Page 25 of Room 710 (The Scarlet Hotel #15)

Ziggy

Week Eight

“Oh gods, I feel sick,” I moaned, pacing back and forth across the small bedroom, hand pressed to my stomach.

“Are you pregnant ?!” Prairie asked, eyes wide.

“No! No glove, no love. Besides, Eli and I only had sex one time, and even if the condom had failed us, it’s way too soon for morning sickness.

” I’d long since given up trying to hide the fact that I was sleeping with the show’s director.

Prairie and I had become especially close the last eight weeks, and since I didn’t have my ride-or-die here to spill my guts to, the job of extreme emotional support and talking me off the ledge had fallen to him.

It was the final elimination day, and honestly, I never in a bajillion years thought I would’ve made it this far.

I paused in my pacing and spun around to face Prairie. “I should quit, right?” I asked, chest tight enough to make my breath come out in a wheeze.

“I mean—” he began.

“Of course I should quit. I should’ve quit weeks ago!

” I interrupted, resuming my frantic back-and-forth.

“It’s not like I even want to win. Devon’s just a friend.

Eli is the one I want, and he’s just outside, waiting for me.

Although, why he’s wasting his time on me, I don’t even know.

I’m crazy for not running out that door and straight into his arms. That’s crazy, right?

” I asked, stopping in front of Prairie.

“It’s not—” he started to say, but I was on a roll. I couldn’t stop now.

“Crazy!” I shouted. “If I’d quit, Darnell would be standing here right now, and maybe he would have a chance at winning instead.”

Prairie blew out a sigh, shaking his head. “He wouldn’t—”

“But if I leave now, then Rune will make it to the final! And Devon told me he isn’t into him at all, he’s just keeping him here for the fireworks he brings to the show. Which, I mean, that isn’t exactly fair to Darnell either.”

“Well, I think—”

I couldn’t think about this anymore. It was almost time for the live show to start. “Thanks for listening, I feel much better.” I headed for the bedroom door.

“Ziggy!” Prairie shouted, and I jolted to a stop, shocked. I’d never heard him raise his voice even once. He was always the calm one! He stood up from the bed and approached me, placing his hands on my shoulders to keep me still. “Let Devon worry about himself. What is it that you want?”

“I want… Eli,” I said, and for some reason, the words brought tears to my eyes, making Prairie’s gorgeous face swim into a still-gorgeous blur.

“I think… I think I love him. But that’s silly, right?

Love doesn’t happen so fast. These reality shows aren’t real.

I can’t trust my feelings while I’m here.

This house is brainwashing me into thinking it’s love, when it’s really just hope and loneliness and-and… like, reading too many romance novels.”

And in that moment, I knew that was why I hadn’t quit the show.

It was because I didn’t trust my own feelings for Eli.

They were huge and scary and sudden, and this house was currently my safety blanket.

He couldn’t possibly love me. He’d just spent so much time watching me on a screen, but that wasn’t real either.

That was fascination, maybe even obsession.

It was like when people got fixated on their favorite actor or singer or model.

They were fictional characters, personas they projected to their fans.

That was all I was to him—a crush. And as soon as I left this house, the lust bubble would pop, and I would have to come face to face with the harsh reality of my life. I would be alone all over again, living with my mom and being envious of my bestie’s husband.

My shoulders sagged as I decided, yet again, not to quit the show, because at least I could put off reality for a little while longer.

But on the plus side, I wasn’t anxious anymore now that the decision was made.

“Come on,” I said, sounding dejected to my ears.

“It’s almost time for the show to start. ”

Prairie followed me out, where we found the others already waiting.

“Oh, I thought maybe you’d both left when you realized you didn’t stand a chance against me,” Rune drawled with a snide smile.

He draped his legs across Devon’s lap, and the alpha turned to look at us with a truly appalled expression.

How on earth had Rune managed to cling on for so long?

“Hey!” Devon stood to greet us unnecessarily, knocking Rune’s legs off. “Have a seat. Do you guys want anything to drink?”

It was at that moment that the TV filled with Clark and Marty’s beaming faces from their spot at the studio. “What’s up, boys!” Marty crowed. “So great to see you. The final elimination round. Who’s excited?”

And though we’d been instructed to emote like crazy, we couldn’t muster more than a grumbled answer.

Clark propped his chin in his hand. “Today marks the beginning of the end. With this final elimination, it will bring Devon’s selection down to just two omegas, a 50/50 chance at winning an HEA for the storybooks—and maybe even a wedding. Tell us a little bit about your experiences in the house.”

We all talked for a few minutes about how giddy we were, our hopes for the future, and how much we missed our families and our cell phones.

When it came to my turn, I tried my best to smile while my lower lip trembled.

“It’s truly been a once-in-a-lifetime experience being in the house.

I’ve made so many incredible friends. I miss my mom like crazy, so I guess I’m eager to get home, but I can’t possibly regret the opportunity I was given to meet the love of my life.

I will say… win or lose, I’m looking forward to exploring love outside in the real world.

” I looked up at the camera and tried to imagine Eli on the other side, watching me even now.

Clark picked up the explanation of today’s challenge. “So far, you guys have played games—both physical and mental—shown your skills in the kitchen, proven your attention to detail, but today, we have something a little different in mind. In fact, you won’t have to do anything at all.”

I frowned, exchanging confused glances with the others. What was that supposed to mean.

