“Are you ready for this?” I say.
Missy stops drooling over the cold beverage and adjusts her posture, managing to look poised and put together despite her sunburned cheeks and the tear in her rumpled shirt sleeve.
“I’m ready.” Her face turns up with a forced smile, suggesting she’s caught the double meaning of my question.
“Good.” So am I.
I return her smile with equal fabrication. At the same time, a vision of the next five years of my career flashes before my eyes, and I can only hope Missy truly intends to go all in on our strategy to win this game.
Just then, all excess crew members clear the stage as Shannon holds up her fingers. “Cameras rolling in 3 … 2 … 1.”
“They jumped right into the waters of Mayday Challenge One, came in first during a Reward Challenge, have been attached at the wrist for two and a half grueling hours, and brought musicto the set of a Black Box Meeting. It’s day seven, and this is Niall Bose, coming to you with Team Teal.”
The cameras pan in our direction, focusing in on Missy and me as we sit across from Niall.
“Missy and Colton. It’s been …Well, it’s been a ride for you two, hasn’t it?”
“It sure has,” I say, lightheartedly.
“After watching the second Mayday Challenge, it seems as if you two have some unresolved issues that are coming to light in the heat of the game.”
I laugh, genuinely happy that Niall has chosen to lean into the very point Missy and I have come prepared to address. I shift closer to Missy, moving my arm onto her armrest until my skin is flush against hers. A strange heat ignites my arm at the simple touch. “You know, it’s amazing what emotions come out under pressure. And, as is natural under adverse circumstances, Missy and I have definitely felt all the feelings since coming to Sabotage Island.”
“That’s for sure.” Missy sends Niall a knowing smile. “As a longtime fan, it’s so easy to sit back on my couch in the comfort of my home and think, I could do that. I could easily work with someone else in the heat and the hunger and the long hours in between challenges. But being here in person—it’s a wake-up call. Sometimes things get messy. Sometimes I feel so many emotions at once I think I might burst, and sometimes, I just want to wring Colton’s neck.”
Niall laughs as if Missy’s words are exaggerated, when I’m pretty sure they’re a hundred percent accurate. Regardless, Missy doesn’t let on.
“But …” Missy pauses for effect, doing a good job of dramatizing the narrative we crafted in the jungle last night and the night before that, making sure we got our story straight for today.
“But?” Niall prompts, urging Missy to elaborate.
Missy doesn’t answer immediately. For a moment, I wonder if she’s going to back out of our plan. Was I too hasty to believe Missy would or even could feign interest in me for the sake of the game?
“But—” Missy glances at me with a soft smile before addressing Niall. “Being this close to Colton, well, it’s given me a chance to really see him.”
“If I’m not mistaken, you’ve been friends for quite some time. How are you seeing him differently now?” Niall asks.
Missy eyes the lucky seashell she brought with her, rubbing it between her fingers on her lap. She swallows hard. Though hidden to most, Missy’s small movements are a telltale sign that she’s nervous. She’s likely doubting our plan.
C’mon, Missy. Please. You can do this, I silently plead.
“Are you by chance farsighted?” she asks Niall.
“Fortunately, I am not,” Niall says.
A stray hair escapes the bandana Missy’s used as a ponytail holder, and she tucks the strand behind her ear. “Well, I’ve had the misfortune of being farsighted when it comes to Colton. He’s always near me, but I’m never truly seeing him. And this island, it’s like putting on those glasses for the first time. Suddenly, everything is clearer—the bad and the good.” She glances at me once more, but this time, there’s a hint of shyness as a blush spreads across her skin. “For so long I’ve chosen to see our differences, but after the last Mayday Challenge, I realized something about Colton Downing.”
As if unable to hold eye contact any longer, her eyes dart away from mine, and she fidgets with her shell once more. “I realized that through my best and worst days, it’s been him who’s been next to me. Even when we have it out, he’s there. He’s sturdy, and he’s a constant in my life. And for that, I have a reason to be extremely grateful for him.” Missy flicks her eyes upward,trying to hold back the literal tears forming in her eyes. Then, unexpectedly, she gives Niall a short smile, nods, then walks off set, swiping away tears.
Whoa. She’s a better actress than I imagined. The pauses, her words, her tears—it’s a beautiful culmination that makes this moment dramatic—exactly what reality television eats up. When we talked strategy last night, Missy and I agreed that she’d give me a compliment during the interview to help steer viewers toward the idea of us becoming something more than friends, but her words were so much more than a simple statement—they were deep. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say they were even … heartfelt.
I let out a breath of air, the tightness in my chest loosening with her award-winning performance.
Leaning into the moment Missy’s curated for us, I stand with worried eyes and duck my head toward Niall, who looks completely enthralled and eager for more. Then I set off running after Missy like the besotted man I’m supposed to be.
I take the platform steps two at a time until my feet hit the sand, and I close the distance between me and Missy. She’s got her back turned toward me as she faces the gently churning waves of the turquoise ocean. Her arms hug her middle tightly as her long blonde ponytail gets tossed in the wind.
Behind me, I hear a whole camera crew scuttling around, uprooting their cameras and following after us like bees to pollen, ready to suck out whatever story they can from us. A story Missy and I are desperate to tell.
