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The only thing that keeps the mardy look off my face is watching Helene struggle to carry Bain on her back. She practically crumples when they cross the finish line. I smirk as I see her time was slightly longer than mine.

Probably because they wasted all of that time with their tongues down each other's throats.

Bain looks over at me as Lula takes up position with Fidel. He has a guilty look in his eye and I quickly look away.

He doesn't owe me anything. It's day two. Get a grip.

Winnie is bumped out of the second round, meaning the six of us move onto the final one.

Helene and I choose to battle for Bain, Binah and Florie choose Ahmed. Lula chooses Fidel and so as not to be awkward, Saffron chooses him too.

We all know she only cares about Spencer. I notice that he didn't watch when Saffron did the course with Fidel. I sense some jealousy from our host today.

In the final round, we have to complete the course at the same time. Whoever crosses the finish line first, wins.

Lula and Saffron go first. Lula beats Saffron by a couple of seconds, winning her individual date with Fidel. I know Saffron isn't that fussed by it. Mostly, she just likes to win.

Binah and Florie go next. Florie is faster than Binah and quickly takes the lead. Although she really tries, Binah never manages to catch up with her.

Florie wins the date with Ahmed and I make a mental note to check on Binah later. She looked crushed.

Helene and I are last. She doesn't say anything to me, but I catch her sneering at me out of the corner of my eye.

I don't like her, but that doesn't mean I'm going to be nasty to her. I don't know what her problem is, but I don't think this competition is making it any better between us.

Up until the middle of the course, we are neck and neck. We have similar staminas and we're both fighting hard.

I want to beat her to get time with Bain, but also to prove myself to her. I know I probably won't hear the end of it if she wins.

When we reach the obstacle where you have to jump the gap, Helene allows me to go first. I'm suspicious as hell, but I go to jump.

At the last minute, she puts her foot out, tripping me up. I stumble forwards and fall down the gap. I land on the squishy mat below, but I drop nearly two metres to get there. I grunt as my body hits the floor.

Ouch.

'Oh, my God, Amity!' Helene cries. 'Are you okay?'

I glare up at her.

Everyone comes rushing over.

'Amity, are you alright?' Spencer asks worriedly.

I get to my feet and brush myself down.

'I'm fine. Someone tripped me up,' I snap.

Helene looks shocked and gasps in fake horror.

'Amity, I'm so sorry! I would never do that intentionally.'

'Sure you wouldn't,' I mutter and climb up the steps to her.

'Ahmed, re-start the stopwatch. We'll go from here, if you're alright with that?' Spencer orders.

I nod and keep my distance from the bitch, Helene.

'I'm sorry,' she says sweetly and I give her a fake smile back.

'You go first,' I tell her.

I try to calm my racing heartbeat. I don't want to drop to her level and be nasty. I am better than this.

Helene keeps her distance in the next obstacles, until we get to the slanted boards. She shoves me out of the way to get in front. I follow close behind her, but she blocks me when we get to the final obstacle.

She crosses the tyres before me and sprints through the finish line. She puts her hands in the air and grins triumphantly.

I want to hit her. I'm not an angry person, I'm blaming the adrenaline.

I roll my shoulders, still feeling stiff from my fall.

'What a fucking bitch,' Saffron says as she comes over to me.

Winnie nods in agreement. 'It was obvious she tripped you up. Don't worry, Bain saw it all. I think he can see right through her bullshit.'

I look over at Bain and see Helene hanging off his arm.

'We get to go on our own date, just the two of us! Won't that be romantic?' She coos and I taste bile in my mouth.

With the competition over, we are allowed to leave. I can feel Bain's eyes on me, but I don't turn around.

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We are allowed to contact family in the afternoon. There is no wifi or signal, so we are given phones to call our family.

One of the agreements in the contract was that we would have no social media access during our stay. The bachelors are big on privacy.

I call my mother. She doesn't answer, so I leave a message on her voicemail. She's probably fishing on her boat or something.

The three girls get ready for their dates and the rest of us send them off with envy. They look lovely in their evening dresses.

All they were told is that they would be dining in the castle and should dress up. I'd rather not know what they're doing, it makes me less envious.

We have dinner together and decide to watch a movie afterwards. It takes some time, trying to find a movie that all seven of us like.

When it ends, it's nine o'clock and the girls haven't come back from their dates. The girls put on another movie and I go back to my room. I slide on some slippers and a cardigan over my pyjamas and decide to go exploring.

Spencer said we could go everywhere except the men's wing.

I make my way along the long corridors, admiring the art on the walls.

I hear talking and footsteps and I quickly try the handle of the nearest door. I open it and step inside, shutting the door behind me.

As I wait for the people to go past, I turn to look around the room.

It is a drawing room, complete with sofas and coffee tables. I wander around it, nosily looking at all of the objects in the cabinets and on the tables.

