"ELLE!"
Elle shrieked when she felt the bed sharply sink beside her. She'd fallen asleep but she had no idea how long she'd been out. She found Jules in the bed beside her, bouncing on her knees, "Get up, get up, get up!"
"Why?" Elle groaned, shielding her eyes with her arm.
"Because you can't sit and pout all night about someone else getting to go on a date for once," Jules moved her arm, straddling her legs. "And don't claim that's not what you're doing because it clearly is."
Elle glared at the New Yorker, annoyed at being figured out so easily.
"I've told you like a hundred times, you don't scare me," Jules laughed. "Now get up, grumpy cat. Daisy wants us to film talking heads and then she has some kind of a surprise."
Elle allowed herself to be dragged into the Glam Room to throw on a little makeup before they went downstairs and filmed their talking heads together. Elle loved filming with Jules. The other woman's commentary on their experience was enough to make her stomach hurt from laughter.
When they were finished they headed into the kitchen, just in time to find the rest of the girls being gathered around the island by Daisy and Amy.
"So what's the big surprise?" Abigail questioned.
"Is Kentucky not coming back from the date?" Mia smirked. "I could see her sending Seth running for the hills."
"Watch yourself," Elle glared at the arrogant blonde.
"Ladies, ladies," Amy waved her hands. "We know it has been tense and frustrating for all of you being cooped up in this house."
"Oh no, it's been a breeze being accused of stealing by one of Mia's mindless minions," Jules crossed her arms.
"Okay, you are not going to call me mindless," Abigail whirled on her.
"You don't mind the minion part?" Elle stared.
"So, we have a treat for you," Daisy spoke loudly, drawing all of their attention. "You're going out tonight."
"Out?" Jules stared. "Like out of this house? We get to be around people that don't work on this show?"
"Please don't be messing with us," Emily clasped her hands together. "I will freak out if this is some terrible joke."
"No joke," Amy laughed. "You all have 20 minutes to get changed and we're heading to a local bar."
"What's the catch?" Elle asked incredulously, crossing her arms.
"No catch," Daisy put her hands up. "The cameras will be with you to document the outing but there's no catch. Amy and I thought you all deserved to blow off a little steam. Drinks are on us."
Each and every woman was over the moon at the news. Abigail called Daisy and Amy angels while Mia actually said her first ever genuine 'thank you'. Elle was only sad that Harper wouldn't be with them.
Seth was getting antsy as he waited at the table. They were getting a late start because of an issue with lighting. He was starving and being in the heat all day filming had given him a bit of a headache. He was looking forward to spending some time with Harper. She was always fun to be around and undeniably genuine. He had no questions about her motives. He suggested that they just eat dinner while waiting for the lighting to be figured out but the producers insisted that wasn't possible. They had to have every moment of their interaction on camera.
One of the producers tapped him to let him know that she was finally walking up and he straightened up in his chair, smoothing down the front of his crisp gray dress shirt. He wore a black suit for the dinner, expertly selected by Sasha via FaceTime. She was mad at him for refusing to tell her who won the date but she still insisted on helping pick his outfit. He would always be grateful for her particular brand of friendship.
He smiled when he spotted Harper. She looked gorgeous in a blue dress with her hair cascading over her shoulder in soft, copper curls. She gave him the same excited smile she always did when she saw him along with a goofy wave.
"You look amazing," he stood, offering a quick hug.
"So do you," she smiled as he pulled out her chair. She looked around with wide eyes, "This place is beautiful. I feel like I just walked into a movie set."
"It is pretty great," he agreed. The restaurant was decadently decorated in dark shades with dramatic black chandeliers and candles and flowers in deep shades of red and purple. He read up on the concept on the way there and they definitely got their point across with the décor. The wait staff all work dark clothes and when a server walked by in a short black dress, Seth's mind drifted, imagining how the dress would fall over Elle's perfect curves; the way her long smooth legs would stretch from under the soft fabric.
"Seth?"
"Hm?" he snapped out of it, focusing his attention on the woman in front of him.
"You okay?" Harper questioned. "You looked a million miles away."
