Love Elimination (24 page)

‘This is good,’ Hadie mumbled into Anna’s ear, over and over. Each time she repeated it, Anna lost confidence in the words.

‘How is it good?’

‘I need to go home. And as afraid as you are to admit it, you and Luke are head over heels for each other. You don’t need to protect me. This is my choice.’

Then she was gone. A second later Mason ushered Anna back to her seat, and she was aided down the stairs by Luke’s outstretched hand. The touch of his skin did nothing to balance her, instead it almost sent her reeling. But she stayed upright and her face became as hardened as Hadie’s had been.

Luke should’ve sent her home. It was her phone and he knew it. Hadie was a real contestant. She was the best person on the show. It wasn’t like he could keep whittling away at the women who were actually interested in a relationship with him. This was the final four and it was high time Anna went home.

‘How do you feel about Hadie’s sudden departure, Yvette?’ Mason asked, moving on with the show. Anna had been bracing herself for the interview part but now she was entirely off-kilter.

‘She broke the rules. And she’s right. She and Luke would never have worked. She should have gone home a long time ago,’ Yvette replied in a voice she clearly thought was sexy.

‘How about that screening? How do you feel about what was shown today?’

‘Luke Westwood looks as delicious on screen as he does in real life.’

Now Anna really had to fight from the desire to scream a tirade of insults at the woman. Yvette had nothing but lecherous, nasty comments to contribute. She truly was the bad guy. And yet, she wasn’t even universally hated—she had a fan club of her own. That it was stronger than Liu Kun’s support base made absolutely no sense.

‘Anna,’ Mason said, turning to her, ‘would you like to tell us about what happened after you and Luke disappeared down the blue run? You were gone for quite a while …’

‘We had coffee, after Luke managed to coax me down the slope,’ Anna stammered. ‘It was a lot harder than he led me to believe.’

‘That’s all that happened? Because I heard something quite different …’ Mason wiggled his eyebrows. It must have been a cue to the sound technicians, because the next moment the unmistakable sound of kissing played over the speakers. The sound was not attractive.

Panic flooded through Anna’s veins and made its home in her chest. Her breathing shortened and her clammy hands shook. When she was really angry, her body’s first instinct was to cry. It made her look weak and she hated it. This time was no different. The cameras made everything worse.

‘Maybe I should ask Luke?’ Mason continued, turning to face Luke. Anna looked over at him too. That kiss—the one that sounded like a slurping child in the audio clip—had overwhelmed her senses. It had been hot, promising and all encompassing. She’d felt that kiss—and the one in her hotel room—to the tips of her toes. Even just remembering the touch of his lips, Anna’s skin tingled. At least now the public humiliation would keep her focused on why she needed to leave.

‘You’ve finally kissed the lovely Anna. How was it?’

‘It was amazing. Anna is beautiful,’ Luke’s voice quietened with emotion and Anna felt her heart shudder under the weight of it.

‘It seems you have a favourite on the show. What do you say to that?’ Mason asked.

‘The women all have great qualities and I have a connection with each of them.’

‘So it’s safe to say you’d like to take them all home with you?’ The comment got a hiss from the audience.

‘Of course not.’

‘Then why get attached to multiple women when you only want one?’

The audience seemed to hold its breath. Liu Kun leaned forwards on her stool and almost fell off, catching her balance at the last moment.

‘I’m ready to make a commitment.’ Luke picked his words carefully, like a politician defending an unpopular policy. ‘I want to get to know these wonderful women so that in the finale, I am standing next to the woman I love without a single doubt in my mind.’

It was the right answer. There were just two problems. One: Anna didn’t believe him for a second; he’d spent far too long with her to be entirely serious about the
Love Elimination
process. Two: Anna was starting to picture herself in the finale. The situation was going straight to her head.

So much so that she barely heard the names of the women up for elimination when they were announced. Anna reacted to her name being called without emotion, climbing the stairs for the second time that day. This time it was Yvette next to her. The other woman didn’t take her hand, didn’t even give Anna a glance.

