The Ultimate Blind Date

by Jill Ferraro

  After weighing her options, Brielle decided it was useless to say no. “Okay...how do I dial them?”

  “Oh, you’ll use my phone. Make sure it’s on speaker.”

  Brielle knew she didn’t have much of a choice. If she declined, the producers would spin it as her parents not being supportive of the wedding. She dialed the number and her mother picked up.

  “Hello?” Theresa’s voice sounded confused through the phone.

  “Hey, mom! It’s me!” Brielle sounded overly enthusiastic, she didn’t want her parents to worry about her more than they already were.

  “Oh hold on sweetie...ARNOLD! BRIELLE’S ON THE PHONE!”

  Brielle heard her dad’s footsteps as he made his way to the phone. “Hey honey, how’s it going?”

  “It’s going really well! I’m very glad I’m here.” Brielle was lying through her teeth. She hoped her parents wouldn’t notice. “Anyways, I just wanted to talk about the wedding with you guys.”

  “Have you picked someone already? Brielle, sweetie, that’s awfully fast.” Her mom sounded very concerned.

  Brielle shook her head. “No, no. But soon enough. I have some guys in mind.” Her eyes wandered over to the profile wall. “You guys still want to come, right?”

  “Of course, honey. We don’t understand this whole thing but we trust you and want to support you.” Arnold had taken the longest to convince but once he realized Brielle had made up her mind, he decided it was easier to support her than disapprove all the time.

  “Great. And Grandma?”

  “Oh, you know Grandma. She’s over the moon. She thinks this is the best thing since sliced bread, can’t wait to meet your future husband.”

  She smiled. Her grandma was a huge reality TV fan and was ecstatic when she learned her granddaughter would be finding a husband on TV. “Well, that’s great. It was nice talking to you guys.”

  “You too, love you!”

  The phone went dead and Brielle handed it back to Abigail. She was glad she got to speak to her parents, even if it was only for the cameras. It grounded Brielle to speak with them, she remembered why she was here.

  Her parents were still in love after decades together. They fought, like any couple, but their fights were always fair and productive. Brielle wanted what they had desperately and hadn’t found it in her ex-boyfriend, Seth.

  Seth was the opposite of what she should be looking for in a man. He was rude to her friends and cheated on her multiple times. When they were together, he was controlling and when they were apart he manipulated her as best he could. Her final breakup with Seth was actually the kick in the pants she needed to apply for Sight Unseen in the first place.

  While she was wallowing in pints of ice cream and crying over her breakup, she saw an ad on TV for a reality marriage show. She jumped on the opportunity to apply. It seemed easy at the time, let someone else pick the best viable options for you and you decide for yourself which one is the best fit. Now she wasn’t so sure.

  She heard the sound of fingernails tapping on the kitchen counter. Brielle realized she’d been lost in thought and came back to earth. Abigail was still standing there, looking impatient.

  “Do you know who you’re going to eliminate yet?” she huffed, clearly back to her usual self after getting what she wanted from Brielle.

  “Uh...not yet. It looks like it’ll probably be Damien or Jason. They won’t shut up about this fight they had. I don’t have the patience for it, to be honest.”

  Abigail sighed. “Well, you better pick, soon. You only have a few hours. Or we’ll pick for you.”

  Brielle blinked a few times. “Can you do that?”

  Abigail laughed. “It’s in your contract. We can really do whatever we want. Let me know when you’ve made a decision, we’ve already made ours.”

  She left the apartment without saying goodbye. Brielle slammed the door behind her and looked around. She felt trapped and overwhelmed. Was this stress worth the possible joy? The negatives of staying were starting to outweigh the positives of finding a husband. And it was only Day One.

  The profile wall stared down at her. She had to make a decision about who to eliminate, and soon. But who should leave?

  Jason had messaged her before Damien. And she had a slightly stronger relationship with Jason than Damien. But from everything she gathered by piecing together Jason’s story, he started this fight with Damien. She didn’t want to be with another hothead who couldn’t control his temper.

