Chapter 15
Oliver
Neil Steel: Looks like everybody’s favourite boy-toy boxer is getting a blast from his past…
in the form of Alex Turner wannabe James Rowe!
James Rowe: ‘I don’t think my old pal Declan will be too pleased with me…
but I couldn’t pass on a girl like Zoe.
She’s a knockout.’
Neil Steel: Well, at least Declan found himself a new girl of his own, right?
Declan King: ‘Zoe and I were rock solid when she left. She’ll come back to me…
She’s all I want.’
Neil Steel: Uh…
that was painful to watch.
Looks like Declan might finally find his fighting spirit again.
James, if I were you, I’d run – as for me, I’ll be hiding in the corner.
Oliver watched Declan tense as a man entered the patio with Zoe’s.
He was taller than Oliver, with slicked-back dark hair, an earring in one ear and an expression of disdain.
‘Is this the competition, babe?’ he asked, shooting a bored look around the garden, eyes coming to rest on Declan.
‘We’ve got it in the fucking bag.’
‘ Fuck ,’ Declan said, barely audible above the commotion surrounding them.
‘What—’ Oliver started.
He was drowned out by Darcy, who looked delighted.
‘Language, James!’
‘What the—’ Declan started to say, louder, seemingly oblivious to Darcy’s command.
‘Sorry,’ the man – James – said, without a hint of apology in his tone.
‘Do we have to reshoot, Darce?’
She shook her head and signalled to keep rolling.
The nearest camera panned over to Declan, whose mouth was moving without making a sound.
Oliver instinctively stood, though he wasn’t sure how he could possibly help things.
‘Declan, mate, how’s it going?’
James said, with a wide smile.
‘Nice to see a friendly face in these parts.’
Zoe frowned at James.
‘You two know each other?’
‘We have mutual friends in London,’ James said smoothly.
‘I was looking forward to catching up.’
Declan found his voice.
‘Mutual friend ,’ he spat out, turning to Zoe.
‘What’s all this then, Zo?’
To her credit, Zoe looked apologetic as she opened her mouth to reply.
‘Well,’ James cut in, ‘clearly she wasn’t satisfied with you.
What can I say? I please her much better than you did.’
He winked.
Declan lunged at him, grabbing him and shaking him hard.
It would have been comical, what with their height difference, but the unrestrained anger emanating from Declan put them on more even footing.
Oliver felt sick, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away.
He’d never seen Declan act this way before, had never even seen an inkling of the rage that had taken hold of him.
James laughed, carefully fixing a lock of hair that had fallen out of place.
‘Oh, that is so you, Decs, trying to fight your way out of this. But let’s call it what it is: the better man finally winning the girl.’
‘You have no fucking clue what you’re talking about,’ Declan said, shoving James.
‘That was always your problem.’
‘Now, boys,’ Darcy said, trying to defuse the tension.
It was clear she had wanted a fight when James entered the villa, but the situation had got out of hand.
Oliver wanted to do something, anything, to help, but he felt rooted to the spot.
James looked down at Declan.
‘What’s this? Declan King can’t handle the taste of his own medicine?
Maybe now you’ll learn not to touch other people’s thi—’
Declan didn’t let him finish, his fist flying out to meet the side of James’s jaw.
James fell to the ground, Declan advancing on him before Brian and a cameraman rushed in and grabbed him by the shoulders, holding him back.
‘That’s enough!’ Darcy shrieked.
‘Get him out of here!’ The crew hauled Declan into the villa.
Oliver was left reeling.
Declan had attacked James, had looked angrier than Oliver had ever seen him, all because of Zoe.
It felt like a revelation, though he didn’t know why.
Declan had made his feelings for Zoe explicit to Oliver at every opportunity, and Oliver had chosen to block it out.
Whatever might have happened, or he had thought might have happened, between the two of them the night before had clearly been a misunderstanding.
He took a deep breath, feeling an overwhelming sense of embarrassment.
Paige emerged from the villa, flushed, her hair falling out of its customary bun.
She hurried to Darcy’s side, exchanged a few inaudible words with the host, then turned to the remaining group.
‘All right, everyone?’ she asked, her tense tone contrasting with her false smile.
She seemed to genuinely expect an answer, eyes drifting between the contestants pleadingly.
When she made eye contact with Oliver, he looked down.
‘Uh, no,’ Jack said.
Maeve was clutching his arm so hard that her fingers made indentations in his skin, but he didn’t seem to notice, pressing on: ‘What’s happened to Declan?’
‘He’s taking some time to cool off.’
Paige glanced at Darcy.
‘I’d also like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that physical violence is absolutely prohibited.
If conflict occurs, please feel free to take a moment off camera to collect yourself.’
She said the lines as though reciting out of the rule book.
‘Is he going to be kicked off the show, then?’ James asked gleefully.
