Chapter 3
Chapter Three
As soon as I emerged from the interview room, the cameras were on top of me. I tried to discreetly rub my face, but I’m sure it was clear that I had been bawling like a newborn baby in there.
Great. Can’t wait for this to air.
Apparently, I had missed the rest of the matching ceremony. Brady said they could have waited, but it added to the drama this way. He wouldn’t tell me who I had been paired up with. I just hoped it wasn’t Grant.
When I stepped back into the lounge, I scanned the room. Three couples sat in different corners, likely getting to know each other. First, I spotted Sofia and Eli. No surprise there. She had been drooling over him from the moment he’d walked in. As if sensing my eyes on him, he looked up. He gave me a half-smile, but in my panic at being caught staring, I jerked my gaze away before returning the kind gesture.
Smooth .
In the opposite corner sat Trace and Grant. He appeared to be talking incessantly while Trace wore a tired smile that didn’t even come close to meeting her eyes.
Near them were Rachel and Danny. I’m not sure which of the two of them looked more pissed off. If compatibility could be determined by levels of frustration at the thought of finding a relationship, Rachel and Danny were perfect together.
Which only left one person.
Arnie sat closest to me and waved shyly. Breathing a sigh of relief, I approached the chair opposite him and sank in.
“Hey, it’s Calla, right?” he asked as soon as I sat down.
“Right,” I confirmed. “And you’re Arnie. Sorry I ran out like that.”
He waved a hand. “Don’t even worry about it. You looked about as nervous as I felt. Sorry you got stuck with me, by the way.”
“Don’t apologize. You’re the only one I wanted as a partner,” I said, meaning it.
“Really? I find that hard to believe.” His ears turned pink as he fidgeted with his glasses.
“No, really,” I insisted. “You seem nice.” The compliment was weak, but in this environment, something as simple as ‘nice’ felt hard to come by.
“So do you. Honestly, when you ran off, I thought we must be compatible; before we came in, a producer had to convince me to stay.”
My lip turned up as my nerves started to dissolve. “Sounds like we’re perfect for each other.”
A silence settled over us, only awkward because we had just met. But he seemed like the kind of person I could sit peacefully with for hours. After a few moments, he ran his hands up and down his thighs and searched the room. “Did you want me to fill you in on what you missed? ”
“Please,” I said, grateful for the shift in conversation.
“Well, after you ran out, Rita had the rest of the girls pick. Sofia chose Eli, and then Trace picked Grant. Rachel picked Danny because she said she would eat me alive—she’s probably right.” He gulped at the memory. “Then Rita went over the rules. There’ll be daily competitions where we test our compatibility in some sort of physical challenge. At the beginning of each challenge, we can switch partners. Girls pick the guys for one, then for the next one the guys pick the girls. There will also be multiple interviews throughout the day, which just sound like opportunities for them to force us to talk about our feelings and get good sound bites.” He shook his head. “I’m sure it’s all a tactic to get in our heads.”
“Everything is so fake,” I said, my microphone feeling unnatural around my neck. “I can’t believe they expect us to find love like this.”
“I know.” Arnie frowned. “Before the reveal, what did you think you’d be here for?”
“Writing. I’m an author.” I felt shy admitting that.
“Wow, that’s a lot cooler than robotics.”
“No way,” I said. “Yours sounds way more impressive.”
“It seemed too good to be true. I thought no one would be interested in a show like that when my sister handed me the application. Turned out I was right.”
I sighed. “My sister signed me up, too.”
“Guess that just means they love us.”
I tried not to think about the tearful exchange I’d just had with Piper. “What about the others?” I asked, glancing behind me and somehow catching Eli’s eye again before whipping my head around.
Arnie raised his hand and held up a finger as he named each guy. “Grant thought it would was some betrayal competition show with a money prize. Danny thought it was a survivalist show—he’s a little intense. And Eli thought he was here to do a movie.” He leaned in. “Apparently his dad signed him up for it.”
I raised an eyebrow, interested despite wanting to appear nonchalant. “Why would he do that? Wouldn’t a famous actor have better things to do?”
“Eli used to be an actor, too. He did a few movies as a teenager—nothing huge, but I’ve seen a couple of them. I guess his dad told him this would be his comeback,” Arnie continued. “Apparently, Eli has a terrible reputation now. I don’t read those online tabloids much, but Grant told me all about it. He was seen with a new woman every month and recently publicly cheated on a famous model, or something. His dad was probably fed up with Eli making him look bad.”
