ESPRESSO / CHAPTER II

raunchy races

''I've got a text!''

Sienna's heart almost thumped straight out of her chest. Her argument with Sean was cut short - she was not a Jelly Baby, yuck - as she turned to where Ayo was stood with a Google Pixel in his hand.

''Islanders, brace yourselves! Tonight is going to get racy as the Villa and Casa Amor go head-to-head in the challenge: Raunchy Races. The villa that gets the most points will win a party!''

''Let's go boys!''

''Main Villa! Main Villa!''

''The boys are sleeping outside if we lose,'' the Thorpe girl threatened, slipping on her sliders. ''Over my dead body am I missing out on a party.''

The girls retreated to the dressing room; they had two hours to get ready for the evening, which Sienna hoped would be enough time. She had a tendency to talk too much, and was bound to get side-tracked gossiping.

''How was your chat with Wil, Luce?''

''He said his type is a small petite blonde. Like, as in, me!''

Diamanté pulled a face, straightening her hair. ''Uma is not a petite blonde,'' she pointed out.

''Boys always want what they don't have,'' Sienna sighed, brushing through her lash extensions. ''Good for you though, babe. What about you, Jess?''

''With me and Ayo, like, it's just been natural.''

''I saw you two in the kitchen earlier. Cute,'' Ruby hummed. ''How've your chats gone, Sienna?''

''Fine, I guess,'' she shrugged. ''Sean seems a bit too keen for my liking. Ciaran doesn't seem keen enough, though, so I've got a bit of a problem on my hands until I get a chance to speak to the rest of the boys and see if I can find someone in-between.''

''You'll be able to break down Ciaran for sure, don't worry,'' Ellie promised, changing into a coffee-coloured dress. ''I know him from the outside - only a few DM's, nothing deep - and I definitely think he'll turn his head.''

''Here's to hoping, huh?''

Soon enough, they were swiftly ushered to the lawn. The sun loungers had been moved from the poolside and onto the grass, pushed flat to act as makeshift benches for tonight's game.

Sienna tapped the YSL heels she wore against the grass, deep in conversation about whether a glossy or matte lip was better. She defended her case so passionately, she was unaware of the Welsh boy who had subtly sat beside her, pretending to be over-the-moon at sitting next to Wil.

Konnor was the last to take a seat. He hadn't had the chance to say a word to Emma, who he clearly was interested in, before his phone pinged with a text alert.

''The tallest guy must snog the girl he fancies the most.''

Trey practically pushed Ayo to stand, who made a beeline for Jessica. The kiss was quick, but it certainly didn't lack passion.

Once he sat down, Konnor's phone pinged, signalling the arrival of another text.

''Main Villa win!''

Sienna clapped her hands in triumph. All her earlier nerves from the morning had dissipated, thanks to the boy's warm welcome and the girl's companionship. Although bound to cause some drama, the game was helping her loosen up, too.

''The girls with blonde hair must snog the boys they think are the fittest.''

The Thorpe girl glanced down at her ashy blonde blowout, and then at the boys around her. Ellie had taken advantage of Trey, who was sat right next to her, and Lucy skipped over to Ciaran.

Sienna made a split-second decision, taking her chances and shooting out of her seat towards Wil. He was attractive, she supposed, and quite a decent kisser she discovered, as their lips pushed messily against each others.

The three girls retreated back to their seats as quickly as possible. Sienna grimaced at the makeup she had left on Wil's face, leaning over Ciaran and Jessica to help him wipe it off.

''Casa win . . . Grace and Jessy were the fastest, both snogging Blade!''

''They went for the same guy?''

''The same guy!''

''Wait- wait- wait-'' Ciaran babbled, defiantly holding his hands up in the air. ''Who's name is Blade?''

''Game is game,'' Sienna defended, smirking up at him. ''You gotta do what you gotta do.''

A notification from Emma's phone put all the chatter to a halt. She grabbed the device, her eyes scanning the screen hurriedly.

''The boy with the most tattoos must snog the girl he thinks is most sexy.''

''Go!''

Emma barely finished her sentence before Wil was looming over her. The kiss was so brief; it'd be a miracle if the Casa Amor lot managed to get there first.

''Main Villa win!''

Diamanté's phone buzzed next. ''The shortest girl must snog the boy she thinks is the fittest.''

