Love Elimination (18 page)

Anna shook her head and emerged from her stupor. Her heart beat faster. She scurried from the veranda and down the street. It wasn’t like she could get lost. There was one street and two turns in the entire journey and she’d already taken one of them.

About twenty-five metres later, she heard footsteps thudding behind her.

‘Hey, wait up!’ Luke called, falling into step with Anna. She had to consciously stop herself from swooning at the sight of him jogging to her side.

‘I told Kate you were heading home so she won’t worry about you,’ he said, ignoring the fact that she’d attempted to ditch him.

‘How’d you do that with Joe there?’

‘Morse code. I just knocked on the table.’

‘Uh-huh.’

‘Yep. She knows morse code, right?’

‘Of course. What self-respecting producer doesn’t? How else would they convey secret messages in meetings?’

‘That’s what I thought. But just in case, I said that “we” were going to walk back. Joe thinks it was just a slip of the tongue.’

Anna thought about Luke slipping his tongue into her. All she could muster in reply was, ‘Good.’ It wasn’t very enthusiastic, but it was the best she could do under the circumstances. She blamed Kate, who had spent the entire night trying to convince Anna that she was attracted to Luke. Which, in turn, had brought all of Anna’s lustful feelings to the surface. Not that she would ever admit to them, nor the nights she’d spent thinking about Luke of late, to her sister.

‘Where did you even come from?’

‘The bathroom.’

‘Oh.’

Usually Anna would be scrounging for something to say in the presence of the opposite sex, but not with Luke. It was strange for her to feel so comfortable with someone she barely knew. It had taken two years of working side by side with Ben before Anna grew comfortable enough to talk to him about everything. Not that she could share anything truly personal with Luke. The cameras were always there, broadcasting her words to the nation. Except for tonight.

‘Are you going to have trouble sneaking back into the house?’ he asked.

‘No. I’m pretty much a pro by now.’

‘I guess you are. No one has noticed your early morning excursions?’ They walked slowly. With Luke, Anna was in no rush. He seemed to feel the same way. He walked close enough that their fingers brushed.

‘Hadie has. She found out about the phone pretty early on. But we have a deal.’ Anna resisted the urge to catch his hand in hers. ‘She uses it to call her mum for updates and to talk to her son.’

‘That’s good. She must be missing him like crazy.’

‘She is.’

From the corner of her eye she could see Luke drink her image in as if he were trying to figure her out. He didn’t look away until Anna met his eyes. Even then, he didn’t seem fazed by being caught out.

‘Are you homesick?’ he asked.

Anna gave the question some thought. ‘Not in the way Hadie is. I don’t miss anyone. The only person really important to me is here.’

‘Me?’ Luke asked, nudging her ribs with his elbow.

Anna rolled her eyes and continued, ‘
And
I can still chat to my best friend on the phone. I don’t miss my apartment or any other creature comforts. But I desperately want to get back to my business.’

‘It looks like you have some really great friends. That guy doing your social media accounts is almost as popular as the show itself.’

Anna groaned. ‘Ben. I wish he hadn’t done that. It would’ve been so much easier if I’d flown completely under the radar and gone home that first week.’

‘But then you also wouldn’t have met your favourite chef,’ Luke said. He slung his arm around her waist, his hand only inches above her arse. It sent hot shocks through Anna’s body.

‘Is it Ben?’ he asked. ‘Do you have a secret crush on him? Is that why you don’t want to like me?’

Anna would’ve laughed at the idea of her carrying a secret torch for Ben, but her mind caught on the idea of Luke wanting her to like him. Did he want her to fall for him, like the show intended? Nothing about his behaviour so far had convinced her that he was serious about
Love Elimination
. He’d admitted to being roped into the show. Just like her. And out of all the single, gorgeous, well-balanced women Kate had cast—as well as the overly enthusiastic ones—he had chosen to spend his time with her. He didn’t seem to be trying very hard to woo the others.

‘Nope. I just don’t have time. I have a dream to fulfil,’ she said. ‘What about you? Are you falling in love with any of the women? Surely you’ve got some favourites in mind for the final four?’ She couldn’t resist poking for information. She needed to know if the show was a complete waste of time for everyone. Did Hadie have a chance at winning Luke Westwood’s heart by the final episode? Or with any amount of time?

