The next two weeks passed quickly. The group dates were more fun as they all got to know one another, even though they couldn’t forget that they were competing. Dominic continued his cocky persona during filming, and sometimes he was so convincing that Charlotte thought she’d imagined their accidental meeting.
He had managed to slip her a note during their second private date—a hike—and they’d met up again on their day off. Since Catherine was around that day and quick to notice if he disappeared for too long, it had been a short meeting. Still, it had been nice to talk in private, and Charlotte wanted to get to know that version of Dominic better. Her version, she kept catching herself thinking.
Their on-screen interactions hadn’t changed much on the outside, but they felt different to Charlotte. They felt a lot more like flirting. She also found herself fighting feelings of jealousy when she watched the other girls with Dominic. She kept reminding herself that he couldn’t just ignore them. He had to follow the rules as much as she did. But she couldn’t help worrying that he might like the other girls too. Charlotte’s feelings confused her, but she was starting to think she might actually like him—a lot.
This week—their third on set—he asked her to meet him at the overlook after dinner the night of their confessionals. He hoped they’d have a little more time since they would be done filming by then. If they were careful, they would have several hours together.
Charlotte was nervous. She hadn’t spent this long with Dominic anywhere except on set, where they were both playing roles. She wouldn’t have that to hide behind now and hopefully he wouldn’t be hiding either. She was always a little worried that the nice version of Dominic was as much of an act as the guy he played on-screen.
The girls walked back to the cabin after dinner. Teagan had been glaring at Charlotte all through the meal, and she had no idea why. While they didn’t like each other, they hadn’t fought lately.
“Is there a problem, Teagan?” Charlotte finally asked.
“Why are you even here?” Teagan snapped, like she’d been waiting to say this for ages. “You don’t seem into the show, and you don’t even seem to like Dominic. If you don’t want to be here, why are you staying?”
“Just because I don’t act like you doesn’t mean I don’t like him,” said Charlotte. “Not everyone has to be so obvious about everything.”
“I think you’re only here for the money,” said Teagan. Olivia was looking back and forth between them, clearly uncomfortable. Charlotte managed to keep her expression blank. Even if her main motivation for coming on the show had been the scholarship, she wasn’t opposed to finding love. And the side of Dominic she was seeing when they were alone was making that option look better and better. Besides, it wasn’t any of their business why she was here.
“I think you should quit,” said Delaney, chiming in. “The rest of us are here to find love, and so is Dominic. It’s not fair to him or us for you to stay when that isn’t what you want.”
That’s what you think, thought Charlotte. But she was too angry to be smug about knowing the real reason Dominic had agreed to be on the show—or about her own budding relationship with him. “How would either of you even know what I want?” she asked. “It’s not like you tried to get to know me. From the beginning, you decided I was weird because I’m not like you and that was it.”
“Come on, let’s just calm down,” said Olivia. “I’m sure Charlie is hoping Dominic is the one for her as much as the rest of us, so—”
“Just shut up, Olivia,” said Teagan. “No one wants your sunshine and rainbows right now.”
“I’m not staying to listen to this,” said Charlotte, and she walked out of the cabin. Her cheeks were hot with anger, and she could feel her hands trembling. Hopefully everyone—including her—would calm down before she got back. She was supposed to meet Dominic anyway, and this was as good an excuse to leave as any.
The shadows were starting to lengthen as she walked up the trail to the lookout. It was a calm evening, and the forest was peaceful. She felt herself relaxing as she let the sounds of nature wash over her.
Dominic was already at the overlook when she arrived. The evening sun was golden, and it shined on his dark, wavy hair. She stopped and just looked at him for a moment. After a moment, Dominic turned to look at her. The genuine smile on his face drove away the last of her anxiety. “Hey.”
“Hey,” she replied, walking over to sit down next to him on the bench. She sat closer than necessary, but he didn’t seem to mind. She felt like her blood was fizzing—the aftereffects of her anger combined with the fresh air and the feel of Dominic’s body heat beside her.
“Did something happen?” he asked. “You look sort of intense.”
“It’s just stupid drama,” she muttered. “You don’t want to hear about it.”
“Let me guess—Teagan,” he said, smiling a little.
She looked at him sharply.
“Oh, come on, I’m not blind,” he laughed. “She loves drama. And she clearly doesn’t like you.”
Charlotte laughed too, relaxing. “Yeah, well, all of us living together isn’t ideal.”
“What’d she say?”
She shrugged. “The usual—that I’m too weird for you to like me. They accused me of only being here for the scholarship. Well, excuse me for not being rich enough to be able to ignore fifty thousand dollars.” Her stomach tightened when she remembered how nasty they’d been.
“That’s stupid,” he said. “I’m rich, and I think it’s a lot of money.” He cocked his head curiously. “And what do you mean, the usual?”
“They all think like that. Except maybe Olivia. I’m not into fashion like they are and I like school and stuff, so obviously there’s no way a guy like you would want me. Even Catherine has said it. You’ve seen the girls do it during dates.”
He looked upset at that. Charlotte smiled. “It’s fine. I can take it. You’ve got to play your character and I have to play mine.” I just hope we can remember which parts are real.
“I don’t think you’re weird,” he said, nudging her leg with his. She felt the touch like an electric shock, and his kind words sent a rush of warmth through her.
“Just don’t go saying anything to anyone. You’ll blow our cover,” warned Charlotte.
