moonlit chevy bed

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🌹 After the Rose Ceremony - Episode 3

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🌹 After the Rose Ceremony - Episode 2

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 🌹 After the Rose Ceremony - Episode 1

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alexiargarza·:

Having full alone time for an entire day gave Alexia every opportunity to just be herself. Not that she hadn’t been thus far anyway, but in every sense of the concept, she was able to do that today. She didn’t have to work so hard to leave a lasting impression on a moment, didn’t have to try to do something special or notable to stand out. This day was hers and Garrett’s, exclusively. Which was why it seemed like an easy thing to do, to go from talking about home life and hobbies to being playful with Garrett’s dog. She was a very physically active person, so running around wasn’t difficult for her; not to mention the fact that playing with the dog was as much a part of her perfect day as simply taking him for a walk. Laughing into the side of Garrett’s neck after she had jumped onto him once again, she hooked her chin over his shoulder after they’d spun around to look at Pongo with a bright smile. “Was that so fun?” She asked the animal with another light laugh. Once she was back on her feet again, the dark haired girl tilted her head to look up at Garrett, her nose wrinkling playfully as his hands found either side of her face. Almost on subconscious instinct, she’d been about to lean up and kiss him quickly, casually, but she managed to refrain for the time being. 

Lifting her own hands from where they’d fallen down by her sides, she held loosely around his wrists and answered with an easy ‘absolutely’ before shifting to take one of his hands in hers once again. Goodbyes were said to Pongo as they shifted from one part of their date to the next, and Alexia found herself wondering idly for a moment if she would make it far enough to see the dog again. A brief interlude was made for the necessary talking bits to be recorded before they were on their way. The Dallas Galleria was their shopping location for the day, and to say that she was a little awed by the sheer size of the place was a mild understatement. As they got out of the car that they’d headed there in, she looked all the way up at it before glancing at a few of the advertisement signs that lingered outside. “Everything really is bigger in Texas, I guess, huh?” She snorted out a laugh before shaking her head and reaching for Garrett’s hand as they headed inside. Turning her head to look sideways at him, she lifted a brow in question. “Where is it that Garrett gets in the most trouble when he’s shopping, hmm?”

Coming into this date, Garrett already knew he and Alexia were going to have a good time, the date was exactly what she’d planned for them and it was what he’d chosen as his perfect date, so why wouldn’t they enjoy it? But being around her was what he’d really been looking forward to. No stealing away into kitchens or being interrupted, it was just them. And he was going to enjoy every second of it. Shifting into the shopping part of the date after saying goodbye to his dog, Garrett offered the girl his hand to help her out of the large black SUV they’d driven from the park to the mall in. He grinned watching her look up at the large building of the mall they were about to go shopping in, and if there was one thing Garrett loved doing with girls, it was spoiling them and she really had no idea what was coming. Letting out a laugh at her comment, he nodded his head while he reached for her hand, walking inside. 

Head bopping back and forth thoughtfully for a moment, he grinned. “A car dealership.” Garrett joked, knowing it was the most dangerous place for him in reality, but he shrugged after the fact. “It sort of depends, today it’s going to be wherever you want to shop.” He half smirked at her, wiggling his fingers where they were laced with hers as he looked down at the shorter girl. “I can do some damage in Calvin Klein though, and the Nike Store. I have a lot of tennis shoes, some people might call it a problem but I don’t.” Leading her inside, he glanced at Alexia next to him. “What do you feel like shopping for today? Got anything special in mind? Cause we’re not leaving until you get what you want.” 

[garrettxdeegan]

alexiargarza·:

While the time they had managed to snag together had been great, Alexia couldn’t deny that even the little bit of personal subjects they had already touched on thus far were different than time they’d had previously. Every minute counted in this setting, and she knew that, which was why she’d had the approach she’d had from the very beginning, to make the most of whatever opportunity she had. She had every intention of doing so on this one on one date with Garrett, too. The subject of home life, things she liked to do for fun, even the little bit that they’d touched on with his love for Dallas and some mentions of his life after hockey, it was all important to who they were as people. Knowing that they had all day just to themselves for these sorts of conversations, and potentially even deeper ones, as well, it was very promising, very exciting. While she had admitted to her hobbies at home being a little more on the boring side, she hoped that Garrett either disagreed or didn’t suddenly find her so boring that she was less interesting than she might have seemed prior. However, leave it to him to make sure she knew that wasn’t the case.

Listening as he spoke, giving him her full attention, the girl appreciated that he seemed to understand her appreciation for more of a low key kind of pass time. It made sense for him, too, given the shift in his lifestyle going from being a professional athlete to being out of that routine. She nodded her head and returned his small smile with one of her own, happy that he understood. Her face lit up a little bit more at his mention of cooking, however, brows lifting as her smile inched wider. “Oh, I could teach you, for sure. There’s no way to exist in my family and not know how to make at least one signature dish, so. We’ll wait and see about that, I guess.” She grinned faintly, wrinkling her nose up as she leaned in a little closer as if to punctuate her statement. The reassurance about her choice in a perfect date was just another on the list of times that Garrett made her feel validated, made her feel good. The smile on her face indicated her appreciation enough, she was sure, but she still murmured a gentle ‘well, good’ as she nudged her shoulder sideways into his.

Looking ahead at where Pongo walked a short distance in front of them, she called the dog’s name excitedly to get his attention. When the spotted dog turned back in her direction, she let go of Garrett’s hand to pet at both sides of the dog’s face with a wide smile. “Do you,” Alexia drew out the long vowel, brows raising. “Wanna run? Wanna play chase?” She asked. Shooting a quick glance at Garrett, she gave him a wink before she bolted forward. She didn’t run far, maybe just a couple of yards, but she laughed as she ran and Pongo couldn’t help but chase after her. The dog circled around her when she finally slowed enough to a stop, and she bent down to pet him once again. “Yeah, you got me, you got me. You did so good.” She complimented, scrunching her nose up as she smiled at the panting dog. Looking back at where Garrett was starting to catch up to them, she kinked a brow. “Wanna get him?” She asked Pongo, though her gaze stayed back toward Garrett. “Let’s go get him. C'mon.” She took off the direction they’d just come from, running back toward Garrett. It took her all of about two seconds to decide whether she should let the dog jump on him or she should do it herself, ultimately deciding on the latter as she ran right toward him. Latching onto him once again, Alexia buried her laughter into Garrett’s shoulder as a panting Pongo trotted around and around the two of them.

Garrett had known he and Alexia had a connection already, there was no denying that. They’d had plenty of good moments with each other to have Garrett wanting her around, to have him realizing he had real feelings for her. She always found a way back into his head, even when he hadn’t seen her that day which for him was a tell tale sign he was in deep already. Though there were other women there, other women he’d connected with, there was admittedly something different with Alexia and he couldn’t ignore that. Spending the day with her, the day she’d made for them was exactly what he wanted because it gave him a glimpse into a potential future. And though the outcome of this could never be guessed, if production suddenly came to a halt and he had to make a decision right then, he knew it’d be her. That wasn’t the open mind the producers had been telling him to keep, but it was the truth; he was trying to keep an open mind, but today all he was focused on was Alexia. 