"Sorry, I was just trying to remember if I actually like any French food," he joked. "I'm here with you, I promise."
"Don't worry," she laughed. "Elle told me all the ins and outs so I'll walk you through it."
"I'm confident enough in my masculinity to let you order for me," he laughed, breezing past the mention of Elle. He owed it to Harper to try and focus on their date and he couldn't do that if he was thinking about someone else.
"Two shots of your best whiskey please."
"Whiskey?" Elle stared over at Jules. They'd only been at the bar for five minutes. It was a cute place, very rustic chic, Americana aesthetic with farmhouse wood paneled walls and gorgeous mercury glass pendant lights.
"Make it four," Jules grinned at the handsome bartender in a dark denim shirt.
"Maybe we should pace ourselves," Elle laughed, holding up 2 fingers at the bartender. He gave her a quick nod as he started pouring. "We get too lit on this field trip, they won't let us have another one."
"You do have a point there," Jules nodded.
"I do that sometimes," she smirked as they clinked the mason jar shaped shot glasses together and tossed them back.
Elle bounced on the balls of her feet, wincing as the liquor seared down her throat.
Jules laughed, wrapping her arm around her shoulders and squeezing her tightly, "I want to thank you."
"For what?" Elle laughed. "I'm not paying for this."
"For keeping me from losing it today," Jules rested her temple against Elle's. "Seriously, when Abigail came at me like that, I saw red and you're the only thing that kept that from going left."
"I had to," Elle smiled, hugging her friend back. "Do you know how much this house would suck without your crazy ass?"
"Even though I wake you up to work out?" Jules smirked.
"I could do without that part," Elle teased, dodging a slap.
"No hitting, ladies," Daisy approached them with a friendly smile.
"Have a drink with us, D," Elle grinned, waving over the bartender.
"I am still on the clock," Daisy shook her head. "But I have an even better drinking buddy for you."
Elle raised a suspicious brow, wondering why Daisy suddenly looked like a soap opera villain. She was practically rubbing her hands together and cackling. It quickly occurred to her that it was probably Seth. He'd been on the date with Harper for a while and she would love to see his face again before the night was through.
"There he is now," Daisy grinned, pointing toward the door.
Elle grinned like an idiot, waiting to see Seth's brown eyes. Instead, she found herself looking at the baby blues of Finn Balor.
Jules gripped Elle's arm, gasping.
"You have got to calm down," she counseled her friend.
"How is it possible that he looks even better now?"
Objectively, Elle couldn't disagree. Finn was almost eerily handsome. The cameramen and most of the girls flocked to him like moths to a flame but she hung back, unable to dismiss the disappointment of knowing that the man she wanted was still on a date with her friend.
"Aww, grumpy cat, don't be sad," Jules teased, squeezing Elle's cheek. "Come on. You look like you need more whiskey."
20 minutes, 2 shots, and a delicious and deceptively strong peach, herb, and whiskey cocktail later, Elle's mood had significantly improved. She and Jules migrated to a table with Kai and Kayla.
Emily, Mia, and Abigail were firmly planted with Finn and the cameras, making sure they got every bit of attention they could. It was karaoke night at the bar they'd landed at and the local talent was a real mixed bag. There were two heavily inebriated guys on the stage currently singing Camila Cabello's Havana. One of them started erratically swiveling his hips and Elle cackled loudly. Another laugh caught her ear and she turned, smiling at Finn. He waved at her and she offered a friendly wave in return. She was a little frustrated with him for orchestrating the current source of her pouting but she felt bad for him, surrounded by harpies like that. She nodded at the empty chair at their table, offering him an out. He gave her a grateful smile before excusing himself and walking over to join them.
"Top o' the mornin' to ya," Jules shouted, holding up a shot.
Finn chuckled as he took the seat beside Elle.
"Well now I feel less bad for the embarrassing thing I said to you," Elle smirked.
"I don't know," Finn teased. "That was pretty bad. You brought up a past trauma."
"Not as bad as Warwick Davis over here," Elle jerked her thumb at the New Yorker.
