Love Elimination Read online

‘Did you have fun?’ That question came from Tamsen, Anna’s favourite of the group in front of her.

  At least it was better they were downstairs interrogating her than loitering around her room waiting for her to emerge or a chance to scuttle in and check out the competition. Hadie had begged Anna to draw them away so she could have a chance to call her son. Anna only hoped that, once she was done, Hadie would hasten down and rescue her.

  ‘Yes,’ she replied. It was simple and, again, she wasn’t lying. In the end, her date with Luke had been fun. Surprisingly. He was good-humoured and laidback. He paid attention to the woman he was with. Kate had done a great job casting him on the show. After the PR disaster of the last dating show the network attempted, he was just what they needed. And for Anna, it meant she would leave the show with some happy memories and goodwill for Luke’s search for love. She just hoped, for his sake, that it wasn’t with Yvette or one of her posse.

  ‘Are you falling for him?’

  ‘Did you get him shirtless?’

  ‘Did he say anything about wanting kids?’

  Anna held up hands covered in batter as she defended herself from the onslaught, shutting down one question after the other.

  ‘Did he say anything about already having kids?’ Tallulah asked. All the others turned angry eyes on her. She backed up, babbling, ‘Well, he could have! He’s a hot athlete. Apparently he’s slept his way across the world. He might very well have a love child on every continent.’

  ‘I doubt it,’ Anna said. At last she shoved the muffins in the oven and set the timer, mumbling the words ‘dirty,’ ‘mess’ and ‘shower’ under her breath, before making a run for it. When she got to the landing, there were contestants loitering in the corridors and doorways. She bypassed the bedroom where Hadie was talking to her son and snagged herself a bathroom—complete with bathrobe and luxury soaps—instead. By the time she was done, the second floor was quiet and her room was empty.

  The voices from downstairs were muted. She was almost halfway down the stairs before the talking became louder. At the bottom of the stairs, the villa opened up into a room on either side, with the living room where Anna entered on the first night on the right and the kitchen on the left. The loud whispers were coming from the living room, the kind people use when they want to make like they’re whispering, but really want to spill secrets to as many people as possible. Anna hesitated on the final step, unwilling to find herself cornered again.

  ‘Did you see her skin this morning?’ a voice hissed. ‘She looks like a teenage girl dealing with her first breakout.’

  ‘Her skin? I was too busy trying not to notice the size of her arse. Every time she bent over that oven … What—does she think she’s Kim Kardashian?’

  ‘Perhaps she thought it would come in handy, if Luke takes her to a ski resort and she’s forced to try snowboarding, it’ll be a fair amount of padding to break her fall.’

  There were a few seconds of guffawing before they went on to Round 2. Anna couldn’t move. It sounded like everyone had gathered on the couches. They had to be talking about her. Listening to them felt like witnessing a car accident: that jolt of adrenalin before realising you can’t actually move.

  ‘Maybe it’s alphabetical? “A” for Anna comes first in the single dates?’

  ‘Probably. Because what could Luke Westwood possibly see in her?’

  Even the women she’d befriended were contributing—like Rachel, one of the first people she’d met on the show. Like Tamsen, whose child-like voice stood out; appropriate for the teenager among them. Anna felt the knowledge stab her. She had liked the younger woman. She seemed idealistic and optimistic and spontaneous; all the qualities that Anna wanted for herself.

  ‘She’s not smart either. She hasn’t studied at university and she bakes cakes for a living.’

  ‘Men will let a lot of things slide for a woman who can cook, I suppose.’

  ‘No, Luke will want someone sophisticated. Someone he can take home to meet Tyson Westwood.’

  ‘Can you imagine? You’d fly there by private jet and be greeted by a real-life butler at the door.’

  ‘I’m not sure butlers exist any more.’

  ‘With a trillion-dollar bank account, you could resurrect petticoats and the horse-drawn carriage.’

  ‘I think those things do still exist.’

