The night of the rose ceremony, everyone got a little more dressed up than usual. Before the rose ceremony, there was going to be a cocktail party that gave the guys an opportunity to talk to the girls once last time before deciding who to give their roses too, and gave the girls a chance to get a rose locked down. Of course, relationships were already starting to form which made it pretty easy to know where some of the roses were going. Everyone knew that Ralph's rose was going to Olivia, Alex's was going to Emma, and Brooke's rose was going to Andy. Other girls, like Ally and Molly, pretty much had their bags packed, they knew that they were going home due to the fact that they hadn't made any connection. But then there were girls like Bella who was unsure about where she stood in Paradise. Of course, Bella felt like she had a connection with Corey, but they had been moving slower than the other couples in Paradise. They hadn't kissed yet, and that sent Bella into a panic about whether or not her and Corey were moving too slow.
Little did she know, Corey had something special planned for them to have their first kiss tonight. Once he had finished setting everything up, he walked over to where Bella and Aspen were sitting under one of the cabanas and asked, "Hey there Bella, you mind if I steal you for a minute?"
"I don't mind at all," Bella answered as she stood up.
Corey gently took her hand and led her to his little said up. Near the end of the beach, there was a tiny rock cliff for people to sit on. Corey had set up a couple of blankets and candles for him and Bella. When Bella saw this, she gasped a little in pleasant surprise and asked, "Corey, did you set all this up?"
"I did," Corey answered with a smile, "Just for you."
Once the two of them sat down on the blankets, Bella said to him, "This is beautiful. Thank you, Corey."
"Of course," Corey told her as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "I was actually hoping to talk to you about something."
"Okay, what's going on?" Bella asked.
Corey told her, "So I really like you. I feel like you and I really hit it off. I was hoping to give you my rose tonight, and I just wanted to see where your head was at."
Bella took a deep breath before smiling and telling him, "I really like you too, Corey, and I'm sorry if I haven't been the best at expressing that. It really takes me a while to break out of my shell, especially when it comes to guys, so I've kind of been taking things so with you, but I just want you to know that I really like you."
"Hey, we don't have to rush anything," Corey reassured her, "We can go at any speed you like."
"Thank you. That's very sweet of you," Bella responded, sounding very relieved.
"Of course," Corey said.
When Corey said that, a sudden wave of confidence washed over Bella. In all her relationships, Bella had never made the first move. However, something about Corey made her feel more comfortable and confident. She slowly leaned in and kissed him. Corey gently cupped her face in order to kiss her back. It was gentle and sweet and absolutely perfect.
Meanwhile, Kayla and Kiefer were sitting at the bar when Kiefer told her, "You look really nice tonight."
"Thank you," Kayla responded, "You do too."
Ever since the first day, Kiefer and Kayla had an instant connection. The two of them just instantly clicked, and had been spending the majority of their time in Paradise with each other. In a strange way, it felt like they had known each other for much longer than they had. Kiefer carefully grabbed Kayla's hand and held it in his.
"How are you feeling about tonight?" He asked her.
"It's weird, I actually feel kind of nervous," she answered, "I don't know why I am. This isn't my first rose ceremony, but in a weird way it kind of feels like it."
"Yeah, I understand that," Kiefer said, "Don't worry too much, though. I have a feeling that you're gonna get a rose."
He followed that statement with a wink, causing Kayla to giggle a little. She then jokingly asked, "Oh yeah, who do you think I'm gonna get the rose from?"
"Eh, probably some tall, incredibly attractive, smart, charming guy," Kiefer answered, continuing on with the joke.
Both of them laughed at that before Kiefer leaned in and gave her a kiss.
