Page 106 of Say Yes to the Nemesis

We don’t talk again for the rest of the movie.

But something between us shifts. Quietly. Almost imperceptibly. His arm around me tightens. Not possessive. Just sure. Like he’s not going anywhere.

I think he feels it, too.

Does Ryan have feelings for me?

twenty-nine

RYAN

We’re back on set,and it feels like whiplash. Three days ago, Wren was tangled up with me in bed, whispering my name like it meant something. Now? She won’t even look at me. I’m not heartbroken. I’m furious. Which feels suspiciously like the same thing.

Is she pretending now? Was she pretending when she came around my cock and whispered her secrets to me? My mind is fragmented and it’s impossible for me to tell. I can’t come close to being objective with her.

Everything about being back in this house sucks. The other contestants are too loud, the lights are too hot, and Wren acts like I’m a stranger. I mean, she looks at me when she thinks I’m not watching. But the second our eyes meet, she flushes and glances away fast, like I’m too bright, too hot, like maybe I burned her or something.

It’s like I dreamed the whole weekend at the hotel. Like it was all in my head. I imagined every single kiss, every slow morning in bed, every time she laughed against my chest like she belonged there. I thought things were going to be different. Better. More.

But things are exactly like they were before. She’s back to acting like I’m a stranger. It’s driving me out of my mind.

What did I do wrong? I can’t figure out what happened. One minute, it felt like she was falling as hard as I was. The next, she froze me out. No explanation, no goodbye. How am I supposed to know what she’s thinking when she won’t even talk to me?

I keep catching myself staring across the set, searching for her face like an idiot. If she sees me looking, she changes direction and acts like she was planning to walk that way all along. If someone else stands too close, she ducks behind a bigger contestant and uses them like a human shield.

I should look away. She’s laughing, all sunlight and a glittering smile. And it’s killing me because I want to be the one making her do that.

At least, that’s what it feels like. I thought she’d hate how fake everything seemed back on set.

I pull out my phone and text Ellie.

I told Wren something real. Like, real, real.

That’s huge. Are you okay?

I think so. She didn’t run.

There’s a pause. Then:

Then maybe it’s finally safe to stop running too.

I stare at that line longer than I probably should.

Now she might be avoiding me. What if I screw this up?

Then you’ll apologize and fix it. You’re not Mom. You won’t disappear.

I don’t want to lose her.

Then don’t. Start acting like you deserve her. Because I think you do.

I twiddle my thumbs, considering my response.

I hate this. I hate being on this show.

A moment later, she replies.

Because it’s fake?