Megan
I wince with every blow, my body jerking. I want to look away from the scene unfolding on my flat screen in my bedroom, but my eyes are glued to the footage of Tristan and Madden fighting like they’re going for the Sugar Ray Robinson Award.
I can’t believe it. The things they’re saying sound like they’re arguing about business, but it’s obvious they’re fighting about me. I don’t know what to think about it or how I feel.
Other than horrified that the two men I might be starting to care about are taking each other out in the gym. I know it’s not a live feed, so there’s no point in going to break it up. But I can hardly stand it.
Maya bursts through my door without so much as a knock, takes one look at my face, and hauls me up off the bed and into the bathroom behind her, shutting and locking the door.
I sigh. Obviously she wants to talk in secret again.
“Don’t you think you’re going to get in trouble if you keep coming in here and talking to me like this?” I ask.
Maya shrugs like it doesn’t matter. “That’s not what’s important right now.”
I stare at her, incredulous. “Seriously? It’s your job.”
She shakes her head. “Look, do you know why they were fighting?”
I purse my lips and don’t say anything. What’s the point? She’s just going to tell me anyway.
She doesn’t disappoint. “They were fighting over you, Megan.” Maya stands there with her hands on her hips, looking at me expectantly.
Throwing my hands up, I pace around the bathroom. “What do you want me to say? That I’m swooning over the fact that two hot men are fighting over me? Or that I’m disgusted by their caveman behavior?”
“You tell me.” She continues to watch me.
Heaving a frustrated sigh, I stop in front of her. “Fine. I will. I’m really fucking upset, Maya. I don’t want them fighting over me. Not like this. I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
She scoffs a little. “Haven’t you ever seen a reality show? People always get hurt. It’s good TV.”
I glare at her. Not what I want to hear right now. “What happened, Maya? Why were they fighting over me? Things have been fine all day.” At least as far as I could tell. I’ve stayed up in my room, and things have been quiet in the house. Why did they start tearing into each other all of a sudden?
Thinking back to the footage I was watching, I remember that they were both radiating with anger at the beginning.
Maya looks around, not quite meeting my eyes for a minute, then sighs. “Look, Megan, you just need to worry about yourself.”
What is that supposed to mean? How can I just worry about myself when I already feel like I’m getting in too deep? And now it’s coming to blows. Literally.
“What are you thinking?” Maya continues. “Be honest with me.”
I tilt my head back and stare up at the ceiling for a minute. “I don’t like it. I don’t want them fighting like this. I don’t want anyone getting hurt,” I repeat, though this time I’m not sure if I mean physically, or something else. “What do you think about all this? And don’t tell me it’s good TV. That’s what your boss thinks. I want to know what you think.”
She meets my eyes, and hers look regretful. “I think this whole show was a bad idea from the start. I mean, it’s bound to end badly, right? The last season didn’t end how the producers thought it would. I think that’s why the studio is so determined to make this one go the way they want. ‘Fucking and fighting’ and all that.” She rolls her eyes. “Not my words,” she clarifies.
Her words make me nervous, though. “What do you mean, ‘it will end badly?’ How?”
Maya leans against the bathroom counter, watching me as she speaks. “I just don’t think there are going to be any winners. Not any real winners, anyway. Someone is going to get hurt—maybe everyone.”
There it is again. Someone getting hurt. Now she’s saying it, and I definitely don’t think she’s talking about the fight now.
She pushes off the counter and gives me a hug. “Be careful, Megan. Remember why you’re here.” She hesitates, like she has something else to say.
“What else?”
Another sigh. “Tristan cares about you, Megan. I know he does. Like truly cares. It’s possible that Madden does too. I’m not positive, but I wouldn’t be surprised.”
I take a minute to process that statement, not sure how I feel about it. Because I feel like I’m starting to care for them too. Both of them. And I have to choose.
My heart squeezes in my chest. So this is the real problem. If they truly care about me, someone will get hurt in the end. I don’t want to hurt either of them. But how can I not? I have to pick one of them.
Maya turns to leave, but looks back at me before she opens the door. “Just remember one thing.”
“What?”
“There are no guarantees when the camera stops. What I know—or think I know—about how they feel might not be real after all. That’s why I’m telling you, Megan, watch out for yourself. I don’t want you to be the one leaving here with a broken heart.”
She leaves the room, and I think about what she said. Are their feelings real? Are mine? It’s so hard to know because we’re caught up in such a crazy situation. But one thing is certain. The way they both made me feel when we went on our dates was incredible. Something more exciting than I’ve ever felt in my whole life. And I want more of that. More of them. I’ll have to be careful, that much is clear. It’s a fine line to walk if I still want to win this game.
But maybe, if I’m careful, I can have my cake and eat it too. I smile and head toward the door, ready to make an appearance downstairs for the first time since we got back. First thing on the agenda—I need to set these boys straight.