Trey McAllen

you gasped dramatically, clutching your chest like some damsel in distress, mocking and feigning fluster as the cameras swung toward you. “hey, gordito,” you drawled, voice dipped in a sickly-sweet tone that made the crew stifle laughs. trey’s reaction was instant—his shoulders shook with laughter, that deep, easy sound that made it hard not to smile yourself.

“out of all the ranches in the world, you gotta walk into mine,” he said, stepping closer, boots crunching against the dusty floor of the barn set. his voice carried that slow, warm texas drawl, the kind that made words sound like secrets.

“and i’ll walk right out of it if you just play along,” you shot back, your eyes narrowing in challenge.

his smile deepened, a little cocky, a little curious. “you know, you ain’t gonna find another man like me in france.”

“that’s the whole point,” you retorted, your chest tight with the reminder that france was supposed to be your future—art school, escape, freedom—not this ridiculous parody of love staged under cheap fairy lights.

you hadn’t wanted this. your sister had shoved the application when the tuition rejection letter came. money, or honey, the tagline said. a dating show, like the bachelor but tackier, with an added prize twist.

you rolled your eyes at the time, laughed even. then you found yourself boarding a plane, suitcase heavy with sketchbooks and pencils, telling yourself you could suffer through roses and fake smiles if it got you to paris.

but when the plane landed, it wasn’t france. it was texas. paris, texas. the one place you’d sworn you’d claw your way out of, not back into.

the only silver lining? you’d already met trey. a few weeks ago, at a bar just outside town. a casual interaction. with loads of tension.

—

confessionals

trey sat stiffly in a producer’s chair, his name taped across the back. the neon logo of the honeypot glowed behind him. he rubbed the back of his neck, clearly unsure of how much to say. “great. well, uh, hi.

a millionaire who is looking for love

surrounded by women on a reality show who want to marry him. but only one manages to catch his attention...