The Last Goodbye

Adam walked into the house, not really sure why he was there so early. He knew that Patrick would be out with Jonathan, Brady, and Erica, as they were leaving later today, and he wanted to spend some time with them before they left. He walked towards the kitchen, deciding to raid Patrick’s refrigerator when he saw Raylene sitting on the couch in the living room by herself. “Hey, what are you doing out here?” he asked her, making his presence known.

Raylene jumped at the sudden noise, not knowing anyone else was around. “Sorry,” she immediately apologized, beginning to stand up.

“No,” Adam said, putting his hand out, and she sat back down. “I wasn’t saying you should leave. I was just wondering you were down here by yourself,” he said, sitting down next to her.

“I was just thinking,” she mumbled.

“About what?” Adam asked child-like.

Raylene turned around to look at him, wondering if she should tell him the truth or not. She turned her entire body around to face him, sitting cross-legged on the couch. “I’m wondering why I’m still here,” she admitted.

“Are you thinking about quitting?” Adam asked, and he was surprised at the feeling in the pit of his stomach when he heard that there was a possibility that Raylene could be leaving.

“No,” she shook her head. “That’s not what I meant. I’m just wondering why everyone’s chosen me to stay here so long. Why wasn’t I kicked off yesterday? I mean, Marissa and Rosie are still here, which leads me to believe that everyone’s looking at one type of girl to stay. And, it makes me wonder if I fit into the same category as them,” she spoke her thoughts out loud, shaking her head. “I probably sound crazy, don’t I?” she asked with a small laugh.

“You are nothing like them,” Adam assured her. “I can promise you that,” he smiled at her.

“Thanks,” Raylene said, feeling mildly better than she had.

***

Patrick walked into the pub feeling a bit depressed after his friends had gone to the airport to go back home. He had enjoyed having them around, and he was sad that they weren’t going to be there anymore, and he was back to being stuck with just Adam and the girls once again.

He pulled his baseball cap lower down on his head, hoping to hide from the fans that he knew were everywhere in the city. It wasn’t that he didn’t love his fans; it was just that he didn’t really feel like signing autographs right now. He ordered a beer, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone sit down next to him at the bar. “So, you come here often?” he heard a familiar voice say, and he turned his head to see Delaney sitting next to him.

“How’d you know it was me?” he inquired, taking a sip of his beer as she ordered one herself.

“Please, with that curly hair sticking out from under that cap,” she said, taking the hat off of him and putting it on her own head. “How could I not know it was you?” she asked him with a smile. “So, what’s got you at a place like this?”

“Felt like a beer.”

“What a manly thing to say,” she joked, and Patrick did a double take of her, wondering if this was really Delaney he was talking to right now. He had always only seen her in a serious state, never sarcastic and carefree, the way she was now. “What?” she asked slowly when she realized he was staring at her.

“Nothing,” he said, shaking his head and looking down at the beer bottle in his hands. “I guess I could ask you the same thing. Why are you here right now?”

“I needed a drink,” she said seriously, and Patrick burst out laughing.

“It’s like eleven in the morning, and you already need a drink?” he questioned.

“I believe you’re here right next to me drinking at eleven in the morning, too,” she pointed out, and Patrick instantly stopped laughing, realizing she was right.

“We live sad lives,” he muttered, and now it was Delaney’s turn to laugh.

“I’ll drink to that,” she said, clinking her bottle against his.

“How did our lives turn out like this?” Patrick asked. “Both working on a reality show that’s really a sham,” he said, and Delaney looked over at him curiously. “Come on, we both know I’m not going to find love on this show like it claims. Hell, I doubt if I even stay with any of these girls longer than a week after the show ends,” he added, taking a long swig of beer.

“Wow, alcohol sure does make you blunt, doesn’t it?” Delaney asked.

“Why’d you do it?” Patrick asked, not looking over at her, but instead staring straight ahead of him.

“Why’d I do what?” she asked, having no idea what he was talking about.

