James' face moves closer and closer, until our lips are brushing against one another's. It's soft, subtle and emotion-filled, and it's the perfect time. I feel his subtle lips caress my own, when his hand slips into my hair and pulls me even deeper in.

I'm kissing James McVey, and I like it.

*****

Emma P.O.V

The next morning ...

"Morning," Noel yawns, stretching his arms out and pulling the curtain back on the Royal Palace. "You're up early, aren't you?"

"Am I?" I ask with an irresistible grin. "I just woke up early, I guess."

I did wake up early. I decided to get some of the jungle jobs done, have an early shower and get ready for the day ahead.

The whole camp still lays silent, where the only noise is from Anne's subtle snoring.

After a few minutes, Noel and Harry both come down and sit beside the fire, waiting for one of the cooks to wake up to make them breakfast. "Nick?" Noel whispers over, hoping that'll be enough to wake him.

He doesn't stir.

"I'll wake him up," Harry laughs a belly laugh, stumbling over to the side of his bed and kneeling down by his ear. "JAM ROLIEPOLIE!" He yells in Nick's ear, almost causing him a heart attack.

My hysterical laughter also causes Fleur and James to wake up. It's not unusual to wake up to the sound of laughter in camp, as we all get along so well.

After what feels like forever, everyone gets up and starts the daily chores. Nick serves up my breakfast first because I keep complaining in his ear about how hungry I am.

As I'm eating, watching Malique and Fleur play some flirtatious game, a pair of arms wraps around my waist. "Good morning."

I recognise the voice. "Hey," I smile. "You hungry?"

"Starving."

Nick serves up his breakfast next. James and I end up taking our breakfast down to the side of the creek as a little getaway from camp.

"So, how was your night last night?" I tease James, taking a seat.

"It was weird, because I had a dream that I was sat by the fire, and then we starting chatting, and then you kissed me." He winks, taking a bite of rice.

"Uh, you kissed me!"

"No way!"

We end up having some sort of flirty argument as we finish our breakfast. "But seriously, I need to talk to you." I look at James puzzled. "How are we gonna do this?"

"What do you mean?" I ask him.

"Well, what are we now? We've known each other a week. I mean ... I like you. You know that." He blushes, scratching his face. "So what do we do?"

"Let's ... let's just see ... how things play out." I shrug, as it's the only answer I can think of. "But you know I like you."

He smiles, leans over, and pecks my cheek softly, causing me to go almost light-headed. "But for now, let's keep this between us," I ask him. "No one can know yet."

"Deal."

"Let's shake on it."

"Or, we could kiss on it?" He flashes his eyebrows at me, leaning in. I go to kiss his tender lips, but push him away last second and leg it back to camp.

I pace it through the brambles and bushes as the blonde boy chases after me, and we get back as everyone is congregated around the fire. "There you are!" Malique laughs. "Holly and Dec will be here in a second."

James and I sit down beside Fleur and Malique - who have gotten a lot closer lately. As if perfectly timed, Holly and Dec skip down the pathway, ready for today's announcements. "Good morning!" Dec smiles contagiously. "Now the public has not been voting for today's trial."

"The Empire has fallen, and the tables have turned. Noel, you and Harry will be taking on today's Bush Tucker Trial."

"We will see you all at the clearing very soon!"

I smack my hands on my thighs, beating up a drumroll. Finally, Noel and Harry have gotten their comeuppance, and we all get to sit and watch!

"It'll be eating!" I predict, picking up my water bottle and skipping to Anne and Sair.

"You have a spring in your step this morning?" Sair narrows her eyebrows. "What's up with you?"

'I'll tell you later,' I mouth back, but I know I won't, as James and I have agreed to keep this top secret.

At the trial clearing ...

"Hello, celebrities!" Dec bellows. "Welcome to your final time in the Roman Colosseum! Now as you know the Empire has fallen. The tables have turned, so Harry and The Emperor, please make your way over here."

Harry and Noel slope over to their chairs, where Noel is seated on a throne, and Harry just on a regular chair. The rest of us just get the glory of standing and watching. "Welcome, to Nero to Zero."

Noel's head falls into his hands. "Now this trial is pretty straightforward. For the first 7 stars, you must hold a creature inside your mouth for 60 seconds. We will reveal how to get the last 4 stars later on."

"Of course you can go back to camp, but that would mean no stars and no meals for anyone tonight. Are you gonna give it a go."

"I have to, I've got the grandkids watching at home."

Awhh.

"Well I'm that case, Emperor Noel, we shall start with you."

A ranger emerges from the gateway with a box full of critters.

"Noel, the first thing you have to hold in your mouth is ... a stick insect."

The ranger takes the lid off the box and puts the insect into his palm. "Open up wide, Noel, and give us a thumbs up when you're ready to start."

The stick insect is placed in Noel's mouth and he gives the thumbs up immediately. This is one that I wouldn't mind doing, as it's just a stick. The green creature doesn't look like it's moving too much, lucky enough for Noel.

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1."

The stick insect is removed from Noel's mouth and he rapidly swigs his drink. "One star Noel, well done!"

"That was bloody disgusting!"

After Harry successfully holds 6 beechworms in his mouth, Noel manages to keep hold of a yabby, in which Harry shouts one of the most hilarious lines of the serious.

"Yabby-Dabby-Do!" Harry breaks the tension with one of the most hysterical comments I've ever heard.

After, Noel powers through a huntsman spider, whilst Harry manages to fight off some witchety grubs and a burrowing cockroach.

"Star number 7, Noel." Dec recalls when a ranger presents a glass in his hand. "These are 20 cockroaches."

I take a deep breath in. What if they crawl down his throat?

Before Dec even has time to explain what to, Noel throws them down the hatch and gives the thumbs up. His limbs shake, his face fades to scarlet and he begins to tear up in fear.

