Rian was awake. The sun was brightening the night sky. She sighed, looking over at Bill, who was fast asleep. She liked him a lot, but she couldn’t let that impede her goal. That was why when he asked for something a bit more than a cuddle last night, she declined. She couldn’t get in too deep with anyone here. It was the same reasoning that she didn’t pick Camilo either. She couldn’t take the risk of getting too close to any of them. It wasn’t wrong for her to take a bit of time and enjoy herself. After all, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Rian knew she needed to be mindful, though. Friendships could be dangerous too, but not nearly as much so as love. She needed to keep her eyes on the prize. There was too much at risk.

Rian took another glance at Bill, who was peacefully sleeping and got up. Might as well start her day with a coffee. Stepping away from the tents, she saw they had put a superior, newer tent up a little way from the rest of them. Perhaps that was the noise that Viv heard last night when she woke Rian. It was apparent this is how the producers were adding new islanders to the mix. She quickly got her coffee and headed to the new tent. Meeting them before the others woke would give her an edge.

She walked over to the tent flap. She could hear voices. “Excuse me.” Rian said, “May I come in?”

A hand reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her in. “Whoa.” She tried to keep her coffee from spilling as they pulled in her. The large hand on her arm dropped. “I’m so sorry. You didn’t get burned, did you?” The boy talking was for lack of a better word towering over her.

Rian smiled up at him. “No worries. I’m good.” She looked around and saw aside from the boy. There stood another boy and a pretty girl who were quietly studying the situation.

“We should probably introduce ourselves.” The other boy said, extending his hand. “I’m Ciaran, without the fada.”

Rian extended her hand, “Hello, Ciaran.”

“You’re even prettier in person.” He said, taking shaking her hand.

“Thank you,” Rian replied. Ciaran seemed like a normal, likable lad.

The tall boy stepped forward. “Sorry about almost spilling your mug. I’m Tai.”

Rian smiled up at him. “No harm is done. It’s nice to meet you, Tai.” The boy was beautiful, Rian had to admit. His caramel complexion and sparkling brown eyes were full of life. Not to mention, he was fit. He reminded her in some ways of AJ, but a bit more relaxed.

“Can I get a hug?” He asked.

Rian smiled, “Of course.” His muscular arms wrapped around her, and she partially expected to be squished, but his hug was gentle—just the right amount of pressure.

The girl had been the quieter of them. She stepped forward, offering her hand with movement that was graceful and slow, “It must be fate that you were the first to find us. I’m Yasmin. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”

“Make yourself comfortable,” Ciaran said, gesturing to a cushion. Rian nodding before taking a seat.

“So tell us about yourself, Rian,” Tai said as they all settled into a circle.

“We already know plenty about Rian,” Yasmin said, smiling, “Why don’t we give her a chance to ask about us?”

“Good idea,” Tai smiled. “What would you like to know?”

Rian turned her attention to Yasmin. “What made you want to be on Love Island?”

“I think that’s a perfect first question.” Yasmin smiled faintly with amusement. “How can we ever move on to the greater mysteries of life if we don’t nail down the basics first? I want to meet someone who changes my life, even in a small way. You know? I think every interaction with another person changes us in some way.”

“Interesting outlook,” Rian said thoughtfully. Her gaze went to Ciaran. “What’s your type on paper?”

Ciaran thought about her question. “I don’t have a physical type. But in terms of personality, I like girls who are affectionate and soft. Because I’m kind of a big softy myself, so I need someone who likes walks on the beach and texting each all heart emojis and generally being a couple of total melts. Plus, if you’re good with dogs, that never hurts.”

“Ok, my question,” Tai rubbed his hands together. “Make it a good one.”

Rian smiled. “Tell me, Tai, what do you think of us islanders after what you’ve seen on TV?”

“Oh, now you’re getting to the spicy stuff,” Tai grinned. “I’ve been so excited to come to meet you all.”

“So, you don’t have your eye on someone in particular?” Rian asked playfully, skeptical.

“Well, right off the bat, you and AJ both caught my eye,” Tai admitted. “But now that I’m actually here, anything could happen. I guess we’ll see where the sparks fly.”

“Looks like they’re flying a bit already,” Yasmin teased. “But it’s hard to know how things will be just based on watching the show. You can get impressions from a distance, but once you get in the room with someone, your energies react in ways in which you might not realize.”

“Energies?” Ciaran asked.

“You know, the vibe you get with someone, one on one,” Yasmin explained, “It’s so important but difficult to predict.”

“I get what you mean,” Tai said, “We’ve all seen Rian on the telly, but we have these ideas about her. Now meeting her, we are still getting to know each other.”

“What kind of ideas?” Rian asked curiously.

“Well, the way you handled it when Iona stole Camilo,” Yasmin said, giving Rian a thoughtful look. “You were graceful and classy about it.”

“Then you switched it up and went for Bill at the next recoupling,” Tai added.

“Surprising,” Ciaran said.

“Speaking of Bill and recouplings…” Yasmin gave Rian a thoughtful look, “Do you think you’ll stay with him or switch things up?”

