“Come on,” Sofia hissed, tugging at Eli’s sleeve. “This is boring. Let’s go talk outside.”
Irritation washed over his features but he did his best to cover it up. “Let’s stay with the group,” he said before catching my eye.
Heavy footsteps approached us from the main entrance as Brady came into the room and joined us at the bar.
“Alright, lovebirds. Everyone continue to enjoy their evening. Arnie and Calla, I need to pull you two for a few hours to film your date.”
Sliding off my stool, I couldn’t help but notice he’d specifically saidfilm your dateand notenjoy your dateor something that sounded more natural.
Arnie moved out from behind the bar and we both followed Brady as he led us outside the room and away from the group.
“Alright, this is going to be simple enough,” Brady said. “I’ll take you two to your sunset dinner and you’ll just talk. We’ll also pull you throughout the date to get private interviews to interlace with the date footage.”
“Sounds romantic,” I muttered to Arnie. Once again, I felt comforted and glad to know he was on my side in this mess.
Brady led us through a hallway that I hadn’t been down before and to a flight of stairs. We descended them until we came to a glass door. Brady opened it to reveal a small paver patio with a pergola that had been decorated in twinkle lights and soft white fabric. A table sat underneath it. It had the perfect view of the mountains in the distance. The sun already hung low and would be setting soon.
An ache gnawed at my heart. If circumstances were different, this could have been one of the most romantic spots I’d ever experienced. Michael and I had never gotten much of a chance to travel. I’d never cozied up next to him with a breathtaking backdrop like this. The thought forced me to blink a few times as I took my seat.
Arnie’s forehead crinkled with concern. “You alright?” he asked, looking at my crestfallen face.
“Of course. This is beautiful.” I drew lines in the condensation of my water glass.
The worry in his eyes didn’t quite go away, but he returned his attention to the sunset. “That view is stunning. We don’t have anything like this back home.”
“Where did you grow up?” I felt guilty that I hadn’t asked him yet. In my defense, between all the filming, challenges, and group settings, it was hard to get to know someone. Ironic, considering we were on a dating show.
“Ohio, near the Michigan border. The sunsets weren’t bad there, but nothing like this,” he added. I tried my best to intently listen to him and ignore the cameras that I’m sure were closing in on our faces.
Thankfully, the camera operators were always further away than I would have imagined. When I watched TV, I had always assumed they were right there—so close you could lean down and hit your head on a piece of equipment. But in reality, they were on the other side of the patio, close to the door.
“Do you still live there?” I asked.
He told me that he’d moved to Indianapolis for work. That he was a software engineer, but robotics were his true passion. He told me that he was currently at a bit of an impasse. He’d left his previous job to work on his own things, and his current living situation left much to be desired. He still lived in the same apartment he’d first shared with his fiancée. Now, though, everything reminded him of her.
“I can relate to that,” I said. “When Michael—once he was gone, I couldn’t stay in that apartment. I paid a small fortune to break my lease, but I had to get out of there.”
“They made you break the lease, even though...” His voice trailed off.
“Landlords aren’t exactly the most sympathetic people.” I kept my tone light, but I could feel the subtle shift in themoment. We sat in silence for a little while, just watching the sun descend and sprinkle color across the mountain range.
Two workers dressed in catering uniforms wordlessly emerged from the lodge and set down two small plates of pasta in front of us.
My stomach growled at the sight of the food, even though the small portion was laughable. Maybe there would be a second course. I pierced a few pieces of penne with my fork and shoveled it into my mouth. I took a few bites and winced, forcing myself not to spit it out.
“This is cold and. . . kind of gross,” I whispered. It tasted like it hadn’t been seasoned at all before being left out for hours.
Arnie finished his bite and made a sour face. “That’s awful.”
Brady took a step forward from behind the cameras. “Excuse me. Excuse me,” he said to get our attention. “The food is more for visuals than anything else. If you choose to eat it, please take small bites. No one wants to watch you shove food in your face when you’re supposed to be on a romantic date.”
Arnie and I eyed each other and then looked back at Brady.
“I’m starving,” Arnie said, glaring at the inedible dish.
“They probably keep us hungry so we’re more pliable,” I said bitterly.
“No talking about the logistics of the show please,” Brady added. “Please go back to talking about your lives. Okay, no more interruptions. Go.”
