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Cole continued handing out hearts until only Maria, Zoe and Brooke were left. There was a tense moment as Cole held up the last heart and looked between the three girls. Their expressions turned to stone as they waited for him to announce the final contender. This was the part of the show I hated the most. The seconds dragged out, and I could sense the torment the girls were going through.

When Cole finally called out a name it was like the air had suddenly rushed back into the room and everyone could breathe again. Zoe was his final choice. She walked up to receive her heart with a look of relief in her eyes. He appeared happy to give it to her, but it was clear from the way he kept sending worried glances toward the eliminated girls that he also felt guilty.

“Maria and Brooke,” Angus said, stepping forward. “I’m sorry, but neither of you has been selected to continue in Cole’s search for true love. You have both been eliminated from the competition.”

Brett walked forward, focusing his camera on the two girls as he captured their reactions. Maria didn’t seem too bothered and gave a small shrug, but I could see how annoyed Brooke was to have been taken out of contention. She was frowning and kept sending irritated glances toward her sister, as if it irked her that Laurie remained while she was being eliminated.

Cole’s choices weren’t too surprising seeing as he’d barely spent any time with Brooke or Maria on the group dates. It was so hard to know where his head was at though, and I wondered which one he’d been planning to keep. I knew that he’d agreed for me to take one of those two places, and I couldn’t help but feel like I didn’t deserve to still be in the contest.

“Now it’s time for Cole to announce who will be joining him on this week’s single date,” Angus said. My fingers twitched at my sides as Cole’s eyes roamed over the group of contestants before him. He barely even looked at me though. I didn’t know whether to feel upset or relieved. I’d told him I wanted to play no more part in the contest, and I still felt apprehensive about the increased spotlight a single date would bring.

“Laurie,” Cole announced, giving the girl a big smile.

My heart skipped a beat and my mouth dropped open slightly. Laurie? He picked Laurie of all people? I couldn’t stop myself from turning to look at her. There was a smug smile gracing her features, and she appeared thoroughly pleased with herself.

I couldn’t stop the hurt and confusion from furrowing my brow as Laurie sashayed toward Cole and threw her arms around his neck. “Thanks for picking me, hot stuff. I’m going to show you the night of your life,” Laurie said.

I had to suppress a gag. Why couldn’t Cole see how fake Laurie was?

There were so many other lovely people still in the competition, and I couldn’t understand why he hadn’t picked someone like Teagan, who was incredibly beautiful both inside and out. I wasn’t jealous. At least, I didn’t think it was jealousy I was feeling. It was more like disappointment.

Once Angus wrapped up filming for the night, I made a quick exit. I knew Laurie would relish the opportunity to gloat about her upcoming date with Cole, and I didn’t want to hang around to hear it.

I was almost at my front doorstep when I heard my name being shouted from across the street. I slowly turned and was surprised to find Cole chasing after me.

“Shouldn’t you be finishing up with the others?” I asked, not even bothering to disguise my confusion.

“Angus has it under control,” Cole replied. “I just wanted to explain things to you.”

“What’s to explain?” I asked with a shrug. “The audience picked me; it’s not your fault I’m in this for another week. You can get rid of me next ceremony.”

He frowned, like he was confused about what I was saying, before he suddenly shook his head. “I actually wanted to talk to you about Laurie.”

“Oh, what about her?”

He dug his hands into his back pockets, and his gaze dropped to the ground for a second. “I just wanted to explain why I chose her tonight.”

My heart sped up as he spoke. I was desperate to know his reasons but also feared his answer. Was he hinting that Laurie wasn’t the person he wanted to pick, or was he about to open up and tell me about his feelings for her? I didn’t know either way, and I wasn’t sure I could handle the latter.

“Cole, you don’t have to explain yourself to me,” I said. “It’s fine that you chose Laurie, really.”

His eyes darted up to look into mine and a flicker of confusion ran through them. “You’re okay with it?” he asked.

“Sure,” I shrugged again. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, his gaze still fraught with uncertainty. “I just thought that after Friday… And then you smiled when you read my note… I just wanted to check that you weren’t sad I didn’t pick you.”

I frowned, not really sure what he was trying to get at. The one thing I did know was that I definitely didn’t want him thinking I was jealous.

“Not at all,” I replied. “You know I want out of the competition anyway.” Ugh. The words were like some horrid sticky, chewy candy in my mouth. They tasted horrible, were impossible to spit out and all I wanted was to just swallow them.

“So, you’re not upset?”

“Of course not,” I said with a laugh. I was such a liar. “Laurie seems to really like you. I think you guys will have a great time together.”

I needed to tape my mouth closed. Why was I saying this crap to him? I didn’t think he’d have a good time with Laurie at all. In fact, the small devil sitting on my shoulder hoped they had a horrible time.

“Yeah, I guess,” he agreed.