Rian shrugged, looking nonchalant. “I don’t know Bill’s a nice guy, but I like the idea of keeping my options open.”

Both Tai and Ciaran looked at Rian with interest. “So you’re not getting too comfortable yet,” Yasmin said, still studying her. “That’s cool. Sometimes the universe throws unexpected things at us, and the only thing we can do is to be open to it.”

A shout came from outside.” The other islanders must be awake,” Ciaran said.

“We should go meet them all,” Tai said, standing. Yasmin and Ciaran joined him.

Before they leave the tent, they paused, looking back at Rian. “Thanks for the chat, Rian. It was fun,” Tai said.

Ciaran looked over his shoulder. “And hey, if you want to get to know us even better while we’re gone… you can take a peek at my luggage.”

“Yea, mine too! I’ve nothing to hide.” Tai added.

“Me neither,” Yasmin said, “Go for it. Just remember, curiosity killed the cat.”

Rian knew by how awkward that exchange was that it was a ploy by the producers. She shrugged. If those three were ok with it, why not? It might make for good conversation starters later. The flap of the tent opened, and Seb stepped in. “I should have figured you’d be here.”

“So we got three new Islanders in one go, and you got to talk to them before anyone else. What do you make of them?” He flopped down on one of the pillows. “Tai seems like a great guy even if he’s a little intimidating.”

“I wouldn’t mind getting to know him a little better… or a lot better.” Rian teased.

“Rian!” Seb grinned, “You two would make such a power couple. What about Ciaran? He seems like a proper sweet lad. You know, take-home-to-mum material.”

“Ciaran seems a nice guy, but I don’t feel any spark with him,” Rian replied. She knew the public could be fickle. She needed to couple with a guy that was interesting to the public. Ciaran felt more like a safe bet to find a partner rather than an exciting personality.

Seb nodded, “Fair enough. Then there is Yasmin. She is hard to pin down and seemed a little less outgoing of the two. She is a musician. I said I’d never date another musician. But I might make an exception for her.”

“She’s pretty and mysterious. Potentially another girl to graft on as well.” Rian said.

“Oh wow,” Seb said, looking at Rian, “I hadn’t thought of that. I should have, though. You kissed AJ.” Rian winked at him. He looked over at the luggage. “Is that theirs?”

“Yea, they said I could take a rummage but wasn’t sure if I should,” Rian explained.

“What a splendid chance to get to know them better.” Seb’s eyes lit up.

Rian grinned at Seb’s child-like demeanor. “Go on then.”

“Yes!” Seb picked up the first suitcase and unzipped it. All the bikinis and dresses are neatly folded. “This must be Yasmin’s.”

“Well, you never know,” Rian teased.

Seb held up a tiny purple swimsuit. “I do not deny that Tai or Ciaran could both look fabulous in this, but I don’t think either would fit it.” He folds the swimsuit, returning it to the suitcase before carefully digging through. “Oh, this is interesting.”

“What did you find?” Rian asked.

“There’s a little badge here,” Seb said, lifting it to show her. “It looks homemade, adorable.” He turned it. “Says Enchanted Husband.”

“I wonder what that is,” Rian asked.

“I think it’s a band? I’m pretty sure a kid came into the shop once to ask if we carried their stuff. We didn’t, but it was unusual enough that it stuck in my mind. Maybe she is a fan.” Seb explained.

“Either that or she’s come to enchant herself a husband.” Seb teased.

“Let’s check another one,” Rian said, opening the next suitcase. It’s not early as tidy, but she pulled a shirt out of the bag. “By the size of it, this has to be Tai’s bag. “

“Wow, that shirt is a tent,” Seb said, “anything interesting.”

Rian rummaged around, and her hand found something small and hard. Pulling it out of the back, they could see it was a piece of broken pottery. She turned it over in her hand, inspecting it before handing it to Seb.

“I could be a person,” Seb said, eyeing it critically.

“Or a cow, depending on how you look at it,” Rian said.

“I wonder why he brought it here?” Seb asked.

“Perhaps protection against curses?” Rian teased.

“So he doesn’t end up as someone’s enchanted husband,” Seb laughed. “Makes sense.”

The last bag must be Ciaran’s. Seb unzipped it, the smell of fresh laundry wafts from inside.” I love that smell,” Seb said, taking a sniff. Tucked inside a side pocket of the bag, you find a small flat piece of metal.

“I think it’s a dog tag,” Rian said.

“What does it say?” Seb asked.

“Kerry,” Rian answered. “Perhaps that is his dog’s name.”

“That’s sweet. He must miss her loads if he brought the tag here,” Seb noted.

Putting everything back, Seb zipped the case closed. “Thanks for doing that with me. It’s been fun. Now we have something else to talk to the new Islanders about.”

Both Seb’s and Rian’s phones buzzed. They looked at each other and then read the messages. “I’ve got a date!” Seb said excitedly.

“Me too,” Rian said, looking over at him. “But it doesn’t say who it’s with.”

“I’m going out on a limb here and saying that mine is with Yasmin,” Seb smiled. “I don’t think I was Ciaran or Tai’s type.”