The Bachelor Challenge

Rising Veteran

5 months ago

Day 8: Free Day 1

It’s New Year’s Eve and a free day! Everyone can relax, celebrate, and get to know each other better.

In the basement, Valentina and Eric are having a conversation. They are interrupted by Kaley who lets her devious side fly free.

With a sketchy glance at Val, she grins. Then she leans in and kisses Eric on the cheek. Apparently it’s so good his eyes roll back. Kaley glances back and smirks.

Well, this sets something off in Val. She’s steaming mad, seeing red, ready to fight, and she raises her hand and smacks Kal– Eric? Seriously?

Again with the hitting. If it were me, I’d go after Kaley since she obviously kissed Eric in order to provoke Val. And, also, didn’t Val just do a whole campaign to get Leah booted from the competition after she slapped Eric for being flirty with Val?

After being (acting?) surprised by Val’s response to her mischief-making, Kaley scampers off. Her work here is done. Val knows she done messed up when Eric says, “you hit me. Are you crazy?”

Val: No. She kissed you on the cheek. [She points to her own cheek.] And you let her.

Eric: What was I supposed to do? Push her away?

Val: Yeah. We were having a moment. You allowed another person into our moment.

Eric: And that makes it ok for you to hit me?

Val: I didn’t hit you. I was wiping the kiss off.

Gaslighting… that’ll work… yeah…

Val: You need to apologize to me.

Eric: Me? Apologize to you?

Val: You ruined the moment and accused me of hurting you when it’s you who hurt me.

Eric stares at her for a long moment. He whips out two cocktails from somewhere. Reaching out he slides his fingers in her red hair and caresses her cheek.

Eric: I’m sorry, Val.

Val: I accept your apology. You're not going to eliminate me over nothing, are you? Let's make a pact that you promise to keep me on.

Valentina smiles as Eric silently takes a sip of his cocktail. She puts out her hand. Eric shakes it and gets the shock of his life. Val zaps him with a hand buzzer.

Valentina smiles as Eric takes a sip of his cocktail.

Val: Let’s get back to our moment, shall we? What were we talking about? Oh, yes–”

A trumpet blares, interrupting them again. For Eric this is a welcome intrusion. It’s Zuri blowing a party horn.

Zuri: Happy New Year!

Val and Eric don’t say anything. They continue to silently stare at each other.

Zuri: Hey, guys! How’s it going?

Sensing the awkward tension in the air, she looks from one to the other.

Zuri: Are you two ok?

Eric: Never been better. We were just discussing ways to celebrate tonight.

Zuri: We should party. Turn up the music, open up the bar–

Eric: I don’t know. Wouldn’t want anyone to lose control of themselves with access to an open bar.

Zuri: (confused) Okay, but we gotta lose control to the music. (She does a little funky dance.)

Eric: I’d rather we all stay in control of ourselves.

Zuri: Oh… so bowling? Or board games? Or a quilting circle?

Eric walks off with Val close behind before Zuri can finish her suggestions. This hurts her feelings as from her perspective, Eric is being mean towards her for no reason.

Val goes to the kitchen with Eric where Morgan is already sitting at the counter nursing a cocktail. Eric pours himself another drink and Val grabs a plate of breakfast. He stands close to her watching her eat. Val hopes this is a sign that Eric believes she simply lost control of herself and it isn’t her fault.

But she doesn’t notice the weird look on Eric’s face.

Eric spends most of the night either working out in the gym to clear his head; or thinking in his bedroom. The bachelorettes celebrate the New Year dancing to blaring music, helping themselves to the bar, and grilling up lots of grub. It's when one of them (I won't say who... it starts with a 'J') is grilling while drunk that the grill catches fire.

The bachelorettes freak out again this time with the cluelessness of the inebriated. Zuri grabs a fire extinguisher and once again begins dealing with the flames. Not wanting to be a coward again, Eric rushes out and joins her. Using the power of teamwork, the fire is quickly put out.

Now that the mansion is safe -- I mean the people -- again, Eric returns to his bedroom without a word. Zuri goes to the gym and pounds some punching bags. Are they upset over the same grill catching fire? Or is it something else?