Grinning as she mentioned teaching him how to cook, he nodded his head along with her words. “I’m not completely hopeless, but I could use some help.” He laughed, once again thinking further into the future with her suggestion about teaching him how to cook. It was something he tucked into his mind for another time, a tiny little promise he wondered if he’d be able to keep. His face softened as she called his dogs name then ran off to let him chase her. A small smile stayed on his features, watching the playful quality of the brunette with Pongo before she was running back to him and launching herself onto him. Catching her easily, he held her off the ground and spun them around a few times, hearing Pongo barking but not seeing where the dog was around them as he tucked his head into her neck. Finally stopping, he settled her back on the ground gently, moving his hands from her waist to the sides of her face, smiling down at her. “Are you ready to go shopping now that you’ve attacked me?” He toyed, twisting her hair around his finger gently as he grinned. 

[garrettxdeegan]

alexiargarza·:

Getting to have one on one time with Garrett that was fully without the possibility of being interrupted was something entirely different for Alexia. True, their time together even in settings that were more group-oriented had been great, but the fact that there was no one to realize she had ‘stolen’ him, or no one that his time with her had to be cut short for was amazing. She was thankful, to say the least. After the night of the last rose ceremony and their time in the kitchen, she had admittedly been trying to figure out her next approach to getting some time by herself with him. Being out on this day definitely beat any minimal idea she’d had for a group setting. Touching on the subject of where she was from, Alexia couldn’t help but miss it the slightest bit. She also knew that there was more to be said about where she lived versus where she was born, who she lived with versus who she spent the earlier part of her life with. It was a subject that had to be broached, but on their perfect day didn’t seem like the right time. Perhaps in the evening when they sat down after it all. Listening with a gentle nod of her head as Garrett mentioned where he had lived in Florida, the girl had a small, vaguely fond smile on her face. “Don’t get me wrong, Carmel is technically a city, but it just– It doesn’t feel like it in the general sense. It’s beachy. Beachy and bougie.” She laughed lightly, shaking her head this time. She was letting out another laugh a moment later when he spoke of his dad. “Look, it’s a really easy thing to do. One of my favorite wineries is in Paso Robles, and I can’t go there very often because I just end up wanting to buy too much.” She admitted with a faint grin.

Tilting her head one way and then the other at his question, she mulled over her answer. As she thought about the things that she did at home, she realized how sort of.. boring she could be. Wrinkling her nose up, she looked at Garrett beside her. “I’m about to make myself sound really sad, so bear with me.” She snickered. “I enjoy a good night out, dancing, having a couple drinks every once in a while. A good beach day sometimes, too, but.. genuinely, I’m a lot more of a homebody. My Netflix account is a really good friend of mine.” She laughed lightly, lifting a hand to tuck a piece of dark hair back behind her ear. “I like to cook, though, too. All kinds of things. I’ve been learning a lot from my aunt. She has her own authentic Mexican food catering company she operates out of the house, so I learn a lot of recipes and methods from her because I help her with that sometimes. Makes me feel a little more in touch with my heritage and all that. Plus the food is,” She paused, lifting her hand to kiss her fingers dramatically then laugh. “Oh! Oh, wait. Shopping. I like shopping, but it’s,” She paused again, grimacing playfully. “It’s not like shopping, shopping. It’s really specific shopping. And by that I really just mean that I have a handbag and athletic-wear problem. Like, I own way too many pairs of workout pants, and yet… I just… buy more of them. Bags I’m the same way. It’s quite the combination.”

Garrett didn’t necessarily mind group dates, they tended to be more activity based than anything and some of the ideas the producers had come up with so far had been really good, he thrived in one on one settings. Getting to give all of his attention to one girl was a strong point (maybe even a fault, in this setting) of his and he was happy to get alone time with each of the women to learn about them and figure out more about them. Today though, Garrett knew that it was going to be less about grilling his company than it was going to be about enjoying it. He had a really good connection with Alexia, he’d had that with her from the start so their date today was more about the simpler things than the heavier parts of being on the show. Walking with her, their hands laced together it felt incredibly normal like this was just a day in their life together, and it was something he could very easily see with this girl. Letting out a laugh at her explanation of his home town, he got it considering the place he lived before California. 

Squinting eyes as if the notion of her seeming sad because of what she liked to do when she wasn’t working was unlikely, Garrett listened to her. While her hobbies weren’t crazy at all, he appreciated the simplicity behind her explanation. Grinning by the end of it, he shook his head a little. “Well maybe we’ll add to that collection today.” He chuckled but then his face softened slightly. “I don’t think any of that is sad, though. That’s basically what I do now; don’t get me wrong I can definitely get a little over the top with plans and finding stuff to do but most of the time I’m just at home with my dog or hanging out with my family. I traveled a lot with hockey, so it’s easier for me to just relax now because I didn’t always have the opportunity to do so before.” He paused, a soft smile on his features. “It’s really cool that you cook though, cause I like cooking I just don’t really have many things I know now to actually make from scratch. I kind of just wing it.” Garrett laughed lightly. “That’s part of why you got this date because of what you’d planned out for it. It was all stuff I’d do regularly. I wasn’t looking for some crazy out of the box answers about traveling to Paris or whatever, that stuff is all great but I’m looking for someone who wants the same things I do in life, and this day is exactly what I want, you know?” 

[thepaynegifs]

Speed Dating

[garrettxdeegan]

alexiargarza·:

It felt incredibly normal to Alexia, doing this with Garrett. It was such a simple, everyday thing, taking his dog for a walk and getting to have a little talk. She appreciated it probably more than she might have if they had anything big or extravagant planned for the day. Talking with Garrett came just as easily as it always did, and she was thankful for that, too, it held more promise for those things in the back of her mind actually getting to be spoken about finally. Letting out a gentle hum of a laugh at the half joking comment about her uncle, Alexia nodded her head. “Not many men I’ve found as good as him, no.” She admitted, a subtle fondness in her tone. It was more than easy for her to speak well of her uncle and aunt, considering all that they had done for her in her life, the things they had gotten her away from. Listening intently as Garrett went on to explain some of his feelings during a hard part of his life, the girl nodded her head once again, lips twisting subtly to the side. “I’m glad you could find something that did. Help, I mean. I usually do the best I can to find a positive to outweigh a negative in my life. It’s harder than others sometimes, but it’s a good practice.” She explained. Smiling faintly as he answered her question, her gaze shifted from where Pongo walked up to his face once again. She didn’t comment much on that, maybe she would find out for herself one day what it was really like in Dallas.