“Wow,” I said, forcing myself not to glance back. “I hate to say it, but that is definitely compelling TV. I can see why they would cast him for this.”
“Right? I’d watch that. Too bad we’re living it instead.” Arnie chuckled. His laugh was a little squeaky and adorable, and put me even more at ease.
We chatted a little more about our meddling sisters. He was very close with his younger sister. She knew he was struggling after his last relationship ended and she just wanted him to be happy again. He was apprehensive about the process, but agreed that he needed to put himself out there more. I shared that I was also here because my sister felt I needed to move on after my last relationship ended.
I just didn’t share exactly how that happened.
We talked for what only felt like minutes, but when Shay came over to pull Arnie for an interview, the sun had already mostly set.
“Calla, we’ll come get you later,” she said in her gruff, militia-like tone. I wasn’t sure if I preferred Brady’s faux niceties or Shay’s no-nonsense approach.
Arnie stood up and stretched. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
There was pretty clearly no romantic spark between us, but I was thankful to have a friend in this. I could easily see myself lasting for a couple of weeks with a partner like Arnie.
Sitting back in my seat, I assessed Trace and Rachel from across the room. They didn’t seem to be as thrilled with their partners as I was. Rachel had her arms crossed over her chest while a scowling Danny gestured wildly. They were clearly already disagreeing about something.
Trace, on the other hand, had a blank stare on her face as she nodded while Grant talked at her. I hardly knew Trace, but I could spot forced politeness a mile away.
I wanted to check in on Sofia and Eli, but I didn’t want him to think I couldn’t stop staring at him.
A throat cleared behind me, and I jerked my attention away from the scene across the lounge. Eli stood behind the chair Arnie had just vacated, looking surprisingly unsure of himself.
“Hi, Calla, right? It’s Eli, in case you forgot.”
My mind clouded as I took in his sharp jawline and remarkably attractive features.
“Can I join you?” He hooked his finger behind his head. “They took Sofia for an interview.”
“Arnie, too.” I could try to play it cool all I wanted, but his presence unnerved me.
He stood there, tilting his head, when I realized I hadn’t answered his question.
“Oh, sorry, please sit!” I exclaimed, too rushed.
Crap. I suck at socializing.
In my defense, I had spent more time around new people in the past two days than I had over the past two years .
“It’s pretty overwhelming, huh?” Eli sat down, dipping his chin and searching my face.
“Um...” My words trailed off. I couldn’t even manage to answer his basic question. Why had I told Piper I’d go through with this, again?
“I’m not trying to pry or anything,” Eli said, his forehead creased.
“You’re not,” I said hurriedly before he had the chance to get up and regret ever trying to engage me in conversation. “This is just all so far out of my comfort zone.”
He chuckled and leaned back in the chair, resting his hands on his thighs. “Same here.”
“Really? I would think you’d be used to the spotlight,” I said before I could stop myself.
The corner of his lip twitched, causing his dimple to reveal itself for a moment. “I take it you’ve heard of me.”
“Only because Arnie told me. I swear I had no idea who you were before today.” I paused, realizing that didn’t sound any better. “I mean...”
Eli grinned, a noticeable twinkle in his eye. “No, please. No need for an explanation. It’s refreshing that you haven’t heard of me. Unfortunately, the gossip out there about me isn’t the best. I hope whatever you hear, you won’t hold against me. I’m in the same boat as everyone here.”
“I would never,” I said, and meant it. I knew first-hand the frustration of having someone take one detail about your life and make it the only focus. “So, your dad signed you up?”
He blew out a breath and brushed a curl away from his face. “Yep. Good old Dad. God forbid he try talking to me when he could just stick me on this show instead.”
I winced. “This has got to be a huge disappointment when you thought you’d be here to film a movie.”
He scanned my face, quirking an eyebrow .
“Arnie told me,” I added.
My cheeks burned. Just because I was closed off emotionally didn’t mean I was blind. Eli was attractive, and, unlike me, his was the kind that made people stop and stare.
“It’s actually not as big a disappointment as you might think,” he said.
“You weren’t excited about the movie? I asked.
His eyes widened slightly as if he just realized he’d said that out loud. “Eh; let’s just say it wasn’t exactly my style.”
“What is your style? What kind of movies were you in? I must have heard of some of your old stuff,” I pressed. But he gave me a funny look and I wondered if my casual attempts at conversation were coming off more like an interrogation.
“Sorry. I’m rambling,” I said. Something I tended to do when my nerves got the best of me.
