Chapter 3

Morning sunlight spilled across the villa, painting everything in gold. It should have been a calm start to the day, but the energy felt… different. Luke was in the kitchen, stirring his coffee, his shirt hanging loose over sun-kissed skin. Jimmy leaned casually against the counter beside him, their conversation low and easy. Every now and then, Luke laughed—a soft, private sound that seemed to cut through the villa.

Ziam noticed it first. Sitting by the pool, sunglasses hiding his expression, he watched the way Jimmy’s hand brushed Luke’s shoulder as if they’d known each other for years. He wasn’t used to feeling sidelined, and it showed in the way his jaw tightened.

Loco stormed in from the garden, water droplets still clinging to his skin from an early swim. “You two seem awfully cosy this morning,” he said, voice light but his eyes sharp. Luke looked up, smiling. “Just talking.”

Smith, who’d been flipping through a magazine on the couch, put it down and glanced toward the kitchen. He hadn’t said much since the date. Something about Jimmy unsettled him—not in a threatening way, but in the way a storm unsettles the air before it breaks.

After breakfast, the group gathered by the pool. The producers had sent through a game: Truth or Dare—Island Edition. Everyone groaned playfully, but beneath the surface, the game was a chance to test loyalties.

Jimmy was first up. “Dare,” he said without hesitation. Ziam grinned, seizing the opportunity. “Kiss the Islander you’re most attracted to.”

The air shifted. Jimmy’s eyes swept the circle, pausing on Loco just long enough to make him smirk, then finally settling on Luke. He leaned in, slow and deliberate, pressing his lips to Luke’s in a kiss that was unhurried but charged enough to make Ziam’s knuckles tighten around his drink.

When they pulled away, Luke looked half-flustered, half-thrilled. The rest of the group clapped and hooted, but the undercurrent was impossible to miss.

Smith’s turn came next. He picked “truth,” and Loco asked, “Who here do you think is playing the game the most?” Smith didn’t hesitate. “Ziam.”

Ziam raised his brows but said nothing, only sipping his drink. But inside, his mind was spinning. If Jimmy thought he could waltz in and claim Luke without a fight, he had another thing coming.

The game continued, but everyone’s focus kept drifting back to Jimmy and Luke. When it ended, Luke slipped away to the terrace for fresh air. Ziam followed, leaning casually against the railing beside him.

“You seem to be enjoying the new guy,” Ziam said, his tone unreadable.

Luke smirked. “Jealous?”

Ziam’s lips curved slightly. “Maybe. But the thing about me, Luke, is I don’t lose.”

Luke met his gaze, heat flickering in his eyes. “Guess we’ll see.”

As the day stretched on, alliances began to form in whispers, glances, and subtle touches. Jimmy might have lit the match, but Ziam wasn’t about to let someone else control the fire.

⸻

If you want, I can make Chapter 4 the “first real confrontation” night—where Ziam and Jimmy finally go head-to-head over Luke while the others watch. That’s when the drama will peak.

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