Summary: Riley finds a way to make her day off more interesting
Riley sat at breakfast next to Hana. but her mind was elsewhere. There was no logical reason for her wanting Drake aside from his obvious physical attributes. He was guarded and somewhat cynical. His smiles were hard to come by. She was supposed to want Liam, the literal prince charming with no visible flaws. But when Drake smiled at her, it was earned. And we he opened up to her, it meant he trusted her. And when he told her that he had feelings for her, even though he thought he could never act on them, she knew it was real.
“Riley…Riley” Hana waved a hand in front of her face.”Are you there?”
“Oh, sorry, just a bit preoccupied. Would you go on walk with me after breakfast?” Riley need to talk to someone, and she knew she could trust Hana.
“Sure, I could use some time to clear my head as well.”
They finished up and started out on the trail around the grounds. Riley had convinced Drake that she and Hana didn’t need a chaperone since they would be staying on the trail and would be visible to the guards on the property. “So you said you said something was on your mind too. Is something wrong Hana?”
“Well…um…I’m not sure how to say this or what it means, but…Lydia and I kissed yesterday.”
Riley was momentarily stunned enough to forget about her own problems. “Like a real kiss? I had no idea you had any feelings for her in that way.”
“Honestly, neither did I, but I do. Even when I was briefly engaged before, I never had any strong desire to be with a man, but I thought I just hadn’t found the right one. My parents plan for me has always been to marry a high ranking noble man, and I never considered that liking women in that way was a possibility. But then Lydia and I spent a lot of time together the past couple days while you were gone and…I don’t know…but I’m pretty sure I don’t want to be with a man.” Hana looked away. “I don’t know what to do. My parents will never understand.”
“Oh Hana, Come here,” Riley held her arms out to Hana and embraced her. “No matter what, I’m here for you.”
Hana wiped away her tears. “Thanks Riley. I have no idea how I’m going to tell my parents. I know I will have to eventually, but I’m not ready yet. I do think though that I should tell Liam. I don’t want him to waste time on me, when he could be getting to know others who are actually interested. I just have to make sure I can catch him off camera. I don’t want my parents finding out from television that I’m…gay. Wow, I guess its real now that I said it out loud.”
“I’ll help you figure it out Hana. I guess now my issues don’t seem so big.”
“I’m sorry Riley, I forgot you had something weighing on your mind as well. What’s going on?”
“Where should I start…I like Liam a lot, I really do. When I first met him, I was swept off my feet…” Riley paused.
“But?” Hana asked.
“But then Drake was…there. He didn’t try to make me like him, if anything it was the opposite. But I couldn’t help myself. I had to keep prying and trying to get him to open up to me. I told myself I only cared because he was Liam’s friend, but I think deep down I knew right away there was something between us. And then he literally saved my life, we went out for drinks, he almost kissed me….”
Hana was silent for a few moments. “I can’t say I’m one hundred percent surprised.”
“What? Oh my god was I that obvious? Do you think anyone else knows?”
“Don’t worry Riley.” Hana consoled her. “I just noticed you talked about him…a lot…when it was just the two of us. I’m pretty good at reading people, so I paid attention. I’ve seen the way you look at him, and the way he looks at you, but I was looking for it. I’m sure nobody else suspects a thing…So, what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know, I’m so conflicted. Drake admitted he had feelings for me, but told me nothing could come of it because of Liam. I saw him last night, and it seemed like he wanted to talk to me, but then Liam was there the whole time. Maybe he’s right though, I’ve only just met both of them, but Liam and Drake have known each other forever. I couldn’t forgive myself if I came between them. I’m supposed to be here for Liam, and a lot is riding on me staying on the show.”
Hana scrunched her forehead in confusion. “What do you me a lot is riding on you staying?”
“Okay…” Riley took a deep breath. “I’m not supposed to tell anyone this, but they are paying me to be on the show. I didn’t know initially when I came here that there was any money involved, but they sprung it on me before I signed the contract. I guess they figured it was a way to keep me from flaking out and running if I couldn’t handle the pressure. I know they have a vested interest in me solely due to the Cinderella story they can sell if Liam chooses me, but they agreed to let me meet him first before deciding. I didn’t want to have the money be a factor in me staying on the show, but like I said, when I first met Liam, I was smitten. They money didn’t matter to me, but I wasn’t going to turn it down. Especially since….”
“Since what Riley?”
“Like I said, I’m not motivated by the money. It would definitely help me out with student loans and furthering my schooling, but I wasn’t considering it as a reason to stay for myself…but I have since learned that the Beaumont Estate is not doing well financially. I know it has nothing to do with me and is not my responsibility, but they are my family and have accepted me. If I choose to leave the show, all the money is forfeited. I know that’s not a reason to stay and lead Liam on, but I really do think I could love him. And if Drake isn’t going to entertain us being together, then…I think I should see where things go with Liam.”
