You set the sky on fire

The two of you left the main house to a joking chorus of “come back by 10” and “Matt you remember to bring rubbers right”. Both of you stood outside the villa, waiting there by the road. You were given directions by the production crew to wait outside for your ride.

You managed to form a quiet friendship with Paige over the past few days though there was little in the way of a romantic spark between you two. You felt strangely at peace in that and were comfortable around Paige at the villa. Silences between your conversations no longer seemed awkward. You weren’t forcing yourself to come up with things to talk about around her or constantly distracted by her body. There is a constant feeling that being around an attractive girl brought into a guy the desire for something to come out of it and there were occasions now when you talked and hung out with her simply because you wanted to.

Seeing her now and being on a date with her brought you the old anxiety you felt around women like her. She was a different class of women altogether. On another planet even.

You looked down at your phone, gripping it like a charm. It gave you strength.

“Relax tiger,” Paige says, noticing your silent awkwardness and then smiles smoulderingly, “I won’t bite.”

“I’m sorry. You just… wow, you look breathtaking… that’s all.” You stammer. Old habits die hard. Get it together!

Paige laughs, “You bet your ass, I do.”

Paige takes your arm, her softness grazing the side of your body she clung to. “Let’s enjoy tonight, shall we?”

“As friends, I assume,” You think bitterly.

A horse-drawn carriage pulls up, and you help her get in. The carriage takes you down a stretch of country roads, and you watch dreamily through the carriage window as the beautiful Iberian coastal landscape of rows of grassy layered hills passes you by. It is near the evening, and there is a faint orange-blue hue across the horizon. Ribbon-like clouds streaked over the sky covering the red setting sun. In your seat, you try your best not to stare at the other blinding red sun sitting in front of you in fear of gawking and drooling as you did back at the villa.

The transport pulls to a side road to a gazebo situated at the back of a country restaurant and inn. You help Paige get out of the carriage and are directed to sit in the single redwood table with two chairs placed in the center of the gazebo. You see a bottle of sparkling wine in the center, with a charcuterie board filled with grapes, figs, various cheeses and meats, and bread and crackers. You and Paige try your best to immerse yourself in the idyllic Spanish countryside as best you can despite the camera crew following you.

You help Paige in her seat, and she responds playfully, “What a gentleman.”

It gnawed at you that she’s treating this date as if she were taking out her little brother. You have to make her see you as a man. You do your best to uncork the bottle of sparkling wine, your first initial attempts drawing laughter from Paige, and then finally, you pour her and then yourself a glass.

“This looks amazing. They really went all out on this,” You say, looking around and seeing the lengths the production team went to make it look as romantic as possible, the gardens surrounding you littered with yellow-orange flowers and firefly-like lights.

“Yeah, I would love to have a wedding in a place like this,” Paige says, admiring the scenery around you.

You take a sip of your wine and check your phone sitting on your lap.

Please help me. Please.

“Matt,” Paige says, a mischievous smile on her face. “Why do you think the audience chose us to go on a date? You really think people at home think we’re compatible?”

“Are you offended by that?” You ask her.

“Noooooo… Of course not. If anything, I’m taken aback. I would think the audience thinks I’m really shallow and only into super hunks like Tom and Jamie,” Paige says.

“And you’re not?” You asked.

“Of course I am,” she says and puts a hushing finger on her lips and winks, “But don’t tell them that. Wouldn’t want to ruin my popularity, would we?”

“I think it’s a beauty and the beast thing. You know. Pair the ugliest guy with the prettiest girl,” You say.

A piece of cheese whizzed past your face.

Paige rolls her eyes. “Jesus, Matt. If you keep beating yourself down like that, I’m going to sock you with a fig next. You’ve become really cute lately. No, don’t look at me like that. I mean it.”

Cute. God how you hated that word.

“Okay, hammock girl. I seem to recall you laughing at the very notion of being coupled up with me when you first saw me.”

“That was then. You’ve changed and… maybe I’ve changed as well,” Paige says.

“You’ve noticed?”

“You look taller and more fit. You got this aura around you. Hell, if I saw you walk into the villa now, I’d be itching,” Paige says, eying you over. “That shirt looks really good on you by the way.”

“But would you consider it now?” You say chewing on a piece of cheese smeared on some bread.

“We’re friends, aren’t we?” Paige asks.

Friends. Just friends. You fucking hated that word as well. There was a barrier you had to break through, you just didn’t know how.

A message popped up.

Helping Hand – Unlock for 5 AP

You click yes. Helping hands were mysterious little boxes that helped you out from time to time. You had no idea what to expect this time with no description, but usually, they helped you get closer to a person. 5 points were deducted from your 115 giving you 110 points left.

“So how are things between you and Jamie,” You ask her.

“The surfer boy is still up in the air about him and Liz. I was hoping to have this date with him to set him straight. No offense, you’re lovely, by the way,” Paige says, throwing a grape into her mouth.

“Can I ask you something?” You say.

“Sure. Anything,” Paige says, looking like a redheaded chipmunk while she chewed on grapes.

“If, say, I like a girl like you. How do I get past being just friends?” You ask as plainly as you could, but the words feeling **** as they left your mouth. They obviously weren’t just meant for her but your conundrum with Jenna as well.

Paige considers it. She swallows her food and then tries to find the right words to break it gently to you.

“I can’t speak for everyone…. But I like challenges. I want to chase guys, not have them chase me,” Paige stated. “How about you?”

You consider what she told you and then smile thankfully at her. Before you can say any more, you hear whirling cracking noises in the background. Paige turns around to witness where it had come from. You and Paige both stare at the start of a fireworks display.

Both of you get up off your tables and go the ledge of the gazebo, and both stare out at the dazzling array of lights before you.

“Wow. They really want this to go well, huh? I think they expect me to take off my clothes for this,” Paige says jokingly and then laughing.

“I don’t think anyone at home wants to see your hammock imprinted butt,” You say and then felt a sharp jab on your toes where Paige placed her heels. “OW!”

Paige laughs again and then hugs you. She rests her head on your shoulder, and you wrap your arms around her shoulder, and you both stand there side by side, enjoying the display but, more importantly, enjoying her company and her body clinging on you. While she gazed at the magnificent display in front of both of you, you peered down at her and admired the lights that illuminated off her skin in vibrant color, lighting up like a kaleidoscope the smiling face pressed against your body.

An overwhelming sensation of Deja Vu and nostalgia came over you as you stood there, which faded and washed away from you, like the illuminated flowers in the distance, and you relax and just enjoy the sky on fire with a woman you were falling in love with.