The Bachelor by David Dower (top e book reader .txt) 📕

Zach, said that distant thought in his brain. You’re here for a bet and it will be unfair for Jules if you succeed.

He brushed that thought aside. He could think about that later on. For now, he wanted to relish the moment. Julianne would eventually go home and he would not have much regrets. He did what he could.

What if you will still want her after the show? Or after she leaves?

That would really be a big problem then, wouldn’t it?

 *****

“Aren’t we going to stop for a break?” he asked after a while.

“No,” Julianne answered.

“I think my ankle’s really hurting this time, Jules. I’m serious. I was not really completely unharmed by that fall, you know,” he said behind her.

“I don’t care,” she answered.

“Then you go ahead. I don’t think I can go any further,” he surprised her by saying.

Startled, Julianne looked back to see him bending with his hands on his knees. She was tired herself. And there was no sign that they were anywhere near their tent or the sea.

She was having a dilemma right now over what was right and wrong. She knew he was injured in some ways despite his lie about twisting his ankle. Finally, the Good Samaritan part of her won and she walked back towards him.

“Fine,” she uttered and sat on a big rock under a tree.

His face lit up. “Really?”

“I’m not doing this for you,” she lied. “I’m tired as well.”

“Thanks anyways,” he smiled genuinely at her. It was one of his rare smiles, she noticed. Sometimes she would see it come out whenever he was not wearing his stupid bachelor face.

Julianne just nodded and opened her bag. Good thing she threw a shawl inside. She took it and put it around her shoulders. From the corner of her eye, she saw Zach walk towards the boulder right next to her, sat on the ground and sighed.

“I hope it’s not going to rain,” he murmured.

Julianne wished that too. She didn’t answer and leaned against the rock behind her and closed her eyes. There was no chance they could find their way through the woods in the dark. She opened her eyes when she felt heat from her right side. She glanced at Zach, his eyes already closed. “Are you okay?”

 *****

Zach didn’t feel well—talk about karma, really. He felt cold and tired.

“Yes,” he said, his voice shaking a bit.

Without warning, he felt Julianne’s palm over his forehead.

“You’re such a liar. You’re burning up.”

“No, I’ll be fine.”

“You’re burning up, Zach.”

He opened his eyes and he saw Julianne taking her shawl from her shoulder. “No, that’s not necessary. You need it and—”

“Shut up. I don’t want to be the girl who killed the Bachelor. Take it,” she insisted grudgingly and covered him with the shawl. “I think I have some medication in my bag…” he saw her scramble her bag’s contents. A few seconds after, she was holding a tablet with one hand and a bottle of water with the other. “Take this,” she ordered.

Zach obliged, still wondering how he freaking got a fever. Talk about karma.

“Well, it’s real this time,” he murmured with a smile.

Julianne looked at him dryly and said, “Just rest, Zachary.”

“You can share the shawl with me—” he stopped when he saw the look on her face through the beam offered by the moon, “okay, I’ll rest.” Chapter 9

Julianne was relieved when she felt Zach’s temperature going down. But he was still warmer than normal. His breathing was heavy as he slept. There were no sounds around them other than the crickets and some scrambling sound behind the bushes. Good thing she was not terrified by sounds like that. But she couldn’t fall asleep.

She turned her head and looked at the man responsible for everything that went wrong to her in the show. For the first time, she had the freedom to study his face up close without getting caught. She noticed that some new bristles had already started to appear on his chin and along his finely shaped jaws. His nose was not as perfect as she had thought though. It was a little crooked, probably caused by an injury of the past. His brows were thick and hooded his eyes in a smooth arch. His mouth was not too full or too thin either. They had that natural smirk on them. All in all, he looked so innocent while sleeping she could hardly believe he was capable of lying. Her anger had already died down and she just sighed. What could have gotten into him to play such a trick on her?

What a bastard, she thought.

A pretty handsome bastard, part of her mind added.

Julianne just smiled.

She turned her head up and looked at the night sky, wondering what she ought to do to get out of the show. The top four was not too soon for her and she didn’t like it that she was starting to enjoy Zachary’s annoying presence. She really had to go home fast.

Then a thought finally came down and rang repeatedly around her head. And then she smiled.

Yes, that’s a great plan…

And she would start that now. Gently, she reached out her arms and pulled Zachary towards her until his head lay on her shoulder. And ever so gently, she guided his head down her lap. He stirred, but sleep overcame fast.

Julianne smiled. Step one, done.        

 *****

Zach woke up against the heat of the sun. Opening his eyes, he frowned. He was facing the lower part of the ground. He could see the bushes far ahead. Turning his head, he felt something soft. Startled, he shot upright and saw Julianne’s sleeping form. He looked down from where his head had been lying down.

He’d been sleeping on her lap. How did he get there?

