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  “Looks like I win today.” She sneered at me before turning and heading up the stairs to get ready.

  “Ugh. Can you believe her?” Taylor asked, rolling her eyes in Nicki’s direction.

  “She has been determined to make my life a living hell since I first got here. It stepped up a notch when she found out who I really am. I’m not surprised at what she does anymore.”

  “But she’s not going to win. Why would she think that?” Taylor asked again, looking at me confused.

  “Because Travis doesn’t know what he wants at this point. I told you that you still had a chance. Nicki is exactly what he always went for in the past. Why should that change now that we’re here?” I drained my coffee and went to get a refill. Taylor followed me into the kitchen.

  “You’re serious aren’t you?” She grabbed a glass from the cabinet and the pitcher of water out of the fridge, looking over at me as I filled my cup with coffee.

  “Yep. Travis is confused. I don’t know if the thought of dating his best friend is now starting to freak him out, or if he’s just not ready to give up his previous lifestyle. I just don’t know anymore,” I said, walking over to her, sipping my coffee.

  “That’s so weird. I really thought he was crazy about you.” Taylor sighed. We heard the doorbell and Nicki’s high pitch giggle, alerting us that Travis was here to pick her up.

  “You may be right about the crazy part,” I grumbled into my cup.

  I retreated to my room shortly after Nicki left with Travis. I thought about getting a nap in, but realized that wasn’t going to be an option once my head hit the pillow and my brain was still flying at a thousand thoughts per second.

  Guess I shouldn’t have had that fourth cup of coffee.

  I reached in the bedside table and grabbed my phone. Maybe Kathy would be open to listening to me bitch about her son. I flicked on the screen and saw a text from Travis, sent just before noon.

  Trav: Always you.

  That was all. Was that a form of an apology? Why do his actions contradict everything he says?

  Gah, could he be any more confusing?

  I grabbed one of the books off my nightstand and walked over to the window seat. If I couldn’t take my mind off Travis and his date by sleeping, maybe reading about someone else’s life would help.

  I sat back in the window seat, staring out at Lake Michigan. I couldn’t believe Travis wanted an alone date with Nicki. I just couldn’t believe he would do a complete 180 after everything we talked about yesterday. The only thing I could think is that this is adding an extra layer of drama to the show, and the producers think the ratings are going to skyrocket. This is getting ridiculous. I don’t care how high the ratings are going to be—messing with people’s lives is just wrong. I signed on so I could point Travis in the right direction. Nicki was not in that direction.

  Sighing, I glanced down at the book in my lap, and caught movement out of the corner of my eye. I looked back out the window and saw Travis and Nicki heading down to the lake with a picnic basket. As much as I wanted to turn away and not watch the fiasco that the date was sure to be, I craned my head to see more of them.

  Nicki kept touching Travis’ arms and back, giggling hysterically at whatever Travis was saying. He spread out the blanket and was placing the basket on top, when Nicki jumped on his back. Travis twirled her around as she clung to his back, before lightly dropping her off. They stood, looking out at the lake and Nicki stepped closer to Travis, trying to cuddle into him. I blinked and rubbed my eyes to make sure I was seeing it correctly.

  Yep, Travis had moved his hand to the small of her back, and Nicki was cuddling right into him. No, I couldn’t watch this anymore.

  Just when I was starting to turn away from the window, Nicki caught my eye again and then she stood on her toes and kissed Travis smack on the lips. It was quick and you could tell Travis wasn’t expecting it, as he backed up slightly and stared down at her.

  “Please don’t do it. Please don’t do it,” I chanted under my breath.

  I watched, unblinking, as Travis moved his hands to either side of Nicki’s head. I saw his lips move as he said something to her, then she launched forward and attacked his lips again. Nicki grabbed his shirt with one hand, and tangled her other hand in his hair, while he kept his hands locked on her face.

  My heart dropped. Tears formed in my eyes, and I finally managed to turn away from the window.