Luke said his goodbyes to both of them. All Anna could think about was how much she now wanted the prize of the weirdest competition she’d ever known. Obviously Stockholm Syndrome had taken hold—what she really needed was to go home. Maybe being aware of that would stop her heart yearning for what it couldn’t have. Luke. She’d once heard that getting over a man should take half as long as you’d been together. Since Luke and she hadn’t actually been together, maybe it was just the distance she needed?

Standing there next to Yvette, listening to Luke farewelling them, she didn’t know what to wish for.

‘Yvette. I’m sorry, but you’re not the one for me,’ Luke said eventually and gave her a peck on the cheek.

The show came to a close and they were finally allowed to leave. Yvette wouldn’t be polluting the house with her sneers any longer—just as Hadie wouldn’t be making every day tolerable. As she was ushered backstage, Anna felt the weight of everything that had happened pressing down on her.

‘Anna.’ Luke snagged her arm and pulled her into a musty curtain that curled around her body. ‘Are you okay?’

She glanced around; there wasn’t anyone within earshot. ‘Why didn’t you send me home?’ She couldn’t keep the despair from her voice.

‘Is that what you wanted?’

‘Yes.’ She thought she sounded sure, even if her mind wouldn’t stop its furious contradictions.

‘We can’t talk about this here. I’ll meet you on the beach tonight.’

‘I’m not going to sneak out of the villa to meet you. We’re done with these off-camera appearances. Just send me home.’

She moved to leave, message clearly delivered. It wouldn’t help for him to see the tears in her eyes and she couldn’t hold them in any longer. Her heart was breaking. It was all too much. The constant exposure. Her sister’s betrayal. Hadie’s departure. The kisses.

Luke stopped her. He spoke softly in her ear. ‘I’m going to wait for you, Anna. All night if I have to,’ he whispered. ‘Please.’

Without answering, Anna pulled away. She fought her body’s instincts to turn and look back. Right at that moment, all she wanted was to crawl into her bed, call Ben and cry—but the phone was gone, and so was her connection to the outside world.

‘Add just a hint of a pout, Anna.’ The photographer aimed the lens at her. ‘That’s it! Keep moving now. Slide into that next pose.’

Clearly she’d been mistaken for a model. She’d been dressed in couture and given eyelashes the length of her new acrylic nails. The photographer instructed her to be happy, sad, devastated, hopeful, heartbroken, angry … She struggled with every single emotion. With the dress digging into her ribs and scratching her bare legs underneath, the only thing she felt right now was uncomfortable.

‘This is the last one. Give me something fantastic for the final look.’

Anna faced the plain white backdrop and twisted back to look at the camera over her shoulder. She softened her face to hide the twinge of pain in her spine.

‘Excellent! That’s great, Anna!’ He left the camera and hurried to the laptop where several of the crew flicked through the photos he’d just taken. While they talked among themselves, Anna tugged the dress up at its sweetheart neckline. The hard boning only shifted from the bottom of her ribs to the middle. She would definitely be sporting some pretty unusual bruises tomorrow.

‘That’s a wrap! Thank you, Anna. You can get changed and head over to the interviews.’

If there was one thing worse than two hours of posing, it was being interviewed about her feelings for Luke Westwood. Anna swallowed and nodded, tottering from the set to wardrobe, where two young women rushed her behind a curtain and stripped the dress from her. All Anna had to do was concentrate on not falling over. As it turned out, that was hard enough.

One of the women held up a cocktail dress with far fewer ruffles than the last. Even if it wasn’t as bad, it certainly wasn’t the comfortable shirt and jeans combo Anna had worn to WestMedia’s headquarters in Sydney.

‘Where are my clothes?’ she asked, staring at the dress like it offended her.

‘You’ve still got the interview to go,’ the second woman said, taking the dress from her colleague, unzipping it, and holding it at the height of Anna’s thighs. Anna swallowed a sigh and stepped into it. The hemline sat only a few inches under her arse. There was no mirror, so Anna just had to trust that she looked okay.

Hair and make-up had their turn next. They pulled Anna’s hair out of the updo they’d put it into for the photo shoot and scrubbed off the smokey eyes. From the brown hues on the palette before her, Anna guessed she had a more natural look this time—except for the bright pink lipstick wielded at the very end. Her hair fell past her shoulders, left in its curly state.

