And Nate plows right into me.
Um. I mean, not likethat, just like—
“Hey, Becks,” he says, stepping back quickly, his eyes wide. “Sorry about that, I was just—”
“Oh, it’s totally okay, I was just . . .” I gesture vaguely to the backyard. He was only up against me for, like, half a second, and my body is still flushed all over. My chest flutters, too, at him calling me Becks—just like it did the first time he did that, in the carriage. No one’s ever called me that before, and it feels personal and cute.
Does he have nicknames for the other girls, too?
“Right, yeah,” he says, his eyes flicking over my shoulder and then back.The cameraman following me walks past us. “So you got some time with Preston?”
“Yep.” I find myself shifting awkwardly.
“Great,” he says after a beat. “So, um. Mind if I interview you?”
“Okay.” I am weirdly reluctant for this, despite the fact that I suddenly feel so much lighter just being near him.
Probably thatiswhy I’m reluctant. It’s all too real, now. I’m on this show and he’s doing his job and I can’t even pretend for a minute—like I could in the carriage or when we were talking at my house with the camera off—that we’re a possibility.That he’s someone I could have an actual relationship with. Someone I could finallywantthat with.
Nate tilts his head back to the interview room, and we walk there together. At some point, the cameraman trailing me heads off to find a different, more dramatic subject—which are plentiful, judging by some raised voices in the main room.
We walk in silence for a few moments.Then Nate asks, “So how did it go with Preston?”
My heart thumps unevenly. “Shouldn’t we save that for the interview?” I mean it to come out teasingly, but I don’t think it does. His dark eyes cut over to me and then back ahead.
“Sure,” he says.
I search for something else to say that will take away the awkwardness, but all I can think of is how hyper-aware I am of his movements, of exactly how close his body is to mine—which isn’t all that close right now.
There’s no way he could ever put his arm around me and draw up against me without me reacting.
We get to the interview room, and I follow him inside.There’s a cameraman—camerawoman, actually, the first one I’ve seen here—already set up. She smiles at me, and I force a smile back.
I take a seat on the interviewing chair, which is covered in red velvet with a very straight back, probably to discourage slouching while on camera. Nate takes a seat across from me.There are candles all over the room, but there are also filming lights—they aren’t incredibly bright, but I feel like I’m under hot, white interrogation lights. I’m already sweating before he even asks the first question.
This feels so much worse than the interview at my house. So much more formal.
“So, Becca,”—no nickname now, sadly—“How was your time with Preston?” His tone is also so much more formal, especially compared to the way he was in the carriage.
Does he wish I hadn’t been so overly personal with him? Did it make him uncomfortable?
My throat is feeling dry, and I clear it. “Good,” I say. “It was—” I remember belatedly to restate the question. “My time with Preston was really nice. Um, I got to know him some more,” (well, at all) “and we talked about his family and my daughters” (for, like, four seconds) “and, uh, Disney princes.”
I’m tempted to ramble on, but there’s not a lot more to say that we talked about and also I remember Nate telling me that he’s not going to cut me off.When you’re done, you can stop talking.
There’s a beat of silence and Nate nods. “Great.” He is lying.That was potentially the least great answer in the history ofChasing Prince Charming. I need to step it up.They want to hear about how taken I was with this guy. I don’t want to outright lie, but I’m not doing Nate any favors by being such a crappy interviewee.
I may not be able to date him—and he probably wouldn’t want that, anyway—but I can at least try to make his job easier.
“So, did you feel a spark when you met him?” Nate asks.
Shit.
“Well, he was definitely handsome.” I force another smile. “And, um. He lived up to the ‘Prince Charming’ name.” I have not actually answered the question, and that was also a very cringey statement, but it’s the kind of thing I hear on the show, so that’s something.
Another beat. I can’t read Nate’s expression at all. My throat is even drier, my lips parched. It’s like I’m being interviewed in the freaking Sahara. “Do you believe in love in first sight now?” His tone has a teasing note to it, but it sounds off.
Saying yes would be a money answer for him and probably make his day, but I can’t, because I don’t. I find myself thinking about when I first saw Nate.