His question about her own home, though, brought a brighter smile to her face. “Well, I was born in Salinas, which is a little ways outside of Monterey, I don’t know if you’ve ever been there. But I lived there until I was fourteen. I’ve lived in Carmel since then, and I think that’s probably where I actually consider home, for a few different reasons. Still Northern California, though, yeah.” The dark haired girl prefaced before getting to the second part of his questions. “Carmel’s nice, but I’ll be the first to admit it’s a little bougie.” She laughed lightly with a shake of her head. “It’s pretty cliche and all, given it’s basically just an added tourist location, but I love Carmel Beach, I really do. It’s such a nice beach, and the trails are really nice, too. I miss my twice a week sunrise runs there right about now.” She snickered with a scrunch in her nose. “There’s a ton of super cute little boutiques and restaurants to check out. Some chains, some little mom and pop ones token to the area. There’s a historical mission there, too. I think what I like about Carmel is that it’s a city but it doesn’t feel like a city. The best way to take it all in is walking and enjoying all the details, and there’s a lot to do, you don’t get bored.” She was rambling a little bit, she realized, but admittedly it was an easy thing to do. It dawned on her, though, that it came a little from a small bit of homesickness. Distracting from that momentary realization, she shot a subtle grin up in Garrett’s direction. “Great wine tastings in the NorCal areas, too, you know.”

One of the things Garrett enjoyed so much about being around Alexia was how normal it felt in a not at all normal circumstance. Everything about his life for the last number of months had been far from normal but being with her made him feel like it was just them, which is one of the things that made him fall for Hannah Brown, that it didn’t feel like they were filming a reality TV show, it felt real and safe. And while Alexia was on a different side of it than him, and while there’d been push back from producers about what he was and wasn’t allowed to do with this girl a few nights ago, he wasn’t able to stop himself from feeling like what they had together was already a lot bigger than what he had with other women. He needed to stay open but right now she had all his attention and there was no way it was going to happen, so for today he decided he didn’t care. Hearing her comment about her uncle, Garrett didn’t miss the tone of voice in which she said it, he could tell right then there was more to that man than being her uncle, and he hoped they’d get to that later. 

Listening to Alexia explain about where she was from and her home, he barely took his gaze off her face, only having his eyes flick ahead to where his dog was a few times. He was listening to her intently, wanting her to know he was all there with her and he was. Garrett picked up on littler things she said, about going on runs and feeling home in a specific place, he was working to get to know her, tucking all of the information she was giving him into a little box in his brain, wanting to keep it for later. Letting out a chuckle at her explanation of her town being bougie, he shrugged a little. “Where I lived in Florida was a lot of mom and pop stuff, not too many chains, so I get that vibe. I sort of like it more than the big city stuff, as much as I love Dallas, I love a good small town too, it feels more homey.” He nodded his head at the mention of wine tastings, grinning. “When my dad came to visit me in California when I was still playing, he met me in San Jose and we actually went on a tasting the day after, he went home with half the vineyard I swear.” Garrett grinned, shaking his head a little. “What else do you do at home? Besides coaching the kiddos. What do you do for fun?” 

[garrettxdeegan]

alexiargarza·:

Going into the group date and planning a perfect date with Garrett, Alexia hadn’t really thought that it would become a reality. Maybe in a long term, bigger picture sort of way; if it were her at the end of it all, certainly they had every opportunity to make that date happen. It was happening now, though, and she was definitely grateful. Letting out a laugh at Garrett’s comment about his dog, the girl continued to give Pongo her attention for just a couple more seconds before she was towing Garrett along with her to get on with their walk. Looking sideways at him with a smile at his initial declaration, Alexia wrinkled her nose up faintly with a murmured ‘me, too.’ Which, she was. She was more than glad to have gotten a one on one this week, regardless of the content of their date. They could have sat on a couch all day and she probably would have been equally as glad to be there with him. It was Garrett that brought those positive sort of feelings out, not the setting.

Listening as he got into a little bit of an explanation about where they were, Alexia made sure she was paying attention, because this was time they had to be able to share things they hadn’t yet, free of interruptions. She nodded her head slowly along with his words, catching on the mention of his quitting hockey, knowing that was a big part of his life. “My uncle works in IT security, so he does a pretty substantial amount of travelling. He’s here in the Dallas area probably at least once or twice a month, always has good things to say about it. I haven’t been here until now, though.” She replied, nodding once again. “I’m sure that was kind of a tough time, that post-hockey period.” She mused with a subtly present curiosity. There were so many questions that she knew she wanted to ask Garrett, and it was beginning to feel like today was going to be a good day for that opportunity to arise, perhaps for the both of them. “What was it that you fell in love with while you were here?”

Pongo’s leash in one hand and Alexia’s hand in the other, Garrett was already pretty content with how this date was going and he had a good feeling it was only going to go up from here. He and Alexia had just clicked, that was very clear and he was happy and excited to explore more of that fully now that he could, no interruptions, no other women around; it felt right. Walking with her and Pongo, Garrett didn’t mind being the first one to really start a conversation, because he knew they’d easily play off each other since it’d happened before, and that’s exactly how it went. Hearing that she hadn’t been to Dallas before but that her uncle traveled here with work a lot, Garrett smiled with a nod. “Good man.” He joked lightly, but his face softened the tiniest bit when hockey was brought up fully. “It wasn’t the easiest thing no, it’d been my dream since it was a kid and getting hurt then ultimately deciding to step down off the team... sucked, honestly. But coming here to do my PT and really get acquainted with this city was nice, it helped.” He glanced at her when she spoke, enjoying the easy fluid conversation they could have with each other. “I think a lot of it has to do with the people, how easy going everyone is and how nice it all actually is. Plus the food doesn’t send me running for the hills either.” He laughed, wiggling his fingers in between hers playfully. “You’re from Northern California, right?” He asked, then nodded his head. “What’s your favorite place there? At home?” 

[garrettxdeegan]

alexiargarza·:

After Nicole had received the first one on one date of the week, and her name hadn’t appeared on the group date card, Alexia had been pretty consistently happy. The date card had mentioned the perfect day, which she figured had to do with the group date she had been on previously, because what else could it be implying - she was supposed to have won some other later surprise anyway, wasn’t she? She was excited about any date with Garrett, if she were honest. While she would have just as easily taken the group date and done the best she could to get some individual time with him, she would have been lying if she said she wasn’t even more excited for it to be just the two of them, regardless of what they were doing. She and Nicole were alone in the hotel room there in Texas, as the group date was taking place at the time, when her date card arrived. It had been obvious already, given the point that they were at in the whole process, that she would be the one getting the second group date, but reading the card made it all the more real.

However, any initial excitement after first reading the card had been the slightest bit stunted. Alexia had noticed the press of Nicole’s lips together after she looked up from reading the date card, only to curiously ask if the other girl was alright. “I’m fine, yeah. It’s probably good you got this one on one.” Nicole stated, just before standing up. However, she spoke again before leaving the room entirely. “At least this way the time is actually yours and you’re not stealing it from everyone else, right?” The other girl sneered vaguely before she walked off elsewhere, leaving Alexia feeling odd. It had come to her attention even the night of the group date she had already been on that other girls in the group of them seemed to catch on to how close she and Garrett were, how much time they were really spending together. It hadn’t fully dawned on her, though, that any of the other girls were upset enough about it to evidently be unkind to her about it. She tried not to let it get under her skin, tried not to let it totally squander her excitement.