  What was he doing? Why was he kissing her? Doesn’t he know he’s standing on the beach in full view of everyone in the house? Doesn’t he know what kissing Nicki would do to me? It felt like my heart had just been ripped out of my chest and stomped on, over and over again.

  I clutched at my chest, willing the pain to go away. Against my better judgment I glanced out the window again. Nicki had her arms wrapped around Travis’ neck and her head was tilted back as she laughed at whatever Travis was saying to her. His hands were now gripped on her upper arms and he stared intensely at her.

  I turned away from the window, tears now falling down my face. Slowly, I crawled onto the bed, curling up into a fetal position.

  “This can’t be happening,” I muttered over and over again. My best friend was out there making out with the enemy, not giving a damn about me.

  How can he do this? How can he throw whatever we had right out the window?

  Nicki had declared war over Travis, and right now it felt like she was going to win.

  I’m not sure how, but I managed to fall asleep for a while. I woke up to a dark room and my stomach grumbling. Rolling onto my back, I stretched out, letting my muscles adjust to the new position. Leaning my neck to the side, I glanced at the clock—7:30. My stomach rumbled again, reminding me I had put nothing but coffee in it all day. I climbed off the bed, slowly shuffling downstairs to find something to eat. I got to the bottom step of the kitchen stairs, when I heard her voice coming from just outside the kitchen doorway.

  “Oh, it was so hot! Not the best kiss I’ve ever had, but I can see why Riley kept him hidden.” Nicki laughed loudly, entering the kitchen. She was followed in by Kara.

  That two timing bitch Kara.

  I was frozen at the foot of the stairs when Nicki’s gaze zeroed in on me.

  “Riley, there you are. Did you happen to hear how my date went?” She didn’t wait for my response before continuing, “Oh wait, that’s right, you saw how it went.”

  Holy shit, she planned the whole thing!

  I could do nothing but stare at her. I knew she was conniving, but I never thought she could come up with something like this.

  “What? You have nothing to say?” She pierced me with her ice cold eyes, her lips curled into a snarl.

  “You planned it. You positioned yourself in that exact spot, knowing I would see you.” I wanted to be in awe of her abilities, but really, I just wanted to rip her head off.

  “Ding-ding. Give Riley a prize.” She laughed in my face. “You gave me the ammunition I needed when you told me the only girls Travis dated were like me. I knew if I got him alone, all I had to do was flirt a little and he’d play right into my hands. Which he did…and more.”

  That little…

  I launched at Nicki, but was quickly yanked back by Taylor. I never even saw her come into the kitchen.

  “She tried to attack me! You all saw it!” Nicki screamed loudly.

  “Shut up, Nicki. She didn’t touch you. You can’t do anything about it,” Taylor hissed at her. “Plus, you provoked her. Honestly, I have it in me to let her go so she can finish what she wants to do.”

  “Yeah Nicki, as pissed at I am to know who Riley really is, you stooped to a whole new level today,” said Kara, finally chiming in.

  “Oh please, like none of you would have taken the chance when the opportunity came.” Nicki rolled her eyes.

  “Please let him eliminate you tonight. I’m so tired of your drama,” Taylor said, her annoyance clear in her voice.

  Nicki whipped her head to glare at
Taylor and was probably about to say something bitchy, like usual, but we were interrupted when Jim walked into the kitchen.

  “Ladies, you’re needed in the living room for the elimination.” He told us, holding his arm out, gesturing to the living room. I followed the girls out of the room, my stomach growling loudly. So much for getting something to eat, instead I got to deal with the wrath of Nicki.

  We all found our spots in front of the window and waited quietly while Tessa and Travis walked in. Tessa set the box of bracelets on the table, opening it to reveal that they were burnt orange this time.

  “We’re entering the final week here, ladies. By the end of the night, there will only be three of you left vying for Travis’ heart,” Tessa said, smiling at us. “So, Travis, the floor is yours.”

  Travis walked up to the table, and picked up a bracelet. He rubbed it through his fingers, twirling it over and over. He looked up at us, moving his gaze to each one of us. When he landed on me, he winked.

