These islanders' romance is only just burning up.
After Michelle "Chelley" Bissainthe and Ace Green finally coupled up on the June 17 episode of Love Island USA, her loved ones shut down rumors about the pair's connection before docking in Fiji.
"We want to be transparent and clear the air, as some of the rumors have gotten far from the truth," Chelley's friends—who are running her social media account during her tenure—wrote on her Instagram Stories June 19. "Chelley and Ace briefly crossed paths in New York and later connected on social media."
"They were never in a relationship, never lived together, and there are no children or hidden past," the post continued. "What's unfolding now is real, unscripted, and could change at any moment. We're fully supporting Chelley, wherever her heart leads and with whomever she chooses to couple with."
While Ace, 22, had been coupled up with Amaya Espinal and Chelley, 27, was with Austin Shepard, their chemistry was clear to fans. So, it was no surprise when he opened her door during episode 14's recoupling. (Austin went on to choose Amaya.)
"I really like Chelley because she's challenged me and helped me let down my walls, be vulnerable, and she's helped me be a better person here in this villa," Ace said during his speech. "She's challenged me to be creative and step outside of the box, and that's something that doesn't come often for me."
"She's gorgeous," he continued. "Every time she walks those stairs, no matter who she's with, she lights up the room. I'm just excited to get to know her every day."
For Chelley's part, she gushed, "I'm feeling great, I'm feeling like, about time! It was a lot of emotions and processing. I'm actually really happy."
But while they are now exploring a possible romance, they didn't hide that they had met before. In fact, when Ace first arrived in the villa during the season seven premiere, it was revealed that they had met outside of a nightclub and had since sent occasional DMs.
Although Chelley and Ace struggled to decide whether they wanted to take the leap, Austin emphasized that their connection was "so obvious."
"It feels like there's just been this weird game they've been playing where they keep going and floating by each other and not actually figuring out what the f--k is going on," he said on the June 9 episode. "Dude, you know what you want. It's so obvious. F--king go for it."
E! News has reached out to Ace's team for comment and has not heard back.
While fans wait to see how Ace and Chelley's romance blossoms on the shores of Fiji, read on for a closer look at who's staying at the villa this season.
(E! News and Peacock are part of the NBCUniversal family.)
Bryan Arenales
Boston, Massachusetts
Elan Bibas
Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada
Courtney "CoCo" Watson
Los Angeles, California
Clarke Carraway
Columbia, South Carolina
Chris Seeley
Fresno, California
Zak Srakaew
Roi Et, Thailand
Zac Woodworth
Portland, Utah
JD Dodard
Dallas, Texas
Jaden Duggar
Los Angeles, California
Gracyn Blackmore
Bristol, Virginia
Savanna "Vanna" Einerson
Salt Lake City, Utah
Andreina Santos
Thomas John "TJ" Palma
Pleasantville, New York
Belle-A Walker
Honolulu, Hawaii
Austin Shepard
Northville, Michigan
Ace Greene
Los Angeles, California
Chelley Bissainthe
Orlando, Florida
Huda Mustafa
Raleigh, North Carolina
Nicolas Vansteenberghe
Jacksonville, Florida
Jeremiah Brown
Los Angeles, California
Olandria Carthen
Decatur, Alabama
Yulissa Escobar
Miami, Florida
Taylor Williams
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Cierra Ortega
Phoenix, Arizona
Charlie Georgiou
Birmingham, United Kingdom