Behind the dining area was the ocean. Even though she couldn’t have pictured a worse campsite to spend the next few weeks at, the scene was still breathtaking. The campsite sat on top of a hill that overlooked the deep green tree cover of the jungle below. Just beyond the jungle was white sand, clear blue water, and countless palm trees.
Brinkley started to calm down. She didn’t know what it was about looking at a horizon that was perfect enough to put on a postcard, but it suddenly put everything in perspective.
She was here for a reason. It didn’t matter if their cabin didn’t have running water. It didn’t matter that she was going to have to walk fifty feet in the dark to pee in the middle of the night. It didn’t even matter that she and Ky probably weren’t going to get to go on their horseback riding date at sunset.
She felt a sense of anticipation. She knew that something good was going to come of this. It just had to.
Chapter 9
Brinkley’s Confessional: Well, the camp is . . . interesting, to say the least. I’m kind of wondering why they sent us here. Like maybe they’re going to get rid of a few girls who can’t take the conditions, and then we move on to a better resort for the real finals? I don’t know. This whole thing is really nerve-racking but so exciting. I just want to know what’s going to happen, you know? I just want to find out if I’m going to make it to the end or not.
The women sat in silence around the campfire. At the center of the campfire sat a steaming pot that had been brought out by one of the two native islanders that seemed to be responsible for running the campground. Brinkley couldn’t tell what was in the pot, but it smelled distinctly of fish.
Or maybe it was her that smelled like fish. She’d tried to hike down to the ocean in her free time that afternoon, but it turned out that it looked much closer than it actually was. After about forty-five minutes of hiking in the jungle with no end in sight, she decided to have mercy on herself and the sweaty cameramen trailing her and headed back to camp.
But, somehow, she’d gotten turned around and had to walk through the same river over and over again. A river that was completely stagnant and full of rotting fish floating at the surface.
The only thought that had gotten her through was having a steaming hot shower when she got back to camp. But then she realized that wasn’t an option. Her cabin didn’t have any running water, and the communal bathroom behind the barn was one outhouse for the group to share.
She hadn’t worked out yet how or when she was supposed to shower. So she took a washcloth and went to the small pond behind the cabins to attempt to wash up before dinner. But now, she smelled even worse than when she started. She just hoped that Ky wouldn’t notice that the major fish/BO stench was coming from her.
As for their group dinner, awkward would have been an understatement. The group was initially supposed to eat at the picnic tables in front of the dining area, but Lindsay found a nest of baby spiders underneath her bench and threw a tantrum that lasted at least ten minutes until the group was forced to move their dinner to the campfire.
Even Ky wasn’t his usual self. Normally, he was cheerful, upbeat, and the life of the party. But tonight, he, too, sat around the campfire in silence, waiting for the fish stew or whatever it was to finish cooking.
Each of the women was caught up in her own little world. And she knew exactly what they were thinking. Or at least, she guessed that they were thinking the same thing she was. They had to be.
What were they doing here, and when would they get to the real resort?
Still, she was impressed that even the prima donna Harper hadn’t complained about their living conditions yet. She just sat at the very edge of the group on a makeshift log bench with her arms crossed over her chest. Sure, Harper made it crystal clear that she was unhappy and wanted to be anywhere else but there, but at least she wasn’t complaining.
Brinkley decided to brave breaking the silence. Someone had to do it. “Um, Ky, so what’s the plan for the evening?”
She seamlessly glossed over what everyone else was thinking about their horrible living conditions and decided instead to focus on something much more interesting. Something that could potentially impact her if she was chosen for the Jungle Adventure date.
Ky looked up at her, surprised to hear her voice. “Oh, that’s right. I was supposed to say something about that. Tonight, I’m going to choose one girl to go on an exclusive Jungle Adventure date with me, which will remain a surprise.”
That got a few of the women to perk up and take a break from sulking in silence.
“Brinkley, why don’t you join me this evening?” he added without emotion.
Could she have heard him right? Did he ask her out on the one-on-one date just like that, without any buildup or explanation or anything? She thought that getting asked on the jungle date would have been more exciting than that, but she wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth, as her mother would say.
She jumped up in excitement. She couldn’t help it. “Yes! That sounds wonderful! When do we leave? Should I wear anything special?”
Ky smiled ruefully back at her. “Well, normally I would say to wear your best, but here that’s probably not a very good idea. Since we don’t have to take the time to shower up and get ready, what do you say we skip dinner and meet back by the main hotel in thirty minutes?”
She gave Ky a hug and raced off to her cabin. She had no clue what she was going to wear. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. Back at the resort, she’d had at least five different date-night outfits picked out far in advance, in case she ever got chosen.
But like Ky said, there really wasn’t anything she could do about their conditions, and it didn’t make any sense to wear an evening gown when she was covered with sweat and grime and fish guts. So she decided to go with something simple, something casual, something that maybe Harper would wear.
