The Bachelor

Chapter 31

“What—” Pauline started but somehow, she couldn’t finish her sentence that her mouth remained open. Chloe’s frown deepened.

Zach was serious though. It was not the time to look at their faces and laugh like he would have if he was his old self. But he bet Liam was laughing his ass out by now wherever he was. At the moment, he was more concerned on how to say the words he needed to say so that he could make the girls know that he was sincere and sorry for what he was about to do.

“I can’t do this anymore,” he said with full-blast honesty. “I know I’ll be unfair to both of you and myself if I continue on with this,” he added and that was the moment when Chloe’s mouth dropped open in that pretty way of hers.

Everybody was silent now, including the crew behind them. Fatima, who was standing just a few meters away, dropped her clipboard on the floor. Zach couldn’t see Jack’s reaction but somehow, he got a feeling that the director already saw this coming. Everyone in the crew knew of a surprise but still, it was apparent on their faces that they didn’t see this one coming.

“Before I take your words, I would like to add a few things,” he said once again, his voice the only sound in the room. “I would like to address the issue of the reason why I became the Bachelor,” he shifted his weight on one foot. Hell, he should have asked to sit down. “It started with a bet.”

With that last word, Pauline and Chloe straightened on their seats and glared at him. Oh, so now he was the villain. Good.

“A bet I started with a friend.” With the mention of that last word again, a knowing look washed over the girls’ features. Liam was not going to like this. “A long time ago, a few months ago, I never believed in love. I thought it was just a piece of trashy word some optimistic crazy person coined to sell greeting cards and flowers. I wanted to prove to my friend that I can ditch twenty-five women and never look back at any of them. And I was confident I would win.” He looked them in the eyes and a smile crept up at one corner of his mouth. “I never thought I would be very wrong. Very wrong indeed.”

Somehow, Pauline and Chloe must have found something hopeful with his last sentence that their glares turned to sweet smiles. Really, these two should have joined a drama contest. They were so good at shifting from one facial expression to another.

“And I let it go,” he added and once again, their faces were startled. “I let her go because she wanted to. We made a deal that I’d let her go right after the top four.”

He let his words linger in the air until they finally registered in everyone’s mind. Pauline gasped and Chloe almost growled or something.

“Yes, it’s Jules. I’m in love with her and I think I might have made some mistakes because she still went away. I guess it was for the best because I couldn’t stand another day seeing that you girls hated her. Still hates her by the looks on your faces,” he added the last words with bitterness. “I guess you have your own reasons for hating her and I respect that. I also have a few reasons why I’m doing this damn speech. See, obviously, I lost the bet and as a consequence, I was tasked to do this.”

Zach could almost taste the curiosity hovering over everyone and he hated the moment. He wished he didn’t have to do this, but he had to for two reasons. One, so that Liam would stop prodding him. Second, because he believed that Pauline and Chloe deserved to know that they at least needed to change in some ways if not all.

“Pauline, you’re beautiful, sweet, sexy, and caring,” he started, and the girl smiled at him. God, he wished he should just stop there, but he remembered his purpose and continued, “Caring in a way that you care for no one at all but yourself. Maybe it’s because you grew up with a bunch of brothers who would do anything for you. Don’t take that in a bad way. I respect your brothers,” yes, of course he had to say that unless he wanted Tom and Jerry to come throw a grenade at him. Pauline’s face had turned sour. Girls tend to have that expression when you throw negative comments right at their face, so he was okay with that. “I appreciated you when you pretended to be Jules’ friend, but that respect flew out the window the moment you talked trash about her. Never in my time with Jules did I hear a single bad word about you, just so you know.”