Choose Us Page 17

  Hey Doll - I know I’ve been an ass, and you have every reason to not want to see me anymore. But PLEASE come over for dinner tonight. I’ll cook up something delicious—I know how much you love my cooking, and we can talk. This arguing and not talking thing is killing me. I miss you Doll. I need to see you. - Travis

  I smiled at the letter. Travis knew me too well. He knew it would be hard for me to turn down his cooking, since he made my absolute favorite dish—chicken pesto linguine—to perfection. And he was right about the arguing and not talking; I may be mad at him, but it really was killing me to not talk to him. There is a point where you just miss someone so much that you just want it to be normal for a while—I was at that point. Just as I was deciding that I was going to go to Travis’ and try my hardest to be civil and move forward, Nicki came bounding down the stairs, wearing the shortest summer dress I had ever seen. I didn’t think it was possible, but she looked even more slutty than normal. This time I was very aware of what she was trying to do and I wasn’t going to take the bait.

  “Well I’m off for my breakfast date with Travis,” Nicki said, breezing into the room. “I was thinking a few mimosas will get Travis loosened up and then he’ll be putty in my hands.”

  Don’t listen to her. She’s just trying to provoke you.

  I stood up and brushed past her, heading up to my room.

  “Yeah, probably better that you’re not here to see our greeting,” Nicki called up after me.

  Just keep moving.

  I highly doubt Jim would be accepting if I were to punch Nicki in the face—even if she did deserve it. I ran into my room, yanking open the drawer that contained my phone. The drawer came tumbling out of the table, spilling its contents across the floor. I tossed some books aside and grabbed my phone, quickly sliding the screen to get to my messages. I pulled up Travis’ name and typed as quickly as my fingers would go, praying he got my text before he met Nicki.

  Me: I’ll meet you tonight for dinner. PLEASE don’t do anything with Nicki. Please!

  I know I probably sounded desperate, but I was pretty sure I couldn’t stand another Nicki make-out fest. I paced around the room with the phone gripped in my hand.

  Please get it before your date. Please, please!

  Yep, I was starting to sound like a crazy person. I heard Nicki loudly giggle from downstairs, and my heart dropped.

  He didn’t get it in time.

  I slowly gathered up the things that had fallen on the floor when I had yanked the drawer out of the table. I put the drawer back into the bedside table and started filling it with the items I gathered. I was just about to place my phone back in behind a book, when I felt it buzz. My hand slammed against the top of the table as I yanked it out. I swiped at the screen and saw a new text from Travis.

  Trav: I’ll make your fav. And after what happened last time you think I’d be that stupid? I have my Nicki repellent on.

  I laughed loudly while my heart picked up speed. I wasn’t crazy, he really didn’t want Nicki. I really hoped he could deflect her moves today.

  Me: Good to know. See you later.

  Just then the doorbell rang and I heard Nicki run to answer it.

  “Oh Travis, I’m so glad we get to hang out this morning.” She squealed loudly, probably for my benefit. I didn’t hear anything else for a while, imagining the worst.

  Don’t go there, he said he wasn’t going to do it, trust him.

  “Nicki no. That’s not happening,” Travis said, interrupting the silence. Did he just push her off him? I was tempted to run to the stairs to see what had happened, but decided to put my trust in Travis.

  I spent the rest of the morning lounging by the pool reading a book until Nicki came back. Then I quickly changed into my running gear and took off down the beach. I wasn’t going to be stuck in the house alone with her for three plus hours, I really didn’t want to hear her description of the date. So the best option was to run away from her. I jogged the beach three times and then simply sat and enjoyed the rushing waves of Lake Michigan.

  I stayed there for another hour before heading back to the house to get ready for my date. I quickly showered and stood in front of my closet debating whether I wanted to look pretty or if I wanted to go my usual route of jeans and a t-shirt. I reached in to grab a shirt, when I caught my birthday dress out of the corner of my eye.

