Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
I stretched, and my groggy mind started to come into focus. When I blinked a few times, registering my suite, I sat up in bed. Morning light crept through the drapes.
Last night had been my first dreamless sleep since I had arrived. It made me feel at peace.
The view out my window faced east and the sun had just finished clearing the first mountain range in the distance. This whole process had weighed me down with overwhelming emotions; until today, I’d never been able to just wake up and truly appreciate the serenity and the beauty of where I was.
Brushing my hand against my lips, I thought of Eli rapping urgently on my door before bed last night. After interviews were over, we hadn’t been reunited as a group. We’d just been sent to our rooms with dinner. I’d swung open my door to find Eli standing there, out of breath. I had heard Shay yelling at him in the distance.
“Hey,” he’d said, before dipping down and kissing me. His soft lips moved over mine before he broke away. “I’ve been thinking about doing that all day. ”
“Same.” I’d leaned against the doorframe, looking up at him like a fool in love.
“Since we didn’t get any sleep last night,” he’d said, winking at me. “I just wanted to say I’m probably going to pass out now. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
That was all he’d managed to say before Shay came over, red-faced, and dragged him away.
The time on the bedside clock told me it was still a little too early for breakfast, but I still threw on leggings, an old graphic t-shirt, and a cardigan. I washed my face and applied some blush and mascara before I was out the door.
The lounge felt eerily quiet with no workers, crew, or cast up yet. They’d be here any minute, though. Crossing the length of the large room, I stood by the large windows and looked out onto the patio, remembering the conversation Eli and I had by the fire pit one of the first few days.
Strong arms wrapped around my waist and I let out an involuntary yelp of surprise. Spinning around, I saw Eli staring down at me, his eyes bright.
“Morning, beautiful.”
I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck. “You scared me. I thought everyone was still sleeping.”
“I woke up an hour ago and all I could think about was seeing you.”
“You’re so cheesy,” I said, still beaming up at him.
Maybe love was this subjective thing that no one could really define, but there was no way the pure bliss I felt right now could be anything else.
“What the hell, guys?” Brady rushed into the lounge. “I just got an alert that someone was out here. It’s too early.”
Eli grinned. “Whoops.”
Brady rolled his eyes. “Fine, whatever. After tomorrow, I no longer have to corral all of you. Just go wait for everyone in the dining room.”
“Yes, sir.” Eli saluted him, a smirk on his lips.
Less than thirty minutes later, we sat with the rest of the cast around the long dining table for what could be the last time. We all knew the finale was tomorrow, but we weren’t sure what the filming schedule would be.
“You two ready to get out of here?” Grant asked me.
“So ready.” I breathed a sigh of relief. “You?”
Grant furrowed his brow. “Me? Nah, I absolutely love it here. Going to miss my Sof-Sof so much.” He yelled the last part across the table and Sofia leveled a glare at him.
“Kiss my ass, Grant.”
I giggled. “Couple’s counseling went great, I see.”
“I still think it should have been me and you.” Grant winked at me.
Eli turned in his seat, eyes narrowed. “Why are you talking to her?”
Grant held up his hands. “Relax, we’re friends. Aren’t we friends, Calla?”
I smiled and shrugged. “Kind of,” I said to Eli.
Eli continued to argue with Grant in hushed tones.
Arnie and Rachel sat at the far end of the table, whispering animatedly with each other, likely discussing their future plans.
Trace sat across from me, her head slumped in her hand. She stared at her coffee as she swirled her teaspoon absentmindedly around her mug. She looked like a zombie. Danny sat next to her, a hard expression on his face. I tried to catch Trace’s eye, but she wouldn’t look at any of us. Instead, I caught Danny’s attention and shot mental daggers at him. A pained expression washed over his features. But then he snapped back to his rough exterior and looked away .
When Rachel had first come to the table, she had berated Danny for how he was treating Trace. Instead of owning up to it, he’d just clammed up and wouldn’t give any answers. Trace had eventually begged Rachel to let it go. She just wanted to go through the motions until this was all over. The guys weren’t taking Danny’s side, but I could tell they felt sympathy for him as much as they did Trace. They had all formed a tight bond—well, aside from Grant.
A figure stepped into the dining room and we were all surprised to see Rita standing there. Seeing her this early probably wasn’t a good sign.
“Sorry to interrupt,” she said, shaking out her golden mane and turning her face so her best angle faced the camera that trailed behind her. We all murmured our hellos as she found her mark.
“Congratulations on making it through this challenging experience. I know it wasn’t easy at times, but you all did it. You’ve grown as individuals and you’ve grown together.”
Trace looked absolutely miserable as Rita addressed the group. My heart went out to her. At the beginning, I had been sure that would be me. Heartbroken, raw, and miserable.
“Now, it’s time for a surprise,” Rita continued.
A queasiness settled in my stomach. Surprises on this show usually weren’t something to get excited about.