Jack scowled at him, taking a step in his direction before heeding Paige’s warning look.
‘ Let’s all mellow out .’
She stared pointedly at Jack.
‘No, Declan’s been given a warning.
It won’t happen again, I can assure you of that.
Your safety is our priority.’
Part of Oliver wanted to ask if he could talk to Declan, but he had just been reminded it wasn’t his place.
He didn’t recognise Declan at the moment; the man who’d thrown that punch was a complete stranger to him, nothing like the man who had shared his bed the night before.
Darcy stepped forward.
‘I’m off. Let’s keep things civil , shall we?’
She gave them one final haughty look before walking out.
Paige sighed. ‘Why don’t you all sit back down?’
Oliver hesitated before sitting with Eavie.
No one seemed to want to be the first one to break the silence.
Usually Jack would be the one to make introductions, but he looked lost in his own world.
Finally, Zoe spoke, looking at Jack.
‘I didn’t mean for things to blow up,’ she said quietly.
‘I thought for sure he’d…
I didn’t know he cared that much.’
Jack ignored her, though Oliver couldn’t tell if he’d even registered that she had been talking to him.
‘Zoe, you’re so lucky,’ Imogen sighed.
‘I would love to have two men fighting over me.’
There was a charged pause.
‘This is Owen,’ Holly joked, elbowing him in the side.
She levelled a stern look at the men.
‘He’s already been dropped once, so I expect you all to treat him nicely.’
‘Only the best behaviour for you, Holls,’ Jack said, recovering slightly.
‘I’ll try not to attack him,’ Oliver found himself saying.
Without looking, he knew Paige was making a face at him.
‘Hey, no hard feelings,’ James said.
‘I know you all have known Decs for longer, but I swear I’m a solid, no-drama type of guy.’
Imogen raised an eyebrow.
‘How do you two know each other, anyway?’
James shrugged, giving her an easy smile.
‘He tried to steal my girlfriend.’ His tone was light, betraying no hint of deception.
‘He played nice, acted like we were friends, but I all but caught them in the act when I came back from tour.’
‘ Right ,’ Jack muttered, just loud enough for Oliver to hear.
Oliver would have liked to share Jack’s unflinching loyalty to Declan, but his feelings were more muddled.
Hadn’t Declan stolen Zoe from him in the first week of the show?
Hadn’t he insisted that they be friends?
James’s story only added to Oliver’s sense that he had no idea who he was dealing with.
‘Oliver,’ Maeve said quickly, with a worried glance at James, ‘I’m glad you’ve found someone.
You two seem well-suited.’
‘I’m lucky I got the chance to snap him up,’ Eavie said.
‘You lot are mad for not doing it sooner.’
Paige looked like she wanted a strong drink.
‘Let’s wrap,’ she said curtly.
‘Bedtime.’
As they walked towards the villa, Eavie slipped her hand into Oliver’s.
‘I hope it’s not always this dramatic,’ she said.
‘I wanted to get some alone time with you.’
‘Me too,’ he lied.
He had seen potential with Eavie only yesterday, but he couldn’t manage to reconjure that feeling amongst everything else in his head.
As he crawled into bed with her, he couldn’t stop thinking about the night before.
When she mumbled ‘Good night,’ he thought of the quiet words he and Declan had exchanged on the daybed, and how the way Declan had looked at him had made his whole body feel electric.
Oliver had avoided even thinking the words in the daylight, but at night, he was able to finally admit it to himself: Declan had been about to kiss him.
There was no other explanation for what had happened between them the night before.
And the strangest part: Oliver had been about to let him.
He waited for panic to set in, but it didn’t come.
He’d been about to kiss a man, but it somehow didn’t feel as life-altering as it should have.
Instead, the scene played over and over in Oliver’s head, now steeped in a profound confusion.
In the moments after Declan had punched James, Oliver had rewritten the night before, assuming he had misinterpreted something.
But maybe he hadn’t – hearing James’s explanation of his history with Declan, he had to wonder if it was all part of some twisted game.
He’d thought he had learned to distinguish the real Declan from the performance, but his anger when his fist connected with James’s jaw?
That hadn’t been rehearsed; it was probably the first act he knew to be fully Declan’s – and it terrified him, how foreign Declan seemed to him now.
When Oliver woke the next morning, he was sure he had overreacted.
Trying to be rational, he formulated a plan: before assuming anything, he would talk to Declan.
The first problem presented itself when he walked out to the kitchen and didn’t see him swimming laps.
Instead, he found Paige sitting at the counter with two mugs in front of her.
‘All right?’ Oliver asked.
‘Yeah, fine,’ she said, not sounding it.
She seemed to realise who she was talking to, straightening suddenly.
‘You’re looking for Declan?’
He tried to sound casual, though he felt like he might go mad if he didn’t talk to Declan before the cameras arrived.