“I know,” he said. “I can’t wait ‘til this is over.”
“It’ll be strange to go back to normal life,” said Charlotte. “I hope people aren’t too weird about it after the show airs.” She shuddered at the thought of everyone at school staring at her.
“They’ll definitely be weird,” he said. “Once you’re even a little bit famous, they forget you’re a person. Just look at how Teagan acts around me.”
“Ugh. You better pick me, then. I’ll need that scholarship to make this worth it.” Her laughter was dancing in her eyes, and she could tell he wasn’t offended.
He reached out and caught her hand in his, entwining their fingers. Her breath caught in her chest. “I don’t think you really need to worry about that,” he said.
Suddenly she couldn’t control the butterflies in her stomach, and she couldn’t meet his eyes. The sun was setting over the lake now, and they watched it together, holding hands and enjoying the silence.
When the sun disappeared below the horizon and the red sky melted into blues and purples, Charlotte tried to stand up. “They’ll notice if I’m not back soon,” she said. But Dominic wouldn’t let go of her hand.
“Stay a little longer,” he said quietly. “The stars are coming out.”
The look in his eyes made her pause. “Just a little while,” she said finally, smiling and sitting back down. She hadn’t really wanted to leave, anyway.
They talked late into the night, and Charlotte loved how easy it was. The sky was black and sparkling with stars when they landed on the subject of music. “You like country?” asked Charlotte, shocked.
“Classic stuff, like Johnny Cash,” he said quickly. “Not most of the new stuff. And it’s not the only thing I like. Though I don’t know why I feel like I have to justify my music taste,” he laughed. “There’s nothing wrong with it.”
“I guess the old stuff is a little better,” she said, shrugging. “It’s just not my thing.”
“You’re one to talk. You still listen to nineties boybands,” he teased.
“I like the harmonies,” she said, blushing a little. Dominic chuckled.
After a few quiet moments, he said, “Come down here.” He slid onto the grass and laid back. “It’s really clear tonight. You can’t see this many stars in the city. It was always my favorite thing about camping.”
She lay down on her back next to him, gazing up at the sky. He was right. The sky looked like black velvet. More stars than she’d ever seen in her life winked at them.
“It’s beautiful,” she said. “But it makes me feel small.”
“That’s what I like about it,” he said. “When my dad’s around, everyone always acts like we’re the most important people in the world. But we’re not. He’s just a guy who’s good at playing pretend for other people to watch. This kind of thing,” he gestured up at the sky, “reminds me that I’m just as insignificant as everyone else.”
“I don’t think you’re insignificant,” Charlotte said softly.
He turned his head to look at her. “You’re not insignificant either.”
When she turned to face him, she realized their faces were only inches apart. She was glad it was too dark for him to see her blush. She felt trapped by his eyes. Slowly, unconsciously, they closed the distance. It was a gentle kiss, just a soft press of lips, but Charlotte felt it to the tips of her toes.
She looked at him for a second, speechless. “I’ve never done that before,” she said, blushing even harder.
Dominic gave her a shy smile, and she could tell part of him was pleased to hear this. “Then I’m even happier I didn’t do it in front of the whole country,” he said quietly. “We shouldn’t have to share it.”
Charlotte suddenly felt flustered. She didn’t think their kiss would have felt like that if he was acting, but now things seemed like they were moving too fast. This was new territory for her. She didn’t know how to respond to him when he talked like that. “I should go,” she whispered.
He smiled and stood up with her. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said.
Charlotte glanced back at him as she walked toward the cabins. She could tell he was still watching her, his eyes hidden by the shadows.
***
It got even harder to go back to their fake on-screen personalities after the kiss. Charlotte could only hope she didn’t blush every time he looked at her, and she did her best to behave the way she had in the beginning. Sometimes she felt his eyes on her, though, and she caught herself watching him too.
They managed to sneak away several times over the fourth and fifth weeks of filming, sometimes on their day off and sometimes after filming had ended for the day, but Olivia was getting suspicious. She’d started asking Charlotte where she was going every time she left the cabin, and Charlotte wasn’t sure how many more walks Olivia would believe she was taking.
Later in the fifth week, they were the only two in the cabin. Delaney and Teagan were still at dinner.
“You’re up to something,” Olivia said, out of nowhere.
“What?” asked Charlotte. Her stomach clenched, but she tried to act like she had no idea what Olivia was talking about.
“Where do you go all the time on those walks?” she demanded.
“Nowhere,” Charlotte insisted, though she couldn’t help feeling a bit bad for lying. “Really. I just wander around—there’s no other way to get away from everyone else.”
Olivia narrowed her eyes. “Well you always come back from your walks looking awfully happy for someone just wandering around alone.”
“Just because you love talking all the time doesn’t mean we all do,” Charlotte snapped. “Liking walks and being alone isn’t against the rules.” She turned away. Olivia was annoyingly observant sometimes, but Charlotte felt a bit sorry for her. After all, Olivia was the only one who was nice to her—and she seemed to be the only one genuinely interested in finding love on the show.
Olivia dropped it, but she watched Charlotte closely over the next few days. On their next confessional day, Charlotte saw Olivia talking to Catherine. Charlotte was too far away to hear anything, but both of them looked at her as she walked toward the lodge for her turn. It’s probably nothing, she thought. Olivia can’t prove anything.