Page 45 of Winging It with You

Asher

Bali, Indonesia

I don’t want to get up.

Because that means I have to untangle myself from Theo’s warm arms and face another elimination.

Only Bianca and Jackson, Jenn and Ellie, and Theo and I are left at this point.

We’ve been on the chopping block a few times before, but now, this close to the finals, I can’t shake the feeling we might not get so lucky to be saved again.

So I decide against it and nuzzle up closer to him.

Theo stirs behind me, his strong arms still wrapped tightly around me. “We need to get up, mister,” I say, turning my head so that I can plant several kisses along his jawline. He hasn’t shaved in a few days—neither of us have—but I love the burn his scruff leaves along my skin.

“Mmm, don’t make me,” he groans.

He pushes his hips toward me—oh, something is up—and instantly, my mind starts wandering to the ways he made my eyes clamp shut in ecstasy last night. “No, no, no…if you start that, we’ll never leave this bed.”

Theo kisses my neck at the same time his big hand grips my hip, gently positioning his dick against my ass. “Would that…be such a…bad thing?” he asks between lingering kisses, and each one makes me more and more inclined to say fuck the competition and let Theo fuck me instead.

I turn toward him, pushing him onto his back and straddling his body. Theo instinctively places both hands on my waist, holding me firmly in place on top of him—something I will never complain about—but I grab them, bringing them up above his head, and pin them there.

Leaning down, I trail my tongue along the edge of his lips before kissing him deeply. “Of course that wouldn’t be a bad thing,” I say against his mouth, my voice barely a whisper. “But today is the one day we have to be on time. Jo will kill us if we aren’t.”

He’s looking up at me with the most dangerous grin on his face.

“I hope you know how fucking sexy you are.” He gently thrusts upward, pushing his throbbing cock forward.

Theo’s fighting against me, so I tighten my grip on his hands.

“I think I can confidently say that last night”—he leans up, straining to kiss me—“was the best sex I’ve ever had. ”

I laugh, and in my momentary distraction, he breaks free from my grip and he pulls me into to him so that our chests are pressed together.

“Oh, please…”

“I’m serious, Asher…It was…” He reaches up as he lets his words trail off, grabbing a fistful of hair at the base of my neck and crashing his lips to mine.

Nothing about his touch is strained right now, and when he deepens our kiss, sliding his tongue against mine and sucking on my lower lip, I know that he’s not wrong.

Last night was in fact the best sex I’ve ever had, and if he keeps kissing me like this, we’re about to have a repeat performance—something I want more than anything but know we don’t have time for.

“Theo…” I moan against his lips, feeling my body naturally grind against his.

“I know, I know…” He kisses me softly and while we both clearly want this, there isn’t a hint of disappointment on his lips.

“I don’t think I’ve told you this before…

” he says, now cradling my face in his hands.

“But I hope you know you always look so beautiful in the morning.” He runs his hand through my hair, which I’m sure is standing up in a million different directions. “You look wild and rested and…”

“And what?”

“Espléndido.”

I don’t know what to say to his sweet compliment without ruining the moment with my inadequate words . Instead, I kiss him once more—a slow and lasting kiss that I hope conveys a fraction of what he means to me—before ripping the covers off us and pulling him toward the shower.

/////////////

Theo and I could probably break a record for how fast we got ready.

I was incredibly proud of how we were both able to shower, shave—a small part of me already misses Theo’s scruff—and inhale a quick continental breakfast, blueberry oatmeal for him, toast with peanut butter for me, before meeting Jo and Arthur at the hotel entrance.

“Morning, Arthur,” I say when I see them. Much like Theo, Arthur isn’t a morning person, and it usually takes several cups of coffee for his cheerful demeanor to make an appearance.

Jo, on the other hand, is all smiles, leaning against the van. As Theo and Arthur begin loading our bags, she keeps looking at me. She knows.

“Well, hello, Asher. Someone looks well…rested,” she says, adding a wink to really solidify the fact that she knows I know she knows.

I stick my tongue out at her. “Mm-hmm. The most rested.”

“I’m sure.” She loops her arm in mine, forcing me to lean against the van with her. “So?”

“Can we not do this?”

“Oh, come on…they can’t hear us,” she whispers. We both look back at Theo and Arthur, who are still loading the bags in a comfortable silence. “How was it?”