Jules gave her a confused frown.
"Have you never seen Leprechaun?" Elle stared. "God damn it, Jules."
"I don't spend all my time watching movies," Jules shrugged. "What do you want from me?"
Jules and Kayla decided to participate in karaoke and giggled their way over to the sign up sheet.
Elle rolled her eyes, turning her attention to Finn, "I have a bone to pick with you, Mr. Balor."
"Me? What ever could I have done?" Finn grinned innocently.
"You helped me build that boat and then you didn't even pick me," she explained.
"I thought Harper had the best story," Finn shrugged.
"Harper is adorable, I get that," she said. "But I didn't even come in second. I can understand giving Jules a low score. Hers was..."
"It was kind of like a big...mushroom," Finn seemed to be searching for the most delicate way to describe it.
"It looked like a giant Lego dick," she shrugged, deciding blunt was the way to go.
He chuckled, nodding his agreement, "I do feel a little guilty for not picking you. You are kind of my favorite."
"Kind of?" she laughed.
"What? I told you, we all watch the show," he shrugged. "There is one good thing about you not being on the date."
"And what is that?"
"You get to have a shot of whiskey with me," he winked, tapping the table before pulling her with him. They took up new seats at the bar and he ordered two shots for each of them. She admired how smoothly he took them. She cringed each time and he enjoyed poking fun at her.
"I have a question for you," he announced. She waited, wondering what he could possibly want to know. "What is Elle short for?"
"Eleanor," she made a face as she answered. She felt awkward even saying it. She couldn't even do it without using a weird voice. No one called her that except her grandmother. "I have two older sisters and when I was born, they had a hard time saying it so everyone just started calling me Elle. Or Ellie, which I absolutely hate."
"So you don't like Ellie or Eleanor?"
She shook her head, "Nope. Neither one feels right."
"How about Len?" he asked, after a thoughtful look.
She considered it for a moment before smiling, "That's a new one. What's wrong with Elle?"
"Nothing at all," he smiled. "I just like to be different."
She shrugged, "I like it. You can call me Len but don't call me Lennie, that gives me Of Mice and Men vibes."
"Well now that's obviously what I have to call you," he laughed.
"I set myself up for that, didn't I?"
"You absolutely did."
"There's a joke in there about me squeezing your rabbit too hard but I'm going to refrain from saying it," she smirked and got a hearty laugh out of Finn.
They ordered drinks and she convinced him to try a sip of her Peaches & Herb as they watched the karaoke and laughed their heads off. Somehow, he even convinced her to sign up. Little did he know, she signed him up as well. That would be a fun surprise. She giggled, her cheeks warmed by the whiskey. Finn was a riot. She felt at ease like she was hanging out with a friend she'd known forever.
"I have another question."
"You really like announcing when you have a question," Elle pointed, feeling the booze beginning to get to her head.
"Are you really the troublemaker you look like on TV or do the producers make you act that way?"
"Why would you assume it's the producers?" she questioned, curious about his opinion of her.
"Because you seem nice," he answered honestly. "Not that you don't seem nice on TV. You do, sometimes. You're just a lot nicer than I expected."
"I don't know how many people would describe me as nice," she laughed.
"That must mean that I bring out the best in you," he teased.
She laughed again, playfully elbowing him in the side, "Just remember this when you're telling Seth about your night out with us girls."
"I will," he assured her. "Though I'm pretty sure he already knows you're a good girl."
"Let's hope so," she finished her drink.
"Alright, next up for karaoke, it looks like we have a duo," the karaoke host looked at his clipboard. Elle perked up.
"Next up on stage, ladies and gentlemen, we have the vocal stylings of Len and Finn!"
