Page 15 of Winging It with You

“That good, huh?” Arthur says, shaking his head when neither Theo nor I say anything.

“Anyway,” Jo says, not really caring that it’s very clear we’d much rather be anywhere but here, “we need to capture a quick social media stringer—the first of many, actually, before the challenges start.”

I immediately don’t like the sound of this. Social media and I have a love-hate relationship. I pretend to be above it all andactlike I’m indifferent to it in general, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get stuck in a social media wormhole from time to time.

“And what’s a stringer?” Asher thankfully asks, because I was wondering the same thing. Arthur busies himself with the sturdy tripod and begins setting up his large camera, adjusting the settings while assessing the current lighting situation.

“Just a series a video clips that we produce to either be split and posted online in shorter segments or, depending on the content, run as a whole video.” Jo sets her trusty tablet down and grabs us each by the arm, like a mother leading a pair of oversize toddlers through life, and all but drags us in front of Arthur’s lens.

“Okay, if you two can just…yup, stand right here, Asher—” she says, physically adjusting his stance to one that feels absolutely the opposite of natural. “And Theo, please scoot in…yes, right there. And put your arm here,” she says, manipulating my arm around Asher’s shoulder after she forced me to stand practically on top of him, clipping on a wireless mic before she turns away.

Asher looks less than amused when I cast my eyes in his direction.

“Eyes forward, please,” Jo demands. Amid her puppeteering, Arthur has turned on two small but incredibly powerful lights, instantly bathing us in the heat of mobile stage lighting.

“Fuck, that’s bright,” I grumble under my breath, raising an arm in a measly attempt to shield my eyes. Asher, whose arm is now involuntarily wrapped around my waist, is drumming his fingers against my hip, his agitation building. “Mics are about to be hot,” Arthur says, messing with the little box that allegedly turns our neck mics on and off at the touch of a button. “Camera’s on, Jo…ready whenever you are.” The camera’s recording button glows to life, and I feel Asher’s body become rigid against mine.

Several nosy onlookers have stopped beyond the barricade to watch us awkwardly stand while Arthur and Jo take their places behind the camera.

“Okay, Asher, let’s start with you.” Jo says, crossing her arms and looking between the real-life two of us and the two of us being captured on the camera’s viewfinder. “Why don’t you introduce the both of you and tell our audience what you’re up to.”

“Sure,” he says, clearing his throat. “I’m Asher Bennett and this is Theo Fernandez, and we are competing on this season ofThe Epic Trek.”

Jo and Arthur look at each other, neither of them saying a word, and I feel a slight tremor radiate through Asher, his entire body tense.

“Was that…horrendous?” he asks, the pitch of his voice rising ever so slightly.

“No, no, my boy,” Arthur says, adjusting his camera settings. The red light turns off. “We just want to give the lovely people watching at home a little more to work with.”

Jo silently nods in agreement. “Yeah, that was pretty bland.” Arthur shoots her a look. “What? It was!”

An idea pops into my head.

“You know what the best part of reality television is?” I say, leaning in close enough that Asher’s the only one who can hear me. Asher looks up at me, his eyebrow raised in curiosity. “It isn’t real,” I whisper, my lips just barely brushing his temple. “And you don’t have to be either. So, who do you want to be, Asher Bennett?”

He bites his lip, a flush creeping up his neck, and I can practically hear the individual gears churning behind those green eyes. “Okay if I try it again?” he asks Jo and Arthur after a moment.

They both nod, the red light reappearing.

Asher takes a deep breath, his grip on my waist tightening when he does. “Hi everyone,” he chirps with a level of cheerfulness so unlike the grump who could barely mutter three words this morning when our alarm went off. “My name is Asher Bennett and this handsome specimen next to me is my boyfriend, Theo Fernandez.”

He yanks me even closer to him, turning his head slightly away from the camera. “Can I kiss you?” he whispers, his voice low and just for me.

I smile when our eyes meet, hoping he takes that as some nonverbal cue to proceed.

Asher leans up and places his lips lightly to my cheek, and whatever part of my brain that regulates how I’d normally respond to a cute boy kissing me feels conflicted.

His kiss is brief, casual, and logistically, I know it’s strictly for the cameras, but that doesn’t stop my body from reacting to this unexpected display of affection from…well, myboyfriend. I’m probably supposed to say or do something else, right? But judging by Jo’s wide grin from behind Arthur, something tells me that whatever this was is exactly what Jo wanted.

“We’re about to set off on our first challenge of this season’sThe Epic Trekand hope you’ll be following along with us!” he adds, waving enthusiastically at the camera like a trained spokesperson who knows his audience. With the camera still rolling, Asher keeps smiling but rests his head on my shoulder, and I’m painfully aware of how awkward I must appear, standing there with a shocked smile painted on my face.

The red light finally turns off and Asher snaps out of whatever role he’s just been playing, dropping his arm from its spot on my waist and taking a rather intentional step away from me. “Will that work?” he asks, putting his hands in his pockets.

“That was…oddly perfect,” Jo says, clasping her hands together. “I didn’t know you had it in you, Bennett,” she teases.

Neither did I.

He adjusts his glasses. “It’s all part of the game, right?”

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