  Despite all her instincts to run, Anna took a step closer. From her new position she could see the backs of their heads. She didn’t bother counting; it was most of the cast. At least she didn’t see Hadie’s blonde head among them. Anna fought back bile as her eyes were drawn towards the ugly oversized camera in the corner of the room, operated by two crew dressed in black. One of them spotted her peeking around the doorway and adjusted the lens to point more towards her. Anna finally found the strength to rip herself away from the scene.

  She realised there was probably a lot of bitching going on behind her back, with her as the preferred victim. She took another breath, inhaling sharply. Fury bubbled inside her, pushing at her insides and trying to break free. They called her stupid, but at least she didn’t hang around pining over a man for his net worth. Anna understood that they had to be here; they were the sort of people who agreed to go on dating shows and they were entertaining as hell to watch. What she did not understand was how she had become the focus of their hate.

  Suddenly her anger narrowed. Not on the women, but on Kate. How had Kate let this happen? It didn’t matter if the footage never made it onto national television; although, of course, it would—her big sister wasn’t protecting her. Anna was surrounded by mean girls, talking behind her back, when she should be at home working on her new business.

  She pressed her palms against her forehead and gasped back a sob. She stayed there for a few moments, trying to control her breathing, until the sound of footsteps caused her heart to stutter. She hastily tore herself away and rushed outside. Pushing tears from her cheeks, she ran for the exit, barely noticing as she barrelled past Hadie, who was emerging from the kitchen.

  ‘Anna!’ Hadie called after her.

  The fresh air helped, but Anna didn’t stop until her feet hit the ocean. She slumped to the ground, sitting in the damp sand with water lapping around her.

  A hand fell on her shoulder, but Anna didn’t bother turning.

  ‘What’s the matter? What happened?’ Hadie asked. She crouched next to Anna, running her palm across her back.

  ‘Nothing.’ Anna rubbed at her eyes, which started to sting from the salt water on her skin. ‘I shouldn’t be upset. They’re just mean girls who never matured after high school.’

  ‘They’re jealous,’ Hadie said.

  ‘They shouldn’t be. Luke had to pick someone. That’s how it works. They knew what they were signing up to.’

  ‘I guess it’s different when you get here and experience it firsthand. It hurts to see another woman go out with the man you’re dating.’

  ‘We haven’t even been here long enough to get invested!’ Anna cried, flicking her fingers through the water. Her insides were tight and ached each time she thought or felt or breathed, as though they’d been tugged and squeezed and laid out to shrivel in the sun. She’d had her share of awful girls in school but it was supposed to get better once high school was finished. It would have, except Kate—her own sister—had ripped her away from her café and inserted her into this absurd world.

  ‘I don’t know. There’s so much emotion around just coming on the show. Then there’s the interviews every ten seconds and everyone talking about Luke twenty-four-seven …’ Hadie trailed off.

  ‘Were you jealous when I was picked for the first date?’ Anna asked. So far, Hadie was her only ally on the show. In the moments when they could just relax together at the villa, Anna liked to think that she would come out of this experience with a good friend.

  ‘Kind of. I was sad that I wasn’t chosen and I wanted to be in your shoes. But I didn’t hold it against you, like some of the others.’r />
  ‘Do you think—’

  Anna was cut off by loud voices behind them and both women turned. Anna’s stomach churned at the sight of the director hastening towards them with a camera crew in tow.

  ‘Anna, Hadie. You’re not supposed to be out here,’ he said. ‘Come on. We need you inside for interviews.’

  Every part of her felt sore and tired. There was no way this was another routine interview. The camera was aimed at her, not the two of them. She bit the inside of her lip and took a deep breath. Then she stood up and dusted the sand from her shorts. There was nothing she could do about the dampness.

  * * *

  The spotlight was blinding. Anna blinked and stumbled, barely making it down the three steps to the main stage. She’d been woken with the rise of the sun, shunted into a minibus with the nine other remaining women. Of course, her less than sunny mood may have been to do with the eviction. A few days ago a group of four contestants had been invited on a date with Luke. Anna hadn’t been at all jealous until Christina didn’t return. Plus, with one of their number down, the bitchy clique in the villa had become almost intolerable. Anna had taken to hiding out in her bedroom with mock menus for her café. But she couldn’t avoid them in the TV studio green room.