  But she also didn’t want to be with a liar. And Damien was definitely lying to her by telling her everything in their apartment was absolutely fine. It clearly wasn’t, he was clearly arguing with Jason. At the same time, she could easily eliminate the other one tomorrow.

  And then there were the other guys. Asher, Shea, Carl, Matthew, Brandon, and Peter. Where did they fit into all of this? She didn’t have great feelings about Jason and Damien but at least she felt something. The rest of these guys were barely on her radar. Well, except for Asher and Carl. Asher’s kind words from the morning were definitely welcome and Carl was trying his best to engage with her throughout the day. They were definitely safe.

  Brielle got out more sticky notes. She wrote SAFE on the green ones and started assigning them. Asher was safe first, followed by Carl, Brandon, Shea, and Matthew. Peter was written on a yellow sticky note, there was something about him that gave Brielle pause. Damien and Jason got red sticky notes.

  She realized, thirty minutes later, that she wasn’t much further now than she was when Abigail had left. Damien and Jason were both still messaging her nonstop. She had to pick one.

  But how?

  Chapter Six

  Jason

  Jason: Are you ghosting me? If you are you’re gonna regret it, I’m the only guy here with abs.

  ◆◆◆

  Jason hadn’t heard back from Brielle in over 45 minutes. He thought she’d be sympathetic to his story. Damien was a jerk and everyone else knew it. He was doing her a favor by sharing that with her so early. But she seemed annoyed with him. If she didn’t want to listen to him, fine. Let her get hurt by Damien.

  He’d taken a shower just to get some alone time. He hadn’t lived with this many people since his frat house and he had forgotten how terrible it was. Everyone always had something to prove, especially here. They all wanted Brielle but he knew, deep down, she’d be his. She had to be, he was the best looking guy there.

  His only worry was that he didn’t focus enough on his looks during their messages back and forth. He tried to slip them in, casually, telling her how much he worked out or how often he got his hair cut. Girls like a guy who takes care of himself, some of these guys couldn’t protect Brielle like he could. He doubted Peter had ever even been to a gym.

  Still, he was beginning to have regrets. Maybe he came on too strong or too manly for her. It’d happened in the past. His temper often got the best of him. His ex-girlfriend told him he could calm down or she’d leave. He put his fist through the wall. He was passionate but he’d never actually hurt someone.

  The producers didn’t seem to care when they cast him. They said they were looking for a strong protector, that that’s what his future wife valued most in a man. So that’s what he was going to give her.

  “Can all the guys report to the living room, please? We have our first decision.”

  Jason puffed out his chest. He was so excited to see the look on Damien’s face when Brielle eliminated him. He walked down the hallway, slapping the backs of the other guys as he passed them.

  He sat down on a beanbag right in the center of the room. Damien sat next to Carl, his new bodyguard apparently. Jason gave him a fake grin.

  “How’s it going, Damien?”

  “Shut up, Jason. You’re annoying the shit out of everyone,” Carl growled.

  Jason was about to yell back when Mark entered the room. “Everything alright, guys?”

  Everyone was silent but looked at Jason. He could feel all eyes on
him. “Yup. Everything’s totally fine.”

  “Good. Glad you’re all here. We have our first decision. But before we send one of you home, we wanted to go over the dates.”

  “For some of you. Brielle has made her final choice for the day. After she shares that choice with you all, she will decide if the person she eliminates will have a date with her. She’s allowed to save one guy after the date. So if you’re eliminated but get a date, you could be brought back on the show if you both really hit it off on the date.” Mark leaned against the wall. “Any questions before we begin?”

  “So do we just get up and go on the date with her from here? Like right after?” Peter looked confused.

  “Uh, no. You’ll come with the film crew to the confessional and film a quick response video for Brielle in case she doesn’t choose to go on a date. And then you’ll either find out you’re going on a date or not.” Peter nodded. “Anything else?”