“It sounds like you have a lot to think about. Maybe you should let Drake know how you feel and see if that changes things for him.” Hana reasoned.
“You are probably right that Drake and I need to have this discussion before things get too far along with Liam and it’s too late…Although it would be a lot easier to just ignore it and hope it goes away. Wishful thinking, right?”
Hana grabbed Riley’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “I know you’ll figure things out. Any I’ll be here for you know matter what.”
“Thanks Hana. I think its about time for us to go back and let Creepy Chad tell us what this week’s dates are.”
~~~~~
The women found out that Catherine would be going on the one on one date. Riley was a little surprised she still hadn’t gotten a date herself, but Liam had told her he didn’t have full control over that. And it was probably best if she sorted things out before having a full day alone with him.
The group date would be the barn raising which they learned symbolized the future of the bride and groom. It seemed silly to Riley since the bride was yet unknown, and she didn’t know what would be done with the random barn in the future, but apparently it was a tradition they wanted shared with the world via the show. She was just happy this was an event open to all the nobles, so she would get to see Maxwell and Bertrand as well.
Catherine’s date was taking place today, so there would be filming, but nothing else going on for the other women. It was a sunny, hot day, so after lunch, most of the women decided to hang out by the pool. Drake met up with Riley to walk her to the pool. He was wearing dark gray shorts and a simple white t-shirt. How did he manage to make such a simple outfit look so good?
“I didn’t think you owned any clothing besides jeans and button down shirts.”
“Funny Bennett. I see you have enough bathing suits to clothe all the women here”
“Drake, I think this is only the second time I’ve worn a bathing suit here, but nice of you to be paying close enough attention to notice the difference.” Riley smirked.”
Drake blushed. “I wasn’t…It’s my job to keep an eye on you…It’s not like I was checking you out or anything.”
“I didn’t say you were checking me out, those are your words.” Riley teased. What was she doing trying to flirt with Drake like this? She really couldn’t help herself, but he was so adorable when he was flustered. “I let you walk ahead of me so you don’t have to worry about accidentally checking out my ass.”
Drake just shook his head and led the way to the pool. Riley sat down on one of the lounge chairs near Hana, Penelope, and Kiara. They bathed in the sun for awhile before getting hot enough to need to cool off in the pool. Drake was just standing at the edge of the fenced in pool area, doing his job Riley supposed. But there were other guards with eyes on the pool area, and he did look bored.
Riley climbed out and walked over to Drake. “You probably don’t need to stay here. I’m sure the other guards can handle it. You can just come back when we are done.”
“I’m not doing this for my own amusement, Bennett. This is what I’m being paid to do.”
“Well maybe you should come in the water. Aren’t you baking up there in the sun?”
“Again, I’m being paid to be a guard. Not to participate in your pool party.”
“Well you are no fun.”
“That’s what they tell me Bennett.”
Riley was getting kind of tired of lounging at the pool herself when a terribly juvenile idea came to her. She walked to the edge of the pool and looked down. “Hey Drake. There’s something strange at the bottom of the pool. Come take a look.”
Riley didn’t think he would fall for it, but Drake came and peered over the edge of the pool. “What? I don’t see anyth–”
Drake couldn’t get his sentence out before Riley pushed him into the pool. She thought he might be mad, but she could see he was trying to suppress a smile as he surfaced. “You are in trouble now Bennett.”
“What are you going to do about it?” Riley challenged.
Before Riley knew what was happening, Drake sprung up halfway out of the pool, grabbed her around the waist, and brought her down on him with one arm under her knees and one behind her back so she was cradled in his arms. They stared at each other in disbelief for a few long moments, with Drake seemingly just as surprised at what he had done as Riley.
“Ugh, would you two just get a room already?” Olivia’s voice broke their trance and Drake quickly set Riley down.
Drake just scowled in Olivia’s direction and hopped out of the pool and Riley followed. Riley shouldn’t have been staring, especially given the extra eyes on them right now, but she couldn’t look away. Drake’s white t-shirt was now completely transparent and clung tightly to his muscular torso. She’d assumed he was ripped from the way he filled out his shirts, but she was still not prepared for the sight. She quickly snapped out of it grabbed a towel for herself and threw one to Drake.
“I’ve had enough sun for today. I think I’m going to go rest before dinner. Drake, can you take me back to my room? And before you say anything Olivia, I’ll be in there by myself.” Riley started to head off towards her room and didn’t look back.