“Tell me what you think about this.” Beau cleared his throat and read from the screen on his open laptop.

“Valentine’s Night: Re-creation of Victoria and Seth’s candlelit barn date in Barcelona

Show Myth to debunk: Lavish romantic settings will forge romantic feelings

Love Match wants you to believe that by giving girls roses, filling them with champagne, and lighting everything within two feet with a candle, she’s going to fall for you. Guys, it’s just not true. Take Saturday night. There were more roses than I could count, a starry sky, a little bubbly, and no sparks—nothing. Sure, it was a nice night to spend with a friend from class, but probably not how I would normally choose to spend my Saturday night. Don’t let reality shows fool you. You can’t make feelings out of candlelight. I posted pictures so everyone can see just how closely the setting looked like one of the Love Match dates. Until next week’s dating report.—B.A.”

“Ouch. No sparks?” I wrinkled my nose. “It’s great. Can’t wait to read the comments you’ll receive.”

“Your turn. What are you going to post?”

“Are you sure you’re ready to read it? Can you handle it?” I taunted him.

“Hit me. I can take it.”

“Every time I watch Love Match, I become more and more disillusioned with love. The show exhibits no limits in perpetuating the stereotype that all a guy needs to do to win a girl’s heart is buy into the commercialism that is copycat romance. Saturday night, my Comm partner followed the show’s lead to a T, sparing no detail. Girls, you should have seen it. There were candles everywhere, champagne, and even rose petals. Most of you reading this blog probably think that we had the perfect date. Champagne and roses don’t create love. Real human connections and understanding do. As much as Love Match wants you to believe that people can be forced into falling in love, I want you to know it isn’t reality.—L.J.”

“No one can accuse you of holding back, movie star.”

“Is it too harsh? Do you think people will read right through it?” I worried every girl on campus was going to scan it and know deep down all I wanted was a million nights with Beau, champagne, and a bed of rose petals.

“No. I think it’s fine. We need to get this posted. The next episode comes on in fifteen minutes.” He looked around my room. “Too bad you don’t have a TV in here.”

“The three of us share the one in the living room. It’s called roughing it. But we should be alone. Candace is over at Pearce’s tonight and I’m pretty sure Nina is somewhere with Derek.”

Beau stopped typing. “You know, that Derek guy is a jerk.”

It had only been two days since the opening of Spoiled Hearts. Other than seeing him on the side of the stage yesterday during our two shows, I hadn’t had any contact with the moody director. The incident with my ass and his strange behavior in the dressing room had to be from preshow stress.

“He’s really not that bad. I think you met him at a high stress time. He’s a great writer and director.”

“I don’t know about that side of him, but you should be careful around him.”

“Careful? Nina has totally been crushing on him for years. He is harmless.” A nagging thought in the back of my head suggested otherwise.

“I don’t know why a fun girl like Nina would be after him.”

“Because she’s a hopeless romantic. She can’t help herself. Come on; get that thing posted so we can watch Love Match.”

This was the first time Beau and I had seen each other since our Saturday night pact, which we sealed with a kiss. The theater was closed Monday nights, so I had the night off. It was perfect timing for us to watch Love Match together. When we texted back and forth about getting together, everything seemed the same—as if the kissing never happened. But when I heard the roar of his motorcycle rumble in the driveway, I realized seeing him again was going to be anything but normal.

“Posted.” He smiled.

“Ok, I’ll start the popcorn; you start the show. Want a beer?”

“Yeah, I’ll take one.”

Not wanting to deplete Candace’s beer supply for Pearce, I had made a run to the grocery store earlier in the day. I met Beau in the living room, with a hot bowl of popcorn and two cold beers. I handed one to him.

He laughed. “I see you got screw tops. Nice.”

I twisted the lid and tossed it on the coffee table. I wasn’t going to spend one second of this night looking like an idiot—twist cap lids were my first smooth move.

“Cheers.” I held up the beer and we clinked the bottles.

The realization hit me that I wasn’t sure what to do next. Nestle into the crook of his shoulder? Wait and let him make the first move? Sit close, but not too close? My mind raced with possible places to sit that would let him know I wanted to be near him, but only if he felt the same way. His leg was thrown up so that his ankle rested across his knee. There was a perfect spot for me to maneuver so that I was under his arm, but I couldn’t decide if it was too suggestive to slide against his body like that.

He turned the volume louder with the remote. “Hi, I’m your host, Mitch Henderson. On tonight’s episode of Love Match, Victoria has a heartbreaking decision to make.”

