with?”
He doesn’t look away from you.
“The girl I would like to couple up with is Y/N.”
You don’t even wait for him to reach you.
Jermajesty catches you, his arms wrapping around your waist as you jump into him.
You bury your face into his neck.
For a moment, neither of you says anything.
You just hold each other.
The cheers around you are loud.
Sakari is yelling something about his ‘parents’.
You don’t hear any of it.
You only hear Jermajesty whispering against your ear.
He pulls back enough to look at you.
His hands come up to your face, wiping away the tears on your cheeks. “I’m sorry.”
You give him a small smile. “I know.”
“I’m going to keep saying it.”
You laugh. “I know, Maj.”
His eyes soften at the nickname.
You lean in, pressing your forehead against his.
“Now give me my ring back.”
“Damn. No ‘I missed you too’?”
“I literally just said it.”
“Could’ve been more passionate.”
You roll your eyes, but you’re smiling. “Give me the ring.”
He pulls back, reaching for the ring.
You turn around, moving your braids out of the way.
His hands are shaking slightly as he brings the chain around your neck. He fastens it carefully.
Once the clasp is secure, his fingers linger against your skin.
You touch the ring immediately.
It feels like it belongs there.
Jermajesty leans down, pressing a kiss to the back of your neck.
“Welcome home,” he whispers.
You stare at him for a moment before pulling him into another hug. “Jer-cute.”
You laugh against his chest.
He pulls back, looking at you seriously. “You are not allowed to call me that tonight.”
The serious look he tries to put on his face doesn’t last long. “Y/N.”
You’re stubborn though. “Jer-cute.”
He grabs you around the waist. You squeal as he picks you up.
He laughs, finally setting you back down and accepting the loss.
Ariana finishes the rest of the recoupling, but you’re barely paying attention.
You’re sitting beside Jermajesty, his arm wrapped around your shoulders.
Your hand keeps going back to the ring.
Every few minutes, you touch it.
Every time you do, Jermajesty notices.
You bump his shoulder. “Don’t push it.”
For the first time in what feels like forever, you feel settled.
You feel like you can breathe.
The recoupling eventually ends, some islanders being dumped from the island. Including Summer.
You don’t pay her any mind when she leaves. You’ll let America deal with her on the outside.
You say goodbye to Noah, thanking him for being there for you.
Sakari immediately runs over to you and Jermajesty.
“Mom and Dad are officially back together!”
You push him away. “We were never your parents.”
Mira joins the conversation. “He’s right.”
You look around at both of them.
“Why is everyone against me?”
“Because you’re wrong,” Celina says.
Jermajesty pulls you into his side. “Don’t worry, baby. I’m on your side.”
You look up at him. “Really?”
He shakes his head in a grin. “No.”
You shove him. He laughs.
The rest of the night is spent celebrating.
You talk with everyone, finally feeling like the tension that had been hanging over the villa has lifted.
At some point, you find yourself sitting beside Jermajesty on one of the couches.
His thumb traces small circles over your hand.
You look down at your joined hands. “You really meant all of that?”
He turns towards you. “All of what?”
His smile gets smaller, more focused. “Yeah.”
“Even the part about me being your best friend?”
He presses a kiss into your cheek. “Especially that part.”
He reaches over, turning your face back towards him. “I’m serious.”
His voice is quiet. You stop. He continues.
“I know I made it hard for you to believe me. I know I gave you every reason not to.”
Your fingers move to the ring around your neck.
“But you were never just somebody I wanted to couple up with.”
He continues. “You were never just a connection to me.” His hand moves up, cupping your cheek. “You were always my person here.”
You swallow. “Even when you kissed Summer?”
You didn’t mean for the words to come out so bluntly.
Jermajesty takes a breath. “No.”
“I mean…yes, I was thinking about you. But I was angry. And confused. And stupid.”
He reaches for your hand. “I’m not going to make excuses for it.”
“I should’ve trusted you.”
Your throat feels tight. “You should’ve.”
“You really should’ve.” Your voice cracks ever so slightly.