Lucy jumped out of her seat, as though she'd been scalded by a hot iron. For the second time that night, she kissed Ciaran, grinning as she sat back down and he looked around at his fellow Islanders with a bewildered expression.

''Who's the shortest girl in Casa?'' Jessica wondered, asking no one in particular.

''Nicole.''

''Oh, shit!''

''Guys, Casa won . . . I'm joking, Main Villa won!''

''The boy who's name comes first in the alphabet-''

''Ayo! Ayo! Ayo!''

''-must kiss the sexiest girl from head to toe.''

He threw himself from his seat, momentarily staggering as he was unsure of his next move. Still, it only took him a couple seconds to regain his composure, taking a deep breath as he pulled Jessica from her seat and began to trail quick kisses down her body.

''Main Villa win!''

Sienna was startled as she felt a vibration in her lap. She read the text as quick as she possibly could, already flapping her hand in Joey's direction.

''The oldest boy must snog the oldest girl.''

He ran straight over to Emma. They seemed rather familiar with the action of kissing each other (they had done it before, Sienna presumed, as they had known each other on the outside), and were both left sporting smiles at the end of the interaction.

''He just flew!''

''I was on point! Told ya, I'm a born winner!''

''Main Villa win!''

''The girl with the smallest shoe size must snog the boy she thinks is the best kisser!''

This time, Lucy leaned over to Sean, who was sat right beside her. Sienna spared a glance at Ciaran, who looked like he couldn't care less about not making it a hat-trick.

''Casa win . . . Matilda and Jake were the fastest.''

''Oh, Jake?''

''Well, at least I got a kiss as well, d'you know what I mean?'' Sean shrugged, feigning indifference. Or maybe he really was indifferent - Sienna couldn't tell by his permanently monotone voice.

''The youngest boy must snog the girl he fancies the most for five seconds.''

Ciaran swiveled to his right, catching Sienna off-guard as pulled her by the waist and kissed her hard. The Islanders around them whooped and cheered, clapping their hands as Joey counted down the seconds.

It wasn't that long, but the memory would last forever. She melted in his arms before he forced himself to pull away, savouring the taste of her sweet lip gloss.

''Main Villa win!''

Even if it was just a game, the pair refused to lock eyes after the kiss, which didn't go unnoticed by everyone else.

The air was stifling, tension and humidity swirling together in an uncomfortable haze. Sienna stared up at the starry night sky, wringing her manicured hands together as Joey read out the final results.

''The results are in! The winners of Raunchy Races are . . . Main Villa!''

The boys lost their minds, boisterously bumping shoulders as they formed a circle and began to jump, celebrating the win. The girls hugged in a much calmer manner, yet equally as excited.

On second thought, the party wasn't at all what Sienna had expected.

They were allowed two drinks per person instead of one - wow - and there was some music playing in the background as the producers asked them to dance.

So fun!

If Sienna was being honest, the highlight of their so-called ❛party❜ was Konnor's break-dancing. It was more than mediocre, that was for sure.

After about an hour of the torture, they were allowed to walk off in their own groups. The boys and girls separated, the latter heading over to the mini fire pit to talk about their first day in the villa.

''I just wanna hug him,'' Jessica whispered, gawking at Ayo. ''But it's just scary, 'cos he's got a whole other situation going on.''

''True, but you're in here for yourself,'' Sienna pointed out, twisting the ring on her thumb absentmindedly. ''Do what feels right for now, or you'll be kicking yourself later on for not taking the chance when you had it.''

She nodded, pursing her painted lips. ''We naturally, like, gravitate towards each other.''

''And that's why you're here, babe,'' Emma reassured her. ''Why else would you be here?''

''That's what I mean, though, 'cos it could all be for nothing.''

''He seems honest,'' Ellie hummed. ''He wouldn't be being like this with you if he didn't feel like it.''

''What do you actually want to do?'' Diamanté asked her. ''Like, what'd you want from all this?''

''What I want to do is what I'm doing. I'm not holding back.''

''So, is that where you're invested now? With Ayo?''

''Yeah! Like, obviously, I understand he has to be respectful to his situation in the other villa, which must be so hard as well.''

''What has he said about that, though?''

''He said there's no complaints, they get along really well, and she's not done anything in terms of red flags.''

''D'you feel he's giving, like, pouring in into you as much as you're pouring into him?''

''Yeah . . . ''

''I feel like he knows his head is turning, but he doesn't want problems.''

