It took a little more cajoling but Adhha finally came clean. He badly needed some sponsorship for the upcoming ASEAN sports meet and wanted to raise his profile before approaching the sponsors.

“That’s disgusting,” Jessica hissed.

“No, it is not,” Andreae disagreed. “In fact, you two should do some product endorsement together. I can picture it, a thirty-second romance clip as part of an omega-3 fish oil commercial. Everyone’s a winner.”

“You’re crazy!” Jessica laughed.

The prospect of meeting up with Adhha again was, though she would not admit it, rather thrilling. She fondly recalled Adhha’s puppy eyes and his taut, sinewy physique, and decided that everyone deserved a second chance. She picked up her mobile phone and texted, I am free this Sunday. Where do you want to meet?

No response came. Both girls stared at the screen for an interminable minute.

“Maybe he went to the toilet,” Andreae guessed.

“People bring their mobile phones with them to the toilet,” Jessica snapped irritably. Adhha was being rude. How could he terminate a texted conversation so abruptly? This man was impossible!

Fifteen minutes later, when the two girls had settled down to watch an episode of The Walking Dead, Adhha’s message came.

You won’t believe who just texted me. The producer from Arm Wrestle for Love. He wants to invite both you and me on the show!

Jessica almost jumped out of her skin when Andreae started screeching with delight right beside her ear. She herself was in a daze. This could not be happening.

Arm Wrestle for Love was a popular game show on Channel 5. Each episode featured a young lady who had to pick one from out of two admirers competing for her love. Each candidate selected a charity he rooted for, and fifty per cent of the sum accumulated from viewers’ dial-in votes, each raising $5, would go to the winner’s charity. It was public romance for a good cause.

“Who do you think the producer will invite as Adhha’s rival?” Andreae wondered aloud.

The mystery was solved the very next day when the Arm Wrestle for Love producer sent Jessica an official invitation via email. Competing for her love would be Adhha bin Jimari, SMRT technician, and Ng Chong Jin, STAR specialist.

“Oh no! Not him!” Jessica despaired. “Why is he haunting me every step of the way?”

“I know you can’t stand him, but Chong Jin is as much a player in this riot drama as you are,” Andreae said. “Besides, you are the embodiment of courage and magnanimity to your fans. You have to live up to your reputation. Accept the challenge and face up to the man. Remember that this is for a good cause.”

Jessica bit her lip and nodded. The slightest nudge was all she needed; how often did one get invited to appear on live television?