Seth was stuffed after an extremely rich dinner and the dessert that Harper insisted they order. Elle may not have loved the place she worked but their food was amazing. Harper had excused herself to touch up her makeup and he had a moment to himself without cameras pointed in his face. He took the opportunity to take a deep breath and reflect on the dinner. As expected, he had fun with Harper. She told him stories about her life back home and offered a good natured laugh when he teased her about her accent. They talked about their jobs and their hobbies. Everything about Harper was just perfectly…good. She had a stable job, good head on her shoulders. She loved her family and she could take a joke. He should have been thrilled to be there with her and yet he couldn't stop his brain from conjuring up images of Elle. And the moment he was able to stop thinking about her, Harper would say her name and there she was again, taking up residence in his head with those gorgeous brown eyes and that sly, teasing smile.
His phone had been buzzing nonstop and he pulled it out to distract himself. He had been tagged repeatedly by the show's instagram account and also Mia's personal account. Apparently the producers had taken the girls to someplace called The Red Crow. There were pictures of them holding up drinks and standing up on a stage. Mia had posted a video with the caption And I'M the one they love to hate? #interesting #herefortherightreasons. Frowning, he played the clip and found Elle and Finn singing along to George Michael's 'Faith'. Finn couldn't seem to get through two words without laughing. Elle danced around in jeans and a crop top. Her voice was surprisingly great. She was able to keep with the song much better than Finn as she swayed her hips and spun around but when she turned to Finn, she cracked up and the video ended. Finn also posted a video of the two of them.
Helping Seth find love is hard work #TeamElle.
After that, there was a picture of him and Elle doing his ridiculous Finn Freeze
Newest member of the Balor Club? #FinnFreeze #TeamElle
So while Seth was failing spectacularly at keeping her off his mind, she was jumping around on a stage, giggling like a schoolgirl at Finn Balor.
Harper picked a perfect time to make her way back to the table. He silenced his phone, slipping it back into his pocket.
Two could play that game.
Elle glared at the coffee cups in front of her, making sure she was completely focused on them before she started pouring. She was half drunk but had somehow ended up the soberest person in the house and she was trying her best to get a very drunk Kayla from about a 97 to a 5. Half of the house was asleep. Jules was talking to Kai, coming up with adorable little Irish names to give the children she and Finn would have despite her barely speaking 10 words to him at The Red Crow.
She was thoroughly grateful to Daisy for getting them all out of the house and Finn for being such a good time but a bunch of rowdy, pent up women at a whiskey bar had been a recipe for disaster. They were lucky Kayla was the only one who seemed to be on the verge of a blackout. Even Abigail had helped Elle basically carry her to the car.
Elle doled out coffee to the people who'd asked and got Kayla to drink some after threatening her life to get her to drink some water. She was in the middle of wrestling the young brunette up the stairs when the cameramen started heading toward the front door.
"Seth!" Kayla flailed her arms before twisting and juking Elle like a god damn professional running back. Kayla was down the stairs in a flash and Elle caught her around the waist just before she went sliding into the door.
The bell rang, which was odd since they always knew when someone was coming. Half of her hoped it was Finn surprising them again so he could see Mia in her ridiculous feather duster pajamas. She bet he'd get a kick out of it.
"Did you invite someone over?" Jules joked, sweeping past Elle and Kayla to open the door. When she did, they saw that Kayla was right. Seth was indeed on the other side
With his lips attached to Harper.
Seth pulled away from the kiss, smiling down at Harper. She was blushing furiously and shyly tucked her head. He'd accidentally brushed the doorbell which led to half of the house and several cameras catching them outside the front door. Jules was holding the door open looking completely dumbfounded while Kai and Mia stood behind her with varying levels exuding varying levels of envy.
Then there was Elle.
She had her arms around a very pale and sweaty looking Kayla. Her mouth was slightly agape eyes round and wide. She tilted her head a fraction, her eyebrows drawing together as she studied him. He expected her to be angry but this was something different. Mia and Kai, they were angry. The look Elle gave him was one of sheer disgust and it was gone in the blink of an eye. She shook her head, turning her attention to Kayla who suddenly twisted away from her and took off running toward Seth. Harper yelped and Elle and Jules caught her, spinning her away from the returning couple just in time for her to throw up over the side of the stairs.
"Oh my God, what happened to her?" Harper quickly jumped to help.
