Page 35 of Heart to Heart
“It’s exactly what I thought it would be like,” Bianca purred. I’d only ever heard of that being a thing, but I’ll be damned if the woman didn’t, in fact, purr.
“Oh yeah, and what did you think it would be like?” It was a knee-jerk response thrown out there before I could stop myself from taking the obvious bait.
“I guess you’ll just have to find out the next time it’s just you and me.”
I chuckled, glancing over Bianca’s shoulder and seeing a figure standing in the distance. I stiffened, my stomach sinking like stone as I locked eyes with Avery, frozen like a deer in headlights. Noticing me noticing her, she abruptly ducked her head down and walked away. But not before I witnessed the fire I’d admired with such ferocity just moments ago reduced to nothing but ash. Extinguished by a kiss I wished I could take back.
CHAPTER 19
AVERY
Tristan ended the night early.There was no explanation, no forewarning. A half-hour after I was dismissed so he could suck face with Bianca, he decided he’d had enough. Felicity and fellow Michigan native, Eleanor, were the lucky ladies who got to spend time with him before he unceremoniously decided it was time to pack it in, leaving a room full of women devastated and, if I’m being honest, understandably miffed.
And not only were the ladies miffed at Tristan but also at those of us who’d been fortunate enough to spend time with Tristan. Their icy glares followed me whenever I walked past groups of them huddled together, whispering what I suspected were curses in my general direction. Bianca, however, seemed to get away unscathed, even though she’d spent the most time with Tristan and had shared with him the kind of kiss usually reserved for a third date.
The image of that kiss was still burned in my brain. The world around me spun when I walked back to the parlor, ignoring the questioning stares and sneers from the others. Still in a daze, I’d plucked Taylor’s wine glass from her fingers and finished her Merlot in one swallow. I hadn’t been prepared forhow much seeing Tristan kissing someone else would impact me. I knew going in he would be forming connections with the other women here. As well he should. But as much as I wanted him to find happiness, I also needed him to keep me here, and that would require him to form some kind of connection with me, too.
Despite sharing what I thought had been a decent conversation, I knew it most likely had been for nothing the second Bianca stepped in, taking the focus off me and placing it on herself. The best I could hope for was that the audience voted me in despite my disastrous introduction.
At the very least, I would have votes from my family and Kiki and Ethan. Perhaps a few other Michigan natives would vote for me solely because of the fact I hailed from their state. However, they may have also decided that Eleanor was the better representative for The Great Lakes State, given the fact that she had been able to stay on her own two feet all night and hadn’t accidentally felt up the former Sexiest Action Star Alive.
Show off.
We spent the next day in interviews to give producers soundbites to work with for promotional videos and the premiere. Tristan was still nowhere in sight, which Sasha assured me was normal. He was supposed to be getting to know us in real-time. His reactions were to be organic, and none of us were assumed to have the upper hand. But it was clear that at least one person did, and Tristan’s leaving when he had pretty much solidified that.
When the premiere aired the next day, we were all ushered into a mini theater—because what mansion wouldn’t be complete without its own personal theater?—where we got to take in the show in all its edited for television glory. I’d secretly hoped that my entrance had been cut entirely, but it would seem the star of the show being creamed by a cake made for goodtelevision. My face burning, I slunk down in my seat, ignoring the giggles and stares from some of the others. I was a joke, maybe even a meme by now.
Sasha squeezed my hand while some of the other women gave me comforting smiles. “At least you’re going to be memorable,” she said, elbowing me playfully. “That’s more than I can say for myself. I’ll be lucky if anyone knows to vote for me.”
“I’m not so sure that’s the kind of memory I want people to have of me. I mean, at some point, I do have to go back home. I’d like to do so without having to wear a plastic bag over my head.”
“You mean a paper bag?”
“Nope. Right now, I think plastic would work just fine.”
A snippet from an interview with Tatiana, a contestant I hadn’t had a chance to get to know yet, played shortly after my fall from grace, coming to my defense. “The fall was definitely not Avery’s fault,” she said, flicking wayward bangs from her eyes. “If you ask me, I think someone set her up.”
I looked over to where Tatiana stood, leaning against the wall in a pair of sweatpants that looked like absolute heaven, giving her a small smile. She returned my gesture with a nod. If not for the fact that I knew my own family had just witnessed what was easily one of the most humiliating moments of my life, next to vomiting in front of a restaurant full of people and starting my period in gym class in the sixth grade, I would have breathed a sigh of relief. But as it was, the entire world had just seen me inadvertently feeling up one of Hollywood’s biggest action stars—my mom, dad, brother, Kiki, and maybe—dear God—Guy.
Guy, who was sitting with my replacement, was probably laughing his flat ass off. He’d be home from college or with his girlfriend in her hometown in Minnesota—I think. At least that’s what I’d gathered based on what was meant to be a quick glance at her Facebook and Instagram profiles, which turned into an hour of me painfully comparing myself to her, inevitably leadingto the annihilation of a can of Pringles. Perhaps they were too preoccupied tangled together between the sheets to bother tuning into me tonight. At least, I could only hope.
And maybe the fact that I was rooting for my ex to be getting laid over watching me was a sign that I had finally moved on.
A collective gasp across the room drew my attention back to the screen as the other women bore witness to the sight of Bianca and Tristan locking lips. Having seen this part live and in person, I already knew the ending. And it sucked. What I hadn’t noticed, though, was the look on Tristan’s face. I’d watched more of his movies than I care to admit, and even though I’d known he’d been acting, he still looked far more into those fake make-out sessions with his leading ladies than he did with Bianca, which made me feel oddly better.
The inquiries over Tristan’s lip-locking abilities only slightly overshadowed the disgusted whispers as Bianca remained tight-lipped, complete with a smile that made my blood pressure spike. I’d probably misread Tristan’s expression because Bianca looked as though she’d scored a ring on her finger.
A hush fell over the room when Tristan, looking torn, was pulled aside by an executive producer. Their private conversation so hushed it couldn’t even be closed-captioned.
“At the end of the night, I started feeling sick,” Tristan admitted, his interview popping on the screen. “My stomach was in knots. As much as I hate being unable to finish out the night with these wonderful women, I had to call it a night. I hope they forgive me. I’m sure I’ll have to find a way to make it up to them.” He punctuated his declaration with a chuckle as several of the ladies concurred, giggling over ways he could make it up to us.
“Tonight has been a night of firsts,” Kamila announced, standing outside the mansion on the same steps we’d climbed earlier. “Which of these lucky hopefuls do you think captured Tristan’s heart, and who will be going home heartbroken duringtomorrow’s live show? Their fate is in your hands. Voting starts right now.”
A collective sigh reverberated through the theater as the screen went blank. There was nothing any of us could do right now; our fates were in the hands of millions of strangers.
“Gosh, I hope Tristan isn’t still sick,” Courtney said. “He seemed perfectly fine all night. I wonder what brought it on?”
“Maybe he ate some of Avery’s cake,” Bianca sneered, casting an accusatory stare at me as the rest of her minions laughed.
