The Final Rose - JenLisa

Chapter Five: (Now) Burn, Baby. Burn.

Seven women sat around a long table, decorated with tea lights, island flowers, and small potted Korean native plants. A long-stem rose lay at the center of the long table, adding to the tension of the evening. Kai was elsewhere with Kim Innae, the blonde woman who'd shot Rosé. Even with a deduction for friendly fire, she'd scored the most points, which meant she had won extra time with Kai.

The sun was just beginning to set over Ganghwado island, creating a vivid palate of reds, oranges, and purples splashed across the sky and reflecting on the sea waters. It was a stunning view from the restaurant's patio, but I was too distracted by my hunger—my stomach growled to the point that I became tempted to eat the table decorations. A server came to take our drink order, but no dinner menus ever appeared.

"Ladies, just continue to talk amongst yourself," one of the show-runners instructed us." Kai will be back soon."

Rosé rubbed her arms, more out of habit or nervousness than from the cold. The temperatures had dipped since we'd been driven into the island for laser tag, but it wasn't cold enough for a jacket.

"Ever been on a date like this?" I asked her.

"You mean have I ever waited in line for the chance to talk to a guy?" She laughed. "No. This is my first."

Kai walked onto the terra cotta patio where we waited. He had changed out of the t-shirt and jeans from earlier into a blue button-up shirt and dark grey dress pants. His eyes searched our faces before stopping on mine. "Lalisa. Can I steal you for a second?"

I stood and ran my palms over the front of my dress. "Sure, of course."

Kai guided me through a series of corridors to another terrace that overlooked the mountains. The patio was more intimate than the larger outdoor space from whence we'd just come, complete with its own set of camera crew to record our interactions. I noted that we were far enough away from the other women that we'd be in no danger of them overhearing our conversation.

"This is cozy," I remarked, taking a seat on a cushioned bench near a gas fire pit. I gestured to the film crew who quickly worked to rearrange boom mics and overhead spotlights. "But does this ever feel normal?"

"Normal, no," Kai conceded, sitting beside me. "But it does get easier."

"We're ready whenever you are," the female producer in the khaki pants announced.

"I guess that means our date has officially started," I joked uneasily. My palms began to sweat, and I rubbed them against the minimal material of my skirt.

"How's your day going?" Kai opened the conversation.

"It's been an interesting date," I observed with a solemn nod.

"Interesting good or interesting bad?" He worried.

"Mostly good, except for that part where you got me shot," I shrewdly pointed out.

Kai ducked his head. "Yeah, that's on me. But at least your team still won."

"That's true," I conceded.

Kai rubbed the back of his neck. "I've been wanting to talk to you since that first night. Something you said stuck with me that I've wanted to follow up on."

I chewed on my lower lip. "You mean my dad," I anticipated.

Kai's eyes shifted in his skull in an uncomfortable gesture. "Yeah. Uh, I mean you don't have to."

"No, it's okay. I don't mind talking about it."

I had known when I'd agreed to be on the show that all of the skeletons in my family's closet would be made public. What I was about to share wasn't a secret, but I hadn't expected to speak openly about it so early into this process.