Looking for Love - Day Five

Lyndsay had headed to bed super early the night before, probably from the stressful days of group dates, individual dates and of course, the Compatibility Ceremonies.  It had been a whirlwind of a week so far! 

 

That's how Lyndsay found herself awake at 3 am, unsure what to do while everyone else was sleeping soundly.   She flipped through a romance novel she'd brought, but it didn't hold her interest.

She couldn't help but think about Random.  Not like that!  She just wished she could talk to him about the bachelors and see what his opinion might be. 

She heard stirring from the bachelors' room.  Finally!

"Morning Griff," Conrad said as he got out of bed.  

 

"Morning," Griff mumbled.  He still wasn't used to waking up this early.  He thought it might have something to do with the beds.

Lyndsay headed downstairs and decided to surprise her bachelors with a homemade meal.  Well, it was toaster pastries, but it had to be better than overnight gelatin, right?!

"Mmmm, it smells good in here," Holden said, sniffing the air appreciatively.  

 

"I made breakfast," Lyndsay laughed, showing him the platter. 

 

"No, I think it's you that smells delicious!" 

Lyndsay enjoyed the banter between Conrad and Holden. It was surprising to her how close she was becoming to everyone.  The Compatibility Ceremony was going to be awful.  

 

Absently, she wondered where Griff and Kampol were.

"Do you have to do that now?" Griff asked gruffly, shooing Kampol from the room.  Man, he needed some coffee!

Griff and Kamp decided to skip breakfast and headed to the den to boogy down.

There wasn't much that the bachelors had down to try to undermine each other.  But, Holden letting out a noxious fart and then blaming it on Conrad was a doozy.    "Conrad!" Holden exclaimed in fake disgust.  "How rude!"

Things were starting to heat up.  Lyndsay would spend more time with each bachelor, testing their compatibility.  In the end, she thought this challenge would boil down to chemistry.  She flirted with Kampol and was surprised when Holden opened the door.

"Do you mind?" Kampol groused as Holden started to enter the room.  "This is our one on on time?"  

 

Flustered from nearly being caught, Lyndsay shooed Holden from the room, apologized to Kampol "I'll be right back," she promised and then slipped out with Holden.

This was going well, Kampol thought, quickly reaching for the toothpaste for fresh breath during the wooing.

"It's not what it looked like," she flirted charmingly. 

"I have to give everyone the same attention, otherwise it wouldn't be fair," she explained. "Even if I have feelings for one person in particular."  She said suggestively.

"You don't have to sweettalk me," Holden told her.  "I know, and I'll try to give you space and be understanding," he said.  He wasn't so sure he would be able to stomach seeing her flirt with anyone else, though.

Lyndsay slipped back into the bathroom and finished her date with Kampol.

She found Griff and Conrad hanging out in the den.  She and Conrad were tight, but she didn't think there were any true feelings between them.

So, she began her one-on-one date with Griff  right in front of Conrad.

She wasn't sure if it was the stress from aspiration failure or because he'd had feelings for her, but Conrad didn't handle seeing Lyndsay flirt with Griff in front of him.

As she reached for his hands, Lyndsay felt so confused.  She thought she was in love with Holden, but there were certainly real feelings for Griff, too.

She quickly influenced Griff to keep Kampol company so she could have her last one-on-one date with the now composed Conrad.

Since Conrad accepted her flirtatious advances, Lyndsay decided he couldn't have been upset witnessing her date with Griff and breathed a sigh of relief.  It was quite stressful juggling four bachelors under one roof!

Love was blooming and she knew quickly who would be next to leave.

It just went to show that even though someone might seem right for you on paper, without chemistry you just had a friendship. 

"I'm sorry Conrad, but your time on the Looking for Love Challenge is done.  Please pack your bags and head back to town."

Conrad felt a little bit wistful as he said his goodbyes.  "I really liked Lyndsay and feel like if we'd just had a little bit more time together, we could've grown to love each other.  I wish her all the best."

Lyndsay glanced around the hot tub.  It came down to these three men.   Griff, handsome, yet sometimes gruff.  They'd had a few rough conversations, but she couldn't deny the attraction.  Maybe they were just different enough to make it interesting.

Kampol, with clear blue eyes, a great smile and red tousled hair.  He seemed to be on the sensitive time.  But maybe she was looking for someone that could show his softer side. 

And Holden.  He'd made an impression on her early with his steel gray eyes.  He'd made it clear from the get go that he was into her.  Their chemistry was off the charts.  She did worry that maybe the sparks would fade and she would end up in an empty relationship.

Each date was a sweet, chaste kiss.  Lyndsay just wanted to make sure there were sparks when their lips met.  Although, since she'd already secretly made out with Holden, it seemed almost silly.  But, she wanted to be fair and not give any bachelor an unintentional advantage for her affections.

The small group had a quiet dinner and tried to ignore how close to the end they were approaching and just enjoy the present.

Feeling naughty, she snuck into the bathroom with Holden, intent on fooling around.  "Who is it?" he asked with suds covering his face.  "Kampol? You need to use the bathroom again, bro?"

 

Feeling silly making a move, she crept back out before he could clear the suds away.  His loss!

"It was a sweet kiss," Kampol told her.  "If my lips were too chapped, it's because I haven't been drinking as much water."  He didn't want to tell her about his bladder issues.  That was more of a discussion you had after you were married!

Lyndsey was pleased when Holden found her in the den and danced with her.  It was her one true hobby and something she loved doing!

"Rest well," he told her, rubbing her back and caressing her shoulders.  "I'll see you in the morning. I'll be glad when this is all over and we can be together."

 

Such confidence!

But it would be easy to win her over when his competition was busy doing other things.

Lyndsay slept deeply for the first time in several days!