The Bachelor (Jerika)

Chapter Twelve

Erika POV: "Ms. Cecilia, you will be first to meet Jake!" yells Chad. A blonde girl jumps up. "Yay!" she squeals as she runs out the door. I roll my eyes. I swear you'd think these girls were meeting Justin Bieber or something. One by one, the girls leave and return; I sit silent until Tessa runs back into the room. "Omg Erika, he's unreal!" she gushes. "Really?" "Yeah, I already have such a big crush on him! He even said I seemed like a sweet girl." I smiled. Jake wasn't wrong about that. "Okay next is.. Ms. Erika Costell!" My stomach dropped. I guess it was go time. I open the door to the room and see Jake sitting at a table; hands folded together and eyes masked by a blindfold. He was dressed in a sharp suit and his hair had been meticulously gelled. "Hey, I'm Erika," I say awkwardly as I slid into the chair across from him. He smiles. "Hi Erika." He unclasps his hands and holds them out. I hesitantly place my hands in his. "Please don't think this is creepy, but you have really soft hands," he says. I laugh. "Don't worry, I get that a lot." There's an awkward silence. I didn't know what to say. "Um.. you look handsome," I offer. He sighs. "You don't have to force yourself to compliment me." Was I that obvious? "No, I'm serious." He chuckles. "That's a lie. You're just saying that to say something." I groan. "Fine, you got me. But can I be honest about how I feel?" He nods. "Jake, we're both uncomfortable right now. And I'm not going to fall for you with you based on a five minute conversation. In fact, I'm sure you'll forget my name right as the next girl walks in. And at the end of this whole thing you'll just pick the hottest girl or whatever." Jake chuckles. "Wow, I think you insulted me more times than I can count." I realized that I had probably gone too far. "Oh god, shouldn't have said all that," I groan as I bury my head in my hands. "I'll just go now," I say, quickly getting up to leave. "Hey Erika? I can promise that I won't forget you," he says with an amused smile. I groan again. While that had gone disastrously (and I would surely be eliminated); I had to admit-he was not the cocky, annoying douche that I had expected.

Jake POV: I had been bored out of my mind. It was the first day of filming, and I was meeting all of the contestants one by one. But every girl I met just talked about how lucky they were, how exciting the show was and how amazing I was. While they were nice; the small talk was dull, and these girls didn't even know me. How could they say I was "amazing"? I felt like an object they were trying to win; not someone they actually wanted to be in a relationship with. It didn't help that I was forced to wear a blindfold, which made me distant and detached from the girls. I was quickly losing the little hope I had in finding something real from this. Then she walked in. Brutally honest, funny and bold; a personality that starkly contrasted the sweet, lavender scent that radiated off of her. Our conversation was awkward and short; but it was real. No fake bullshit. She even went as far as to blatantly insult me, but most of everything she said was right. The show was questionable; even a bit superficial. I was shocked. I never expected a contestant to have such little faith in this show; even less faith than me. There were other interesting contestants, but even as I talked to the girls after her, I could only think of her. As soon I finished talking to the last contestant, I ripped of my blindfold and left set to take a break. I would have to pick three girls to eliminate, but that wouldn't be too hard. Many of them were bland; I'd just eliminate the blandest of the bland. Still, I was only thinking about Erika. I wondered what she looked like. Was she blonde? Brunette? Redhead maybe? Where was she from? What was her life like? If she didn't even believe in the show, then why did she apply? I had so many questions to ask her. I chuckle to myself at how quickly and wholly she had taken my attention. Erika, you were wrong about one thing. You are truly unforgettable.