The Bachelor

Chapter 14

Zach was in panic now. He honestly didn’t know how Hanna entered his room before he did.

“Get out,” he told her through clenched teeth, his voice cold.

“Zach, come on…” Hanna purred, pushing the only covering she had aside.

In normal circumstances, he would have jumped on the bed, but he was just furious and in a great deal of panic to even consider some chemical response at seeing her gorgeous body naked on the bed. “Get out, Hanna,” he said stonily.

“Zach, I know you want this…”

“Fine, enjoy yourself,” he snapped and walked out the door. He almost ran to Julianne’s door and when he reached it, he knocked. “Jules.” No answer. “Jules.”

“Go away, Zach. I’m sleeping.”

“No, you’re not. Open the door and let me explain.” He knocked once again. “Jules.”

He stepped back in alarm as the door suddenly swung open. “What? You don’t have to explain anything,” Julianne’s voice was as blank as her face.

“I swear I didn’t know she was there, Jules.”

“Yeah, right. I don’t really care,” she started to close the door again and he stopped it by one hand.

“Jules, come on, you know I was with you not five minutes ago.”

“And when you didn’t get what you want, you jumped right to the next one. I get it. You don’t really need to explain, Zachary,” she pushed the door close as she said, “and forget about that talk tomorrow.”

“Jules!” he cried out as the door finally shut at his face.

“Zach, what are you doing?” Hanna was standing beside him now fully dressed. She eyed him suspiciously then looked at Julianne’s door. “Was it Julianne who came in earlier?”

“What?”

“Was it Julianne? Why are you outside her door?” her eyes were getting really angry now.

“No, it was not Julianne. Go back to your room,” he started walking around her.

“I’m sure I heard you say her name earlier in the room…”

“You are drunk. You were imagining things. No one came in.”

She suddenly appeared lost. “No one?”

“Yes, so go back. And Hanna, don’t do that again,” he warned.

Her face colored and she nodded.

Zach couldn’t let her or the other girls know about his interest towards Julianne. It would make things difficult for her. But he also had to explain himself.

He slammed his door closed and groaned in frustration.

How could things turn out this way?

 *****

Zach was sulking the next day. Julianne wasn’t even looking at him and she was avoiding everyone that even the camera men noticed and were wise to avoid her.

And every time Zach saw Hanna, he wanted to strangle her. He wanted to drag her towards Jules and order her to tell her nothing happened. He couldn’t do that though and he knew that. Hanna herself was avoiding him, her face flushing every time her eyes met his. At least she felt shame at what she did, he thought.

The only person who didn’t have any idea—apart from the crew and Liam who already went home after breakfast—was Tanya, and she was regarding them with a curious look.