Because she was getting a one on one with Garrett. A full day with Garrett. Just the two of them. No one else. That was a pretty big deal. Given the small bit of unease she’d had creep in during the previous week’s rose ceremony, she figured that this one on one would do even more for her in opening up some more doors between them, potentially feeling even more secure. Getting ready, the girl may have purposely picked shorts out for the day, having remembered a previous comment that he had made to her about her legs. While the date probably wasn’t much of a surprise, given she had come up with what it consisted of, that didn’t make her any less excited to get out to meet Garrett. As the car driving her pulled up where they were meeting, the dark haired girl found an easy smile already appearing on her features. Hurrying from the vehicle, she laughed loudly as the Dalmatian came bounding passed Garrett toward her, an excited ‘hey, buddy!’ leaving her among the laughter. She’d only bent to pet the dog for a few seconds before she was being scooped up and once again getting into a string of giggles as she wrapped her arms around the back of his head. “Hi to you.” She greeted with a wide smile up at him after settling back on her feet.

Nodding along with an explanation of their date, one she already had an idea of, she was about to confirm that it sounded great, that she was excited, but then his finger tucked under her chin. Any odd feelings leftover from what Nicole had said to her, or any lingering questions that had been on her mind during the previous rose ceremony pretty much vanished the moment Garrett admitted to missing her. “Bet I missed you more.” She mumbled, nose wrinkled faintly. She tilted up onto her toes for a couple moments to kiss him back, arms reached up to loop around the back of his neck. The kiss didn’t last for too long before she eased back and dropped down abruptly to a squat. “It is so nice to meet you, Pongo, hello. Yes, hi.” She greeted the spotted dog, both hands scratching behind the animal’s ears as he licked at the edge of her jaw. Getting up once again, she looked up at Garrett, making a careful grab for his hand and taking a couple backwards steps to tow him with her while still facing him. “We’re walking, right?”

Garrett wasn’t all that surprised that Pongo was bounding ahead of him, he was a friendly dog, and loved to meet people, Alexia was no different. He’d get his attention later though, which was why he didn’t mind interrupting the Pongo love fest for some attention of his own. Garrett was happy to get to have one on one time with Alexia, happy to be able to learn more about her, he knew a little but not as much as he thought he should with the feelings he already had for her, so he had high hopes and even higher expectations for the day. Settling her back down on her feet, Garrett couldn’t help the kiss he gave her, it was pretty standard for them, honestly. Shaking his head, face still close to hers when she murmured back she’d missed him more, he didn’t say anything, letting her kiss him again but he breathed out a content sigh after the fact. 

Smiling as he watched her bend down to greet his dog once more, he chuckled at the happy pants leaving Pongo. “He’s a ham, he’ll do that all day so you won’t stop petting him.” He grinned, shaking his head a bit. Watching the brunette as she grabbed his hand and walked backwards, towing him with her, he nodded his head. “We are walking, yes.” Taking a few long strides to catch up with her, Pongo keeping up with the both of them as they started to walk. “I’m happy you’re here with me.” Garrett spoke softly, lacing their fingers together. He’d said something similar to her the other night right before he’d gotten scolded by the producers, but there wasn’t much he could do that could get him in trouble now, this entire day was about them, and that was exactly what he wanted. “I know you haven’t seen much of it so far, but Dallas is probably one of my favorite places. I came and lived here for eight months after I quit hockey, did all my PT here and stuff and I really fell in love with it.” 

[garrettxdeegan]

Having gotten through two of his dates this week, one with Nicole and then one group date with twelve of the other women, there was only one left who hadn’t gotten a date. He’d spent the other time he’d had with the girls really trying to dig deeper, to get into talking about their lives and talking about what mattered to him and them. It went well with some of the girls, but others weren’t as open as he wanted to be. He wondered if that had to do with him more than them, but as he got ready for his last date of the week, he pushed every other women out of his mind because he was heading out to meet Alexia. He’d been sure he wanted to keep her around since the first night, since the moment they’d sat down and talked, she’d been his first impression rose and that meant something to him, he’d held onto that. It’d even gotten him in trouble a few times so far, being with her in the kitchen for an extended period had made some of the producers on the show mad, but he couldn’t help what he was feeling, right? 

Either way, he was excited for their date. They were doing part of what she’d said would have been their perfect day together, and while they had a night portion to get to later, he was still happy to be walking Pongo and taking her shopping. Garrett was already at Klyde Warren park in Dallas waiting for her with his dog by his side, and as soon as he saw Alexia get out of the car he was jogging towards her, but Pongo was bolting ahead. Letting out a laugh as the dog reached Alexia first, he smiled. “He needs more attention than I do.” He joked, slowing to a stop in front of the brunette and wrapping his arms around her waist in a hug, lifting her off the ground easily. “Hi.” He murmured into her neck, burying his face there for a few seconds before settling her down on the ground. “So you kinda planned this date, but we’re gonna take Pongo for a walk then go shopping, good?” Garrett asked, tucking a finger under her chin after letting go of her in the hug. “I missed you.” He breathed, leaning down to kiss her gently. 

[garrettxdeegan]

While it was still pretty early on, Garrett already found himself struggling with a few things. The main one was making sure he was giving every women there a fair shot. But he had a week of dates to go through, two one on ones and a group date, Garrett really wanted to give everyone the moments they deserved, while his heart was telling him one thing, his head and the producers were telling him another. He was going to try harder this week, really work to get in deep with the women here. 

Chris went to the mansion to announce to the remaining women that they were heading to Texas, and from there he went into his first one on one. 

❝ Nicole,  Hope you’ve got good aim, Garrett ❞

The next day, Garrett met Nicole at a shooting range. She promptly told him she’d never shot a gun before which didn’t surprise him. Garrett owned a gun, but he’d never shot it outside of a shooting range and even then it wasn’t often. 

Garrett had spent time around Nicole, but it wasn’t nearly as much as some of the other women. So with this date he was hoping they’d have some more time to get to know each other. She knew more about him than he knew about her, that was clear from the moment she’d stepped out of the limo and mentioned his previous two relationships, but that wasn’t going to deter him from trying. 

Their day was pretty simple, hang out at the shooting range, Garrett showing her how to use a gun, how to aim and shoot. It was nice, casual and he really was trying. 

Back at the mansion, the next date card rolled in. 

❝ Camila, Rachael, Julia, Madison, Allison, Brielle, Maya, Katerina, Emma, Selena, Gabrielle and Anna, Did you bring your dancing shoes? Garrett  ❞ 

As he and Nicole rolled into the night portion of their date, Garrett was feeling the tiniest bit anxious. Their date had been good so far, but it wasn’t the best, he felt like maybe Nicole was holding back from him. Which he wasn’t scared to ask about when they were sitting down. 

