BACHELOR [ JACHARY ]

-chapter three

ZACH'S JAW dropped, disbelief taking over his mind. he then smiled and stepped forward, towards a beaming jack. "will you accept this rose?"

zach nodded. "i will."

jack held it out to him, purposely making their fingers brush together. zach blushed.

"okay, that means erin, lauren, isabelle, erika, courtney and elisha, you will be sent home tonight."

the girls named sighed but nodded, walking out of the room as directed. lauren was sure to glare at zach over her shoulder. he took her place.

❦

zach sat alone on his bed in the giant mansion, staring at the rose jack had gifted him. he subconsciously smiled at the thought of the older boy, his mind settling on the way his arms felt wrapped around him. he felt safe and content in jack's arms.

the brunet got comfortable in his bed, placing the rose in a readied vase on his bedside table. his mind once again drifted to the curly-haired boy he had met earlier. he was so incredibly sweet and welcoming, and he made zach feel absolute butterflies. in a way, zach felt they had a special connection. after all, he was the only other boy there.

to be honest, zach was slightly angry with himself. the moment he found out he got on the show, he knew that he would fall for jack. fast. he just hadn't expected it to be the first night they met.

sighing, he buried his head into his pillow and tried to shake any thoughts of the curly haired boy from his mind.

he definitely didn't fall asleep pretending he was in jack's arms again.

❦

the next morning, zach was awoken much earlier than he would have liked, being called out to hair and makeup once he was dressed. he smiled at the thought of getting to see cole again, and being able to tell him about all his new experiences.

they caught up while cole worked his magic, making sure zach looked his best for the brunch he was about to attend. "he sounds like he already has a soft spot for you."

"oh please," zach rolled his eyes, "he's probably like that with everyone. it's just a hug."

"a hug and words of motivation, honey he's already whipped for you!" cole exclaimed, spraying some hairspray to keep his hair in place.

"he's not," zach bit his lip. "shit, i'm already in way past my head and it hasn't even been a full day," he whined.

"well, the first group date is today, as well as another cocktail party. it's your chance to show him you're the right one for him," cole encouraged him, finishing up his final touches.

zach nodded. "you're right. speaking of, i need to get to brunch. but thank you for all your help today, seriously," he stood up to embrace the taller man in a hug. "you're kinda like my therapist."