Then Things Went Dark by Bea Fitzgerald

Author:Bea Fitzgerald [Fitzgerald, Bea]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sourcebooks

The remaining four could fling the handcuffs into the fire when they finally come off, or else at the screen and smash Eloise’s taunting smile into a thousand glass shards. She’s so pleased with herself and too readily admits how much they’ve all struggled with the challenge—and how entertaining it’s been for the audience.

She dishes out their five points each, commiserating with Theo, whose nostrils flare with his attempt to force a calm what-can-you-do smile. Once the handcuffs are unlatched and the screen is off, Araminta goes to find Rhys.

He’s on the beach, the wind considerably calmer now.

“Hey,” she greets, unsure where to start.

“Hi.” He turns, voice soft. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why that got to me like that. I think being kept apart from you all day had me already feeling on edge, and I just couldn’t take it.”

Araminta hesitates. She does not know what to say. She knows the anger is a warning sign but he seems devastated, and genuinely apologetic, and that camera is whirring ever nearer. “Shall we walk?” she finally offers.

It’s too small for that, really. A lap of the shore takes five minutes—across the beach on one side, steadily upward to the peak of the cliff’s edge on the other, and then back down to the sandy banks.

But they walk rings around it anyway, this wheel of an island, generating content for the audience.

And they talk.

“You just have to understand what it’s like,” he says. “When she’s sat there flirting like that.”

“She’s playing the game, Rhys. I knew what she was doing and I thought you did too, but as you proved when you opened that cuff, she clearly played it well.”

“My feelings for you aren’t a game, Araminta.”

“I didn’t say—”

“And you’ve kissed, I mean…look, you can’t be talking to someone you’ve kissed like that.”

“I was laughing her off and spinning it back to you.”

Rhys glowers but turns it out to the ocean. “You should have shut it down.”

“If she were genuinely making a move on me, I would have, but for god’s sake, Rhys. There are six of us on this island; I can’t just not talk to Kalpana.”

“And talking about your ex? Isn’t there enough out there of your past sexual exploits? It’s on every web page. I’m going to get enough details from everyone else—do I have to get it from you too?”

Araminta thinks this is ridiculous but suspects that may be because she came to terms with her sex life being public information a long time ago. She would not have a problem hearing about his previous encounters but supposes she can reluctantly see how he might struggle with it. She suspects the audience will side with him here too.

“All right,” she nods. “I won’t, now that I know it bothers you.”

Rhys sighs and takes her hand. “They’re just boundaries for me. Speaking of past relationships. Flirting with anyone, let alone people you’ve hooked up with. If that’s not something you can do, that’s fine, and we can go our separate ways.

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