She took that as an opportunity to mention that she was having a hard time with the environment, that she wanted to be there but struggled not having all of Garrett’s attention, which he understood for more than one reason. He listened to her, offered that just because he wasn’t around her all the time didn’t mean he wasn’t interested, and then gave her the rose. 

The next day, Garrett was up for a group date with twelve women, and he was already the tiniest bit worried going into it. With such a large group he was going to have to really try to make sure he could get time with everyone, and not devote too much to one girl. Thankfully though, it was a date where they’d all be involved and he was determined to have a good date with these women. 

They were line dancing, and there was plenty of moments of playfulness and goofiness to be had. Which was exactly what Garrett wanted from his date. A few of the girls did really well and some of the others were struggling, but in the cutest way. 

Back at their hotel, the last date card arrived. 

❝ Alexia, How about that perfect day?  Garrett ❞

As Garrett met the ladies for the night portion of their date, he had high hopes of getting some good conversations out of them, trying to dig deeper with all of them. 

Rachael as always stuck out, she was easy to talk to and not scared to share with him, and he felt like he knew a lot about her already. Madison and Julia were women he knew he could have feelings, girls he was sure he’d begin to fall for if they opened up a little more. Maya finally started to let go of walls she’d mentioned having, talking about her previous relationships and how that was guiding her through this. 

Anna was interrupted by Camila, insisting they need to talk right then and Garrett went with her, slightly confused about what was going on but hoping she was okay. She brought him to the upstairs of the building they were in for their date and closed the door behind them. The cameras weren’t on them and Garrett was thankful for that, but the mics were still very much on, and she didn’t seem to care. He kissed her for a few moments, but as her hands inched lower and lower to the button on his pants he stopped, hands moving to her shoulders. Telling her they should stop, he didn’t miss the hurt in her eyes as she pushed her hair out of her face and wiped the lipstick from her upper lip. 

The night was winding down, and with that tiny awkwardness lingering between him and Camila, he felt like he needed to clear the air with her. So even after giving Brielle the rose after having a really good conversation about family and life after the show with her, he still pulled Camila aside. 

She expressed that she felt she was falling behind the other girls, and that she’d done what she had to pull his attention. While it stumped him the tiniest bit, he reassured her she was there because he wanted her to be. 

And with that, Garrett went back to the hotel to get some rest for his date the next day with Alexia. 

[garrettxdeegan]

alexiargarza·:

For it being so early on still, Alexia was surprised at just how much she was already feeling. She was well aware that there was still so much about herself that she wanted to share with Garrett, and so much more about him that she wanted to get to know, as well, but that didn’t change how quickly these strong feelings had flourished for her. He was an easy guy to catch feelings for, and she had underestimated that coming in, she thought. The way that it was so easy to be around him, that she couldn’t keep a smile off her face so long as there was one on his, too, and that talking about anything came without hesitation, they were all things that Alexia had always desired about being in a relationship. Her luck had just always fallen a little short. Naturally, it would end up in a setting where the person she felt that way about was dating several other women, too, that she finally found what she was looking for. Knowing that, though, that Garrett could very well be that forever kind of love she’d fantasized about, it only encouraged her to stay true to herself, and stay open to this journey they were on. So long as she made it through it, it would end up worth it in the end, she was finding that already.

The air around them in the kitchen space felt a little heavier suddenly, and not with the heat of the kissing they had been doing a few minutes earlier. It was different now, it was more personal, more emotional. Admitting that she felt the way that she did about Garrett already wasn’t something that she regretted, especially not when he happened to say it back to her. A stuttered breath was brought in through her nose as a fond smile curled at her lips. Her stomach did the familiar somersaults she was beginning to attest as something distinctly Garrett oriented. Kissing him back slowly, Alexia’s hands slid down from where her arms had stayed looped over his shoulders, dragging down his chest. She heard the gentle call of Garrett’s name, she knew what it meant, but still instinctively, her fingers curled a little tighter at the material at the front of his suit jacket, just for a moment. She knew she didn’t have much choice, she couldn’t have all the time that there was, especially not after having such a heartfelt moment so early on, but she still didn’t want what was going on between them right then to end. A small smile twitched at the corner of the girl’s mouth, a subtle sadness in it that mirrored the look on Garrett’s face as he told her that he was happy she was there. She thought that she agreed, but right then, god it sucked that this was where they were.

Watching as he walked away, Alexia stayed up on the kitchen counter for an extra handful of moments, tilting her head back and taking a couple deep breaths. She figured that he had already moved onto the next girl that he was going to talk to, but she was reveling in their moment for just a little while longer. Sliding carefully off the counter finally, the dark haired girl was shuffled into a side room to do a talking portion. “I knew that this journey was something that I trusted, and I knew that feelings could get to a really high point, I just don’t think I expected to feel this strongly this quickly. I feel good, though, I do. It’s– It’s really, really nice, getting to be with him.” After her interview portion was finished, she found herself sitting down with Brielle once again, Rachael either off talking to Garrett or busy somewhere else now. It felt like it was ages before it was finally time for the cocktail party to come to an end and for the rose ceremony to begin. Alexia really didn’t have any legitimate worries. Even if they hadn’t had a great day portion of their group date, the events of tonight would have been enough to have her feeling pretty certain she wasn’t going home this week. So as she situated to stand with the other girls, getting ready for the ceremony, she maintained a faint smile on her face, waiting for Garrett to come in and get to handing out the roses.

Garrett knew that if he stayed in the kitchen much longer with Alexia they’d be interrupted, by a producer or another girl, it was just inevitable. But he would have stayed there all night if he could, which was a dangerous thing to have realized. He’d been warned by his family, his best friend that this was going to be so different than what it had been like on the Bachelorette, and he didn’t disagree, but he didn’t think he’d feel so sure of one person already. It was complicated, and there was no take backs now, no way for him to just end it all and run off with the girl he wanted. There were contracts and episodes to be filmed. This wasn’t going to be easy, and he walked away from Alexia in the kitchen with that running through his brain. 

He had to keep options open, he couldn’t hyper-fixate on one girl. Why did he decide to do this again? Walking back out of the tucked away corner he’d spent the last ten minutes in, Garrett was grabbed by one of the other women. He sat with Emma and talked with her quietly, though his time with her was brief as Selena came to take him away. He was a little off the rest of the night, none of his conversations felt as good as they had with Alexia, none of his connections were as strong and it was noticeable on his face and in the way he spoke.

But it was time for the rose ceremony finally, though before he could go out and pick the women he wanted to say, a producer pulled him aside. He got quite the lecture for blatantly hiding away with one of the women, that he needed to really try to keep an open mind because if it was too obvious who he wanted during the third episode they wouldn’t have a show. And as much as that frustrated Garrett, he understood. He wondered to himself if he should take step back from whatever was developing with Alexia, and while that wasn’t entirely fair to the two of them, he would have thirteen other women after tonight that still deserved a chance. With a few moments to himself and a big swig from his glass of whiskey, he was heading out to the rose ceremony. 