“Why’d you do this stupid show anyways? What could have possibly been so appealing about it? I know for me it was all the girls. But, what was in it for you?” he questioned, continuing to drink his beer.

“For me?” Delaney asked, and Patrick nodded his head. “Well, this is what I want to do. I want to be a producer. This just happened to be the show that hired me,” she shrugged her shoulders. “No, it wasn’t my first choice. Or my second or third or even thirtieth, for that matter. But, it was a job. And, I wouldn’t say it’s all been a bad experience. I got to meet a couple of great guys in you and Adam,” she smiled a cheesy smile.

“Yeah, a guy that you went out with and realized that you have no feelings for whatsoever, and a guy that you have feelings for but you refuse to go out with,” Patrick muttered.

Delaney sat her beer down, turning around on the barstool completely so she was facing Patrick. “Are you back to this?” she asked him. “I thought we were past this,” she sighed.

“No, I am still on this,” he said defensively. “I just don’t get it.”

“I have told you a million times why I don’t want to date you.”

“You’ve given me excuses for not going out with me,” Patrick agreed. “But, you and I both know that you have feelings for me,” he said, and Delaney looked down at her beer, not confirming or denying Patrick’s statement. “Why won’t you just do something about it?” he questioned.

“Listen to me,” Delaney said, turning her head towards him. “If we were in any other situation, you better believe that I would go out on a date with you. But, we’re not, Pat. I am the producer of a television show. You are the main star of said reality show. We cannot date,” she spoke the last three words slowly, hoping they would sink in for him.

“So, you’re telling me that if I wasn’t on this show right now, you’d date me?” he asked.

“Yes!” Delaney exclaimed loudly and then got quiet again. “But, that’s not how it is right now.” She stood up, pushing her barstool in. “I’ll see you later today. Don’t get too drunk, please,” she requested with a smile.

“Sure thing,” Patrick said, holding his beer up as a way to wave goodbye to her.

***

Patrick found Adam in the kitchen, and he rolled his eyes. “Are you always here?” he questioned, and Adam jumped, hitting his head on the cabinet door that was open above him.

“Ow!” he exclaimed loudly, grabbing his head. “And, where else am I going to be?” he retorted.

Patrick grabbed a pudding cup out of one of the cabinets and a spoon before sitting down at the table. “You know, I sometimes wonder why I ever decided to join this stupid show,” he spoke, taking a bite of pudding.

“Where’s this coming from?” Adam asked, rummaging through the cabinet once again, trying to find something to eat for himself.

“I don’t know,” Patrick mumbled.

“Liar!” Adam claimed. “Seriously, dude, where’s this coming from? I mean, I know that you’ve never been really into this show, but why all of a sudden are you questioning it?” he asked, taking a can of soup out, looking at it, before putting it back on the shelf.

“It’s nothing,” Patrick shook his head, wishing that Adam would just drop the topic. Adam eyed him but decided not to push the subject further. “I just want to get through these last few eliminations and get on with my life.”

“Do you know who you’re going to choose yet?” Adam asked, grabbing a tub of ice cream out of the freezer and sitting down at the table across from Patrick, immediately digging in.

“No idea,” Patrick muttered. “Maybe I’ll just pick a name out of a hat,” he said with a chuckle. “On second thought, that’s actually not a bad idea,” Patrick said, thinking about it.

“You’re kidding, right?” Adam asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

“No,” Patrick shook his head. “I mean, it doesn’t really matter who I choose in the end. It’s not like I’m going to stay with them. Why not pick a name from a hat?” he asked, finishing up his pudding and standing up, throwing the cup away and the spoon in the sink. “I’ll see you later, man,” he called out to Adam as he made his way towards his bedroom.

Adam sat there, staring at the doorway, thinking about the crazy, random conversation he had just had with Patrick. He grabbed his phone out of his pocket, scrolling down his contact list until he found the name he wanted. Moments later, the person picked up. “Hey Erica, it’s Adam. You know that plan of yours you were telling me about? I think it’s time we put it into action,” he told her.