“Finally thought of something, did you?”
I chuckle gaily, even though I want to strangle her skinny neck. “I’m afraid the pressure is on. I’m a bit concerned about what’s under those silver domes.”
“As you should be. We’ve gone to great lengths to find the most disgusting things possible to feed you,” she says. “Now, question number two is a tough one. Arabella, what is Will’s most annoying habit? And Will, write downwhat you thinkbothers Princess Arabella about you the most.”
Fuckity fuck. He’s obviously rather cocky, and at times, he can be a bit of a know-it-all, but I can’t exactly write either of those down, can I? But I don’t want to eat anything that’s still moving. Or raw cow’s tongue. I stare at the dome, trying desperately to think of something that won’t hurt his feelings. He flosses his teeth in bed. Drives me nuts, but that’s not an option since we’re pretending I’m a virgin for all the elderly royal fans out there. Okay what willhesay I find most annoying about him…
“Five seconds!”
Shit. I scrawl my answer down, feeling a bead of sweat trickle down my back.
“Question three: if Arabella were onWho Wants to Be a Millionaire, who would her phone-a-friend be?” She pauses and grins back and forth between us.
Arthur.Done.
“Question four is a two-parter: What’s the best gift you’ve given each other. And what’s the best gift you’ve received?”
Yacht. A shell.
“Question five should make for an interesting drive home: how many children do you want? Write your true answer down and if they don’t match, we’ll lift the lid off another dome.”
Two.
“Question six: who won the last argument the two of you had and what was it about?”
Oh God, what was it?Titanic! Yes. And I won. Bill Paxton, not Bill Pullman, starred inTitanic.
“Okay! Time’s up! Let’s lift the wall!” Dylan announces.
The audience breaks into applause, and I grin nervously at Will as he comes into view. I lean in and whisper, “I love you.”
“I love you too,” he says, taking my hand in his and giving it a squeeze.
“Okay,” Dylan says. “Let’s reveal the answer to question one: what would Will say is Princess Arabella’s most attractive attribute?”
We hold up our cards while craning our necks to see each other’s answers. Laughter fills the studio, and my face flushes as I read his answer:Her smile.
When I look at him, he says, “I thought it was a physical attribute, but you’re right, sweetheart, it really is your sense of justice that draws me to you.”
“More than her smile?” Dylan sneers.
“Well, she does have the most beautiful smile of any woman on the planet, so you can hardly blame me, right?”
I grin up at him. “Excellent save, Mr. Banks.”
“But not good enough!” Dylan says.
A producer rushes over with a platter. He holds it in front of us and lifts the lid with a flourish. Oh, that doesn’t look so bad. It’s two tiny peppers.
“Are those…?” Will starts but trails off.
“Carolina reapers? No! We’d never do that to you,” Dylan says as though that’s the craziest idea ever. “They’re ghost peppers! Dig in!”
Trying to seem brave, I nod and pick mine up. “Bon appetite!”
I take a dainty bite, chewing as quickly as possible. Oh, well that’s not so…
BAD! IT’S VERY, VERY BAD.