  He had the balls to wink at me?!

  Did he seriously not know that I would find out he kissed Nicki? Did he think I didn’t care? Seriously, I was beginning to think I should have him committed.

  “Well, the secret is out now. Everyone knows that my best friend has been here since the beginning. Originally she was just supposed to be here until the top five, but things have changed, and I’d like for her to stay even longer,” he said holding the bracelet up and giving me his sexy grin.

  Why does he still have to be so attractive?!

  “So, Riles, you want this bracelet?” he asked grinning at me.

  I should say no. I should honestly say no and just walk the hell out.

  But I felt my feet moving toward Travis. I glanced up at him giving him a tiny smile as he slid the bracelet on my wrist. He leaned in to hug me and I tensed slightly.

  “Come over tonight?” he whispered in my ear. I backed out of his grip and laughed.

  “Probably not,” I said and turned to walk back to my spot.

  Why was he acting like nothing happened today? Was he seriously that big of a player and I had just never noticed it? I mean, I was well aware of how he was with girls before the show and maybe I was naive enough to think he would settle down with me. I knew Nicki had planned this all to get to me, but that didn’t mean Travis needed to play along—but he did. And that hurt.

  Preoccupied with my thoughts, I vaguely caught that Kara was the one being sent home before we were released from the clutches of Tessa. I quickly tried to make my way out of the room, deciding to head through the kitchen and up that staircase instead of the main one, so I could hopefully avoid Nicki and maybe even grab something to eat. My stomach hadn’t let me forget I was hungry. I grabbed an apple, some cheese and water out of the fridge and turned to the staircase. I had my head down, focusing on the food, so I didn’t notice the body standing there, until I bumped into a solid form. I stumbled back, before he could grab me and I found myself looking up into Travis’ face.

  “What do you want?” I hissed angrily. I didn’t want to deal with him right now. I still wasn’t sure if I was going to bite his head off or break down into tears.

  “Why don’t you want to come over?” he questioned, trying to touch my face.

  I backed up slightly out of his reach.

  “Riles, what is going on?” He seemed worried, which just pissed me off even more.

  “If you think really hard, I’m pretty sure you can figure out what is wrong,” I said. I tried to glare at him, but my vision was starting to get fuzzy from the tears forming.

  Travis just stared at me with a confused look on his face, so I brushed past him, taking the stairs two at a time. I got jerked to a stop when I was half way up when Travis grabbed my wrist.

  “You need to tell me what is wrong, so I can fix it.” He pleaded in a whisper. I pulled out of his grasp and turned to look at him.

  Seriously, he’s an idiot!

  “You know, when you want to have a private date on the beach, you should really make sure it’s in a more secluded area so people can’t see you from their bedroom window,” I spat out at him.

  Travis visibly paled and opened his mouth to say something, but I turned and ran up the rest of the stairs and into my room before he could get a word out. I threw the lock on my door as soon as I entered. I figured he wouldn’t have the balls to come to my room, even though Nicki and Taylor knew who I was. But if he did shock me and come up here, I wanted to make it clear that I had nothing to say to him.

  I crawled to the middle of the bed, munching my apple and filling my stomach with much needed food. It had been the most exhausting day I’d had in years. I didn’t know what to feel anymore. Should I be pissed? Upset? Happy I am seeing Travis’ true colors? So many emotions were coursing through me and I had no idea what to do with them.

  A few tears slipped down my cheeks and I groaned, swiping them away. As much as my brain was telling me to hate Travis and walk away, my heart still loved the man.

  After I finished the small amount of food I had grabbed, my stomach was content enough for me to fall asleep. I slept soundly for a few hours before being awoken by a quiet knock on my door. I glanced at the clock noticing it was a little after midnight.

  Who would be knocking at this time?

  My heart skipped a beat when a picture of Travis entered my mind, but quickly turned to pain when I remembered what had happened down on the beach. Plus, I still didn’t believe he would try to sneak up here.

