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The schedule was packed today, but in the end, she could leave hand in hand with Avery. That brought a tug at her lips. The finale was airing later tonight, with the half-hour special reunion show right after. The showrunners hadn’t left much room for editing. Oh well, they knew what they were doing.
“Do you want a refill?” Ivory indicated to the coffee cup she was holding on for dear life.
“Oh, you’re a doll. Thank you.” Stella handed off her cup.
“Stella, glad you’re here.” Neil leaned against the counter off to the side, earning points for respecting her bubble.
“You asked for me and Quinn to be here at four.” Stella’s voice rasped from lack of use, making the words sound harsher than she meant. “Have you seen Quinn?” She’d expected her at least ten minutes ago. They had a few things to go over before everyone else came in.
“She’s getting final approval on clothes.” He checked his watch. “Should be here shortly though.”
Stella wanted to ask what he was doing here but wisely kept her mouth shut. It was important to maintain a good working relationship with ALLGAD going forward and couldn’t risk it on her inability to be human before walking up fully.
The finale had made her cry. Avery looked so heartbroken and torn. They had both been quiet when the screen went blank, lost in memories of that day. The way everything was edited together created a perfectly balanced and made for interesting TV. It was something she was proud to be a part of. Stella hoped with all her heart it continued to be a success, especially since she was signed on for another season.
“Well, I just wanted to stop by to see how you’re doing.” Neil shrugged.
Stella stayed silent. She was glad when Ivory gave her the go-ahead that she was finished. Standing up to stretch, she asked, “Was there anything else you needed?”
“No. I just wanted to tell you that you did a good job. And thanks for all your hard work. The numbers are in, and this season has surpassed our projections. I think a large part of it is due to you.” Neil held out his hand. “I’m delighted you’re a part of the ALLGAD team.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask, does ALLGAD stand for anything?” Stella took his hand, letting go after a firm shake.
“Of course. All Gay, All Day.” Neil winked. “It was a dream of mine to start a company that showed positive LGBTQIA+ representation on TV. Mainstream has done better over the years, but we’re still lightyears ahead of them. Since we don’t have to cater to revenue tied to bigotry, we have way more leeway to do things the right way.”
“I knew there was something I loved about the company. Thanks for letting me continue to be a part of it.” Stella thanked Ivory and walked out side by side with Neil.
“Quinn should be ready. I’m going to do more paperwork.” Neil motioned towards a room down the hall. Monica was waiting outside with her handy headset and no-nonsense attitude.
“Good to see you again, Monica.” Stella went for a hug but got a look of ‘please don’t touch’ in response, so she moved to knock her shoulder against hers.
“You too, Stella. Quinn’s already inside. You should have fifteen minutes to get the preliminary introductions. The audience, who has been invited and received an advance copy of the show, will then be brought in before the contestants enter the room two at a time. They will be in order of elimination. If we can get this wrapped up in two to three hours, that will be ideal since it still needs to go to editing before airing.” Monica took a breath.
“At least we’re not live,” Stella mumbled under her breath, smiling when she saw Quinn drumming on the handrails of the overstuffed chair she was sitting in.
“Don’t let the suits hear you say that, or that’s what it will be next year. And live is a bitch to manage. Live audiences aren’t much better, but it is what it is.” Monica showed a surprising amount of emotion on the topic.
“There you are. Jeez. Couldn’t get away from your girl?” Quinn teased, standing up when she saw Stella walk in.
“You know it.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder and went in for a hug, even though she’d seen Quinn yesterday. “You scrub up nice.” She held her at arm's length by the shoulders.
“It was a successful shower.” Quinn motioned to Stella’s chair at the front of the room. Soon, all the chairs on the sides would be filled with the contestants.
“Let’s get started,” Monica called from the shadows.
Sharing a smile with Quinn, Stella pulled her hosting mask on, found the zone, and did just that.
“My favorite part—I don’t think all of this was shown—but in one of the clips, Denver decides she wants protein pancakes, but it was like she hadn’t ever opened a bag of flour in her life. She pulled the sides open like the Hulk, and flour poofed in her face. The clip shows her with a broom in the background, but I’m pretty positive we had flour footsteps up and down our halls for a few days.” Riley finished telling her story while laughing along with everyone.
Stella knew they would pull up the clip in question, so she moved on. “There were some good times and bad. Echo, at the house, we were all surprised at how worked up you got and ended up taking a swing at a contestant. Can you walk us through your emotions?”
Echo, for her part, looked uncomfortable. Good, Stella thought. She’d hated that episode when it aired. “Yeah, I just let the moment get the best of me. I tried to get one of the stronger players to break and come after me, but I was pushed too far by the pressures of the show. Sorry, Avery. It didn’t seem like it hurt your chances any.”
The flippant remark had Stella hopping, but Quinn’s hand landed on her arm, reassuringly squeezing her.
“One could say the plan backfired spectacularly,” Tanya added.
“Elizabeth. You were the first one to win a date, and the last one eliminated. Did you have a strategy going into the show?” Stella asked.