Another strong couple in Paradise was Anya and Michael. The chemistry between them was instantaneous, and could be visibly seen by everyone on the beach. The two of them were currently sitting on one of the day beds while Anya played her guitar for Michael. One of the first things that the two of them bonded over was music, so Anya thought playing for Michael would be a sweet gesture. As she played her guitar, she gently sang her song:
Give me love like him
'Cause lately I've been waking up alone
Paint splattered teardrops on my shirt
Told you I'd let them go
And that I'll fight my corner
Maybe tonight I'll call ya
After my blood turns into alcohol
No, I just wanna hold ya
Give a little time to me or burn this out
We'll play hide and seek to turn this around
All I want is the taste that your lips allow
My, my, my, my, oh give me love
My, my, my, my, oh give me love
My, my, my, my, oh give me love
My, my, my, my, oh give me love
My, my, my, my, oh give me love
Once Anya had finished, Michael immediately pulled her in for a kiss. When he pulled away, he told her, "That was great."
"You liked it?" Anya asked.
Michael nodded, "It was amazing. I loved it."
"So does that mean I'm getting your rose?" She then asked jokingly.
Michael chuckled a little at that before answering, "Well, we'll just have to wait and see."
Anya giggled at that before pulling Michael in for another kiss. Both of them knew Michael's rose was going to her.
As the night continued on, Brooke and Andy were laying on the daybed by the pool, where it was nice and private, and had started making out. Ever since their date, the two of them had been attached at the hip. As the two of them continued to kiss, Brooke pulled away for a split second and told her, "You're getting my rose tonight, for sure."
He pressed another kiss to her lips before smirking and saying, "I should keep you guessing, though."
"Hey, don't be mean," Andy said, giggling a little.
Brooke's smirk only grew even wider before pulling Andy in for another kiss.
Eventually, it came time for the rose ceremony and everyone gathered in the palapa where there was a podium with eight roses on it. The girls stood in two lines while the guys stood next to them in two lines as well.
Once everyone was standing in the appropriate spots, Rob Lowe walked in and greeted everyone with, "Good evening."
Once he stood next to the rose podium, Rob began to explain how the rose ceremony would work, "Welcome to your first rose ceremony. You've all been through rose ceremonies on the Bachelor and Bachelorette, but the Paradise ceremonies will work a little differently. Gentleman, you'll be giving out the roses tonight. One by one, you'll each come up and offer a rose to whomever you want. Ladies, if you do not receive a rose, you'll have to immediately leave Paradise. I wish you all the best of luck."
Rob then turned to the guys and said, "Michael, you're up first."
Michael smiled before walking up to the rose podium, Rob having now moved to the side, and picking up one of the roses. Michael looked over where the girls were standing and said, "Anya."
Upon hearing her name, Anya smiled as she walked over to stand in front of Michael. Michael then asked her, "Anya, will you accept this rose?"
"Of course," She answered, happily.
Michael then handed the rose to her before giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. They then returned to their previous spot. Brooke was up next, and walked with his usual air of confidence as he made his way over to the podium and picked up a rose. He looked over to Andy and smiled at her as he called her name.
Andy had an extra bounce in her step as she walked over to the podium. Brooke said to her, "Andy, I had a lot of fun on our date, and I look forward to continuing on this journey with you. So, will you accept this rose?"
"I will happily accept your rose," Andy told him.
After Brooke gave Andy the rose, the two of them shared a hug and a kiss on the cheek before returning to their spots. Up next was Corey, and he finally felt fully confident in who he was giving his rose to as he said, "Bella."
When Bella had walked over to Corey, he told her, "Thank you for coming to talk to me tonight. It really meant a lot to me. Bella, will you accept this rose?"
Bella nodded excitedly as she answered, "Yes!"
After giving the rose to Bella, Corey gave her a hug and lifted her up a little, causing Bella to giggle a little. Once he put her down, the two of them returned to where they were previously standing. It was now Kiefer's turn to give out his rose, and he sent Kayla a small wink as he walked over to the podium before picking up the rose and calling her name. When Kayla walked over to him, Kiefer told her with a small smirk, "I told you that you were getting a rose from an incredibly attractive guy."
Kayla giggled at that before responding, "Turns out you were right."
Kiefer's smirk grew into a smile as he asked, "Kayla will you accept this rose?"
"Definitely," she answered, taking the rose from Kiefer and giving him a hug and kiss on the cheek.
