Welcome. This week's word prompt is "air". I continue with the story, "Reunited". I hope you're enjoying it. Scroll down for the link to return to Tuesday Tales and my website.
*************************
“As I was saying, it’s a program about bringing people
together. Unscripted, reality TV. So, you’d never know what was going to
happen. I mean the viewer wouldn’t. Of course, the producers would have the
reins.”
“What do you mean, ‘have the reins’?”
“They’d be in control. I mean if people started fighting,
like a knock-down-drag-out, or something. They’d step in.”
“What if they started ripping their clothes off and making
passionate love?” Shocked at his own
boldness, he sensed color heading to his face.
“Why, Mike! You made yourself blush,” she said, laughing.
“Answer the question.”
“Of course they’d step in. We don’t want the show to be
yanked because it’s porn, or something.”
“I see. So, it would be okay to do that in private?” A small smile curled his lips.
“Private is private,” she grinned. “I think that kind of
tension, sexual tension, will keep viewers glued to their sets. They’ll want to
know if they slept together or not and the next day, the way they interact, will
probably reveal the truth. But we can’t have that on camera.”
He nodded. “I get it.”
She took a deep breath and let it out. “So, would you be
interested?”
“You want me to pretend to fall in love with you for a trip
to the Caribbean?”
“It’s not that tacky. Honestly. It would help me out so much.
If we could capture an audience, the program would get a contract.”
“Are you a producer?”
She nodded. “I am. Along with Ned Collins. We’re the
founders, the creators of the show. But we’d be the main producers. Or Ned
would. Guess I’d have to step back a bit if I was on camera.”
“This Ned guy. Who is he?”
“A friend.”
“That’s all?”
“Yep.”
She couldn’t meet his gaze. He didn’t believe her. So what if
this Ned guy was her boyfriend? I mean they’d only be pretending to fall in
love, right? He certainly wasn’t ready for a relationship. So this might be
perfect. Getting him out of the house would make his mother happy. And she was
right. He’d been hiding out for a long time, licking his wounds. A wicked idea crossed his mind. How far would Cassie be willing to go
to make this show a success? Would she sleep with him? The idea gave him a
twinge between the legs.
“It’s all going to be make-believe? Just for the camera?”
“Of course. I mean, I don’t know you at all anymore. It’s
been ages.”
“So that means you couldn’t possibly fall in love with me,
right? Guaranteed?”
“Nothing in life is guaranteed, Mike. Who knows?” Her eyes
twinkled with mischief. God, he’d missed that, all these years.
“It’s stupid. Crazy. Idiotic,” he paused, “I’ll do it.” His
rational self jumped up and down inside his head, screaming to back off, run,
as fast as he could. But he’d already committed. The idea of doing something
totally spontaneous and dumb appealed to him. He’d led such a staid life. He
hadn’t taken a chance on anything since he last hung out with Cassie.
He’d forgotten how insane life was with her, how much fun.
Living in the funk he’d been in, hadn’t done anything to help him. He needed a
jolt, something off-the-wall. And this was it. If he got to sleep with Cassie,
so much the better. But even if he didn’t, he’d get to spend time with her. Her
natural energy and enthusiasm might lift him up the way it always had.
With an alcoholic father, tension had always been in the air.
His mother, tight-lipped and grim most of the time, tried to make up for it. She
worked hard at a local restaurant, waiting tables and tending bar. The
atmosphere at home when he was growing up was dark. Cassie shone like the sun
in his life. After school, they’d hang together and she’d get him in some awful
messes. But they always ended up laughing about it.
Cassie had brought life and excitement to his days. Damn, he needed something and maybe she was it.