She threw on the only bikini she’d brought with her. Even if it was a little more modest than what most of the women wore down to the pool every day, she still thought it was flattering. Besides, green had always been a color that brought out her brown eyes. Ky would love it.
She threw on a semi-sheer cover-up within an island pattern over her swimsuit. It was something she had picked up on the sale rack at Macy’s before she’d left, and she was just waiting for the perfect time to wear it. Tonight was the night.
She wished there was a mirror somewhere in their cabin so that she could check out her final look. It was going to have to do. Besides, Ky could probably care less what she was wearing.
The important thing was that she was finally chosen for one of the one-on-one dates. This was her chance. She and Ky were going to spend the whole evening together. They were going to really get to know each other to find out if they had a true connection and a chance at love.
She had to stop herself from running all the way from her cabin to the main hotel. It was only about twenty yards away, but she was so excited she couldn’t stand still.
And there he was. Ky, always prompt, was already waiting for her on one of the picnic benches in front of the dining hall.
As she got closer to him, he extended his hand to her. “Are you ready, milady? Your carriage awaits.”
She giggled. He was just so hilarious. She couldn’t wait to bring him home to meet her parents and her pastor, if she ever got the chance. She nodded happily. The date had barely begun, and she was already so excited she couldn’t see straight.
Ky laced his fingers through hers and led her to a path behind the barn. It was the same path that she had taken earlier when she’d tried to hike to the ocean by herself and had gotten lost. But she didn’t want to tell Ky that. She didn’t want to do anything to spoil the surprise he had for her.
“So what are we doing tonight? Or is that something you can’t tell me yet?” she asked. S
he gripped Ky’s hand tighter as they started down the path to the ocean.
The sun had just set. It made the cool, dark setting of the jungle even darker and more menacing. Normally, she would have been nervous going into the jungle like that when it was getting dark, but she had Ky with her.
On top of that, even though she was becoming much less aware of the cameramen following their every move, they also had an army of five cameramen behind them to help if anything terrible were to happen.
But she didn’t want to think of all the terrible things that could go wrong in the jungle. She just wanted to think about how good it felt to have Ky hold her hand and how she couldn’t believe she had been lucky enough to be picked for the date.
Not all of the girls had gotten the opportunity to go on a one-on-one date yet. The fact that Ky had chosen her over everyone who was left said a lot. She didn’t want to disappoint him.
“Well, as you can probably tell, we’re heading down to the ocean. And I knew from our earlier conversation that you’re a really outdoorsy type of girl. So I thought it would be fun to fish for our dinner. What do you think?”
“Wow, that’s perfect! I couldn’t have thought of anything better myself. I love fishing, and you’ve never even tried it. This couldn’t be more perfect!” Brinkley exclaimed.
Ky smiled.
Thankfully, she was already covered in sweat and had very little makeup on going into their date because the trek down to the ocean was equivalent to a half-marathon. The first date conversation came to a screeching halt as they hiked down a rocky incline covered with slippery vines and sap from the trees.
She had to brace herself to keep from slipping at every turn. By the time they made it to the end of the trail, and she saw the first glimpse of the ocean, she glanced down to find that both of her legs were covered in scratches from the underbrush. Her beautiful cover-up from Macy’s was shredded from waist down.
She tried to look on the bright side. That was just one more reason why it was good that she hadn’t dressed up for the date. If Ky wanted a rough-and-tough girl who loved the outdoors, that was what he was going to get.
Ky put his hand on the small of her back to lead her out onto the beach. There were two fishing poles in the sand waiting for them at the edge of the ocean. The sky was completely black. All she could make out were the white caps of the waves as the surf came in.
She jumped. Something big had crawled across her foot, but it was so dark outside that she couldn’t see what it was.
“Are you okay? Is something wrong?” Ky asked when she jerked her hand from his.
“Oh, it’s probably nothing. I thought I felt something run across my foot, but you know what? It was probably just a crab. Aren’t there lots of crabs in Bali?” She cleared her throat.
“Hmm, that I don’t know. What I do know is that that hike was no joke. How many miles do you think that was? Normally, I’m all about the outdoors, but I wish I’d brought some better shoes for the trip back up.”
When he saw her worried face, he added, “But we don’t need to think about that right now. The fun part of our date is just beginning! Ready to fish?”
The idea of fishing on a first date sounded much more romantic than it actually was. After she spent thirty minutes separating the worms by hand—Ky was no help at all since he’d never fished before—and baiting both of the hooks, she was hardly in the mood to cuddle and engage in small talk.
She and Ky sat in the sand in silence, waiting for a tug on one of the lines. She didn’t want to admit it, but compared to the rest of the dates that the other women had been on, she was a little jealous. There was no champagne. There was no five-course dinner. And there certainly wasn’t any horseback riding on the beach.
