Flavor of the Week

For the second week in a row, Harry chose Ava as his date of choice, and Ava couldn’t be more excited. Of course, his only other option, Payton, wasn’t exactly the best, but he’d still chosen Ava and that gave her hope that she still had somewhat of a chance at winning the game. As long as there weren’t any more curve balls thrown at her, she could still end up on top.

The date for that week was simple: a casual ride on a yacht. Since Louis and Niall had tied for the week, they got special privileges, but the yacht was so exquisite that it was hard to tell the difference between the winners and the losers.

As the groups stepped onto the boat, wind blowing against their faces, Harry walked alongside Ava with their shoulders just barely rubbing against one another. Ava knew that her slutty persona would have to take advantage of the opportunity to get in good with Harry; she just had to find a balance between seductively flirting and still being charming.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Harry said, pointing out at the ocean in front of them. Ava’s eyes followed his fingers out to the waves that smashed against the boat. She had to admit that he was right, and looking out at the ocean was the most peaceful she felt since the competition started.

Ava nodded her head. “It is.”

The boat began moving forward, slowly pulling away from the harbor. It took a moment for Ava to steady herself and she nearly fell over, but Harry’s hand fell to her waist and held her in place. She smiled up at him and he smiled back, and she was ecstatic when a few moments passed and he didn’t move his hand.

“Can you believe it’s almost over?” Harry said suddenly, causing Ava to look over at him. “There’s only ten girls left. Two on each team.”

Ava bit her lip as she nodded her head slowly. “You have so few options left.”

That was probably the wrong thing to say, but Ava couldn’t help it. It was hard not to wonder if she was only Harry’s pick because there was no one else left. Sure, she’d made it through until now, but that could’ve just been by luck.

“I think I got the best pick of the bunch,” Harry whispered, winking at her. A chuckle left his lips and he smiled. “I mean, look at that lass Louis’s got with him.”

Ava looked over at Louis, who had Victoria latching onto him like a flea on a dog. Her eyes never left his face and she looked as though she’d never be able to get enough of Louis’s attention. Ava couldn’t tell if Louis was pleased or annoyed.

Looking back at Harry, Ava let out a small laugh and he smiled down at her, tightening his grip on her waist. His fingers felt so firm against her skin and she never wanted his touch to leave her body.

Ava could practically feel the eyes of the producers on her, knowing they would want her to act on her character. She knew she’d done a good job by sleeping with Louis, but they wanted her to take it a step further. She could feel her conscience beginning to eat away at her, but she was stuck between a rock and a hard place. There was what she wanted to do and what she had to, and there was a chance that neither of them would end well.

Letting out a small breath, Ava leaned against Harry, pushing her hips closer to him. He smiled at the contact, so she took it as a good sign and rested her head against his shoulder.

“You’re beautiful, you know that?” Harry whispered, his warm breath falling against her ear. She hoped the cameras couldn’t hear so the producers could play it off as being something seductive, and because, for once, she wanted something between her and Harry to be just between the two of them.

He pressed a small kiss to her temple, and she couldn’t help but feel special, even though she knew the whole thing was fake. It was all an act and none of it was real, but to Ava it certainly didn’t feel that way.