"Shit. Merri, I can explain."
She laughs, but it's bitter. "Bullshit, Wyatt. We don't have a relationship, right? There’s nothing to explain. We only have the competition. You just made that very clear."
"That's not what I meant."
"Then what did you mean? Because from where I'm standing, it sounded like you're embarrassed to be seen with me. Like I'm just some obligation you're stuck with until this competition is over."
"No! God, no. Merri, that's not it at all."
But she's already backing toward the door, shaking her head. "I have somewhere else to be."
"Merri, wait."
"Don't you have some beans to roast? I wouldn’t want to keep you from your coffee." She throws the words over her shoulder as she walks out, and they land like a punch to the gut.
I stand there, replaying what just happened, what I said, and how it must have sounded to Merri.
Fuck.
I stumble back to Recon Roasters on autopilot, my mind racing. How can I fix this? How do I make her understand I was only trying to protect her?
After nearly an hour of going through the motions at work, my phone buzzes with a text from Danny.
Dude, have you seen this?
There's a link to the magazine's social media page. With dread pooling in my stomach, I click on it.
It's a short clip from Merri's interview, already edited and posted. She's sitting in that same chair I was just in, looking beautiful and nervous and so genuine it makes my chest ache.
"How do you feel about Wyatt Dalton?" Rachel's voice asks off-camera.
Merri's quiet for a moment, and then she smiles, soft and a little shy. "Honestly? I think I'm in love with him. I know that probably sounds crazy given our history, but I've always had a crush on him. Even when we were fighting. Maybe especiallywhenwe were fighting." She laughs. "He drives me crazy in the best possible way. And working with him on this competition has shown me that underneath all the bickering, there's this incredible man who's passionate and talented and kind. I think I've been half in love with him since we were kids. I just didn't know it until now."
The video cuts off. It already has over 500 likes.
And I just told the same interviewer that Merri is nothing more to me than my best friend's little sister. On camera, for everyone to see.
"Fuck!" I throw my phone across the room, and it hits the wall with a satisfying crack.
I screwed up. Massively, catastrophically screwed up.
I grab my phone, which miraculously still works despite the damage, and dig Rachel's business card from my pocket. She answers on the second ring.
"Rachel? It's Wyatt Dalton. I need a favor."
"What kind of favor?"
"I need you to not use my interview. Any of it. Please."
"I'm sorry, Wyatt, but it’s already in editing. We’ve already posted a short of Merri’s interview and yours is next."
My stomach sinks. "Rachel, please. I made a mistake. A huge one. I wasn't honest about my feelings for Merri, and I need to fix it before that video goes live."
"Why weren't you honest?"
"Because I'm an idiot who thought I was protecting her by keeping our relationship private. But I see now that I just hurt her. Badly. And if that interview goes live with me saying she's nothing to me, right after she admitted on camera that she's in love with me…" I run a hand through my hair. "Please. I'll do another interview. I'll be absolutely honest about whatever you want. Just don't post that one."
Rachel is quiet for a long moment. "You truly care about her."