But as Ky put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him, she forgot all about the fact that she hadn’t showered in more than twenty-four hours and that her hair probably reeked of fish.
“This is really nice,” she murmured.
Ky nodded. “So tell me more about you. Why did you get out of your last relationship?”
Ugh, did they have to talk about that now? That was totally going to spoil the moment. But it was probably par for the course when it came to filming first date small talk on TV. “Well, I only had one boyfriend from high school until recently. His name was Cooper.
“It’s kind of hard to say why things ended. I mean, I told everyone that we needed some time apart so that I could pursue other opportunities, like this show. But now that I’ve had time to myself, I’m realizing that I really wasn’t myself around him. Or maybe I never knew who I was supposed to be because I hadn’t given myself the chance.”
Whoa. That was much heavier than she had expected it to be. She peered up anxiously into Ky’s face to gauge his reaction. Was he going to think she was one of those creepy girls that said too much on a first date?
But Ky nodded in agreement. “That’s the funny thing about hindsight in a relationship. You end up realizing that the reason things didn’t work out was normally because you weren’t being yourself. And if you can’t be yourself, then you can’t be in a successful relationship with another person. Right?”
She couldn’t have put it better herself. She was still new to this whole sharing-her-feelings-openly thing. She was just glad that Ky seemed to understand what she was talking about.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I meant. But what about you? What happened in your last relationship?” She snuggled closer to him, enjoying his warmth.
Ky sighed and fiddled with the reel on his fishing pole. “Well, I guess since I’ve already said it once on camera, I might as well say it again. My last girlfriend cheated on me, even though I tried to hide it from the press because it was with Taylor.”
She knew exactly who Taylor of 101 was. She’d only had his poster on her wall for all of her late teens and early 20’s, a little-known, embarrassing fact that she didn’t want to admit. She sucked in her breath.
“I can’t believe it. That must have been awful for you. I’m really sorry to hear that. So you haven’t dated anyone since?”
“No, that was a few years ago, and of course I’ve dated around, but nothing long-term,” he explained.
She was relieved. If Ky’s last relationship had ended so horribly, and he still hadn’t been able to recover from it, it just proved how perfect they were for each other. She would never, ever cheat on the man she loved. If Ky chose her—something she almost couldn’t bear to think about—he’d be able to trust her 100% for the rest of his life.
She opened her mouth to tell him just that when there was a tug at one of the lines.
Ky jumped back in shock. “Sorry, I have absolutely no idea what to do here. You’re going to have to help me out on this one. Fishing really isn’t my thing.”
Seemingly disgusted, Ky pressed the taut rod into her hands. He lay flat on his back on the sand, clearly disinterested in the mechanics of what it took to actually catch a fish.
She giggled. She’d never in her life seen a grown man that didn’t know how to reel in a fishing pole. Expertly, she reeled in the line in just a few seconds. She pulled in a long, silver fish. “I wonder what kind of fish this is. If we were at home, I’d be able to tell you, but I really don’t know anything about the fish in Bali.”
“Are you going to touch that?” Ky’s eyes were wide. She tried to keep herself from laughing. Only someone who’d grown up in LA would think that cleaning a fish was a big ordeal. At home, it was something they did to prepare their dinner every weekend.
Her stomach was growling. She realized she hadn’t had anything to eat all day. She’d skipped breakfast in the frenzy of chasing down Ky to have a private talk with him, she went on a rogue ocean hike at lunch, and she and Ky both decided to skip the fish stew dinner to go on the date.
&
nbsp; “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving,” she said. “But these fish are pretty easy to clean. Do you think you could start a fire?”
Ky looked lost. “Um, did they leave us anything to start the fire with?”
She rolled her eyes. She was teasing him, but more than anything, she was happy.
Every time that she was with Cooper, all she did was smile and nod and listen to his crazy ranting about why OSU should’ve won the game.
This was the first time in her life that she felt she was contributing something to a relationship. She only hoped Ky felt the same way.
Chapter 10
Morgan
Morgan’s Confessional: I don’t know if I’m the first one to complain here, but this is total bullshit. Sorry, I know I’m not supposed to say that on TV. But, seriously, I wish someone would tell me what was going on here. But all I can do is sit here and talk to this stupid camera to record my one-sided interview instead of getting any answers to what this is all about. So if you really want to know how I’m feeling, it’s frustrated. And dirty. And really hungry because that fish stew was nothing but water and a few vegetables. I don’t think it even had actual fish in it.
Morgan tried to take charge. The situation was getting out of hand. It was becoming more Lord of the Flies than The Bachelor by the minute.
As soon as Ky and Brinkley had left the campsite, Harper had started in on the complaining. Apparently, she’d been waiting for the one second that Ky was out of earshot to go totally apeshit and have a mental breakdown of sorts.
“Am I the only one that has a problem with this?” Harper had hissed at the group to break the silence.
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