“It’ll be fun!” Brady exclaimed. “Today is couples counseling.”
Grant scoffed. “That doesn’t sound fun.”
We all sat around the dining table, waiting for our orders for the day. They had picked us up from our campsites early—too early. The perfect bubble Eli and I had created last night burst as soon as they called our names from outside our tents at six a.m. We had stayed up all night talking—and doing other things I was eternally grateful wouldnotbe appearing on people’s television screens. But even though our haven was no more, Eli still sat next to me, smiling down at me every few seconds as his hand firmly gripped my knee.
“We have a licensed counselor coming in. She’ll be asking you questions and helping you prepare for what comes after this,” Brady continued.
“So, get your vocal cords warmed up. You’re going to be doing a lot of blabbering today,” Shay added.
This licensed counseling session was likely just another opportunity to stir up drama, which really was unfortunate. It seemed everyone had come back from yesterday’s camping session with a certain glow about them. Trace’s face was still flushed and she couldn’t stop giggling. Rachel and Arnie stole glances at each other every chance they got. Grant and Sofia were the exception, of course. They had waltzed in this morning and sat on opposite sides of the table. I’m sure the next forty-eight hours couldn’t go by fast enough for them.
“What are you thinking?” Eli whispered.
“I was wondering whether Grant and Sofia are going to kill each other today.”
He tilted his head, considering it. “I wouldn’t put it past her.”
A couple hours later, Eli and I sat across from a woman slightly older than us; maybe late thirties, with slicked-back hair. She wore a gray pencil suit and glasses. She looked almosttoomuch like a counselor. Like the show had specifically outfitted her so that there would be no doubt about her vocation and that America could trust her.
“Calla and Eli, I’m Diana, your counselor,” she started, leaning forward and clasping her hands together. “We’re going to be diving into all sorts of questions today, but first I’d love to hear about your journey so far.”
A light tension hung in the air and it was obvious that Eli and I were both on edge. While no camera operators or producers were in the room with us, we knew everything we said would likely wind up on TV.
“Well, when we first got here, Calla didn’t want to give me the time of day,” Eli said.
“That’s not true!” I turned to face him. “We talked that first day.”
“And I distinctly remember you couldn’t get away from me fast enough.”
“That was before I knew you,” I said.
“And then you insisted on denying feeling any connection between the two of us, and you chose Arnie as your partner for that second challenge.” The playfulness in his voice made it hard for me to keep from grinning like an idiot.
“Hey, I had my process. It all worked out in the end.”
He chuckled and nudged my knee with his.
“So, if I’m hearing this correctly, it took a minute for you to dive into this relationship. Is that right, Calla?” Diana asked.
My skin bristled at the word, “relationship.” While what Eli and I had felt so intense, we hadn’t actually discussed what we were. Labels had been the furthest thing from our minds last night.
“Um, I guess so. I was scared of getting hurt,” I admitted.
“Because of your past,” she pressed.
Eli’s hand found my leg and he gave it a gentle squeeze. These questions still bugged me. I didn’t want to cheapen what Michael and I had by using it as a storyline for this show. But now I felt a lot more confident in my choices.
“I had gone through something a couple of years ago?—”
“The tragic passing of your fiancé,” she confirmed.
“Right,” I said stiffly. But I knew if I gave in and answered this question, we had a better chance of moving on quickly. Anytime I resisted talking about Michael, they always upped the intensity of their interrogation techniques. “That was the hardest moment of my life. I wasn’t sure how to move on from it. I still don’t have all the answers, but meeting Eli made me realize I’m finally ready to be open again.”
Glancing up, I found him staring intently at me.
“Eli, how does that make you feel?”
“Like the luckiest guy in the world,” he breathed.
