The warm breeze felt good on Louis’ face as he stepped off the plane. Eight hours crammed into a flight, spent mostly kissing Eleanor until his lips were sore. He took her hand, guiding her toward the small shuttle van waiting outside the terminal. Inside, two other couples were already seated.
The first pair was a tall guy with brown hair and eyes, and a girl who barely reached his shoulder, mirroring his coloring. Her cheeks were full, making her look even more gorgeous.
Behind them, another couple was tangled in a passionate embrace. Long, blonde hair cascaded around the girl’s face, perfectly curled. Her makeup was flawless, she looked like a queen. Louis thought, if he wasn’t already taken, he’d probably be vying for her attention as one of the show’s resident ‘seducers’. The guy had dark eyes and hair, his skin a shade darker, and he was…handsome. Seriously handsome.
Louis decided to introduce himself, breaking the silence.
“Hi! I’m Louis.” He offered a smile to the others in the van. The girl in the back unlocked her lips, her eyes flicking to Louis’ blue eyes. “Hi, Louis! I’m Perrie. So nice to meet you.”
“Zayn,” her boyfriend muttered, barely glancing up. He locked lips with Perrie again, resuming their make-out session. Louis raised an eyebrow, confused. He understood missing each other, but no need to be rude.
“I’m Liam. This is Maya.” The guy sitting behind Louis introduced himself and his girlfriend. Louis, Eleanor, Liam, and Maya fell into conversation, until the last couple entered the van. Louis turned, curious about the person he’d be spending the next three weeks with.
“Hey everybody! I am Harry! Harry Styles!” Harry had chocolate-brown hair, a mess of curls framing his face. His eyes were emerald green, and his teeth… they were blindingly white. His cheeks were a bit chubby, making him look adorable, but his arms and chest, barely concealed by his shirt, were covered in tattoos. His smile lit up his cheeks, and his eyes sparkled with excitement. Louis found himself captivated. He was maybe two or three years younger than him, and… god, he was gorgeous.
Louis was so lost in watching Harry that he didn’t notice the blonde girl beside him, introducing herself as Taylor.
Now with all the couples seated, the driver started the engine and drove them to the location where they would meet the presenters of the show and be split up for three weeks. It took about an hour before they arrived at their destination.
“Contestants, hello!” An Irish blond lad, Niall Horan, stood waiting for them. His co-host this year was the beautiful Amelia Woolley.
“Hi, Niall, Amelia,” the couples said in unison.
“So first of all, I would like you all to introduce yourselves a bit. Let’s start with… Perrie and Zayn? How long have you been together and why are you participating in Temptation Island?” Amelia asked.
It was Perrie who spoke. Zayn was a quiet man, apparently not much for talking.
“Zayn and I have been together for four years, and we’re engaged. If everything goes well, we’ll be getting married this summer. Of course, all of you will be invited.”
The other couples cheered, and Perrie waited for them to calm down before continuing.
“We’re participating because we want to see what it’s like to be apart. We do everything together—grocery shopping, our jobs, our hobbies, our friends. It’s a new experience, and we’re really excited, aren’t we, babe?” Perrie squeezed Zayn’s hand, and he just nodded, refusing to speak.
“And then we have you!” Niall pointed at Liam and Maya.
“Well, Maya and I have been together for… 1.5 years?” Liam looked questioning at his girlfriend, who playfully slapped his arm. “One year and seven months,” she corrected.
“Yeah, exactly. We’re participating because people doubt our relationship. My parents don’t approve of Maya. This way, we want to show them that nothing can break us, even surrounded by temptation.” Liam explained.
“That’s so cute!” Harry cooed, and others nodded in agreement.
“I wish you good luck, Liam and Maya. Now… Louis and Eleanor?” Amelia looked at the third couple.
“El and I have been together for a long time. We’re high school sweethearts. We started dating when I was fourteen and El was thirteen.” Louis explained.
“How old are you?” Niall asked.
“I’m twenty-one, El is twenty. So we’ve been together for seven years.” Louis said proudly, kissing El on the cheek.
“Seven years? Why risk your relationship, guys? You sound pretty serious.” Niall was shocked by how long the couple had been dating.
“I know El and I will make it. We’ve had each other through everything for seven years, and I don’t think anything can break us now. I trust him, and he trusts me. Participating will only bring our relationship to the next level.” Eleanor explained, and Louis nodded, supporting his girlfriend’s words.
“And last but not least… Harry and Taylor!” Amelia announced.
Harry flashed his beautiful smile again and started talking. “Tay and I have been together for two years.”
“I slipped up once in the past,” Taylor admitted, her head bowed in shame. “And luckily Harry forgave me. I want to show him with this experiment that I love him and that it’ll never happen again. He’s the one for me. I love him, and only him.”
The curly-haired lad looked proudly at his girlfriend, tightening their grip on each other’s hands.
“I love Tay, and that’s why I forgave her. If we survive the test, there will be a ring involved at the end of Temptation Island. I’ll ask her to marry me.” Harry’s cheeks flushed red, and the faces of the other couples were shocked.
“Marry? How old are you?” Perrie asked bluntly.
“I’m nineteen. Tay is twenty-three, though.”
The others nodded. They weren’t judging, but nineteen seemed young for a guy to get married. Especially a guy like Harry, who clearly enjoyed life. He shouldn’t be held back by a cheating girlfriend.
“Okay then, couples. It’s time to say goodbye. You’ll see each other again in three weeks—maybe still together, maybe single.” Niall said cheekily.
Louis turned to Eleanor, wiping a tear from her cheek. “Why are you crying, love?” He whispered, cupping her face in his hands.
“I’m going to miss you,” she sobbed. Louis held her tightly, kissing the crown of her head.
“I’m going to miss you too, baby, but we’ll be fine. Nothing has broken us in the past seven years, nothing can break us now in these three weeks. I love you, princess.” Louis tilted her head with his finger and connected their lips.
“Okay, girls get in the jeep with Amelia. Boys come with me on the boat. Your adventure is starting right now!”
The couples gave each other one last kiss, all wanting to savor the feeling for the next three weeks. Louis waved at El and mouthed an ‘I love you’ before stepping onto the boat. Here he goes.