  After spending days only speaking to Hadie, the noise of the crowd came as a shock. Hiding wasn’t a mature response to the bitching, but it was surprisingly easy to pull off. After the small group date that sent Christina home, there was another single date with Jessica. Plus the women were constantly being pulled into interviews with the producers, who pushed cameras into the contestants’ faces and tried to make them cry or bitch. Anna felt a stab in her chest every time she had to think about the other contestants having their first kiss, even if no one said anything.

  Anna sat herself on a swivel stool, perhaps the most awkward type of seating they could find. Without anything to lean against, Anna had no choice but to sit perfectly upright with her hands on her knees. The position made Anna’s back ache almost immediately. But the audience was worse. They leered at Anna and the other contestants like food critics sampling dishes at a new restaurant.

  ‘Welcome all,’ Mason Lockier said when they were all seated. ‘This is the Love Elimination live show! Each Sunday, special guest experts will join us to offer advice to our lovely contestants. And our guests for this evening are … Glenda Liebert, Jason Myers and Kimberley Ruro.’

  Three well-dressed people stalked onto the stage, all appearing to be in their thirties or forties. Anna recognised one of them: Jason Myers, self-confessed dating expert; he had a YouTube series about wooing the opposite sex. Anna might have binge-watched the entire first season of clips on Ben’s recommendation, before her first-ever blind date.

  As the guests took their seats, Mason gave their bios: as well as telling the audience about Jason Myers, he explained Glenda Liebert was the founder of TheDateDirectory.com and Kimberley Ruro was a relationship counsellor to the stars who’d supported a bunch of Oscar-winning actors through their divorces. Anna remembered a rumour about Kate’s favourite singer not being able to write a song without talking to Kimberley Ruro first.

  ‘Now, I know you lovely ladies—and our audience—will be wondering where Luke Westwood is,’ Mason said. A few members of the audience squealed and there was a spattering of applause. ‘Love Elimination live shows will focus on our gorgeous contestants and feature highlights from the week’s episodes, along with the contestants’ reactions. Plus, our experts over here will ask the women your questions and help the women along. That includes questions from our live audience, Facebook page and Twitter account. Make sure to check out those links and our Twitter handle at the bottom of the screen. Now,’ he said, ‘let’s get started shall we?’

  The crowd broke into applause but not, Anna noticed, until large placards with the word ‘applause’ printed on them were raised. The show could be a drinking game. One shot for every time the name of the show was dropped. Another shot for every time someone mentioned Luke Westwood’s name. For the defining blow, a shot for every shade of orange Mason had sprayed on his face.

  The stage faded into darkness as a large screen hanging behind the contestants’ seats lit up and the familiar Love Elimination title appeared. Suddenly the swivel chairs became a logical choice. Anna nudged her seat around until she was facing the screen. After an opening montage of all of their faces and a ton of beach walks, there, larger than life, was Luke’s handsome face.

  The screen failed to convey exactly how striking he was or how he could take a woman’s breath away. If it could, no sane girl could sit at home and eat ice cream or lie around in her pyjamas while watching the show. But watching him like this did allow Anna to check him out completely free from his returned scrutiny. Once again she congratulated Kate. He was the most attractive man she’d ever met, if she could just put the whole privileged rich kid thing aside.

  The party commenced and all the women were introduced, with Glenda Liebert, Jason Myers and Kimberley Ruro analysing their behaviour every stiletto-clad step of the way. Hadie was ‘too excitable’ and was advised to calm down, to just relax around Luke and the other women. Rachel ‘came across as obnoxiously loud’ and Kimberley Ruro told her to be more considerate of those around her. Jessica was a shining star: beautiful, articulate, demure and yet intelligent in her interactions with Luke. All the experts liked her. They felt differently about Yvette, annihilating her character and calling her one dimensional and vindictive—everything she said in the clips was a cruel observation of one of the other contestants and in her first conversation with Luke, all she’d wanted to know about was his wealth.

