Lucky in Love (A Reality TV Romance)

Thirty-One (Nate's one-on-one)

"This one-on-one is an awesome opportunity. If you want to actually figure out if you have real chemistry, this is the place to do it. You won't have to worry about any other girls catching you and gossiping: it's the perfect place for a bold move."

That was the advice she'd been given. Which is why Alex had made a conscious choice to wear her most makeout-proof lipstick. Just... optimistically. Only to be told, a couple hours before the thing was supposed to start, that she was getting wardrobe, hair, and makeup taken care of. She'd been a little confused, since she's pretty sure she'd been told early on that they were almost entirely in charge of their own stuff (which is why she'd had to stock up on the cosmetics that usually only got worn to work in the club). But then she'd been treated to a seriously nice little primping session, complete with fuzzy bathrobe, champagne, and the kind of natural light that made her look incredibly good. Yeah, these dates are a big deal.

Alex is usually the sort to wear skinny jeans and a decent shirt for a date. Not so much for this one. She's been gifted with a dress she kind of loves. Almost sailor-y vibes, super vintage inspired with a cute li'l scoop neck. She gets to help pick out accessories, but there's definitely a guiding hand that encourages and discourages certain things. At one point she just smiles politely and asserts that it's her date and if she gets to choose she's still going to wear a choker, thanks. It's not like she's choosing the fanciest or most over the top options, either; she'd rather go for plain black or silver over something dripping with sparkle or stones.

In the end she comes out feeling good about it all. Cute dress, cute hair, a sharp as shit wing she only manages about 30% of the time with her personal eyeliner skills. The heels are alright, even if she'd really prefer something else. Boots are her preferred, or flip flops, or Chucks. She'll wear heels for social dancing and that's about it. On the dance floor only. So she's hoping she can kick off the heels under the table at dinner, which is what she assumes the main event is. That's what dates are, right?

Except it's... maybe not.

Once she's been prepped and permed and gussied up she waits somewhat nervously until the crew gets the okay to bring her out front.

"Well shit."

Yeah, the vintage theme continues. Nathan is waiting in a super-shiny boxy convertible that looks straight off of a movie set. Alex should probably recognize the hood ornament, but she's never been great at cars. He hops out of his side, coming around to hers to offer her a hand in, and he's dressed to impress as well.

"How debonair," she smirks, slipping into a crooked grin as he kisses the back of her hand once she's climbed in.

"Have to look good on a first date, right?"

-*-

Their trip to... wherever they're going, is interrupted more than once. They're following a car that's leading the way, and there's another behind them filming as well, not to mention a frickin' drone to get overhead shots from the air, because that's a thing apparently. (And okay, Alex gets why they left her hair down: it definitely is a Look whipping against the white leather interior as they drive.) But then midway they stop to put up the convertible top again, and let a camera crew into the back seat to get interior shots as well, even though there's some kind of camera mounted on the dash already.

In Nathan's defense, he plays a huge role in helping her forget the cameras (at least, somewhat). They manage to fill the air with talk - he talks about how he got into tech, and that quickly turns into talking about his family, his brothers, the pressure to settle down that they've been giving him. In return Alex talks about her mom and how close they are, and about her dad's new family and the incredibly different expectations from their end.