Page 46 of Winging It with You

Bianca and Jackson, who are obnoxiously waving to the cameras like a matching set of pageant queens from hell, have been just one step ahead of us this entire time.

Jenn and Ellie, to everyone’s surprise, have miraculously climbed the leaderboard. Everyone loves an underdog, and if we must lose this competition to anyone, I pray it’s them, because they are more than deserving. And have souls…unlike Bianca and Jackson.

And then there’s Theo and me—the fake boyfriends who against all odds managed to land ourselves in the final three.

We join the other two pairs on stage, and looking around, I truly feel like we’re part of a television production. There are large screens above us and more lights and cameras than I’ve ever seen. It’s…intense.

Dalton McKnight, who I could have sworn just took a long swig from a flask before jamming it back in his pocket, appears before us in tailored athleisure.

“Quiet on the set,” someone yells from beyond my vantage point.

I hate that I’m nervous, but selfishly, I really want this. I haven’t allowed myself to think about the possibility of winning this damn thing, but being this close to the finish line? Yeah, I want it.

“We’re streaming in three…two…one…” The phantom voice trails off, Dalton’s cue to step into the spotlight. Like he’s ever left.

“Welcome back to another exciting episode of The Epic Trek . Together, we’ve watched as these three teams have battled against the elements, worked together to complete every challenge thrown their way, and even surprised us all with an epic love story.

” His eyes shift in our direction and his magnetic front-man facade melts away for a fraction of a second, replaced by something that resembles a sneer. What the hell?

“And on tonight’s special livestreamed episode, we will unfortunately be saying goodbye to one of our beloved duos,” he continues without skipping a beat. “But before we get to the official portion of this evening, let’s take a look back at some of this season’s most memorable highlights.”

Camera one on contestants.

The screens surrounding us spring to life, and both Jenn and Ellie jump at the sudden thunder of background music.

Okay, so did I. As the season montage begins, I watch Dalton slip off the stage and disappear into the group of crew members.

I try not to give him any thought, but he’s acting cagier than normal, which makes my already heightened stress spike.

Theo squeezes my hand, gently bringing my attention back to the screen in front of us. It’s weird watching it all play back—seeing us struggle and flounder and argue as we make our way through the various challenges.

I cringe when the clip of my snake-challenge debacle fills the frame. Everyone laughs at my very visible discomfort— great —but then the camera shifts to Theo.

I can’t take my eyes off him.

He has the most genuine concern plastered all over his face…I fight the urge to lunge at on-screen Theo and wrap my arms around him. To tell him no one has ever looked at me the way he does.

Camera two on Dalton.

“This has been one of the most intense seasons in The Epic Trek history,” Dalton says, stepping back into the spotlight, a phrase I’m certain I’ve heard him say on each and every season.

“Bianca, Jackson, Ellie, Jenn, Theo, and Asher…it has been a privilege to watch you all push yourselves to the limit and come this far in the competition.”

He pauses dramatically, letting the cameras pan over each pairing. I do my best not to look annoyed when it’s our turn, and Theo, who is normally indifferent about the whole thing, gives a little wave.

“The first pair who is safe from elimination and will be advancing to the final leg of the competition is…”

Suspenseful music plays from a speaker somewhere in the distance. The whole production crew is really trying to mess with my anxiety today, huh?

“Our front-runners…Bianca and Jackson!”

Based on the bravado of Dalton’s enthusiasm, you’d think there would be a massive round of applause, but instead, his announcement is met with crickets from the production crew.

But per usual, the evil siblings from hell are making a scene and jumping up and down; their celebratory squeals make me gag, literally.

“Which means that Asher and Theo, Ellie and Jenn, one of your journeys will sadly come to an end tonight. Can the four of you please step forward and join me?” he says, opening his arms. We all take our places on either side of him, and the intense heat from his spotlight causes several beads of sweat to roll down my back. No wonder he always looks… moist.

“Jenn, Ellie…our favorite mother-daughter duo from the Midwest. Team Jellie to your fans online,” he says, squeezing Ellie’s shoulders, and I watch with secondhand nausea as she grimaces at their now even closer proximity.

