38. 38
Iblacked out for most of the matching. I was so worried, so anxious about the moment Chiara would see Hugh with another girl that everything else felt like a blur.
One by one, the rest of the girls walked out from the villa.
There was a break between each match’s time in the spotlight, but all I could do during those moments was settle farther into Callum.
I couldn’t think about what he had been up to for the past few days, what his time outside of the villa was like. If he had missed me like I missed him.
All those questions, the discussion I knew we needed to have, had to wait.
I tried my best to pay attention and focus on what was happening, but being the first girl out the door meant that I already knew how it was all going to end. I was there when the girls made their decisions and sitting around the fire pit with the boys, I saw what theirs were as well.
James had decided to match with one of the new girls, a petite blonde named Molly.
They held onto each other the whole time, even during Olivia’s walk out to the fire pit with her new man, Tom.
James seemed at ease and cheerful, especially upon seeing that Olivia would not remain single.
I was happy for them both, as their time together officially came to a neatly tied-up end.
Samantha was next after Olivia. She walked out hand in hand with Louis.
Billy, still single and wanting to remain matched with her, stood across the fire pit, alone and stewing.
Their whole exchange with Gemma was rather tense, but I couldn’t bring myself to pay attention to it.
I was too distracted by Hugh and Grace, still caressing each other.
I couldn’t believe he could sit there with not one bit of anxiety on his face, not a care in the world about the girl in the villa whose heart he was about to break.
The one silver lining of the whole evening was that Liam stayed loyal to Ella. It was a relief to see her so happy when she walked out to the fire pit, and he was standing there, alone and waiting her for.
That relief was quickly replaced by dread as we had made it, finally, to Chiara’s turn.
A producer’s voice sounded from the bushes, letting us know she was about to walk out.
Gemma, the professional she was, didn’t miss a beat and launched right into it.
“We have made it to the final matching of the night. Hugh has decided to ditch Chiara for Grace,” she said.
I could have sworn she threw Hugh a look of contempt and had a feeling that her word choice had been intentional.
“Let’s see,” she carried on, “what Chiara has chosen.”
I couldn’t watch. Couldn’t look at the disappointment and hurt that would cross her face.
So, I looked down at mine and Callum’s hands. At some point they had become entwined, neither one of us letting go the entire time we had been seated.
I kept my gaze down, kept my attention focused on the softness of Callum’s palms and the comfort of his thumb grazing against the back of mine.
As footsteps approached, he pulled me into him even tighter.
I heard the breath that Chiara let out, heard the inhale catch in her throat.
Then I finally looked up, and it was exactly as horrible as I had thought it would be.
Chiara was standing there, feet away from Hugh and Grace. She had plastered a smile on her face and was trying to keep it on despite the tears forming in her eyes.
“It’s not great, obviously,” she said to Gemma, “but I followed my heart and did what was right for me. I was loyal to Hugh the whole time he was in the other villa. It’s just too bad it didn’t work out the way I hoped.”
My heart sank even further. How she was able to have such composure in this moment was beyond me. If Callum had chosen someone else, I don’t think I would have been able to be so nice about it.
Gemma reached out and squeezed Chiara’s hand.
In the entire time we’d been here, I’d never seen her display much, if any, direct emotion toward a Bella.
She always remained professional, keeping us moving along to the next setup or shot or beat of the show.
But it was clear now that it wasn’t because she didn’t care.
Standing next to a solo Chiara, Gemma had tears in her own eyes.
She squeezed Chiara’s hand once more and then let her take her seat around the fire pit.
“Well, we have some new Bellas in the villa now,” she said, clearing the emotion out of her throat. “It seems there are conversations to be had and introductions to be made, so I’ll let you all get to it.”
She looked around at us one more time before flipping her hair over her shoulder and turning around to face a camera that had been hidden in the bushes at the edge of the deck.
As she did, I saw that two producers who had been in the villa hovering near Cecilia earlier were now walking out into the garden.
Production never came out here, but it was a big night and a big show to continue to produce.
I assumed that shouting directions from the speakers would slow things down.
Gemma began to say a few lines into camera, wrapping up the show for the evening. “To all of you watching at home, I hope you’ve enjoyed this dramatic night. Make sure to tune in tomorrow to catch the fallout. For now, I’m your host, Gemma Row. Have a good night.”
She nodded at the camera, staring across at it with her signature smirk until one of the producers called out “Cut!” She sagged a bit at the word. We all did, actually. It had been a draining night, one that was only just starting. We’d all have to talk about everything for the next few hours.
The same producer stepped forward and spoke directly to us. “Bellas, can you please stay seated. No discussing any events of the night yet. We need to break down the extra cameras, and then the girls and guys can separate for group debriefings. Gemma, you’re wrapped for the night.”
Gemma nodded at him and walked across the garden and out of the villa, not sparing any of us a second glance.
A few people from the camera department appeared in the yard, and it was then I realized that the villa’s standard hidden cameras weren’t the only ones used to get the perfect shot.
There were other, bigger cameras installed all over the place; up trees, on top of umbrellas.
There was even one that was, somehow, in the fire pit.
I didn’t really understand what more cameras could capture that the hidden ones didn’t, but I didn’t have it in me to care or be interested in anything production-related at the moment.
I looked over at Chiara, sitting just a few people over from me. She was staring into the fire, clearly trying to keep it together. She looked up and caught my eye.
It’ll be okay, I mouthed to her.
She nodded and went back to staring into the fire.
I sighed and looked over at Callum.
“Hey,” he whispered, smiling softly.
“Hey,” I whispered back.
“I missed you,” he breathed out, so quiet that I thought for a moment I might have made it up.
A thrilling jolt ran through me, settling into my stomach, which was fluttering in response to his confession, and I was suddenly hyper aware of every square inch of my skin that was pressed up against him.
He’d only said three words, but the relief of hearing those specific words, of knowing he cared enough to have missed me, was overwhelming.
It was joy and solace and bliss, and I wanted to hear him say it again and again and again.
I leaned closer to him and whispered back, “I missed you too.”
We didn’t say anything more. We didn’t need to, not quite yet. Instead, we sat there, holding onto each other until the crew cleared out and the villa had been restored to its normal state. The producers went back to their little hut across the driveway, and we were all alone once more.
When they at last called out through the hidden speakers that we could start debriefs, Callum squeezed my hand.
“I’ll find you later,” he said. I nodded at him and squeezed his hand back.
I had to comfort my friend, to be there for her while she was hurting. But I was happy, secretly thrilled, that there would be a later with Callum.
I was looking forward to it.