We walked into the main room to find the guys huddled by the bar and the girls outside by the fire pit. Eli squeezed myhand before separating from me so that I could talk with the girls. Thankfully, Sofia was nowhere to be seen.
“And he’s such a gentleman,” Trace gushed. “I was completely surprised by that, but he’s always checking to see how I am, or seeing if I need anything. He’s so different from any guy I’ve dated.”
Rachel looked appalled. “Trace, I know guys can suck, but those are some pretty basic things.”
“Maybe,” she said. “But the last guy I dated was awful. We were in a singing duo. I thought it was so romantic at the time, but after I found him with another girl backstage, that fantasy went up in smoke faster than dumping water on a bonfire.”
I winced as I took an empty seat. “That’s awful.”
“You’re lucky you’ve had such a great example of a relationship,” Trace said.
Rachel elbowed her in the ribs.
“Ouch, what was that for?” Her words dawned on her and she looked at me, horrified. “I’m so sorry. Oh my gosh, what an insensitive thing to say.”
Shaking my head, I watched the flames dance between us. “No, you’re right. I am lucky.”
We all sat there in silence, and I wanted to scream. Would this ever go away? Or would conversations always fall flat the second someone felt awkward about Michael? I was so sick of people tiptoeing around me all the time.
“What did you do on the date?” I asked, hoping Trace would take the question and run with it.
“Oh, it was so romantic.” I half expected her eyes to turn into giant cartoon hearts. “We went horseback riding and then had drinks in this rustic hot tub they have on the property. I wasn’t very good at the riding, but Danny was so protective and helpful.”
“He seems the type,” Rachel said.
“I just never thought we would connect the way that we have. He seemed so tough, and so not into the same things I am. I mean, he rock climbs and jumps out of helicopters in his spare time. I threw up the last time I tried to ride a roller coaster. And in the hot tub, you’ll never guess what he said to me. He said he might be falling for me. Can you believe that? After only a few days.” She had that undeniable look in her eyes. The look of someone who was completely lovestruck. “The crazier part is that I’m falling too.”
“Opposites attract,” I murmured.
Rachel snorted. “You can say that again. Seems to be the theme of this show. I usually date other performers and Arnie is such a dork. When we first got here, I didn’t even give him a second thought. Never in my life would I have thought the shy engineer would have any kind of effect on me.”
“Arnie’s the best,” I said.
“And speaking of opposites, I don’t think anyone really expected the bad boy actor to fall for the good girl,” Rachel said.
My jaw dropped in surprise. “The good girl? Is that how everyone sees me?” And was it bad that I didn’t see Eli as a bad boy at all? Was that a sure sign that my heart was destined to be broken by him?
Trace and Rachel glanced at each other before turning back to me. “I mean, I’m not saying it’s your only personality trait, but you do give off a certain air of innocence,” Rachel said, waving her hand.
I glared at them defensively. “Why? Just because I haven’t been with a lot of people?”
“No, you just have that whole shy, introverted writer thing going on.” Rachel assessed me. “But Eli seems to bring you out of your shell.”
We sat outside for a while longer, making guesses abouthow the next day would go. At this point, another physical challenge was pretty much a guarantee, but they seemed to be getting harder each time. Pretty soon, Brady was poking his head outside and telling us we only had a few more minutes before we had to go to bed.
Rachel, Trace, and I gathered ourselves and went inside. The lounge was empty so the guys must have already been dismissed for bed.
“I’m going to grab a water,” I said, heading for the dining room where they always kept bottles on the table.
“Wait.” Trace grabbed my arm and looked around to make sure no one was within earshot. “I have to tell you something.”
“What?” I asked, confused by what she might need to say that couldn’t be said in front of everyone else.
“It’s about something Danny overheard,” she whispered, covering her mic. I doubted that would completely conceal the sound, but on the first day they had instructed us never to do this, so maybe the gesture would make her voice less audible. “He overheard Eli talking to Shay this morning. It was something about Sofia and you, and needing to seal the deal. Or something like that? I’m not sure. Danny said he couldn’t understand what they were talking about, but he got a really weird vibe. He just wanted me to tell you to be careful.”
“Is that all?” I asked, wanting to sigh with relief. “That sounds like nothing. Probably just Shay asking about the drama of everything that happened with the three of us. I’m sure she was just searching for a storyline.”
Trace looked unsure. “Danny wouldn’t be the type to make drama out of nothing. He said the way Eli was speaking seemed off. Like he was angry.”