  Oh, I suppose that will do.

  I reached in and pulled it off the hanger, smiling as memories from that day flashed through my head. I threw it over my head and went to work with my hair. Working swiftly, I created a loose fishtail braid to the side and draped it over my shoulder. I applied a quick swipe of shimmery nude eye shadow, applied some mascara and ran some balm across my lips.

  Let’s not get too fancy here; it was just dinner with Travis after all. Checking myself one last time in the mirror, before calling it good, I headed down into the kitchen.

  I’d heard Taylor come home about an hour ago, so I figured I was good to go to Travis’, even if I was a little early. I made my way down the path to the guest house, hoping the night would go smoothly. This stupid show had caused more fights between us than we’d ever had before—in fact, we never fought before this show. Oh, was I ever ready to be done with this show. If I could end it tonight and walk away with Travis, I would in a heartbeat.

  I reached the guest house and saw Travis through the kitchen window, standing over the stove. He had the windows open so the amazing scent of pesto drifted through the night air. His hair was damp from a recent shower, but tousled perfectly. Travis turned around, probably heading to the fridge, when he stopped short and stared directly at me. He broke into a dazzling smile and walked to the door, throwing it open.

  “You’re here,” he said, pulling me into a tight hug.

  “I told you I was coming,” I mumbled into his chest, tensing a little at his touch. I loved the fact that he was hugging me, but he was squeezing me so tightly I could barely get a breath in anymore. “Uh Travis… too tight.”

  Travis loosened his grip, but didn’t let me out of the hug. I relaxed into him a little, wrapping my arms around his waist. This was perfect, just like before the show. Except that my heart was going crazy and those stupid butterflies showed up in my stomach. While my insides were going crazy, my body language told a different story. I knew I wasn’t relaxed completely into his arms like I should be and when he ran his hand up and down my back, I tensed up. Eventually Travis backed out of the hug and pulled me into the house.

  “I hope you’re hungry. I’ve been slaving over the stove all day,” Travis said, returning to the stove to add pasta to the pot of boiling water.

  “I’m sure your previous dates loved just sitting here watching you cook for me,” I replied sarcastically.

  “They don’t matter,” Travis said waving his hand over his shoulder. Okay, so he was obviously trying here, it probably wasn’t the best idea to say something snarky back to him like I wanted to.

  I watched as he added the cooked pasta to the pan with the chicken and pesto and lightly mixed it together before twirling it onto the waiting plates. He placed a plate in front of me and another in his spot, slid a bowl of fresh garlic bread into the middle of the table, and then walked to the fridge.

  “Wine or hard cider?”

  “When have I ever been a wine person?” I asked raising my eyebrow in his direction. He should have known the answer before questioning me. I pressed my lips together, thinking he probably got me mixed up with one of the other girls.

  “Right. That’s right.” Travis pulled two ciders out of the fridge and returned to the table, sitting down opposite me. He opened both drinks, then slid mine across the table to me. I took a long swig then dug into the pasta.

  “Mmmm. This is so good!” I exclaimed through my mouthful of food.

  “You always act surprised when you eat the food I cook. When are you just going to accept that I’m amazing?” Travis said before digging into his own plate.

&
nbsp; “You forget the one time you gave me food poisoning.” I groaned remembering when he had attempted to make sushi—let’s just say the fish was not fresh.

  “You would bring that up. That was years ago—and how was I supposed to know the fish wasn’t fresh?” He laughed, surely recalling me hovering over the toilet the entire next day.

  “I still have nightmares about it.” I shuddered, cringing at the memory. I never wanted to feel that way again. “Can we not talk about food poisoning while I enjoy this delicious meal?” Travis nodded and we ate the rest of the meal in silence.

  “That was so good,” I said, pushing back the chair and gathering up the plates. “Thank you for making me dinner.” I started filling the sink with soapy water.