A deep frown etched itself into his forehead. He looked five years older and ten times sterner. Anna wanted to reach out and smooth the creases.

‘Don’t you start on me, too.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘That’s what Joe dragged me out here for. The promise of beer at the cost of divulging my feelings about each of the women and choosing a final two.’

‘You’re picking the final two already?’ Anna’s voice came out higher and sharper than she’d intended. That would mean that he knew when she would be going home. Even though they’d talked about her desire to do just that, pain cut through her stomach.

‘No. That’s the problem.’

‘Are you having trouble deciding? Maybe I could help?’ The offer slipped from her mouth before her mind had time to vet it.

‘I doubt it.’

‘What’s the problem?’

He stopped and looked at her. Anna stopped too. Someone needed to slap some sense into her. It should’ve been Kate. What was the point of having her sister on set if she wasn’t going to keep Anna grounded?

‘I was serious about wanting to find a real relationship. Someone that I can see myself with in the long term,’ he started, talking so slowly that Anna wished she had a remote to fast forward the conversation, like Kate did when she was watching competing television shows for research. ‘But that doesn’t mean I’m ready to settle down, get married, stop travelling, have children. Every single woman, except you and Yvette, has asked about those things.’

When Anna didn’t reply, he continued, ‘They want to know if I’m willing to move to Sydney, or whether I’ll have time for them when I’m training the boys in the lead up to the big comps.’

‘And you don’t want to leave your job,’ Anna finished for him. The knowledge shouldn’t have been surprising. It shouldn’t have affected her in any way at all. But it did. Her heart felt like it was being squeezed.

‘Not yet. It’s just that I only have a certain number of years left on my career.’

He started walking again, so abruptly that Anna had to rush a few paces to his side.

‘Even though you’re a coach now?’ she asked. She didn’t understand how the man next to her could be too old to snowboard. He seemed strong, young, invincible. And she couldn’t imagine having a dream that you’d grow out of. It was crazy.

‘Yeah. Up until a few months ago, I was still competing in the smaller competitions. But I can’t keep up with the young guys any more. I was injured in a fall a few years back. My knee got busted up pretty bad. I wanted to enjoy snowboarding for a bit longer, but it’s not going to get any better.’

‘Shit, Luke. I’m so sorry.’ Anna didn’t know what else to say. She bit her lip. ‘Does it hurt now?’

‘It doesn’t bother me too much. Unless I strap on a snowboard and jump down a cliff.’

‘And you haven’t thought about what you want to do, after you fully retire?’

‘I’ve thought about it plenty. Especially when I was in hospital, and again in rehab, thinking my knee would never work properly again. When competitions got hard and I wanted to quit. Or even before, when I’d wake up and not remember what country I was in.’

Anna was cut up inside just thinking of Luke being injured. She couldn’t imagine him being stuck in a hospital bed for any length of time. She shook the image from her head. It was clear he didn’t want to talk about it further.

‘That happened?’ she asked.

‘Yeah. Quite often. Sometimes I was even sober,’ he said.

‘It must’ve been quite the party lifestyle.’ Hadie had done Google searches on Luke Westwood the week before. She hadn’t been able to resist. Nor had she been able to resist showing Anna. There were plenty of gossip articles and compromising photos of him splattered over the internet. There were tons of photos of a shirtless Luke Westwood.

‘At times. Mostly when I hit adulthood and was in my early twenties. But even then, I still trained hard and never slacked on a 5 am start.’

‘That’s awful. I complain all day if I have to get up before six thirty,’ Anna replied before thinking about how it might come across. But Luke only grinned.

‘Oh, trust me. I complained.’ He laughed. ‘One time I put up a dartboard with my coach’s picture in the middle. Very clichéd.’

‘Did it work?’ Anna tried not to imagine Luke’s arm muscle tensing as he lined up a dart. It was the photos. No good ever came of googling the men in your life.

‘Not a bit. I had to throw it away because a cleaner reported it. The hotel staff feared the damage to the walls when I missed.’

‘Did you miss?’

‘Of course not. I’m an elite athlete,’ he replied with mock outrage.

