The Bachelor (Jerika)

Chapter Forty Eight

Two Days Later- Los Angeles, California
Erika POV: "Michelle, will you accept this rose?" I watch as Michelle nods, and walks up to Jake. "Of course." She gives him a slight kiss on the cheek and stands next to Jenna, who had also already received a rose. Chad clears his throat. "There are three girls left, but only one rose to give out. Renee, Erika and Ashley; only one of you will be progressing to the next stage of the competition." At his words, my heartbeat quickens. Though the hometown date had gone so well, I was nervous. I believed he would give me the rose, but what if the other dates went much better? What if something had gone wrong and I hadn't even noticed? "Alright ladies, close your eyes and hold out your hand. Jake will hand one of you the last rose." I close my eyes, and I hear Jake take a deep breath then slowly walk toward us. "All three of you are wonderful women; and it was a pleasure meeting your families and visiting your homes." He pauses. "But this is a competition and I have to say goodbye to two of you tonight. And while I felt connections with all three of you, one connection was stronger than the others." I hear him step closer, and suddenly the touch of a soft petal brushes my finger. My eyes fly open, and Jake fully places the rose in my hand. "Erika, will you accept this-" "Yes!" I throw my arms around him, laughing as he lifts me off the ground. As he sets me down I turn to Ashely and Renee. "I'll miss you girls so much." We all hug, and Michelle and Jenna run over to join us. Renee wipes away a tear. "I'm rooting for all of you, you got that?" Ashley shakes her head. "I'm not. You're all too good for Jake." We all laugh; and Jake comes over to bid his goodbyes. Though Ashley and Renee were handling the elimination in a dignified manner, it was an emotional goodbye since we had all gotten so close. We walk them out to the limo, then return to the stage. Chad smiles. "And then there was three. Michelle, Jenna and Erika you are the finalists of The Bachelor!" We all clap; smiling at having made it this far.  "Now, Jake's journey to find love is almost at its end. But there's one major step left before we get down to our final two. Any guesses on what that next step is?" We all shake our heads; I look to Jake who seems very nervous. "Well...Jake met all of your families, saw your homes, got to know your backgrounds. Now it's time to flip flop." My eyes widen. "That's right, we're heading to Cleveland! All three of you will get to meet and chat with the parents of our handsome bachelor." I smile, as I was excited to meet Jake's parents. It meant things were getting serious, and though I never thought about it before, I wanted to win. I wanted to be Jake's one and only girlfriend, I was ready to give it my all. "And girls, we have another surprise...the private jet to Ohio leaves in a hour, so you'll want to pack asap." Michelle gasps. "One hour?" Chad laughs. "One hour." He turns away from us to the camera. "And that's the show, ladies and gentlemen. Tonight we saw the second half of Erika's emotional hometown date and the elimination of Renee and Ashley. We'll be back tomorrow with more drama, more excitement and more love. Have a good night, America."

One Hour Later- Private Jet
Erika POV: Sylvie holds out her glass. "On my count, we all yell "final three!" ok?" All the cast and crew are gathered together on the jet, and on Sylvie's count we raise our glasses and cheer. As I look around, it hits me how much this show had changed my life. In the last two months, these people have become my second family. I've experienced things I never could have before, I've lived life at a breakneck speed, I'm dating this guy who's way out of my league. It was incredible, it was unbelievable. Suddenly, I felt someone throw their arm around me. I turned; and it was Jake; one arm around me and the other around Jenna. "Nervous?" I shake my head while Jenna blushes. "Jake, I'm actually so scared," she says. He squeezes her shoulder. "Don't be. They'll love you." He looks at me. "And you. A bit overconfident, huh?" I smirk. "If you're parents are anything like you, I'll have them bowled over in seconds." Jake laughs. "Can't argue with that logic." We all go to sit down, and Michelle joins us, sitting on the arm of Jake's seat. "So, give us a little preview of what your parents are like." He nods.

One Hour Later-
Erika POV: "And I had a great childhood, even though they were divorced things were always friendl-" Jake is interrupted by the pilot on the overhead system. "Ladies and gentlemen we'll be landing in CLE in twenty minutes. It was a pleasure flying you all and good luck with the show." We clap, and I peer out the window to see the buildings get closer and closer. "Well, thanks for the crash course on your parents," says Michelle to Jake. I nod. "They sound great." Jake laughs. "They are great. Atleast, most of the time." We laugh, and continue chatting until Sylvia walks over. "Girls follow me, we have to go over somethings." Jenna, Michelle and I follow her to a corner of the plane, and Sylvia clears her throat. "Tonight we're all staying in the Hilton, where you'll get some time to relax and freshen up. Tomorrow morning Pam and Greg will be coming to the hotel, and you'll meet them one by one. Remember to be polite, calm and composed. Got it?" We nod. "After you meet them we fly back to LA, then the day after that we'll have the rose ceremony." She takes a deep breath. "After which we'll have our final two."

Next Day- Hilton Hotel
Jake POV: I chat with the cameraman as I wait for my parents to arrive, and soon enough I see the two exit a taxi. "Mom!" I yell as she walks toward me. "Jake! I missed you so much sweetie." She gives me a big kiss on the cheek, and moves aside to let dad hug me. "Jake, how's it been?" "Great, dad. The girls are all amazing, it's been a dream." Mom grins. "I've been watching every episode, and the girls are all lovely." She looks at dad. "We can't wait to meet them." I smile, and point them toward the entrance. "Well, let's get going." We walk together inside and enter the room the producers had set up for us. An assistant seats my parents on one couch and me on the other. "The first girl will be coming in a few minutes." Try to keep the conversation causal and flowing." The assistant turns to my parents. "Be nice, but still ask questions that dig deep and really bring out the girls characters. We want you guys to really get to know them, and see who you like the most. Best of luck!" She flashes a thumbs up, then hurries out.