‘Er, yeah. He always takes a swim about now, but…’ He gestured towards the empty pool.
Paige took a sip of tea.
‘I just talked to him. He’s taking a shower – I gave him licence to use all the hot water, as an apology of sorts.’
Oliver tried to hide his disappointment.
‘Gee, I’m sure everyone else will be pleased.’
‘How’s things with Eavie?’
she asked, ignoring him.
‘Good. I think there’s a lot of potential there,’ he said, feeling self-conscious in a way he hadn’t for several weeks.
He felt as though he was trying to convince Paige of something, reciting lines the way she’d once accused him of.
She looked at him sideways, and Oliver wasn’t sure he’d sold it.
‘Good. We brought her on for you. I know you like dancers,’ she said.
Oliver blinked at her.
‘It’s creepy when you say stuff like that, just so you know.’
‘Be nice to me,’ Paige said, finishing her tea.
‘I’m going to give you a date today.’
‘Fine, you’re not a stalker,’ he said drily.
‘Happy?’
Oliver kept an eye out for Declan as he started on breakfast and the other contestants slowly trickled out of the villa.
When Eavie joined Oliver in the kitchen, he hardly noticed.
As more and more of the crew arrived, the tension in his chest grew.
He knew it would be impossible for him to say what he needed to in front of the cameras.
When Declan finally exited the villa, hair wet and skin glistening, Oliver abandoned his post at the stove, handing his spatula over to Eavie.
He rounded the counter and took off after Declan, who stopped a few feet away from the pool, looking into its depths.
‘All right?’ Oliver asked.
Declan let out a weary sigh.
‘I don’t want to do this with you right now.’
He didn’t sound angry, but his tone wasn’t reassuring either.
Oliver felt a flicker of annoyance.
Things had irreversibly shifted for him in the last two days, and he no longer knew if Declan cared at all.
‘Do what with me right now? You can’t talk to me?’
Declan shook his head.
It would have been difficult to sustain anger for someone who looked so miserable under different circumstances.
‘Fine,’ Oliver said tightly.
‘Come and find me when you’re ready to talk.’
Declan’s eyes flashed to the nearest camera, then back to the water.
Oliver backed off, though he wanted to scream with frustration.
As he headed towards the kitchen, determined to finish making breakfast with Eavie, Paige intercepted him.
‘Smile, Oliver,’ she said brightly.
‘Don’t much feel like it,’ he muttered.
‘Look, I don’t know exactly what’s going on with you,’ she said.
‘But I do know that Declan’s ratings are fine right now, so no need to worry about him.’
‘Yeah, fine.’ He hadn’t even considered the ratings for the last few days, and now it was one more thing for him to worry about.
The thought of going back home empty-handed, of the long hours he would have to put in to afford his move, seemed impossible.
She nudged his shoulder.
‘You’re about to go on your date,’ she whispered.
‘You might want to make it look like you’re not walking to the executioner’s block.’
Oliver did feel better at the prospect of leaving the villa for the afternoon – a date had never sounded more appealing.
‘Go back behind the counter with Eavie and sell it,’ Paige instructed.
‘The cooking thing was cute.’
Eavie smiled at him, flipping a piece of bacon as he came up beside her.
Maeve and Jack and Stella and Niall sat on either end of the counter, with Imogen happily wedged between them.
‘Declan’s not eating?’
Eavie asked.
‘Nah, he’s not hungry,’ Oliver said.
Jack gave a worried glance over his shoulder.
‘It’s not like him,’ he said quietly.
‘I’m sure he’ll cheer up soon,’ Imogen said, taking a large bite of bacon.
‘Ooh, Eavie, this is delicious.’
‘I think we should give him some space,’ Oliver said to Jack just as the chime sounded.
‘Oliver,’ Darcy announced, ‘time for you to get a little lucky. Take the Lover of your choice out on a date. Third time’s the charm, right?’
Oliver looked at Eavie with what he hoped was a thoroughly adoring expression.
‘Eavie, will you go on this date with me?’
She side-stepped towards him, their elbows knocking together.
‘Of course.’
Oliver saw Paige watching them expectantly in his peripheral vision.
She had told him to sell it, so he leaned down and kissed Eavie for good measure.
Jack wolf-whistled, and when Oliver looked up, the other contestants were grinning.
The chime sounded again.
‘Declan, you and a lucky Lover will join Oliver and Eavie on their date.’
Oliver noticed that Declan was standing behind the others, face carefully blank, his stare trained between Oliver and Eavie.
‘Oh,’ Oliver said, his stomach sinking.
The fact that Paige had failed to mention this aspect of the date made it even more ominous.
‘Imogen, how about it?’ Declan asked, looking down the counter at her.
‘I’ve been waiting my whole life for those words, Declan King,’ she said dramatically.
He rewarded her with a small smile.
‘Let’s crack on, then?’
he asked, eyes back on Oliver.