“Are you watching this with me?” Beau reached out with his left arm, hooked it around my waist, and pulled me so that I was pressed into his side. Crook of the shoulder it is.

Mitch Henderson continued, not knowing I had just cleared my first obstacle of the night. “One of the bachelors has been keeping a secret. It’s a shocking revelation that will bring our bachelorette to tears.”

“I don’t care what we decided to do with the project; I still think this show is ridiculous.” I looked at Beau as he drank his beer.

He laughed. “I won’t argue.”

I tried to relax into his arm as the episode began. It had never been this hard to concentrate on Love Match before. Victoria and her date were dressed in medieval costumes and were climbing the stairs of a castle in Scotland. The guy looked absurd in a velvet floppy hat. I wasn’t paying enough attention to know why they had on costumes. Beau had moved his hand to my leg and every few seconds his palm pressed into my thigh and ran smoothly toward my knee.

“Good. It’s a commercial.” He shifted my hair from the side of my neck and his lips began roaming the space closest to my shoulder.

I closed my eyes and leaned into his chest. My hands had exploring of their own to do. I grabbed the inside of his leg and worked my hand up until I elicited a full groan from his lips. Beau wasn’t a bad boy, but sneaking around like this felt a little dangerous and naughty—it was definitely a turn on. My mind heard the keys rattling in the door, but my body was elevated by the kisses Beau was firing down my neck.

“Dammit,” Nina muttered on the other side of the door. It sounded like her keys hit the porch.

Climbing out of the heat, I pushed against Beau, kicking one of the beers over in my panic. “Nina’s home. Shit.”

Nina opened the door with a surprised smile on her face. I was on the floor, scrambling for the beer bottle before more ended up under the couch.

“Hey, y’all. What’s up?”

“Uh. I’m such a klutz. Spilled my beer.” I smothered a giggle as I saw Beau reach for Ugly Quilt and throw it over his waist. I ran to the kitchen to grab a few paper towels.

I called back to Nina, “I thought you were out with Derek.”

“Ugh.” She sank into the recliner. “No. He said he wanted to write tonight. Alone. Can you believe that? We have one night off from the play and he wants to write. What are doing?”

Beau watched me as I sopped the sticky mess. “Love Match. Class project.” He pointed to the TV.

“Oh. Good. I hope I didn’t miss much. I totally forgot to record it tonight. What’s the big secret?” Nina eyed me.

I froze. Oh, God. She already knew. I was stupid to think I would be able to keep this from my best friend. She had probably seen something through the window.

Beau answered before I could form a clear sentence. “Don’t know yet. Victoria and one of the bachelors went to a castle to reenact one of the medieval love stories from the town. She hasn’t gone on the second date yet.”

That must be why they had on the costumes. How could he pay attention to the show while he was sending me over the edge?

“Cool. Can I have some popcorn?” Nina reached into the bowl that was resting, untouched on the table. “I’m Nina, by the way. We haven’t officially met.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Beau.”

Beau smiled at me. Hiding this relationship was going to be a lot harder than I thought and it was going to take a lot more than Ugly Quilt to do it.

* * *

Date Five: Hunted Love

Beau had planned our first four dates. It was only fair that I start contributing to the execution of this project. Spoiled Hearts ended its one-week run last night, and other than sitting next to him in class, I hadn’t spent any time with Beau since we watched Love Match together on Monday. My entire Saturday was devoted to preparing for the date. It was time I tried to surprise the campus expert on all things Carolina with something I knew he hadn’t done yet.

“No peeking.” I had wrapped the blindfold around his eyes as tightly as I could without hurting him.

“You’re not going to give me some kind of clue?” Beau was outwardly amused by the date I created.

“No way. I’m in charge today. You just have to trust me.”

“Does it involve body paint, bagpipes, or a floating hot tub?”

I laughed. The floating hot tub would have been fun, but I couldn’t find one of those in Chapel Hill on such short notice. “None of the above. You’ll see.”

I pulled the car onto the gravel path and turned into a dirt parking lot. It was almost sunset. We would have to hurry if I was going to pull this off. I threw my car in park and ran over to the passenger side to help Beau.

“I’m kind of at a disadvantage here with the blindfold.” I steered him toward the opening in the brush and led him down the path twenty yards before I stopped him.

I placed his hand on the trunk of the tree next to us so he could steady himself.

“Ready?” I couldn’t wait for him to get started.

“Yes, please take this off.”

I walked behind him to untie the knot, but as my hands traced over his neck, I changed my mind.

“There’s one thing you have to do first.”

