Souls Tied: A Love Island Tale (Aaron x Rob)

Baked Beans

"Do you like baked beans?"

Kaylor struck Aaron with this unusual inquiry as they stood by the firepit facing each other. He swam back into his memory, hoping to dig up a normal-ish reply.

Baked... beans? That doesn't ring a bell...

"I like baked beans," Kaylor continued, "I like Chipotle beans!"

"Chipotle? What's Chipotle?"

Both burst into laughter. Aaron's stomach cramped as he plopped down on the yellow couch. He definitely had a long way to go before he was fully accustomed to the American culture of the island. "Oh, sh*t" were the only words he could make out through his embarrassment.

"You don't know what Chipotle is?" Kaylor exclaimed with her ear-piercing valley girl accent, seeing through Aaron's uncertainty, "It's the best restaurant EVER!"

Aaron patted the cushion next to him as she sat down. He yapped some words to her in his thick British dialect* that proceeded to make her crack up. Once the conversation died down, they took a few moments to catch their breath.

I could get used to a chatterbox, I think...

"I feel, like, actually happy right now," he sighed.

"Me too! You, like, made me cry," Kaylor admitted as she dabbed the tears under her eyes, "Like, I'm actually in tears right now! So, what are you, like, looking for?"

"My family is watching this. As soon as I, like, walked in, they were probably like, 'He's going to go for Kaylor, 100 percent.'"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yuh-huh! I'm not even gonna lie, earlier I tried to keep it together. I was like, 'Shall I smile everywhere?' I was like... AAAH!"

Aaron imitated a scream with a hand hovering over his mouth. The couple exchanged some more laughter.

"I shouldn't say this," Kaylor began, "But whenever I kissed you and I kissed Rob, like, it was, like, such a big difference."

Aaron glanced over at Rob, who was lounging on another couch a few paces away with Leah, chuckling at whatever she had to say.

She seems funny. Or he seems funny.

Aaron shifted his focus back to Kaylor, who still had spots of mascara under her blue orbs from earlier tears. Taking in the lighthearted scene, he filled his mind with affirmations.

Sharing a bed with her is the best-case scenario. I would absolutely be gutted if it were with anyone else. I already feel like a winner.

"So, sleeping arrangements..." he proposed at the thought of the night ahead, "I like to cuddle, if it's okay with you."

"Okay, perfect! Yeah, I'm excited! And then when we get off the island, we'll get smiley faces tattooed on our big toes."

"I'll get one on one side, and you get one on the other one..."

"Okay, how about this? I do yours with a stick-and-poke, and you do mine!"

Aaron squeezed Kaylor's hands and flamboyantly bounced with excitement. They both squealed in harmony.

"YES! I'm SO excited!" he giggled, "That's my love language right there!"

"Shall we head to the kitchen?" Kaylor asked as they both stood up.

"Of course, can I have a kiss quickly?"

Kaylor leaned in and pressed her lips against Aaron's, intertwining her arms around his waist. He lightly grabbed her head in the moment. They pulled away after a few moments and the two began strolling to the kitchen. Aaron wrapped his arm around Kaylor's torso and once again looked in Rob's direction. He was still engaged with whatever Leah had to say, but this time his blue jacket was resting over the back of the couch.

I've secured the girl, but it would be nice to secure some friendships in the villa, too.

*I had no clue what they were talking about at the moment. I rewatched the clip on YouTube and I can't understand a single word Aaron says without subtitles lol :)