Page 68 of Unscripted

People thought that?

Real life people expressed those emotions on the internet. I knew it was the entire point of our plan—to get people to root for us as a couple—but to hear it was working, that someone out there believed it, still came as quite the surprise.

“Poppy,” Gemma continued, “how does that support make you feel?”

“It’s incredible. When you’re in the villa, it’s easy to forget about the outside world, so I’m just glad that people are being so kind.”

Callum squeezed my hand in support, and I found myself leaning into him, into his warmth. Damn, does he smell good.

He always smelled nice, but had it always been this good?

Get it together, Poppy, I chided myself. I needed to knock it off and focus on the here and now, not let my mind wander down the path it was poised to follow.

Shaking my head, I tried to lock back in. The lights and cameras were still focused on us, so I knew we weren’t out of the hot seat just yet.

“Poppy,” Gemma cooed, smirking at me from across the way.

My gut tightened as I looked back at her.

“You got a particularly large reaction online when you kissed Callum,” she said.

If I had been blushing at all before, it was surely nothing compared to the beet-red flush I felt creeping up my neck now. Our kiss, the very one I had been trying not to think about for the better part of the last few days, was something Callum and I had resolutely ignored. It felt too real, had been too raw of a moment for me, that the thought of discussing it with him felt like the worst form of emotional torture.

Gemma was relishing the subject.

“Let’s take another look at it,” she said to the camera, tossing to the footage of us kissing.

I was dying; melting on the inside with embarrassment and anxiety. What had it looked like on TV? Was it horribly awkward? It couldn’t be any more awkward than what was currently happening. Callum had gone still at the mention of the kiss, and so there we were, pressed up against each other and holding hands, yet both stiff as boards. To know the whole United Kingdom was watching us making out at that exact moment was some kind of meta experience I’d pay money never to experience again.

After what felt like the world’s longest stretch of silence, the clip must have come to an end because Gemma turned back to face us. “I have to say, as a fan, that was one of the top five most dramatic gestures I’ve been witness to on this show.”

All I could do was nod at her and let out a breathy laugh. What was there to even say in a moment like this?

Callum had come back to life at some point in the last few seconds and saved me from having to respond. “It was definitely a highlight of the week.”

It was?

No, of course it wasn’t. That was an act. The deal talking. He was selling our story.

I seriously needed to get it together.

By some miracle, or simply the need to keep the show on schedule, Gemma moved on to talk to Ella about her connection with Liam.

I let out a breath, relieved that our time in the hot seat was over, and let myself get caught up in the discussion of someone else’s relationship. Soon enough, the show wrapped, and we were all ushered back into the villa and away from the outside world.

Getting ready for bed that night, I was leaning against the bathroom sink applying moisturizer to my face when Callum entered the communal bathroom.

“Hey,” he said softly.

“Hi,” I said back.

“You were good tonight,” he said as he started to brush his teeth.

“So were you,” I replied. I felt oddly calm around him, the tension surrounding talk of our kiss having dissipated. Maybe we were both too tired to hold on to it any longer than necessary.

“We’re really doing it,” I said, amazed that the viewing public was actually buying us as a couple. That we were really getting away with it.

Callum nodded as he finished brushing his teeth and leaned against his own sink, turning toward me. I was done getting ready for bed but didn’t move to leave the bathroom. Instead, I stood where I was, rooted to the spot and facing him.