Ralph was up next, and as everyone expected, the name he called out was Olivia's. When Olivia walked over to him, he told her, "Liv, I'm really excited to have some fun with you this summer. Will you accept this rose?"
"Hell yeah," She answered, nodding happily.
Ralph laughed at that before giving her the rose alone with a kiss on the cheek and a hug. There were now three roses left, and Alex was the next to give one out. Of course, he was given his rose to Emma. Once she was standing in front of him, he asked her, "Emma, will you accept this rose?"
"Yes, of course I will," she answered, feeling her cheeks flush against her will.
Alex handed Emma the rose before giving her a hug. As he hugged her, he whispered to her, "You look really cute when you blush."
Emma felt her cheeks turn ten shades redder as she walked back to her spot. Now the only two guys left to give out their roses were Keanu and River. At this point, Deidra felt like her heart might actually beat out of her chest. She was so certain that she would have made up her mind about who to accept a rose from, but the rose ceremony had arrived and she was still conflicted. Now, the only thing she could do was accept a rose from whoever asked first, and then figured everything out next week. She hated these conflicting feelings and wished more than anything that she was able to make up her mind. Rob announced, "River, you're up next."
River slowly approached the rose podium and picked one of the two remaining flowers left. He looked over to the girls and said, "Deidra."
Deidra let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding as she walked over to the podium. River asked her, "Deidra, thank you for going on a date with me this week. I hope that we can continue to grow our connection. Will you accept this rose?"
"Yes, thank you," Deidra answered as River handed her the rose.
The two hugged quickly before walking back to where they were standing. Rob walked back over to the rose podium and announced, "Ladies, it's the final rose. Keanu, whenever you're ready."
Keanu walked over to the podium, looking a little defeated, as he picked up the last rose. He looked over to his friend and said, "Aspen."
Aspen quickly walked over to Keanu, who asked her, "Aspen, will you accept this rose?"
"Yes," she answered, nodding a little.
Keanu gave her the rose before giving her a hug. As he hugged her, he whispered to her, "I hope you find your guy next week."
"Thank you so much, Keanu," she whispered back.
All the roses were now gone, leaving both Molly and Ally without one. Rob announced, "Ally, Molly, I'm sorry. Take a moment and say your goodbyes."
Molly didn't bother to say bye to anyone. She was stormed right out. Ally, on the other hand, hugged all the girls, and waved to the guys as she left, wishing them all good luck. Once the two eliminated girls had left, everyone broke off into different conversations. Deidra approached Aspen and said, "Hey Aspen."
"Hey Deidra," she greeted before asking, "How are you feeling after all of that?"
"Ehh, okay I guess," Deidra answered, "So, you and Keanu..."
"Oh no, no, it's nothing like that. It's just a friendship rose," Aspen explained.
Deidra nodded at that, "Oh, okay."
"Hey, I totally get that you need more time to make your decision, and I hope that you make the best decision for you," Aspen told her, "But just so you know, Keanu's crazy about you. You're pretty much all he talks about."
"Thanks Aspen," Deidra said.
Aspen responded, "Of course."
The two girls shared a quick hug before Deidra walked off to get some air and clear her head. As she looked down at the rose RIver had given her, her mind had actually drifted to Keanu. She thought about what Aspen had told her, that he was crazy about her. Next week, the girls were giving out the roses, and that put a lot of pressure on Deidra. This week, the decision had been in the guys hands, but next week it was up to her to make a decision between Keanu and River. That was a decision she wasn't going to take lightly.
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So I decided to post two chapters at once to try and make up for the fact that this book as so little updates. With this chapter being the rose ceremony, we have officially completed week one of Paradise! This means that there's more guys coming to Paradise next week...dun dun dun! I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Be sure to vote and comment if you do. Thanks for reading! :)
Also, side note: The song Anya sang to Michael is not an original, although I feel like that's kind of obvious lol. The song is Give Me Love by Ed Sheeran.
Thank you to all these wonderful people for being in the book: