“Doug?” she called out. No such luck.
“I’m in here.”
Her footsteps padded down the hall, and she came to stand next to me, holding a rag. I appreciated her desire to help me, but I wasn’t ready to trust it yet. I couldn’t bring myself to ask her to leave, but I wasn’t about to let my guard down enough to enjoy having her here either.
She dunked her rag in the bucket and rung it out, so I did too. Side by side we scrubbed in silence. I could tell she had something she was dying to say to me, but every time she tried to make eye contact, I’d concentrate on the wall.
“I can’t believe Oscar got voted off,” I finally said.
She nodded. “I’m kind of okay with it. I talked to him yesterday, and he’s getting some really good offers, better than the one he’d be tied to if he won the show.”
“You two are still buddies, then?” I asked, glad I could relax enough to tease her. This was better. I could talk about show stuff. And without the cameras, I wasn’t bound to Alan-approved soundbites.
Willa raised an eyebrow. “Is that so shocking?”
“Yes and no.”
“He’s one of the few people on the show with a genuine personality.” She smiled at the wall, but it turned into a pensive frown, and the silence returned. She went back to scrubbing. Her forehead wrinkled in concentration, like the wall might hold the answer to some problem in her head.
“We need to talk,” she finally said, turning to look at me. “About the two of us.”
The last time she’d asked to talk using that serious tone, I’d cut her off and told her I needed space. It hadn’t worked. It hadn’t made it hurt any less. But still, I shook my head. “I don’t want to talk about us. The season’s almost over. You’ll flirt with me, but end up with Justin. It’s fine.”
She sighed. “That’s not… I don’t mean us as far as the show.”
I scrubbed harder, just to give my hands something to do. “I’ve know I’ve been a jerk lately. I’m sorry.”
“You don’t need to be sorry. I’m the jerk.” She reached for my rag, and I gave it to her. She dropped it in the bucket, sliding into the space between me and the wall where I’d been scrubbing. My heart rate picked up. What was she doing?
“The wall’s damp,” I said lamely, my eyes moving everywhere but on her. There was a lump in my throat I couldn’t get rid of. She knew the effect she had on me, and frustration welled up that she would use it against me.
“I have to tell you something. This time apart has been hard for me. I miss you. I…” She bit her lip and didn’t continue. Instead, she reached up and rested her hand at the back of my neck, her fingers moving lightly over my skin in a way that was a lot more than friendly.
She wasn’t tall enough to reach my lips without my compliance, but I knew what she was doing. This wasn’t boredom or curiosity. This was an assignment. She was probably here because Alan needed footage.
“Don’t, Willa. Are you wearing a camera? Because this is my house and I’m not doing this here. I’ll quit and forfeit the money.”
“I’ve fallen in love with you.”
I looked at her then. Her eyes were fierce and determined. She had to be lying, but I stopped resisting and pressed my lips to hers. If this was what they wanted, I’d only make myself look like more of a villain if I didn’t respond appropriately to a line like that.
I kissed her and kissed her, feeling like I was floating away. Why did I have to love her so much when it was all supposed to be fake?
She took a ragged breath, and I pushed away, taking a few steps back. “Please go.”
“Why?” She looked completely baffled. Did she not understand what she was doing to me?
I had no answer, and I moved to leave the room. Except she reached out and closed the door first.
Her hands went to her face. She’d accidentally locked us in.
Willa
“I didn’t mean to do that, I swear.” Somehow this house gave everything a sinister bent, even something as innocuous as closing a door.
“I know. It’s fine.” Doug went to the window, clearly desperate to get away from me. Maybe I’d scared him off, and he was as commitment-phobic as the rest of the single men in America. Maybe his attraction to me was only skin deep. I didn’t want to believe that. Not Doug.
It took a couple of tugs, but the window slowly began to slide open.