‘Did you always live in hotels?’ Anna knew she should stop asking questions about his life. She shouldn’t want to know everything about the gorgeous man by her side. But she did. Maybe they could remain friends after the show, if she played her cards right.

‘When I was competing, yes. Either that or I lived at the institute where we trained.’

‘And now? Do you still live in hotels?’

‘Yes. But I’m thinking I might buy one when I quit competing.’

‘Wow.’

It had been a while since Anna thought about Luke’s wealthy, privileged upbringing. He obviously worked hard to be successful in his career. And he had talent. You couldn’t become the number one professional snowboarder in the world without talent and hard work. But the fact that he could have vague business aspirations and jump straight into ‘Oh, I might buy a hotel’ made her want to scream. Daddy’s money had to be financing that. Whereas she was still scrounging for coins that may have rolled under her bed or between the cracks in furniture to renovate her café. Even with the money she’d saved—and would gain from the show—it still wouldn’t be the café of her dreams. For that, she would need large chunks of cash. Like the amounts at Luke’s beck and call.

‘I know … I’m an athlete. What do I know about business or hotels?’ For the first time, his voice lost its cocky self-confidence.

‘No, it’s not that,’ Anna rushed to say, pushing aside her jealousy. ‘It’s just lucky. You can just decide to do something, or be something. You have the freedom to do whatever you want.’

‘Thanks.’ The way his voice wrapped around the word made Anna want to kiss him. There was a warmth low in her belly. ‘I don’t forget it, or take it for granted. But I can’t change it either. It’s what I’ve grown up with.’ Luke seemed to pick his words carefully.

‘I know that.’ And she did. Luke didn’t seem the type to throw his privilege around or boast in the face of those less fortunate. It didn’t change the insurmountable gap between them.

‘How did you save up for your café? How long did it take?’

‘It’s been eight years. I started when I was sixteen, taking on just about every job that came my way. Most recently I’ve been working two jobs: in a supermarket and in a café that does a lot of great organic sweets—which has been awesome.’

‘That’s insane. Do you ever sleep?’

‘It doesn’t leave much time for hobbies, that’s for sure.’

‘What about boyfriends?’

Anna cocked her head to the side. ‘Are you asking about my dating history?’

Luke grinned. ‘I guess I am.’

‘Why? Are you interested in joining the list?’ Anna’s heart actually fluttered at the thought of dating Luke. If she weren’t on a reality television show and wasn’t so busy with her café, he would be the perfect candidate. Not for a long-term relationship—she’d never had one of those. But they could have fun together. If only she had time to see a movie, grab dinner, host a sleepover.

‘Oh, you didn’t realise? We’ve been on several dates so far. We may have even surpassed the third date. Before you know it, we’ll be counting milestones.’

Anna chuckled. Her hands twisted at her side. ‘In that case, I’ve had one serious boyfriend when I was nineteen. I thought that he was The One. Alas, he was not. He didn’t last long.’

‘Really? But no one since then?’

‘No one recently, or for long. I have been kind of busy …’ She thought about her sad lack of relationships. It wasn’t just men. She had two proper friends and one of them was her sister. ‘Plus I find it hard to get to know people, or trust them. I’m not really a people person.’

‘You seem to do just fine on the show—’

‘No way! The only person who likes me is Hadie, and I’m supplying her with access to her son. The rest either despise me or feel entirely indifferent about me. Almost all of them ignore me.’ Anna bit her lip. She’d said too much.

‘I like you,’ he said, as if it meant nothing at all. As if she wouldn’t run the words through her mind again and again when she crawled into bed.

‘Well, thanks.’

Even with their slow pace, they found themselves at the villa too soon. Anna wanted to huff like a petulant toddler. She needed to creep back into the villa and play by the rules, but talking to Luke was the most social interaction she’d had all week—since Kate was busy and Hadie had been on every date. And it wasn’t just that. She missed him when he wasn’t around. Without the cameras, she could relax into his company. This conversation was one of the best nights of this whole crazy adventure.

They stopped outside the dirt track leading to the cast’s villa. ‘You should get back inside.’ It felt like the end of a date. That part where the man walks the woman to the doorstep. When they share a first kiss. The realisation made Anna’s breathing speed up. Luke took a step forwards. He stood close to her, reached out his hand and looped it around her waist. Anna stumbled into his embrace.