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“Morning, everyone!” I said cheerily, waving and feeling lighter after the talk with my best friend.
They responded with grumbles and waves. I guess they’d just woken up for their shift.
“Gentlemen, get it together!” Jess scolded.
“Sorry,” one cameraman said. “Good morning.” The others echoed him, even as Tobias rolled his eyes at Jess for calling him out.
We left their house and followed the path.
“So, how much do you know?” Jess asked.
“About what?”
“Come on. No way did you not talk about the show with your friend.”
“Depends on how much trouble I’ll find myself in if I admit anything.”
“None. It’s just me, you, and these bushes out here.” Jess plucked a flower and tucked it behind her ear.
“I know people are not as upset about the unique relationship I’m in as I thought they’d be.”
Jess nodded. “We’re monitoring it from here as well. The younger generation is very on board with your arrangement. They’re posting about it on socials, and it works well for the producers because that’s where we’re marketing.”
“But?” I asked, sensing there was more.
“But Chris and Stephen are both traditionalists. They’re not exactly in favor of what’s going on. They can’t argue with the ratings and streaming numbers, but it’s a bit of a sticking point.”
“Which is why they paired me with Aaron for the workshop about our failures and fears, right? Driving a wedge and all that?”
Jess tapped her nose in confirmation. “Got it in one. They’re kicking themselves now, especially since before there were only two guys, but now there are three.”
I shrugged. “Good thing they’re not in this relationship.”
Jess laughed. “God, I can’t imagine either of them willingly signing up for a polycule. They’re too self-centered.”
“We should turn the tables and make them date one woman. It could be fun.”
We reached the villa and headed into the kitchen, where I assured Diego everything was okay. Aaron, Oliver, and Zander had gone to the gym to work out; and oddly, Ryan had joined them.
Everything was calm and peaceful, and I was terrified of the moment that stopped being the case.
CHAPTERTWENTY-SEVEN
Oliver
Standingin the sand as the weather returned to its usual sweltering heat, I surveyed the area before us.
The crew had outlined a rectangle in the sand, and if I were on my home turf, I would assume it was for a game of rugby. But I was far from home, and the show was not that kind to us.
Troy stood in the middle of the rectangle and opened his arms wide. “Welcome, housemates! We had to reschedule this challenge from the other day because of the storm, but now we’re back and ready to get it on.” Aaron snickered beside me.
He might have dropped some of the persona he’d adopted for the show, but some of his playfulness remained. He might not have been the “frat boy” Sophie had pegged him as on day one, but he was a lighthearted guy for the most part.
“Today is a physical challenge, and it’s all about teamwork. You will put your bodies to the test and work together to beat the opposition. After all, how strong are you if you can’t manage a simple game together?” Troy smiled, his eyes scanning our rag-tag group.
Zander looked confident, and I didn’t blame him. His job was literally working as a team and doing physical stuff. This would be right up his alley unless it was ballet or something. Lord, wouldn’t that be a sight?
“As you know, today’s episode will be the last one viewers see before they vote on who gets a weekend away. So make it count, win over the hearts of our viewers, and let’s put your…” Troy raised his hands for us to finish his sentence.
