One To Watch(121)

“Do you still feel that way?” Bea asked.

Asher sighed. “Bea, I didn’t even feel that way the next morning. When I got back to Vermont, I expected this rush of relief—but all I felt was regret. All these years, I’ve thought of myself as the person who gets left behind. Being the person who ran felt so much worse.”

“You could have called me,” Bea said softly. “You could have shown up for the reunion.”

Asher hung his head. “I was desperate to convince myself I’d done the right thing. If I could just believe I was better off without you, then that would mean I didn’t make the worst mistake of my life in France. When I saw your face on TV Monday night after they told you I wasn’t coming … I’ve never been so ashamed, Bea. Never.”

Bea closed her eyes. She wanted to believe him so badly. So why couldn’t she?

“Bea …” He took her hand, and he was shaking—they both were. “Do you remember what you told us in Vermont? What your stepdad said, about choosing your family?”

Bea nodded and met his eyes for the first time. Of course she remembered.

“I keep thinking,” he went on. “What if it’s supposed to be us?”

“All those years,” Bea said, her voice quivering, “telling myself I would end up with Ray, when he wouldn’t date me, when he didn’t live here, even when he proposed to someone else. I was running, Asher, just like you did in Amboise. It felt so much safer to hide from anyone who might actually want to see me.”

“And now?” Asher asked, his voice hoarse.

“Now, I think, you and I have seen the worst of each other.” Bea’s voice cracked, and she felt the first tears start to fall. “But I just want to keep looking at you every single day.”

“I should have done this the first time we were here,” he said gently, and then he leaned in and kissed her.

It was silent in the gallery—no orchestra, no fireworks, no whir of generators and cameras. The only sounds were her breath and his, just Bea and the man she loved. He wasn’t a fantasy, he wasn’t a dream, and he wasn’t a happy ending. He was warmth and wit and kindness, a certainty and a surprise. He was the person who could hurt her most in the world, and he was worth the risk.

“Hey,” Bea said quietly. “I choose you.”





EPILOGUE


(One man left)


TRANSCRIPT OF BOOB TUBE PODCAST EPISODE #065


Cat:

Well. Well, well, well, well, well.



Ruby:

Wow, this is going to be insufferable, isn’t it?



Cat:

Why would you say that, Ruby?



Ruby:

Because you’re the sorest winner in the history of mankind?



Cat:

BUT I’M JUST SO HAPPY FOR ASHER AND BEA!



Ruby:

And for yourself for having correctly called the winner of yet another season of Main Squeeze?



Cat:

That too, but like ninety percent happy for Asher and Bea, ten percent proud of my streak remaining unbroken?



Ruby:

Seventy-thirty?



Cat:

Let’s call it eighty-twenty.



Ruby:

For those of you who haven’t heard, Bea Schumacher and Asher Chang-Reitman from this season of Main Squeeze were photographed together watching fireworks with his kids on the Fourth of July, and the whole Internet basically erupted with joy.



Cat:

It’s so nice to feel proud of this country again!



Ruby:

And even nicer to see those two crazy kids found a way to work things out. Do you think we’ll be getting a wedding special?



Cat:

If only! Sadly, Bea’s agent released a statement confirming the two are together, but apparently they’re refusing any press requests whatsoever, and have asked that we respect their privacy. Which is pretty understandable, given the run those two had during the show.



Ruby:

Definitely, but it doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it!



Cat:

No, but you know what you can be happy about?



Ruby:

What’s that, Cat?



Cat:

Next week is the premiere of Main Squeeze Mansion!



Ruby:

Oh my God, I have to watch another one of these things?



Cat:

This is your life now, Ruby. You watch one season, you get attached to all the people, and then you can never stop tuning in to see what happens next. Besides, aren’t you excited to see which women—and men, frankly—Luc is going to sleep with this time around?



Ruby:

Come on, Cat, did you even watch last season? The answer is everyone. Luc is going to sleep with everyone.



Cat:

Too right, he is. And if you’re going to sleep with everyone, first of all, well done you, but second of all, you might want a monthly shipment of condoms delivered directly to your door. SafetyGirl condoms are made without any harmful chemicals that can be absorbed into your vagina, and you can customize your shipment so you’re always prepared to have as much sex as you want, whether that’s with a million different partners like Luc or with one person you’re going to love forever and ever, just like Bea and Asher because I am always right.