Flavor of the Week

Zayn had actually picked her for the final date. Even after the drama they had with one another over the horse fear situation, after it was revealed that Hannah acted like a bitch to the other girls when the cameras weren’t rolling, after one of the meanest things she’d ever said about another human being had been played for everyone to hear, he was still willing to give her a shot.

She closed her eyes as she thought about the conversation after the latest challenge, where Zayn had explained that he knew how reality television worked, and the only thing she’d done wrong was giving into their desire to create drama. They’d kissed and disposed of the issue, and Zayn had reassured her that he still thought she was wonderful.

Her black eyes opened again, back in the present, scanning down her face and checking for any imperfections she missed while she still had her bag of makeup sitting in front of her. She needed to look absolutely flawless so Zayn could remember the image in his mind for when it was revealed that the entire competition had been a giant hoax.

Finally pulling away from the mirror and stuffing her mascara in her black bag, she cleared her throat and tried to swallow the wad of emotion that had arisen when she thought about the impending storm. She could imagine how the truth would be the breaking point in their relationship, and he would want nothing to do with her.

More than anything, she wished that she’d been able to keep her feelings withdrawn, that she’d kept in mind better that this was supposed to be an acting role. If she never fell in love with her costars before, then why did she have to start now?

She blinked back the tears, desperate not to screw up her makeup, and took a deep breath. You’re funny, she told herself, smiling and ignoring how it didn’t reach her eyes. You’re fucking hysterical, so go out and knock them dead.



For the first time in the competition, the boys were allowed to choose the date so the experience was more personal, and each couple got their own vehicles for transportation to get to the destination. Although keeping the date a secret was not a requirement, Zayn refused to tell Hannah where they were going because he wanted to keep it a surprise, and it was driving her crazy.

She was supposed to be fun, since comedic people always came off as fun and adventurous, but her heart was racing on the inside. She hated surprises more than anything else in the world, since she hated having anything kept from her for any length of time, but she had to hold back her slew of questions to keep him from getting suspicious.

Instead of forcing conversation, she looked out the window, watching the buildings and people passing. A few minutes into the ride, Zayn hooked his hand around hers and squeezed, probably because he sensed her tension and wanted to relieve it.

She looked over and him and smiled, squeezing back. She would be okay, really. All she had to do was loosen up and stop stressing about everything that was going to happen in the future.

The car finally pulled to a stop, and Hannah blinked in surprise. “What is this?” she questioned, turning to him and raising an eyebrow.

Zayn seemed almost bashful as he answered. “My idea was to take you to a Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z concert. I really love them, and I remembered you saying that you really liked Justin Timberlake, so I thought it would be a good idea. Was I wrong?”

Hannah’s face lit up as she looked back at the venue. It had always been a dream of hers to see Justin Timberlake live, and because of Zayn, it was about to come true.

“Oh my God,” she exclaimed, forgetting about the cameras and flinging herself across the seat to wrap her arms around him. “This is perfect. Thank you so much.”

She could feel his cheek warming against hers, as he was probably embarrassed by her obvious affection toward him, so she pulled back and tucked a lock of silky hair behind her ear. “Well, let’s go in. What are you waiting for?”

He grinned and threw his door open, slipping on a pair of dark sunglasses in a pathetic attempt to disguise himself. They met on the sidewalk next to where Hannah had emerged from the SUV that had been assigned to them, and Zayn’s found immediately found hers when they met. His fingers weaved through hers seamlessly, like they were meant to fit together, and Hannah forced herself to ignore the leap in her chest.

They barely had to show their tickets to be admitted into the show, even though the doors hadn’t officially opened yet. “Being a celebrity has its perks, huh?” Hannah joked, nudging her shoulder against Zayn’s to show that she was teasing.

“Of course. But I would never abuse them unless I was showing off for a beautiful girl.” He turned to smile at her, and Hannah could feel herself blushing slightly.

The place was completely empty, since they were admitted early, so they had no problem getting drinks and souvenirs before sitting in their seats in the front row. Hannah’s stomach was tightened with excitement, her knee bouncing up and down to get rid of some of her energy, and she could hear Zayn chuckle lightly beside her.

They chatted lightly, flirting and being sweet, pretending that the cameras weren’t there. And it was about ten minutes later that Hannah almost had a heart attack. Because Justin Timberlake was walking straight toward them, a kind smile on his face.

Hannah stared at Zayn with a gaping mouth, and Zayn let out a knowing laugh. He’d known all along that Justin Timberlake was going to meet with them, and he had kept the information from her for the sake of the surprise.

“Hi!” Hannah gasped out, getting embarrassed by her obvious flustered exclamation. “Oh my God, it’s you!” She had no idea why she hadn’t been expecting it in the least, since reality shows had a tendency of rigging things in that way, but it still caught her completely off guard.

He laughed and nodded. “It’s really nice to meet you, Hannah.” She tried not to squeal that he’d said her name in the flesh. “I hope you guys enjoy the show.”

“Oh, we will,” Hannah burst out, which made Zayn laugh. “Can you take a picture?”

“Of course.”

The three of them clustered together while Zayn held out Hannah’s phone and snapped a picture before doing the same with his own phone. After Justin had left, smiling, to get ready for the show, Hannah glanced down at the image and cringed at how flushed her face looked.

“I’m such a child,” she groaned, shaking her head. “I can’t even keep my cool.”

“I think you were cute,” Zayn encouraged, rubbing her back soothingly. “And you look adorable in the picture, too. Definitely something to hang up.”

“I do hope you’re kidding,” she muttered, shaking her head, while Zayn just laughed again, which made her think that he wasn’t actually joking.

Just then, the rest of the crowd started filing in, filling the venue with excited loud voices, singing, and screaming for Justin and Jay-Z to show themselves. Zayn fell silent, probably hoping that no one approached him or inquired about the cameras positioned around them, leaving Hannah with her own thoughts.

And she felt incredibly guilty. Zayn and the show had gone through quite a bit of trouble to score front row tickets and a meeting with Justin Timberlake. And within a few days, their whole perfect romantic story was going to start crumbling to pieces when he realized that she’d been acting all along.

Except, when she thought about it, she realized that she hadn’t been forcing too many jokes that day. She’d, in essence, been acting just like herself, letting things flow naturally. And she hadn’t been sent a text reminding her to be funny and carefree.

So maybe things would go okay in the end. Maybe.