  “Just like old times.” Travis came up next to me and started rinsing and drying the dishes I had washed. We worked quickly, getting the dishes done in short time. It really was just like old times—except he would constantly bump me or touch me, and tingles would run through my body. Each time he would ‘accidentally’ touch me, I would tense and jerk my hand away. Let’s face it, I really wanted things to be normal between us, but I just couldn’t forget that quickly what happened yesterday—or the previous days for that matter.

  “Want to watch a movie?” Travis asked, standing with his hands in his pockets like he was trying to keep from touching me.

  “Is that code for something else?” I questioned, remembering the last time we ‘watched a movie’. He let out the most beautiful laugh and pulled me into the living room.

  “No code. Just a movie. Or we could talk,” he said placing his hands on my shoulders. “Riles, I’m so sor…”

  “Don’t.” I cut him off, shrugging out of his grasp. “Don’t apologize. I really just want to forget about it.”

  Travis stared at me like he wanted to say more, but eventually nodded before flipping through the movies. We had just agreed on one, when a knock came from the kitchen door.

  “Who would be here?” Travis asked, more to himself than to me. “Be right back.” He patted my leg before hopping off the couch and answering the door. I was attempting to get comfortable on the couch when I heard Jim.

  “Look, I know you’re in the middle of your date with Riley. But the three of us need to talk,” he told Travis as he appeared in the doorway of the living room.

  “Of course we do.” I groaned as I stood up and followed them to the kitchen, each of us taking a seat at the table.

  Well if this didn’t feel familiar.

  “I’m not going to beat around the bush here. You two need to work your issues out. The audience is not going to cheer for the two of you if you continue to push each other away.” Jim was talking wildly to us with his hands.

  “I thought that’s what we were doing right now,” Travis replied, obviously bewildered by Jim’s statement.

  “I know you two had a nice sit down meal. That was it. It was a meal between two friends. It wasn’t a dinner one would expect two people who actually liked each other would have,” Jim explained, looking directly at me.

  I knew he was telling me this and not Travis. As hard as I was trying to pretend everything was okay between Travis and me, I knew I wasn’t that great of an actor on the outside. I knew my body language was telling him to back off. I couldn’t help it—I was still pissed at him for the whole Nicki thing. One day was not enough time to get over it.

  “I have my issues worked out. Travis knows what he needs to do,” I mumbled, twisting my hands in my lap. I really didn’t want to start another fight with him, but by the look on his face, that was exactly where it was going.

  “What do you want me to do Riles? Do you want me to end the show right now? Leave with you?” Travis pushed back from the table and stood up.

  “I didn’t say you needed to end the show right now. I just said you needed to figure your shit out. I’m tired of this Travis. I physically cannot watch you date these other girls anymore,” I yelled back at him, remaining in my seat.

  “I don’t understand. You won’t let me date other girls without being pissed. I have to date them because that is what this show is about! And I’ve told you time and time again that it is always going to be you at the end. When are you going to believe me?” Travis was pacing back and forth shaking his head at me. “But even still, I have to see this out until the end! I signed a contract. You know I don’t break my contracts!”

  “Travis! I didn’t even want to be here. I never signed up to actually be in the running. You did that. You were the one who kissed me, who made his feelings clear for me, who put me smack dab in the middle of the show. You were the one who told me over and over not to worry about anything, and then you go off and make out with the remaining contestants! What the hell am I supposed to think? You made me freaking fall in love with you!” I stood and started pacing the kitchen. I glanced up at Travis who had stopped pacing and stared at me with his mouth agape.

  “You love me?” he asked.

  That was what he caught from my rant? Really?

  “Trav, that is not really the point here.” I was beyond frustrated with this conversation and just wanted to end it. “You know what? Do whatever the hell you want, you clearly aren’t listening to me. Tomorrow there is an elimination right?” I glanced at Jim who gave a slight nod. “There you go Travis, make it easy on everyone—eliminate me tomorrow.” I started to move toward the door when Travis caught me by the arm.

