Page 46 of Unscripted

“Alright, well since you came in, we have a bit of an uneven number of Bellas, don’t we?” she asked, looking around at all of us.

I suddenly knew where this was headed and didn’t like it one bit.

“Ladies, if you could please come and line up next to me,” she said.

We all stood and did as instructed, no one saying a word, everyone too lost in their own thoughts.

“Now girls, you have been getting to know the boys, and tonight we’ll see who you’ve liked the best as you pick who you want to pair with,” she said, confirming what I had suspected.

While it was a relief I wouldn’t be at risk of going home this time around, the reality of what my decision would mean erased any joy that came with it. I wouldn’t get the time I needed to talk with James again, to see if our connection was worth ignoring Callum’s offer. I had to make a choice, and I had to do it. Now.

Take a risk with James or play it safe with Callum.

Confusing feelings or potential security.

My palms were sweating, and I tried to wipe them discretely on the sides of my dress.

“Ella, you’ll go first,” Gemma continued.

Looking over at Ella, a new anxiety jolted through me. What if she picked either Callum or James? If not her, what if one of the other girls did? I had been going about my day as if the decision came down entirely to me, but what if someone else felt a connection with either of them and got to pick first? Would I be relieved if the decision were made for me?

A tightness in my gut told me I would not.

Ella stepped forward, “The boy I would like to match with is,” she said, quick and to the point, “Liam.”

Liam stood, and she walked toward him, kissing him on the cheek and sitting down next to him.

“Chiara, you’re next,” Gemma said.

Chiara stepped forward, and I wondered what she would do; I was not the only one with a difficult decision to make.

“Adam,” she said before joining him around the fire pit. I could have sworn I saw Hugh deflate a bit. I had to admit, I was surprised as well. Throughout her back and forth, I had begun to root for Hugh to come out on top.

“Poppy, you’re next. Who would you like to match with?” Gemma asked.

I stepped forward on shaking legs.

This is it. Time to decide.

Take a risk or play it safe.

James or Callum.

“The boy I want to match with is . . . ”

I looked around the fire pit. Chiara’s encouraging smile peered up at me. James’ expression was confusingly neutral, and he sat with a friendly smile on his face, as though he didn’t have a worry in the world and my choice wouldn’t matter to him at all. Maybe he really didn’t care, and his glace over to me earlier was just a tick.

Finally, my eyes landed on Callum. He looked nervous, staring across the fire pit’s flames at me, his gaze piercing and intense. The weight of my impending decision was clearly affecting him as well.

“Is . . . ”

I felt like I was standing on the edge of a cliff, about to jump off. I was hyper-aware that the next word out of my mouth would alter the course of my time here.

I took a deep breath, let it out, and made a choice.

“Callum.”

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