“It’s time to show all this progress to the people who matter the most. Today, we’re bringing in the people who signed you up for this!” Rita exclaimed.
Piper? Piper was here? This had been the longest I’d gone without seeing her in ages.
“We’ve got a lovely day planned for each of you to enjoy time alone with your families. And then, of course, we’ll have them meet the partners that you’ve been spending so much time with. ”
Eli’s face hardened and his jaw clenched at the news, completely opposite to my emotional reaction.
“Are you okay?” I whispered.
His face softened. “Yeah. I’m excited to meet your sister. I just wish you didn’t have to meet my father.”
Grant raised his hand but didn’t wait to be called on before speaking. “Do we all get to meet Eli’s famous daddy?”
Eli stiffened but Rita was unfazed. “There won’t be any time for that.”
Looking around the table, it was clear this news was garnering mixed reactions. I was ecstatic to reunite with my sister—Eli, not so much. Rachel and Arnie both looked nervous but excited at the prospect of getting to know each other’s loved ones. Grant and Sofia seemed indifferent. And then there was Danny and Trace. Trace looked like she would burst into tears at any moment and Danny looked mad, like he couldn’t wait to get out of this place. It was hard to believe how much the way he looked at her had changed in just one day.
Rita left before Brady and Shay arrived, yelling instructions about where each of us needed to go next.
“Are you going to be okay seeing your dad?” I asked, squeezing Eli’s hand.
He appeared lost in thought. “I’ll be fine. I just hate that you have to endure him as well.”
“Don’t worry about me,” I insisted, trying to appear completely unintimidated by the prospect of meeting my boyfriend’s dad—who also just so happened to be a famous movie star.
Wait, did I just say boyfriend? My face reddened, even though Eli couldn’t hear my internal monologue.
“What?” He asked anxiously. “Are you nervous? I promise I’ll be right next to you the whole time. ”
“I’m not nervous.” But my voice went up an octave.
Brady came over and tapped my shoulder. “Calla, we need you out back on the veranda.”
“I’ll see you later,” I said to Eli.
“Can’t wait.” Eli planted a kiss on my forehead before I followed Brady outside.
Even though it was only fifty degrees, the sun beating down on the veranda had caused beads of sweat to start forming on my face. The oversized black wool cardigan I wore felt too heavy, but I knew Brady wouldn’t let me take it off. It felt like I had been waiting for hours, which actually probably wasn’t too far off. The anticipation in my gut was killing me. Any time there was a small movement by the door that led inside, I whipped my head up, expecting to see my sister walk through those doors.
After a quick interview, Brady had instructed me to sit here and wait. I’m sure they were just getting everyone situated and mic’d up, but I might just barge in there if I had to wait any longer.
Then it happened. The door opened, and out walked the most familiar face in the world to me. Her hair was dark like mine, but chopped into a messy bob. She wore her signature yellow, a color that always popped against her skin.
“Piper!” I screamed and ran straight into the welcoming embrace of my sister’s arms.
“Calla, oh my God. It’s so good to see you.” Tears streamed from our eyes as she grabbed my cheeks and took everything in. “How are you? Are you happy here? I’ve been worried sick since you called me that first day. I’ve been feeling so guilty about signing you up, and?— ”
“Slow down. I’m fine. Better than fine, actually.” I led her over to the two wooden Adirondack chairs and made her sit down.
She took a shaky breath and reached for my hands, tears still swimming in her eyes. “We were so worried about you. Mom is so excited for you to come home.”
I perked up at the mention of our mother. “How is she?”
“She’s great, actually. I mean, worried about you, of course, but other than that she’s been out almost every night with friends. I feel like she’s a teenager or something, just getting her first taste of freedom.”
The thought of our mother out on the town made me laugh with delight. Ever since Piper had told me I was weighing them down, I’d been hoping to rectify it as soon as possible. But it seemed the world was already righting itself.
“We’ve both been watching the show, of course,” Piper added. “To see how you’re doing and what’s going on.”
I groaned and placed my head in my hands. “Oh God. How bad is it? Am I going to die of embarrassment when I see it?”
Piper remained quiet for a few moments and dread crept into my chest. “What? What is it? Just tell me and get it over with.”
She exhaled before gently putting a hand on my shoulder. “He’s totally in love with you. You know that, right?”
“Who?” I asked dumbly.
She snorted. “Eli, obviously.”
The shock of hearing those words didn’t fully sink in. For some reason, it hadn’t even occurred to me that my sister might know more about how my relationship was unfolding than me. She’d watched every time Eli and I talked—well, aside from our late-night meetups and the night we’d spent camping. And more than that, she’d also seen all of Eli’s interviews. She’d seen his answers to whatever questions they’d asked about me—and us.
“We’re still so new,” I deflected. But it was written all over my face. How hopelessly out of control I already was when it came to my feelings for Eli.
