Page 5 of Reluctantly Married

She held up the device. “The machine will measure your heart rate, perspiration, and other physical responses. You can see on the display there’s a red area for no reaction. The yellow indicates a physical attraction, and the green suggests a deeper emotional pull.” Dale zoomed the camera in tight so the audience could see. “Now let’s start with some test subjects.”

A woman walked on the set. She appeared to be in her sixties, with silver hair and a bright leisure outfit. Dr. Lemon showed him the machine. “The needle is in the red area at this time. This indicates you do not feel attracted to Grace.”

The woman left the stage, and another came into view. She looked like a model, with high heels and tight jeans, her bangle bracelets clinking together as she strutted in range of the camera.

“The needle is definitely in the yellow area now.” Dr. Lemon held up the machine so the camera could focus on the display. “Adam is feeling some physical attraction.”

Adam decided to play it up for the camera. He grinned. “You betcha.”

The girl giggled and exited the set. Next, Megan walked out. He hadn’t realized it before now, but when he looked at Megan he knew the machine would register something. His chest tightened, and his heart sped up. Hewasattracted to her.

Dr. Lemon raised an eyebrow. “Just as I suspected. Adam, you have deep feelings for Megan.” She showed him the display. The needle had swung into the greenest portion. “In fact, I’ve never seen a reaction quite as pronounced as this.”

Adam’s mouth went dry. Was that accurate? Did he harbor deep feelings for Megan? He didn’t know what to say, so he stared at Dr. Lemon like an idiot.

Megan’s cheeks flushed. “What?”

“Adam has real feelings for you. Deeper than attraction. It’s quite possible these feelings haven’t been explored or even noticed by Adam.” Dr. Lemon unhooked the machine, her cold fingers prying off the electrodes or whatever was stuck to him.

Megan looked about as stunned as he felt. Sure, he liked Megan, but deep feelings? He’d never thought about her that way. Was it possible?

An assistant took away the equipment while the doctor got settled on her seat again. Megan slipped into her own chair, her face unreadable.

“I recommend a small experiment. Adam, would you be willing to spend some time with Megan outside of the work environment?”

Way to put him on the spot. He shifted uncomfortably. Then he remembered his on-air persona. He flashed a grin to the camera. “I’m all in.”

“Megan, would you be willing to go along with this experiment?”

Wide eyed and pale, Megan looked like she would rather get all her teeth pulled than go on a few dates with him. She cleared her throat and seemed to choose her words carefully. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

Dr. Lemon smiled. “I understand your hesitancy.” She lowered her voice. “I can see how you distrust Adam. You think he’s a player, right?”

Megan’s knuckles were white as she clutched the sides of her chair. She nodded, almost imperceptibly.

A player? Was she serious? He hadn’t been on a date for a couple of months. She was insane. How many times had he told her he was simply acting out a part for the camera?

“Quite often, members of the male gender will try to impress a co-worker by pretending they are desired by many women. This is usually just posturing.” She glanced at Adam. “Again, it’s probably subconscious. He feels inadequate around you.”

The set grew warm under the bright lights, and Adam adjusted his tie. Megan blushed but didn’t say anything, her eyes wide and staring at Dr. Lemon.

“Adam has buried his feelings for you, and thus they’ve grown into something he hadn’t realized.”

He pushed down the urge to refute her. What did he know? He was attracted to Megan. That was for sure. Maybe he did feel something deeper for her, but because of his desire to popularize the show, he’d pushed it aside.

“How about one date?” Dr. Lemon leaned forward, and the tension in the room was almost tangible. “In a public place. You can pick the activity.”

Leon emerged from the back room and stood behind Dale, waving his arms and nodding his head, obviously wanting her to say yes. Everyone else seemed to hold a collective breath.

Megan stared at Leon, indecision playing across her features. After a second, Adam started to feel annoyed. Was he that terrible? Couldn’t she go on one date with him? Leon’s cheeks grew red, and he waved his arms more frantically. She looked at the floor. “All right.”

Dr. Lemon stood and embraced Megan. “I think we’ve had a breakthrough today.”

Leon held up a cue card, the words ‘live streaming of date online’ written in black marker. Adam understood. Dale focused the camera on him. “I’ve just received word from the producer. We will be streaming my date with Megan live, on our website. Tune in to KLKXlive.com for more details.”

It was Megan’s turn to sign off, but she just sat there with her mouth slightly open, so Adam jumped in. “And we’re out of time for today. Tune in on Monday, when we’ll have local author and poet Penny Harris on the show.”

The on-air light went out, and Leon rushed onto the set. “You blew up the Internet! A hundred thousand hits!”

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