  Shea spoke up. “Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of the show? Sight Unseen?”

  Mark shrugged. “If you’ve been sent home, you would really need something extraordinary to happen for her to save you. But if Brielle meets someone on the date she really thinks might be her best match but she sent him home...that’s not the best way to start off a marriage to another guy. So we compromise.” His answer seemed to answer Shea’s question. “Any other questions?”

  No one raised their hands. Jason was about to doze off in his chair, he knew he had this in the bag and didn’t feel the need to listen.

  “Great. Let’s get her video up?” The technical crew hustled to get the projector screen down and the video on.

  Brielle’s face appeared on the screen. She was wearing a tight red dress with lips to match. Her long brown hair was curled, nothing was out of place. Jason could barely believe how hot she was. She was about to be the luckiest girl in the world when she became his wife.

  They clicked play and the video began to play. “Hey guys, it’s Brielle.” She waved. “Oh I was just waving, I forgot you can’t see me.” She giggled.

  Jason noticed Asher and Brandon shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Like they’d never lied to a woman before. He turned his attention back to the screen.

  “Anyways, it’s been great getting to know you guys today. Unfortunately, one of you has to go home. I wish I could say this was hard for me but it really wasn’t. It was down to two of you, I think your true colors came out today and you did not exhibit qualities I want in a husband.”

  Everyone looked around the room nervously. Jason closed his eyes, just waiting for her to say Damien’s name.

  “So I guess I shouldn’t drag this out. Jason, sorry but you’re going home. You have a temper and you can barely control yourself. I do not want that from my husband. Bye!”

  She waved one last time and the screen went dark. Jason could feel all eyes on him. He suddenly felt hot and could feel his face turning red.

  “Jason, come with me?”

  Jason pushed himself up. “I’ll be back guys, don’t worry. She’s gonna go on a date with me and I’ll smooth things over.” He stopped at the door and turned around. “And if not, her loss. Then you all know she can’t handle a real man like me.”

  Jason turned around before he could see anyone else’s face. He didn’t want to go off and start a fight with someone before he did his video message to Brielle. He already looked like such a fool, he had to find a way to spin this into a way to get more girls at home.

  The cameras were set up for him and Jason sat down on a high stool. He avoided eye contact with everyone in the room. It was now time for Jason to decide how he was going to present himself to the world and Brielle on the off chance she didn’t want to go on a date with him.

  “Just speak from the heart, Jason.” Mark sounded sincere but Jason looked up and saw him looking bored and scrolling through his phone.

  Laura counted down to let Jason know she was ready to begin. He took a deep breath and began to speak.

  Chapter Seven

  Brielle

  Damien: Good call girl! You weren’t talking about me though rite?

  Brielle: I guess you’ll find out tomorrow.

  ◆◆◆

  Brielle put her device down on the nightstand. She was exhausted. In the end, making the decision to eliminate Jason was a no brainer. He was hotheaded and could potentially be dangerous to her physically or emotionally in the future. Seth was a jerk but he never lost his cool with her. Was he manipulative? Yes. A liar? Sure. But never physical.

  Jason was different. He was intentionally starting fights and clearly took no responsibility for his own actions. She was beginning to lose faith in the process. Why would they put Jason down as a potential match? They appeared to have nothing in common.

  Eliminating him wasn’t hard. Deciding if she wanted to go on a date however, that was another story. She didn’t particularly care to see Jason. She knew that she was going to eliminate him even if they went on a date. His behavior thus far didn’t warrant a date. He wasn’t someone she wanted to be friends with, let alone go on a date with.

  At the same time, it might be a good opportunity for her to gain some insight into what was happening in the men’s apartment. Jason wasn’t exactly the most reliable guy but she could possibly gain a better idea of what the others were thinking and how they were spending their days. If taken with a grain of salt, it was better than what she had now.

