Tai Up My Heart

Day 5: Three's A Crowd

I slowly opened my eyes as birdsong filled the air. I was gently cradled in thick, strong arms. There was a moment of panic, then I saw him. Tai. He was real. Not a dream. I reached my arm around his waist and squeezed. He stirred, pulling me closer.

"Good morning," he whispered, "I hope it's ok that I brought you back here. You were out like a light and I didn't know which tent was yours."

"It's more than ok," I beamed at him. This was the most content I felt since entering the villa.

I debated on whether or not I should get back to my tent. The other new Islanders stirred, though. And they had questions.

They new boy, an Irishman names Ciaran, looked disappointed when he saw me with Tai. He introduced himself and tried to put on an air of confidence.

The girl, a tiny Indian girl with a very earthy vibe, was Yasmin. She was quiet, and mysterious, and I liked her right away.

"How is it you're here, waking up with us?" she asked with a sly smile.

"We bumped into each other in the middle of the night. Accidental head start" Tai answered.

Ciaran glared. He must have wanted to turn my head as well. Too late.

"Come on. I'll make you guys breakfast. As a welcome to the villa"

We all piled out of the tent and made our way into the kitchen. Ciaran and Yasmin sat at the counter, but Tai offered to help.

This man is too good to be true.

"Not to brag, but, in my circle of people on the outside, I'm known for my scrambled eggs. Why don't I whip some up, and you can cook some bacon and make some toast?"

Tai beamed at me and nodded.

I turned the burner on a low setting and plopped some butter into a cast iron skillet. As the butter slowly melted I whisked together the eggs, cream, salt and pepper. I poured the mix into the skillet and let it sit. They key to amazing scrambled eggs is patience. Cook them low and slow, barely touching them. I'm pretty sure it was the one thing I had patience for.

Tai wrapped his arms around me and kissed me on top of my head. I melted, just like the butter.

"Olivia, we would ask some questions to get to know you, but... we kind of already do" said Ciaran.

"She should ask us some questions" Tai winked at me while he tended to the bacon, "But dont be offended if you can't get a straight answer out of Yasmin. That's just the way she is."

"I like to cultivate an air of mystery when I can," she smiled.

"But this one here, and me, we're a couple of open books" Tai gestured to himself and Ciaran.

"We'll try to give good answers, anyway," Ciaran blushed.

"Alright, pretty basic question for starters. What brought you to Love Island?"

Tai took the lead, "I'm just done with the whole 'lads on tour' thing. That's the real reason. I don't want to be running around seeing someone different every weekend. It used to be fun, but that's not who I am anymore. I'm ready to find someone I can settle down with. You know, long-term"

"I wanted to.... what's a good way of saying.... expand my options?" Ciaran answered next, "Waterford, my hometown, is great, but it's not a big place. Sometimes it feels like a already know everybody there. Especially working at a club, you know? And I know there's this whole big world of different people out here who think differently and feel differently. I wanna meet someone who makes me feel different, if that makes sense."