Felicity's POV.
That night, I sat with Penelope again.
"Day six," she said. "Final thoughts?"
My eyes moved slowly around the room. Noah's jacket rested on my chair. The rose is still on my desk. My phone lay beside it, Chris's last message still there. You up? I never replied.
"I think I'm in trouble," I whispered.
She reached for my hand and held it. "Yeah," she said softly. "You are."
Outside, the wind pressed against the window. Day seven was close, the challenge would end, and the choice I had been avoiding would be waiting for me. I wasn't ready. I felt it before he even said anything, that quiet feeling between us, heavy but real. It felt like something was already ending. I didn't want to name it, but I could feel it. I was losing something, not him, not yet, but the peace he gave me. With Noah, everything felt calm and easy like I could breathe without thinking, like I didn't have to fight for anything.
But with Chris, it was different. He was strong and calm, loud and quiet, caring and protective, full of feeling all at once. And that was why I was falling in love with him, and I knew I couldn't have or keep both. That was the problem, the truth I didn't want to face. Standing there beside Noah, I realised I was already letting something go. I hadn't made a choice yet, but my heart was already moving, slowly and quietly, and it scared me.
Because it meant that one day I would have to turn away from this, from him, from the version of me that felt safe, choosing one meant losing the other. It felt like saying goodbye before it even happened, like holding onto something I already knew wouldn't last, and somehow that hurt more than losing it for real. I was falling for Chris, and it made everything harder, especially after Noah said he loved me.
I think that's why he said it, why he looked at me the way he did, why his voice sounded like that. Because he felt it too. Because he already knew. And when he said he was going to ask me something, I understood what he meant. He wasn't asking for something small. He was asking for the truth, the real one, the kind that could break him. He was going to ask me if, when all of this ends, it's him I choose and I didn't know if I had that answer.
I felt like I was losing my peace. By falling for Chris, I knew I had to let go of the calm Noah gave me. I was stepping away from that quiet safety and trading it for something louder and more intense. It felt like leaving a calm place and walking into a storm. And it hurt, because I was saying goodbye to the version of myself that felt safe. I was already mourning the simple, easy life before I had even left it.
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Noah's POV.
I knew before she said anything. I could feel it. She was already slipping away, not completely, but enough for me to notice. She was still here beside me, talking, looking at me, listening, but something had changed. I could feel it in the way she paused, in the way her eyes drifted sometimes, like part of her was somewhere else, with someone else. I didn't blame her. I just noticed. It felt like watching a sunset, beautiful while it lasted, but I knew it wouldn't stay.
I knew that at the end of this, one day, she would have to choose, and it might not be me. That was the truth I had already accepted. But I still stayed, because this moment mattered and she mattered. If I was going to lose her, I wasn't going to pretend, not now, not ever. I didn't want to hide how I felt or wait for a perfect time that might never come, not when time was already running out. So I chose honesty. I was going to risk everything, even if it broke me.
That's why I told her I would ask her something, because I will. On the last day, when there's no more time to hide behind the challenge, I'm going to look at her and ask the only thing that matters. Not to win, not to compete, but to know the truth. When this ends, is it me she wants? Do you choose me? Do you feel the same way I do? Are you falling for me too? If I ask you to choose me, will you? And whatever her answer is, I'll take it, even if it's the one that lets her go. If I'm going to do this, I want it to matter. I want her to feel it coming, so when I finally ask, it won't be a surprise. It will be the truth we both already saw.
I know what I'm going to ask her. I just haven't said it yet. I need to know if she really sees a future with me, or if her heart already belongs to someone else. I'm preparing for that final moment, the one where everything becomes real. When I asked her to be honest, even if it breaks me, I meant it. I don't want something soft or safe. I want the truth. I need to know if the peace she feels with me is enough, or if what she feels for someone else is stronger. Because the truth is, I already feel like I'm losing her.
Even now, when it's my time and she's right next to me, I can feel her drifting. Her mind, her heart, moving somewhere I can't reach. I don't need her to say it. I can see it. It feels like watching a sunset, beautiful while it lasts, but I know it won't stay. The light will fade, and something else will take its place. And I'm still here, holding onto the moment, even while I know what's coming. I know that soon, her heart might belong to someone else. And I'm trying to be strong enough to let her go when that moment comes.
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Christopher's POV.
Day three, Noah had her calm. Day four, I had her attention. Day five, Alex had her confusion. I didn't like any of it, but I stayed quiet and watched. Because love is not loud when it's real. It's patient. It waits. And when it's my turn, I won't just be seen. I will be remembered. Now it's day six. The sun hit the old stone walls of Oxford, warm and golden. It should have felt like a perfect day. It was a beautiful day, but I felt like a storm. I saw her before she saw me. She stood a little distance away, and for a moment, everything else faded. She was laughing, soft, real, unguarded, the kind of laugh she doesn't give easily. And of course, she wasn't alone. Noah was there, standing beside her as he belonged, like calm was enough.
She wore a soft blue dress that fitted gently at her waist and fell just above her knees, moving lightly when she walked. The fabric looked soft against her skin, the colour making her glow warmer under the sunlight. Her pearl earrings and necklace caught the light, and her sneakers were simple, blue to match, nothing too much, just enough to make my heart start beating fast. It was simple, but it held the light in a way that made it hard to look away. She didn't try too hard, and that was what made it impossible not to look at her.
My jaw tightened, but my eyes stayed on her. She wasn't trying to be noticed, but she was. She didn't even know I was watching, but she had all of my attention. I forget how to breathe for a second. My chest tightened as I watched her, my heartbeat picking up in a way I couldn't control. Not because I didn't understand what was happening but I did. I saw the way Noah stood close to her, the calm, the quiet, the way she breathed easier around him. And I hated it.
Not him, just the way he made her feel like she didn't need anything else. But I also knew something he didn't. Calm doesn't stay forever. My jaw tightened again. I told myself to stay still, to stay patient, but patience is harder when the person you want and love is smiling at someone else. And when it breaks, when everything shifts, when she starts to feel too much and too fast, that's where I come in. Because I'm not calm. I'm feeling she won't be able to ignore.
I am a Prince and I'm used to getting what I want. But seeing her laugh with him made my blood run hot. My chest tightened, like my heart was wearing shoes that were too small. I turned and walked away before I could say something I wouldn't take back. Later that night, I sat alone in my room. It was too quiet. I stared at my phone, no message, no call, nothing. I wanted to call her, to tell her I love her so much it hurts. But instead, I typed something simple again. > You up? Did you eat?
I looked at it for a second, then sent it. Simple, not too dramatic or desperate just there. Because that's who I am. I don't need to be loud. I don't need to compete. I just need her to see me and when it's finally my turn, I won't just take a step forward, I'll take everything. Noah gives her peace. Alex gives her fun. But me? I'll give her my whole life.
I'm a Prince who walked away from a crown for a normal life. But for her, I would build a new kingdom from scratch. I'm not just waiting for my turn. I'm waiting for the moment she realises that calm is boring, and intensity is what makes you feel alive.