This time, I'm serious

It means something to me

Jas was listening to Angie quietly rave about her date with Oliver, while Bruno busied himself getting ready for the party.

He was so fucking excited. He and Valentina had planned the whole thing. The big, Love Actually -themed proposal for asking Jas to be his girlfriend. It was cheesy as fuck , but it was exactly the kind of thing that Jas secretly adored . He had everything ready, and he knew she'd say yes, but he was still absolutely bricking it. He hadn't been planning on doing it for a couple of days - he'd hoped to hold out until they only had a week left. But a cocktail party? When they were dressed to the nines and feeling loved up as ever? He couldn't say no to an opportunity like that. They'd be able to rewatch it over and over, and he wanted to make sure they were looking their best.

But the thought of doing it front of everyone had him shaking a bit. So once he was ready, he decided to go downstairs and go over everything one last time. He didn't care any more about having a target on their backs. He just wanted to officially say she was his. He filled up his water bottle, wringing his hands, and going over it in his head as he paced back and forth.

"Nervous, Bruno?" Valentina cooed at him.

He exhaled, jumping up and down a little. " Excited" .

She beamed at him, and he immediately hugged her. "I seriously can't thank you enough for your help with all of this. She's going to love it."

She shook her head. "You're such a bloody romantic, babe."

As he released her, Jas walked through the kitchen, spotting them, and looking like she'd just had the rug pulled out from under her.

He beamed at her. "Jas! Save a dance for me later, I need to grab you"

She shot him a thumbs up, but looked a little annoyed. " Sooner rather than later . I do desperately need to catch you. I just need to chat to Tiff & Youcef quickly, they texted me saying they needed my help."

He came and went around the villa for hours, having a fabulous time, as Bruno avoided Jas a little bit. He knew she wanted to talk about her date, but he knew that if he spoke to her before he was ready to ask, he wouldn't be able to keep the surprise a secret.

Oh god, he was so fucking nervous.

*

A few hours later, the party was in full swing. Bruno made his way into the kitchen to get a glass of water.

Suddenly, Dylan emerged from around the corner.

"Hey, Bruno!"

"Oh, hey Dylan. How're you settling in?"

"Yeah, really well. Everyone's been so great. Really welcoming. I really like everyone so far."

Bruno smiled at him. He was disarmingly friendly. Perhaps he'd misjudged him. He'd seemed a little slimy to start with.

"Yeah, it's good. We've got a great vibe here. I think you guys are going to fit in great."

Dylan laughed. "Thanks, man. I must say, you're being pretty chill about this. I'm just glad there are no hard feelings. Jas said you'd be furious ."

Bruno shook his head. "I'm not going to beat you up about it. Liverpool's the better club, and we all know it."

Dylan laughed.

Bruno smiled at him. "Nah, look, but in all seriousness, I don't mind that you took her. It sounds like you guys were pretty ancient history."

Dylan froze, a look of complete confusion on his face. He looked horrified .