The World's Most Eligible Bachelor

Week 2: Newcomer

As I brewed the standard vat of coffee the next day, a woman I didn't recognize wandered into the kitchen. I didn't remember seeing her working with any of the other producers, and I was sure she wasn't on the camera crew. Maybe a member of the executive team? That didn't seem likely since the execs usually kept far away from the "talent," as we were sometimes called. And she didn't exactly look like an exec either, not that I thought they had to conform to any particular standard. 

She had jet-black hair, which I was fairly certain was a dye job, overly large black-framed glasses, and a slouchy beanie on her head. In summer, no less. She wore high-waisted jean shorts and a t-shirt that proclaimed Screw Boybands, so it seemed pretty obvious that she wasn't a contestant, unless Harry had a thing for girls who dressed in clothing that slammed his profession.

She didn't say anything and began looking through cupboards, so I asked, "Are you looking for coffee mugs?" 

She gave me a very tight-lipped smile and quietly said, "Yes." 

I opened the door to the mug cabinet and said, "Take your pick." She grabbed one and filled it while I pulled out various creamers.

"I'm Harper, by the way," I said, hoping she would reciprocate. 

"Annie," she said, again with the tight-lipped smile. 

I sat down with my own hot cup of coffee, trying to decide what I wanted to eat for breakfast. I hoped that Annie would offer some more information about herself, but she didn't. At least not right away.

I tried to examine her while she drank her coffee, without being too obvious, of course. Finally, I asked, "Did you just get here?" 

"Yes," she replied politely, with no further information. Was I not supposed to be asking who she was? Was this top secret or something? 

Ariana and Jamie wandered in, looking much more awake than I felt. "How was the date?" Jamie asked. Both girls glanced at Annie curiously and then looked back to me.

"Super," I answered eagerly. "We went to Seattle. Well you probably heard that part already, but it was so much fun. Let's see, we did the Space Needle, Pike Place Market, a walking food tour of Seattle...." I was trying to think of anything else that seemed noteworthy, without mentioning that Harry was the best kisser in the world.

"Well, the three that came home weren't very happy," Ariana informed me. 

"That's no surprise," I said. "I won the trivia contest by sheer luck. But who wouldn't want more time with Harry? That's why we're here, isn't it?" 

I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Annie was suddenly paying very close attention to our conversation. 

"Yeah," Jamie said. "I just hope I get one of the one-on-one dates this week. I really feel like I need more time with him, you know. You've had a lot, Harper." 

I couldn't tell if that was just a statement of fact or if Jamie was jealous. In either case, I responded, "I know. I can't say it hasn't been amazing, but I'm not purposely standing in anyone's way. In fact, I doubt I'll see much more of him this week with the two one-on-one's and the next group date. I don't even know if he has plans to spend time with us as a group again before the next elimination." As I said that, I hoped, in retrospect, that everything I said to Harry the night before was enough for him to want me to stay. If not, our kisses had been very convincing, I hoped for both of us.

"Tell me about this Harry fellow," Annie said. Her voice was very quiet, and she seemed to have just the slightest bit of an accent, but I couldn't tell if it was Midwestern or maybe Canadian. She would have to talk a lot more for me to figure it out.