It was no surprise that Teagan ended up winning minigolf on Friday. The girl was miles ahead of the rest of us. It had been hard to watch her walk off with Cole as they went on their date. Teagan was such a great person, and I felt a wave of worry rush through me as they departed. It’s not like I didn’t want her to have fun. I was just terrified that Cole would realize how amazing she was. How much better she was than me.

I found myself tempted to watch the show on Sunday night. A sadistic part of me wanted to see Cole’s kiss with Laurie, and I was wondering how his night ended up with Teagan. I sat in front of the computer, my mouse hovering over the play button.

I squinted my eyes shut as I pressed play, only peeking them open when I heard the intro music begin to play. The opening credits consisted of a montage of shots that blended together dates and moments from the show so far. Each shot flashed across the screen for a second before moving onto the next.

There were sweet smiles from Cole and happy laughs from contestants. They showed Evan stuffing an entire doughnut into his mouth, then Willow shyly offering Cole a bite of her pizza. They even showed the moment when I’d fallen on Cole on the ice. A part of me wanted to pause on the video because the moment looked so different on film, but I was too anxious and nervous about the upcoming episode to do it. The montage ended as a cursive “True Love” logo was scrawled across the screen.

“Good evening and welcome to tonight’s episode of True Love,” Angus said, beaming down into the camera lens. “And boy do we have an episode for you this evening.”

The shot cut away from Angus, and a red background appeared with the words “coming up on tonight’s episode…” written across it. I swallowed as I waited for the first preview to show. My palms were sweating, and I found myself wishing I hadn’t eaten dinner earlier. It was sitting uncomfortably in my stomach, which was tensing as I prepared for the worst.

Footage of Teagan sinking a winning shot came on screen. She threw her arms and golf club up in the air as the group around her squealed in celebration. The next moment shown was Cole and Laurie sitting in a horse-drawn carriage. Then it flicked to them having a romantic picnic.

I tensed in my chair. They were looking into each other’s eyes so sweetly that it felt like a dagger to my chest. Was this the moment when they kissed? It was dark, and Laurie and Cole were on a rug with candles all around them. Their faces were close and their bodies were pressed against each other. It was anguish to watch them, but I couldn’t look away. I waited to see their lips touch, but the clip suddenly ended and Angus’ face returned to the screen before anything happened. I may not have seen the kiss, but I already knew that must have been the moment.

I slammed the lid of my laptop shut, my hands trembling as I hugged my knees to my chest. A part of me was hoping that Laurie had been lying. That I would watch the show and there would be no connection between her and Cole. And there would be no kiss. I’d been foolishly hoping it for days, and I felt like an idiot.

My phone screen lit up with a call from Hayley, but for once I didn’t answer. I didn’t want to be given a breakdown analysis of what she’d watched. It hurt enough to know what had happened and to see the moments leading up to it; I didn’t want her to paint me a full picture.

I was so desperate to avoid hearing about the episode that on Monday morning, I had Mom call the school and tell them I was feeling sick. I knew I’d have to face Cole and everyone else that night, but the weekend hadn’t given me enough time to gather my thoughts. I was upset and confused by Cole’s kiss with Laurie, and I didn’t know where to begin when it came to deciding what to do about my own feelings for Cole.

Liking Cole had hit me unawares. It was like a summer rainstorm; sudden and intense, appearing completely out of nowhere. I was still trying to catch up with the feelings, which was hard to do when I was worried he liked someone else. Trying to fit them into the messed up situation we were in was like trying to solve a Rubik’s cube—impossible for someone like me who’d never tried it before.

I’d never felt this way toward Jake. His smiles hadn’t hit me in the stomach, and his words hadn’t lifted my spirits. We’d been friends, but there had never been the crazy connection I felt with Cole between Jake and me.

By the time I arrived at Cole’s house for the selection ceremony on Monday night, I was a bit of a mess. I had hoped that taking the day to clear my thoughts would make things better, but I only felt more confused.

It was drizzling with the lightest misting of rain as I approached the front door. I usually hated the rain, but it seemed to match my mood this evening.

Rather than the usual spot out in the backyard, they were hosting the ceremony in the Kingstons’ living room tonight. When I entered the room, everyone was already there and gathered around as they waited for Cole to come out.