  Anna held her breath as her face flashed onto the screen for the first time since the opening credits. She was leaning on the counter in the kitchen, hiding from the cameras that seemed to be in the walls and ceilings, from the multiple angles in which the scene was filmed. Of course they had secret cameras in the house. The thought shot through Anna’s body like an ice-cold rush of water. There was no way she’d have agreed to this if she knew, $25,000 be damned. It was practically Big Brother.

  Luke arrived on the screen and everything played out how Anna remembered, except for the chemistry. If she watched it like an objective third party, it seemed as if the woman on the screen and Luke had a moment.

  ‘She’s nervous, but it’s working in her favour,’ Jason Myers observed.

  ‘Yes,’ Kimberley Ruro said. ‘She’s given Luke an opportunity to be quiet and kind in a one-on-one environment, without the pressure of a date or dragging him away in front of everyone.’

  ‘This moment, where they accidentally bump into each other, gives them the chance to make a physical connection.’

  Anna’s heart gave a little lurch. A collective ‘aw’ was issued by the audience. Then the picnic date appeared on the screen. The whole thing was sickeningly sweet and, just as Anna had predicted, every one of Luke’s romantic lines made its way into the episode. The camera angles made them look closer than they actually were and the close-ups of their faces paired the appropriate emotions to the dialogue, with much more editing than Anna expected. She couldn’t remember letting head-over-heels infatuation cross her face, but the slight movement in her jaw had her guessing it was actually just a delicious mouthful of food. There was enough honest playful interaction there to make it look like a fairytale date.

  Then the scene with the group bitching about her played out, almost in full, cut with footage of Anna on the stairs reacting to their words. Anna fought a sudden burst of nausea.

  The lights flicked back on and Anna clasped her hands on her knees. Sweat gathered in the middle of her palms. The show had been eighty per cent her. The audience, the experts and the other girls had their eyes firmly locked on her face, or running the length of her body, as if to say, ‘Who the hell does she think she is?’ Even Hadie was looking at her differently and when she noticed Anna watching, she glanced down at her feet instead.

  ‘An
na,’ Mason said over the applause. ‘How do you feel watching the first episode?’

  A shudder ran through her body. He was going to make her speak first, in front of an audience. She thought she’d been nervous before with the oversized cameras, the lenses only centimetres from her face, but this was worse.

  ‘It’s strange to see yourself on a television show.’ She scanned the audience. Kate wasn’t in the first three rows of the audience. Beyond that was darkness.

  ‘How do you feel your date went?’ Jason Myers asked.

  ‘Well, I think. It was fun.’

  ‘And how do you feel about Luke Westwood?’ Kimberley Ruro said.

  ‘He’s nice, good humoured … amazingly good looking.’ Anna offered a slight smile and several people in the crowd giggled.

  ‘There seems to be great chemistry between the two of you,’ Glenda Liebert started. ‘But you need to relax and be yourself, Anna. You give closed answers in all of your interviews.’

  ‘We watched the entirety of the footage from your date.’ Kimberley Ruro gestured to the panel. ‘You were uptight and closed off. But when you let yourself trust the process, you lit up.’

  ‘Luke and everyone watching love you, Anna. There’s nothing to be afraid of,’ Jason Myers added.

  It was almost convincing, except for the nine identical death stares being delivered by the other contestants. Even the nicer women had that jealous I-hate-you-even-if-that-makes-me-feel-guilty look. Seeing that expression on their faces made Anna want to stuff herself with sweets until her desire to scream passed. She wanted to quit this show so badly.

  ‘In fact, here’s something to show you how great you are,’ Jason Myers announced, leaning back and facing the back of the stage. ‘There’s no need to be shy.’

  The screen lit up again. This time it was a grainy shot of Ben’s living room. Anna leaned forwards, her eyebrows scrunched.

  ‘Hello, Australia!’ Ben slid into the frame on his rolling office chair. ‘This is my bestie, Anna.’ He held up a picture of them together in a frame. It was a great photo from the day they’d found the best apple pie in Sydney.