''That's the thing. His head could turn, but then it could turn back, and I'm not gonna be in a situation like that. Your head needs to be forward, at all times.''

''I feel like it's a bit early for that, though.''

Their catch-up was cut short by Joey's arrival. He strode over to the group with confidence, an air about him as though he knew something they didn't.

''D'you wanna go for a chat, Sienna?''

''Yeah, sure.''

The Thorpe girl took her leave, fighting back a chuckle at the girl's crude comments and immutare sounds of awe. Where were they, secondary school?

He led her over to the den, pointedly ignoring all the boy's questioning stares shooting his way. Ciaran was the only one who didn't look puzzled, stood at the kitchen with Konnor and Trey.

''How you finding your first day in the villa?''

''Emotional, definitely. Tonight's game was fun, and everyone's been so welcoming, honestly.''

''Some maybe more than others,'' he smirked. ''I couldn't help but notice you and Ciaran getting all cozy earlier, using sun cream as an excuse to rub up all on each other. And that kiss earlier? Wow - talk about tension!''

Sienna smiled, leaning back to take a proper look at Joey. ''What's it to you?''

''Hey, I'm just the messenger!''

''Messenger?'' She repeated, raising a perfectly plucked brow. ''How d'you mean?''

''Well-''

Shit. He really had put his foot in it, hadn't he?

''The boys were just discussing what's going on with this whole bed situation. See, I feel like it's ❛rock, paper, scissors❜, or you girls are going to have to decide. We ain't gonna do it for you, d'you know what I mean. So, what I'm asking is, have you got someone in mind you want to be in bed with?''

''I haven't really thought about it, to be fair. I'm not fussed either, really, as long as they don't snore,'' she shrugged, narrowing her eyes at the older boy in front of her. ''Why? What aren't you telling me?''

Joey heaved a sigh, dropping his voice to as low of a whisper as possible. ''You didn't hear this from me, but Ciaran said if he had to pick anyone, it'd be you. Only he won't pull you for a chat and ask 'cos of the whole Nicole situation, so I guess what I'm saying is, make a bold move and invite yourself.''

''I'll consider your request.''

The rest of Sienna's evening was spent milling around the villa. She was bored, so she pulled Konnor for a chat, and they ended up yapping about Ayo pulling Jessica into the hideaway.

That left three boys she had yet to properly speak to, one on one: Ayo, Trey, and Wil. The first two seemed rather pre-occupied in their respective liaisons, so she figured Wil was her best bet moving forward.

Aside from Ciaran, of course.

She had just slipped her pyjama top over her head when the Welsh boy walked into the bathroom, not expecting to find her in there, nonetheless half-naked.

''Shit, sorry!''

''You're all right,'' Sienna laughed, unfazed. His embarrassment was sort of dear, to be honest. ''I paid good money for these.''

''You got a boob job?''

''First thing I did when I turned eighteen,'' she admitted. ''Anyway, what are you doing in here? I'm surprised you haven't yet set up camp on one of the daybeds.''

''Like I said, we're all grown-ups, I can sleep in a bed,'' he shrugged, pretending as though his heart wasn't racing at the prospect of sharing such a small place with Sienna. ''You expecting me to put up a pillow wall or something?''

''Knowing you, yeah.''

''No need. It's not like we're gonna fall asleep kissing, is it?''

''You'd be so lucky,'' she scoffed, flicking off the light switch and making her way out of the bathroom.

He went after her, following the Thorpe girl into the dressing room. She knelt down beside her suitcase, rustling around for a moment before pulling out a lumpy cloth figure.

''Ew,'' Ciaran remarked, wrinkling his nose. ''What is that?''

''His name is Cabbage, and he's a bunny,'' Sienna deadpanned, holding the stuffed animal close to her chest. ''I've had him since I was a baby.''

''I don't care if it belonged to Gareth Edwards, I'm not sharing a bed with it.''

''Too bad, so sad.''

Sienna resumed her journey to the bedroom; the Welsh boy stalked behind her yet again. They both got into the same bed wordlessly as she switched out her reading glasses for a sleeping mask.

Once the lights went out, all that could be heard was Trey and Wil egging each other on, with the occasional comment from Ayo.

''It's better to ask for forgiveness than for permission.''

''I believe in that statement.''

''I'm worried for myself.''

''Ugh, I beg you three shut up!''