“I haven’t the faintest idea what you could be referring to.”

Jo nudges me with her shoulder. “It’s gonna be like that, huh? After everything I’ve done for you both. After all the strings I had to pu—”

“Okay, okay,” I say, quickly interrupting her before her voice gets any louder.

“It was everything you’d expect from Theo,” I whisper, even though I know there’s no way the others can hear me. “All-consuming, over the top, and just…incredible.” I can feel myself blushing— gross —but I’m tired of trying to hide the smile that he brings out of me.

“You know…” she says, leaning her head on my shoulder as Arthur loads the last bag into the back of the van. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that you somehow stumbled upon something real here, Asher.”

That word continues to haunt me.

Real.

“You really think life works that way, huh?” I ask.

“Of course I do.”

She lets go of my arm as Arthur and Theo round the back of the van. Theo gives me a soft smile before opening the door and climbing in.

But what if it does?

I climb in after Theo, claiming my seat next to him, and he naturally puts his hand on my leg.

It’s comforting and foreign and exhilarating all at the same time, an act so small that I doubt he even meant for it hold any significance.

But sitting here, on yet another van ride to who knows where, this simple gesture is the only thing calming my nerves.

Since this is the elimination that determines which teams will be advancing to the finals, production has pulled out all the stops, ensuring the wow factor is amped to an all-time high.

Jo informed us that previously eliminated contestants would be involved in today’s elimination ceremony, but she wasn’t at liberty to share how.

“Alright, I’m going to need the two of you to wait here,” Jo says after leading us to a makeshift greenroom, her invisible producer hat now very firmly in place. “I know there’s a lot going on, but just stay together and I will come grab you when it’s time to head out. Cool?”

We both nod.

I’m not used to feeling this much gratitude and appreciation.

I’ve lived most of my life deeply rooted in logic, knowing without a shadow of a doubt that each action of my life will result in a very real equal and opposite reaction.

But I don’t think Sir Isaac Newton was factoring in matters of the heart when he was hypothesizing his third law.

He most certainly never knew a Theo Fernandez because if he did, he’d know that every action could result in a multitude of equally conflicting and enticing reactions that only confuse you further.

I look over at Theo, who’s now sitting in a plastic folding chair and fiddling with the strap of his backpack, meticulously rolling it between his strong fingers.

I’ve known from the second I met him that there was something special about him, from the way he sees the world to the way he acts before he thinks.

But most important, I’ve learned to never doubt his gut.

I see Theo Fernandez—all of him. Flawed and brave and insecure and perfect and someone I don’t know how I’m going to part with.

I take the seat next to him but quickly position it to face him. I take his hands in mine. There’s no surprise in Theo’s expression, and on some level, I think he’s been over here thinking the same thoughts I have, which makes my chest ache.

“Theo, I hope you know…”

“Don’t,” he says, squeezing my hands. “Seriously, you don’t have to say anything.”

There’s a vulnerability in the softness of his voice that makes me want to hug him.

“But I want to.” I reach up and place a hand on his cheek. He leans in to my touch, closing his eyes. “Theo, I can’t thank you enough for agreeing to do this with me. For dropping quite literally everything for some random stranger you met at the airport—I could have been a serial killer!”

“The jury’s still out on that one.”

“I’m serious…No matter what happens today, I just want you to know that I couldn’t have done any of this without you. All this has been worth it only because of you, so even if we’re not here, I still want…this,” I say, placing a hand on his chest.

He opens those big, beautiful eyes and stares so intently back into mine that all I can think is…

Real.

Theo opens his mouth to speak, but Jo’s voice is the only one either of us hear.

“Look alive, boys…It’s go time!” she says, barreling into the room, mouthing Sorry in my direction after sensing her arrival interrupted a moment between us.

But I can’t hold it against her. This is her job, after all, one she does exceedingly well, even if her down-to-the-second punctuality constantly keeps me on my toes.

He shrugs, slowly standing but keeping my hand in his, which feels appropriate for both this moment and the cameras. We walk side by side behind Jo, ready to face whatever fate this elimination will bring. I focus on the feeling of him slowly sliding his thumb over my knuckles.

While the show isn’t filmed with an actual audience present, there’s an electrifying buzz in the air tonight.

And now, only three pairs remain.