Carly, at least, I expected to be dressed in next to nothing—she’s a big fan of Daisy Duke’s and seems to own crop tops in every color imaginable. But I wasn’t counting on Duncan ditching his shirt and trading his Adidas track pants for shorts after Carly told him this was the perfect place to work on a tan. This statement was followed by his question of, “Even though we’re in the clouds?”
Apparently, he didn’t get the memo that clouds don’t cancel out UV rays…or that the sun is a lot stronger when you’re approximately 10,000 feet closer to it than you are on the ground.
“Your face has subtitles,” Sora whispers to me from my side as she holds one of my lenses in her hands, hugging it to her chest like a baby.
“I bet it does,” I grumble under my breath, adjusting my grip on my camera and trying to school my expression into something less judgmental.
Molly, Tanesha, and Kory are leaning against the front of a white Mercedes-Benz Unimog U5023, an extreme off-roading vehicle that makes climbing the steep terrain of Etna possible. Molly has her arms crossed over her chest as she watches the other contestants suck face. I can tell she isn’t pleased, based on her narrowed gaze and the tiny notch between her brows that materialized as soon as Carly made her move. Which was basically the minute we stepped out of the truck.
“Hey, lovebirds, can we get going, please? I’m hungry!” Kory shouts, his arm slung casually over Tanesha’s shoulders. Her pretty brown eyes are focused on the man at her side, instead of the scene in front of them.
After a beat, Duncan pulls away from Carly and scrubs a hand over his mouth.
“Sorry, guys,” he says with an awkward smile. “I’ll always choose dare. More fun than truth.”
I roll my eyes and watch as Carly threads her fingers through Duncan’s as they walk back to the truck.
“We weren’t evenplayingtruth or dare…” I hear Molly scoff under her breath.
“Did you catch that view? Pretty nice, huh?” Carly offers, ignoring Molly’s comment, her voice high-pitched and perky.
I notice Molly shudder at the same time I do and huff a subtle laugh.
“Uh-huh. We saw it,” Molly deadpans, her eyes flickering with disgust.
I wonder if Molly’s anger is a result of feeling slighted by Duncan because she likes him, or simply because he made her look bad. Duncan seems to catch on to Molly’s mood and glances between the two women as if unsure how to proceed.
From the other side of the vehicle, a bald man in his seventies wearing a purple and teal windbreaker hops out of the driver’s seat. After slamming the door shut, he strolls around to the passenger side with the speed and agility of a much younger man. Coming to stand beside the group, he clasps his hands in front of him and clears his throat. As the tour guide, he’s already been instructed to take the two men and their chosen dates on to their next stop—a wine tasting.
“Alright, is everybody ready to move along? We’ve seen all we can for the day,” the guide says in a thick Italian accent. “Mr. Duncan, Mr. Kory, you and your dates will be visiting two wineries whose grapes are grown in the unique volcanic soil found only on Etna’s slopes. Have you chosen who you will bring with you?”
A nearly imperceptible look of hope flashes across Molly’s face. It tells me that of all the people here—every producer, PA, and camera operator—she’s the only one who isn’t aware that Duncan already made his choice last night. Although I’m sure she has some sort of idea after Duncan and Carly’s display of…whatever that was.
Kory pushes off the vehicle to stand, pulling Tanesha up with him.
“Tanesha’s my girl, she’ll be my date,” he says resolutely. A smile blooms across Tanesha’s face, and I soften toward her. From the very little I know about her, she seems like a genuinely nice person. She’s managed to avoid most of the drama, has had a very in-depth talk with Kory about her expectations and boundaries, and spent the majority of her day yesterday consoling another contestant who is likely to be going home tomorrow when the ship docks. So, I’m truly happy that itseems she’s found some kind of love—whether it’s just for now or it becomes something more real down the line.
“Thank you, Mr. Kory,” the guide says. “And you, Mr. Duncan?”
Duncan looks between the two women, who are now on either side of him. Molly’s hip is jutted out and her arms are crossed over her chest, as if waiting for Duncan to make the right decision. Or at least, the one thatshedeems is right.
Carly, on the other hand, is giving Duncan such an exaggerated look of adoration that I’m surprised little cartoon hearts haven’t appeared in her eyes.
“Uh…” Duncan says, looking truly torn. I cock my head slightly as I survey his expression. Huh. Either this man is a great actor, or he actuallydoeslike Molly. Based on what I know of the producers on this show, I would put money on the fact that Duncan is only planning to pick Carly because he’s being pushed to by a producer.
“Mr. Duncan?” the driver repeats.
“I think I’m going to pick Carly,” he finally says, a note of defeat lacing his otherwise chipper tone.
Molly scoffs.
“Alright, let’s get on the road then. We have a long drive!” the guide says as he swings the passenger doors open.
I have my camera trained on Carly as she gets into the Unimog, but as I lean away from the viewfinder of my camera, my eyes snag on Molly’s face.
I’m sure she’s seen the show. So, she knows how this will go.
But her wheels are only just starting to turn as she realizes that she’s really being left behind. On the side of a volcano. Alone.