His eyes returned to Julianne’s face and he smiled. She looked like an angel with the gleam of light against her face. Everything that happened last night came back to him.

They were lost.

He looked around and he sighed with relief. Of course, he knew where they were now that the sun was up. He had an urge to shake Julianne awake and brag that he was right that they waited until the sun came out. He decided against it knowing she would not appreciate the shaking.

Then he remembered something else.

He had a fever.

He brought his palm on his forehead and grinned. No fever. Good.

“Jules,” he said gently, facing her. His throat was dry and he tried again, “Jules.”

She stirred and her lids opened slowly behind her ugly glasses. He should really give her the contacts he bought in Chicago.

At some point, she looked stunned when she saw him. Then her face lit up and she smiled.

Zach sat frozen on the ground. Did she just smile at me?

“Hi,” she said, her voice husky.

His frown deepened. “Are you alright? You don’t seem alright. Did you get a fever?” he reached out to touch her forehead.

“No, I’m fine. In fact, I’m feeling wonderful!” she beamed at him, her smile growing wide. A sudden rush of different kinds of emotions overwhelmed him when he saw how her smile changed her usual flat affect.

I must be dreaming. Who the hell is she? He asked himself. This was not his Julianne.

“We better go ahead, Zach,” she said and reached for her bag. She stood up, his head following her movement with bewilderment. “What?” she asked laughingly and he was sure he heard angels sing. “What are you staring at? Let’s go find our way out of this shit.”

The angels’ singing stopped with that last word. Zach’s eyes widened. This was definitely not his Julianne. “Jules, are you okay?”

“Of course, I am. I feel itchy though,” she said with a pout.

Zach almost gaped. What the hell was wrong with her? “You don’t act like yourself.”

“I am myself. Look, I’ve been like a bitch to you and I just realized that last night so I think I should finally let you see me as me,” she looked down at him.

Zach just stared at her. It was like he was looking at one of the girls. This was not his Julianne, he repeated to himself.

“Let’s go, Zach, I need a really hot shower after we find our way back.”

“I know where we are,” he answered, standing up, still in a daze. “I can find our way back now.”

“Oh, that’s amazing! That’s great then. Lead the way!”

Zach nodded slowly. Who is she?

 *****

Julianne wanted to gag. Like literally. This was a difficult game she was playing despite what she might have thought. It was a good thing she remembered her plan from last night though.

She looked at Zach behind her and smiled when she saw his bewildered gaze. This better work, she told herself with disgust. She didn’t like the character she was playing at all. It was one thing to create them in her mind and write about them, and it was entirely a different matter altogether to act like them.

“Oh, shoot, my stomach’s rumbling,” she said, exaggerating her expression.

Zach turned to her, his face still as confused as before. “You’re hungry?”

“Definitely,” she forced a smile.

“We’ll go back to our tent. I have food in my bag. It will take the whole day to go back to camp.”

“Bummer,” she blurted out.

“What?”

“I said, bummer,” she repeated.

“Jules, are you okay? You speak differently.”

“Zach, this is how I speak,” she said with a laugh.

“No, Jules, this is not you,” he insisted.

“Do you know me better than myself?” she arched one eyebrow.

“Okay, I won’t argue with that,” he murmured and walked on. “Let’s go get some food.”

 *****

Zach was able to retrace their steps last night and found their tent. The twigs were scattered now, probably by some unknown animal. Good thing Zach’s bag was inside the tent.

“Let’s see…I have some crackers here…” he rummaged through it.

“Is it sugar-free?” Julianne asked beside him. She was laying down her shawl on the ground.

Zach’s mouth opened. Was she serious? He knew she didn’t care about what she ate. He saw the humongous food she ordered in Chicago. “I don’t think so,” he answered.

“Well, I can’t eat that, I’m on a diet.”

“You’re what?”

“I’m on a diet. Let’s just go back to camp. There is more decent food in the cabin.”

He didn’t dare ask her about that. He was plain dumbfounded and lost at the moment. She was acting weird.

“But don’t you want to find your friends?”

She looked at him in disbelief. “Zach, I’m tired. We got lost last night. I’m sure the others can find Pauline and Brenda.”

Zach chose to ignore her and reached for his radio. “Base, this is Nano Team, over.”

“Nano Team, this is Base. We’ve found the girls. You can come back now,” Fatima’s voice crackled back.

“Oh, thank God,” Julianne said beside him with a sigh. “Now we can finally go back.”

Zach punched the button and said, “Where did you find them?”

“They were in the yacht all along, can you believe that?”

“No one checked the yacht before?” he asked in disbelief.

“I’m afraid so. But they’re safe and resting now. Where are you?”

“We’re on our way,” he answered and got up. He turned to Julianne and was surprised that she was already up with her bag on.

“Let’s go?” she asked, her tone close to…he couldn’t really figure out, but it was close to purring.

“I