The Anti-Showmance: Crashing the Reality TV Script Chapter 2

Right at that moment, Silas suddenly looked over at me.

I was mid-bite, a sunflower seed halfway to my mouth, and didn't have time to look away.

Our eyes locked. I immediately shifted my gaze to the nearest guy, a cute indie musician, and shot him a dramatic, exaggerated wink.

The light in Silas's eyes instantly darkened.

An eagle-eyed viewer immediately commented: "Am I crazy, or did Silas just look... hurt? What did he just see?"

"He was definitely looking at April."

"Girl, spit it out, knock on wood! Do not let Silas's name be in the same sentence as April the Green Tea!"

I wholeheartedly agreed with that hater.

I didn't want even a sliver of a connection to Silas.

I just wanted to slack off for three months, collect my massive paycheck, and go home.

That evening, before the anonymous "heartbeat letters" segment, the producers introduced a mixer.

In a bizarre twist, they blindfolded all of us, put us in a confined room, and told us to walk around randomly. Whoever you grabbed was your date for the night.

They even gave this ridiculous game a ridiculous name: "Cupid's Blind Man's Bluff."

I felt my sanity actively draining.

Some netizens were equally unhappy. "This isn't fair! April the Clout Chaser is definitely going to use this to grope the guys."

"Exactly! No other man is allowed to touch our Chloe! Chloe belongs to Silas."

Without sight, my other senses went into overdrive.

In the small room, the sound of breathing overlapped. The accidental brushes of skin made the atmosphere heat up rapidly.

I tensed up, frantically trying to parse through the chaos of various perfumes and colognes to identify Silas's distinct body wash.

And then, I actively walked in the opposite direction.

The live chat was losing its mind. "The producers are messy for this! Too spicy!"

"Chloe, go right! Silas is on the right! Ahhh, they almost bumped into each other!"

"Wait, is anyone else noticing April's pathing? It's so weird. Holy crap, did she just kick a guy away?!"

"Girl, I see it too. April is literally dodging everyone, especially Silas. It's like she has a radar. This is wild."

"But what's even crazier is that Silas keeps moving TOWARD April! Everyone else is stumbling around like headless chickens, but those two look like they have X-ray vision!"

"She runs, he chases. There is no escape."

"Help, the comment above me is sending me!"

Ten minutes later, the director blew the whistle. The pairings were set.

Everyone else had tried their hardest to bump into someone else to manufacture some romantic tension.

I, however, stuck to my strict "Don't Touch Me" policy. One kick here, one dodge there, and I successfully avoided every single guy in the room.

Which meant I also avoided Silas.

However, when the blindfolds came off...

Everyone else was paired up, holding hands. Only Silas and I were left, standing on opposite ends of the room, staring at each other.

Chloe's face dropped instantly. She ripped her hand away from the guy next to her.

This had... backfired spectacularly.

Chloe forced a sugary-sweet smile. "Director, we didn't really understand the rules just now. Can we do a do-over?"

I immediately stepped forward to support her.

The chat scrolled furiously.

"Ha, Green Tea April is definitely going to argue with Chloe. Let's watch her terrible acting."

"She got lucky and ended up with Silas. She's probably dying of happiness inside."