Evan had his back to me and was telling Teagan how cute her date with Cole had been on Friday night. The sickness in my stomach intensified as I listened.

According to Evan, Teagan had gotten ice cream on her nose and Cole had wiped it off for her. Cole had done a similar thing to me when I had cinnamon on the edge of my mouth on the first group date, and it had made my heart race. Did he do things like that with everyone? Had he made Teagan’s heart race too?

I didn’t want to get involved with the conversation, so I went to wait with Willow, who was standing alone. Still, Evan’s voice carried, and it was a relief when he started talking about his own Saturday night date.

“I heard you were sick today. Are you feeling any better?” Willow asked.

“Not really,” I replied. I felt just as confused as I had this morning. Worse, even. My feelings were a mess, but one thing was becoming abundantly clear. Even though Cole had kissed Laurie, and even though he’d had an amazing date with Teagan, I still liked him. I was hurting because I wanted it to be me he shared those moments with, and that would never happen if I were eliminated from the contest.

It was then that I realized I didn’t want to leave the competition anymore. In fact, I was now dreading the thought of being eliminated. But Cole didn’t know that. He still thought I wanted out.

I swore under my breath and my cheeks grew flushed with worry as my pulse started to quicken.

“What was that?” Willow asked.

“I have to find Cole,” I said. The words were barely out of my mouth when Skye walked up to us.

“I need to get you guys in position,” she said to Willow and me, nodding her head toward where the other contestants were starting to line up.

“I need a moment,” I said, turning and looking for any sign of Cole. He was nowhere to be seen though. He hadn’t come out for the ceremony yet, which meant I still had a chance to find him before it was too late.

“Sorry, Madi, there’s no time,” Skye replied. “The cameras are going live in less than a minute.”

“I’m sure you can talk to him later,” Willow murmured. “Come on.” She took hold of my wrist and started guiding me toward the others. I let her pull me along, but I was still hoping that Cole would appear before the episode went live so I could tell him I wanted to stay.

Feelings of dread started amassing in my stomach as I watched the doorway and still there was no sign of Cole. Skye gave us a thirty-second warning, and I could feel my hope slipping away with each and every second that passed.

When the two of us were arranged in line with the other contestants, I resigned myself to the fact that I had no chance of talking to Cole before the ceremony began. My shoulders slumped with the knowledge. I tried to keep the disappointment from showing on my face, but I could feel my sadness brimming in my eyes.

“What do you need with Cole?” Willow murmured, as we waited for the signal that the cameras were live.

I shook my head. It was too late and no longer mattered. A sudden pelting of rain started hitting the roof loudly. It almost seemed fitting that a storm should coincide with my own tumultuous elimination from the show.

“We’re going live in three, two, one,” Skye announced, before nodding her head at Angus. In the blink of an eye, Angus’ serious expression transformed. He grinned widely at the camera pointed at him and launched into his introductory spiel. His one-on-ones with the camera had been growing longer each week, and I suspected he was enjoying the increased attention True Love was getting. He sounded somewhat reluctant when he reached the end of his monologue and announced Cole’s entrance.

Cole looked so handsome as he strode out to stand at Angus’ side. He usually seemed so confident in himself, but tonight he appeared slightly nervous. His gaze swept across the group and lingered on mine for a second. His eyes became more intense, and it felt like he was trying to tell me something with them, but Angus started speaking and Cole looked away before I could figure it out.

“We’ll start by announcing the audience pick for the week,” he said, turning to face Cole.

My body went still as I watched Cole reach for the first heart. I’d never wanted to win the audience vote, but I was suddenly desperate to hear Cole calling my name. If the viewers hadn’t voted for me this time, I knew I would be gone, and I wasn’t ready to give up. Not now.

Cole picked up the first half-heart cut out. “The first piece of my heart goes to Laurie.”

The warmth rushed from my skin as I heard the words, and I couldn’t look away as Laurie bounded forward to receive her heart. Their kiss must have really been something for the audience to choose her. But it wasn’t the kiss that had me worried; it was the realization I would now be eliminated that made me suddenly feel queasy. I felt like I was going to throw up.

“Teagan.” Cole announced the first of his personal selections.

If there had been any warmth left in my skin, it was now gone. I felt ice cold as I watched Teagan walk forward to receive her heart. The two of them exchanged such warm smiles that I felt like I’d just been dealt a physical blow to my chest. Cole was going to end up with one of these other girls, and I could only blame myself.

