Chapter 2 #2
“Okay, I’ll allow it this one time.” Kacy claps happily like I just promised her a year of paid vacation. “But order the food now; I’m hungry.”
With a playful eyeroll, she moves her attention back to my phone. “Is there anything you don’t want? Wings?”
“I’m not in the mood for that much hands-on activity.”
“Burrito, quesadilla, or street tacos?”
“All of the above and nachos.”
Kacy points at me like I’m brilliant. She never minds spending my money.
“All beef?”
“Yes. Add a limonada.”
“I’ll make some margaritas.”
Confused, I tilt my head as I watch her walk towards my kitchen.
“I have margarita ingredients?”
“Yes,” she confirms with a nod that makes her curls bounce. “I made sure of it.”
I shake my head although I’m amused. “Carry on.”
I disappear into my room and take a quick shower then change into some lounge pants and a t-shirt. The blender is still whirling by the time I reappear so I pick up the remote.
“What’s the name of the show?” I yell so she can hear me.
Kacy stops the blender to give me her attention.
“What?”
“What’s the name of the show?” I repeat as I pull up my search feature.
“Love ‘em or Leave ‘em.”
I scoff but remain quiet as I search for the show.
I find it in my app, noticing that the icon for it is just the name of the show in teal and yellow letters.
The sandy background gives an illusion that the words are written on the beach.
Hearts, both whole and broken, are glittered throughout the sand.
Kacy approaches with a big glass filled with her concoction. I accept it from her with a grateful smile although I don’t drink much. My botanical alcohol substitute line was my way of giving people an alternative since real alcohol can worsen other’s mental health.
My thoughts must have made me zone out because Kacy swipes the remote from me while grumbling about my lack of attention.
The next few minutes become my crash course into the show with Kacy pausing the recap every few seconds to give me a profile on each cast member.
While I’m sure I will remember some, I doubt I’ll remember everything since there are seven couples.
“So everyone is in their twenties?”
She nods, “pretty much. Can you imagine doing something like this when you were eligible?”
I shake my head. My twenties were full of lust, anxiety, and insecurities. I’ve always been in shape but I don’t see the appeal of walking around with no shirt on all day. I understand that it’s an island setting but people do wear clothes other than swimwear on islands.
“Nah, I’d probably be a lovable villain since I was romantically indecisive. I would have been all about my partner until someone else popped up.”
Kacy laughs but presses play. “I totally see that happening, especially around the time we tried it out.”
I don’t get a chance to respond because the scene opens to two girls arguing over a guy. The game allowed Woman A to take Woman B’s man and she did. Woman B is pissed because apparently Woman A is supposed to be her best friend.
“They bring friends on to the show at the same time?” I ask, curious about the real life ramifications of such a thing.
“No, she’s her best friend on the show.”
“Ah, so they’ve only known each other for about a week?”
“Yes, but they spend 24 hours together so their one week is like three weeks.”
She pauses the show to glare at me once I hum my disapproval. It still sounds excessive to me.
“Continue,” I prompt her just as my doorbell rings. “I’ll accept the food while you watch.”
I accept the bag of food then proceed to lay it out on the coffee table in front of us like the food is an offering to the gods. Happy with the spread, I rub my hands together in anticipation but my stomach complains about the delay.
My burrito is unwrapped and ready to eat by the time the music changes on the show. It’s slow, seductive, and full of anticipation. It sounds like the perfect soundtrack for me and my burrito.
“Oh, here she comes. So pretty.”
I stop chewing the moment my eyes connect with the television screen.
I can only see her toned back and she saunters onto the scene.
Her black hair almost touches her hips. It has the wet wavy appearance while the jeweled, iridescent, and see-through skirt adds to the mermaid aesthetic.
The bottoms under the skirt cut in a deep V like a bikini bottoms made for showing off her cheeks.
Her hips sway in such a familiar way that my heart races with certainty without seeing her face.
I swallow carefully as the camera moves around, slowly panning up from her bejeweled heels, the one toned leg exposed by the hip-high slit in the skirt, her subtle abs of her exposed torso, the seashell inspired crop top, and her cleavage which is emphasized by her glowing skin.
While her beautiful face and seductive wink is confirmation, I already knew it was her.
“I want her,” I say out loud before thinking about my words.
Kacy taps my arms a few times as her excitement fights with her ability to make words. “She’d be great for Elevated. She’s beautiful, health-conscious, and this show has been super successful since she started. While Jessamine isn't an A list celebrity, she is well known by your target audience.”
That’s not what I meant but I like the idea.
“Jessamine,” I repeat, happy to know her name.
“Her name is a pretty flower. I think it fits for a botanical alcohol substitute perfectly,” Kacy boasts, proud of the idea.
I want to fit her perfectly. “Yeah, you just want to meet the cast.”
We start to watch again as I take a determined bite of my burrito. Her, this show, and Kacy’s idea has awakened the kind of fire in me that won’t let me quit.