"Whiskey and karaoke," Elle answered, smoothing the poor girl's hair back. Harper sweetly patted Kayla's shoulder.
"We got her, don't worry," Elle assured her, nodding in Seth's direction. "Finish up your date. I can handle this."
Elle's eyes didn't dare fall on Seth again. It was like he'd become invisible all of a sudden. Once Kayla was portable, they helped her inside as she mumbled incoherently.
"Well that's a heck of a way to end the night," Harper laughed, still looking over her shoulder. She turned back to Seth and when he saw her happy smile, guilt hit him like a ton of bricks.
"Thank you for everything. I had a great time," she grinned.
"So did I," Seth agreed. "We'll have to do it again some time."
"I look forward to it," she winked. She lifted onto the balls of her feet and he wasn't sure what direction her lips would go until they landed softly on his cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow," he nodded. She turned and walked into the house, immediately swarmed by the other girls. Seth slid his hands into his pockets, feeling like he got punched in the gut. He wasn't sure what made him feel like more of a dick: the fact that he kissed Harper knowing that Elle would see or the fact that he didn't feel anything for such a lovely girl.
Elle sat cross legged on the vanity in the Glam Room, absolutely fuming. She wanted to punch Seth in his stupid, perfect face. She was careful to keep her her true emotions far away from her face. Harper was sitting beside her, taking off her makeup and detailing every single second of her date. She struggled to focus on her friend's words, asking questions, ooh'ing and ah'ing when it was appropriate. All of the acting classes were paying off.
She was furious with Seth for the stunt he pulled. She knew exactly what he'd done. There was no way he just 'accidentally' hit the doorbell. She was a manipulative teenage girl once, she knew all the tricks. He wanted her to see and if she'd needed any further confirmation, she got it when he looked right at her, clearly waiting for her to react. Thank heavens for Kayla and her weak ass stomach. Trying to make her jealous wasn't a crime. She couldn't say she wouldn't consider it in his position but using Harper to do it? That was what she couldn't abide.
"He's really amazing Elle," Harper beamed. "I feel like I'm walking on a cloud."
"You two looked cute together," Elle smiled. "You know, until Kayla almost puked on you."
"That part was a lot," Harper laughed, tossing out her makeup wipe. "I'm gonna wash the hairspray out before I go to bed. Thank you for helping me get ready and waiting up for me. I love you."
"Oh don't get all mushy on me," Elle rolled her eyes. "I stayed up because when I tried to go to sleep, drunk women started jumping in my bed."
"You stayed up for me and you know it," Harper hugged her. "And I know you love me too. You don't have to say it."
"Go take your shower, roomie," Elle smiled. "I'm gonna go get some tea before I go to bed."
"Bring some up for me?"
"Of course," Elle agreed, strolling out of the room. When she reached the stairs, she sped down and then stormed into the kitchen, knowing Daisy could usually be found there toward the end of the night. She was there, as expected, packing up some equipment.
"Hey," Daisy smiled. "How's Kayla?"
"She's fine, sleeping," Elle's words came out clipped and cold. "Where is Seth?"
"Seth is done for the night," Daisy explained. "You know he's finished filming once the date is over."
"I also know that he does talking heads here sometimes after dates," Elle crossed her arms. "And I am willing to bet that after how ridiculous this night has been, he's still here somewhere."
"Even if he is, he's done filming with you ladies," Daisy said. "Whatever you need to say to him, you can say when the cameras are up tomorrow."
"I'm not waiting until tomorrow," Elle shook her head. "I need to talk to Seth. Right now."
Daisy opened her mouth and when Elle sensed protest, she cut her off, "Daisy, you get Seth right now or I swear I will set off the Ethan bomb and get myself sent right out of this house. Tonight."
She looked the other woman right in the eye, making sure it was clear that she meant business. She would wake up that blonde pack of hyenas in a heartbeat.
"Okay, okay," Daisy raised her hands. "Just relax and stop throwing that name around."
Elle fixed a challenging look on her friend and Daisy sighed, "Go out by the pool. I'll send him to meet you but there will be cameras."