His expression is soft. “I’m going to make it up to you.”
He thinks for a second. “Pancakes.”
That brings a laugh out of you. “Pancakes?”
“Do you even have to ask?”
He leans closer. “And smoothies.”
You narrow your eyes. “Do you want one?”
“You better be grateful.”
You stare at him. “Promise?”
“Promise. No more breaking them.”
You hook your pinky around his.
His smile grows. “But for real, I wanna make you feel special, and never feel that way again. Seeing you cry like that at movie night broke me.”
You lean forward, giving him a kiss.
It’s soft. Slow. Nothing like the heated kisses you shared earlier. This one feels different.
It feels like coming home.
By the time everyone starts getting ready for bed, you’re practically floating.
You and Jermajesty walk upstairs together, his hand holding yours.
You both stop outside the bedroom.
Towards the empty bed that the two of you would be sharing. Together.
You look back at him and he speaks. “So…”
“You gonna sleep with me?”
You give him a sly look. “Are you asking me?”
You jokingly look off in thought. “Hmmm. You have to ask nicely.”
He pulls your head back to face him, fingers holding your chin. “Come to bed with me. Please.”
You smile, flustered. “Okay.”
You shake your head, pulling him towards the bed where both of your names are. “Dork.”
The words make you stop. He freezes too.
For a moment, neither of you says anything.
You start laughing. He groans, covering his face.
You pull his hands away. “Because you’re jer-cute.”
He immediately lets go of you. “Nope. I’m sleeping outside.”
You grab his arm. “Come back.”
Eventually, you both get changed and climb into bed.
Mr. Buttons sits between you for all of three seconds before Jermajesty moves him to the side.
“He always stares at you.”
You pull Mr. Buttons back between you. “Leave him alone.”
Jermajesty sighs dramatically.
You settle into bed, your head resting against his chest, his arms around your waist.
Your fingers find the ring around your neck.
You play with it absentmindedly.
Jermajesty looks down. “You’re already doing it.”
He stares at you for a moment before pressing a kiss to your forehead. “Goodnight, baby.”
You fall asleep with your body pressed against his.
For the first time since Casa Amor, you don’t have to worry about where Jermajesty was. What he was doing. If he was sleeping okay.
Now, he’s right there. His arms around you. His heartbeat beneath your cheek.
And the ring is back where it belongs. Around your neck.
You wake up to the bright lights of the bedroom being turned on by production.
Jermajesty is looking down on you as you come back to the land of the living. “Good morning.”
You mumble into him. “Five more minutes.”
You feel his hand move up and down your back.
It’s strange how quickly everything can change.
Yesterday, you weren’t sure if you could forgive him. Today, you’re back in his arms.
It doesn’t mean everything is fixed. You know that.
There’s still work to do. Trust to rebuild. Conversations to have.
But for the first time in days, you don’t feel like you’re fighting against each other.
You’re on the same side again.
Eventually, you both force yourselves out of bed.
You head towards the bathroom together, brushing your teeth side by side.
Jermajesty looks over at you through the mirror.
You catch him staring. Then again.
You raise your eyebrows. “What?”
He smiles around his toothbrush, before finishing up.
“When a girl is as beautiful as you? I can’t pull my eyes away.”
You laugh, shaking your head. “Wow. That line worked the first time?”
You spit into the sink, rinsing your mouth.
He steps behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist.
You lean back against him, his chin resting on your shoulder.
You look at the two of you in the mirror.
He kisses the nape of your neck, breathing you in. “I missed that.”
You turn your head. “Missed what?”
You give him a small, curious smile. “Almonds?”
“Your scent. I missed smelling it around me all the time.”
You look at your reflection in the mirror, and you look happy.
You want to tease him a bit though, turning around in his embrace. “Don’t get too comfortable.”
You roll your eyes, but you’re smiling as he leans down to kiss you.
You walk downstairs together, hand in hand.
And for the first time since Casa Amor began, you feel like you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.
a/n: yay they’re happy again! for now… >:) (jk)
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