“Then let’s get started,” she claps her hands together. “Have fun, everyone!” Her back is to us and she’s out of eyeshot, but I can hear her speaking to someone as the front door shuts.
Just as the camera blinks red, the door rings. I look around to see what’s going on, but everyone knows.
And when Austin, behind the camera gives me a thumbs—the bit of pridein me swoons and acts like a child that got praised after being told to stop eating dirt.
Defiantly depraved. Is that a thing? If not, well… It is now.
“Are you well?”
I jump. “What?”
Dean’s voice pierces a hole into my jugular vein. Rude, I can barely function as is.
His scowl deepens. “Tell them you’re unwell.”
“I’m fine,” I look away because looking at me in that way for too long is not good for the cameras. People will know we know each other, and I do not know this man, other than he smells how I imagine perfect masculinity to smell. Divine, woody, a hint of sweet but not enough to be considered overpowering, with a hint of natural muskiness.
Fragrant scents usually quicken the process of a full-blown migraine, but his doesn’t smell processed. I’ll ask him for the name of it when I can look at him without picturing his face pinned to a wall and hundreds—several—of darts hitting bullseye.
The cameras zoom in on us.
Gritted teeth and forced smile. “Thanks for asking.”
Katarina walks in with a white envelope. When did she leave?
My sign to focus on the show andnotthe man stealing my share of oxygen next to me.
She reads: “Challenge one: Compatible or Breakable? Each pair of two will go up to the front of the room and take a seat opposite ends of the border.” What border?Oh, they’re setting up a large wall-like cardboard in the middle of the living room right now. One member will wear a set of noise-cancelling headphones, while the other picks up a card from the deck and recites a relationship scenario out loud to the group. Then, partner one will describe what they would do in thatsituation. After, they will switch. Partner two will then describe what they would do in the same scenario while the first participant wears the headphones.”
Katarina looks up. Practiced emotion of shock and surprise flow through the contours of her face. “If each member of the team says at least three of the same things, they get a point and continue playing. If they don’t, another team gets the chance to play.” She looks back up when she says, “The winning team will decide who they’d like to go grocery shopping with.”
Hina snorts. Her forearm is perched over a crossed knee. Hand moving in a lax, carefree way. “So basically, this is to see who we’re avoiding for the rest of our trip here?” She looks at Katarina, unflinching and unafraid. I admire her. “Can I cop out of the game if I already know?”
I’m no detective, but there is something inevitably evident between them.
Hina and Katarina know each other. More than that, actually.
The stares, the glares, the little twitch in Katarina’s gaze when she accidentally meets Hina’s glare. There’s tension.
Is no one else seeing this?
There’s more talking going on, someone’s pairing us with names, but I’m having a hard time focusing. It’s a debilitating, out of body experience. Used to it, however I will never stop hating this feeling.
Someone drags me to their side, not sure who it is until I’m sitting next to Rhys and he’s staring at me but it’s making me queasy. Literally. Who knew being attractive could turn me off?Blame the migraine.
Get me out of here.
Katarina forces her way towards Dean.
A murky, gravelly, unusual feeling settles inside of my chest. Not because of her, I don’t think. But because of… well, I’m not entirely sure. It can’t be Dean because I don’t care for Dean, even though he’s staring at me with those intense eyes of his. Nope, not him.
Katarina walks with a slight tilt to her hip that accentuates her lower behind. Damn, I need to get her glutes workout ASAP.
She could have a BBL.
Well then, even better. I can ask her if she has a referral code I could use, because do you see that butt? Incredible. I’m jealous.
More words, more explanations, more mouths moving.
