Page 13 of The Dating Show

Dejected at not winning the first date, but also glad to get out of the pudding, Avery crawled out nursing her left side, which had been bumped a few times. She was surprised there were no bite marks on her body—the women had been brutal. Elizabeth was beaming at the hidden camera Stella had pointed out and was talking animatedly with her hands.

She mumbled a “Congratulations” on her way past Elizabeth, carefully avoiding Stella’s eyes. The pudding quickly dried on her skin, making everything feel tight and uncomfortable. She waited in line for the hose to try and get some of the sticky sensation off.

Soon, everyone gathered around Quinn and Stella to see who she’d pick to interview. Avery hid behind the much taller Jasmine. When the rest of the women were released to get cleaned up, Avery hustled to her room, wanting a moment to regroup and get clean.

Her thoughts ran rampant as she scrubbed shampoo into her hair. Having Stella as the host didn’t change anything. Avery had come on the show for one thing: to win the money. It didn’t matter that the thoughts of the night she shared with Stella still haunted her dreams. They could get through this, couldn’t they?

Running her hands through her damp hair, she passed the mirror. They could get through this. She saw her lips moving as she repeated the mantra.

Could they ignore each other? Pretend they were strangers, even though her body still craved Stella’s touch? Her eyes darkened at the memories of that night. Her body was vehemently against ignoring their new host.

“Traitor,” she mumbled under her breath, twisting away from the mirror.

Who knew after planning, strategizing, and months of watching shows to get herself ready for this moment, it would all shatter at her feet at the sight of forest green eyes?

A group of women laughed outside her door. All were reminiscing about the contest. Avery wished she could join them but needed to find the right headspace before joining the group.

Knowing they were all being filmed forced Avery out of her room. It wouldn’t do any good to sulk in the shadows. She was fine. Just fine, nothing a fake smile couldn’t cover up. With a little downtime until dinner, Avery tucked her favorite sapphic book under her arm and left the comfort of her room.

Following down the halls to where the noise was the loudest, she felt her fake smile slip from her face. Maybe she could play broody and mysterious? It would be more palatable than perky and delightful, which were feelings far from her current repertoire.

Mysterious it was, she decided, feeling good about a decision for the first time in hours. Avery took in the scene around her. Tanya and Echo were hovering around Elizabeth, who seemed excited by the attention. Avery continued walking to the kitchen, grabbing a bowl of pretzels and a dipping cup of mustard. She wasn’t hungry but wanted to erase the pudding taste from her memory.

When she walked out to the yard, which was now cleared of their morning activities, the California sun beat down hard on her neck. Retreating quickly to hide from the relentless heat, Avery sought relief on an outdoor couch in the shade. She tucked her feet under her and leaned forward to place her snack on the table. Opening her book, she settled in to read.

A slight breeze whispered through the yard, skimmed off the pool, and helped cool the temperature. Avery refused to believe it was a placebo effect. She couldn’t help but think she should be wheeling and dealing or making a scene to vie for Quinn’s attention. She knew sitting alone outside and reading wouldn’t thrill the audience. However, she couldn’t find the gumption to leave the slice of peace she’d found.

“What’re you doing out here?” Ocean had her hands on her hips, standing over her. “And what abomination is that?” She gagged as she pointed to the mustard dip. She fell into the chair next to Avery, all five feet, four inches of her creating a surprising whoosh to the cushion.

“Hey, don’t knock my mustard.” Avery folded the corner of her book to mark her place and pulled the dip closer, swirling a pretzel in it and handing the snack to Ocean, who took it suspiciously.

“This isn’t the worst thing,” Ocean conceded after taking a hesitant bite. She leaned over and turned on a device near their feet.

Avery moaned when the misting spray started cooling down the area. She swore she heard the water sizzling as it hit her overheated skin. “I’ll have to get one of those for my back patio,” she lied.

Her apartment didn’t have a bedroom, let alone a patio. One of the nice things about being around a bunch of strangers was they didn’t need to know the ugly truth. The fact that she could wallpaper her entire place with collection notices, that her mom hardly recognized her anymore, or the fact she was slowly being crushed by debt, squeezing everything out of her until she could no longer breathe—no, here she could be anything she wanted. It was freeing in a way. Who would care about a struggling person in her late twenties? Society sure didn’t.

“Where are you from?” Ocean asked, dipping another pretzel.

“Originally from Minnesota, but I couldn’t take another winter, so now I’m like a vampire, hiding from the sun here. How about you?” Avery adjusted her legs on the couch so she could see her better.

Ocean sipped her drink. “Nowheresville, Colorado. It’s so tiny it’s barely on the map, but it’s near the border of Kansas and Oklahoma. Leaving that town was the best decision I ever made.”

“Oh, do you know…Where the wind sweeps down?” She barely caught herself before she said, oh, do you know Stella’s from Oklahoma?

Avery didn’t care that she got the words to the song wrong, she was focusing instead on the fact that she could pivot quickly. She didn’t know what would happen if people found out she’d met the host before coming on the show, but she didn’t want to find out.

Hearing the door open and laughter tumble into the backyard, Avery turned to the noise. Four women walked out wearing revealing bathing suits. Avery couldn’t recall their names but watched as they jumped in the pool, splashing everyone. Shrieks of laughter and disgust in equal measure pierced her eardrum, but it all faded when she caught a glimpse of red hair near the back door.

Like a sailor caught in a siren song, Avery lifted herself from the couch, gathering her stuff. “I’m going to check out the gym.” She waved to Ocean, whose attention had already turned to the women in the pool, and headed towards Stella.

When Avery reached the sliding door, Stella was nowhere to be seen, but she wasn’t deterred. Following Stella’s distinct scent of strawberries and vanilla, Avery was rewarded when she caught sight of her, one hand on the banister a few steps from the bottom of the stairs.

“Stella, wait,” Avery called, cursing herself for the volume. She wanted subtle and ended up honking her horn in rush hour.

Stella, for her part, paused but didn’t look back. Jogging the last few feet, Avery grabbed the handrail to the stairs but jumped back when she remembered she wasn’t allowed up unless it was elimination day.

“I—umm. This is awkward.” Avery now wished she’d taken a moment to think before acting. Maybe she’d have come up with something more eloquent than the equivalent of a whoopsie daisy.

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