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“Okay, doll so what color dress are we wearing tonight?” Jessa asked.
“Blue.”
“Love that! I’ll do a smokey eye and natural lip and I think we’re just gonna let your waves go wild.”
Freya and Sienna lowered into chairs on either side of Avery and were getting glammed by two other stylists from Jessa’s shop. The conversation turned to music, books and basically anything other than the show or the current state of the outside world, which was strictly forbidden to talk about and there were cameras in the women’s glam area.
Before Avery knew it, she had slid into her dress, put on six-inch heels and Maura had walked into the women’s holding area and announced it was time to head downstairs.
Nerves ricocheted through Avery’s body like a tiny silver ball in a pinball machine. Tonight was her first ball. Word around the set was there was going to be a rematch, which meant she would no longer be sleeping in a bed with Sienna. She’d have to sleep with a man.
As much as she wanted it to be Keaton, she didn’t see how that was going to happen since the viewers had all the power this season. Before she’d joined the cast, Keaton and Zara were clearly the favorite couple. And since she’d barely had any interactions, aside from their kiss in the tower, she doubted that she’d get voted to be with him.
Since it wasn’t going to be Keaton, Avery hoped it would be Luca, which she felt a little bad about because Sienna wanted to couple so badly with him. But he was the only guy with whom Avery’d had any real conversations. He was from a small town called Destiny Springs, which sounded adorable. His family owned a brewery. He had an older brother, and a younger brother and sister. He also found out a year ago that he had a brother who he didn’t know about who was a retired baseball player that had a World Series ring.
Avery had talked to him a little bit about her childhood and how she’d moved around a lot, and she told him that she had a son. She wasn’t attracted to him at all, but she definitely thought of him as a friend. Which she knew was not the point of the show, but still.
“Alright, ladies, showtime.” Avery took a deep breath as she did one more check in the mirror.
The women were ushered down the back stairs and through the kitchen. Being allocated to stay in certain parts of the castle was strange for Avery. It reminded her of Gammy’s house where kids weren’t allowed in the front room, which her grandma called the fancy room. In it, all the furniture was covered in plastic. It was reserved for ‘special company.’ In the decade Avery lived there, the only person she ever saw in it was Gammy when she vacuumed and dusted it once a week.
As Avery stood, waiting her turn to go inside the ballroom, she wondered what Gammy would think of her doing the show. Since Gammy had lovedThe Dating GameandSingled Out, in the ’90s, which were precursors to the modern dating shows, she thought she’d would probably be tickled pink, as Gammy liked to say, about Avery being onFairytale Love.
Maura motioned for her to walk down the hall toward the ballroom. This time, instead of entering alone, she was escorted by Anton. She couldn’t get a read on him, but he did seem to really like Zara. Zara, however, did not seem interested in him.
Once they were in the room, Lance came in and did his opening spiel. Avery couldn’t believe how different she felt from the first time she’d entered the ballroom on the show. Yes, she was nervous now. But it was a normal level of nerves. She wasn’t about to pass out and she wasn’t having an out-of-body experience.
“Okay, viewers, now is the time you’ve been waiting for. You, the public, had a lot of power this week. I can’t say if you used it for good or evil, but I can say that it is going to shake up things in the castle. I can also tell you now that only one match standing here tonight will still be matched at the end of this ball.”
There was a collective gasp from the other cast mates. Avery was sure that it would be Keaton and Zara. The public loved them.
“I can also tell you that no one will be exiled tonight.”
There was another rumbling from the couples standing beside her.
Lance first announced that Anton would be breaking up one of the matches, then paused before announcing that he would be with Lady Freya, which actually surprised and disappointed Avery. Her only hope for Zara and Keaton being unmatched was that the public might have seen that he was going after Zara, but she should have known that wasn’t going to happen. Anton was not anywhere near as likable as Keaton.
Next, Harlan got matched with Sienna, which from the look on Sienna’s face, she wasnothappy about. That pairing meant the fates of two single people, herself and Luca, and two couples, Vic and Piper, and Keaton and Zara remained to be seen.
“And now, lords and ladies, I can announce that Lord Luca, you will now be matched with…” He left a dramatic pause. “Lady Zara!”
Avery’s heart started pounding wildly as she clapped for the new couple. That match meant Keaton was single. She glanced over at Zarawho—she had to give credit to—quickly masked her disappointment and anger at the public’s decision. Avery only saw a flash of her true feelings pass over her face before she smiled gracefully, kissed Keaton on the cheek, then joined Luca and kissed him on the cheek as well.
When she looked back at Lance it dawned on her that Zara being with Luca meantshewas going to be paired with Keaton. She’d realized he was single but forgotten Lance had said there would be onlyonematch that stayed the same tonight. Vic and Piper were that couple.
Her heart lodged in her throat, and she wasn’t sure she really believed it was happening until Lance announced, “Which means, Lady Avery, you will now be matched with Lord Keaton!”
All of the sound in the room grew distant in her ears as she walked toward Keaton to join him. His eyes reminded her of a predator waiting for his prey as he stood perfectly still waiting for her to reach him. There was an animalistic fire behind his eyes that grew hotter with each step she took.
She felt like time was going in slow motion but when she finally made it to him, he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off her feet the same way he had in the tower. This time it was Keaton who kissed her first. The kiss was soft and firm at the same time. Sweet and sensual. Lazy and diligent. It was a kiss of contradictions, and it was perfect.
23
Tonight could not have gone betterif I’d written the script myself, Keaton thought as he stood in the private luxury suite listening to Maura give them a rundown of the features of the room, which included a hot tub. He was pretty sure she must have forgotten Avery owns the castle and was aware of each room’s amenities.
Immediately after he and Avery were matched up, Lance announced that there was one more surprise in store. The person who had won the most Couple of the Day crowns was entitled to one night in the luxury suite with their partner. Keaton had won the crown nine days with Zara and once for the Knight in Shining Armor challenge with Avery, which meant he won the night in the private suite. And since Avery was now his partner, they were staying in it together. Alone. All night. No mics. No Cameras. Just them, a king-sized bed, champagne, and apparently a hot tub.
He was trying to be polite and listen to Maura, but he really just wanted to ask her to kindly get the fuck out.
