Love Elimination (8 page)

‘Now, we can’t go revealing outside information to the other contestants. This will just have to remain our little secret. Off you go, Anna. You need to get ready for your date!’

You’ve got to be kidding!
Anna could barely keep the words locked away inside herself.

* * *

Anna didn’t like dates. She rarely felt her heart flutter at the anticipation of a romantic dinner or movie night. What she hated most was the hour of preparation, washing her hair, doing her make-up, and consulting with Kate about clothes. Then there was the inevitable disappointment that had tainted her love life up until now.

Yet here she was on a beach, dressed in jodhpurs that hid nothing and a thin white shirt that was a size too small, being filmed by a camera crew. To top it off, she was within full view of the beach house’s second-floor veranda, so the other contestants were all out, watching. If this was supposed to be the waiting-in-suspense scene, Anna was not impressed. She knew she looked nothing but annoyed and squinty from the blazing sun. She was not allowed to wear sunglasses.

Suspense was the last thing on the menu. Luke stood just twenty-five metres away, next to two tethered horses. She could smell the horse hair from where she was standing. Joe shouted directions for her to peer down the beach looking nervous and curious. Not that watching Luke climb onto a chestnut horse was a hardship. The man’s shirt was only half buttoned and the rolled-up sleeves left his arms bare. A crew member untethered the horses and Luke rode towards her, leading the riderless horse.

Filming paused as two crew members rushed forwards to place a box next to the horse, allowing Luke to dismount with a drop of less than a metre. At this, Anna couldn’t help but smile.

‘Anna.’ When he was finally on the ground, he enveloped her in a hug. For the first time, his scent made her sneeze, not swoon. He smelt like a barn.

‘You look great,’ he said. ‘Have you ever been horse riding before?’

‘Only when I was really young, when they put you on a pony and lead you around a family fun fair.’

‘Then you’re better prepared for today’s date than I am,’ he replied, leading her towards the white horse. It was smaller than the chestnut one, but still too high for Anna to mount without help. Anna rubbed her palm along the horse’s rump and avoided Luke’s eyes as he placed his hands on her waist. With one swift movement, he hoisted her into the air. It seemed effortless. Her skin tingled beneath his touch and any protests she might have voiced died in the back of her throat.

‘If you’ve never ridden before, why would you organise a horse-riding date?’ she asked, mostly to distract herself from the cameras trained on their awkward interaction.

‘I don’t actually control anything. I’m a puppet in this show—same as you.’ He shot her a cheeky grin.

‘Luke!’ Joe barked.

‘I’ve always wanted to try,’ Luke explained with the exact inflections as his previous attempt. The accuracy made Anna giggle. He made her giggle. He was funny.

With crew on either side to ensure the horses walked straight, they set off down the beach. The whole thing was surreal and the silence was agonising. Anna wasn’t usually one to fill every moment with talk, but without it she couldn’t help obsessing over the feel of the smooth saddle through the thin fabric of her jodhpurs and hard leather beneath her bum. She squirmed. Sun glinted from the cameras so they stood out like ugly growths on the otherwise stunning beach. There were five cameras and more than double that in crew, all focused on Anna and Luke as the horses ambled along the beach.

‘Ask him why he chose you for the single date!’ Joe yelled. But she didn’t need to ask. Clearly Luke was torturing her. Still, she did as she was told.

‘Why me?’ she said. ‘Why did you choose me for the single date?’

‘Because you’re nervous about this: the whole reality television thing. I wanted to get to know you away from the other girls.’

‘Why do you think I’m nervous?’

‘You avoided me on the first night. You could barely look me in the eye.’

‘And you assume that’s because I’m nervous?’ Anna teased. ‘You have a pretty big ego there.’

She couldn’t help it. She loved his reactions. They made her laugh and smile and shrug off the anxiety in her chest. Even with the cameras there, she couldn’t help but enjoy his company; except for the pounding heartbeat and goose bumps every time he neared.

‘What else could it be?’

‘Maybe I don’t find you attractive. Maybe it’s not meant to be.’

‘We all know that’s not it. You want to rip my clothes off.’

Anna laughed. ‘Oh, is that right?’

‘It sure is. So, let’s talk.’ He looked her directly in the eye. ‘Do you play any sports?’

‘Nope, I told you. We have nothing in common.’

