Page 17 of A Chance at Love

Whitney

Nobody notices the two of us sneaking away again—probably because there’s another elimination ceremony tonight and everyone is wrapped up in the drama of that. By the time Leo and I get back, I have just enough time to get ready for the ceremony.

My body is still buzzing from the little sex fest we just had. But as I head into the ceremony, my high is quickly overshadowed by stress. Even though I feel confident that Leo and I will be safe, it’s still nerve-wracking to stand there and wait for the results of the voting to come in. Couple by couple, Warren announces contestants’ names, asking each couple to come forward to receive a little plastic heart as a token of their safety for another week.

When Leo and I are called up to get our heart, I squeeze his hand tight, relief flooding through me.

“Thank God,” I whisper to him as we walk back to join the rest of the couples.

“I know,” he whispers back.

Warren continues to call couples up. But as the ceremony goes on, I realize that Jess and Noah still haven’t been called. Suddenly, a new kind of panic sears through me.

“Oh, no,” I murmur under my breath. “Jess. No.”

It’s down to three couples, and Jess and Noah are one of them.

“The next couple I call will be the last to be safe tonight,” announces Warren. “Unfortunately, the other two couples will be leaving us tonight.”

I squeeze Leo’s hand tight. He squeezes back. And when Warren calls the names of another couple out, a small cry escapes from my throat.

As the ceremony ends and breaks apart, Jess and I run to each other and embrace each other tearfully.

“I can’t believe you’re leaving, Jess,” I say, wiping away tears.

“I know, babe,” says Jess. “It’s okay, though. I don’t care about the money anymore. I’m leaving with something way more important.” She looks lovingly over at Noah, and I follow her gaze.

I give Jess another hug. “I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“Good luck, girl,” says Jess. She pulls away from me and takes Noah’s hand.

I nod and dry my face as I watch her and Noah leave. Then I go over to Leo and thread my fingers through his.

“You doing okay?” he asks.

I nod. “Yeah. It sucks she had to leave. But I’ll survive.”

“Sorry, Whit.” He smiles gently. “You’ve still got me, though.”

I smile back at him. “That’s true.”

Leo bends down to give me a sweet kiss. Just then, though, Warren calls for everyone’s attention. As Leo and I break from our kiss and look toward the front of the room, I get an awful feeling in my stomach.

“There’s one more thing we have to do tonight,” says Warren. “Before stepping out of this room, you must all find a brand new partner. And you may not switch again for the remainder of the show.”

Murmurs and protests immediately fill the room. A couple girls start freaking out, saying how unfair it is to be forced to separate from their men. Meanwhile, Leo and I stand there shocked, unsure of what to do. Even though switching partners was something we talked about having to do, we never expected to have to do it so soon.

I look around the room. There’s no one else I want to be paired up with. And there’s definitely no one else I want to see Leo paired up with. If Jess and Noah were still here, we could just swap with them. Damn it. Why did they have to be voted off this week? This sucks.

I look over at Leo, and he looks at me. He searches my eyes. Waves of love for him surge through me. Jess’s words echo in my head, too: I don’t care about the money anymore. I’m leaving with something way more important.

And, suddenly, I don’t care about the money, either. All I want is to be with Leo. And not just here.

I lean into his ear and whisper, “Let’s leave.”

“Leave?”

I nod. “Screw the money. Screw the show. I just want to be with you, Leo.”

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