Bobby, meet Lucas

day 20 - secrets & sneezers

Bobby lightly taps the stem of his champagne glass as he half-listens to the blonde girl sitting across from him. He smiles and nods at all the right moments, but that's about it. Normally, he would at least put in an effort to make a joke here and there in an attempt to contribute to the conversation, but this girl seems content to prattle on without taking a breath long enough for him to fill the gap.

He wonders how Lucas's date is going, and his eyes automatically drift over to the other side of the patio. Damn, Lucas looks good. Of course, that's not a surprise — he always does. He looks particularly fine today, though, despite being clad in a fluffy white spa robe. Perhaps especially because he's wearing a spa robe. The sea breeze fluffs up his hair, his eyes crinkle at the corners as he laughs at something his date says, and even his tan has reached the perfect level of bronze after two weeks in the villa. Perfection.

Bobby shifts uncomfortably in his seat as he remembers the way the two women strutted into the villa earlier that morning. They both seemed pleasant enough, but Elisa immediately sought out Lucas, even going so far as to stroke his jaw as she flirted with him. And Lucas didn't seem to mind, a fact which only makes it harder to watch them laughing together now. Jealousy is a rare feeling for Bobby, but it's been rearing its ugly head with increasing frequency of late, and he doesn't know what to do about it.

His own date, Jo, says something that catches his attention, and he jerks back towards her.

"What?" he asks.

She looks surprised at the interruption. "I said these oysters are delicious."

"No, before that. About Elisa."

"Oh, just—" Her eyes widen, and she slaps her palm over her mouth. "Oh, gosh. I wasn't supposed to say anything."

"About what?" He leans forward conspiratorially.

Jo bites her lip and looks around nervously before shrugging her shoulders. "I s'pose there's no harm, seeing as I've already let it slip once. And you seem a good sort." She lowers her voice to a loud whisper. "Elisa secretly has a boyfriend."

Bobby's jaw drops, and his gaze quickly flickers over to the other table before returning to Jo as he realizes he doesn't want to be too obvious. The cameramen are also focused on the other date; clearly he's not the only one bored by Jo's conversation.

"Really?!" he asks in a hushed tone. "What's she doing here, then?"

He's not usually one for gossip — okay, never mind, he loves a bit of gossip — but that's not why he's interested. He's interested because of the impact it might have on Lucas if Elisa truly has her eye on him.

Jo looks at him like he's grown a second head. "She's an influencer, mate. What do you think she's doing here?"

His brow furrows as he sits back in his chair. That doesn't really answer his question, not really. He can understand coming onto Love Island to gain subscribers, but isn't the whole purpose to find love? Why come on a show like Love Island if you've already found it? And what kind of boyfriend would let his girl do such a thing?

Bobby would be incredibly insulted.

As he sneaks another glance over at the other table, though, he realizes something. If Elisa's got a boyfriend, then she's not going to want something serious, right? Which means that even if Lucas likes her, it's definitely not going to last. Especially once Lucas finds out about said boyfriend... Oof. There could be hell to pay once Lucas realizes he's the other guy. Assuming he couples up with her in the first place, that is. There's still Tess to account for.

"You won't tell anyone, will you?" Jo asks, giving him a pouty look that's in stark contrast to her otherwise badass persona. It makes him suspicious that she's playing a game of some sort as well, and he vows to himself to be on his guard around her.