I Still Love You, I Promise

Cause It Was Never Mine

"Taz is smiling like he's won the lottery."

･❪ ❁ ❫ ･

*Isla POV*

"Good morning, contestants! Are you ready to greet another beautiful day in paradise?" Lana's voice rings out cheerfully, accompanied by the faint warmth of the sun on my face, signalling the start of a new day. Her announcement is met with the usual chorus of groans and murmured pleas for just five more minutes of sleep. Next to me, I hear Bear snuffling as he stretches, then feel the familiar weight of him settling on my lap, alert and ready for my next command.

"Please gather in the cabana for some announcements," Lana continues. More grumbling follows, with Giselle sounding particularly grumpy this morning. Through a sleepy haze, she mutters something about a cake she was dreaming of baking but never got to taste.

I stretch out my arms and legs, working to untangle myself from the knot of covers I've twisted around me in my sleep. Taz' deep, steady breaths next to me quicken as he stirs, the quiet clicks of his joints audible as he moves off the bed.

"Morning, Taz," I greet him with a soft smile in my voice.

"Morning," he replies simply.

"Bear didn't kick you again, did he?" I ask, my tone apologetic. Sharing a bed with someone else and Bear usually requires more space than we have here. With all three of us crammed together, things can get tight.

"Just a little," he replies kindly, his voice free of any resentment. "But who can stay mad at this face?" Bear gives a happy yip at Taz' words, and I can hear the soft rustle of fur as Taz pets him.

A pang of guilt hits me. Taz hadn't mentioned the first time it happened; I discovered it when I felt a new raised scar on his skin and asked about it. He had explained that Bear had been scratching him in his sleep. I had showered him with apologies, but he waved them off with a grin, saying he was made of tougher stuff than what a golden retriever could do to him.

"Come on, Bear, let's get ready," I say, standing up from the bed. Bear nudges against my leg, guiding me toward the dressing room. I listen for Taz, but there's no sound of him following. I guess he's already dressed after his morning run.

"It's so early," Carmen whines as I step into the dressing room. "This is an unreasonable time to be awake. I don't know how people do this."

"It's 8:30 a.m.," Beatriz replies, her voice flat and unimpressed.

"Yeah," Carmen responds simply, "exactly."

"Morning, everyone!" Giselle chirps as she bounces into the room, her voice bright and bubbly. "It's such a beautiful day outside! We should go to the beach!"

"That sounds fun," I say, carefully thumbing through my bikini options, feeling the different fabrics beneath my fingers.

"What do you think Lana's announcement will be?" Gigi asks. I can hear the sound of her twirling one of her braids, the slight swish of hair in contemplation.

"I hope it's a tasty new man," Beatriz says with a hint of hunger in her voice, as if she's close to drooling. "A gorgeous bombshell to shake things up."

"Are things not going well between you and Mattias?" I ask Bee softly, not wanting to pry but sensing there's more to her words.

"Ehhh," she begins, drawing the sound out. "He's hot, don't get me wrong, and so strong. Sometimes I just want to climb him like a tree..." Her voice trails off, and I can almost feel the heat of her blush as she pictures Mattias' chiselled physique.