The World's Most Eligible Bachelor

Week 2: Detective Work

It was Friday and the absolutely shocking news of the day was that Gemma, who went on a one-on-one date with Harry the day before, had decided on her own to leave the competition. She told Harry that she enjoyed the date with him, but it was confirmation to her that she just didn't have romantic feelings for him. There was a part of me who envied her, to be able to walk away so easily.

The second group of women were preparing for their date with Harry. The date card read, "Bianca, Demi, Keke, Jordin, Jamie, Shailene: Why don't we go there? But I can't tell you where. Until we get there. Love, Harry." 

I didn't understand why we all had to be seated, waiting for Harry to whisk them away. It was like the producers wanted to see how well we handled watching others go away with the man we loved. Maybe Demi was right - maybe this was all some cruel psychological experiment and they were just waiting for us all to turn on each other. I could see the headline now: Reality TV Show Goes Horribly Wrong as Contestants Ruin Each Other's Manicures.

I was torn. I wanted to catch a glimpse of Harry, say hello, hug him, and you know, maybe marry him, but at the same time, I just wished the date women would go and meet him somewhere else. Because every time I saw him, he made me feel like the only woman in the world. And that only made it harder when I turned around and remembered that I wasn't the only woman in his world. Not even close.

It wasn't long before he came wandering in, causing a round of squeals from the others. "Good morning, ladies," he said, making his way to hug those of us who weren't going on the date with him. When he came to me, I gave him my best smile and welcomed his strong arms as they surrounded me. He lingered a little longer with me, murmuring in my ear, "Is everything all right?" Then he released me so he could step back and hear my answer.

"I'm fine, Harry. Don't worry about me. Just go and have fun." I could tell he wasn't convinced, but I didn't have any choice but to let him go, seeing as six women were waiting for him. He gave me an encouraging smile and left the mansion with his dates. As we had gotten in the habit of doing, the rest of us followed him out to wave goodbye to everyone. My heart stopped briefly, just catching sight of his profile as he got into the SUV. He was marvelous, and it almost hurt to look at him in that sexy little man bun.

Almost everyone had eaten some form of breakfast, but I hadn't because I was feeling too agitated when I first woke up. Now I was feeling the hunger pangs. Merle followed me as I went to find sustenance in the kitchen. I found Annie there and I gave her the old "We've got to stop meeting like this" line and and made her laugh.

"How are you feeling today?" She asked. She seemed to be warming up to people, but she was still so stingy with the smiles. I wonder if she was one of those people who hated her teeth or hated her smile for some reason, so she always tried to keep a straight face.

"Same old, same old," I said shrugging. "My boyfriend just went on a date with six other women. You know, standard stuff." That made her laugh harder and from what I could tell, she had a very pretty smile. I decided to change the subject because I wanted to not talk about Harry all day. "So, you must think I'm a freak by going on and on about colors the other day." I poured myself a cup of coffee to go with the bagel I had just toasted, and I sat by the bar.

Annie sat next to me with her half mug of brew. "Not at all," she said. "I think everyone has a passion for something. You're a color nerd, and as for me, I'm a word nerd."

"So you're a writer or something?" I asked, thinking we were finally getting somewhere.

"Something like that," she said. "But I really do love words - where they come from, how they sound, how well they bring a thought to completion. All that, you know?"