Page 49 of Alice Chen's Reality Check

“Not this much,” Daniel says. “If you’re here, there’s a very good reason for it. You don’t do things on a whim. And now we’re faking a relationship. I need to know why you’re willing to go this far to stay on the show.”

He’s right. I live for my routines and my to-do lists. I’m a math teacher at an underfunded public school. I call my mom every week, and crocheting at home while watchingBridgertonis my idea of a perfect Friday night. I’m not the type of person who drops everything to go on a reality dating show for fun.

But I can’t tell Daniel about my mother’s illness. After all:

This is my Achilles’ heel. My mother has always been my weak spot, and I can’t stand being vulnerable. It’d be like pointing out exactly where to find the gap in my armor.

I’ve barely talked to anyone about my mother’s diagnosis. Chase knows that she’s dealing with some type of cancer and Cindy knows she’s dealing with a “health problem,” but I haven’t even told either of them that it’sstage 4 metastatic breast cancer.

I’m pretty sure if I start to talk about this with anyone, much less Daniel Cho, I’ll start crying. And the last thing I need right now is for him to see me in tears.

I know that I won’t be able to get away with a lie. I decide on a partial truth.

“I need the money,” I say finally. “I’m drowning in student loans.”

Daniel drops onto the floor. He looks up at me, his gaze searching my face for a moment. He nods. “Okay.”

“It’s a long shot, but believe me when I say the money would be life-changing for me. So, please, we’ve got to be in this to win.”

Daniel gives me a cocky half smile. “Alice, you should know by now that I always play to win.”

“Yeah, yeah.” I join him on the floor, bumping my shoulder against his. “And why are you still here? Your ex has someone else to compete with.”

Daniel shrugs. “I still have a week of PTO left. And you challenged me. I don’t back down from a challenge, especially when it’s from you.”

“Uh-huh. Now if only I could trust my sworn enemy to have my back,” I muse, eyeing him.

“You know, I don’t recall becoming sworn enemies,” Daniel says, tilting his head.

“It’s implied. There isn’t exactly a ceremony for it,” I say, waving my hand like I’m starring inThe Princess Diaries.

He laughs and catches my hand in his, turning my gesture into a handshake. “Alice Chen, I swear upon my honor that for the duration of this competition, I will have your back. I won’t betray, sabotage, or malign you in any way. We’re together till the end.”

“Same,” I say, but when Daniel raises an eyebrow at me, I add, “I swear, Daniel Cho, that for the duration of this competition, I’ll have your back. I won’t betray, sabotage, or malign you. Well, I might malign you a little, but only if you deserve it.”

“I would expect nothing less,” Daniel says solemnly, and drops my hand.

We spend the rest of the night sitting across from each other on the floor, exchanging facts about our lives. I find out that his birthday is on New Year’s Eve. He learns that when I was a kid, I had a pet goldfish named Miss Puppy because I’d actually wanted a dog. His favorite cartoon as a kid wasJackie Chan Adventures, while mine wasAvatar: The Last Airbender.His first charity event in law school was a 5K run, andthat turned into a real love for running and hiking. I only run under duress, but love playing badminton. He’s part of a remote D&D group consisting of his college roommates, and I watch K-dramas with Cindy, Tara, and my mom.

Weirdly, I find myself having fun. It’s nice, being on the same team as someone who gets me. Chase never understood my competitive side, and I did my best to tamp it down when I was with him. He liked getting along with people. I liked crushing my opponents at board games and dominating at bar trivia.

But Daniel is just as competitive as me, and as the hours pass, we keep trying to one-up each other with facts we remember about each other and, at one point, a very spirited arm-wrestling match. In another life, I can see how Daniel and I could’ve been friends. Maybe we can still be friends.

Finally, as midnight approaches, I find myself yawning, which sets Daniel off yawning, too.

I stretch and climb to my feet. “I think that’s enough for today. Let’s get some rest. We need to be in top condition for tomorrow.”

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