Falling for You by Heather Thurmeier

the hot topic, huh?” Cassidy shook her head. She really didn’t want to talk about this with Evan even if he was her cameraman. “Surprised is an understatement. I had no idea I’d have to see my ex-boyfriend. I certainly didn’t expect to date him again. But I’m here now and the show must go on, as they say.”
    “Did seeing Brad again bring back old feelings?”
    “I don’t know yet. I only spoke to him once for a few minutes. I think our first meeting was spent in shock at seeing each other again and it seemed to go by so fast. Maybe once the surprise has worn off, I’ll be able to think about it and decide if there are any old feelings there or not. Meeting someone for a few minutes on one ‘date’ isn’t usually enough time to decide if I feel something for them or not.”
    Evan peeked out from the camera enough so she could see his blue eyes peering at her. “But sometimes a few minutes is enough?”
    “Sometimes,” she said, staring back at him instead of the camera. “There’s an exception to prove every rule, right?” Evan was certainly an exception. A few minutes with him at the piano on her first day was all she’d needed to feel captivated by him.
    “Right.” He cleared his throat and disappeared behind the camera. “So you cooked him pizza. How did he like it?”
    “I’m pretty sure he hated it. It’s kind of funny that this is how we would meet again — over a slice of pizza. When we were dating, I used to love to stop in to the pizza place around the corner from my apartment, and Brad always hated it. And he hated my pepperoni and pineapple indulgence even more. I can’t even count the number of times I must’ve asked him to try one bite before deciding if he liked it or not. But in all the time we dated, he never did. It made me laugh a little that finally he was forced to try it and he couldn’t tell me no.”
    “If you could do it over again, would you have picked a different favorite meal?”
    “That’s tough. They asked me for the meal I couldn’t live without, and that would be pizza, because really, it’s the perfect food. Meat, carbs, sauce, cheese. That’s seriously all you need in a meal. But, if they’d asked me what meal I’d serve on a first date, it definitely wouldn’t be pizza. I think the perfect meal really depends on the situation and the person you’re with. Sometimes you need a nice juicy steak, other times all you need is a PB&J sandwich.”
    “How do you feel about not being in the bottom three this week?”
    “I feel — confused. I’m not sure I understand why Brad is keeping me here since we’ve already been through this whole dating thing and it wasn’t even that long ago.”
    She shrugged. “I’m also a little sad for the girls who had to go home. I think they were developing feelings for Brad already.”
    “Are you developing feelings for Brad already?” The edge of Evan’s cheek bulged like he was clenching his jaw.
    “I already said I don’t know how I feel about Brad.”
    “Do you think he’s attractive?”
    Do we have to talk about this, now — ever?
    “Of course he is. They don’t put unattractive people on these shows. And I did date him, which I wouldn’t have if I didn’t feel some attraction to him. But, I also believe there’s a lot more to a person than what I see on the outside.”
    Evan drummed his fingers on his thigh. “So you like that sexy surfer dude look?”
    What? That’s not what I said.
    “I guess — I don’t know,” she stammered. “I just said he’s good looking. That’s all. He’s not the hottest guy I’ve ever laid eyes on, but he’s definitely not an eyesore either. I don’t know. He’s just — Brad.”
    “A simple yes or no would have been sufficient.” Evan folded his arms across his chest.
    “Then ask a simple yes or no question.” Cassidy crossed her arms to reflect his. He could be so damn infuriating. Why couldn’t he take her initial answer for what it was without all