“Some might call you two underdogs—not me, of course,” he says with a fakeness that no one is buying.

“No, I’ve always known you two were tough… Midwest tough, right?”

I lean in to Theo. “Is that a thing?” I feel him tense while trying to hold back his laugh.

Dalton must have sensed the moment a pair of eyes wasn’t on him, because he turns in our direction. “And then there’s the stoic Theo and deer-in-headlights Asher, the lovers who fans have dubbed Thasher. ”

Ouch—I mean, he’s not wrong, but I don’t like hearing that coming from him.

“You two have inspired the world with your love story, and it’s just so nice to see two people who are so deeply connec—”

But he’s suddenly cut off by someone yelling.

Someone whose voice I’d recognize anywhere.

Someone who was supposed to be standing on this stage next to me.

“Wait! I need to talk to Asher Bennett…I have something to say.” Clint’s overly enunciated voice booms from somewhere behind the production team.

The silence after Clint’s interruption is deafening.

No one says anything, but I can see the confusion rippling around those closest to me. Jo, who disappeared after leading us to the stage, steps into my line of sight, a worried expression painted across her face.

Straining to see anything beyond our spotlight, I hear someone whisper, “Quiet on the set.”

I hear people struggling, the scuff of their shoes on the wood of the platform below.

And when he finally steps into my view, I see the man who left me at the airport.

The man who, just weeks prior, obliterated my entire world and turned his back on me.

“Asher, I made the biggest mistake,” Clint says, straightening his bunched-up shirt, a small sign that someone at least tried to stop him.

Truthfully, I can’t tell you the last time I thought about Clint, but as he steps in front of me, close enough that I can smell the cologne I bought him for our last anniversary, every emotion—sadness, bitterness, resentment, abandonment, rage, relief—comes flooding back, sending my nervous system into a state of shock. I instantly freeze.

“What? Clint, I don’t know what you’re doing here or how you even knew we’d be here…” I look back at Dalton, at the smile spreading wickedly across his face. “But this is not the time—” I can barely get my sentence out before he interrupts me.

“Just give me five minutes, Asher… five minutes ,” he pleads. There’s a desperation to his voice—one I don’t think I’ve ever heard before. He takes my silence as his cue to continue.

Why is he here and why isn’t anyone stopping this?

Shouldn’t a swarm of production members or security be descending on him by now?

But taking one look at Dalton’s smug face—standing there with his arms crossed as Jo and several others appear to be urging him to do something—tells me that no one is going to stop this, because this is gold for them.

Dalton wants this.

A spectacle.

“Asher, letting you walk away was the dumbest thing I’ve ever done and there’s absolutely no excuse for it,” he says, clasping his hands together aggressively.

He’s aged—or maybe he’s always looked this…

exhausted and miserable? Seeing him now reminds me just how blind to my own unhappiness I was for all these years, and a wave of regret washes over me again for wasting so much of my life on a man who didn’t value me.

Especially after spending this time with Theo.

Theo!

He’s still got his hand in mine, but he’s looking down, and I don’t have to be a mind reader to know that he’s crawling out of his skin right now.

This is the most embarrassing and cringe-worthy moment of my entire existence, and I think everyone in this room can feel that.

Glancing around at the faces surrounding us, I see a mixed bag of emotions—confusion, shock, concern.

“What we have—what we had…” he says, correcting himself.

“It’s something that is deserving of a second chance.

It’s worth fighting for. You are worth fighting for.

I want our old life back. I want to go back to the way things were before that stupid moment at the airport when everything changed for us.

Can we please go back to that? Please? ”

Never in a million years did I think I’d see the day when Clint would resort to begging—especially for a man…

he’s always had this confusing air of superiority to him.

His eyes gleam with sincerity, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d think he genuinely believed the words coming out of his mouth, which under previous circumstances would have moved me to tears.

But now?

I feel nothing. A deep and permanent numbness now lives where anything remotely resembling love for Clint used to be rooted. I feel…indifferent.

I know in my heart that what I had with Clint is something that I would never return to. It was monotonous and surface-level and truly only benefited him.

If I’m being honest, it was painfully boring.

“Clint, please…let’s just…”