Page 66 of Unscripted

He was quiet for a few moments as he found his way to an answer.

“I think we could be good together. As a team, I mean. I think if we stick together, we really can make it to the end.”

I nodded in agreement. I did believe we could get far if we just got out of our own way.

We lapsed into a comfortable silence then, having finally come to a truce, but I found that I couldn’t quite relax. The relief at being on the same page as Callum was tinged with a hint of something else. Something I would have rather ignored.

Feelings.

I knew this arrangement between us was just a deal, a mutually beneficial alliance, and yet the last few days had stirred up a whirlwind of emotions—big, living emotions—so intense that part of me forgot what it was all for. That we weren’t actually together. That we were only pretending.

It was too much for my stress-addled brain to process, the feelings that had become entwined in all of it.

So instead, I focused on the facts at hand. Callum was right: we could make it to the end if we got our act together. If he needed to be on the show for as long as possible like I did, then we really were each other’s best bet to make that happen.

“I won’t talk to James anymore,” I promised.

“I won’t date any of the new girls that come in,” he replied.

“We’re going to have to spend more time together. Actually hang out, act like we like each other if we want this to work,” I said.

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

We had both been at fault the past few days, but this felt like a fresh start. Like we were deciding to move forward together, for real.

Pulling back the duvet, I rolled over and tried to settle in for the night, but sleep was still hard to come by.

It felt like I lived a thousand lives since starting the show, and we were only just wrapping up the second week.

I couldn’t imagine what would happen in the next four.

29

The Sunday before the start of week three brought with it the After Amore Live Show—a weekly show that aired live after every Sunday night episode and featured a few cast members sitting in front of a studio audience, answering questions about the week’s events. The whole thing was shot in the villa's driveway and who was selected to be on the show varied each week.

I had managed to stay out of the spotlight for the first live show, but now production was calling me off the bench.

Callum and I were sitting on the daybeds with Chiara and Hugh, debating the merits of ketchup or no ketchup on a cheese toastie, when a producer’s voice called out through the speakers in the bushes behind us.

“Callum and Poppy, Ella and Liam, please head into the villa to get ready for the evening. You’ll be on the live show tonight,” it said.

My stomach tightened with anxiety. I knew why they wanted us on the show; we had been in a love triangle and chose to stick with each other. It was prime-time drama, and I was sure the viewers had questions they wanted answered.

Still, knowing that we were being used as a narrative device for the show didn’t do anything to calm my frayed nerves. Callum and I had just decided to move forward and put last week’s events behind us. It all felt new and fragile, and I was afraid that having to rehash everything would set us back.

I tried to shake off the feeling of impending doom as I headed into the glam room to get ready for the evening. The other girls trailed after us, everyone sitting around and chatting while Ella and I got ready. Jess must have picked up that I wasn’t coping well with the situation because she sat down next to me at my vanity and put her hand over mine.

“It’ll be fine. I was on it last week; it really wasn’t that bad, and it’s over before you know it. Just remember to sit up straight and don’t look into the stage lights. I made that mistake and was seeing spots for days after.”

I nodded along, trying to soak up her reassurance. I took a breath and wiggled my bare toes in the dressing room’s thick carpet, grounding myself in the moment.

There was no escaping the live show.

All I could do was hope Callum and I would come out the other side unscathed.

***