The True Love Experiment

Fizzy realizes she’s about to be on television. Though she’s used to being the center of attention, this is “glossy, big-scale, big-money fantasy television” (168). Dax, the Tattooed Bad Boy, is the first date to enter. He is Asian, beautiful, and funny. They banter, and Fizzy thinks he is attractive, but she keeps glancing at Connor. The next date is Isaac, the Hot Nerd, and Fizzy genuinely enjoys being with him. Benji, the Cowboy she thinks of as Tex, is less interesting.

The moment the dates are over, Fizzy goes over to Connor, realizing she just wants to be near him. She insists that he interview her for the confessional. In return, he asks if she can persuade River to come on the show to talk about the science behind DNADuo. He still doesn’t know who Fizzy’s DNADuo match is.

Connor feels uncomfortable seeing Fizzy’s chemistry with some of her dates, though it’s good for the show. His father calls and lectures him about doing a reality TV show when he could be making seven figures working for his corporation. Connor wonders if this derision is what Fizzy experiences when she tells people she’s a romance writer.

Evan, The One Who Got Away, is warm with Fizzy and reveals that the Bart Simpson tattoo she hated is gone. Arjun, the Darcy, is stuck up. Colby, the Navy SEAL, is boring and hasn’t read a book since The Da Vinci Code. When Nick, the Cinnamon Roll, enters, he and Fizzy have an immediate connection. Jude, the Vampire, is a phlebotomist, and Fizzy laughs, getting Connor’s joke. This thrills Connor.

This chapter is composed as a script. Connor and Felicity are playful with each other, and Connor admits to being nervous in front of the camera. Fizzy says she feels like one of her romance heroines. She mentions that the Cowboy asked what her dad thought about her writing romance and explains that the Cinnamon Roll archetype is sweet and supportive. She says she needs a romantic partner who can let go and have fun, like singing at a boy band concert.

Fizzy goes to Jess’s house on Friday night and tells her about her dates with the heroes. She says she might watch the first episode with Connor and tells Jess about their moment at the beach. She is enthusing about the size of Connor’s penis when River walks in. Fizzy insists her interest in Connor is purely sexual. However, when he asks if she wants to meet up to discuss the show, she bolts home to see him.

Connor comes to Fizzy’s house, and when she sees him on her front porch, she thinks he “looks like a Hallmark cuddle come to life” (196). She applauds his Hero casting but privately thinks that none of them are him. Connor says she should tone down the “come-to-bed eyes a little” (198), and she takes offense. She reminds him that romance has moved away from the idea that women can’t have sexual agency, and she refuses to play into the ingenue stereotype. She realizes that Connor is jealous, and she reminds him that she likes him. He kisses her, and things become intense. They have sex with Fizzy sitting on the kitchen counter, using a condom from her junk drawer. The experience is unlike anything else Fizzy has ever known.

In his kitchen before the show’s premiere, Connor confides in Nat that he had sex with Fizzy, which he’s sure was a bad idea. His friends, Ash and Ella, arrive—Ella is a dating show enthusiast. Connor admits the complication: he likes Fizzy a lot, and he’s supposed to be finding her a soulmate.

Fizzy arrives, and Connor greets her, realizing he feels even more drawn to her now that they had sex. He recalls kissing her goodbye the night before. She tells him last night broke a dry spell and was fun, but they shouldn’t do it again. Connor sees she is giving him an out, and he takes it. She says their story is a buddy comedy, not a romance. Stevie greets Fizzy, and Fizzy gives her a Wonderland concert DVD. Nat and Ella gush over Fizzy.

They gather to watch the show, which opens with River describing the DNA test and how it works. Onscreen, Fizzy says she is looking for someone to be her best friend and lover, someone who makes even the small things fun. The show is fun and engaging, but in the kitchen during a break, both Fizzy and Connor recall being together last night. At the end of the show, which was a complete success, Fizzy makes Connor admit she was right about getting him to do the confessional. She teases him, saying that she’s the best, and he agrees.

In her car, Fizzy thinks about the joys of a good romance novel but realizes she’s mostly excited because she got to see Connor. She reminds herself she had sex with him to get him out of her system. When she is buying canned wine at CVS, she runs into Isaac, the Hot Nerd. When she feels attracted (“pants feelings”) for him, Fizzy thinks she’s got her old self back (221). Two girls approach her and ask about finding Connor on Instagram. The next day, whenever Fizzy is recognized for being on the show, people ask about Connor.

As the second week of filming begins, Fizzy learns that the Darcy and the Cowboy have been eliminated by voters. Fizzy gets to choose the dates she will have with the remaining six contestants. Her date with Colby, the Navy SEAL, is awkward as he mansplains everything. Jude, the Vampire, doesn’t get her Twilight reference. She takes a craft cocktail class with Nick, the Cinnamon Roll, but she keeps looking for Connor. While deep-sea fishing with Evan, the One Who Got Away, they discuss her brother Peter’s upcoming wedding, and Fizzy admits she doesn’t have a date. At the spa with Dax, the Tattooed Bad Boy, she is distracted because Connor isn’t there. The bicycling date with Isaac is fun, and Fizzy thinks he could be her soulmate. However, she still wants Connor, and she feels like connecting with other men is betraying him. After the confessional interview is over, Connor says he will go to Peter’s wedding with her.

This chapter is also formatted like a script. In her confessional, Fizzy admits it was weird not having Connor on her dates, and she missed him. She jokes that he’s tall, and they needed the shade. The conversation captures their camaraderie and connection.