  Brielle could hear her device vibrating as the messages from her suitors continued to pour in. She needed another minute before she jumped back into talking with them. She got up and grabbed a glass of wine from the kitchen. The good thing about the reality TV kitchen, there was always wine.

  She took a sip and closed her eyes. Despite having been alone for most of the day, she hadn’t felt calm until this moment. She knew she didn’t want to go on a date with Jason. She picked up the landline and called down to Abigail and Mark.

  “Hey. I don’t want to go on a date with Jason. He seems like a jerk.”

  “Ok, we’re not really surprised there. We’re finishing the upload on his video message now. I don’t think we need you to get you watching it in the studio, we can just have Laura and James come up and film you there?” Abigail sounded bored.

  Brielle didn’t want to see other people. She was already being recorded at all times. She had almost forgotten. Even when the main camera crew wasn’t there, there were cameras in every room. But she was sure they wanted some better quality footage for the “Um, I guess you can send them up. I’d rather not come back downstairs.”

  “Great.”

  Abigail hung up the phone and Brielle wandered back down the hall to the bedroom. She heard Laura and James knocking. “Come in!” she yelled. She knew they had a key, there was no reason to get up.

  “We’re going to just hang out in here until they get the video uploaded.” James seemed like a nice enough guy. Brielle tried not to judge the people working for the show. She got a weird vibe from everyone, like they knew something she didn’t, but was trying to brush it off as them knowing everything about her already and her knowing nothing about them.

  “Cool.” Brielle picked up her device and started scrolling through the messages.

  Damien: Really excited to get to know you some more as this continues

  Brandon: How was your first day? Are you holding up okay?

  Carl: krazy day? have a drink yet?

  The rest of the messages were similar. She answered them, basically the same way, over and over again. It was exhausting. Why did she agree to this? Why did she think she could find the man of her dreams on a reality TV show? Her grandma may have faith but Brielle’s faith was quickly fading.

  Laura popped her head into the bedroom. “Video’s up. Are you ready?”

  “Yeah, I guess so. Should we do it in here or in the living room?”

  “Doesn’t matter.”

  “Let’s just stay here. I’m too tired to venture out into the oth
er room.”

  James and Laura set up in the corner of the bedroom. It was still surprising to her how quickly they could blend into the background, despite their camera equipment. Getting used to the cameras happened faster than she ever thought it could. Laura entered a code on the TV and hit play.

  Jason’s face appeared. Nothing about his appearance surprised her. He clearly tanned, had a goatee, and his brown hair was parted to the side. He had on grey camo shorts and one of those short sleeve zip-up sweatshirts. He was exactly the kind of guy she envisioned. The kind of guy who would hang out with her ex and get into bar fights and only treat her well on holidays if she made a good turkey. She wasn’t too torn up about eliminating him.

  His voice filled the room. “Hey, Brielle. If you’re watching this, just know you’re making a big mistake. I’m the best guy in this place for you. I would treat you like a queen. And you’re throwing it away. Your loss, I can definitely do better. You’re hot but I’ve dated girls hotter before. Our babies coulda been beautiful. Peace out, loser.”

  The screen went blank. Brielle stared for a second before bursting into laughter. She knew Jason was a tool but this was outrageous. She laughed and laughed until tears streamed down her face.

  “Is this guy serious?” She looked at James and Laura who were trying to hold in their own laughter.

  “As a heart attack,” James replied.

  Laura nodded in agreement. “We had to record that and keep a straight face.”

  “Wow...I guess I really dodged a bullet there.” Brielle played back his message in her head. Something he said suddenly stood out to her. She sat up straight in bed. “What did he mean, you may be hot? They haven’t seen my picture. How would he know?”

  Laura and James looked at the ground and then at each other.

  “How does he know I’m hot, guys?”

  James looked at Laura and nodded. “Brielle, we should go.” James started backing out of the room.