I felt a hand grab mine and give it a squeeze. I looked at Evan who was standing beside me. He gave me an encouraging smile, like everything was going to be all right. But I wasn’t sure if it was.

“There are only four contestants left,” Angus said. “Cole, with just two choices remaining, who would you like to continue on your journey to find true love?”

Cole’s eyes roamed over all of us, but it felt like his gaze passed right by me. His eyes finally settled on Willow. As he called out her name, my heart sank.

There was only Evan, Zoe and me left now. I wanted to cry. I’d been so stupid to insist on leaving the contest. I’d continually thrown it in Cole’s face. And now I was finally going to get what I thought I wanted and I wasn’t sure if my heart could take it.

This wasn’t just a contest for a date to the dance anymore. It had become more than just raising money for charity. I wanted to stay, and I wanted to fight for a chance to be with Cole. But that decision was no longer in my hands.

“Cole, you only have one more piece of your heart left to give tonight. Who is your final choice to stay?” Angus asked.

Cole wasn’t looking at me, which I knew was a bad sign. In fact, he was looking everywhere but at me. A part of me just wished he would say a name already, but another part of me hoped he never opened his mouth to make the announcement.

“Madi,” he finally said.

I blinked, not quite sure I’d heard him right. He hadn’t looked my way as he spoke my name; had I really heard him correctly? I glanced at Evan who was nodding for me to go over to Cole.

I should’ve been happy, but instead I felt confused. I was frowning as I closed the distance that separated me from Cole. He still hadn’t looked me in the eyes, and I couldn’t understand why he was avoiding me. I could barely work out my own thoughts, so it wasn’t really a big surprise that I had no idea what Cole’s were.

“Madi, will you accept a piece of my heart?” he asked. Finally, he looked into my eyes. I was surprised by the amount of turmoil and emotion in them. He seemed so unsure, so nervous. The pit in my stomach dropped further. He didn’t want to hand me the heart. My eyes flickered in Angus’ direction. Was he forcing Cole’s hand?

“Madi?” Cole prompted, pulling my gaze back to him.

I couldn’t bring myself to speak, so I merely nodded and took the heart-shaped piece of paper he held out to me and walked over to the others. As I went to stand with them, I glanced down at the heart and found Cole had written a message on it again.

“I know your heart’s not in this, but mine is, and I’m hoping it’s big enough for the two of us.”

I frowned at the words and looked up at him. He was watching me closely; waiting for some kind of signal I’d read his note. I didn’t know what to make of it though. He seemed unhappy to have selected me, but this note indicated the opposite.

Cole glanced away from me as Angus began to speak, and I suddenly felt like I could breathe properly again. Being stared down by him was like being caught in an emotional vacuum.

“Evan and Zoe, I’m afraid that neither of you have been selected to continue in Cole’s search for true love,” Angus stated. “You have both been eliminated.”

The two of them nodded, giving the rest of us contestants a wave as they followed one of the film club members from the room. Evan paused by Cole as he went to leave. “If things don’t work out with the girls, Cole…” he said, lifting a hand to his ear like a telephone. “Call me,” he mouthed, earning a laugh from everyone in the room.

Angus waited for Evan to leave and the laughs to settle before he continued. “There will be no single date this week,” he announced. “Instead, the group date this Friday night will be an overnight activity.”

“What do you think that means?” Teagan whispered at my side.

I shrugged, hoping that Angus knew what he was doing. A thunderclap roared overhead, and the lights in Cole’s house flickered.

“And on that note, we’ll be calling it a night,” Angus said, focusing on the camera lens once more. “Don’t forget to watch next Sunday night, folks. It’s our final group date, and you’re going to love the mysterious location we’ll be taking our contestants. We’re on the home stretch now, and with just four contestants left, you’re going to want to stick around and see them battle it out to the finish! Good night!"

The camera finally dipped down, and Angus clapped before going around the room to congratulate everyone.

As the others began to pack up and leave, I looked down at my note again, trying to figure it out. I needed to talk to Cole and ask him what he meant. When I looked up again though, I could see he was chatting with Laurie. I wasn’t sure if I could watch the two of them together, so I made a quick and quiet exit. The note would have to wait.