Finally she was guided down a corridor, passing Liu Kun who looked more glamorous than she’d ever seen her on the way, and into the interview room. The chaos from the photo shoot area was inaudible here, replaced by an almost eerie silence. Anna forced herself to take long, deep breaths. Following the crew’s directions, she sat on the couch in front of yet another backdrop, crossed her ankles and locked her hands in her lap.

‘Hi, Anna. I’m Roz,’ the interviewer said. The woman had a friendly, kind voice, a short bob haircut and a ready smile. Anna would’ve guessed her to be about forty years old. ‘Just relax, and try to be honest and open. You’ll be fine.’ She paused, then began the interview. ‘How are you coping with the show? You’ve said in the past that competing with the other women is difficult for you.’

‘It is hard. But the longer it goes on, the more normal it feels,’ Anna said slowly, as though testing each word as it came out. She’d given up on telling the truth at this point. The whole show was about playing a part; hers would be composed and elegant business woman, and kickarse cook.

‘We’ve seen you and Luke grow close over the last few episodes. Can you tell me a bit about that?’

Anna smiled before she could stop herself. This is what she’d prepared for since the moment the excursion to WestMedia to film promo materials for the finale was announced. The cameras would not be catching her unawares any more. ‘He’s a great guy and I enjoy spending time with him.’

‘Surely you can give me a bit more? What do you like about him?’

‘He’s so carefree, fun to be around, good humoured, considerate, kind …’ Anna listed Luke’s qualities, carefully controlling her tone as she did so. She didn’t want to be seen as a gushing obsessive when the interview went to air.

‘Are you in love with him?’ The interviewer looked up from her clipboard. Anna registered the question, but her attention was caught by the figure that had slipped into the room and taken a discreet place in the corner: Luke. Was he allowed to watch the interviews? Surely it wasn’t conducive to the contestants being truly honest and open about their feelings?

‘Are you in love with Luke Westwood?’ the interviewer asked again.

‘Um.’ Under the intensity of Luke’s stare, Anna lost the poise she’d been so proud of. Only when she looked back to the interviewer did she remember her rehearsed answer and rush to deliver it. ‘I’m still getting to know him.’

‘But you care for him?’

‘Of course. It would be impossible to be in this situation and not grow to like him.’

It was consistent with her ‘I’m here to fall in love’ character, and also true enough to her own feelings. But with Luke watching, it felt like a monumental confession.

‘Then why did you volunteer to leave instead of Hadie? Don’t you want Luke to pick you in the finale?’

Anna took a deep breath to slow the hammering of her heart and clasped her hands together until they stopped shaking. ‘Hadie was my best friend in the house. We were roommates. Time with Luke is great, but it’s only ever a few quick dates or hasty moments of conversation—there’s no privacy.’ Or at least, that’s how it was for all the other contestants. Anna pushed aside the memories of their stolen time together on the beach or the night he walked her back from the pub. ‘But Hadie and I were together almost twenty-four-seven. I grew to love her like a sister. She’s a beautiful and kind person. She deserves love more than anyone I know and she has a hard time finding it.’

The interviewer nodded and flicked a page over her clipboard. ‘Who would you want to win if it isn’t you?’

‘I’m not sure. They’re all great people.’

‘If you get into the finale and Luke asks you to marry him, would you say yes?’ the interviewer asked. Either she was oblivious to Luke having entered the room, or she didn’t care. Perhaps she thought his presence would produce juicier answers. Regardless of her motivation, Anna wasn’t interested in playing the game.

‘No. It’s too soon. We haven’t known each other that long and I want to live with my partner before we get engaged.’

Anna looked straight at Luke. If only he had telepathic skills so he could interpret what she meant.
Don’t propose
, obviously. But also that he shouldn’t choose her in the finale. She shouldn’t even make it into the finale. Liu Kun and Jessica fantasised aloud about where they’d live with Luke. Liu Kun could write her romance novels from anywhere and Jessica was already a reasonably successful model who travelled the world, refusing to put down roots. Either of them could fit into the limited space Luke had on offer for the woman of his dreams.

‘Okay, Anna. Thank you for your time. You can head back to the studio.’ She nodded at the door.

Anna’s mouth fell open and she stumbled as she stood. ‘It’s not over?’