  “Is that what you want? You want to leave?” he asked, seriously confused. I shrugged out of his grasp and crossed my arms over my chest, rolling my eyes at him.

  “Travis, I just want you. That’s all. I don’t want this drama, this game, I don’t care about the final two—I just want you! But you seem confused about everything. And if you are that confused about it all, then I don’t want to be here. I shouldn’t be a second guess, Travis. You should know whether or not you want me.” I stormed to the door, slipping on my sandals. “So do what you want. I’m done. I’m done playing this game. Do. What. You. Want,” I yelled, before throwing the door open and running up to the main house.

  Well this night turned out like shit.

  Today was the first day since I’ve been here where I actually packed up my things before an elimination. Every other time I pretty much knew I was safe—tonight, I wasn’t so sure. I tucked my phone into my purse and set it next to the bags on my bed. If I were to go home, someone from the crew would come up and grab my bags and load them in the SUV before it came around the front to pick me up. Or at least that was what we were told prior to the show starting.

  To be honest, I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to be here anymore. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to be with Travis, because I did, more than ever. But I just couldn’t deal with this drama anymore. I wanted to be with Travis on my terms, away from the cameras and glaring eyes of the other contestants. But Travis was set on seeing things through to the end and I would have to accept that. Just like I would have to trust him when he kept telling me it was always going to be me at the end. And I was trying, but I knew Nicki’s type, and she’d do anything in her power to get her claws in him and make him think twice. Then you have Taylor, who is the sweetest girl ever—I could see why Travis would be starting to fall for her. Whatever happened tonight, it would be a game changer, that’s for sure.

  I made my way down to the living room, knowing I had only two minutes to get there before Tessa and Travis were due to show up. I saw Nicki and Taylor standing in their spots in front of the wall of windows, so I quickly made my way to the only open spot, which was on Nicki’s other side. Of course they’d put the viper in the middle.

  “Took you long enough to get in here. I hope you’re all packed up,” Nicki whispered loudly in my direction. I just shook my head, rolled my eyes and tried my best to ignore her, even though my heart picked up speed at the thought of being eliminated.

  Maybe I should find Travis and tell him what I said last night was crazy talk. I didn’t real
ly want to go home. I wanted to be there…with him. I was about to move from my spot to find him, when he and Tessa walked in the room. Tessa placed two golden yellow bracelets on the table and nodded to us.

  “Ladies, you’ve made it this far! Congratulations! Tonight is a tough one as it’ll be narrowed down to the final two and I know Travis has had a connection with each of you ladies.” Tessa said with a smile. She turned to Travis, “Okay Travis, it’s your turn.”

  “It’s been a rough night, that’s for sure.” Travis started, picking up one of the bracelets. “So many decisions needed to be made and I truly hope I made the best ones.” He looked up at us, holding each of our gazes for a moment, before looking back down at his hands and continuing, “With that said, this first bracelet is going to Taylor.”

  “Oh!” Taylor exclaimed. She glanced over at me before walking up to Travis. He slid the bracelet on her wrist and she gave him a light hug before moving back in line smiling over at me.

  “Nicki and Riley, please come stand in front of Travis,” Tessa told us, gesturing to the open space in front of them. I quickly glanced over at Taylor for some moral support and she winked, giving me the thumbs up. I smiled back at her before moving to stand in front of Travis. I kept my head down, afraid that if I looked Travis in the eyes, I’d see something I didn’t want to see. I held my breath waiting for him to pick the final person. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t care. Obviously I did. I wanted to stay, regardless of what I told him last night. I wanted to be with Travis, but I wasn’t sure what he would do. This show had messed with his pretty head—and mine too.

  I glanced up at his hand where the golden bracelet sat in his palm, then to his face where he was looking between the two of us.

  “Travis, who is going to be your final choice?” Tessa asked from beside him.