She considered arguing but she knew she was already pushing her luck. Cameras or no, she was going to give Seth a piece of her mind. She paced rapidly, hands on her hips, blood coming to a boil as she waited for him.
She heard footsteps behind her and she turned, charging to meet him when she saw him coming.
"You are an asshole," she pointed.
"Why the hell am I an asshole?" he asked, quickly putting his hands up. "Because I did what I'm supposed to do?"
"What you're supposed to do?" she sneered. "So you were supposed to use Harper? The nicest girl in this entire fucking place and you used her to get to me."
He at least had the decency to look a little guilty but his shoulders were squared and he was on the defensive.
"I was upset, Elle," he insisted. "I'm on a date. I'm supposed to be having fun with a pretty girl and all I can think about is what you're doing. Are you having fun? Are you thinking about me? Then I look at my phone and see Balor flirting with my girl. And it looked to me like you were enjoying it."
"We weren't flirting," she insisted.
"Sure as hell looked like you were to me," he argued.
"And I'm not your girl," she talked right over him. "You're still dating 8 other women in that house. Or have you forgotten?"
"I gave you an out, Elle," he reminded her. "I gave you the chance to back out of this whole situation but you didn't. You and I both know why. You can fight it all you want because you're angry but you want me. You want to be here and I want you. You are the one I want, Elle."
Elle was speechless for a moment. She felt a hundred things at once. She was still angry, livid actually. But Seth's words made her feel like she might float away on a cloud. Why did he have such a hold on her? How could someone she'd only known for a short while make her feelings skyrocket this way?
She turned away from him and found herself looking directly into a camera's lens. She'd actually forgotten they were there. The stupid cameras that were constantly in her face, documenting her every move. This situation just didn't make any sense. Were her feelings even real or was it all just a part of this strange, manipulative world of reality TV? How was she even supposed to figure that out?
"And when all of this is over?" she questioned. "What then?"
"I..." Seth shrugged, shaking his head. "I don't know."
"That's what I'm afraid of," she admitted. "You want me to give up..the way things are back home for something with no guarantees."
She used coded language, just barely remembering not to mention her 'boyfriend'.
"If you gave a shit about the way things were back home, you wouldn't be here," he accused. He was absolutely right. If there was a future for her and Ethan, she wouldn't feel the way she did for Seth. She just wished she could have some assurance that what they were feeling would last once they were faced with real life.
"You've gotta stop pretending you don't want this," Seth stepped closer to her.
She met his eyes, taking a deep breath. She was still angry with him but when she looked at him all she could think about was how miserable she was when Harper left with him that night, how much she wanted to be in her place.
"I'm sorry for kissing Harper," his eyes were filled with sincere remorse. "I shouldn't have used her. She doesn't deserve that and neither do you. I'm sorry."
She crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes, "I'm not apologizing because I didn't do anything wrong."
"Really, Elle?"
"Yes, really," she insisted. "I wasn't flirting with F-"
He grabbed her gesturing hands, tugging her sharply against him and planting his lips on hers. His hands cradled her face, his thumb grazing over her cheek as he coaxed her mouth open, his tongue slipping past her lips. She melted against him and he slipped away, looking into her eyes, "Are you sorry now?"
"No," she shook her head, pulling him back down for a fiery kiss. His hand found the small of her back as he pressed himself against her. His other hand warmed her side, creeping under her shirt. She wasn't wearing a bra and he groaned when his fingers touched the underside of her breast. Desire coarsed through her and she grabbed the collar of his shirt, clamoring to get even closer. The world around them slipped further and further away as they lost themselves in the kiss. His hand tangled in her hair and tugged, exposing her neck. His lips and tongue explored her pulse and if there hadn't been cameras on them, he could have had her clothes off in seconds.
But there were several cameras pointed at them and when she remembered that, she pulled away, panting.
"I can't do this, Seth," she shook her head.
"We don't have to do anything," he spoke, though the fire in his eyes and the bulge in his pants belied his point.
"I don't just mean sex I mean this," she pointed between them, using every bit of strength in her to take a step back. "You need to send me home."