“You don’t have to put on a front for me. I could tell from your first challenge together. He brings something out in you. Something different.”
“He does.” I lit up just thinking about him. I hoped he wasn’t too miserable wherever he was right now, stuck in some room talking to his dad. I couldn’t wait to see him to ease whatever pain or tension he was feeling.
Piper sighed. “You know, I signed you up for this show because I was desperate to get through to you. You weren’t living after Michael. You weren’t writing. I was worried I’d never see my sister light up again. Then when I saw the posting advertised online, I signed you up without even thinking. I thought there was no way that you’d get selected out of the thousands of applicants. When they called me, I almost backed out. But then I thought, I at least have to try.”
My lip trembled as she continued.
“I remember right before Michael died, you seemed so alive, so excited for what was next. And then it all came crashing down in the most horrific way.” The tears came again.
I thought about telling her why I had felt so alive back then. That it had actually been because I was ready to set out on my own for the first time. But I couldn’t do that. Not with a camera pointed right at us. I couldn’t tell the world that. It wouldn’t be fair to anyone.
“I feel alive again,” I whispered. “Maybe even more alive than I ever have. I was so scared to let Eli in, but now I can’t even imagine where I would be without him. I know he has a bit of a reputation?—”
“Doesn’t matter,” Piper interrupted me. “We don’t care about that. What we do care about is the way he treats you. And Calla, you should hear the way he talks about you. He’s so smitten that it makes me giddy to watch. After everything you’ve gone through, it’s such a dream to hear someone talk about my baby sister that way.”
I ducked my head, flushing. What exactly had he been saying about me? “You don’t think I’m silly for thinking this could work?” I asked.
“Not at all, are you kidding?” she exclaimed. “I’m the one who signed you up for all this in the first place. And after watching you and Eli together, I couldn’t be more certain that you two are going to figure it out. There’s no way he’s letting you go.”
My heart stammered at those words. “I’m excited for you to meet him.”
“I can’t wait. He comes across as so dreamy on screen; is he really like that in real life?”
I bit my lip. “Yes, but don’t tell him that. It’ll go straight to his head.”
We giggled and continued to catch up. She gave me all the updates on what was going on at home, and I filled her in on everything with Eli from start to finish. Apparently, the show had done a pretty good job of accurately telling our narratives, along with everyone else’s.
When the door swung open, neither of us even looked up to see who it was. I assumed it was just Brady coming to pull me for another bullshit interview.
“Can I join you two?” A familiar voice asked. Eli stood near us .
“You’re here.” I hopped up to give him a hug. “This is Piper,” I said as my sister stood up and gave him a quick hug.
“It’s so great to finally meet you,” she said. “And thank you for taking care of my sister in here.”
Eli grinned as he took the other empty seat next to me. “It wasn’t always easy. Has she always been so accident prone?”
“Yes. One time in grade school, she fell off a swing and had to be rushed to the ER.”
“Hey!” I exclaimed.
“And don’t even get me started on how many stitches she’s had. She’ll tell you she loves to cook, but don’t let her near sharp knives.”
Eli arched a brow in my direction. “Duly noted.”
“She’s exaggerating,” I explained. But I didn’t admit that I had, in fact, received seven stitches from two separate knife events, for fear he would be in agreement with her.
“Somehow, I don’t think she is.” He put one hand on my knee to keep me close while he directed all his attention at Piper. “Please, tell me everything I need to know about Calla.”
Piper smiled mischievously. “Where do I even start.”
An hour—and countless embarrassing tales of my childhood—later, we had been given a warning by Brady to wrap it up. I must have been glowing as I watched my oldest favorite person and my newest favorite person get along like they had known each other for years.
“It was great meeting you,” Eli said, opening his arms as Piper stepped into them.
“You too. I hope I’ll be seeing you back in Chicago.”
“As long as it’s still okay with Calla, I’ll be there as soon as this show wraps,” he said easily.
Piper beamed. “Oh my gosh. We’ll have to do a big family dinner when you get in. Mom can’t wait to meet you. ”
He placed his arm around my shoulders and tugged me into his chest. “I’m excited to meet her too.”
“I never would have thought, after Calla called me crying that first day, that I’d be standing here with her new boyfriend.”
“Piper!” I exclaimed, glaring at her. We hadn’t even begun to talk about labeling our relationship and the last thing I needed was my meddlesome sister making assumptions.
Eli frowned. “What? I’m not your boyfriend? Because you’re definitely my girlfriend.”
My cheeks heated. “Oh, um. Really? We just haven’t talked about it...”
His dimple caved in as he looked down at me. “Have I not made that clear? Sorry about that. Calla, will you be my girlfriend?”
I shook my head, biting my lip. “Are we in high school?”
He pretended to look offended. “Hey! I’ve never asked someone that question before. Don’t take this milestone away from me.”
Piper looked back and forth between the two of us. “You two are so cute I could throw up.”