Love at Last

13 | Week Six | Eliminations

December 8

FRIDAY AFTERNOON CAME AND WENT, AND MY LIPS WERE STILL TINGLING. After Sebastian kissed me, we parted our separate ways and hadn’t seen each other since. I was still trying to sort out my feelings that Friday afternoon when Evette came into my room to dress me.

At this point, Nina, Michaela, and I had our routines down solid. Friday afternoon we would begin hanging out. Our stylists would begin to dress us around 4:30, and we would be outside for the ceremony at 6:00. But today was different, for we all knew that it was Michaela’s last day. After she left, there would be seven more contestants including myself. The stakes were raised with every elimination.

Michaela would be sad to go, but she knew that it was for the best. If she wasn’t romantically interested in Sebastian, then, while she was a friend, she was merely taking someone else’s spot. And though she would miss us, she promised to text us often, and she also promised to stay in touch with Sebastian.

That night, Michaela was dressed in the most stunning combination Helena and Patricia could come up with. She was dressed in a pale orange chiffon sundress that reached just below her knees. Around her ankle was an anklet which featured shells and wooden beads. It matched the two anklets that were on Nina’s and my ankles – our sign of friendship. Her long blond hair was curled in gentle waves that flowed in golden coils down her back. A flowered lei was placed as a crown on her golden head. To finish the look, she wore one of the rings that Sebastian had given her on a delicate chain around her neck. She looked positively golden, like a ray of light, in the setting sun.

Nina was dressed in a light yellow sundress that complimented her hair beautifully. Her hair was pulled back in small braid that barely reached her shoulder blades. She wore her matching anklet and a pair of wicker sandals.

I was dressed in a light blue sundress with tiny pink flowers. I too wore the matching anklet, and my brown hair was piled into a simple, low, messy bun.

Before we went down and after our stylists left, Michaela, Nina, and I found ourselves hugging each other in a small huddle. “I’ll miss you guys,” Michaela sniffled before smiling as she looked at us. “I’ll still be watching you guys and cheering you on, just from the other side of the screen.”

We laughed and wiped our tears, hugging our best friend and saying good bye. And five minutes before six o’clock, we headed down to the beach to close off week six with the Ceremony of Rings.

BRYSON VALENTINE WAS THERE AS USUAL, WAITING TO BEGIN THE CEREMONY. He was looking into a tiny mirror, flashing his signature smile as he went over his lines. “They already will have shown the footage?” He asked an assistant. The assistant nodded. “Alight, so just the last half, the actual elimination.”

“It’s the same as usual, Valentine,” the assistant said, laughing.
“You know, I really want to see how they edit in that stuff. My part seems so boring.” He pouted, earning another bout of laughter before flashing a childish grin. Then, once everyone was settled, the cameras began rolling.

“Welcome back to Love at Last, everyone!” He began, “We are here today for the elimination of one unfortunate young lady. But before we get there, let’s talk to Sebastian about America’s choice date. Sebastian, how did it feel to not get to choose your date?”

“Well,” Sebastian began, “I haven’t exactly gotten to choose my date yet. However, I’m sort of grateful that I haven’t had to pick them all. I’m not that creative.”

Valentine chuckled and said, as if sharing a secret, “Well, as much as the small talk has been lovely, I think I can speak for everyone when I say that we all want to know what decision you have come to.” Then, he turned to the camera, “Who will Sebastian choose? And who will get eliminated?”

The rings were brought out, lovely gold plated rings with an assortment of colored semi-precious and Swarovski stones. Sebastian picked up the first one and began calling names. “Gabriella Demateo, Shanina Brinson, Marya Gannet, Maria Lansen, Lily Harne, Hannah Deepika, and Grace Wan.”

Michaela was the only one left standing. She nodded, accepting her fate as tears filled her eyes. Sebastian took three long strides and was enveloping Michaela in a hug.

“I know that what we have isn’t love,” Michaela said to both the contestants and Sebastian, “but what we have is an amazing friendship. Good luck, ladies,” she said. “Goodbye, Sebastian,” she said, kissing his cheek.

Sebastian reluctantly let her go to us as we all embraced her. Then, she pulled away and left to go pack.

It was a somber night; neither Nina nor I felt like doing much after Michaela left. She had left a hole in our hearts – it just wasn’t the same without our third amiga. But Nina and I kept pushing on, just as Michaela instructed us to do.

And as I fell asleep that night, I smiled, knowing that I held a special place in Sebastian’s heart. No date featured a kiss, not even ours, but Sebastian had told me that he liked me, and then he kissed me. He surely couldn’t have felt the same way about anyone else – it wasn’t possible, not at all.

~♡~

Thank you for reading!

Word count: 920