The rain was heavy as I left the house and lightning streaked brightly across the sky. I was glad I didn’t have to walk far to get home.

“Madi, wait up,” Cole yelled, as I was halfway across the street.

I turned and watched as he ran out to meet me. He had taken his suit jacket off, and the white material of his shirt was quickly becoming soaked. It clung to his skin like a second layer, showing off his muscles.

“What is it, Cole?” I had to raise my voice to be heard over the rain as the downpour grew heavier.

“I need to speak with you,” he said, stopping to stand before me.

“Now?” I lifted my hands and pointed to the rain swirling around us. Already my hair was drenched, and I was feeling cold despite the humidity that clung to the air.

“Yes, now,” he replied.

I hesitated. I wanted to speak with him too, but he’d been distant with me in the ceremony, and I was suddenly scared of what he wanted with me.

“Please,” Cole begged. He took hold of my hand, drawing me close to him.

His fingers lightly gripped mine, and his eyes were swirling and storming with emotions more potent than the weather around us. His gaze held me in place, and I was as powerless to leave him as I was to stop the storm. “Can we at least get out of this rain?”

He shook his head at me as he finally let go of his grasp on my hand. “Don’t pretend you don’t love the rain, puddles.”

His use of my nickname and the loss of contact between us brought me out of the daze I’d fallen into. I shot him a scowl. “Fine, what do you want?”

He chuckled darkly under his breath as his gaze dropped to my lips. “What do I want?” It seemed like he was asking the question to himself, but he quickly shook his head, as if he was clearing his mind of whatever he had been thinking. He focused his eyes back on mine. “I want to tell you that I’m sorry. I know I’ve upset you by keeping you in the contest.”

“You think I’m angry at you for that?”

“Well, yeah…” His voice trailed off and he frowned. “That’s not why you’re upset?”

I took a small step backward from him, hesitating as I tried to come up with a response. He mimicked my step though, keeping close to me.

“Well?” he prompted. Rain was running down his face, and every emotion he was feeling was laid bare in his eyes. He was curious and confused, but he wasn’t the only one. My mind was in a state of chaos.

I looked away from him and out into the stormy night as I tried to line up my thoughts. My feelings were like a messed up bundle of yarn, and my mind was just as muddled.

“Madi … if there’s something I’ve done.”

My eyes flicked back to look at his.

“You’re right. There is something you’ve done,” I admitted.

He slowly nodded, his lips tensed and a trace of unease entered his eyes. “What?” he whispered, like he wasn’t sure he actually wanted to know.

“You changed,” I replied. “You were supposed to be my enemy, and then you went and started acting differently.”

“And you’re angry at me for that?”

“Yeah, I am,” I replied, folding my arms across my chest as my confusion and annoyance with him swirled stronger inside of me. “I’m angry that you went and reminded me of the sweet guy who was once my friend. I’m upset because you forced your way back into my life. And I’m confused as hell because you made me have feelings for you. Feelings that I’m not supposed to have; feelings that make me crazy because I’m stuck in some stupid contest where I’m not the only one who’s dating you. So, yeah, you’re the reason I’m upset.”

His eyes grew wide at my confession, and his face was blank. Several moments passed and he didn’t respond. I’d pretty much laid my heart bare to him and he didn’t have a word for me.

I took a breath before I finally gave up waiting for an answer and walked away. I was embarrassed by my revelation and wasn’t going to stick around if Cole didn’t feel even slightly the same in return. He couldn’t even find the words to turn me down.

I’d only taken a couple of steps away from him when he called after me.

“You owe me a kiss!” he shouted through the rain.

I paused where I was standing and slowly turned to face him. “You think I’m going to kiss you after I told you all of that and you said nothing in return?” I shouted back at him.

He closed the distance between us with powerful strides. “No,” he said, stopping before me, only a millimeter away. “I think you’re going to kiss me because I can’t stop thinking about you. Because you drive me crazy too. But mostly because you’ve been stealing pieces of my heart since the moment we met and it’s about time you gave me some of yours in return.”

All of my responses left me as I stared at him. His words warmed me; they broke me; they pulled me apart and put me back together again. His eyes stared so deeply into mine as he waited for me to process what he had said.

“You like me?” I asked, still not quite able to believe it even after all he’d said.

“Madi, I’m crazy about you, and only you could be blind enough not to see it.”