I could see his eyebrow arch under the silk scarf and a smile crept across his face. I took a step back and my body met the bark of the tree. Beau turned in my direction, anchoring his hands on either side of me. I wasn’t entirely sure he couldn’t see right through the blindfold.

I reached forward, taking his face in my palms, and brought his lips crushing down onto mine. With the force of his body, he pinned me harder against the tree and hitched both my legs around his waist. We were completely derailing from the plan. I fisted my hands in his hair until I had loosened the knot on the scarf and freed his eyes from the cover. I watched as he took in our surroundings.

“Where are we?” It was getting darker. We were deep in the middle of the woods and I didn’t account for the light changing so quickly with the towering trees. Maybe we didn’t have time for a woodsy make out.

“You are on a Love Match scavenger hunt.” I smiled.

“Sweet. What am I hunting?” He pressed himself harder against me.

“Me.”

His right eyebrow shifted high. “What?”

“You better get going if you’re going to get your prize.” I wiggled out of his tight hold and landed next to him. “Here’s your first clue.” I handed him a folded piece of paper and tried to refrain from laughing. Mr. Adventurous looked worried all of a sudden.

“You’re not going to tell me anything else? I don’t even know where we are, London.”

“You have your phone so you won’t get lost, lost. You just might not find me. Good luck.” I winked at him. “Go that way.” I pointed ahead on the path where the light was dimming and watched until he was out of sight.

I had walked the route of my scavenger hunt three times, and it took me an average of twenty minutes to complete the course I had created. Beau could probably beat my time, so I estimated I had about fifteen minutes before he found me.

I ran back to the car and grabbed my bag. Everything I needed was packed inside. I had sent Beau on a loop so I could safely walk in the other direction without running into him. We would eventually meet in the middle.

There was an open patch of ground near the stone wall overlooking the grounds. I pulled out a thin tarp before spreading a blanket over top. I had two camping lanterns, which I anchored just off the corner of the blanket.

I pulled out my phone to check the time. He should be here any second. I looked down the path. It was empty. I had hiked past this place twenty times since I was a freshman, but I had never really stopped to look at the building that made the area such a famous landmark.

The round turret and the climbing ivy gave it a gothic feel that was starting to creep me out. Maybe I hadn’t concocted the best date. Beau was missing, the sun was almost down, and the legends about ghost stories in these woods all of a sudden haunted me.

One of the stories from the 1830s was about a student who had died on this land in a duel. Legend had it that in a panic to cover up his death, the students at the duel buried his body under a rock. When the girl he had been courting found out her beloved had died, she supposedly waited at the rock for him to return. The eerie part of the story was that the rock also happened to be the rendezvous point where the couple used to meet secretly for dates. There were legendary stories that circulated about people who had seen the ghosts of the torn apart couple walking the woods together.

After I watched last week’s Love Match episode, I thought this was the closest thing we had to medieval tales and a castle. I nervously scanned the woods again. Finally, I swiped the screen on my phone to call Beau. I couldn’t stand it anymore.

“London. Found you. Man, this is awesome!” Beau was smiling as he jogged through the trail.

I hid my phone in the bag.

“Gimghoul Castle at sunset? Great idea. Did you know this was on my bucket list?” He seemed ecstatic.

“Maybe.” Of course, I had started studying the list more intently. “I’m glad you like it.” Now that Beau was here, I wasn’t as nervous about the ghost stories. The castle did look like it was glowing from the dropping golden rays of the sun. It was beautiful.

He knelt at the edge of the blanket. “Now do I get my prize?” He started crawling toward me like a tiger on the hunt. It gave me chills thinking what he would do when he caught me. Although, that was the whole point: kiss at Gimghoul Castle at sunset.

I sat up on my knees, anxious for him to make his way to the edge of the blanket. His body collided with mine, and in one swift motion, he pulled me directly under him.

“Gotcha.”

My giggles quickly turned to something else. Beau was staring directly in my eyes, and it was impossible to hide how much I wanted him. My mouth parted as his lips descended on mine. I tried to steady my breathing, but the way he touched me only made me want more. I already loved kissing him. It felt hot, sexy, and just a little dangerous every time he made me moan. And he could make me moan.

“Hey! Hey!” I heard someone yelling at us. This was not happening.

“You kids shouldn’t be out here. Go on!” A guard from the castle walked on the other side of the wall and motioned to us to leave, throwing his hands in the air.

Mortified, I scrambled out from under my frustrated partner. My romantic gothic date was a complete catastrophe.

Beau reached for my hand and pulled me up. He shrugged his shoulders. We started stuffing my scavenger hunt items back into my bag. Back to the drawing board.