Marty’s smile was borderline wicked. “Please welcome back to the show, your previous housemates.” The camera panned out to reveal the studio’s stage was filled with the other nine competitors who had been evicted over the past eight weeks.

“Hey, guys!” My grin was genuine as I waved, and they all waved back. It was so good to see them again.

Rune, however, looked less than pleased. His face had gone a strange ashy color, muscles slack.

“That’s right, boys,” Marty said. “Your housemates had the opportunity to get to know each of you personally—especially behind Devon’s back. They’ve also had the chance to watch all the footage, and they know each and every little thing you might’ve said or done these past weeks.”

Clark’s smile was only slightly less mischievous, and I could tell he was trying his best not to burst out laughing as karma came to bite Rune in the ass.

“In any relationship, your best friends’ opinions matter and might even sway your decision about whether or not to commit.

So today, we are going to hear from these contestants about what they truly think about you, in the hopes of opening Devon’s eyes to what might’ve happened behind the scenes. ”

No wonder Rune looked nervous.

“Who wants to go first?” Marty asked, and they all put their hands up. “Let’s start at the beginning, shall we? Dash? Who do you think is the right choice for Devon?”

Needless to say, Rune got completely destroyed.

Every time he’d badmouthed one of the other omegas, it was caught on camera.

They’d seen him steal some of Darnell’s makeup, throw a red sock into somebody’s load of whites, sabotage challenges, and pick fights at every opportunity.

Of course, whenever Devon was around, he’d been a perfect angel, but they had effectively drawn back the curtain and revealed his every bitchy flaw.

On the flip side, it appeared that both Prairie and I had impressed them all. They had nothing but nice things to say, and it made me feel good to know that I had carried myself through this entire show as myself, never giving in to the drama.

At the end of the time, Devon didn’t even apologize when he evicted Rune from the house. I was glad I hadn’t quit yet, just so I could watch him leave.

I never understood the point of the final week, honestly.

There was this whole romantic date night for each of the finalists.

Its only purpose was to build tension for the viewers, though in many years, they’d shown the alpha disappearing into his bedroom with one and then the other omega.

Like, testing out physical chemistry, I suppose.

And while I agreed that was an important part of the relationship, I thought trust was way more important.

I would never agree to marry a man who’d had sex with someone else the same week of the proposal.

Now that I’d been on the show, though, I knew that a large part of it was at least partially scripted, the footage edited in such a way as to make it look like they had sex, when in fact, they’d just watched movies and ordered room service.

In the end, these last days played up the big question of “who will he pick?” But I knew for certainty that it wouldn’t be me.

While I watched him interact with Prairie, though, I didn’t get “true love” vibes from them at all. Almost the opposite, in fact. They kept a respectful distance between each other, almost avoiding eye contact. It was weird. Nobody was that standoffish after living together for two months.

I was still puzzling it over when my final date night with Devon arrived.

He picked me up at my room like a gentleman at 7pm on the nose.

“Good evening, sir,” he said with a bow, his voice inflected to sound posh, then offered me his elbow.

I had to admit, he looked handsome in a custom-made suit, his hair styled, genuine smile in place.

“May I request the pleasure of escorting you to dinner?”

“You may,” I answered, in a similar voice, and I laced my hand in his elbow.

The dining table was bare, but before I could ask what the plan was, he’d continued leading me right through the kitchen and out the sliding doors to the back lawn, where I saw a picnic blanket and basket, along with a bottle of wine chilling in an ice bucket.

The sun was just beginning to set, painting the scene rose gold.

“Wow, this looks amazing,” I gushed, sitting cross-legged on the blanket.

Devon sat next to me, our bodies brushing in a way that made me tense.

I told myself it was for the audience’s sake, to play on that “who will he pick” mystery for the fans, but at this stage in the game, it felt like a lie.

To the viewers, sure, but also to the rest of us.

To me, to Prairie, and to Eli most of all.

“I hope you’re hungry,” Devon said, leaning across me to open the basket. “I made sure to bring all of your favorites.”

Sure enough, he had. I’d always believed the way to a man’s heart was with pasta, and this alfredo was to die for. He lit a few tealights, and together, we ate pasta and garlic bread and watched the sun set.

“And now for dessert…” He reached into the basket and pulled out a cherry pie. A look crossed his face like he hadn’t known what would be in the bottom of the basket, and that was because I’d never told him it was my favorite. I had, however, told Eli.

I looked up at the camera and smiled just for him. I hoped this meant he was okay with this fake date, that he understood it was just for show.

When we were finished eating, Devon lay back on the blanket and patted the spot beside him. “Come lie down with me.”

My body felt rigid and awkward as I moved to lie down, but then he hooked an arm around my waist and yanked me down. Losing my balance, I ended up sprawled over his chest. “O-oh, okay.”

“I wish we were outside the city so we could see more stars,” he said with a sigh, his fingers tracing patterns idly over my hip where he let them rest.

An uncomfortable feeling of dread had begun to spread through me.

I’d thought Devon and I were on the same page, but I wasn’t so sure anymore.

Was he really that good an actor? Turning my head, I whispered too quietly for the cameras to pick up.

“Devon, you can’t pick me. On Sunday’s finale, if you pick me, I’ll say no. You know that, right?”

He didn’t look at me, just smiled up at the star-speckled sky. “Don’t worry, everything will work out exactly as it’s meant to.”

That somehow didn’t put my mind at ease.