He thinks back to the Group Quests the past two days. “Well, I held Daphne’s hand yesterday, and then I kissed Angie without having a panic attack about it, so yes?”
“Guard your hearts, ladies! Casanova is on the loose.”
“You can’t help yourself, can you?”
“Do you like any of the women?”
“I like most of the women, honestly.”
Parisa makes a highly suggestive hand gesture. “Not like that,” he snaps. Then, evasively, “I should go. I need to wash my face.”
“Take me with you,” she demands. He huffs and carries the phone into the bathroom. “You don’t have crushes on any of the women?”
He props the phone behind the sink and turns on the water. “I didn’t come here for crushes. I came here to show the world I’m nice and normal so I can work again. Work is what matters.”
While he splashes handfuls of water in his face, Parisa says, “Believe it or not, there is this newfangled thing where people have careers and romantic relationships.”
“I’m sorry to destroy your romantic delusions, but I don’t have those feelings for any of the contestants here.”
“Yeah, but would you know if you did?”
He pauses in the middle of pat-drying his face. “What do you mean?”
She switches to her gentle, coaxing voice. “I mean, you haven’t seriously given dating a chance. Do you know how to recognize it, when you’re interested in someone? The butterflies and the stolen glances and the feeling of wanting to be near them?”
“I… I don’t—”
“Who are you talking to?”
Charlie jumps, drops the towel, and turns. He left the bathroom door open, so Dev stands leaning against the doorframe in plaid pajama bottoms and a USC Trojans T-shirt.
“Nothing. No one.” Charlie jabs at the screen of his phone, hears Parisa shout, “Don’t you dare hang up on me Charles Michael Winshaw,” before he manages to end the call.
“It was just Parisa,” he tells Dev. He knows there is no way to conceal his blush now. He just doesn’t know why he’s blushing.
Dev steps into the bathroom. “You’ve got a bit of… just there.” Dev gestures to the side of Charlie’s face, and Charlie frantically tries to wipe the cream on the back of his hand.
“Here. Do you mind?” Dev bends over to pick up the towel Charlie dropped, and his shirt slides up in the back, revealing the sharp points of his spine. He stands, and his bare skin disappears again. Dev turns on the sink to wet the corner of the towel, then reaches up to dab the lingering face mask from Charlie’s temple.
Charlie holds his breath. Remains as still as possible.
“You smell good,” Dev says when he’s done, setting the towel next to the sink. “Like…” He gets close to Charlie’s face and sniffs. His nose grazes the edge of Charlie’s jaw, and Charlie feels a nauseous lift below his rib cage, as if someone released a thousand balloons inside his stomach. “Lavender,” Dev declares.
“Oh. Yeah. It’s the face mask.”
Dev props himself against the counter. “So, you were great today. On the Group Quest. I almost believed you were into it when you flirted with Megan.”
“Almost,” Charlie says, staring down at his socks.
“Almost.”
He glances up and sees Dev smiling at him. Balloons again.
“Tomorrow, you’re going to ask seven Maidens personal questions about themselves, right?”