Summer's POV
Summer woke up to chaos.
"Summer! Ethan! You're trending!" screamed one of the production assistants, running down the beach with a tablet.
Half-asleep, Summer blinked. "I'm what?"
"Trending! Number one! #TeamEthanSummer has, like, two million views already!"
Ethan sat up beside her, still half tangled in his blanket. "You're kidding."
"Nope! The audience loves you two. Especially the part where you high-fived after catching coconuts. Someone edited it with romantic music."
Summer groaned, covering her face. "Oh god. They're shipping us."
Ethan smirked. "Could be worse. At least they didn't call us enemies."
The assistant grinned. "Oh, they did. But they love enemies-to-lovers arcs."
Summer dropped her head back onto the pillow. "I hate the internet."
Ethan chuckled. "The internet loves you, though."
---
Two hours later, the host called everyone to the main beach for the next challenge.
"Congratulations, contestants! Some of you have gone viral!"
All eyes turned to Summer and Ethan.
The host winked. "To celebrate, today's task is a special Romance Edition Challenge! Each team must recreate a romantic moment using natural materials. The audience will vote for the best one!"
Summer blinked. "You mean… like a date?"
"Exactly! Build your own island date."
Ethan muttered, "They're never going to stop milking this, are they?"
"Not until someone cries on camera," Summer replied.
The host clapped his hands. "You have until sunset. Make it magical!"
---
Ethan's POV
He had done a lot of ridiculous things for TV—dancing in rainstorms, pretending to faint on cue—but building a "romantic scene" with his ex under tropical heat topped the list.
Summer stood beside him, hands on her hips. "So. What do we have to work with?"
He glanced at the pile of supplies: seashells, palm leaves, driftwood, and a small heart-shaped stencil the crew had clearly added for drama.
"Perfect," he said dryly. "We'll make a love shrine."
She shot him a look. "You're not funny."
"I'm a little funny."
"Barely."
Still, they started gathering shells and arranging them in a heart shape on the sand. Summer insisted on symmetry; Ethan insisted it didn't matter. They argued for ten minutes until both gave up laughing.
When the sun began to dip, their "romantic scene" actually looked… nice.
A driftwood arch, decorated with leaves. Shells outlining a small path. Even a bench made from old crates.
Summer tilted her head. "Not bad."
Ethan wiped his hands. "You doubted me."
"I still do. But this is… okay."
He grinned. "High praise coming from you."
---
Summer's POV
As cameras circled, the host announced, "Time for the couple's confession round! Each team will answer a question about their partner!"
Summer stiffened. "Oh no."
The host turned to her first. "Summer, what's Ethan's most annoying habit?"
She didn't hesitate. "He acts calm when he's actually judging everyone."
The crowd laughed. Ethan raised a brow. "Not true."
"Oh really?" she teased. "Then why do you smirk every time someone trips?"
"That's observation, not judgment."
"Same thing!"
The audience roared with laughter.
Then the host turned to Ethan. "And Ethan, what do you miss most about Summer?"
The question hit harder than expected.
He paused. Cameras zoomed in.
Summer crossed her arms. "Well?"
He smiled faintly. "Her honesty."
That caught her off guard. For a second, the world seemed to go quiet.
The host clapped, delighted. "Beautiful answer! Give it up for Team Ethan and Summer!"
---
After filming ended, they sat by their finished "date spot," watching the sky turn orange.
Summer traced circles in the sand. "You didn't have to say that, you know."
He glanced at her. "It was true."
She looked away. "You're too good at this reality-show thing."
"I wasn't acting."
The words hung between them, carried by the wind.
Summer wanted to say something, anything—but before she could, a production assistant ran up holding a phone. "You guys won the audience vote! Viewers said your chemistry was 'unreal!'"
Summer forced a smile. "Yay. Chemistry."
Ethan leaned back on his elbows, watching her. "Seems we're stuck being the fan favorites."
"Yeah," she said softly. "Stuck."
But as she met his gaze, her stomach fluttered in that annoying, dangerous way that had nothing to do with the cameras.
Maybe the fans weren't the only ones getting fooled.