“Hey, ladies.” He breathed out, eyes scanning over the group of them. He didn’t bother to go into any grand monologue, instead he just picked up the first rose and held it in his hands. A name was on the tip of his tongue but after the conversation he’d just had with his producers he wasn’t sure if it was the name he should say. But it was what he felt, stronger than what he had with other women, so he said her name anyway. 

“Alexia.” A smile twitched up at his lips as she walked towards him. “Will you accept this rose?” 

[garrettxdeegan]

alexiargarza·:

Despite the fact that she most definitely would have kissed Garrett for a whole lot longer, Alexia couldn’t help but feel that it was probably for the best that they stopped. Her train of thought was getting carried away, and while she was aware of the reasons that they couldn’t do exactly what she was thinking about in that moment, if they kept it up, it was going to be a hell of a lot harder to come back down from that. It was clear that there was a slight shift in the mood between them after the fact, though, that things seemed to very easily be softer once again. The girl wiped the red lipstick off from around Garrett’s mouth, all the while a small smile remaining on her own lips. That smile twitched wider as she watched him turn his head and kiss at her palm then her wrist. There was something so sweet about the simple gesture, so gently intimate about it in a way that made her chest a little tighter. Her hands settled easily at the back of his neck once again after his guidance, and it was like the world sort of fell away as she looked at him. There was this quality to his gaze that she imagined she’d had to have looked at him with a number of times now, the fondness, the vaguely dazed quality to it. God, they were only a few weeks in, there was so much of this left, so many ways that this could end up going.

She tried not to think about it too much and ruin the moment, however, instead letting out a wistful sigh as his arms hugged around her. Her hands shifted so that her arms once again wound around the back of his neck, hugging him back as her head tilted to press her cheek against the top of his head. It was such a polar shift from the kissing they had done a few moments prior, but Alexia felt positively warm with fondness, and she didn’t want to let go of this moment, or him. There was a breathy, quiet laugh that left the girl at his comment, due in part to how she realized she had thought the same thing about him on more than one occasion. It wasn’t until he eased back to look at her again and he was speaking in a whisper that she thought to say anything. His question jerked at something in her heart, because she felt so many things in that moment, hearing him say that. They still barely knew one another, but that didn’t stop it from feeling like being with him was so effortless, that she would bare her friggin’ soul to him in an instant if he asked her to. She tilted her head slightly, just enough to be able to leave a gentle kiss, more like a brush of her lips, against the tips of his fingers. Perhaps it was a little soon, or a little unexpected, given there was still so much for them to talk about, still so much left of this to go on, but it still felt right and truthful when she whispered back, “I really like you. So much.”

He was treading dangerous waters with Alexia and he knew it. There was so much about her he was already interested in, a relationship that was growing he was already invested in, but how much flack would he get if he made it so obvious? From ABC, the producers and even the people at home. He wondered briefly how this would be edited, how it would be seen for the millions watching but quickly pushed the thought out of his mind to stay in the moment with her. The touching and tender brushes of lips on skin were a complete one-eighty to what they’d been doing moments before, these were the moments he had cherished with Hannah, their moments of being alone but being so close they felt connected, and he was happy he was able to find that with Alexia. In the back of his mind he knew he needed to give other women a chance, but when this woman was in front of him that he was so in with already, it was hard to think like that. 

Looking up at Alexia, he figured he probably had a dumb look on his face, the smile felt loose and lopsided as he gazed at her. He was in trouble, that he was sure of. Leaning into her, Garrett could have stayed there for hours, feeling her close to him and her arms around his neck. He felt secure there, it was a feeling he couldn’t attest to anything else besides the beginnings of love. Which is where the whispered question came from when he leaned back. Garrett was prone to falling to fast, it was part of his apprehension of coming and doing this show, but this felt even better than falling too fast, but he couldn’t figure out what exactly it was that made it feel better. The lingering smile he had pushed up at his lips a little higher as she kissed his fingers, heart hammering in his chest as he looked at this girl so fondly. Hearing her speak though had Garrett’s eyes falling closed in the close proximity they were in, like they’d completely overpowered him. He breathed out a sigh as his eyelids blinked open, thumb brushing along her cheek now while the other hand still held at her lower back. “I really like you.” The words rolled so easily off his tongue, a smile on his face after he spoke. Leaning in, Garrett pressed his lips to hers, this kiss slower and deeper than all the others they’d had so far tonight, his hand holding her face as he moved their lips together. It only lasted a few moments, before his ears perked up with someone calling his name, it took everything in that moment not to sigh as he pulled back. Leaning his head down on hers, he smiled softly, a twinge of sadness behind it as he realized their moment was coming to an end. “I’m so happy you’re here, Lex.” Garrett breathed out, lifting his forehead from hers only to press a kiss to the same spot. He lingered there for a few seconds before taking a few steps back, hand catching with hers and only falling as he walked backwards, not breaking eye contact or turning around until he was out of the kitchen. 

[garrettxdeegan]

alexiargarza·:

Being a little hidden away in the kitchen area, Alexia couldn’t help but think about the fact that once again she and Garrett were off alone somewhere that the other girls might not think to look right away. Maybe they were onto something the other night, blocking her out like they had. Alexia wasn’t upset about this, though, it gave her the alone time she wanted, generally for longer stretches than to be expected, and it made her feel special. Especially now, given that it had been Garrett to seek her out and pull her in the first place. The first couple times, she had been the one to drag him away and keep him to herself for a while, but now it was a little different, and that felt really nice. Snorting out a chuckle at Garrett’s retort about her not needing to try to look good, the girl shook her head with a breathed out ‘shut up’ at him; the compliment getting a notable flip in her stomach. At first there was only a hum of acknowledgment at his initial answer, but then he went on further and before she could come back with a playful retort, he was kissing her. Immediately she became aware of how different this kiss was from other times they had kissed so far. This was a lot more physical, in the way his hands moved to her ass, in the way that her arms looped tighter around the back of his neck to bring them even closer together.

The purposeful squeeze had the dark haired girl letting out a hum into his mouth, something she couldn’t quite help, but in the back of her mind she realized was going to casually be on national television and she’d probably never hear the end of that later. Did she care right then and there, though? Absolutely not. Her mouth worked heatedly back against Garrett’s, her tongue finding its way passed his lips and into his mouth. Being lifted up onto the counter, she inhaled through her nose with a hitch in her breath before it was let back out in a drawn out sigh into their kiss. Up until this point, Alexia had been a little more reserved in her thinking when it came to Garrett. She liked to be around him, definitely enjoyed talking to him, even appreciated kissing him, and it was impossible for her not to recognize how physically attractive he was just looking at him. Still, it wasn’t until this moment that she had thought about having sex with Garrett Deegan. Perhaps it was the physicality of how close their bodies were, his hands dragging over her body and squeezing deliberately, the way he lifted her onto the counter. It would have been very easy to pretend that there was no one else around, that none of the ins and outs of this little bubble they currently existed in for the show existed, and to just focus on her and Garrett.

