Rachel Recchia and returned suitor Aven Jones are looking forward the future.
The day following the live finale of The Bachelorette, Rachel revealed how things are going with Aven after his surprise appearance, in an interview with ET.
“We’ll have to wait and see,” Rachel says of what may come of her relationship with Aven. “I think we are just taking things, obviously, very organically and slowly if there were to ever be anything coming out of it. But it really just was nice to have him there, to just have him in that moment.”
Rachel was having an emotional night. Bachel Nation watched her get engaged to Tino Franco at the end of her Bachelorette journey. But following a series of ups and downs in their relationship, Rachel and Tino broke up after he confessed to kissing another woman.
Rachel and Tino were reunited onstage for a very uncomfortable conversation, but Rachel’s mood took a turn for the better when host Jesse Palmer announced that there was someone waiting off-stage who wanted to talk to the pilot.
“When he said that, I don’t even think it was registering in my mind what he said,” Rachel says of the moment Jesse revealed the surprise appearance. “I was just trying to get off the stage.”
Rachel‘s face lit up when Aven walked out onto the stage. The couple had previously broken off their relationship when Aven confessed that he wasn’t ready to propose, but would rather continue dating off the show (ie. in real life, rather than fantasy).
As Tino sat by watching in uncomfortable silence, Aven told Rachel, “This is tough, and you don’t really deserve any of this . . . I was just wondering if you maybe want to get out of here and catch up?”
“I would love nothing more,” Rachel replied.
Awkward! Right in front of Tino! I felt sorry for the guy.
Now Rachel is gushing that Aven “has always just been such a comforting presence in my journey and someone I trust and just have an amazing relationship with.”
“To see him on the side, it was really nice and comforting,” Rachel says. “It was great to be able to talk to him after having such a hard time.” Kind of a human consolation prize?
Rachel and Aven proceeded to leave the stage and did not return for the rest of the live finale, a fact that appeared to be surprising to Jesse, who brought up the pilot’s absence multiple times as the show went on.
To me it felt to me like Jesse was enjoying taking jabs at Tino, who committed the cardinal sin of kissing another girl during their on-again off-again relationship. It’s not like he slept with someone. He made a mistake. But Rachel wants perfection. Consider yourself lucky, Tino.
As for the fact that the reconciliation happened while Tino was still onstage, something that drew a fair amount of backlash online, Rachel doesn’t think Aven meant anything by the timing of his appearance. (Actually Aven probably didn’t have anything to do with timing or anything else. The producers sent him out there to stir up controversy.)
“In the moment, I was, obviously, very confused. That was not Aven‘s intention. He was also not under the impression that that was ever going to happen. We do not condone any sort of bullying or humiliation,” Rachel insists. “I’m sure [Tino] felt horrible. I don’t want to, obviously, make him feel like that, regardless of what happened in our relationship. I don’t really know where the timing of all that happened, but it was not Aven‘s intention, and I know that.”
I’m sticking with my opinion that Tino dodged a bullet. His heart may be broken right how, but he would never have been able to live up to Rachel‘s expectations. She’s a princess and wants everything to be about her. Good luck with that, Tino.
TELL US- DO YOU THINK RACHEL SHOULD HAVE FORGIVEN TINO FOR KISSING ANOTHER GIRL, IF IT WAS ONLY A KISS? WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT AVEN BEING BROUGHT OUT RIGHT IN FRONT OF TINO? DO YOU THINK RACHEL AND AVEN WILL LAST?
[Photo Credit: ABC/Dara-Michelle Farr]
