‘Okay, onto the next girl,’ Ali instructs.

I don’t have long to feel nervous before I feel a pair of hands take hold of my shoulders and pull me close. As his lips meet mine a sense of familiarity washes over me. I’d know Daniel’s moves anywhere. As his beard brushes against my face and his hands firmly squeeze my shoulders, it feels like home. Like my favourite pair of snuggly pyjamas and my own, lovely bed… and yet it feels so wrong. It’s like something pretending to be something of mine – it might seem familiar, but it’s a copy of something I used to have. It only takes me a few seconds to adjust my body language to something unwelcoming, shrugging him off.

There’s one thing that’s bothering me more than how wrong the kiss felt, and that’s why he kissed me – he really kissed me. He kissed me like every single passionate kiss he’s ever given me over the four years we’ve been together. Why would he do that to me now, with his new girlfriend standing right next to us?

‘And the second boy,’ Ali prompts.

I know that was Daniel, so this has to be Freddie. I listen carefully for his kiss with Eva.

I hear a loud, overly exaggerated ‘mwah’ sound. Freddie is doling out pecks, which is a huge relief. Not only because I don’t want him to kiss Eva, but because, after I pecked him earlier, it kind of levels the playing field. I already know how the peck goes.

‘And the second girl,’ Ali says.

A few seconds go by, but nothing happens. I can hear every shallow breath I take, roaring in my ears, louder than the ocean lapping against the shore.

I feel someone… not physically, but I sense them moving into my personal space. It’s a bizarre feeling, being able to tell someone is so close to me, without actually touching them.

First his hands rest lightly on my cheeks. Then they slide slowly over my neck where his palms rest, his fingers lightly creeping up my head, getting lost in my hair. As his body moves towards mine, pressing softly against mine, it feels like an age before our lips finally meet. The peck I was expecting never comes. Instead, Freddie takes my bottom lip and sucks it lightly for a split second. As his mouth pulls away from mine, my lips find a mind of their own and follow his, as if they’re under some sort of spell. Our lips find each other again and we kiss – I mean, really kiss, and the fact that my eyes are covered makes it all the more intense. I run my hands up Freddie’s sides and across his bare back, which is still uncovered from the previous competition.

All of a sudden our kiss comes to a halt, as buckets of water cascade down over us. I can’t help but think about what a shame it is because I was really starting to get into this game.