He sighed. ‘I know it wasn’t, Cece, but you’ve got to admit that you’re a disaster on camera. Like I said, I don’t have time to come down here and hold your hand. Neither do Carrie orSuzette. You and Rani and Samantha are all out of the game. We’ve got twelve other women up at the Villa to focus on. Plus him.’ He waved a hand at Dylan.
‘I’ll hold her hand,’ Dylan said.
‘Don’t you fucking dare hold her hand,’ Murray said. ‘We agreed on the story we’re telling this season, Dylan. Epic romance. Fairy-tale shit. If the audience sees you running down here to hold her hand, it’ll look like you’re trying to find a wife while having a fuckbuddy on the side.’
Oh God. This was a terrible idea, wasn’t it? Having all this screen time wasn’t going to lead to any kind of money-making opportunities if I came out of this looking like the evil bitch seducing Dylan away from his perfect princess Juliet girlfriend.
‘I meant metaphorically,’ Dylan said, exasperated. ‘I’m not an idiot, Murray. I know the story we’re telling. I’m not interested in telling a different one. We’re still on exactly the same page. I just want to add this little subplot.’
Murray folded his arms.
‘Can we at least try it?’ Dylan asked. ‘If it doesn’t work, or it looks too much like I’m cheating on my one thousand girlfriends, then we can stop. But this is important: a story about how men and women can be friends. And no one’s ever done it onMarry Me, Julietbefore. It’ll be new. Groundbreaking.’
Murray eyeballed me. ‘You’re quiet,’ he said. ‘Is this something you actually want to do?’
‘Yes,’ I said in the firmest voice I could manage.
‘Let me rephrase that. Is this something you actuallycando?’
‘Yes,’ I said again. ‘I know I fell apart yesterday, but I’ll get my shit together. I promise.’
He raised his eyebrows.
‘It’ll be easier this way, anyway,’ I insisted. ‘If the cameras are up there, and the room isn’t full of a million people looking at me, I should be okay.’
‘Should be?’
‘Will be,’ I said. ‘I can do it.’
‘And I’ll hold her hand,’ Dylan said. ‘Metaphorically.’
Murray looked at us both for a long moment. ‘Okay,’ he said. ‘Fine. If it’ll shut you up, we’ll try it. Convent Cam is a good idea anyway. It’ll help us develop early plotlines for the nextJuliet on the Beach. So if we get those cameras up there anyway, we can give this friends thing a go and see how it works.’
‘Yes!’ Dylan said. ‘Thank you.’
He held out his hand for a high five. I gave him one, trying to ignore what beautiful elegant long fingers he had and stamping down firmly on the memory of them against the back of my neck.
‘We’ve got to set some ground rules, though, because this has to look completely different to all your dates,’ Murray said. ‘Completely non-sexual. No hair or make-up for you, Cece. I’ll send wardrobe down with the most sexless outfits they have.’
‘I will live up to the billing of the Convent and be Dylan’s new best friend the nun,’ I promised. ‘Sister Cecilia.’
Dylan laughed. He was already objectively a very handsome man, but God, when he laughed, he was lethal.
Murray ignored us. ‘No sitting on the same couch,’ he said.‘Nothing that could ever be interpreted as snuggling. Social distancing rules. At least one and a half metres apart at all times.’
‘We’ll awkwardly yell at each other across the room,’ Dylan said.
‘And if I see anything –anything– on camera that shows a flicker of chemistry between you, then you’re stopping and we’re throwing this whole thing out,’ Murray said. ‘This is an important season. We’ve got to get it right. No jeopardising the romance plot.’
‘You don’t need to tell me twice,’ Dylan said.
‘Then congratulations to us all,’ Murray said. ‘You’ve both gained a new best friend, and I’ve gained even more work. Just what I wanted. Hurrah.’
‘Yes!’ Dylan said. ‘Thank you!’
He hugged me, lifting me clean off the ground. ‘This is going to be great,’ he whispered into my ear. ‘For both of us. You’ll see.’
‘This is the kind of shit I’m talking about!’ Murray exploded. ‘You absolutely cannot do that on camera if you want it to look like you’re just friends!’
