Jaded

Chosen

The day seemed brighter, somehow. The sky bluer. The few clouds fluffier and whiter. The sun felt warmer. Water tasted sweeter. But nothing compared to the feeling of walking into the villa, hand in hand with Jade.

Kat was ecstatic, Finn less so. Alfie avoided both of their gaze, and Dana smiled softly to herself. He made Jade a coffee, a whole heap of chocolate powder over the top, just how she liked it, and they stood silently, smiling at each other.

The hours passed in a daze, and neither of them could keep their hands off the other. Jade slipping her hand into his, or stroking her fingers through his hair, Suresh brushing his fingers over her waist, or kissing her shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her.

*

Suresh stood at the firepit with the other guys, Alfie complaining loudly about how long the girls were taking. Finn rolled his eyes, but Suresh's attention was drawn elsewhere.

Completely, and utterly transfixed by Jade.

She stepped out of the villa looking like some kind of angel; dressed in champagne and diamonds and the breath she'd stolen from him. Her makeup had some kind of sparkle in it, or was that how she always looked under the fairy lights?

Jade and the other girls lined up on the other side of the firepit, and his heart pounded. Beside him, Finn asked him some probably innocuous question, but Suresh said nothing. Words seemed to fail him, as the rush of absolute, unbridled adoration filled his chest, just like it always did every time Jade entered a room. It overwhelmed every anxiety, every bit of nerves, every worry in his mind.

God, how he'd missed this feeling.

She was his.

Jade's phone chimed, and she stepped forward, as Finn and Alfie, poor guys, both looked like they were hoping for a miracle.

"I came into this villa after the worst year of my life. I'd lost all my motivation, my joy for life, my sense of adventure — so I thought... if I could find a nice, lovely, steady guy, I would never have to go through that kind of heartbreak again."

She rolled her lips together.

"But that's not me. I don't do safe. I don't do steady. And there's only one person in the world who truly, truly understands that. Who isn't afraid of it. Who's never been afraid of it. Who loves me when I'm the version of myself that makes me feel like myself."

Suresh swallowed hard, trying to calm the excitement in his shaking hands.

"Because... what's the point in living, if you don't chase the things that make you feel alive?"

Suresh looked up, and found her looking straight at him. His entire future was in her hands, his life as well, he would give every part of himself to her willingly. He loved her, he wanted her, he needed her. He held her gaze, breathing deeply, as the tiniest smile tugged at her cheek.

"So the person I choose... is always going to be Suresh."

The others could've cheered, or they could've breathed fire, and he wouldn't have noticed. He crossed the firepit, pulling Jade into his arms, kissing her deeply as her arms wrapped around his neck. He could've died in that moment, committing the feeling to memory, knowing that this would be the one he'd relive in his head until the day he died.

The rest of the recoupling progressed without their focus, which was entirely on each other. Kat and Finn, Dana and Lulu, Alfie going home with his tail between his legs and not so much as a farewell from Jade. She was too busy with him, down at the firepit, doing nothing but existing in each others presence. The others squealed with excitement, running down from the villa to join Suresh and Jade at the firepit.