Page 70 of Unscripted

The realization of what was happening slowly hit me and was verified moments later when a producer’s voice from overhead instructed us to change into the one-pieces and meet by the villa’s front door.

I had seen this on past seasons: elaborate challenges set up for the cast to participate in like some kind of game show. There was always a theme with a corresponding group costume, and—just like the games we often played around the fire pit at cocktail parties—always a winner who really didn’t win anything.

It made fantastic television.

Sure enough, once we were dressed and made our way to the villa’s front door, the boys were there, waiting in their own matching red swim trunks. Ben was standing in the entryway, and as soon as we were all together, he ushered us out and to our set for the day: the front driveway.

Only now it had been transformed into a Baywatch-themed obstacle course. On a two-foot-high platform spanning the entire width of the driveway, a replica of a lifeguard tower had been built with a waterslide in place of the ramp. At the bottom of the slide was a blow-up pool filled with life preservers, and in front of that was a long Slip ‘N Slide that ended in yet another pool, that one filled with inflatable sharks. Along each side of the platform were water guns, aimed at the course.

Now this was the production design I’d been expecting from such a massive show.

We lined up along the platform’s edges, boys on one side and girls on the other, as production assistants flitted about around us. There was quite a big production set up, with a video village by the villa’s doors, producers huddled behind it, likely comparing notes on what drama they hoped unfolded, and three Steadicam operators with cameras strapped to their chests, ready to film the action. They even had a camera mounted to a crane that was swooping back and forth above us.

Harry climbed up onto the platform and began yelling out instructions. “You’ll each go up the lifeguard tower’s ladder, down the big slide, into the pool, where you’ll have to find the life preserver with your name on it. Then, slippy-slidey all the way across to the second pool, where you’ll fish out the shark with your partner’s name on it, and . . . ” he trailed off, looking around at all of us and wiggling his eyebrows. I swear he even shot a wink my way.

I didn’t have time to try and figure out what he was so excited about because he came right out and said, “you’ll take your shark over to where your partner is standing and give them a kiss.”

The girls around me squealed in excitement, but all I could do was nod along and try to keep a smile on my face.

A kiss. I’d be kissing Callum.

My stomach turned over in anticipation. No wonder Harry looked so thrilled.

“You’ll be timed, and whoever collectively has the fastest time wins,” he continued. “Boys versus girls, obviously, and the opposing team can use the water guns to slow down or distract the other team.” Harry let out a breath, nodding at us and then jumping off the platform.

Chiara was the first to go, and as we all watched her run the obstacle course, I tried to calm the wave of anxiety threatening to wash over me. I had kissed Callum before, and I knew, especially after Harry’s comments from yesterday, that I would have had to kiss him again eventually. I just hadn’t anticipated it happening quite so soon.

It’s just a game, I told myself as Chiara finished her turn by making out with Hugh. It’s all just a silly game.

I could give Callum a kiss. We were trying to sell ourselves, after all. That was the whole point.

But as I watched the rest of the girls go, one by one, and looked on as they all made out with their partners with quite a bit of fervor, my self-determination waned, until all I could tell myself was a very measly, You can do it.

Not much of an inspiring pep talk.

When it was finally my turn, I tried to ignore the nerves and anxious anticipation swirling in my gut and simply focus on the task at hand, one step at a time.

I climbed the lifeguard tower and slid down into the inflatable pool, resolutely ignoring the way my already high cut bathing suit had ridden even further up my butt. I scooped out the life preserver with my name marked across it, proud of myself that I found it in only a few seconds. I slid across the Slip ‘N Slide, trying to look remotely graceful while also avoiding getting water up my nose as the other Bellas sprayed me with water guns. I landed in the second inflatable pool and fished out the shark with Callum’s name on it, holding it up high in the air as if I had won a prize. I kept going, crawling my way out of the pool and then crossing the platform, until I stood right in front of Callum.

I let out a small huff of breath, trying to expel any last nerves over our impending kiss. Then, finally, I looked up into his eyes, and what I saw nearly caused me to drop the shark clutched in my hand.

Callum was smiling. A real smile too, not the one he put on for the cameras. Somewhere along the way, over the last few days of getting along, of really spending time together, I had learned how to differentiate between the two. I knew this smile, the one growing wider by the second, was genuine.

I didn’t have time to think about it any further, because the next thing I knew, his hands were around my waist, pulling me into him.

And then we were kissing, my arms wrapped around his neck, his hands pressed into my lower back. My skin was on fire as I leaned into him, his palms sending chills up my spine as he held onto me. The kiss was . . . everything. It was intense and deep but also light and easy. It was the kind of kiss that would have made me weak at the knees had Callum not been holding me to him so tightly.

I wasn’t sure how long we stood like that, making out for all to see, but I eventually grew aware of the cheers of those around us and pulled away.

I couldn’t look at Callum, having just been so intimate with him, so instead turned right around and walked back to my spot in line with the girls.

“That was quite the show,” Jess said from next to me, squeezing my arm and shaking me back and forth in glee.

I wasn’t ready to say it out loud, but it had been an incredible kiss. It was as if my body already knew his in ways I couldn’t begin to comprehend.

It was for the cameras, I reminded myself, trying to get my breathing under control. It’s all to look good for the cameras.

I might have been able to keep my wits about me and move along from our scorching make out had Harry not piped up from down the driveway at that moment, letting us know it was now the boy’s turn to run the obstacle course.