Page 123 of Say Yes to the Nemesis
“We were friendly. That’s it.”
“Friends who had a lot of chemistry on camera.”
“Chirp.” I step closer, lowering my voice even though there’s no one around to hear us. “Are you jealous?”
“No. I’m just… I mean, it’s not like you didn’t have options.” She’s avoiding my eyes. “It was easy to imagine you picking someone like her.”
“Someone like her?”
“Fun. Outgoing. The type of person you usually go for.”
“Is that what you think?”
She finally looks at me. “I’m scared that when all this is over, you’re going to realize you picked the wrong girl.”
The vulnerability in her voice hits me like a punch to the gut. Here we are, on this ridiculously romantic date, and she’s worried I’m going to change my mind about her.
“Wren, look at me.”
She does, reluctantly.
“There is no wrong girl. There’s only you.”
“But Raven was more…”
I cut her off by kissing her, quick and soft but firm enough to make my point. When I pull back, her eyes are wide.
“Raven was great,” I say. “But she wasn’t you. And you’re the only one I want.”
Pink spreads across her cheeks, and she looks down at her feet. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Okay, I believe you. For now.”
“I’ll take it.”
A crew member appears from somewhere, waving us toward the resort. “Five minutes to places!”
Wren sighs. “Showtime.”
“Hey.” I catch her hand before she can walk away. “Just because they’re filming doesn’t mean it’s not real. What’s happening between us… that’s not for the cameras.”
She squeezes my fingers. “I know. It’s just hard to remember sometimes.”
“Then let me remind you.”
The dinner setup is exactly what I expected. Candles everywhere, rose petals scattered on the table, and an infinity pool glowing blue in the background. It’s beautiful in that expensive, try-hard way that someone spent a fortune on to make this look effortless.
Wren emerges from wherever they took her to get ready. I nearly swallow my tongue. She’s wearing a flowing white dress that makes her look like some kind of goddess, her hair loose around her shoulders and catching the candlelight. She hesitates at the edge of the terrace like she’s not sure she’s allowed to take up this much space.
“Wow,” I breathe.
She ducks her head, but I catch her smile. “Elena’s team. They said I needed to look more ‘romantically available.’”
“Well, mission accomplished.”
The cameras start rolling and suddenly we’re back in performance mode. I pull out her chair, and she thanks me with that camera-ready smile. We settle into our designated roles. The perfect bachelor and his potential bride, falling in love over expensive wine and artfully plated food.