The words had barely left his mouth when I closed the small distance between us and pressed my lips against his. Cole responded by reaching out and taking hold of my waist. He pulled me to him so I was enveloped in his arms and deepened the kiss so that I felt the tingle from my lips to my toes.

The kiss was every bit as heartfelt and passionate as Cole’s words had been, and I felt every fiery emotion buzzing through my skin at his touch. His lips were warm despite the cold water that ran down our faces, and his body was hot as it pressed against mine.

My heart raced as we clung to one another. The weather was raging around us, and I felt like we were at the intense epicenter of the storm. I was feeling every strike of lightning and every boom of thunder deep in my chest, and I never wanted the downpour to cease.

When Cole finally pulled away from me, I felt changed. He had come and claimed a huge piece of my heart, and I wasn’t sure if I was ever getting it back. He lifted a hand to cup my face and stared into my eyes. A cyclone could have touched down beside us and I don’t think either one of us would have noticed.

“I don’t ever want to stop doing that,” he said.

I smiled up at him, a feeling of elation and warmth still rushing through me after our kiss. “That could make life super awkward. Nobody likes too much PDA.”

He laughed, and the sound hit me in the gut. It was deep and filled with so much affection and happiness. Wow, I loved it when he laughed like that.

He shook his head at me. “I didn’t mean literally all the time.”

“I should hope not,” I replied.

“Just most of it,” he added.

A shiver ran down my spine as a breeze of wind swept against us. Despite the warmth of Cole’s body next to mine, my clothes were fully saturated from the rain and they clung uncomfortably to my skin.

As if he had only just noticed the rain, Cole’s eyes clouded with worry. “Madi, you’re soaked,” he said.

“Well, yeah, some idiot insisted on talking in the rain.”

He didn’t laugh at my joke though. Instead, he dropped his hands from my cheeks and took my hand in his. “Come on. I’ll walk you home.”

I simply nodded in reply. When we reached my front doorstep, Cole turned to me, his face far more serious than it had been before.

“I don’t know if I can continue with the competition,” he said.

“What?” It was the last thing I expected him to say.

“I can’t date other girls when I know the way you feel about me. It isn’t right.” I couldn’t deny that I enjoyed hearing him say those words, and my heart swelled as he spoke, but I already knew he couldn’t leave the contest—as much as I might like it.

“But you’re the bachelor. Can you even quit?” I asked.

“Sure…” he said, though I could hear the doubt in his voice.

“What about the charity and everyone who's been voting?” I asked.

“Well, we’ve already reached the goal,” he replied.

“Yes, but you’d be letting people down…”

The realization seemed to deflate him, and he let out a long breath. “You’re right,” he said. “Plus, I can’t imagine Angus agreeing to let me go.”

I didn’t want to be right. This was one time I’d quite happily be wrong.

“So, if you can’t leave the contest, what are we going to do about us?” I asked.

“I really like you saying that,” Cole said, with a grin. “Us.”

“I’m serious, Cole. What are we going to do?”

“Right, that,” he said, suddenly thoughtful. He lifted a hand to grip the back of his neck as he contemplated it. “I guess we can’t really date until the contest is over.”

“Yeah, that’s what I figured.”

“It’s just until next weekend, so it’s not too long,” Cole said, though his face gave the impression he felt like it was forever. “We just have to get through the group date on Friday night and then two single dates with the final two next week.”

I frowned as I considered the obstacles that lay ahead of us, but he gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. “It’s going to be you and Willow in the final two. And she’s my cousin, you know that, right?”

I nodded. It did make me feel better knowing that Cole's only other single date would be with his cousin.

“So, we’re just keeping this a secret until next weekend?” I said.

“Only until next weekend,” he agreed. “But I can’t pretend to be interested in the other girls. Angus will just have to deal.”

“So, you’re not interested in Laurie or Teagan?” I sounded nervous, and my chest grew tight as I waited for him to answer. I wasn’t even sure why I’d asked him about them.

He lifted an eyebrow. “Madi, were you even here for the last few minutes of our life?”

The look of total disapproval on his face made me laugh “Okay, okay, you only like me.”

“Damn straight, I only like you,” he replied.

His words made my heart flutter. Every moment I spent with Cole, I could feel myself falling in deeper.

Man, I was in trouble.