A Million Little Things

Chapter Two

Standing around the fire pit Aliyah looked over at all her fellow islanders, some looking more nervous than others. Allison and Hamish looked the most calm, sitting together on the couch with Allison's legs thrown over Hamish's and her hand tangled in his hair. Clearly, she had marked her claim and Aliyah couldn't blame her. Looking to her right, she caught Maddie's eyes and nodded.

Suddenly a text sounded and Henri grabbed his phone out of his pocket.

'Islanders, it is time to couple up. Henri, you are first to pick your partner.'

Henri licked his lips and nervously looked around the circle before his eyes locked with Aliyah. Aliyah sent him a small smile, and she saw his whole posture relax.

"The girl that I am going to couple up with is a girl who I haven't really had a chance to get to know yet, but somebody who I really want too. I've seen what an incredible friend she is and for that reason, I choose to couple up with Maddie."

Maddie looked at Henri in surprise for a moment before a smile broke out across her face and she walked across the fire pit and gave Henri a big hug.
"Thanks Henri," she said, pulling back and giving him a beaming smile. "That means a lot." Henri smiled back and took her hand, sitting down on the couch.

Another phone pinged and this time it was Hamish, who stood up and looked down at Allison, who was giving him a feral smile in return.

"This will come as no surprise," he began, a blush beginning to creep up on his cheeks. "But this girl and I hit it off like no other. She's unreal and I cannot wait to get to know her better. So I choose to couple with Allison." Allison stood up and threw her arms around Hamish's neck, pulling him down for a kiss. Hamish wrapped his arms around Allison's back, pulling her closer into his chest. Allison's hands wound their way to Hamish's hair as their kiss became more intense.

Aliyah let out a low whistle and the two pulled apart, faces flushed. Allison looked over at Aliyah and gave her a salute before grabbing Hamish's hand and practically dragging him down onto the seat. She threw her legs over his and turned to the rest of the islanders, her eyes twinkling in the light of the fire.
Chen's phone pinged next and he stood up, locking eyes with Aliyah.

"I'm going to keep this short. I'm choosing this girl because I think she is absolutely out of this world, and I cannot wait to get to know her. I'm choosing to couple up with Aliyah." Aliyah smiled and made her way over to Chen, giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks Chen," She said, reaching for his hand. "I'm excited to get to know you, too." They sat down and looked over at Finn, who was the last to pick.

"Alright," Finn began, standing up and brushing down his shirt. "The girl I'm going to choose is somebody who I think I can absolutely get along with. She's fire, and I cannot wait to see what kind of sparks we can make together. I choose to couple up with Melissa." Melissa grinned and ran over to Finn, throwing her arms around his neck and bringing his face down to hers, locking their lips together. Aliyah couldn't help but grimace at the sounds they made, and she shifted awkwardly in her seat, letting out a cough. Thankfully, they pulled away and grinned at each other, before practically running from the fire pit.

Eventually, one by one the new couples broke off from the fire pit, leaving just Aliyah and Chen sitting in front of the flames.

"So," Chen began, awkwardly clearing his throat. "I hope you weren't upset that I chose you. I just thought it would be great to get to know you."

Aliyah shook her head and smiled at Chen.

"I'm happy. I want to get to know you too." She said, grabbing a stick and absentmindedly pushing the wood around in the fire pit.