on the line

“Yeah, I guess maybe I should get a drink as well. I think we’re probably falling behind everyone else already,” Piper jokes softly as she’s noting that most of the people on the beach seem to have drinks in their hands. She wasn’t the biggest drinker, but a situation like this called for it. Especially, she notes, after the comment Wyatt makes next. It sorta makes her heart sink. Not that she should have expected him to ask her to stay, or walk her back, but she’s still the tiniest bit disappointed, though she’d never admit it. “Okay,” she says tentatively, reluctantly pushing herself up off the boulder and straightening out her dress a little. “I guess I’ll see you…” she waves shyly.

“It definitely seems that way. I’ve never been the type to pound a whole bunch of drinks back, but that might have to change. These people have no chill. They’ll all be falling over in no time,” Wyatt teases. He definitely drank a beer or something every so often, but he just wasn’t the kind of guy to get drunk by any means. The thought of potentially not knowing what he had done or where he was kind of freaked him out. There’s a huge part of Wyatt that wanted to insist they not go back to the group. He wanted a chance to talk to her more and to get to know her, but he figured that by her insinuating they should get back, that maybe she was bored with him. He’d just have to hope that he got a chance to talk more with her later on. “Yup. I really hope so...” he says hopefully, forcing a smile on his face to hide his slight disappointment. 

God, Piper could really cry from how sweet he’s being to her, and she doesn’t want to make an idiot of herself but it’s hard to hold in how nice she feels. His blush and appreciation are just the cutest thing in the world, and she has to suppress the squeal she wants to release in that moment. “Do you think maybe we should go back?” she asks when it seems like everyone has arrived at this point. They’ve been sitting secluded for a while, and while it’s nice to have all of his attention, she doesn’t want to be selfish and keep him from talking to anyone else. “I don’t wanna keep you from potentially meeting the love of your life,” she jokes softly, though she’s pretty serious about it.

It’s only when she suggests they go back that Wyatt looks up at the crowd and notices that it’s definitely gotten busier since they had come down here. “I guess maybe we should. We don’t want to be known as the anti-social ones already,” he teases. “I think a drink sounds good, too.” He smiles at that and waves her off. “Don’t worry about that. I’m gonna take it one day at a time and see how it goes. You on the other hand... The love of your life could totally be up there and I’d feel bad if I kept you from him. Go on ahead. I’ll catch up.” 

“Not harsh rejection, but even just getting the vibe that someone’s not interested feels like rejection to me,” Piper admits. “I guess you’re right though. Everyone’s just kinda talking with everyone and seeing what sticks. It’s not that scary,” she rationalizes with his help, looking over her shoulder when there’s another howl of laughter and shouts from back where everyone else is. Piper wants to pretend like she hears that she’s gorgeous all the time, but she really doesn’t, so hearing it from Wyatt is really nice, and definitely makes her heart flutter a little. “Thank you,” she tells him, smiling shyly. Why does she feel like she’s in middle school again? She doesn’t want to get her hopes up, because it seems like Wyatt is just a nice guy to everyone, but this talk has definitely made her feel some things. “And you’re very handsome,” she tells him, head dipping down to look at where her feet are digging into the sand.

“Yeah, I get that. It does kinda all feel the same. No matter what anyone says, rejection of any kind always stinks.” Wyatt does feel that way sometimes, too, and he knows that acknowledging that her feelings are valid is going to help more than just trying to say something to make her feel better. “It’s not scary. You’re right. It’s just talking and seeing what happens.” He’s happy to help her to feel better about all of this as much as he can because he’s finding that it’s helping him to feel a little bit calmer about it in the process. He looks over his shoulder to see where the sound is coming from, but quickly turns his attention back to PIper. “You’re very welcome,” he says sweetly, flashing her a big smile. When she calls him handsome, his cheeks kind of go pink and he has to look at his toes for a second. “Thank you. That compliment goes along way from someone as pretty as you. I appreciate it.” 

“Yeah, I guess it just feels stupid because even if they’re faking it, everyone else here seems so confident. So ready to mingle with every person they meet, and it’s like… that’s great, but how do you just brush off rejection so easily?” Piper sighs. “The Bachelor was so much easier because there was only one guy I had to interact with,” she laughs, looking to Wyatt and letting her head tip into her shoulder. “You’re just saying that because we’re on the show,” she argues softly, voice softer than before, cheeks definitely feeling a bit warmer.

“I think it’s easy for them to look that way now. There’s not a whole lot of rejection in the first few days. It’s kind of just a free for all right now. People trying to make some kind of connection and hoping that it’ll stick,” Wyatt shrugs. “I’m kind of just hoping that I end up meeting some cool people and anything above that will be a bonus. That’s how I have to look at it just so I don’t crumble from the pressure,” he chuckles softly, shaking his head. “I am not. I wouldn’t lie. Regardless,” he promises her. “You really are gorgeous.” 

It’s definitely nice to know she isn’t the only one feeling this way. Especially when everyone expects them to be fine with this since they have experience with it at this point. To Piper, that doesn’t really make much of a difference. Having been on the show doesn’t really help her feel any less anxious. “I still feel stupid for worrying though because it’s not like I’m chasing after the same guy as 30 other girls,” she expresses, squinting a little as she looks up at him. “But maybe that’s why I’m anxious. I think I’m a little afraid I’ll be interested in people but none of them will be interested in me,” she confesses, digging her toes deep into the sand. She probably shouldn’t have confessed that to this stranger, but it wasn’t like she could call her mom or anything.