“That’s alright. I guess I just find my past to be a bit of a boring conversation topic.” There he was with that charming smile again. “I did a few made-for-TV movies—went the whole teen heartthrob route. Nothing big, and my dad was mostly the one pushing it. But as I got older, I got a reputation for being difficult to work with. Pretty soon the jobs stopped coming in at all.” Eli shrugged sheepishly at me. “But my bad behavior pissed off my dad, and unfortunately for him, that’s my favorite pastime. So now I guess that’s why I’m stuck here.”
Eli’s eyes darted to mine. “Not stuck here. Shit, I’m not trying to come across as some asshole who thinks he’s too good for this place.”
Surprisingly, I hadn’t gotten that vibe from him. Despite the flashing red warning sign basically hovering above his perfect head, Eli had been coming across as nothing but sincere. Based on the description Arnie had given me, I wasn’t expecting that at all. Honestly, I would have expected him to act more like Grant. Every time I caught a glimpse of him and Trace out of the corner of my eye, he seemed to be forcing a flex for the hidden cameras.
“Don’t worry about it.” I gave a flippant flick of my wrist. “You can probably guess how thrilled I was about this whole thing by the way I ran out of here earlier. I thought I was here to write.”
“Write?” Interest flashed across Eli’s face. “You’re a writer?”
“Trying to be.” My cheeks heated again. “I sold my first novel a couple of years ago. Its release was delayed because...well, now it’s coming out soon. My publisher is interested in another manuscript, but I’ve had trouble coming up with anything else. I was hoping this would help, but I guess I’m on my own.”
“What’s your novel about?” Eli asked the question like he really wanted to know—not in that way most people asked, only to be polite. For some reason, he seemed to hang on my every word. Which, of course, just made me more self-conscious.
“Um, it’s a romance novel. About first love, and all that stuff.”
Eli looked at me expectantly.
“It’s been a while since I’ve pitched it. I’m a bit out of practice,” I twisted the hem of my sweater. Something about the way he stared at me made me feel exposed.
“You wrote a whole book and got it published.” He sounded impressed. “I-I’ve actually been dabbling in writing a screenplay.”
My ears perked up at that. “Really? You write.”
He scratched the back of his neck and shuffled his feet. “I mean, not like you. I’m trying to get someone interested in reading it, but it’s a tough industry. ”
“I’m interested in reading it,” I said, without even thinking.
That seemed to catch him off-guard, because he just gave me a quizzical expression.
“Not that you’d even want me to. I just—I’m sure it’s good, that’s all,” I added hurriedly. Of course he wouldn’t want me to read his screenplay. That wasn’t what he’d meant.
Eli leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin in one hand. “Seems like an awfully confident statement for someone who’s never read anything I’ve written before.”
Sweat formed on my palms as I rubbed them together. “I just meant, given your father, and all the time you’ve spent in that world. I’m sure?—”
“That I’d be a great little nepo baby?”
“Oh my gosh, no, not at all. I just meant?—”
His laughter cut off my rambling explanation. “Relax. I’m just messing with you. You seem a little jumpy, Calla.”
Hearing him say my name sent an unfamiliar feeling flapping around in my gut.
“Can you blame me? How is anyone supposed to act normal under these circumstances?” I huffed. Although the ease with which Eli carried himself told me he wasn’t struggling in the same way.
“Trust me, this could be a lot worse,” Eli said. “A lot of reality shows rely on production manipulation and cheap editing to make contestants look bad. But with this—” he gestured around the lounge. “Their goal here is to make America fall in love with us. It’s in their best interest to make us all look as appealing as possible.”
“You make it all sound so technical.”
“It is. It’s all a formula when you break it down.”
I’m not sure if that made me feel better or worse. The idea that they were trying to curate my love story made me feel like a prop instead of a person.
“Calla?” Eli sounded far away as I drifted around in my own thoughts. I practically jumped out of my skin when his hand brushed against my knee. I’m sure he meant it as a gesture of comfort, but the shock of the contact almost made me recoil. “This will be a good experience. Okay? I wasn’t thrilled when I discovered the truth either, but this is going to be what we make of it.”
His voice seemed so genuine as his gaze remained fixed on me. Eli had a sordid past, from what I could tell, and although he’d been nothing but kind in our brief interaction, I didn’t fully trust him. Maybe he wasn’t a bad person, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous in different ways.
Brady came over to collect me for an interview and I never thought I’d be so relieved to see him. I needed a break from all this. Waving a silent goodbye to Eli, I counted my blessings that he wasn’t my partner.