End of the Line

Kristina could tell Christian was pulling out all of the stops.

They’d gotten some B-roll of her and him around Chicago. Posing with ‘The Bean’. Going through an art museum.

It was the foods that they had her try that threw her for a loop. Apparently in Chicago, they didn’t allow you ketchup on your hot dogs. They dragged their dogs ‘through the garden’. Yellow mustard, pickle relish, chopped white onion, tomato slices, an entire dill pickle spear, sport peppers, all with a dash of celery salt.

Kristina enjoyed it, sure. But she missed having ketchup.

Then they got some footage of the two sharing a booth at a pizzeria and dear lord in heaven what the hell kind of pizza did they have? They served it in a freaking skillet?! The tomato sauce was on top of the cheese?!? And of course she’d have to put on a smile when they got the clip of her trying it, but this was so weird!

At least his plan for a date was more traditional. They were going to a baseball game. Diane had informed her they’d be right behind home plate. Which was great for her. The production staff couldn’t deny her the included food and drink.

It was an experience that let her ignore her circumstances. Christian was this platonic ideal of man she’d expect to have dated when if she ever made it. He was charming, he was funny, he had a face that you’d expect to see on a movie poster. A guy like him could coast to the end of a game like this on vibes alone.

The only problem was Kristina didn’t feel a thing for him.

It was the top of the fourth inning when it happened. The video screen in the outfield flashed pink with hearts, displaying ‘Kiss Cam Alert!’. Kristina gripped the armrests of her seat as she prepared for what would come next.

The fifth couple they showed zoomed in on where Christian and her were sitting. Christian pointed at the screen, shouting… and then he went in.

Kristina felt Christian take her breath away. She closed her eyes and leaned in.

The motion was right. And it must have looked right from the way everyone was cheering. But it didn’t feel right. It didn’t feel at all.

The camera must have cut away, because Christian finally pulled back with a smile. “I’ve been waiting for that.”

“What kept you?” Not even the back and forth was doing it for her.

“I was worried.” He motioned for a walking vendor and held up two fingers. In moments, they both had a cold can of beer. “Jules seemed like he was working you pretty hard.”

Here it is. Kristina took a long slurp from her can. “He worries you?”

“Of course he does.” Christian shook his head. “He’s here for the money and everyone can see it. Jules has been working over half the other bachelors for ages. Warren, Craig, Tyrone… Ryan.”

That was the burr in her boot. Nothing about how Ryan left sat right with her. She left without saying a word, and then that story about how she slugged Christian in the chin. That sounded more like Warren.

“We all agree that you need to use that ‘Tell the Truth’ card Jules gave you on him,” said Christian. “Him and me are the only ones you can use the card on that’re left.”

It would be a more convincing argument had Jules not already told her the truth. And if she hadn’t already agreed to play it.

The rest of the game was nice. The home team won. The only part that caught her off guard was when they reached the hotel lobby.

Petey Pete was there waiting for them, and he was going into the same spiel he went into when it had been Jules’s turn. But before he could ask her if she wanted to invite Christian to her room, he held up his hand.

Petey Pete’s head tilted at the sight. “Yes?”

Christian took Kristina’s hand in his. “It’s not that I don’t want to, or that I want to wait until marriage.” He took a deep breath. “You’re beautiful but I’m not ready yet.”

Kristina nearly showed her surprise. It baffled her for the rest of the night.

----

If one time was by chance, and twice was coincidence, three times was coordination.

Neither Parker nor Zach had waited for Kristina to deny them an invitation to her room at the end of their home visits. Each had their own excuse. Zach claimed he wanted to wait until marriage, while Parker only said, “Another time.”

She’d made up her mind on the matter by the time she got back to the mansion. Kristina always had too much time to think when the makeup and costume crews were doing their job putting her into a sparkling blue dress. Christian, Parker, and Zach had been thick as thieves the entire run of the game. In a way they were the opposites of the entourage Jules had surrounded himself with.

Those three had coordinated at some point. They’d agreed to hold off on going to her room. Kristina was unsure how they’d done it and she couldn’t prove it.

The thought rattled in her brain long enough that she barely noticed that everyone had finished. Diane was waving at her from the door. “We’re on in three minutes.”

“Hm?”

“The invitations,” Diane pressed. She pulled two golden envelopes from her purse and handed them to Kristina. “Good luck out there.”

She took the invitations and began making her way down the hall and down the grand staircase, where all four of the remaining bachelors stood in a line side by side.

On the left was Zach and his distinguished mustache. He was nice enough. But she wasn’t supposed to be here for ‘nice enough’. Plus, she was getting confused at the leering side glances he’d occasionally give some of the other men.

One of those men was Parker. A giant of a man who was almost as tall as she was. If she wanted a muscle hunk, he was the closest thing to it. But his thing of giving minimalist answers was wearing thin on her. There was being the strong and silent type. Then there was being Parker.

Christian had been one of her ‘favorites’ in the cast. That was as much an indictment of the quality of bachelor on the show as it was a reflection of what he brought to the table. Traditional good looks and charm, he was a perfect future half of a power couple. Perfect except she didn’t want him.

On the other end was Jules. Of all the men present, he’d made the worst first impression. He’d also tried the least to impress her or to get on her good side. But that also meant he’d done the least amount of wheedling or insincere posing. And when Jules did go for romance, it was a precision-guided strike to her heart.

Petey Pete had been talking this whole time but Kristina had ignored every word of it. She finally paid attention when Christian leaned forward.

“Kristina,” he said. “Everyone here has been dancing around this for a while. But we’ve agreed to put our differences aside because one of us is here for the wrong reasons.”

Jules raised an eyebrow. “One of us?”

“Don’t pretend that you’re not here for the money,” continued Christian. “You’re the biggest liar here. And it’s time we drag your lies into the light. Kristina. We’re asking you to use your Tell the Truth card on Jules.”

There it was. Just as Jules predicted, just as she’d guessed. She turned to look at Jules. He looked back, not a muscle moving in his face. All the moment was missing was a blindfold and a last smoke from a cigarette.

From inside her dress Kristina pulled out the familiar pink card. She held it in her hands and considered what was about to happen.

She knew what needed to be done. Kristina held the card in front of Jules like she was handing it to him. “Jules Maddow. It’s time you tell the truth. Are you here for love or money?”

Time stopped. The world outside of her and him ceased to exist. Kristina saw his lips move but she didn’t hear what he said. Not that she needed to. The way those words hung in the air, the look of faux relief on the other bachelors’ faces, they said it all.

Petey Pete shook his head. “Jules. You’ve been revealed as being here for the money. You must leave the mansion immediately.”

“Good riddance,” muttered Parker.

Just for that, Kristina was going to take Zach to the finals instead of him.

As she watched Jules walk out the door, she found that four-letter word drifting through her thoughts again. Not lust. Not like. And not a word she could slap out of her head any longer.