Lies We Tell

29 : Pillow Talk

Walking into the Hideaway, Zahra should have been more nervous, but a sense of calm had washed over her. The satin robe against her bare skin felt odd, especially to this revealing degree, but she'd gotten used to it after a little while, and the lingerie set was soft and fit like a second skin.

Lucas squeezed her hand and tugged gently, drawing her deeper into the room. He stepped around her to shut the door and fumble for the lights. "Where's the switch- There."

A soft pink glow filled the room as the lights came alive, and Zahra was amazed by the set up of the Hideaway. The bed was the focal point, scattered with rose petals and covered in pillows and soft throws over the duvet cover. In an ice bucket at the foot of the bed was a bottle of chilled champagne and two stemmed glasses; next to the champagne, there was an assortment of fruits and chocolates.

Lucas stepped up next to her to get a good look of the room himself, and his fingers brushed against hers at their sides. "Wow."

"Wow," Zahra echoed lamely, and a twinge of her nerves spiked for a moment. Suddenly flustered, she couldn't look at him. "Shall we...?"

"Right, of course." Lucas grabbed the bottle of champagne to pop it open for the two of them as Zahra settled on the edge of the bed, tucking her legs under herself. There was a soft pop as Lucas succeeded in opening the champagne, then a moment later he poured them both glasses and joined her on the bed. "To us, I guess."

Zahra pulled her glass back. "That was your toast?"

Lucas rolled his eyes. "I'm not as eloquent with words as you are."

"You literally just used the word 'eloquent'."

"That's besides the point!" he huffed, then tipped his head toward her. "Well go on then-- give us something to really toast to."

Zahra exhaled slowly, thinking it over. As she did, she finally got a good look at him for the first time since meeting up to go to the Hideaway. She had been so preoccupied with appeasing Priya and Lottie as they left the dressing room that she hadn't even given him a proper once-over, for which she was now ashamed. He opted for no shirt, but she knew he'd brought one with just in case, and wore a pair of black sweats. His hair looked different, she noticed, but maybe that was just because he'd run his hand through it one too many times, and she was sure he had put on a little cologne, too-

"You're staring."

Zahra blinked, then smiled sheepishly. "Oops."

He smirked at her. "Never mind, let me try this again." He cleared his throat, then held out his glass and said, "To us— to our first night in the Hideaway, to our first night alone, and to another milestone in our Love Island experience."

Zahra tilted her head, considering his words. "Sure, I'd say that's all right."

This time it was Lucas who pulled his glass back. "Just all right?" He shook his head. "As if you came up with anything better."

"Okay, okay," she acquiesced, laughing softly. "To us?"

"To us."

They gently clinked their glasses before taking quiet sips. Zahra caught herself studying Lucas over the rim of her glass, and she liked that she caught him doing the exact same thing. With a careful deep breath in, she sat her drink to the side at the foot of the bed and rose to her knees in order to shift a little closer to him. "Hi," she said, almost shyly.

"Hi." His gaze swept over her face multiple times almost like he was filing away the details for later. "How are you feeling after tonight?"

"I feel weird," she admitted. At his confused expression, she explained, "It was rather unnerving to have so many boys react to me in the challenge."