Of course, that wasn’t exactly allowed, considering this was a national television show and there were still other girls present who could walk in at any moment. So her train of thought spiraling into 'we could definitely have sex on this counter, I would be fine with that’ wasn’t, you know, permitted. Which probably made it all the better that Garrett was easing back from their making out - because there really was nothing else to call it but exactly that. A stuttered sigh left Alexia’s subtly parted lips and she brushed both thumbs up and down against the sides of his neck where her hands hand fallen. She heard his words through a dull lingering of her own quickened pulse in her ears, so she managed to breathe out a light laugh of her own before her eyelids fluttered back open once again. “Mm, no.” She shook her head in answer to his question. One of her hands shifted to the edge of his jaw while the other curled around the back of his neck to pull him back in the small gap, kissing him again. It was less intense this time, more slow and lingering as they had been in the past, but Alexia did make a point to suck on his bottom lip before inching back from it. “You do have this lipstick all over your mouth now, though.” She pointed out with another airy laugh, her hand at his jaw moving to hold his chin while her other hand smudged the red color off with her thumb.

While pulling Alexia away had a lot to do with wanting to be around her, getting his hands on her ass then scooping her up on the counter just came with that, apparently. She really was killing him tonight, he didn’t want to take his eyes off her, or his lips for that matter. There was something different about this kiss, it was a little more needy than others they’d shared, something bigger hidden underneath their lip lock and he could feel the tension between them building. Garrett, if he were honest, was a pretty sexual guy. He wasn’t shy when it came to physical attraction to a girl and how he approached that when it came time for it, and right now he wished it was the time for it. Inching back from their heated kiss, Garrett half smirked down at the brunette, breathing in slowly through his mouth. Before he could say anything else though, Alexia was pulling him back in for another kiss, this one slower and a little more typical of them, but he hummed as she sucked as his lower lip. Inching back in a sigh when she pulled back this time, Garrett huffed out a laugh as she lifted her hand to wipe the lipstick from his face. 

His head turned slowly, catching his mouth on the inside of her palm, lowering it to her wrist with a few pecks along her soft skin before his hand moved to her hips, dragging up her arm to move the hand he was just kissing back to the back of his neck with the other. Garrett looked at her for a moment, a fondness in his eyes he didn’t quite realize he had as he did so, something was different about this girl. He knew that from the first night, and while he knew he had to keep an open mind, times like this kept happening where Alexia made it hard to do. He was realistically not cut out for this kind of thing. Sighing again, he moved his arms around her waist, stepping into the space between her legs to bury his face in her neck, hugging her for a moment. His eyes fell closed as he relaxed into the spot while his hands rubbed up and down her back. “You smell good.” Garrett hummed out a chuckle into her neck before he leaned back but staying close to her, one of his hands moving to the brunettes face, fingers brushing over her cheek almost delicately. “What are you doing to me?” He whispered, he was mic-ed up, so he knew it didn’t matter, but the question was just for her. 

[garrettxdeegan]

alexiargarza·

Alexia liked to think of herself as a rather attentive person. So noticing the way that Garrett’s gaze caught on her upon his entrance to join them all, that wasn’t surprising. Her lips rolled together to conceal some of the grin that threatened to cross her features - clearly her thought process into attempting to be more noticed was something of a success. Still, whether he noticed her straight away like that or not, it was also not terribly surprising to find that someone else snatched him away first. Admittedly, she didn’t fully intend to go after him herself. After a little while, maybe, because she wasn’t about to let tonight’s cocktail party be a repeat of the group date night, but for starters, she was going to let other girls get their time in. Because there was a point to be made in that, wasn’t there?

She took it easy, not gulping down drink after drink as she noticed a few women doing early on. She wandered a little bit, just to be casual, to stretch her legs, to see where some of the other girls were. Finally after a little while, though, she found Rachael sitting on a couch inside with Brielle and she plopped down with the two girls. Brielle was in the middle of explaining something she and Garrett had just talked about but she paused to smile and greet Alexia as she sat down. “Girl, that dress.” The other girl complimented with a shake of her head. “Honestly, who made you mad?” Rachael laughed, nudging her with her shoulder. Alexia laughed but tilted her head back and forth with a playfully coy expression. While she hadn’t come into the experience to make friends, she had to admit that it wasn’t awful that she did get along with a couple of the girls; especially now that some of them seemed to have something against her without saying so.

The girls were having a nice little chat about how much thought they really put into the clothes they had brought with them for this whole experience when Garrett was coming to greet them. Turning from the short string of laughing she had been doing, Alexia smiled widely up at him. “Of course.” She replied, getting up and taking his hand easily. There was a certain level of accomplishment that she couldn’t help but feel, between the way his gaze had caught on her when he first came in and the fact that he had actively sought her out now before she had finally gotten around to grabbing him herself after all. It made her feel special in that way she was finding he was so good at. “Hi, yourself.” She hummed back, crinkling her nose for a moment. As he paused and looked her over as noticeably as he did, there was a certain smugness she felt, but on top of that was those increasingly familiar somersaults her stomach got to doing when he made her feel good. “Ohh, well, thank you.” She murmured, a gentle laugh in her tone as she was pulled into him.

Her arms easily looped up over his shoulders, both hands finding their way to the back of his head and the back of his neck. The fingers in his hair toyed gently, absently, as she smiled at him with a subtly awestruck gaze. There was a vaguely teasing comment about having noticed the way that he looked at her when he first came in, but she didn’t want to come off too cocky about the whole thing, even if it did feel admittedly satisfying to have garnered his attention like she had hoped. “I guess I should technically admit that I tried a little extra, maybe, I don’t know.” She muttered with a joking roll of her eyes, feigning dismissal.“Do you like red? Is that information I should save for later?” She questioned, her voice low but still lingering with a gentle playfulness.

Admittedly, Garrett probably shouldn’t have been pulling Alexia away to hide in the kitchen while the other women wondered where he was. But he had a good enough excuse, at least in his mind; after the group date he hadn’t seen her at all. It felt a little weird not getting to talk to her, especially when he’d wanted to. So he was taking the opportunity now, how could he not, right? Hands on her hips, Garrett smiled at her arms automatically going up over his shoulders and playing with the ends of his hair, it somehow felt familiar, something he didn’t know how to make sense of since he’d just met this girl. Garrett’s eyebrows lifted up as Alexia mentioned her trying a little harder on her outfit this week, but he was squinting the next second. “Since when do you need to try?” He murmured, leaning down to press their foreheads together after the fact. He smiled down at her, nodding his head against hers when she mentioned him liking red. “Love red.” Garrett breathed out, hands sliding around to her lower back tentatively. “Really love red on you.” He murmured, leaning down to kiss her slowly. It was a little different than the other kisses they’d shared; it wasn’t as tentative or gentle, especially as his hands slid down past her lower back to her ass, pushing her forward into his body with a grip there. 

