He looked skeptical. “Is there a difference?”
“There will be life preservers and wet suits,” Shay interrupted. “We aren’t monsters.”
That’s debatable. . .
“Go Arnie! Go Rachel!”I cheered, impressed by how quickly my former partner ripped through the water. We were at the edge of a large reservoir about ten minutes away from the lodge, where we had been driven after breakfast.
Swimming must be one of Arnie’s strong suits, because he and Rachel were tearing through this challenge. They’d probably have won, if it hadn’t been for Danny’s extreme athleticism. Even though Trace wasn’t the fastest swimmer, he had practically carried her through the water on his back as they’d completed the challenge with ease.
“This is a competition show,” Eli scolded, but his dimple appeared. “You shouldn’t be cheering for the other teams.”
“Sorry.” Was the only response I could muster. I still didn’t feel playful with him for some reason.
Aside from the time Arnie and I had won the cage-escape, these challenges had been completely humiliating for me so far. This one would likely be no different. If they actually wanted me to fall in love on this show, they wouldn’t have set up all these challenges that emphasized every weak point I had. Eli would be sick of me by the end of it for sure.
My cheeks already burned with the anticipation of embarrassment. I stuck a finger in the neck of my wetsuit and tried to peel it away from me so I could take a deeper breath. It clung to my body like Saran Wrap and bunched up in all the wrong places. Eli and I were set to go last. That meant I got to watch everyone else go before me and completely psych myself out before I even stuck a single toe in the water.
Eli entered my vision.
“You okay?” he asked.
God, I was pathetic. He always felt like he had to hold my hand through everything.
“Fine,” I insisted, taking in the menacing, dark sky. “Do you think this storm will hold off?”
He blew out a breath and followed my gaze upward. “It doesn’t look great.”
A massive dark cloud, large enough to consume the whole sky, had been angrily approaching us since the start of the challenge. Now it was almost upon us. It had been relatively calm two hours ago when we started, but now an ice-cold breeze whipped through our hair and stung our cheeks. Rita, who normally lingered during each challenge in case she needed to provide a soundbite, had left immediately after the girls had picked their partners to wait inside one of the vans.
The rest of the couples were wrapped in those tinfoil blankets they give people after running a marathon. Jealousy gnawed at me that they had already completed the challenge. Now their only focus was on warming up again and the showers they would get to take soon.
Arnie and Rachel raced out of the water together. He reached back and grabbed her hand, helping her onto solid ground. They had collected the pieces of their puzzle from the water and now hurried over to the table to solve it. Arnie would no doubt make quick work of it. He had to be thesmartest person here. As they came closer and closer to finishing, and our turn approached, a knot tightened in my stomach.
“You sure you’re okay?” Eli’s worry cut through my nervous thoughts. “You’re white as a ghost.”
“I just want to get it over with,” I admitted. “This isn’t really my thing.”
He chuckled, but the concern didn’t leave his eyes. “That’s an understatement.”
Once again, his words stung. “Sorry I can’t be more athletic, or whatever,” I mumbled, attempting, but failing to mask my hurt. Why did I even care what Eli thought of me?
Because you’re starting to have feelings for him, you idiot.
Eli blinked a few times.
“Calla, I don’t care about that,” he said, turning to face me fully. “Do you think I do? Because I could give two shits how good you are at zip-lining down a mountain or swimming in ice-cold water. I was pissed off at breakfast because they keep making us do these dangerous stunts and trying to attach some kind of meaning to them. It’s all just for entertainment. They don’t have our best interests in mind. Do you think these are the kinds of things I want to do in my spare time?”
I frowned. “You did mention you like the outdoors.”
He ran a hand across his jaw and laughed in disbelief. “I didn’t meanthis. This is just some form of hell a producer designed to torture us and make for good TV. I don’t care at all that you aren’t excelling at these challenges. I’m just...I’m just worried about you.” His voice started to trail away as his eyes searched mine. “You had a panic attack last time and you’re not looking like the picture of calm right now. I don’t want anything to happen out there in the water.”
His words reassured me that he didn’t mind having me asa partner, and I didn’t want to let him down—or become a liability again.
“I’ll be fine. I’ve got this to float,” I said, patting my life preserver. “And I swear I can actually swim, it just won’t be quite as smooth as everyone else.”
Cheers erupted as Arnie and Rachel finished the puzzle portion of the challenge. I tried not to gulp audibly. That meant it was our turn.
“Okay, Eli. Calla. Line up by the starting line. We need to wrap this up,” Shay barked.
