Best Mistake ★ Nicholas Chavez

Thirty nine | bachelors & bacherlorettes

The night before the guests were set to arrive, Amara found herself in a luxurious hotel suite surrounded by Madelyn, Madison, Renee, and Zendaya. Across the hall, Nicholas was holed up with Drew, Cooper, Michael, and Jordan.

Amara clutched her champagne flute, half-laughing, half-pouting, wearing her bride to be sash and a tiara. "You guys do realize I'm being held hostage, right? My fiancé is literally across the hall, and I can't even text him!"

"Bad luck!" Madelyn proclaimed dramatically, plucking Amara's phone from her lap and shoving it into her purse. "No cheating."

Zendaya smirked, swirling her wine. "You'll survive two days without making googly eyes at him."

"Barely," Amara muttered, flopping back against the couch.

Madison raised her phone with a mischievous grin. "Speaking of bad luck, check this out." She hit play on a viral TikTok of a bride's veil catching fire.

Renee gasped, clutching her own chest. "Why would you show her that?! Now she's going to have a meltdown!"

Amara shot upright, eyes wide. "Oh my God. Is this a sign? Should I cancel the veil? What if it catches fire? Or worse—what if I catch fire?"

Madelyn seized her by the shoulders. "Relax. Your veil is fireproof. Probably."

"Probably?!" Amara's voice hit a decibel so high Zendaya covered her ears.

"Okay, enough," Zendaya said, standing up and pulling out a deck of cards. "It's time to distract the bride. Strip poker."

"Who's stripping?!" Amara demanded, blinking rapidly.

"No one!" Zendaya grinned. "Just making sure you were paying attention."

Amara was halfway through another giggle fit when something caught her eye. She shoved her champagne onto the coffee table and pressed her face against the massive hotel window. "What the hell?"

The girls crowded around her. "What is it?" Madelyn asked.

Amara pointed at a woman walking across the courtyard below, clad in a long trench coat and towering heels, heading in the direction of Nicholas's suite. "Who is that? And why does she look like she's auditioning for a noir film?"

Zendaya squinted. "That's not a hotel employee. Way too much attitude."

Renee gasped. "Maybe she's heading to another room."

"Or maybe she's going to see my fiancé," Amara said, narrowing her eyes. "Do you think Nicholas hired a stripper?"

The room went silent.

Then the unmistakable thump of bass-heavy music filtered through the wall, growing louder by the second. Amara whipped around. "Is that stripper music?"

Madison snorted into her wine. "What even is stripper music?"

"That!" Amara pointed at the wall. "That is stripper music!"

Madelyn immediately clamped a hand over Amara's mouth. "Calm down, it's probably nothing."

Amara yanked her hand away, fire in her eyes. "Nothing?! My fiancé is probably sitting on a couch, throwing singles at a woman named Diamond!"