‘Didn’t you play anything as a kid?’

‘Not really.’

‘Wow. So what was your thing then?’

‘Cooking.’

‘That’s all?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Poor kid.’

‘Well, not all of us can be world-class athletes by the time we’re sixteen.’

‘So you were listening. Or gossiping about me with the others.’ Luke winked. ‘Good to know.’

‘Did you do anything else, or was it all snowboarding?’ Anna asked, partly to make a point, and partly because she felt compelled. What kind of life would that be for a teenager, the intense pressure to succeed in such a dangerous field?

‘Touché. It was all training and competing.’

‘How old were you when you started?’

‘I’ve skied since I was about five and switched to snowboarding at nine.’

‘And when did you get serious about it?’

‘I was about nine and a half.’ He smiled.

Anna nodded, trying to keep her admiration inside. His ego was big enough without her compliments.

‘Do you trust me?’ Luke asked.

Anna glanced at him. ‘No.’ The answer slipped out without thinking.

‘That’s rough. And honest.’

‘Not yet,’ she amended, but Luke just chuckled.

‘Fine, let me rephrase. Do you want to do something exhilarating?’

‘Sure?’

He released the reins of Anna’s horse and handed them to her. She took them and pulled away immediately, biting the inside of her cheek.

‘Ready?’ He grinned at her.

‘I think so,’ she said, her voice shrill.

‘Giddy up!’ he yelled, leaning forwards and pressing into his horse. His animal responded, kicking against the ground and speeding up to a full gallop in seconds.

Anna’s horse charged beneath her, a second behind. Wind rushed past, grabbing and pulling at Anna’s shirt. Her legs clenched around the horse’s body and she broke out into a sweat as she tried to hold on. A panicked whimper escaped her mouth, turning into a full scream as the horse crashed into the water. She clung to the horse’s reins and tried not to throw up.

They galloped down the beach, splashing through the shallow water. She caught up to Luke and their horses fought to win an imaginary race. Droplets spun into the air and sprayed them both. It was like an extreme version of running through sprinklers as a kid. Anna closed her eyes for a second, before realising she was more terrified without sight.

Then her horse reared and sprinted out of the water. Blood pounded in Anna’s ears and her flight or fight instincts kicked in. She tugged at the horse’s reins, but it only sped up, charging along the sand. Forgetting her fear of hurting the animal, Anna dug her heels into its sides. It took no notice. Luke appeared in her peripheral vision then disappeared behind her. Another scream escaped Anna’s lips. The horse wasn’t stopping.

‘Anna!’

She had long since outrun all the cameras dotted along the beach when the horse finally slowed down. Anna slid from the saddle, and then she was falling. It was only about a metre and a half from the saddle to the ground, but the sand was like waves of concrete. It was the shock, she knew that, but her shoulder still jarred on impact.

The horse stopped a few metres away, its hooves sinking into the sand. Now its rider was safely on the ground, it seemed to have no interest in death-defying speeds.

Anna closed her eyes to avoid the spray of sand as Luke tumbled to the ground beside her, but otherwise, she didn’t move. His hands touched her cheeks.

‘Are you okay?’

‘Yeah, fine.’ Anna’s mind whirred, even if her body shook harder than before—like an earthquake compared to warning tremors—but the shock was wearing off.

‘Are you hurt?’ His hand scooped under her head, supporting it as she sat up. Anna felt the muscles and bones in her body adjust to the new position. Nothing screamed at her.

‘No. I’m fine,’ she said, but she wasn’t. She’d once read that adrenalin-inducing experiences bond people, especially when they were also life threatening. Kate had explained how reality television series used this to bond participants. They send contestants sky-diving, zooming around in speed boats, or dropping off bridges in bungee gear. Sending her and Luke galloping through the water was a cute enough idea, until you did it without training, without an experienced rider and without any safety. They didn’t even have helmets on—God forbid they get hat hair.

Cynicism didn’t usually come naturally to her, but Anna wanted to rip Luke’s hands from her body and punch his perfect face. Then she wanted to run screaming until she found Kate. Then she wanted to pinch her sister until she screamed. Since when do trained horses freak out like that? Did the crew intentionally hire a panicky horse, or were they just negligent? Or was it well trained and had reacted to a signal—an act justified by the reasoning that Anna would never actually be in danger? The thought wrapped around her mind and refused to let go.

