Chapter 6 #3
Thankfully, it’s not more than a couple minutes after he settles onto the loveseat with Pax tucked under his arm that Ava chimes to life and lets them off the hook.
Blake can’t resist needling everyone just once more, though, right before she does.
“Don’t hate us,” he interjects, before Ava can begin speaking.
“There were so many sex toys. It was basically Temptation Island in there, and have you seen Pax do yoga? He can suck his own dick, you know.”
Everyone groans and Vincent looks more murderous than usual as Paxton loses it at Blake’s side, laughing so hard he turns red.
“Last night, Paxton and Blake spent the night in the private suite, and they were forbidden from any form of physical contact. If the test has been passed, all the money that has been lost will be returned to the prize fund,” Ava reminds everyone.
There’s a dramatic pause, accompanied by some hand-signaling from the producers before she continues. “I can reveal that—”
Blake bites his lip and Pax digs nails into his thigh, like they both don’t know the outcome.
But hey, maybe they don’t. Maybe one of those times Blake reached out in his sleep, he touched Pax’s arm.
He doesn’t think so, and it wasn’t intentional, but anything is possible.
The suspense is palpable. Even Ariana looks nervous.
“—Paxton and Blake did not have any form of physical contact.” The group erupts into hysterics — jumping up, cheering, and screaming happily as some kind of alarm blares from Ava’s speakers.
“The prize fund stands at one hundred thousand dollars once again, and you will all be splitting it equally.”
The noise is deafening as everyone celebrates even harder, producers handing off bottles of champagne for them to shake and spray and pop.
Blake hasn’t had any weed today and still feels like he’s walking on air, accepting a bottle from Rachel only to immediately release the cork and soak both himself and Paxton from head to toe.
He slings an arm around Pax’s neck and tugs him close, laying a big kiss on his cheek, unable to resist. It’s not a violation, but it’s flirting with danger. Blake doesn’t care at all.
“You crushed it, bro,” Vincent tells him, after Blake finally releases Pax. He grabs Blake’s hand and yanks him into a hug, clapping him on the back. “Proud of you both.”
Ariana bounds over then and does her best to gather both Blake and Pax into one hug with her little arms, with only partial success. She’s interrupted, though, by Blake and Pax’s watches going off simultaneously, lighting up green.
“Oh shit,” Blake says.
“Get your reward,” Leah calls out, and Blake doesn’t hesitate to grab Pax and go to town.
This kiss feels even more special than any of the ones they’ve shared before.
They really did something here, showed everyone that their relationship is real, and that it’s solid.
That it’s more than just sex and attraction, that both he and Pax are fully capable of doing whatever they set their minds to, and fuck what anyone else thinks.
Blake feels capable, more so than he has in a very long time.
And hell, he might’ve even helped Pax earn the means to jump-start the brand new life he’s been wanting in the process. Yoga studio, here they come.
With the ocean crashing like a soundtrack in the background of their kiss, Blake also feels free, like his life is finally his, like he can do with it whatever he wants to do.
Maybe some of that will fade once he and Pax step off of the boat that’ll take them away from here and back to the real world.
Maybe his lifelong sense of obligation to Hayden and to Charlie will come flooding back in a way that Blake will again struggle to shake.
Blake pulls back, looks deep into Paxton’s eyes, and realizes that it doesn’t matter. Pax will be there. Pax will help him through it. They’ll make it up as they go — together.
_____________________
“WHAT’S LOVE (GOT TO DO WITH IT)” PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS
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RELATED STREAMFLIX MEDIA: WL1, GUA, WL:TTK, WL:UK
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
The rumors regarding the second season of Streamflix’s switched-up summer smash, “WHAT’S LOVE (GOT TO DO WITH IT)” and the most popular couple to sail away from the island have been confirmed.
Paxton Montgomery and Blake Lawrence are officially engaged, and in true shotgun style, have already “tied the knot” with STREAMFLIX execs.
The pair are set to trade board shorts for three-piece suits, contracting to film “What’s Love”’s first coordinated crossover, a binge-worthy, instant fan favorite that will also feature the full quintuple cast from the streamer’s original queer-centric heavy hitter, “Glow Up, Already”.
According to inside sources, the Glow Crew will tackle Blake and Paxton’s apartment, Paxton’s yoga studio, and even their wedding venue, taking each space from drab to fab with the STREAMFLIX cameras and all of us along for the ride.
Fans can expect fireworks as these former playboys pit their “happily ever after” against actual reality.
Watch them juggle life, love, and the art of the “Glow Up” on their journey towards “I do”.
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Episodes available Valentine’s Day.
//End Manuscript