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CHAPTERTHIRTY-THREE
Sophie - Three months later
“Honey, I’m home!”Ryan called as he pushed through the door.
“That’s so not funny,” I chided as I crossed the living room and tried to take a takeout box from his hands.
“It was a little funny,” Aaron said, coming up behind me and promptly stealing the box from me. “Hey, Ryan. How’s it going?”
“Good, man. A little nervous, though.”
Diego and Oliver pushed through the door and almost smacked into Ryan. They were in the middle of what sounded like an argument about if the movieSnakes on a Planewas realistic. Leave it to the airplane mechanic and resident encyclopedia to hypothesize about shit like that.
“Ryan, hey,” Diego said, clapping him on the shoulder. “What’d you bring?”
“Cubanos from Porto’s.”
My mouth watered. The Cuban bakery had become one of my favorites since Oliver, Aaron, Diego, and I had moved to Glendale.
The city was adjacent to Los Angeles, so Diego and I could still drive in for work, and it was out of the worst of the traffic area, so Oliver could commute for his job in San Diego. He had worked it out with the university that he only physically taught there on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, leaving his Mondays and Fridays free for online lectures, grading, and virtual office hours. It also meant we didn’t go too long without seeing each other, which I appreciated, because after our month in the Caribbean, even a couple days apart felt like torture.
Aaron had made the most unexpected move by quitting his job and accepting Zander’s offer to go into the restaurant business together. The call came out of the blue about a week after the show ended, when Zander missed Aaron’s cooking. The two got together, and after a night of beers and several subsequent meetings about how this could work, “A to Z” was formed. A restaurant that Zander said was Aaron’s love letter to him, at which Viv scoffed but didn’t deny. It meant many hours of getting things off the ground for their grand opening in the fall, but they were committed and working their asses off.
Zander was at the stage in his career where he wanted to diversify his assets and generate more income streams. He had even approached Stephen and Chris, the producers ofLove on Display, and was becoming an executive producer.
Esmeralda had been right when she called me on the island. So Free was doing better than ever after the show ended. Our orders were through the roof, and we were in talks with a major department store about carrying our line and even doing an exclusive collaboration with them. It meant sourcing more materials, hiring more seamstresses, and watching as my calendar exploded in colorful text and blocked off meeting times.
Work was absolute chaos for us, but our home was our landing pad. We’d rented a four-bedroom house, pooling our money to give this thing a real shot.
After we flew home on our respective flights and Esmeralda tackled me at the airport, they all appeared on my doorstep within twenty-four hours. The guys hadn’t lied when they said they didn’t want to be separated.
My apartment wasn’t big enough to house even two of us, let alone four, so the house hunt began.
“You ready to do all of that again?” Oliver asked Ryan, interrupting my lovestruck musings.
“I still don’t know if this is a good idea,” Ryan confessed with a shrug. “But I’ve seen this work, so I’m willing to try. For real this time,” he added.
Tonight was the announcement of who would be on the next season ofLove on Displayfrom our season. They’d offered it to Ryan, Julie, Cheryl, and Nicoletta, but we were waiting to hear who had accepted, and more importantly, who the producers picked from those that wanted to do it again.
Ryan called Esmeralda at work about a month after we returned and asked to speak to me. Since then, we’d released the last of the tension between us, and he’d begun therapy to figure out where he was going wrong in relationships.
I was the one who had encouraged him to take the offer for the second season, and when he agreed, he seemed nervous, so I offered to have him over for the announcements, hence… where we were now.
We settled around the coffee table while Diego fiddled with the remote until he reached theLove on Displaywaiting page on our TV. A countdown was happening, so we ate quietly as the time dwindled. Clearly, Ryan was invested in this, and every attempt at conversation around our delicious sandwiches fell rather flat.
When the display showed twenty seconds left on the clock, we put our remaining food and drinks on the table and watched with bated breath.
The TV showed static briefly before panning to Troy in a forest with a big cabin behind him.
“Good afternoon, viewers! As you know, tonight’s announcement is about who will join us again for season two ofLove on Display! As you might remember, a few short months ago, our first crowned couple, Daniel and Gia, took home a massive cash prize to start their lives after falling in love on our show. Instead of making you wait a whole year before watching, we’re changing it up, and this November, you’ll be able to watch ten singles enter the cabin, hoping for a shot at love. Tonight, we’re announcing two familiar faces from season one, and we’ll meet the remaining eight housemates together on the show when we go live. Don’t forget, we’re still taking applications until next week, so if you’ve been thinking about it, go to the link at the bottom of your screen.”
The TV then cut to some B-footage of the inside of the massive cabin while Troy’s voice provided the details. “Here in the woods of Ontario, Canada, we’ve rented a cabin for our housemates, planned new challenges, and are excited to bring you more episodes soon. Don’t forget to put yourLove on Display. Autumn is the new season of love.”
I looked over at Ryan whose knee was bouncing restlessly right next to Oliver’s.
“This November, we look forward to welcoming back…”
Troy’s voice trailed off, and two neon circles appeared on the screen against a background of dark gray. The first one spun slowly.
