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Duncan couldn’t believe his bossy, perfectionistic, rule-obsessed little girlfriend had left him straggling on the beach. Anyone with a sane brain cell would be appalled. They’d break up with her in a heartbreak— but not him. No, he absolutely craved that fiery, headstrong, and competitive side of Courtney.
What he said as the camera man zoomed in on him was nothing but the truth, he loved that woman.
It took the punk a few minutes to get on his feet but he did it. That little peddle did more in the moment than anything else. He kicked it for good measure and watched it skip through the sand and into the ocean.
With a huff, Duncan dug his hands into his pockets and made his way towards the campgrounds. He wasn’t sure where Courtney was but he had an inkling feeling that she had the case.
His mind wandered to how they had made it this far along; he was positive she would have said their little onscreen kiss was a momentary lapse in judgment. He’d never been so happy to be wrong though.
When he was eliminated, Chef in his stupid yeti costume dropped him off at some resort. Since it was the middle of the night nobody was around, but some lame intern had assured him all past contestants were there before handing him a key.
Duncan was too tired to flip out about the place. Of course Chris had it miles away from the campgrounds, completely secluded from everyone else. Still, he wanted to see if Courtney was really there.
The number on his key was 19, precisely his elimination number. That could only mean one thing; Courtney had to be in room 11. It took him seconds to throw his duffle bag into his room before locating his Princess’s room.
If Courtney was awake he didn’t want to miss a single second of it now. He knocked on the door and waited. A few seconds later the door opened slightly and a very annoyed Courtney came into view. Her expression changed once registering who it was.
“Duncan.”
Her arms pulled him into a deathly embrace. He was shocked but quickly found himself hugging her just as tight. God, he had missed her. “Hey, Princess.”
She pulled back from him, “Wait, if you’re here—”
“Chef basically rigged the votes.” He shrugged. If being here with her was the result of it he didn’t give a damn.
Courtney scoffed, “I guess we have that in common.”
“Did Chef do that to you too?” He turned, ready to swim back to camp to give that lunatic a piece of his mind but her hand tugged him back around.
“Harold.”
Duncan blinked. Then Courtney led him into her room and explained what really went down the night she was eliminated.
He was pissed but was pleasantly surprised at the initiative she took to handle the issue. He’d still have to show Harold a thing or two, but damn, his girl was fiery.
That night ended up being one of the best nights of his existence. The pair had stayed up talking and before he realized it they were sneaking into the kitchen area to smuggle some food. It was like they were picking up where they had left off.
Duncan loved seeing that side of Courtney. She was so free and the smile that covered her face as they ran to the elevators and back to her room was everything.
And that was only the first night back. His mind raced as he recalled their most recent visit at the resort. All he could do was thank God that the walls were soundproof. Everything about his time with Courtney was perfect. Once they had that case back to the dock they would surely celebrate again.
His thoughts were interrupted when he reached his destination and noticed his friends climbing up that stupid ladder intended for Courtney’s challenge in Phobia Factor.
“What are you guys doing up there?” He shouted and traced his line of vision towards where they pointed.
“Oh, no.” Was all he managed to say as a massive moose charged at him. He ran and thought he’d psyched it out by making a quick U-turn, but no. The animal was still hot on his tracks as he flew into the Mess Hall.
When he emerged from there, curtesy of his quick thinking when spotting a giant moose head, he heard that familiar voice.
“Woohoo! Go honey, go!” Courtney cheered from above. Duncan had no time to think about how she’d managed to be in a hot air balloon.
“I’m coming for you next, sweetheart!” He yelled back as he chased the moose into the forest. He’d ask questions later.
Somewhere along the lines he managed to jump on the moose’s back and was now heading back towards Courtney. If he managed to get her to jump with the case they’d win this shit.
By the time he made it back to the area chaos had erupted.
Courtney had somehow ended up on the diving board under her greatest fear and he watched as a handful of them dropped into it. Duncan cringed at the thought of Courtney’s reaction. He had meant to help her but the moose had a mind of its own as it continued on towards the docks.
Before he could even blink he was catapulted off of it. He braced himself as he splashed into the dirty waters of Wawanakwa.
When he came back up to the surface a group of them were gasping around him. A helicopter came dangerously close before Chris hopped out and joyfully announced another season.
“Oh forget this! I didn’t agree to season two!” Duncan snapped at him .
Chris was lucky he was standing on the dock and not in the water with the bunch. Duncan was positive he would have drowned him.
“Wait a minute! I want to be on season two!” He recognized the voice before even seeing her.
Of course Courtney wanted to endure another season. He couldn’t blame her, her shot at the win was taken from her due to his own actions. He hadn’t gotten his revenge on that little dweeb, yet.
Duncan was pushing himself up on the dock as Courtney listed every reason she should be welcomed back. Her rant stopped short when she noticed him half way up, the water dripping off of him and turning red as Chris patted her back.
“As much as I’d love the ratings you two kiddos would give. Rules are rules.” Chris said before dismissing her.
“Rules are rules.” Courtney began, Duncan knew she was about to explode.
Before Courtney had a chance to flip out more; Duncan took her hand and pulled her in the other direction. It took her a minute to register who was tugging her away before following suit.
He led them through the forest following the familiar trial to the boathouse. It was oddly satisfying how the butterflies exploded in Courtney’s stomach when seeing it. This was where everything changed.
She watched as her boyfriend picked the lock and swung the rusty door open. They stepped in and noticed their little sitting area was still there from that night.
Duncan kicked the door shut before making his way towards Courtney. He reached out for her hand to bring her close when she stepped back holding her hand up in protest, “You’re wet.”
“I can return the favor, baby girl.”
“Duncan!”
“I meant your clothes,” for emphasis, the green haired teen engulfed her in a hug. He laughed as she protested but felt her body relax against him, “Unless, you wanna go there too.”
She lightly smacked his chest. They both laughed as he rested his forehead against hers.
Courtney’s smile faded and was replaced by a worrying frown. She hated how her mind immediately thought of the worst during moments like this. Duncan’s eyebrow raised in question.
“You won’t forget about me, will you?” She whispered.
Duncan’s lips traced over hers, silently asking permission to kiss her. When Courtney’s eyes fluttered shut he gave in. It wasn’t a short kiss by all means, but the longing in it made it feel timeless. He could taste her strawberry lipstick as his hand moved up her back, neck, and held the back of her head in place as he deepened the kiss. The soft sound escaping his girlfriend’s lips sent a shock up his spin.
They pulled apart before getting ahead of themselves.
“So, I’m taking that as a no?” Courtney joked, but the assurance she needed was still in the air.
“Of course not.” Duncan kissed her check, noticing the pink strip shoot across her face. “I’m winning this lame ass game for us.”
“For us.” She repeated.
“Hell yeah, babe.”
“Good.” Courtney’s hands made their way up his neck to play with the short scruff of his hair. He loved how gentle she was with him when nobody else was around. Then her next words reminded him just how much he liked her little surprises, “Kick everyone’s ass for me.”
Duncan’s grip tightened on her, “I like when you talk like that.”