  I cracked open the door and saw Jim peering back at me.

  “Riley, may I come in?” he asked, though I wasn’t sure why, considering he was going to come in regardless.

  I stepped back and opened the door for him to come in, then closed it halfway. Didn’t need Nicki thinking there was something going on between Jim and me.

  “What’s up Jim?” I asked rubbing my eyes.

  “You need to go see Travis,” he said, stating it as a command instead of a suggestion.

  “Like hell I do.” I snorted at him. Were these people crazy? I wasn’t going anywhere near him, unless he wanted to be kicked in the balls.

  “Riley, listen—” Jim started.

  “No, you listen. And you can tell Travis exactly what I’m telling you. I can’t be alone with him again until he can make up his damn mind. I’m tired of this.” I sat at the edge of my bed. “I’m just so tired of this, Jim.”

  “Riley, I know this isn’t what you bargained for when you signed on, but you can’t give up on Travis.” Jim stood in front of me, lightly touching my shoulder.

  I glanced up and gave him a small smile, “I’m not giving up on him. You have no idea how much I’m kicking myself for saying that, but I just can’t give up on him. But I can’t be placed second to the rest of the girls anymore. My heart physically cannot take it.”

  “You know there is still a show going on, right?” Jim asked softly.

  Of course I did, what the hell did he think?!

  “Yes, obviously. And I realize he can’t pick one girl right now, when there are still three of us left. I know he has to show interest in the other girls, but my heart cannot take it. I cannot take seeing him kiss that bitch,” I hissed through my teeth.

  “So what do you want to do?”

  “I told you. I won’t be alone with him until he can make up his mind. No late night house visits, no individual dates, no being freaking cornered in the kitchen. I do not want to be around him right now.” I blinked back the tears that were starting to well up in my eyes again.

  “Okay. I’ll let Travis know. I hope we can work something out,” Jim said before letting himself out of my room and closing the door gently behind him.

  I once again found myself sitting on the sofa in the living room next to Taylor, as Nicki went to answer the door and receive what we figured would be the final date envelopes.

  “Tough night?” Taylor asked, eying my ridiculously large cup of coffee.

  “You have no idea
.” I sighed and leaded my head back against the couch. After Jim left, I once again wasn’t able to fall asleep. Travis sent me a few texts, begging me to come over and had even gotten his mom to send me a text saying I should talk to him. I had written and deleted so many texts to Travis throughout the night, ranging from me cussing him out, to me telling him I loved him. Ugh.

  I loved him. That makes everything so much more complicated!

  I even found myself standing by the outside door of the kitchen, hand on the handle. All I’d had to do was make the decision to turn the knob and run to the guest house, but I forced myself to retreat back to my room instead.

  I opened my eyes when I heard Nicki come clomping back into the room with three envelopes in her hand. Without saying a word, she set two envelopes on the coffee table and then turned and ran up the stairs, clutching hers in her hand. Taylor leaned forward and grabbed the two off the table, flipping them over and reading the names.

  “One for me. One for you,” she said, handing me the one with my name written on the front. I watched as she opened hers and read it.

  “It says the final dates are today. Each of us are getting a meal and a block of time with Travis. I apparently have lunch and the afternoon spot,” Taylor said, glancing up at me, noticing that I still hadn’t touched my envelope. “I’m assuming Nicki had the morning by the way she took off like that… Are you going to open yours?” Taylor pointed to the note on my lap.

  Probably not. I shrugged, not really caring what Travis had to say. It wasn’t like I was actually going to go on the date with him anyway. Taylor patted my knee before getting up from the couch.

  “I’ll let you have some space,” she said sadly, before heading up to her room.

  I glanced down at the letter sitting on my lap. Part of me wanted to rip it open and see what Travis had to say. The other part of me wanted to throw it in the fireplace and watch it burn. In the end, the curiosity won out. I slid my finger under the flap, tearing open the envelope and pulling out the letter. Slowly I unfolded it and read: