Whiskey & Wildflowers

Chapter 25

"Josie and Henrik, sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Chelsea sang as she flitted about the dressing room.

Josie rolled her eyes and stabbed a makeup brush into her eyeshadow palette even as a blush crept onto her cheeks. She and Henrik had gotten back from the store hours ago, but she still hadn't heard the end of it.

Gloating would be putting the others' reactions mildly. After being alerted of their return, Bobby had been downright smug when he ran into the kitchen to find them standing inches apart, their faces flushed and their hair slightly mussed. Priya was close on his heels and gave Josie a triumphant look, followed by Arjun, who wiggled his eyebrows — and mustache — suggestively.

The teasing remarks and knowing looks had continued all throughout the afternoon, anytime anyone caught them touching each other — which was often — or kissing — slightly less often — or just smiling at each other — which was most of the time.

Okay, so her friends were right — she still had feelings for Henrik all along. They didn't have to be so annoying about it.

Josie was practically giddy all day in a way she hadn't felt in years. That new crush feeling, when you can't stop smiling at the thought of the other person, and you can't stop thinking about them — especially when they're right there next to you, constantly reminding you of their presence by taking your hand or brushing against you or touching the small of your back.

She'd been missing out.

Now, the girls were getting ready for the evening while the boys were in the kitchen, cooking up a storm. They would be having dinner dates in their couples on the lawn, and Josie couldn't help but be extra grateful she and Henrik had made up — she could only imagine how awkward their date would've been otherwise.

But now she was excited about it, and nothing could get her down.

"If you ask me," Elisa said while meticulously combing her eyebrows, "it seems mighty convenient that the two of you are back together all of a sudden."

Well, almost nothing.

"Weren't you just furious at him for picking you last night?" she continued. "And you've been mad at him for how long?"

Josie glared at her over the top of her mirror. "People make up from fights all the time."

"The timing is just a little curious, that's all."

"What's that even supposed to mean?" Priya jumped in, throwing daggers at the other woman, who sat there smugly. "This has been coming for days!"

"You're so right, Elisa," Blake added. She posed in front of one of the floor-length mirrors, checking herself out in her garish, shiny gold dress. "After she almost got dumped, she got scared and had to change her tune."

"Fuck off, Blake," Josie snapped, before turning back to Elisa. Who did she think she was? "You don't know anything about me or my relationship with Henrik."

"Oh, but I do — influencers like you are a dime a dozen, babe. You're trying to make your way to the top, but you're only grasping at straws. Miraculously fixing your relationship all of a sudden? It's so obvious."

"Henrik picked her!" Priya replied vehemently, launching into a tirade that Josie only half heard as Elisa's words found their mark.

Was she that obvious? Sure, her feelings for Henrik were real — she wasn't faking anything for the sake of the cameras or the voting public. But everything else — joining the show, many of her decisions in the villa — had been spurred by the motivation to get her name out there, get attention, and ultimately make it to the finals and get sponsors. Hell, even her decision to stick with Henrik during Casa Amor had been based on what was best for her career, before she realized the depth of her feelings for him.