Page 43 of Insta Bride

“I need to know why you didn’t pick me.”

She looked up as if I’d asked if she wanted to jump out of a plane without a shoot. “What do you mean, why I didn’t pick you? You’re—you’re—you’re all you.” Her cry echoed off the walls. “I’m just me.”

I stood with my back blocking the closed door, like an idiot. Wringing my hands and no knowing what to do or say next. The anger I felt when I saw his name in her handwriting, hadn’t gone away. I was angry, fucking angry. But Elena looked so broken. I couldn’t dump my shit on her. Not now.

“Elena, we need to go out of here. You need time to process and so do I.”

“Why do you need to process?”

“Because I thought we had something special. I thought we had a connection.”

“We had a connection, but I can’t compete with all the women in the world, and guys as well. You like guys.”

“No, I don’t.”

“But you said—”

I heard the others talking on the other side of the door, deciding who’d come in and drag Elena out for an interview.

“This isn’t the time or the place to go through that, but I want to talk it through with you, okay?”

“But what’s there to talk about? I wrote Seb.”

“Right now, we need to get out of here and you need to know I’ve got your back.”

I hugged her from behind while she fixed her hair and splashed cold water on her face. By the time we left the bathroom, our microphones were back on and the cameras were free to capture my arm around Elena’s shoulder and her face nuzzled into my chest. We walked straight past the crew, producers, Bree with her cocked eyebrow, and other couples. They all wanted to see a sign of weakness, for Elena in tears, for her or us to be broken. That wasn’t gonna happen.

I’d protect Elena from all enemies, even me.

I grabbed a six-pack of bottled water before Elena followed me down to the water’s edge and I tried to turn it into a romantic stroll.

I’d like to say we talked through all our shit.

We didn’t.

For three hours, in the afternoon sun, we walked in silence.

For three hours, and not caring what the cameras saw or not, we gradually went from walking side-by-side to her letting me hold her hand. At the furthest point away from the others, we stood on the beach, the waves lapping around our knees. Elena didn’t flinch when I pulled her into my chest, feeling her warm breath against my skin chilled by the sea breeze. She let me hold her, feeling her pulse quicken and then slow.

We didn’t talk.

We didn’t kiss.

But I’d never felt this connection with anyone.

Fuck, how the hell could she pick someone over us?

Elena

I’d been sent straight to hell and I didn’t know what to do now.

I’d been so sure my friendship with Seb could ramp up to the next stage. I’d been sure.

We’d had an easy rapport, easy banter. We were better suited as a couple than either him and Sami or Kye and I.

Even though we hadn’t made each other promises, I’d honestly believed if Seb had a chance to be with me, he’d have taken it.

I’d been wrong.