Maybe he was a little lost in the moment, maybe he was a little too interested in this girl for only being six dates into this, but right this second, he didn’t totally care. Their chemistry and his growing feelings for Alexia were out drowning all of those thoughts in his brain. He squeezed at her ass purposefully before he inched his hands lower down to her thighs, easily scooping her up and turning them around to put her on the counter, not once breaking their kiss. For a brief moment he wondered if there were cameras around, but he brushed it off knowing he was positive they wouldn’t be missing this, and he didn’t care a bit. After another few moments, Garrett inched back with a grin on his face, eyes still closed as he spoke. “I wanted to do that all night.” He breathed through a light chuckle, finally opening his eyes to look up at the brunette. “Too much?” He asked, quirking a brow with a smirk.  

[garrettxdeegan]

alexiargarza·:

The day portion of the group date had gone even better than Alexia had anticipated. Going in, she had no idea what to expect, but getting to meet Garrett’s sister and finding out that she and Kylie got along pretty well, to boot, that was awesome. On top of that, between the perfect day planning and the tie-breaker round, she had won the competition between the girls and gotten that kiss from Garrett in front of them all. Which, that in particular - probably combined with the time she had already managed to have with Garrett prior to that date, too - the girl figured had to be why the night portion of the group date did not go quite as well for her. She was excited going into it, because of how great the earlier part of the whole day was, but getting to where they were meeting for the night portion, it was obvious that something had shifted. Some of the girls were very short and off-putting with her, some spoke to her but it was obvious that they were faking nice. Most apparent, though, was the way that everyone else seemed to be very aware of what Alexia was doing, where she was, and who was currently with Garrett at any point in time.

It was after the fourth girl who came back in from her time with Garrett, Emma, sat down specifically next to her and initiated random conversation that Alexia became aware of what was going on. After placating the other girl for a short while, she excused herself from the conversation to go have a moment to herself. That didn’t seem to stop a couple of the other girls from watching her intently as she walked off; though the dark haired girl specifically walked in the opposite direction that she currently knew Garrett to be in. As she wandered off away from the other girls, she shouldn’t have been surprised to find a camera following her to see what she had to say as she slumped back against a wall and began to fiddle with her bracelet.

“I’m not stupid,” She let out a dry laugh. “I’ve definitely caught onto the fact that the girls here tonight are kind of like, shutting me out. I think maybe two of them have said more than ten words to me. I got up to find a bathroom and someone asked me where I was going like it was an urgent thing to know.” Her gaze shifted back the way she came for a brief moment as she shook her head slowly. “Like, I see what’s going on but I mean, whatever, if that’s what they feel like they have to do, I guess. Right now, I’m not worried. There’s still the cocktail party, and I still stuck out during today’s date, so.” She let out a sigh as she shrugged her shoulders. One of the producers behind the camera asked her if she wanted to say something to Garrett about what seemed to be going on currently and the girl shook her head with a furrow in her brow. “No, no. I’m good. I can deal with this.” She assured.

As fantastic as the earlier part of the day as a whole had gone for her, Alexia couldn’t say that she was terribly surprised to find that she didn’t end up getting the group date rose after all. Who knew the conversations that were being had between the other girls and Garrett, not to mention Anna had also done really well in the competition between them. Still, getting ready to go into the cocktail party for the week, Alexia was sort of on a mission. It wasn’t direct, in fact it was kind of purposefully subtle. Her dress was picked out carefully, hair and makeup done up with extra effort. Someone might tell her she was trying too hard, but she was making a point, she figured. There being even more girls at the cocktail party than just on the group date, there was the potential possibility for her to have even more difficulty getting time with Garrett if any of the girls kept up their apparent tactic of shutting her out of getting time, but she had hope that if nothing else, she would be noticed once he arrived to meet with them for the evening.

Despite having sent one of the women home on a one on one, Garrett had felt the other two dates went really well. He’d had the opertunity to share something he loved with one group, and then got Kylie to come in and plan a date with another group. Coming out of this week and going into the rose ceremony, Garrett had hope. He’d had it before, but something felt right this week. He didn’t know if that had something to do with his sister being there or starting to feel more comfortable with some of the women there. Regardless, whatever it was, he was happy it was there. 

So he headed into the cocktail party with a smile on his face, though he already knew of one woman who was not going to be getting a rose, there were still two decisions he had to make, two hearts he potentially had to hurt but that somehow didn’t put a damper on his mood. Walking into the seating area where all the women met at the beginning of the cocktail party, Garrett had a smile on his face but as he scanned around the room the grin faltered the tiniest bit, but not for any bad reason. His gaze had caught on Alexia, how beautiful she looked for a split second he forgot about every other women there. Slowing to a stop in his typical spot, he blinked quickly to clear his head and was smiling again. Thanking Brielle as she handed him a drink, he took a sip of it before speaking. “This week was kind of weird.” He started, letting out a light chuckle. “In a way that even though there were some low points, I was still able to have fun with all of you, I’m in a really, really good mood coming into tonight, and I can’t wait to talk with all of you.” Garrett smiled, lifting his hand up to clink glasses with the other women. 

Once again, his gaze found Alexia’s as he took another drink, but before he even had a chance to suggest they go talk, Selena was asking him if they could chat. Agreeing, he let the brunette guide him out of the sitting area and out to one of the couches outside. The conversation rolled along smoothly between the two, happy to talk with her again after their good conversation at the group date. She thanked him for being a good listener, which was something he prided himself on, really. 

After that he was pulled away by Nicole, who seemed a little touchier than she had the last two cocktail parties but he took that for production starting a little earlier with alcohol than they had prior. Next Brielle swept him away, telling him there was something important she needed to talk to him about. They sat by the fireplace together and she shared that while she’d wanted to open up the night before about it, nerves had settled in, and stopped her, but now continued to explain a little deeper into her family. How it wasn’t exactly typical, how she’d practically raised her younger brother while her mom moved from job to job and relationship to relationship. On top of that she explained that her moms constant dating was a big reason as to why she was there, because she wanted something real and something she wouldn’t have to question. Garrett got that more than anything. 

That was the kind of conversation that made him hopeful. 

After talking to a few more women, some conversations better than others, Garrett was ready for a moment to think. He was trying to keep his head clear, trying to not put one girl immediately in front of the other but his brain kept going back to Alexia in that dress, and he decided he didn’t want to wait to talk to her anymore. 

Walking through the house, he looked in all the typical places where the women would be sitting, finally finding her in one of the smaller sitting rooms with Rachael and Brielle. “Hey.” He smiled with a light wave at all of them. “Alexia, can we go talk?” Garrett asked, holding his hand out to her when she stood up. This time Garrett was the guide through the house, finding the dimly lit kitchen completely empty he took his chance. “Hi.” He smiled, leaning up against one of the counters as his arms outstretched to her. “You look..” Garrett paused, glancing her over very obviously. “So good.” He sighed out the last part before he pulled her back into him, hands on her hips.