‘Here, let me help you up.’ Luke pulled Anna to her feet. His body pressed against hers as he embraced her and he laid a hand on her lower back and rubbed slow circles onto her skin.

Did Luke know? Every word had been supportive, kind and reassuring. He sounded scared for her. Was he a good actor or was he a puppet just like the rest of them, as he’d said? As they broke apart, a medic told her to sit back down. Another crew member supplied an umbrella, stabbing it into the ground. Anna and Luke were given water and asked a series of medical questions. Anna’s body refused to cease its violent quaking.

‘Don’t worry,’ Luke said as they finished. ‘The next part of the date is very relaxing. We’ll find a nice shady spot and have a picnic.’

Anna wanted to say no, but her lips refused to form the words. The fight had left her body.

‘Come on.’ He led her up the beach like a child. They only walked a little way along the sand and into the palm trees. The branches and their leaves offered a denser shade than Anna would have thought before seeing them. Beneath one of the trees was a red and navy tartan picnic rug. Sitting on top was a brown wicker basket. Anna took a seat next to Luke and he pulled out a bottle of wine.

‘Drink?’ he asked and Anna nodded vigorously. Alcohol was exactly what she needed. She accepted a stemmed glass and gulped down the rich red wine.

‘That’s better,’ she murmured.

‘So, is this officially the worst date you’ve ever had?’ Luke scratched at the makings of a beard on his cheek.

‘Oh, it’s up there.’

‘Come on. What could be worse?’

‘I caught my boyfriend hooking up with my best friend at the formal?’ Anna rubbed her temples, feeling her body slowly relax. She watched as Luke fished plate after plate out of the basket, placing each on the picnic blanket. The gourmet selection should have had Anna’s stomach begging for the first taste.

‘Okay, that is worse.’

‘I didn’t say worse. They probably draw for the most terrible date of all time.’

The honesty strategy was earning her curious looks from the
Love Elimination
staff and sidelong glances from Luke Westwood himself. Anna smoothed her hair down on either side of her face. She just wanted to go home, back to the privacy of her tiny, understocked kitchen. If she had to be a bitch to get there, maybe that was the way to go.

‘That’s harsh. Are you hungry?’ Luke asked, examining the sheer quantity of food.

‘Sure.’ As much as her stomach revolted at the idea of eating, the hopeful look on his face was irresistible; denying him would be like denying a child a simple smile.

He loaded up her plate until she had a bit of everything and she changed her mind about the food as soon as the first bite met her taste buds.

‘Stop,’ the director interrupted. ‘The food is just there for the scene. Don’t eat it.’

‘She’s had a shock, Joe. Let her eat the goddamn food,’ Luke growled.

‘The microphones—’

‘Screw the microphones.’ He held his fork to Anna’s mouth and she took another bite. Then he angled their bodies so she’d be able to ignore the cameras, sitting just beyond the picnic blanket.

‘So, do you have siblings, Anna?’ he asked, smiling—probably because he knew the answer. They were adults playing make-believe. In a fake picnic, with food as props rather than for eating, and a conversation that was one small step from being scripted.

‘One. A sister.’

‘Older or younger?’

‘Four years older.’

Sooner or later she’d have to ask him a question in return. Every instinct was to fall into the natural rhythm of conversation. Her common sense fought for control.

‘Do you get along?’ He leaned over Anna to lower a carrot into the garlic and chives dip. She held her breath as his skin brushed against hers.

‘Yes.’ She tried to keep her voice even and disinterested. ‘She’s my best friend. We live together.’

Getting to know him wasn’t a good plan. What if he was actually the perfect guy? With a body like his, he didn’t even need a good personality. The idea of him learning more about her wasn’t ideal either. He already knew enough to torture her. Anna had learned about dating shows from Kate and knew that the contestants that went on one-on-one dates rarely went home that week, or any time soon. And since flying under the radar wasn’t exactly working, she only had one option: she had to be someone who Luke really didn’t want to spend time with.

Movement behind one of the cameras caught Anna’s eye. Kate was picking her way through the sand in high-heeled shoes. She stopped at Joe’s shoulder. Sensing the movement, he turned around. Anna craned her neck, but she couldn’t make out much of Kate’s face or the director’s; her only clue was Kate’s sneaky glances, her eyebrows drawn in tight.