“You definitely shouldn’t feel stupid,” Wyatt says with a soft smile. “It’s always scary to put your heart out on the line. And this situation is insane. It’s totally not normal. Not at all,” he laughs with a little shake of his head. “I’m totally on the same page. This feels even more scary because it’s not like there’s just one guy or one girl and that’s that. There are a ton of people and a ton more opportunities to be rejected. That’s always a crappy feeling and no one wants to put themselves in that situation,” he reasons. “I can’t imagine anyone not being interested in you, though. You’re insanely beautiful and you’re probably the most real and down to earth girl I’ve spoken to the entire time I’m here.” 

Piper can tell that Wyatt is seemingly concerned, and it’s sweet, but nothing to be worried over. “I just… drama makes me anxious. I don’t like being caught up in it, and I managed to survive my season of the Bachelor, but I just have this feeling like Paradise is gonna be worse. Girls in groups can be catty and I don’t like being around that sort of thing,” she explains to him. “I know it’s stupid,” she shrugs, looking over at him and grimacing.

“It’s not stupid. Not at all,” Wyatt is quick to tell her as he shakes his head softly. “This is a lot. I found it really hard when I was on the bachelorette. Hence why I didn’t make it all that far. I think that just the prospect of being on the beach and meeting new people is what got me to do it again,” he reasons. He wasn’t a huge fan of all the drama and the cattiness and he just hoped that somehow everyone here would end up able to make it not be so bad. He knows he got lucky the last time since a big group of guys is a tad less likely to get into drama than a big group of girls, but this time would surely be different.

It is a little relieving to hear that he had been walking by himself for likely the same reason. Piper looks up at him again, sucking in her bottom lip as she contemplates whether or not she wants the company, and decides that this man seems pretty nice, and she wouldn’t mind having someone to talk to as she sorts out her thoughts. “Okay,” she nods, scooting over on the boulder she’d perched herself on and brushing her hair back again. “I’m Piper,” she tells him then, smiling softly. “I’m also not sure if I’m staying, so, I’m just warning you now,” she laughs a little.

Waiting until he’s sure that she doesn’t mind him joining her, Wyatt does eventually move towards the spot she’s made for him on the boulder and sits down. “Piper? It’s nice to meet you,” he smiles as he looks over at her. She’s beautiful for sure, but before he even has a chance to really appreciate that, she’s telling him she might not stay and he’s raising his brows in response. “Might not stay? Why not?” He doesn’t want to pry or be too nosy, but he does want to at least try to help her out if he can. 

As soon as she hears the voice of the man who had been approaching her, Piper glances up at him. “What?” she shakes her head, then nods, then pushes her hair back. “Yeah, no, I’m good,” she continues to nod, maybe trying to convince herself more than she’s trying to convince him. She’s not really sure. “Sorry,” Piper continues, straightening her back out and pasting on a smile. “I’m not normally this withdrawn loser like…” she gestures to her position on the rock and then looks back over to where everyone else is and she can hear laughter and hollering. “Just got kinda overwhelmed,” she explains, eyes back on the sand again. “I’m okay though.”

When she’s apologizing and saying she’s not normally a loser, Wyatt is quick to shake his head. “No, don’t apologize. I get it. I mean, here I was on a walk down by the shore all by myself,” he adds, wanting to make her feel a little bit better. “I can totally leave you alone if you’d rather have some time, but I’m also happy to sit and keep you company if you want that?” He offers as he walks a little bit closer to where she’s sitting. The first few hours of this experience have been super overwhelming and it’s actually a bit of a relief to him that there’s someone else that’s finding it overwhelming and that he’s not the only one feeling this way.

Maybe this wasn’t the best idea in the world. Being on the Bachelor was a lot to begin with, but even after only the first thirty minutes or so of being here Piper was beginning to notice some drama starting. The way the girls talk to and about each other in hushed tones as a new person arrives just gives Piper a bad feeling in her stomach. She’s always been a fairly chill person who doesn’t feed into drama, so knowing that it could be even worse here on Bachelor in Paradise has her stepping away. She’s sitting on a big boulder a bit down the shoreline, contemplating whether or not to stay, when she sees someone walking her way. Should she say hi? Why bother if she might leave anyway, right? She bites into her lip and looks down at where her feet are digging into the sand. Maybe if she’s quiet he won’t feel obligated to talk to her.

Wyatt is continuing to walk a little bit down the shoreline and the big crowd of people is now starting to be out of view. He thinks he must be completely alone when he sees someone sitting on a boulder off in the near distance. She’s looking down at her feet and for a second, he considers leaving her alone since it seems that she wants to be, but he just can’t. He can’t leave her there looking distressed. He walks slowly over to her while still maintaining a good enough distance to not completely invade her space. “Hey? Are you alright? I didn’t mean to bother you, but I wanted to make sure you’re alright. I’m Wyatt.” He offers, giving her a soft smile and still trying to remain respectful of her space while still subconsciously checking to make sure that there aren’t any outward signs that she’s maybe hurt in some way. 

He had spoken to a few people here and there since he got here, but has now decided to take a little walk down the shoreline to check out the area a little bit more. This whole experience was kind of crazy to him still so he figured a bit of a walk to clear his head and give himself some clarity might be the best course of action.