Page 99 of Most Eligible
His mouth twists into a frown, then he smiles.
“And if it’s out in the open, Lainey won’t be able to hold it over you anymore,” I add.
At that, his face pales, but he nods. “Yeah, you’re right. You’re an amazing person, Georgia. I’m really sorry this didn’t work out.”
I shake my head at the compliment. I may be trying but I don’t deserve the title of “amazing person” quite yet.
“It’s okay,” I say. “I mean, of course I’m disappointed. You’re a great guy, but you can’t help what you feel.” Just like I can’t help wanting a guy who’s rejected me twice over.
Roland sniffles and sits up, takes my hands. “Can I—can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
His eyes are huge and anxious as he asks, “Will you stay?”
I can’t believe I’m hearing him right. “For the proposals?” I ask, trying not to sound too eager.
He nods. “I know it isn’t fair to you, and you don’t owe me anything—you don’t have to say yes. I just don’t want Monica to feel like a last resort. I want her to know…” He trails off, then nods like he’s convincing himself of something. “I want her to know that she’s my choice, not my fallback.”
I nod, smiling. This couldn’t have turned out better if I wrote the script myself. “Of course I’ll stay.”
Week Six: Finale
MALIBU,CA
Remaining Contestants: 2
Georgia
Monica
Post–Week Five Interviews, Clips:
MONICA, 28, PROFESSIONAL TENNIS PLAYER, SAN FRANCISCO, CA
MONICA: I had an amazing night with Roland. We connected on so many levels. Going into next week, I’m feeling confident, but I’m also nervous. I don’t know where he’s at with the others, and he can’t be fully committed to me while he still has relationships with them. During our overnight, I felt like maybe he was holding something back, but he said he was “all in”… I don’t even know anymore. I’m done—can we turn this off?
GEORGIA, 27, MUSIC JOURNALIST, LOS ANGELES, CA
GEORGIA: Yup, I had a great overnight date with Roland. [pause] I can’t kiss and tell! Don’t worry, it wasn’t nearly as dramatic as Taylor and Neil going to the ER, but I’d say we definitely got to a deeper level. [pause] No, I don’t have any hesitations about where our relationship is at. If he’s all in, so am I.
ADDISON, 26, COSMETICS INFLUENCER, TORONTO, ON
ADDISON: I’m devastated. [sobs] I thought Roland was the one, I really did, but I guess he has a stronger connection with someone else. It’s humiliating, honestly. Going home feels like such a huge failure. [sobs] I hope he’s happy with his decision. [pause, inaudible off-camera speech] Fuck off. Obviously I thought it was me. So no, I have no idea who he’s going to choose. But I hope it’s not Georgia.
ROLAND MARCHETTI (LEAD), 29, PROFESSIONAL TENNIS PLAYER, ASHEVILLE, NC
ROLAND: I feel awful about sending Addison home, but it wouldn’t have been fair to her if I kept her, knowing I had stronger connections elsewhere. [pause] It’s really hard… I wasn’texpecting this. [sniffles] I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with more than one person. I don’t know how I can go into next week knowing that no matter what I do, I’ll be breaking someone’s heart.
Roland is scheduled to do a press appearance tomorrow after returning from filming in Italy… any ideas what it’s about?
—u/RollMyMarchetti in the r/LoveShackConspiracies subreddit, yesterday
Chapter Thirty-Four
On the drive back to the Malibu mansion from LAX, several feet of silence stretch between me and Monica in the back of the car. We go upstairs to the bunk room and wordlessly take beds on opposite sides. She curls up and closes her eyes as I head to the bathroom.