As the time goes on and on for what seems like years, it looks as if it's not getting any easier. "Only 10 seconds!" Dec bursts out. "Come on Noel!"

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1."

Noel spits every single one of the cockroaches back into a bucket and swigs out the taste with his Personal Advisors water bottle. "That was gross."

"I know! You just used my water!"

"Ok, so we are onto the last four stars now." Dec smiles. "Now luckily for you both, you don't have to hold anything else in your mouth. You just have to eat things."

Harry and Noel are guided over to two separate tables. As they stand behind them, two rangers present the dishes for stars eight and nine.

"This is ..."

The lid is removed.

"A lambs brain."

I physically feel sick, and I'm watching from meters away.

"That's disgusting," Fleur mutters as she clutches onto my arm.

Noel and Harry cheers to the jungle experience, and wolf down half the sheep's brain each. Just the sound of them chewing such a horrible organ is vile, straight out of the head of the animal too.

"Only a tiny bit left." Holly encourages, cheering them both on when they take the final gulp.

"Well done! That's 9 stars for camp now!"

The Rangers bring out the final two plates of food, and these are ginormous. "So Emperor Noel and Harry, this is your last meal of the trial. For a full house, this is ... fish eyes."

The lid is removed, and there sits a bowl of fish eyes. However, alongside is a sieve with a chalice underneath.

Oh no. I know where this is going.

"You have to bite into the fisheye until it pops, and then spit all of the liquid back onto the sieve. When the chalice fills up to the red line, you then have to drink the contents in the chalice. Understand?"

Both the Emperor and Harry look like they're about to throw their guts up, but we all need to be fed. "Let's do this."

I feel nauseous just watching, so I bury my head into Fleur's shoulder and ask her to tell me when it's over.

I take a brave look up, but all I spot is Harry with a suspicious purple liquid drooling down his face, followed by the soggy eyeball tissue hitting the sieve with a gruesome blob.

"Ok, they've filled the cups," Fleur cautions me. "You can look back now."

"Bottoms up guys," John shouts from where we're all stood.

As Noel and Harry cheers to an incredible empire, and his lovely welcome to the jungle journey, they both go bottoms up, and the fishy liquid is straight down the hatch.

11 stars!

"Well done Noel and Harry, that's 11 stars for camp! However, Noel, you've been dethroned as the Emperor."

The crown is removed from his bushy grey head. "How did you find that, Noel? I couldn't bear to watch that last part." Holly mutters whilst holding onto her stomach.

"That was the most disgusting thing I've ever had to do! Oh my gosh." He complains, exhausted and exasperated.

"Well the Empire is now over, and you can all return to camp as equals!"

We all wave goodbye to Holly and Dec for another day, and head back to camp as equal partners.

Back in camp ...

"Look!" Fleur points at the Royal throne where another laminate is placed on top. "What does it say?"

"Celebrities," I pick up the laminate and begin to read. "As the Empire has now fallen, the public have been voting for a new camp leader."

"Who is it?" Harry slumps onto John's bed.

"It's ... Nick!" I smile, studying the name printed on the paper.

He stands up from beside the fire and walks towards his throne. "How do you feel, Noel?" I giggle, watching Nick take a seat.

"Robbed."

"So, what now?"

I read the laminate again. "You have to pick an assistant."

"... Anne."

Her face lights up in shock. To be honest, Anne doesn't play a huge part physically, so camp may not be too different. However, Nick does basically everything besides the washing up.

There is going to be a lot more to do around camp now.

"But you're the master chef!" Harry moans. "Who's going to cook now!"

Nick and Anne clamber up to the old Roman Chamber that is now theirs to enjoy.

It takes a few minutes for them to deliberate, but with a fresh new blackboard, the new roles are displayed.

And I'm on cooking.

"What!" I gasp. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, you and John will be good cooks." Anne nods profusely.

I don't think Anne and John realise how unorganised I am back home - grilled cheese on toast is a stretch for me.

The evening ...

Maybe Anne was right.

John and I managed to whip up eleven tasty meals of crocodile meat. I mean it wasn't a simple task, but no one has openly complained or died.

"That was lovely." James compliments the head chef, wrapping me into his chest. Whilst no one is looking, he pecks me cutely on the forehead.

Harry, Noel and Nick have been gathered around the blackboard for what feels like hours, so I finally give into the mystery and wonder over from tending the food to investigate.

"What are you doing?"

"Creating a football team!" Emily announces.

Now I'm not a football fan, but I know as I've been put in as a striker. Anne is in goal with Harry and James as defenders.

"Why am I on the bench?!" John complains hilariously.

Then an idea strikes. "Oh my god! We should set up a charity football match!" I ask Harry, staring him down. "You could organise that, right?"

"I could try!" He belly laughs.

James P.O.V

I can't seem to take my eyes off of Emma.

As the night goes on, we all do our own little things. Fleur and Emma begin to teach Emily the dance routine to Sax as she's been begging me to convince Emma to let her do it.

"So lift your knee up," Fleur instructs. "And then like this."

Emma makes the routine look flawless, whereas Emily comes across a little less coordinated.

I ask, jumping out of my hammock, "Can I steal your lead dancer for a few minutes?"

Emma frowns at me, wondering what it is I need.

She follows me down to the creek, asking over and over what I need that's so important to drag her away from her dancing. That's one thing about her, she's so passionate about it.

We get to the shower area.

"Are you ok?" She asks cautiously.

"...I just wanted to do this."

I grab Emma's arm and tug her into me, kissing her lips hungrily.

Because that's all I wanted.

Her.

*****

In college at the moment editing this! Thank you to the wonderful gexorxxe for the hilarious and lovely comments!

Xoxo