I scrunch my nose and shake my head. “There’s not nearly enough time.”
She stops her shuffling and places the deck face down on the table. In one smooth motion, she stands and slides into my lap. “Is that a challenge?”
There’s a knock at the door, and Yumi gives an exaggerated groan before rising to her feet. “Busted.”
I roll my eyes at her, calling, “Come in!”
The door opens just enough for Aliona to pop her face inside, practically unrecognizable in makeup. The entire show, the production crew looked just as travel-worn as the teams did. Seeing Bo and Petter wearingsuitswas more disorienting than a Swiss via ferrata. “Can we be ready for hair and makeup in—” She pauses to look around the room. “Where are the Dancers?”
“Catering,” Yumi and I answer simultaneously.
“Oh, okay. Tell them to be ready for hair and makeup in fifteen, please. And if Matt puts up a fight on the makeup front, tell him he can kiss my introduction to theAmerican Dance-Offproducer goodbye.” She disappears without another word.
Eyes wide with excitement, Yumi turns to me. “They’re going to be onADO? That’s so cool.”
I’m not surprised, to be honest; Matt and Morgan were a crowd favorite. Of all the individual players from this season, Matt has gained the most followers (and fan edits) on social media. The power of a hot, grumpy man with a heart of gold should never be underestimated. And Morgan’s body positivity, though it draws classic internet hate for not fitting the current beauty standard, has earned her an engaged audience of dedicated fans and supporters. They’re a reality TV power couple in the making.
Yumi smirks when she catches me staring at the clothing rack. My outfit—a fitted powder blue crop top with matching wide-leg pants—hangs beside Yumi’s silky cerulean gown. Thecompany that invents matching outfits that don’t make sapphic couples look like bridesmaids in the same wedding is destined for greatness. As it is, we spent months searching for the ideal difference in color, fabric, style, and silhouette, and in the end I had to concede the dress-wearing to her. “Are you excited for tonight?” she asks.
Excited? I’m practically buzzing. I know I’ve been on TV for the last couple of months, but I’m going to be on it again. And this is the reunion show, the glitziest part of anyAdventureverseseason. It’s still surreal that we get to be part of it all. “Nah,” I say, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her in for a kiss.
“Liar.” She chuckles, her mouth meeting mine. I can never get over how soft it is.
“Me? A liar?” I pull back with a gasp, laying an offended hand over my wounded heart. “You really think I would lie?”
Her laugh echoes off the walls of the small room.
“What’s so funny?” Morgan asks, pushing the door open.
“Oh, nothing.” Yumi’s gaze is fixed on my face, tracing the outline of my lips. “Right, Noe?”
I grin. “Right, babe.”
Chapter 48
Greenroom
As it always has, thefinale starts with the final four, which means Yumi and I get to publicly cringe our way through our elimination episode.
They’ve gathered all the teams in a long greenroom. Everyone’s here, except Clyde and Cora, who apparently refused to come—which I guess means they didn’t win. What a shame. I, for one, am utterly devastated.
Couches and overstuffed armchairs line one wall, facing two large TVs. One screen plays a currently muted livestream of the studio audience as the other rollsThe Adventureverse’s opening credits. We all dah-dah-DAH-da-na-na along with the iconic instrumentals, then the theme song fades out.
This is the moment I spent the entire season wanting to see: the recap of the final four teams’ journeys. I love it every year, but this time it’s extra special, because this time, I get to watch myself fall in love with my best friend.
“Nine teams, eight countries, thousands of miles,” JSP’s voice announces, “and it all comes down to one of the most impressive final fours we’ve ever seen onThe Adventureverse. Let’s take a look at the journey that got them here.”
Yumi taps my shoulder excitedly when our faces appear onthe screen. She’s perched on the arm of my chair, her body half-draped across the high back. A chill goes down my spine, both at her touch and at an anticipation so intense that it makes my hair stand on end.
“NFL teammates, KC Carter and Gabriel Damascus’s journey started long beforeThe Adventureverse.” Dramatic music, a fade in on a black-and-white clip of the moment that ended KC’s football career. At this point, I’ve seen that “highlight” too many times to count. KC goes down in a tackle, his leg bending at an unnatural angle that makes me wince and look away every time. He lies on the ground, eerily still, surrounded by his teammates, until Gabriel pushes through the crowd, forcing everyone back. He leans over KC, his face stricken with pure fear. The video gives way to montages of KC lying in a hospital bed, Gabriel always at his side like a bodyguard. It shows KC giving the camera a thumbs-up after his amputation, him learning to walk with his new prosthetic, him and Gabriel getting married in an outdoor ceremony with KC standing on his own.
I can’t imagine how it feels to have your worst moment trotted out for drama at every possible opportunity, but they seem to be used to it. When the wedding picture comes up, KC points at his husband on the screen and screams, “Hot!” The whole room laughs.
“As the purple team, they faced different challenges,” JSP continues, as a series of clips play—KC comforting Gabriel during turbulence, KC carrying an entire animal carcass in Buenos Aires’s COOK challenge, Gabriel shutting his eyes as bugs rained down on him in Portugal, drone shots of them breezing throughthe via ferrata. “Despite being navigationally challenged”—multiple shots of them arguing over maps, backseat driving, and realizing they’d driven in the wrong direction—“KC and Gabriel have finished in the top three in every Adventure except one, and they come into the finale with two first-place finishes under their belt. Can the former football stars overcome the last set of obstacles, or will they fumble at the wrong time?”
We clap for Team Football, and Bee and Logan’s pictures fade in.
“Boo! Hiss!” Yumi jokes from behind me.
