Colton Underwood wouldn't say he's angry at Tia Booth for getting in the way of his potential future with The Bachelorette star Becca Kufrin, but he's not exactly pleased.
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Colton and Tia briefly dated in January, before Arie Luyendyk Jr.'s season of The Bachelor began airing on ABC. However, the pair called it quits on their budding romance due to bad timing, long distance, and Colton's casting on The Bachelorette.
Once Colton made Becca aware of his former fling at the start of The Bachelorette season, Becca decided to pursue the charity founder only after receiving Tia's permission and genuine blessing during a Week 3 group date.
As a result, Becca and Colton were shocked when Tia showed up after hometown dates to inform the Bachelorette that she still had feelings for Colton and it made her sick to her stomach to think about him with someone else.
Little did Tia know at the time Colton had admitted he was "in love" with Becca and could picture proposing marriage to her at the end of the process.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' SPOILERS: WHO DID BECCA PICK AS HER WINNING BACHELOR?
Sadly for Colton, however, Becca denied him a rose at the subsequent Rose Ceremony, insisting Tia's feelings were not the reason why she couldn't see a future with him.
"I'm not mad at Tia because that's how she felt and I'm proud that she risked her friendship with Becca to come back and talk and speak her truth," the 26-year-old former professional football player told ET.
"So I can't say I'm mad at her, but I am frustrated and I am a little confused because the last I saw of Tia was on the spa day when we were all on the same page and she was wishing me well on my journey. It just didn't play out the way I thought it was going to play out."
Once Colton was sent packing, he apparently contacted the Arkansas native and physical therapist to chat.
"I did reach out and message Tia after that episode and just let her know where I stood. I wasn't mad; I was just frustrated. I was confused. So she knows where I stand," Colton revealed.
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Tia received a lot of heat and criticism for how she handled herself on The Bachelorette. Even last season's The Bachelorette star, Rachel Lindsay, wrote in her Us Weekly blog how Tia overshadowed Becca and chose the wrong time and place to confront her good friend.
As fans are well aware, Colton and Tia took off to film Bachelor in Paradise earlier this summer, and Season 5 of the spinoff will debut later this summer.
Colton said of seeing Tia again, "It was very emotional."
"You know, I'm just coming out of a relationship with Becca and I'm dealing with Tia at the same time, and I'm also on a beach with a bunch of beautiful women and some of my friends," he added. "So I wasn't expecting to feel the emotions that I felt."
When asked to clarify if those emotions he felt were for Tia, Colton replied, "I think you're going to have to tune in and find out to see what exactly I mean by that."
RELATED LINK: BECCA REPORTEDLY HAVING DOUBTS ABOUT FINAL WINNER PICK, "MIGHT PULL AN ARIE"
If Colton didn't end up finding lasting love in Mexico, there are many members of Bachelor Nation who would love to see him as the next The Bachelor star.
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Regardless, Colton said he is "very happy" he gave Bachelor in Paradise a shot.
"I think you could tell in [my] last episode there's a lot of conversations that need to be had," he said, referencing his past with Tia, "and it was also another time for me to put myself out there and take a shot at finding love and dating other women."
Colton claimed he had the right intentions all along and will continue to.
RELATED LINK: RAVEN GATES: TIA BOOTH AND COLTON UNDERWOOD DON'T MESH, 'THE BACHELORETTE' BACHELOR IS NOT WHAT SHE NEEDS
"Anyone who questions my intentions of going on the show, I think, for me, I put myself out there," Colton explained.
"I was true to who I was and there was no plotting; there was no scheming. It was just me going on a show, and I feel like it was so good for me to do this. So, I'm happy with how everything played out. And I love everybody!"
To read spoilers about what happened between Tia and Colton while filming Season 5 of Bachelor in Paradise this summer, click here.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski