The Contestant#10
Have you read ‘A Few Rounds of Speed Dating‘
“Ahh, would you look at that, time to get back to work.” Said a tall man as he looked at his non-existent watch.
Like marbles spilling across the floor, the staff scattered throughout the kitchen. The wait staff grabbed their trays while the chefs turned their attention back to the food, leaving Corey standing in the middle of the kitchen with Adriana.
“This isn’t what it looks like.” Corey said, holding their hands up.
“Smooth, real smooth Neily.” Said a chef with a thick Jersey accent.
“I had to show Joey back there how to boil water.” Corey continued.
The entire kitchen staff busted into fits of laughter as Joey, the owner of the Jersey accent, presented Corey with his middle finger.
“Fuck you Neily!” He shouted.
“So I take it you know them?” Adriana asked, as she and Corey made their way out of the kitchen.
“Yeah, Joey’s my cousin on my mom’s side, and Mitchell and my dad go way back.” Corey explained.
The pair made their way through the dining room, where they grabbed some waters, before making their way outside.
“I’ve gotta say, I’m a little hurt that you picked the kitchen staff over me.” Adriana said as she feigned sadness.
Corey laughed as they shook their head.
“I didn’t pick anyone. I was looking for the bathroom, and I ran into Joey and he just started yapping.” Corey said as they made a talking motion with their hand.
Adriana let out a dramatic gasp as a hand flew to her chest.
“What?! Joey doesn’t yapp, he tells stories! The greatest stories of all time!” She said.
Corey looked at her with wide eyes.
“Are you kidding me? Joey? Joey Martin Bruno, is the greatest story teller of all time? The man literally takes six to eight business days just to tell you that he went to the store, brought some groceries, and went home.” Corey said.
Adriana waved a hand out in front of her, clearing the air of Corey’s statement.
“Joey’s a proper storyteller! He paints a picture! He really takes you there!” She argued.
Now it was Corey’s turn to reject her statement.
“Oh please! The man tells stories like he’s trying to hit a fucking word count!” Corey said with a shake of their head.
Adriana opened her mouth to argue, but rather than a rebuttal, all that came out was laughter.
“Yeah, I guess he is a little long winded.” She said.
Corey let out a scoff mixed with a bit of a laugh.
“The Lord of The Rings movies are ‘ a little long winded’. Joey Bruno is a fucking yapper.” Corey said.
“Wow Corey, tell me how you really feel.” She said with a laugh.
The pair made their way over to the outdoor couch, where the fire was warm and inviting.
“God, I fucking love Hawaii.” Corey said as the pair sunk down into the couch cushions
The words came out soft, almost as if they were in a dream like state.
“Honestly same. When I was nineteen, I did my first ever shoot here, and I fell in love instantly. But New York will always have my heart.” She said.
Corey tore their eyes from the stars, and focused them on her.
“You’re from New York?”
They must have missed that when they’d read her bio.
Adriana smiled brightly, a light of pride beaming off her.
“Yep. Although nowadays, I spend most of my time in LA or Europe.” Adriana said.
“I’m also from New York, and I spent a year traveling, but I don’t know, I don’t think I could ever leave New York.” Corey said.
Adriana turned her body so that she could look at them.
“Like living somewhere else would be a deal breaker for you?” She asked.
While it hadn’t even been a day, knowing her contestants’ hard no’s was important.
Corey tilted their head, seeming to mull it over.
“I’m not gonna lie, I’ve never thought about living anywhere else. But I think after my grandfather dies, I’d probably be more open to it then I am right now.” Corey said.
Adriana turned towards Corey; slipping out of her heels, she tucked her feet underneath herself and focused all of her attention on them.
“Wait, why does your grandfather have to die for you to leave New York?” Adriana asked.
“My mom and her parents came over from Italy when my mom was like four. My grandparents only had a frying pan that papa’s obsessed with, forty bucks, and the clothes on their backs. Between the two of them, my grandparents worked three jobs, built a family, and built a restaurant so that their kids wouldn’t have to work as hard as they did. New York is his home, the man literally won’t leave, unless it’s to come visit nonna’s grave here in Hawaii. And I don’t know, I guess I feel like I can’t leave him.” Corey explained.
Adriana felt Corey’s response in her core. Her own grandfather, was a French photographer, and he taught Adriana everything he knew about cameras and modeling. Though work took her all around the world, Paris, the place where her grandparents settled after retirement, was the place that Adriana called home. It wasn’t until after both her grandparents had been put into the ground, that Adriana finally joined Noah and their parents over in LA.
“I get that. When my dad’s parents got older, they moved back to Paris, and whenever I wasn’t away for work, I was staying with them in the townhouse my grandpa grew up in. I lived in that house until both my grandparents took their last breathes.” Said Adriana.
There was a dull sadness in her eyes, the kind of sadness that came from longing for someone who had already passed on.
“Alright so you were born in New York, lived in LA and then France, but what about Hawaii? What’s the significance here?” Corey asked, attempting to lighten up the mood.
Adriana turned her attention to the starry sky and shrugged.
“There really isn’t one. I guess having my first ever proper photoshoot here could be ‘special’, but that’s just work.” Adriana said.
Truthfully, other than the access that she had to the ocean, Hawaii was simply a pretty place with nice weather.
What do you think of Adriana and Corey thus far? Do you have a favorite contestant, or is it too soon? Any predictions for how this story will go from here? Leave any and all thoughts below.Enjoying the site thus far? Wanna help keep The Royal Blue Network up and running? How about supporting the site! Buy Me A Coffee is a site that allows people to make single payments to creators they wanna support financially. A single cup of coffee is four dollars and would go a long way to helping out the site. But if you can’t or don’t wanna, you can simply share this site with someone you think would enjoy it.
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