When it goes quiet outside, I figure it is safe to leave again. I sneak out of the room and try to make my way back up to our chambers.

I'm surprised to see Bain walking towards our chambers, too. I'm behind him.

Maybe he was dropping Helene off? But why is he walking towards the chambers without her?

He's too far ahead to hear my quiet footsteps on the carpet. I watch him curiously.

He walks past the door to the communal area. I can hear everyone talking inside and I realise the girls are back from their dates.

If their dates are over, why is Bain here?

I'm surprised when Bain stops right outside my bedroom door, at the end of the hall. He knocks on my door and I pick up my pace.

He knocks again and I reach his side. He looks at me in surprise, as though I've disturbed him from deep thoughts.

'Amity,' he greets me. 'I was just coming to talk to you.'

I wrap my cardigan tighter around me, covering my spotty pyjamas. I was not expecting to see him tonight. I've taken my make-up off and my hair is up in a bun.

'What about?' I ask, wincing when I realise how rude that sounded.

Bain rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. 'I'm not even sure. I wanted to see you.'

He glances anxiously at the door, behind which, the other nine girls are chatting.

'Can we go into your room? No funny business, I promise. I don't want one of the women coming out and seeing us.'

I hesitate for a moment, trying to remember what state I left the room in. Fortunately, I had some time this afternoon and I tidied it.

'Um, sure. Come in.'

I unlock the door for us and we both step inside. I flick on one of the lamps, it bathes the room in a warm glow.

I sit down on the window seat and shuffle up to make room for Bain. He takes a seat next to me. He looks incredibly handsome in his shirt and trousers.

'I enjoyed today, we make a good team,' he says.

I smile and tuck a stray piece of hair behind my ear. 'Yeah, we do.'

It turns silent for a moment and I clear my throat.

'Did you enjoy your date with Helene? I've been exploring that castle so I haven't seen the girls and heard about how it went, yet.'

I hope my voice sounds as casual as I'm trying to make it.

Bain looks at me with an expression I can't decipher. He gazes thoughtfully at me.

'It was...enjoyable. We ate delicious food in the old throne room. You should look for it tomorrow, there's some great antiques in there from when a royal family owned this place.'

I nod. 'Sounds nice.'

I inwardly grimace at how pathetic I sound.

Bain reaches out and strokes my cheek, making me jump. My eyes meet his and sparks fly between us.

'I wish it had been you who had won today. I know Helene has it out for you. I spoke to her tonight about it and told her to leave you alone.'

My cheeks warm up at his confession.

I can't imagine it has done any good, Bain telling Helene to stay away from me, she probably hates me even more now. I don't care, because he just said he wishes it had been me, instead.

He leans in closer and I feel his breath fan across my cheeks.

'I wanted to spend time with you, tonight. That's why I came to find you.'

I swallow hard and try to remember to breathe.

'You seemed to enjoy your kiss with Helene earlier,' I comment.

I hate myself for ruining the mood but also, I'm glad I mentioned it.

Bain smirks. 'Are you jealous, pisicuță?' He asks teasingly.

I narrow my eyes at him and shrug. 'Envious, maybe.'

He grins. 'Same thing.'

Bain runs his thumb over my bottom lip and my breath catches in my throat.

'Don't be jealous. I did not kiss her tonight. The only lips I want on mine, are yours.'

Before I can respond to his romantic remark, he closes the distance between us. Our lips touch and fireworks explode behind my eyelids.

It's so different from our kiss this afternoon. It isn't hesitant or quick. Bain takes his time, moving his lips over mine in a way that makes me breathless.

I dig my fingers into his hair and his large body shudders against mine. He likes that.

When he pulls back, we're both breathing heavily.

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Bain stays in my room for almost an hour. We talk about a lot of things, acting as though we did get our own individual date. He tells me about his family some more and the things he got up to whilst growing up.

After he leaves, I go and speak to the girls. Helene tries to rub her date with Bain in my face. It doesn't work, especially because my lips are still tingling from my kiss with him. I remain impassive and she seems irritated that she can't get to me.

When everyone goes to sleep, I struggle to fall asleep myself. I'm thirsty and I curse when there is no glass in my bathroom. I could just drink from the tap, but I usually get water all down myself and I want the walk.

I tiptoe over to the communal area and get myself a glass of water. At the door, I hear footsteps and I freeze.

I peek around the door and look into the hallway.

My eyes widen in surprise as I see Fidel, coming out of Marybeth's room. He looks around and I shrink back, hiding behind the door and peeking out through the small crack.

It's dark in the hallway, but I watch him wipe his mouth with the back of his hand and stalk down the corridor.

I wait until he has rounded the corner to let out the breath I'd been holding in.

What the fuck was that?

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